Watcha Writin'?

[Zkribbler]

I just suffered through the Revolt of the Machines. My WiFi died, as did my old laptop and my new laptop [more precisely, my new laptop refused to talk to my new WiFi].

With no internet, I poked around my incomplete stories which don't need internet assistance and came across "Come Hither, Springtime." It's a fantasy tale of an irascible old dwarf who is smitten by a pretty young druid pan piper. I'd wandered away from it long ago when I couldn't figure out how to get to the ending on wanted. With no internet, I pulled out the book of instructions I'd received with "Neverwinter Nights" and read up on druids. Once I'd read through druids' ability & spells and was reminded of druids' loathing of the undead, the path to my ending became clear.

Writers of the Future has urged me to submit a story to them for this quarter, which ends Dec. 31. Reading between the lines, I believe the number of submissions they've been receiving is way down--which improves the chances of winning. It shouldn't be too hard to finish up "Come Hither, Springtime."

If you want to enter, here's the link.
https://www.writersofthefuture.com/contest-rules-writers/

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Yep. I recently found a list of magazines which buy SSF stories. I now have to go back through my records of previous submissions to avoid any re-submissions. My best guess is that my first target will be The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

https://www.writersincharge.com/fantasy-sci-fi-magazines-that-pay/

One problem I now face is that "Bethlehem Delictum" is a Christmas story. Most magazines choose what Christmas story they want around August-October. So I'm really late or really early.

Most likely really early, since it's probably far too late to submit anything for Christmas this year.

If you want to enter, here's the link.
https://www.writersofthefuture.com/contest-rules-writers/

Thank you, but that lets me out - for now at least, since every project I have on the go right now is fanfiction. That's definitely against the rules.

 

[Zkribbler]

I had a terrifying nightmare. All the matter & and anti-matter in the universe came together in a cosmos-wide explosion. I awoke to realize I had an answer to my titular question: What Lies at the End of the Universe.

Toying with attendant problems, I came up with a solution to my characters' current dilemma, to wit: they are in orbit around Earth, all their fuel has been siphoned off, technologically-backwards Earth has no replacement fuel;, and a Vogon constructor fleet is approaching with plans to build a hyperspace bypass.

So, my plans are:
1. to get this written down before I forget it,
2. to finish "Come Hither, Springtime." by the end of this month, &
3. to finish The Count Of Monte Banco by the end of December,

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Don't forget your towel.

 

[Zkribbler]

Don't forget your towel.

It's not that kind of attendant.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

It's not that kind of attendant.

Towels are critical if you end up hitching a ride anywhere. Do you not remember the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series?

 

[Zkribbler]

My last comment was a joke about men's room towel attendants.

Although I did not see the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series, I did both read the book and see the movie. That having been said, I did forget the towel.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

My last comment was a joke about men's room towel attendants.

Although I did not see the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series, I did both read the book and see the movie. That having been said, I did forget the towel.

You absolutely have to see the TV series. Yes, some of the effects are really dated, and Zaphod Beeblebrox's extra head and arm look really hokey. But the show is just so delightfully absurd that it doesn't matter.

Fun Fact: Peter Davison (the Fifth Doctor, or you might know him as Tristan in All Creatures Great and Small) plays the Dish of the Day, and his wife, Sandra Dickinson, plays Trillian.

 

[Zkribbler]

... Sandra Dickinson, plays Trillian.

I remember seeing snippets of something, perhaps on YouTube. I've seen scenes of Milliways and of a blond Trillian. These were most likely from the TV series of which you speak.

============================================

I've been thinking a lot about why the Zooey movie fizzled. IMHO, it managed to keep the same loopy plot line & so I'm focusing on the love story, which should have powered the movie emotionally. Early on, Tricia says, "I'd like to go to Madagascar, and I'd like to go with you." My reaction has always been, "Why?" She's a wild woman in search of adventure; he's a lump. Conversely, he's so in love with stability, he lays down in front of a bulldozer to save his house. Why would he be attracted to a woman who wants to run away to Madagascar? I can't see these two being attracted to each other at all. They have incompatible goals.

This analysis is applicable to my What Lies at the End of the Universe. My leading lady is a swashbuckling bounty hunter ; my leading man delivers mail . I spent the night trying to reconcile the two.

Here are my tentative solutions: (a) Her wild swashbuckling isn't a mad search for adventure. Rather, she's surveying lifestyles in search of a reason for living. (b) Although my mailman does lead a boring life, he does dream of daring. So the two goals of my story are (1) to push these two together, finding their needs met in the other person; (2) having their successful romance somehow keep the universe from ending in a cataclysmic cosmological explosion. Simple, yes?

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Many stories rely on the "their love is so powerful that it will save the world" idea. That's one of the reasons given for the murder of Eric Draven and Shelley Webster in The Crow: Stairway to Heaven. Mind you, the writing was inconsistent for that show and there are a couple of other equally-probable reasons for their murders.

The show was cancelled after the first season, so we never got to find out which scenario was really true.


Fun fact: The actor who played Arthur Dent in the TV series played a really nasty, snooty POS on the soap I was watching years ago (One Life to Live).

Another fun fact: There was a text-based computer game based on Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I never figured out how to get off Earth in time before everything went BOOM, so I never finished the game.

 

[Zkribbler]

I sent "Bethlehem Delictum" off to the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Its auto response says I'll receive a response in apx 7 days.

So, my plans are:
1. to get this written down before I forget it,
2. to finish "Come Hither, Springtime." by the end of this month, &
3. to finish The Count Of Monte Banco by the end of December,

1. I did get the idea written down [and a few more too].
2. I hope to finish "Come Hither, Springtime" today.
3. The Count Of Monte Banco still awaits.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I sent "Bethlehem Delictum" off to the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Its auto response says I'll receive a response in apx 7 days.



1. I did get the idea written down [and a few more too].
2. I hope to finish "Come Hither, Springtime" today.
3. The Count Of Monte Banco still awaits.

Looks like we both made progress today. I have less than 200 words to go to get to 50,000.

 

[Zkribbler]

Looks like we both made progress today. I have less than 200 words to go to get to 50,000.

Back spasms KO'ed my efforts.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Back spasms KO'ed my efforts.

Chocolate chip cookies, root beer, hot chocolate, and a couple of cheeseburgers helped my efforts. I wrote 8,823 words on Day 30. That's over three-quarters of a normal Camp NaNoWriMo.

 

[Zkribbler]

I wrote 8,823 words on Day 30.

An amazing feat.

I wish I could have been there to help--not with the writing of course, but with the cookies & cheeseburgers.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

An amazing feat.

I wish I could have been there to help--not with the writing of course, but with the cookies & cheeseburgers.

You don't like root beer or hot chocolate? (not that I had enough to share; I only bought one of each)

I had just a few hours of sleep last night - had to be up early to get ready for a delivery, since I bought a bookshelf from someone on Kijiji and they were kind enough to deliver it in this snow we're having now. I'm expecting a grocery delivery later, so I can't grab a nap until afterward.

In the meantime I've done a few edits on my story.

 

[Zkribbler]

I simply must finish "Come Hither, Springtime" today. Tomorrow I go to Tagbilaran, which wipes me out for an additional day.
Edit: I am in a foul & surly mood. Nothing's getting written today.

 

[Zkribbler]

Read it and weep.

Dear Michael,

Thank you for giving me a chance to read "Bethlehem Delictum." Unfortunately, this story didn't quite win me over and I'm going to pass on it for Fantasy & Science Fiction. But I wish you best of luck finding the right market for it and hope that you'll keep us in mind in the future.

Best regards,

Charlie

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Even Isaac Asimov got rejection letters.

At least you got a letter, although he could have said why it didn't win him over.

 

[Zkribbler]

Even Isaac Asimov got rejection letters.

At least you got a letter, although he could have said why it didn't win him over.

He could have, bit I've been submitting stories on & off since I graduated high school. That's only happened to me once.

The really nice thing was the rapid response--only 2 days. In the "good old days" it took months--if you got any response at all.