Lida Bushloper's Blog

Summer’s Here (In Case You Hadn’t Noticed)

I’m delighted to have a new poem accepted. You can read it here, but you have to scroll down to the bottom of the page. I’m even more delighted to have discovered a new market for light verse. Not new, really, but new to me. Lighten Up Online has been around for nearly 20 years. You can sample all the issues from their website, here. Now, in addition to Light, a Journal of Light Verse, I have another way to enjoy all my favorite wry, sarcastic, sly, irreverant writers. Melissa Balmain is always at the top of my list, but there are so many more. Having a laugh can help us through all our tough times, even the summer scorchers. Try it.

Never Give Up

 

The February 17 issue of Woman’s World Magazine contains my mini-mystery, “The Chocolate Candy Thief.” This is a big win for me. I’ve been trying to sell stories to Woman’s World for decades, literally decades. I’ve sold them a few anecdotes over the years, but this is my first time placing a short story with them. The road to success had several factors. First, I’m a member of a support group for this particular market. The tips, encouragement and resources they provide are invaluable. 

Of course, my persistence played a big role. It was more than just persistance, however. I had submitted this story before, without success. But, I still liked the idea, so I read some more WW stories to get a better feel for what they publish, then re-wrote and resubmitted the story. Am I a better writer now than I was a few years ago? Without doubt. So, to all my fellow writers: keep learning, keep improving, keep submitting. No new lessons. Just best practices, tried and true.

Hot Off the Pixels

 

My newest short story, “Actions Speak Louder,” went up on Dec. 15 at Yellow Mama. You can read it here.

 

An Unexpected Honor

Hook, Line and Sinker, the lastest Guppy anthology, is a finalist for the Silver Falchion award at Killer Nashville writers’ conference. It includes my short story, “Senior Discount.” I’m super chuffed for myself and all my fellow authors in this collection.

BOLO II

If you have a source for Woman’s World Magazine, I have another of those short pieces in their “Circle Of Kindness” column. It will be in the issue with the cover date of August 1, 2022, but which will be on the newstands July 21-July 27. I hope you can track down a copy. Happy reading!

So, How Was the Play?

I had another story accepted. It won’t come out till next year. But, how did it get written? I wish I knew. Then I could write more and get more stories accepted and published. I can only tell you (and myself) how this one got written.

I had seen the call for stories from an anthology that had included one of my previous stories. I came up with an idea that would fit the theme. As I went about my day, my mind was toying with ideas about how to begin and execute the piece.

Then, my husband and I attended a play at the local theater. Since the theater is all open seating, we got there early and settled in. As we waited for the curtain to go up, I had nothing to do. The light was too dim to allow reading. We didn’t feel like chatting. We’d already turned off our cell phones out of respect for the performance. I was a temporary captive in a kind of limbo. My mind had nothing to do but ponder my story. I always carry some form of notebook. With nothing else to do, I pulled the notebook out of my tote and began recording the story as it had formed in my mind. By the time the play started, the story was half written. I finished the first draft during intermission. Later, at home, the story needed editing and expanding, but the bulk of the work was done.

What was it about this situation that created the necessary circumstances for creativity? I don’t know. I don’t know how the mind works. Plenty of scholars and researchers have produced whole libraries worth of books and papers, trying to nail down the answer. They have provided lots of clues and observations, but no fool-proof formula.

One idea I have is that there were NO distractions, as I so often have at home–no internet, no laundry, no bills to pay. Another boost was that I already had a strong idea for the story. There was, in this case, no such thing as the blank page. And I had the gift of time, even though it was being forced on me. An unbroken block of 20 minutes, followed by another unbroken block of 15 minutes. And in that second block of time, I already knew what I was going to write next, so I didn’t waste any time wondering what to write. I merely picked up the narrative where I had left off. Whatever the mental mechanisms going on, it worked. After polishing and expanding, the story was accepted.

My goal now is to bring more of those circumstances into my daily life, if I can. Oh, the play? Excellent. It was Frank Ferrante’s Groucho. Highly recommended.

BOLO

Be On the Lookout.

I have a short essay in the “Circle of Kindness” column of Women’s World Magazine. It will appear in the June 14th issue of Woman’s World. On sale on newstands June 3rd to June 9th. (This coming week!)

Naturally, I’m pleased. One of my writer friends, while also happy for me, is frustrated that she has submitted often to this column, but not yet had an acceptance. It took me three attempts, with different essays, really not so many. So, just keep sending submissions in. And that goes for all our work.

Just yesterday, I got a rejection for a different piece. Some work will find a home, some won’t. But none will find a home if I don’t submit. Today I have two entirely new pieces ready to go. So, now I’m off to follow my own advice. Wish me luck.

I’ll Take It

I’m please to say that my limerick was chosen as a runner up in the Saturday Evening Post‘s Jan./Feb. limerick contest. They don’t print the runners up in the magazine, but you can read my entry here, although you’ll have to scroll down a bit. Would winning have been better? Sure. But I often think of what Christine Cooper, Olympic Silver Medalist, said when asked by a reporter how she felt about not winning the top prize. “You could take all the joy out of life by always wanting something to be better.” According to the magazine’s web site, they get around 300 entries for their limerick contest each time. So, I’ll gladly take runner up rather than not have tried at all. After all, you can’t come in second if you’re not in the game. So, whatever your game, keeping playing!

No. Just . . . No. Except Sometimes

Naturally I was thrilled when I got an acceptance email from a terrific new magazine. The editor was abundant with praise. And the payment being offered was generous. But, I’ve been in the writing biz a while now, and while one always likes to hear compliments, I was reserving judgement. Sure enough, my caution proved justifiied. The contract they sent was for the purchase of ALL RIGHTS, plus copyright.

No. Just, no. This was a piece of writing that was just perfect for later inclusion in a collection or anthology, acknowledging the original publication, of course. I was not prepared to preclude that option.

I expressed my concerns to the editor and he couldn’t have been more charming. He offered an additional clause by which I could reprint the piece, after I had secured their permission. But, sadly, I explained, that clause didn’t really fix the underlying issue. The corporate entity would still own the rights and the copyright. So, again, no. Not in this case.

Most calls for submissions state in the guidelines what rights are being sought. If I had seen these conditions in the initial call, I would not have submitted at all. It would have saved everybody a lot of time and effort. Alternatively, I could have queried the editor about this issue in advance of my submission. That didn’t occur to me at the time, but it’s something to think about for the future. 

Have there been other cases where I’ve willingly sold all rights? Absolutely. If a piece is so specialized that I could never publish it anywhere else. Or if it’s not something that I could include later in a collection of similar pieces. If it was one and done. But, early on in my writing career, I made the mistake of selling all rights to one piece before I understood the implications of what I was signing and which I later regretted doing. Luckily it was a minor work and not a career maker. But it was a hard lesson to learn and an experience I hope I don’t repeat. Once burned, after all. 

Having said that, there may be instances where some of you, my writer friends, have reason to sign such an agreement. There may be cases, as there were for me in the past, where it’s worth it. Just know what you’re giving up. No one will be looking out for your own interests as much as you will yourself. Carry on, and happy writing!

publishing Uncategorized writing

Under the Gun

I like this definition from somewhere on the web: “Under pressure to solve a problem or meet a deadline.” For we freelance writers, sometimes there is no deadline. While calls for submissions usually have one, “stuff” we just “want” to write doesn’t. And in those cases, that other “stuff” all too often never gets written. As another quote I read said, “One of these days is none of these days.” Unless you have a book contract, no editor is looking over your shoulder pushing you to finish that novel. So we have to create our own deadlines. Then we’re in charge of making sure those deadlines get enforced. After all, you can pencil in a “deadline” on your personal engagement calendar, but without some internal discipline, it may just float on by. Riding herd on yourself goes along with the territory of being your own boss. Once something does get written, submitted and accepted, then a few external deadlines may show up, such as returning a contract, or submitting editorial corrections. But other than that, it’s up to us individually to set our own controls. Having a writing partner helps. So do events like NaNoWriMo. There are ways to strengthen one’s motivation, in order to propel one to the desk. All of these help. Not every writer needs these tools. They just go to work every day and crank out material, good or bad. I wish I was one of them. Maybe someday I will be. But for now, deadlines, external or self-imposed, keep me on track. If I fail to meet them, as another friend once reminded me, I’m only hurting myself. Not something I care to do.