5502 [ Permalink ]

[  Mood: Confused ]

As a senior in high scool, I get a lot of college mail, most of which I throw away without really reading. Unfortunately, my mom got to the mail first today and discovered that West Point sent me a request to apply to their school. So now my mom has her heart set on me going there and being a military man - not necessarily a bad thing, or even something I don't want, but I'm just not sure I want to commit to the military. There is so much out there, and I'm really not a big fan of war or violence. On the other hand, somebody does have to do it or we wouldn't have a country today, and I suppose it might as well be me. Having lived in Canada and having a much greater reference of comparison than most people, I can truly say the United States is a great country, and I would be proud to serve it. I just don't know if I'm right for the military.

But, assuming I get in, it looks like I'll find out. I can't let my mommy down. She's done too much for me over the years, so if that's where she wants to tell people her son goes, that's where I'll be. She deserves as much. My mom's the best.

I hung out with Kristen after school today, so I didn't get much writing done, but I have higher hopes for tomorrow. I have to stay after to complete a chem lab, but hopefully I won't have too much homework and I can write. I have a challenge for DM to edit and a few stories all trying to burst out of me at the same time.

9284 [ Permalink ]

I didn't get near as much writing done as I wanted today, due to an unpredictable bout of writer's block, but after I read some to reinspire me, I managed to get the september challenge for Deep Magic cranked out. I'm fairly pleased with the result. Now if only the submissions page were up, I could just submit it and be done with it. Since I didn't submit it tonight, I suppose it technically doesn't count as having submitted four things this week, but I'm just going to go ahead and say it does for the fun of it anyway.

Overcoming my natural inclination to laziness, I also got all of my homework for tomorrow and tuesday done, so hopefully tomorrow I can get a good start on one of the short stories I have planned for upcoming anthologies. Maybe the one for Justice Wears a Dress. We'll just have to see tomorrow. By the way, tomorrow is Talk Like a Pirate Day! Don't forget!

5833 [ Permalink ]

[  Mood: Sleepy ]

[  Currently: Listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers ]

Well, I didn't think I could make it, but here we are: the weekend. Such a marvelous time of week. I spent the night with my girlfriend, so I didn't get any writing done, and I probably won't tomorrow, but maybe Sunday. I haven't quite decided which of my projects to start on next; I can't choose between starting work on my novella "Shattermount" or starting one of the short stories I have planned.

After months of struggling, I finally broke down and bought the D&D basic game. Everytime I went through the fantasy aisle at Barnes & Noble (which is every time I go to Barnes & Noble), I stand staring at those beautiful books and lamenting the $35 price tag they carry. But since I like painting miniatures, I decided to get the basic game. Kristen and I spent the night playing, and I've decided it was a good buy. But then again, I'm a sucker for anything and everything fantasy.

17344 [ Permalink ]

[  Currently: Writing  ]

Today was a successful day in terms of my writing. I managed - through some good fortune (again, I say, if there is such a thing) in rejection times - to edit two stories to my satisfaction and submit them. One of them, "The World Stage," I submitted to The Sword Review, and the other, "Protecting the Assets," to Deep Magic.

Having submitted three stories already this week, and with the weekend still to come, I'm feeling pretty happy. Of course, I actually have to write another story before I submit, so I'm doubting the next one will go out for a week or two.

82 [ Permalink ]

[  Mood: Sleepy ]

[  Currently: Writing  ]

Today I got to write more than yesterday (though oddly enough, I actually didn't write much new material at all - it was all that dreaded editing!), which is definetly a plus. I've been fixing my story "The World Stage" up for submission (here in The Sword Review), and feel like it's finally getting as good as I can make it. It got four conditional yes votes from Deep Magic, and I feel like I have improved it a great deal since then, so maybe this time will be the time! First real sale! Maybe! Err...(although, as an interesting side note, I did have a flash fiction piece, "To Slay a - Wait, What?" accepted by flashshot yesterday. That was pretty cool - I heard back from the editor in about a half-hour - but I'm looking forward to making an actual sale. I know the money shouldn't matter and all, but it would just help me feel more validated as an author. After all, I want to make a career out of writing (though I don't know how realistic that is)).

Note to the reader: yes, I did just use a double parentheses.

Anyway, there is one more thing I want to change in the story tomorrow, then give the story one more once-over and submit.

For perhaps the first time in my life as a writer (which, admittedly, hasn't been all that long), I actually have a backlog of ideas I need to write. I made a list of all the ideas I have in AP lit, and came up with the following:


Stories: Status: Submission Status:
"The World Stage" / Done / Prepared for submission
"America, inc."(NAT) / First Draft / --
"Kyan" (NAT)/ First Draft / --
DM September Chall./ Idea / --
"Soul Sword" (NAT) / Idea / --
"Dragon Pirates" (NAT) / Idea / --
Justice Wears A Dress / / --
Blood & Devotion / / --
Shattermount / Idea / --
"To Slay a - Wait, What?" / Done / Accepted! Woohoo!


NAT, of course, signifying "not actual title." A lot of times I'll just give an idea a name - not a title - so I can refer to it when conferring with my friends. I think of titles when the story is done. Also, I listed two anthologies I'd like to submit to in there. Anyway, as you can see, I have a lot to be writing. Now all I have to do is find the a)time and b)skill.

26812 [ Permalink ]

[  Mood: Fed Up WIth Life ]

[  Currently: Writing  ]

Okay, I'm new to the whole blogging bit (though as I spend far too much time watching g4/tech tv, I know quite a bit about it), so I guess I'll just start with a little bit about myself.

I'm 17, and have been writing fantasy and science fiction for a little less than a year. I haven't had anything published, though my last rejection from Deep Magic was quite favorable (if ever there was such thing!). Out of five editors, four of them voted conditional yes on the story. So I was pretty happy about that. After I got over the pain of being rejected. So it was a bit of a mixed bag - but hey, it was better than a rejection where they flat out say "no, we hate your story." I'll keep my hopes up for next time. Now I just need to take the problems they had with the story, fix them, and submit someplace else.

I just started my senior year of high school, but made the mistake of taking five AP (college level) classes. I took four last year, so I didn't think it'd be that big of a deal, but so far the workload is terrible. I got home at four today, helped my mom clean the house a bit (it's for sale), and then did homework until 9:30. So much for my writing plans for the day.

Well, that's it for now. I do intend to write a litte tonight, and morning comes early (5:45)...