Aeryn Rudel's Blog, page 30

50 Published Stories: What Have I Learned?

I recently sold my 50th story since I started submitting through Duotrope, and because I like stats and data I went back and looked at those 50 stories to see if I could glean any rejectomantic information. Turns out, there are some interesting tidbits to discuss. Now, one caveat: this list ONLY includes stories Ive submitted through Duotrope and were subsequently published. It does not include any of my media tie-in or gaming fiction, as thats a completely different animal. Ill post the...

How Long Does It Take to Write a First Draft?

How long does it take to write the first draft of a novel? Well, thats going to be pretty subjective, and Im only going to answer as it relates to me. This post will be how long it takes me to write a first draft. It is absolutely not a judgment of how long it takes you to write a first draft. Every author has their own system, timetable, and workflow that allows them to get from point A to point B. Keep that in mind as you read on.

With that disclaimer out of the way, lets talk about the...

Micromanagement II: 4 MORE Benefits of Writing Tiny

Almost exactly one year ago I published an article called Micromanagement: 4 Benefits of Writing Tiny. I had just started writing microfiction, and I found a number of tangible benefits from doing so. To quickly recap, those benefits are: better self-editing, a chance to try new genres and styles, great story seed generator, and easy to share. If youd like to read more about my thoughts on those points, just click the link in the first sentence. Okay, so now a year and some three hundred...

Aeryn’s Archives: Roll Credits

Today on Aeryns Archives Im doing something a little different. Instead of looking at a single piece of work I published, were gonna look at, uh, all of them. Some of you may have noticed the professional credits page on the blog, but its honestly not something I expect folks to read. In fact, its mostly for me, a place where I can keep track of everything I do. Sure, it gets a few views now and then, but its just a boring list of I wrote this, edited that, and produced this other thing.

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That New Story Smell

I recently finished a short story, one I really like. After letting my critique partners work it over, I revised the piece, shaved off 500 words, and now Ill start submitting it. What I want to talk about in this post is the wonderful, exhilarating experience of completing a new story and sending it out on its first submission. Lets dive in.

I like lists. Maybe youve noticed. So here are three things I love about finishing a new story.

The best thing Ive ever written. This isnt always true,...

Aeryn’s Archives: Paint-Eater

Todays installment of Aeryns Archives features a short story called Paint-Eater. Its an interesting piece in that its one of those stories that took a lot of refining (and a bunch of rejections) to get to a place where it was sellable. Ill discuss that further below, but in the meantime you can head on out to The Arcanist and read the story by clicking this link or the illustration below:

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Paint-Eater began life as the very first flash fiction piece I attempted way back in April of 2012 in a...

The Waiting Game Part 2: The Great Theory

Submission wait times are an oft-discussed topic among writers and much rejectomancy is applied to how long a story is pending with a publisher. Ive covered it before, some four years ago in this post: Submission Protocol: The Waiting Game. When a story is held longer than usual by a publisher, authors begin to prognosticate. Signs are read, the stars are consulted, and the bones cast in an attempt to divine what this delay could possibly mean. The great theory is this: the longer a...

365 Rejections: A Year’s Worth of No

Yesterday I received my 365th rejection since I started tracking my submissions seriously through Duotrope back in 2012. I think thats kind of a cool milestone, and, well, like the headline says, its a whole years worth of rejections. Anyway, I thought it might be fun to dig into the numbers and see what 365 rejections looks like. First, let me offer up proof that Ive actually hit this specific number. Below is a screenshot from my Duotrope account:

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Ive (crudely) circled the important things...

Submission Top 10: Most Subbed Stories

Time for more submission greatest hits and another top ten list. This time were looking at the short stories Ive submitted the most and what has become of them: submissions, rejections, acceptances, etcetera.

Yeah, I know there are actually twelve stories on the list below. Thats because of the ties (look at all those elevens), and, hey, Ive already done some posts in this series, and top ten looks better in a headline.

Aeryn’s Archives: Night Games

Hey, heres another installment of Aeryns Archives, my series of shameless self-promotional posts about works Ive published over the fifteen years or so Ive been writing and editing professionally. The story I want to talk about today is called Night Games and its easily one my favorite pieces Ive written. I will also go so far as to say its one of the best things Ive written. You can draw your own conclusions when you read/listen to it, but its one of the few stories Im confident enough to...