WIP Wednesday

Around my house today, aside from Work in Progress Wednesday, it was known as Horrible Back Pain Wednesday. I stayed home from work because my back was hurting so bad. This gave me lots of time to rest and watch DVD's. Movies enjoyed included The Slime People, Attack of the Crab Monsters, Creature of the Walking Dead and Conan the Barbarian. I wrote in between films, finishing my unnamed monster story. Total words today: 3,000. Tomorrow is edit time. Right now it is sleep time. Regardless of how I feel in the morning, I have to go to work. Ugh.

The Way We Were

Things are back to normal around here. This means that my back is in near constant pain from the day job, The Other Half is not satisfied with the speed I am accomplishing household chores, I can't seem to get enough sleep, no one wants to cook and...oh yeah, rejections are once again rolling my way. Hey, the ride was fun while it lasted, but it's back to reality for me. At least duotrope doesn't snicker when I report rejections as opposed to its snarky response to my acceptances.

After brainstorming like mad the last few days with help from The Other Half, I've got several good ideas for short stories. When push comes to shove, she can be quite inventive with her settings and scenarios. Of course, it's almost always left up to me to come up with an ending. Tonight I wrote a good 800 words on a new monster story and then promptly deleted them all. They were good, I suspect, but I could see that I was going to go waaaay over my word limit if I began the story in that spot. Plus, I realized that I was beginning in the wrong spot and the scene I was so carefully crafting could easily be referenced easier in dialog later on once the spooky shit was going down. So I chopped them and then jumped forward and started the story where things get creepy.

Right now it's time for ice cream. Yum.

The Awesome Aftertaste Of Olive Lemon

Yesterday, my copy of The Sour Aftertaste of Olive Lemon by Catherine J. Gardner arrived in the mail. I waited until 8:00 PM to settle down in a comfy spot on the couch and dig into it. WOW! This is easily my favorite story of hers. As the story was unfolding, I kept looking at the page count and bemoaning the fact that it was so short. Such beautiful, haunting strangeness! And all wrapped up in one memorable ending. I wanted more! Bucket 'O' Guts press could not have picked a better story to kick off their chapbook line than this one. Be sure to grab a copy for yourself!

On the personal writing front, since my gleeful post from two days ago I have actually had two more acceptances. I am in utter shock. That's four days in a row that I've gotten an acceptance and six overall for the month. The acceptances actually outnumber the rejections this month. I'm sure duotrope thinks that I am a full of shit when I report these. As elated as I am, I need to get to work on some new stuff as I am running out of stories to sub (I know, cry me a river ;) ). I also know that such a good run is not the norm and I could easily be in the middle of a weeks long barrage of rejections. Still, I am tickled pink - as pink as the colors on this blog - that my first year of serious writing has worked out as well as it has. There's always room for improvement, so back at it I go.

Somebody Pinch Me

I keep expecting to wake up at any second. The acceptances during this first part of August have balanced out the onslaught of rejections that came in late July. Last Wednesday my short micro piece The Customer was accepted by Blood Moon Rising for their spring 2010 issue. Then on Friday, the story that has seen more rejections than any other, A Cause For Celebration, was picked up by The Nautilus Engine for their November issue. I was this close to retiring that story. I am super glad it finally found a home. Yesterday I came home to learn that Valley of the Splintered Oaks was accepted by The Monsters Next Door for their Road Trip themed issue (and the positive feedback in the acceptance letter made my day) and then today came the news that had me whooping and jumping around the house like I was on crack: Deadliest Cachalot was accepted for The Bitter End antho as part of a few early acceptances to kick start the formatting process. Seriously, August has been kicking ass! I don't wanna wake up! I've been trying to be more low key about reporting acceptances (much like Aaron) but when this many come this fast, I just have to jump up and down and scream like a fool. Pardon me now while I go jump and scream some more.

I Just Noticed...

...that this blog has an awful lot of pink on it. Not exactly the color one imagines when thinking of horror and the macabre. I guess I was trying to go for a twilight-ish (the time of day, not the crappy sparkling vampire movie) look and feel. I may need to change things around here soon.

So today was WIP Wednesday. At least, in other parts of the world is was. Here there is no WIP. More like WOT - works in thought. I keep thinking about various ideas and stories, but when I plant my butt down to write, I either fall asleep before getting too far or pound out a paragraph or three and upon reviewing them and deciding they suck, head for the big upstairs TV and my collection of horror films on DVD. I've been watching older movies this week for inspiration (it's worked before). This week included The Monster of Piedras Blancas from 1958 and Beast of Blood from 1970. The only thing the latter inspired me to do was fall asleep.

Anyway, all this babbling is just my way of saying that there is not much new in these parts, aside from new addiction to lemonade. I've been going through it like crazy and still can't get enough. I think I'll blame K.C. for that one. Maybe I'll go get another glass and then watch The Thing From Another World (1951).

Olive Lemon Has Arrived

The new chapbook from Catherine J. Gardner is now available! The Sour Aftertaste of Olive Lemon is up for sale at Bucket O' Guts Press for a mere six dollars, which includes shipping to anywhere in the U.S. Rush on out and get your copy today! Er...wait. I mean, run to your computer and order one today! Um...you're already at your computer, aren't you? Then click on over and order one today!

I Broke Another One

Earlier in the week came the news that Lurid Lit was canceling their annual journal, thus freeing up a story of mine they had accepted. Then Baen's Universe announced it was closing after the April 2010 issue. At least I had nothing to do with that one, never having submitted there. However, today came the news that Macabre Cadaver is terminating production as well. The story I had subbed there has been sent to a new market, but I have to wonder if I'm killing these markets with my toxic submissions. Truthfully, I know it's not me, but it sure seems odd.

Chop! Chop! Chop!

This past weekend I edited Deadliest Cachalot down from a bloated 8200 words to a svelte 5,000. What got chopped? I completely removed the photographer character, lost about 98% percent of the real life background info on the Farallon Islands, did away with the long talking scene after the initial attack (that ground the story to a halt) and trimmed words here and there. Once done, I sent it off to The Bitter End: Tales of Nautical Terror antho. Today I learned that after the initial reading, it was being held for further consideration. Um...yay! Yes, I have my fingers tightly crossed...again.

On the writing front, after one night on Church of the Deviate Minds, I have already pushed it back aside in favor of a story for a new creature horror antho taking shape at House of Horror. Monsters are my first true love in the realms of horror, so any chance to delve into such territory must be taken! It helps that Church of the Deviate Minds is one of those stories that is not being written with any specific market in mind, thus I feel no pressing need to finish it asap. It will happen in its own time. Right now it's monster time!!

WIP Wednesday

Last week on WIP Wednesday I had no project with which I was firmly engaged. This week I have dusted off Church of the Deviate Minds, adding another 600 words tonight. I know exactly where this story is going, it's just a matter of getting there. Since I'm exhausted and fighting sleep at the moment, the rest will have to wait until tomorrow. In the mean time here is a snippet.

The cacophony of voices sprang into agonized song simultaneously, a discordant chorus of tortured souls lamenting the cruelty and hopelessness of their sudden fates.

Kenley stared at the other interns in shocked confusion for a fleeting second, caught unaware by the abrupt disharmony before she realized that the anguished voices were coming from rooms on either side of the hallway.

All of them.

Behind each door, some unseen torment was inciting every patient on the third floor to howl in misery.

Phooey

I learned today that Lurid Lit will be closing due to financial reasons. Thus, their new print journal won't be appearing. This means that my previously accepted story Pruritus Maximus is getting sent back out into submission land. It was originally written for the Dark Jesters antho, but it was only after I subbed it to them that I realized the publishers had already produced a book with similar material. The end result? They enjoyed the story, but passed due to those similarities. I subbed it a couple other places before Lurid Lit took it, but now I need to find a new home again. Any suggestions for a horror/humor tale about a poor sap who drinks from the wrong bottle and winds up with a case of very itchy balls? An itch that just won't go away, no matter how much he scratches and rubs?

July Stats

July started off pretty good, with an acceptance on the second from The Monsters Next Door for my story The Horror of Pine Hollow. Then things were silent for a long time. Around the 17th, rejections started rolling in...and didn't seem to stop. While June was my best month for acceptances (4 total), July brought me the most rejections I have ever had in a single month: 9. For some odd reason, none of them really bothered me. Well, not too much. I shrugged and subbed again. Eventually, by month's end I did score two more acceptances (to paying markets no less), so the month turned out rather well after all.

Acceptances: 3
The Horror of Pine Hollow to The Monsters Next Door issue 8
The Gallery of Final Repose to The Middle of Nowhere: Horror in Rural America anthology
The Legacy of Seshet to The Scroll of Anubis anthology

Rejections: 9
GUD
Weird Tales
Brain Harvest
Pill Hill Press
House of Horror
Necrotic Tissue
Absent Willow Review
Alternative Coordinates
Dog Oil Press

New stories completed and subbed: 5
Ground Zero (7500 words)
Valley of the Splintered Oaks (5700 words)
The Legacy of Seshet (3000 words)
Down These Dead Streets (500 words)
Sanctuary of the Shadowed Sleeper (3300 words) - Alliteration is fun!

New stories begun but incomplete: 2
Church of the Deviate Minds (2500 words so far)
An Inheritance of Shadows (1400 words so far)

Total words written for July: 23,900

Bring on August!

WIP Wednesday

It's Work in Progress Wednesday and I have no WIP. Sad, I know. I've spent most of the day thinking about Church of the Deviate Minds and An Inheritance of Shadows, though I haven't touched either in nearly a week. I'd like to get one of them completed by Friday night so I can sub again to Necrotic Tissue, but I don't know if I'm gonna make that deadline. Tonight I fiddled with a zombie flash piece, so I guess you could call that my WIP. The day job has been busy and I've been zonked each evening, though somehow I managed to write a mummy story that was accepted for the Scroll of Anubis anthology. I'm still not sure how I scored that one and am half convinced it was a dream. I'm sitting here now, marinating my insides with liberal amounts of lemonade and bemoaning the fact that I have no proper snacks in the house (salty and crunchy). My eyelids are getting heavier by the second. Methinks it is time for bed. Oh, and rejoice, those who of you who - like me - are still looking to find a home for their rejected Dead Bait story. Looky here!

What A Week (End)

The Other Half and I were planning on seeing the new Harry Potter movie today, but last night we noticed a nail in her car's left rear tire, so we got up early to take the car into Sears, where we bought the tires originally. We have the coverage plan that fixes road damage flats for free, so we knew we didn't have to spend any money. We got there early - 9:20 for a 10:00 opening. We were the first ones there.

About five minutes later some guys pulls up and parks his car right in front of the roll up door leading into the garage. A minute or so later, a second car pulls up behind him. The Other Half and I get out of our vehicle (parked in the lot) and walk up by the door. Technically we were first, but I wasn't about to make a big deal about two people in front of us. While we waited, more cars got into the impromptu line formed by that first guy. My mistake was not moving our car into that line because when the doors opened and our turn came to talk to someone, we were told that if we weren't in line, we couldn't be helped. Well, then HOW ABOUT A FUCKING SIGN EXPLAINING THAT?!!! So we got there first, but had to wait for about 8 other cars before we got checked in. Wow, was my wife fuming.

The end result was lunch in the food court at the mall and not getting the car done until it was too late to catch a matinee (I refuse to pay full price). So I get to wait another week for my Harry Potter fix. Instead we came home and watched Confessions of a Shopaholic. I know, not quite the same thing.

On the writing front, this has been a rather depressing seven days. No acceptances since July 2, but eight rejections so far this month - and six of them just in the last week, including a fifth "no thanks" today for Deadliest Cachalot. I haven't been too down about things, not having been in the greatest mood to begin with, but I did get to experience the "one editor hates it/one editor loves it" phenomenon for myself.

Last Sunday my story The Valley of Splintered Oaks was rejected from the Rural Horror anthology. No biggie, I thought. I'll just sub another story. I sat down and started writing the piece I eventually called An Inheritance of Shadows. That was coming along great until I learned the antho was closing to submissions today (Sunday the 26th). I knew I would never get the story done it time, so set it aside to work on other things around the house. Then Thursday came and I got a rejection from Necrotic Tissue for The Gallery of Final Repose, a story I had originally subbed here, but withdrew. The NT rejection kind of stung, making me question my ability to craft a good story. Their comments included such things as "run of the mill"and "story that did nothing new with the genre." Ouch.

Since The Gallery of Final Repose is set in a small town, I realized only minor tweaking would be required to have it fit the Rural Horror guidelines. What the hell, right? It's worth a shot. So Friday and Saturday I tweaked then subbed. Tonight I got the news the piece was accepted. It's funny how one yes from an editor can take the sting out of all those other no's.

WIP Wednesday

I didn't get too much time today to work on my latest project, a second piece for the Rural Horror antho. About another 300 words were added tonight. So far the working title is An Inheritance of Shadows. I'm sure this one will get rejected because they've already accepted a story featuring a cornfield. Yes, I'm being snarky.

Right now I have about four short stories in various stages of development. I think I finally figured how to fill in the gap with Church of the Deviate Minds, but that will have to wait until this new story is completed...or hits a snag of its own. You know how that goes. You don't? I hate you.

A Nice Surprise

So after 113 days I heard from Shroud Magazine today. I nearly fell out of my chair when I read that my story, Beyond the Veil, had been narrowed down to the next phase of the acceptance process. So the story has earned another read and additional consideration. This tells me the story wasn't perceived as total crap, but with the sheer number of people trying to score a slot in that mag, I still know my chances are slim. Still, it was enough to bolster my spirits. For those of you who volunteered as beta readers at the time, Beyond the Veil is the name I gave to the single story that ultimately combined the two pieces The Thing in the Bathroom and Horror in the Chamber of Steam.

Another 350 words tonight on latest WIP. What would you consider to be the scariest form of disembodied voice? A scream? Crying? Laughter? Belching? This (wannabe) writer wants to know.

Timing Is Everything

So after all that hard work on Valley of the Splintered Oaks, I sent it in Saturday to the Horror in Rural America antho and got a rejection Sunday. The reason? They had already accepted a "broken down car on the side of the road" story, so to whoever beat me to the punch by a few days, I have made the appropriate offerings to the lords of the underworld. You should expect fiery revenge any day now. ;) To think that I might have had a better shot if I'd only subbed that thing a day or three earlier had my wife blaming herself for taking me away from the keyboard last week. Hey, at least the response time was damn fast. Amidst my plans for seppukku, I hit upon another idea for the anthology and tonight I started a new story, getting about 500 words down. This one doesn't involve cars of any kind.

The Movie Meme

Following in the footsteps of Alan who followed Natalie who got it from K.V. Taylor, comes The Movie Meme!

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.
Where to begin? I've seen so many films multiple times that listing them would take hours. I love just about anything science fiction, fantasy and horror related, so I tend to watch those types of movies over and over. As for the one film I've seen more times than any other, it's probably the original Star Wars (1977). Ive easily seen that one close to 150 times. The original 1951 version of The Thing From Another World ranks up there, too. Ive seen that one dozens and dozens of times.

2. Name a movie that you’ve seen multiple times in the theater.
As with question one, I've seen lots of films multiple times in the theater. I don't do it anymore though. As I've gotten older and even lazier, I'll only go once...if at all. With films eventually arriving on DVD, I tend to wait and buy it then. For 20 bucks I can just own it for the same price as one admission ticket and some snacks. However, back in the day I would regularly see films up to four or five times in the theater. My all time record is for Willow (1988). I was really into fantasy at the time and such movies were very rare, so I went 23 times to the theater to see that one.

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Hugh Jackman or Will Smith. I tend to like them in just about anything they do.

4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Will Ferrell. I loved him on SNL, but his movies make me want to gouge out my eyes with a spoon and fill my ears with cement.

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
Galaxy Quest (1999). It was such a great send up of Star Trek and space opera in general. I love it.

6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
Oddly enough, Grease 2 (1982). I had never seen the first one by the time the sequel aired on HBO a billion times in the early 80's, so I have always preferred part 2 over the original. It's one of those guilty pleasures of mine.

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with.
The aforementioned Grease 2. I have the songs on my ipod and listen to them regularly. I know, very sad.

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
The Robot versus The Aztec Mummy (1958). Then people will know what a truly crappy film is all about. This one will either put you into a coma or scar you for life if you make it through awake.

9. Name a movie that you own.
At last count, I have close to 2,000 films in my DVD collection (and that's just films, don't get me started on TV and anime) so I have a lot to choose from, so I'll go with A Clockwork Orange (1971).

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.
Will Smith. I like his films MUCH better than his music.

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
I haven't been to a drive-in since the 70's but I can clearly recall seeing Jaws (1975) and The Gauntlet (1977) at one.

12. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to it.
A Clockwork Orange. I've owned that bloody film on DVD for 10 years and have never gotten around to watching it.

13. Ever walked out of a movie?
Only once, with the truly craptacular Leonard Part 6 (1987) with Bill Cosby.

14. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
E.T. The Extra-terrestrial (1982). Hey, I was a kid.

15. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?
J.J. Abrams big budget Star Trek reboot/relaunch from earlier this year.

16. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?
Anything Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror. I also love historical dramas and epics, especially if they take place in a time before gun powder was invented.

17. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?
As a wee lad of four and five, I remember going with my family to see some Bruce lee films in the early 70's.

18. What movie do you wish you had never seen?
I can't say that there is any film I regret seeing, but I do know that I have no desire to see Howard the Duck (1986) again.

19. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?
Probably The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). A rock and roll musical that glorifies the scifi films of yesteryear, complete with bisexual transvestites from outer space? Gotta love it.

20. What is the scariest movie you’ve seen?
When I was four years old, the original Night of the Living Dead (1968) scared the crap outta me. Since then, nothing has ever frightened me again. Sure, going surfing was freaky after seeing Jaws, but the film itself didn't scare me.

21. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen?
Well, the movie I laughed the most at was Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985). Then again, I was in high school at the time and was probably drinking the night we went and saw it.

The Final Stretch

It was full steam ahead today. Since getting home from work at four PM, I've written 2800 words on Valley of the Splintered Oaks. The story is now at 4650 words. I was hoping to keep it under 5000, but I am really close to the end, so maybe some liberal chopping and several editing passes will get it back down to manageable size. This is one of those times when the story almost told itself and I just sat and typed nonstop, getting it out. It's been fun as well, creating creepy moment after creepy moment, (hopefully) building up the tension until all hell breaks loose. I'm still debating the end. I know how it all comes to a conclusion, I'm just not sure if I want all the characters to survive...if any. I suppose I should sleep on it.

Today at work was much better. The heat still sucked at 100+ degrees, but at least I had AC in the truck!

WIP Wednesday

Like a few others, the Muse was missing in action for a few days, but then I got wind of the new Horror in Rural America anthology. Valley of the Splintered Oaks fits this one to a T, so I pushed aside the not happening Church of the Deviate Minds and dove into Oaks. So far, so good. 1300 words tonight with a clear picture of where the story is going. I'm actually forcing myself to stop writing for the day, as the characters are about to make a creepy discovery and I want to do this scene justice by operating on less exhaustion. 10.5 hours at work today in 103 degree heat AND NO FREAKIN' AIR CONDITIONING IN MY TRUCK!!!

Stick a fork in me, I am done!

Flashback

Am I the only one who remembers this creepy video from the 80's?