MobileRead Short Story Anthology - [GUIDELINES]

[Graham]

Hi all,

I'm committed to producing 8,000 words for the anthology, but since we're in a bit of a hiatus I've sent my current pair off to a couple of magazines. The chances are that they'll garner a few rejections and be back here in due course, but just for now they're unavailable for the anthology.

Many thanks again for the comments you've given me to strengthen both these stories.

To cover them in the unlikely event of one or both getting placed, I've uploaded two more SF stories. Both are at the first draft stage with no revisions as yet.

These two new ones both need a lot more work and development, and by no means have I yet been through and 'got the words right'. Or even the plot or feel in the case of Brains Flushed. And I know Enduring Fame is a rubbish title...

Please don't feel that you have to read these yet. If you do, though, I'd prefer no comments until I get them to v1.0 or above.

Graham

[gmw]

Good luck with the submissions.

I've got so much going one here at the moment that I've barely written a word in the last few months, and I miss it a lot. There are times when I feel like taking the phones off the hook, slamming the door shut and pretending I'm not here. I keep promising myself that I'll find the time ... and then the phone rings again. Soon, I keep promising, soon.

[mrmarlowe]

Originally Posted by gmw

Good luck with the submissions.

I've got so much going one here at the moment that I've barely written a word in the last few months, and I miss it a lot. There are times when I feel like taking the phones off the hook, slamming the door shut and pretending I'm not here. I keep promising myself that I'll find the time ... and then the phone rings again. Soon, I keep promising, soon.

http://kelsye.com/fail-at-being-a-writer/

[Graham]

Originally Posted by gmw

Good luck with the submissions.

I've got so much going one here at the moment that I've barely written a word in the last few months, and I miss it a lot. There are times when I feel like taking the phones off the hook, slamming the door shut and pretending I'm not here. I keep promising myself that I'll find the time ... and then the phone rings again. Soon, I keep promising, soon.

Thanks Geoff.

I know the feeling. And when the phone rings it takes ages to pick up the thread again. Concentration is very fragile.

Marlowe, all too true!

I wrote out an action list the other day to try to improve my focus.

SWITCHING OFF

Here's how to make the study distraction free:

• Take landline handset and mobile phone out of the study.
• Go to the bathroom before sitting down to write (!).
• Shut the door.
• Turn off the power to the speakers.
• Turn off ChromeOS notifications.

If really determined:

• Close browser and only open what's needed to write.
• Kill internet.

Before writing any scene:

• Jot down the beats for the scene in Workflowy, and have that open behind Docs
• Stand up, stretch and breathe
• Visualise the action in the scene as a movie
• Sit down and write without editing

Graham

[mrmarlowe]

Using focuswriter is a really good idea if you are having trouble focusing.

http://portableapps.com/apps/office/...riter_portable

Killing the internet doesn't work for me though. (Even AFTER I've done my initial research) I have to research as I write, so at least during the two initial drafts, I can't work without the help of internet. To each his own I guess.

Of course I get distracted too by the internet, but that's more to do with my lack of self-discipline than anything else.

[Graham]

Originally Posted by mrmarlowe

Using focuswriter is a really good idea if you are having trouble focusing.

http://portableapps.com/apps/office/...riter_portable

Thanks. I've tried a few similar apps, but I find that I quite like Google Docs, and it saves me a step of copying things around later.

I do go full screen with no toolbar in Google Docs, which only takes a couple of clicks, so I can achieve the same effect.

Graham

[gmw]

My problem is time, not focus. My trouble with focus is having too much of it. I find it difficult to switch off from whatever it is I've buried myself in, and so be able turn around and bury myself in something else. Writing, for me, takes lots of time. Time to prepare and time to settle ... and then time to actually write. It also takes energy. When I'm over tired (which seems to be all the time at the moment), I don't have what it takes to write. It will change, but that doesn't stop me being impatient. This is always a busy time of year for my work, and something has to give - at the moment that's my writing.

[gmw]

Tap, tap. Tap, tap. Ffft, Ffft. Is this thing on?

Just wondering what, if anything, is happening on this?

I've just finished the first draft of a 3300 word short story that's a bit experimental (for me). It's more strongly/deliberately themed than I usually attempt, and it's entirely dialogue - no attributions or other asides. I'm curious to know if it works and how well the characterisations come over.

I can find other beta readers, but if there was still any chance of this anthology going anywhere then I'd be happy to submit this new one and get comments here. (Which means, of course, I'd should get off my butt and do my part on the new ones that have arrived since I was last here.)

[Katsunami]

To be honest, I don't have enough time to spare because of 'life.' Nothing wrong or anything, just a lot to do.

I'm thinking about having one of the mods close these threads about the anthology, and suggest starting one thread where people can sumbit drafts for others to review and comment on. The stories for this anthology would be free to be submitted to magazines and such.

[gmw]

If we giving up on creating an anthology it would as well to at least unsticky the threads anyway ... and probably close them, I guess. It was a good thought, and I enjoyed what we did manage to do. So thanks for getting it started.

[arjaybe]

I guess I can stop thinking about hauling out that other story, then. This was a good exercise, though, and I've enjoyed it.

[Graham]

I thoroughly enjoyed the process. It gave me a real boost at just the right time.

And Geoff, I've been looking at my comma use and cutting down on the run-on sentences. :-)

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Graham

I thoroughly enjoyed the process. It gave me a real boost at just the right time.

I did enjoy this too; I learned a lot from it, mainly that I should not write my dialog in the same way as David Eddings does. (It was characterized as "stilted" because it was too detailed and precise.) It also gave me an idea for another short story.

Maybe I'll write a novel by writing the scenes as short stories first and then compiling them. Or, I'll not write a novel, ever, and just keep writing short stories in my own world. Why not

Would it be an idea to close these two threads, and start a thread where people can submit drafts for critique, attaching them to their posts? Then, if one has time, a draft can be read and commented on.

[Graham]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Would it be an idea to close these two threads, and start a thread where people can submit drafts for critique, attaching them to their posts? Then, if one has time, a draft can be read and commented on.

That's one for the mods. There are sites out there already for that.

I was pleased to find this one for SF and Fantasy:

http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com/

Graham

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Graham

I thoroughly enjoyed the process. It gave me a real boost at just the right time.

And Geoff, I've been looking at my comma use and cutting down on the run-on sentences. :-)

Originally Posted by Katsunami

[...]Would it be an idea to close these two threads, and start a thread where people can submit drafts for critique, attaching them to their posts? Then, if one has time, a draft can be read and commented on.

I think we might as well close.

I've never been sure of exactly where the lines here fall with regard to asking critiques in a more general post. Some have asked for cover critiques, but you can do that without links back to your own site, whereas stories would need an external link - but whether that means that doing it via dropbox or something would be okay, I don't really know.

My guess is that something less specific than this anthology could be too open to abuse - with people putting up stories for promotion purposes rather than actually/genuinely looking for critique. You could say that the existing self-promotion subforum has this capability already - I've seen some (minimal) critiquing happen there - but people doing actual promotion there might feel they were getting pushed out if lots of conversation went on with critiques.