I wrote a short story a few months ago and was utterly convinced it was the best thing I'd written in quite some time. It went through several drafts and various incarnations before I decided I was done with it (and by "done" I mean "if I screw with it any more it'll be a total write-off) and sent it off. Thus far, it has gotten rejection letters from Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine and Analog magazine.
Then I sat on it for a few months until last night when I decided that dammit, it was valid and I just need to find the right publisher. So, tomorrow, off it goes to someone else.
The trick, aspiring short story writers, is to take all your rejection letters and put them in a file. If they give you a reason WHY they rejected your manuscript (don't count on it, but some do) take it to heart and maybe think about revising your piece a little. If they don't, go back to the drawing board and find someone else to submit it to. Above all, PERSEVERE! If you let yourself get bogged down by a couple rejection letters (or even a hundred rejection letters) you'll never know if that next publisher would've taken it. Don't make the same mistake I did and wait five months in between submissions. The day it comes back to you, send it back out to the next publisher on your list.
I know it's hard, but guess what: everyone else works for a living. As a writer, SO DO YOU. You just face different challenges and enjoy a few luxuries and annoyances that others don't.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Editors make you want to something something
No TV and no beer make Homer something something. Editors constantly wanting you to change things make me something something. Go crazy? DON'T MIND IF I DO! I realize they're only human, but really, is it so hard to tell me everything you want me to fix the first or even second time around? Why is it that every time I hand in a draft of a piece, they find something else wrong with the damn thing?
There are some days when it seems like the world is never quite enough to some people. And yet, with some pieces, they will take it right off the bat, for whatever reason, even if you KNOW it could have been better.
What a strange business.
There are some days when it seems like the world is never quite enough to some people. And yet, with some pieces, they will take it right off the bat, for whatever reason, even if you KNOW it could have been better.
What a strange business.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
New Retro
This has nothing to do with freelancing, but I thought I'd mention it anyways: records are awesome. I bought a turntable recently, along with a few vinyl albums (My Bloody Valentine, Watergate, The Police, Blue Oyster Cult, The Who, Madness, etc.) and I've been having a blast with it. In the age of iPods and music on the go, hardly anyone takes the time to just sit and listen to music anymore. It's like music has become background noise for us, and it's kind of sad.
Don't get me wrong, I'm guilty of it too. As I sit here typing this, I'm listening to the "Lost in Translation" soundtrack on Winamp. I think the world would be a calmer place if people actually sat down and made listening to music an activity in and of itself.
As for the turntable, I was inspired by my cousin and the game Rock Band to buy one and do a bit of vinyl revival. I'm glad I did. You should too. Do your part to stimulate the economy and buy a turntable and some vinyl! Or if you did thirty years ago, dust it off and listen to it! You might be surprised at what you hear.
Don't get me wrong, I'm guilty of it too. As I sit here typing this, I'm listening to the "Lost in Translation" soundtrack on Winamp. I think the world would be a calmer place if people actually sat down and made listening to music an activity in and of itself.
As for the turntable, I was inspired by my cousin and the game Rock Band to buy one and do a bit of vinyl revival. I'm glad I did. You should too. Do your part to stimulate the economy and buy a turntable and some vinyl! Or if you did thirty years ago, dust it off and listen to it! You might be surprised at what you hear.
Oh, the things you'll do
It's funny where you find yourself. I never thought I'd work my way into my ehow job (writing how-to's for video games, and I never thought I'd find myself reviewing porn either. That's right, I got a side gig reviewing porn. The way it works is this site fixes you up with a few free minutes of View on Demand (VoD). You go to the affiliate site with the pron, you watch whatever you can with 20 minutes, then you write a review of what you saw. If they like your review, they fix you up with more free minutes.
You write enough reviews, they get popular enough, and you earn some ad revenue and some kickbacks if anyone buys something after reading your review. I didn't earn anything from it, but I got some free pron and some very amusing stories from it! That alone was worth it.
I also find myself driving up to Martinez (about 1/2 hour northwest of here) every Wednesday morning at 10:15 so I can participate in a study on hearing for $12/hour. It's interesting enough and it beats the hell out of retail. I'd do it more, but I only have one free day a week. Believe it or not, it pays more per hour than my job at Best Buy did (I worked there this last holiday season, selling computers), the only hitch being I can't do it 40 hours/week.
I've been looking to get into technical writing. It pays better than most writing out there and doesn't look to be impossibly hard. I found a book at the used book store up the street (http://www.baybooks.us/ if you're ever in the San Ramon area. They're nice!) that is teaching me the craft, though it's a little dated. The latest copyright on it says 1991. It's funny how it talks about microcomputers being the wave of the future and how microcomputer proficiency will be a requirement for the educated in the near future. Funny, I seem to have this crazy notion that microcomputer proficiency is a requirement for EVERYONE these days, but hey, who am I to judge.
Point being, you never know what you'll wind up doing. I would never have thought I'd be trying to make money reviewing porn. I thought I'd stick to video games, but hey, it's a recession and you get work where you can. Even if it doesn't pay monetarily, it may pay off in other ways.
You write enough reviews, they get popular enough, and you earn some ad revenue and some kickbacks if anyone buys something after reading your review. I didn't earn anything from it, but I got some free pron and some very amusing stories from it! That alone was worth it.
I also find myself driving up to Martinez (about 1/2 hour northwest of here) every Wednesday morning at 10:15 so I can participate in a study on hearing for $12/hour. It's interesting enough and it beats the hell out of retail. I'd do it more, but I only have one free day a week. Believe it or not, it pays more per hour than my job at Best Buy did (I worked there this last holiday season, selling computers), the only hitch being I can't do it 40 hours/week.
I've been looking to get into technical writing. It pays better than most writing out there and doesn't look to be impossibly hard. I found a book at the used book store up the street (http://www.baybooks.us/ if you're ever in the San Ramon area. They're nice!) that is teaching me the craft, though it's a little dated. The latest copyright on it says 1991. It's funny how it talks about microcomputers being the wave of the future and how microcomputer proficiency will be a requirement for the educated in the near future. Funny, I seem to have this crazy notion that microcomputer proficiency is a requirement for EVERYONE these days, but hey, who am I to judge.
Point being, you never know what you'll wind up doing. I would never have thought I'd be trying to make money reviewing porn. I thought I'd stick to video games, but hey, it's a recession and you get work where you can. Even if it doesn't pay monetarily, it may pay off in other ways.
New Look
Some of you may have noticed this little slice of electronica has gone silent in recent months. No need to go into details, but let's just say "I've been busy." Henceforth, this space is dedicated to the trials and tribulations of a practicing, full-time freelance writer.
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