Ray Daley's Blog, page 13

So this was September 2019

Damn, but it’s been a busy month!

As you may or may not know, I’ve been submitting at least 1 story every day day for the last month. More about that here:- https://raymondwriteswrongs.wordpress.com/2019/10/01/summing-up-the-submission-challenge/

I’ve made 211 new submissions. 172 rejections. 10 acceptances.

3 withdrawn, none not received as of yet.

Shots Of Repatriated Bastard & Sam, I Am both sold on Jan 21st to Jouth Vol 2.

Two Tickets To The End Of The World (Unused) was accepted by CafeLit.

(Please note, this was not a sale. No money was involved)

The Subaudibles sold on Mar 18th to Aurora Wolf.

The Parting was sold on July 18th to Electric Athenaeum.

A Million Light Years From Home was sold on Aug 19th to Escaped Ink.

Summer At Camp Long Drop was accepted on 6th Sept by Ghost Light.

The Symptoms Of Lawn Tennis was sold on Sept 8th to Flash In A Flash.

Uniform was sold on Sept 15th to New Orbit Magazine.

A Tooth Fairy Dreams was sold on Sept 25th to Aether & Ichor.

There are currently 53 stories out in submission:-

[image error]

I’m still hopeful that Tuck & Roll will be published this year, 2 yrs after it was sold.

The Razors Edge is now out in issue 1 of The Weird And Whatnot.

Two Tickets To The End Of The World (Unused) is available to read for free at CafeLit.

The Subaudibles is available to read for free at Aurora Wolf.

How Have The Mighty Fallen? is now out in Insignia Vol 7.

The Parting is now out in Issue 2 at Electric Athenaeum.

The Symptoms Of Lawn Tennis was published in issue 7 of the Flash In A Flash newsletter (subscribers only)

EDIT:- Jouth Volume 2 is officially postponed until further notice. Until I know otherwise, I’ll continue to list these as sold.

Uniform will appear in New Orbit Magazine next month, I’ll put up a link when I’ve got one.

Summing Up The Submission Challenge

I’m writing this at 1pm on Monday September 30th, the final day of the challenge. I’ve already sent out all the subs I’m going to, it’s just a matter of waiting until midnight to see what other news regarding acceptances and rejections comes in over the rest of today. This post will ONLY contain news pertinant to the challenge. All other submission news will be posted in “So This Was September 2019”.

So how did you do, Ray? Pretty well, thanks for asking. 1 sale, to New Orbit Magazine. More than I expected, if I am being honest.

Did you manage to get 1 submission out every day? At least 1, yes. Several days it was more than 1.

What went where & what happened to it?

Sept 01 – Fair King, Fell Low to F&SF. A Monster Under Every Bed to The Dark (same day rejection). A Monster Under Every Bed to Black Static.

Sept 02 – Stray Kids Come Back to Clarkesworld. The Ghost Of A Chance to Commonwealth Short Story Prize. No from F&SF on Fair King, Fell Low. The Sleeping Season to F&SF.

Sept 03 – Black City to Speculative City. No from Clarkesworld on Stray Kids Come Back. No from Black Static on A Monster Under Every Bed.

Sept 04 – I’ve Fallen In Love With A Hologram, Again to Daily Science Fiction.

Sept 05 – Other People’s Gods to Trouble Among the Stars. No from F&SF on The Sleeping Season. The War Machines to F&SF.

Sept 06 – Top Field Tanks to Asimov’s (same day rejection). Timeshare to Alban Lake.

Sept 07 – The End Of The Centre to The New Southern Fugitives. No from F&SF on The War Machines. Body Banks to Analog. The Safety Of Checkpoints to ZNB APOCALYPTIC. Bitter Fruit to ZNB GALACTIC STEW. Befriend a Robot to ZNB MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK.

Sept 08 – Lost Souls to Flash Fiction Online.

Sept 09 – Insert #4 to Every Day Fiction.

Sept 10 – Uniform to Interzone. A Wizarding World to F&SF.

Sept 11 – One Step Closer to Beneath Ceaseless Skies. No from F&SF on A Wizarding World.

Sept 12 – A Trip To The Mall to Three-Lobed Burning Eye. Fair King, Fell Low to Clarkesworld. Body Banks to F&SF. Bizarre Life Triangle to Bronzeville; Twisted Love.

Sept 13 – Playing The System to Liquid Imagination. No from Interzone on Uniform. Uniform to New Orbit Magazine. No from Clarkesworld on Fair King, Fell Low. No from F&SF on Body Banks.

Sept 14 – The Witch In The Fog to Electric Spec.

Sept 15 – Into The Labyrinth to Not One of Us.

Sept 16 – I Hide Behind Cardboard Cliffs & Polystyrene Rocks to Monsters, Movies, & Mayhem. No from Beneath Ceaseless Skies on One Step Closer. Uniform sold to New Orbit Magazine! Playing For Time to Strange Horizons. Shake-down to F&SF.

Sept 17 – Previous Iterations to The Future Fire. No from F&SF on Shake-down.

Sept 18 – End Of The Line to Chrome Baby.

Sept 19 – Clever Clogs to Anotherealm.

Sept 20 – Absolute Power to Syntax and Salt.

Sept 21 – The Safety Of Checkpoints to Strange Fictions ‘Zine. Running With Scissors to Ink Stains.

Sept 22 – Body Banks to Clarkesworld. Seeking Asylum to The Arcanist.

Sept 23 – Top Field Tanks to Translunar Travelers Lounge. My Summer Holiday, By Billy Mesner (Aged 5) to Sirius Science Fiction. Seance Club to Coppice and Brake. No from Clarkesworld on Body Banks. No from Speculative City on Black City. No from Flash Fiction Online on Lost Souls.

Sept 24 – The Adventures Of The Amazing Jill, And Otter Bob to The Weird and Whatnot. It Takes A Dragon… to Flash Fiction Magazine. Report To Control to Flash Fiction Online.

Sept 25 – Fair King, Fell Low to Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Method One to Tell-Tale Press.

Sept 26 – Do Bears… to Augur.

Sept 27 – Transitional Period to F&SF.

Sept 28 – Somewhere, It’s Still Paris to Mithila Review. No from Not One of Us on Into The Labyrinth.

Sept 29 – Please Turn Over to Constellary Tales. No from F&SF on Transitional Period.

Sept 30 – Into The Labyrinth to F&SF. No from Daily Science Fiction on I’ve Fallen In Love With A Hologram, Again. Transitional Period to Clarkesworld Magazine. The Sex Lives Of Robots to Space and Time.

Over 30 days, a total of 56 stories were submitted. I received 20 rejections and made 1 sale.

So what happens now? I wait to fnd out what happens to the remaining stories still in submission. I got more stories out at once than I’ve ever had before (54, previous best was 44). I’m hopeful there will be a few more sales as all the markets I’ve sent out to were paying.

I’ve learnt a lot. I didn’t think I actually could send out 1 story every day for a month, so I’ve proved I’m more resilient & determined than I thought I was. That’s quite a nice kick in the teeth to my Imposter Syndrome. I’ve tried new markets, I’ve stuck to a schedule. Even when a few markets turned out to be closed, I was able to always get a sub out.

How do you think you managed to do this? Lots of preparation. All my stories were proofed & pretty much ready to be submitted apart from whatever formatting the market wanted & a cover letter. I also had spare stories for repeat markets which tipped me over the 30 stories mark fairly easily. I’m fairly sure 62 stories in a 31 day month is totally do-able.

What’s next? I’ve already made the decision to run the challenge again in Janary of 2020, and have already selected the 31 SF markets. I’m also going to try and find 31 horror markets too. I’ve started advertising the next event, hopefully a few sites will plug it for me. Once today is over, I’m going to have a few days off from submitting. Obviously, I’ll be watching out for responses from markets and will do a full write-up once all my replies from the challenge have come back. That won’t be until at least February of 2020 as Zombies Need Brains won’t be reading subs until then.

If you took part, I hope you achieved everything you wanted to. If that was to sub 30 stories, I hope that happened. If it didn’t, heck, it’s not a complete distaster. However many stories you got out, it’s better than none. Congratulations to those who made sales, or make sales when your replies finally come in. If you decide to join me in January, I’ll be happy to have you along for the ride again. If you take part for the first time, I’ll be just as happy to see you on my crazy train.

Remember the hashtag #SubmissionChallenge

Regards,

Ray Daley @RayDaleyWriter

I Understand That It’s Been Quiet This Month

Please be aware, I am neck-deep in the Submission Challenge, trying to stay on top of my scheduling. Also, one of my trade training colleagues died yesterday so I’m dealing with having to notify people on Facebook of her passing.

It’s not an easy time.

In the RAF, once you know someone, that’s it, you know them for the rest of your life. Yes, I may not have seen her since 1993/4, but service friends are forever.

I’m not going to share any challenge updates here, I’ll do a full post on everything on October 1st. I will also do a “So This Was September” as not all news is challenge related.

Try to bear with me, I haven’t abandoned you, I’m trying to motivate all the people who have joined me in the challenge as well as keeping myself going too.

So this was August 2019

I’ve made 155 new submissions. 141 rejections. 6 acceptances.

3 withdrawn, none not received as of yet.

Shots Of Repatriated Bastard & Sam, I Am both sold on Jan 21st to Jouth Vol 2.

Two Tickets To The End Of The World (Unused) was accepted by CafeLit.

(Please note, this was not a sale. No money was involved)

The Subaudibles sold on Mar 18th to Aurora Wolf.

The Parting was sold on July 18th to Electric Athenaeum.

A Million Light Years From Home was sold on Aug 19th to Escaped Ink.

There are currently 32 stories out in submission:-

[image error]

I’m still hopeful that Tuck & Roll will be published this year, 2 yrs after it was sold.

The Razors Edge is now out in issue 1 of The Weird And Whatnot.

Two Tickets To The End Of The World (Unused) is available to read for free at CafeLit.

The Subaudibles is available to read for free at Aurora Wolf.

How Have The Mighty Fallen? is now out in Insignia Vol 7.

The Parting is now out in Issue 2 at Electric Athenaeum.

One story has been placed on hold as the market may use it later this year.

I’m still in the reading queue for two submissions currently.

EDIT:- Jouth Volume 2 is officially postponed until further notice. As I’ve announced it elsewhere, I was going to be Editor. This is the news I was waiting to tell you.

This month I announced that I’ll be trying to submit 1 story a day every day for a month in September.

Wish me luck!

September Submission Challenge!

ANNOUNCEMENT!

Next month (September) I am going to be submitting 1 story every day for the entire month.

If you’d like to join me in this attempt, the markets are listed below. Obviously you’ll need at least 30 pieces of SF (flash & short stories) written & ready to sub. If you are a Science Fiction writer who really wants to start subbing stories or already are, why not take the challenge?

NB:- All markets are listed on Submission Grinder.

01 – F&SF

02 – Clarkesworld

03 – Speculative City (DO NOT BUMP)

04 – Daily Science Fiction

05 – Trouble Among The Stars

06 – Asimovs

07 – Analog

08 – Flash Fiction Online

09 – Every Day Fiction

10 – Interzone

11 – Aurora Wolf

12 – ThreeLobed Burning Eye

13 – Liquid Imagination

14 – Electric Spec

15 – Strange Horizons (after 4pm BST) OR Future Fire

16 – Strange Horizons (before 4pm BST) OR Future Fire (Market available to bump 1 day only)

17 – Not One Of Us

18 – Chrome Baby

19 – Anotherealm

20 – Syntax & Salt

21 – Strange Fictions

22 – AGNI

23 – Sirius Science Fiction

24 – The Weird And Whatnot

25 – Monsters, Movies & Mayhem

26 – Weird Tales (Themed stories only)

27 – F&SF (or bumped market)

28 – Clarkesworld (or bumped market)

29 – Daily Science Fiction (or bumped market)

30 – (Any bumped market)

Please note. As F&SF, Clarkesworld & Daily Science Fiction have fast turnaround times, I will be subbing to them more than once each during the month. Consequently, this means some of these markets may get bumped unless I’ve specifically stated not to.

As only Speculative City (who are open for a very short period in Sept) & Strange Horizons can not be bumped, this means all of the other markets can either be bumped 1 day or to the bottom of the list. This means every day will be covered by a market.

It is my personal intent to sub back to F&SF, Clarkesworld or DSF as soon as they send me a reply back. This means markets WILL get bumped down the list. As is always the case, no plan survives first contact with the enemy.

The link to the Weird Tales theme is here:- https://www.facebook.com/groups/440107622678110/permalink/2458808177474701/

So this was July 2019

I’ve made 131 new submissions. 121 rejections. 5 acceptances.

3 withdrawn, none not received as of yet.

Shots Of Repatriated Bastard & Sam, I Am both sold on Jan 21st to Jouth Vol 2.

Two Tickets To The End Of The World (Unused) was accepted by CafeLit.

(Please note, this was not a sale. No money was involved)

The Subaudibles sold on Mar 18th to Aurora Wolf.

The Parting was sold on July 18th to Electric Athenaeum.

There are currently 29 stories out in submission:-

[image error]

I’m still hopeful that Tuck & Roll will be published this year, 2 yrs after it was sold.

The Razors Edge is now out in issue 1 of The Weird And Whatnot.

Two Tickets To The End Of The World (Unused) is available to read for free at CafeLit.

The Subaudibles is available to read for free at Aurora Wolf.

How Have The Mighty Fallen? is now out in Insignia Vol 7.

One story has been placed on hold as the market may use it later this year.

I’m still in the reading queue for two submissions currently.

There’s some news which hasn’t been officially announced yet, so I’ll share that when it’s live.

EDIT:- This news is currently on hold. Sorry about that.

I’m really please to have finally sold The Parting after 8 failed submissions. As soon as I get a solid publishing date, I’ll let you know, as we’re currently in pre-publication edits.

Summing Up Camp NaNo Jul 2019

I set a goal, and I beat it. I deliberately set it lower than normal as I’d struggled during last camp, and I knew I would be losing at least half a day to an eye clinic visit. This month’s camp wasn’t helped by the crazy heatwave. Fortunately for me, I had built a decent lead before it got insanely hot which allowed me to miss a few days.

What follows are my daily check in posts.

01 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 1. Daily count 2010 words. Total count 2010 words.

02 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 2. Daily count 2560 words. Total count 4570 words.

03 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 3. Daily count 2452 words. Total count 7022 words.

04 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 4. Daily count 2810 words. Total count 9832 words.

05 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 5. Daily count 1830 words. Total count 11662 words.

A real struggle to get going at all today. It was almost a 0 words day.

06 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 6. Daily count 2174 words. Total count 13836 words.

07 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 7. Daily count 3668 words. Total count 17504 words.

08 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 8. Daily count 1336 words. Total count 18840 words.

I wasn’t able to make as much from that idea as I had hoped, but I got over the daily word count.

09 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 9. Daily count 2850 words. Total count 21690 words.

Half way, fuckers! Yes. Downhill all the way from here.

10 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 10. Daily count 2063 words. Total count 23753 words.

11 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 11. Daily count 0 words. Total count 23753 words.

Taking a mental health day so nothing written today. It’s extremely important to care for your own mental well-being, so I decided a day off was exactly what I needed today, being several thousands of words ahead of schedule.

12 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 12. Daily count 4606 words. Total count 28359 words.

A good story, golden age style off a simple title.

13 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 13. Daily count 1495 words. Total count 29854 words.

14 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 14. Daily count 3194 words. Total count 31553 words.

For something which literally only had a title, I did well today.

15 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 15. Daily count 0 words. Total count 31553 words.

Decided against putting unnecessary pressure on me & my body. It was either minor heatstroke or heat exhaustion/severe dehydration causing the light-headedness. Either way, I chose not to write today. I had written something by hand at the hospital but I’ve chosen not to count it as I didn’t type it up.

16 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 16. Daily count 0 words. Total count 31553 words.

It was crazy hot for me again today. No writing done.

17 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 17. Daily count 1002 words. Total count 32555 words.

I can conclusively say this had been the single worst Camp Nano ever for interaction (lack of), cheats, and cabinmates who don’t leave feedback or encouragement. I won’t be taking part in a July Camp again.

18 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 18. Daily count 1506 words. Total count 34061 words.

19 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 19. Daily count 2308 words. Total count 36369 words.

20 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 20. Daily count 1169 words. Total count 37538 words.

21 Jul – Camp Nano Jul ’19, Day 21. Daily count 3133 words. Total count 42166. WIN!

Confirmed win. Somehow I managed to eff up my totals somewhere along the line but I’ve done full word counts & checked, that is my correct total.

As you can see, on several days I didn’t write, and I stopped as soon as I broke 40,000 words, which was my original goal. I chose not to extend the goal any further, mostly due to the heat.

On a few days I got so hot I was having dizzy spells when I tried to stand up. I didn’t write on those days.

And no, I won’t be taking part in another summer camp again. The heat and the general attitude of camp mates in 4 different cabins showed me no-one really cares any more.

I wrote 19 new stories, a few of them are garbage & will probably be deleted. A decent amount have potential for submission.

I’m pleased to say I made a sale during camp which really picked me up at exactly the time I needed it. More about that in the end of month summary!

So this was June 2019

I’ve made 117 new submissions. 106 rejections. 4 acceptances.

3 withdrawn, none not received as of yet.

Shots Of Repatriated Bastard & Sam, I Am both sold on Jan 21st to Jouth Vol 2.

Two Tickets To The End Of The World (Unused) was accepted by CafeLit.

(Please note, this was not a sale. No money was involved)

The Subaudibles sold on Mar 18th to Aurora Wolf.

There are currently 32 stories out in submission:-

[image error]

I’m still hopeful that Tuck & Roll will be published this year, 2 yrs after it was sold.

The Razors Edge is now out in issue 1 of The Weird And Whatnot.

Two Tickets To The End Of The World (Unused) is available to read for free at CafeLit.

The Subaudibles is available to read for free at Aurora Wolf.

How Have The Mighty Fallen? is now out in Insignia Vol 7.

One story has been placed on hold as the market may use it later this year.

There’s some news which hasn’t been officially announced yet, so I’ll share that when it’s live.

EDIT:- This news is currently on hold. Sorry about that.

Camp Nano July 2019 – The Rules!

I’d like to start by saying I WILL be taking part in Camp Nano this July, despite the fact I’ve got a hospital appt in the very middle of the month. It may or may not be for actual laser surgery on both my eyes. If this is the case then I’ll be losing at least one day to the procedure & the recovery process.

STATEMENT OF INTENT:- During the month of July 2019 I will be writing at least 40,000 words across numerous short stories of varying lengths. 40k is my minimum goal, the goal may be shifted up (or down) at any point during the month. I’m setting it low due to the recent creative lull I have barely just got back from. It’s a goal of 1290 words per day.

THE RULES:- I can use any ideas I’ve already outlined. I can also use ideas I’ve already started writing but I can’t count any of the words I may have already written. Any revisions or inserts CAN be counted.

BAIL-OUT CLAUSE:- I reserve the right to call an end to Camp at any point, for mental health reasons. I don’t want to have a repeat of April 2019 Camp where I basically lost my mind & couldn’t get going again then resented writing for the next few months.

ACCOUNTABILITY:- I will be completely up front on the days where I write stuff I have already started. I will report those wordcounts truthfully Failing to reach the daily goal is not a failure of Camp. Camp will only be deemed failed if I call an end early or I don’t reach whatever the current set target is. Daily & Total wordcounts will be posted on Twitter & Facebook so my followers can not only track my progress, they can offer their support or keep me honest.

I’ve never lied during a Camp or a NaNo before now, and I’m not about to start now.

GENERAL OUTLINE & HOPES:- I’d like to complete 20 or so short stories so I’ve got new material to submit out. I’d also like to get myself enthused about writing and being creative again.

APRIL CAMP 2019; LESSONS LEARNED:- Not to be in a hurry to get a big lead. Not to write too much in the first week or so, and burn myself out physically & mentally. Camp is a marathon, not a sprint. Every word written is a step in the right direction. Don’t place unnecessary pressure on myself to write a certain amount each day. The goal is achieveable & there’s an entire extra day from a regular Nano to win in.

Wish me luck, I am all in from here.

So this was May 2019

I’ve made 91 new submissions. 88 rejections. 4 acceptances.

3 withdrawn, none not received as of yet.

Shots Of Repatriated Bastard & Sam, I Am both sold on Jan 21st to Jouth Vol 2.

Two Tickets To The End Of The World (Unused) was accepted by CafeLit.

(Please note, this was not a sale. No money was involved)

The Subaudibles sold on Mar 18th to Aurora Wolf.

There are currently 26 stories out in submission:-

[image error]

How Have The Mighty Fallen? will appear in Insignia Vol 7. Kelly is hoping to get that out some time in early June.

I’m still hopeful that Tuck & Roll will be published this year, 2 yrs after it was sold.

The Razors Edge is now out in issue 1 of The Weird And Whatnot.

Two Tickets To The End Of The World (Unused) is available to read for free at CafeLit.

The Subaudibles is available to read for free at Aurora Wolf.

One story has been placed on hold as the market may use it later this year.

I managed to get a decent chunk of stories out in May, I’m fairly pleased about that. I now have a “new” laptop which is just for writing so I can write literally anywhere I want now, including in bed.

There’s some news which hasn’t been officially announced yet, so I’ll share that when it’s live.