Sassy's New Adventure, Or Which way is the submission line?

[Candela Martinez]

Yes, I know. I'm scared out my wits to think that at some point this year I need to submit stories or articles. No, at this moment I don't have a clue what it will be but I'm going to hope for the best on my limited abilities of searching out markets and such. So, for the new year, I mean a new effort and therefore a new adventure.

Goal 1...Come up with a short story or article idea to submit by end of March.

Goal 2...Find appropriate markets to submit story or article to.

Goal 3. . . Actually finish article or short story.

[JeanLauzier]

Goal 4....Acutally submit story or article.


Nice goals but you forgot one:-)


I took care of it for you.


Speck

[Candela Martinez]

Gotta love the trolls in our lives!

Thanks for pointing that out. Now, do blog posts count?

[ccmal]

I love new goals. You go girl! I know you can do it. [Can't you just see me in my little cheerleading outfit on the sidelines? Well, maybe you don't want to imagine that because I've actually gained weight.]

CC

[onepozy]

Hey, I am just as scared as you are but I am going to submit this year, if I get rejected so be it and I'll send it out again, if I make it it will be party time.

[Candela Martinez]

How do I tell my bunnies to leave the bed and breakfast business thoughts alone and focus on writing chores. Of course, they did finally let me know that the idea of the New Orleans piece had no conflict for my chosen main character. So it's either write her mother's story or find a conflict for her and incorporate her mother's story in it too....

More to ponder but at least the bunnies scampered on to find another idea garden. . .

[ccmal]

Isn't it too bad we can't clone ourselves so that we can work on everything all at once? A B&B sounds lovely. [Stop it Cheryl, she wants the plot bunnies to come and the B&B bunnies to go hide in a hole.]

Whoops, sorry to derail your train. Nice to see you at the critique group. Hope it gives you the inspiration you're looking for.

Cheryl

[Candela Martinez]

Sorry, but the plot bunnies won't leave those carrots alone. SO, since they insist on pondering about a B&B, I decided to keep all the nuggets of the way I would lay one out and create a story setting from it.

IF they insist, then I insist on making it work double!

And not only that, somewhere from some unknown source told me two days ago, go ahead and write the business plan. Just for kicks..... Now, I'm not sure where that came from but perhaps I have to look at it sort of divinely since I was trying to ditch the idea from my mind. Okay, so maybe I have to think about it a lil.

Another thing I have to ponder is if romance is my cup of tea. I love reading it, but for some reason my characters don't want to settle on the typical romance plot. SO, in an effort to comply with character demands, I am wondering if I am more of a character writer than a plot driven writer? Any ideas how we determine that?

[Candela Martinez]

Just a small update. So far, I have been thinking writing every day and on several days, I've actually revised/reviewed my novel by reading through briefly making sure I have the high points in my mind. Actually, I've written more to the story, too.

SO, I'm giving myself Kudos for doing something productive.

[JeanLauzier]

Hmmmm....

How do we know if we write more character or plot?

Well...it would seem to me you should be able to tell from your writing. If the things that happen to the the character, the character's reaction to those things and his/her growth are the more important part of the story then I'd say you were writing character driven fiction.

If plot or what happens in the story is more important, such as those car chases and so forth, then it's plot driven.

And...that's where the differences in genre come in too.

Mainstream is the more character driven stories. It's all about the change or growth of the characters.

Literary is more concerned with the words and how they are put together.

And when people say "genre" fiction...which is a misnomer cause literary and mainstream are genres... they usually mean things such as romance, mystery, fantasy, sci fi, etc.



And speaking of literary writers...I had one tell me yesterday he didn't care for my first paragraph but the rest was well written. He used that snobbish, uppity, literary writer tone with me. I wanted to smack him but was nice:-)


Oh....good work on the productive part!


Speck

[Candela Martinez]

Then I'm definitely a character writer. I care more about their emotional reactions to situations and why they react the way they do. Why do we have to have a plot? lol Just kidding, we do have to get to the end of a story at some point, but does the story really end? AH sequel time.

LOL

[Candela Martinez]

Hey all, I have been working, I actually posted two chapters of Housesitters on the StoryCrafter's Critique site for input.

I haven't had a lot of time to devote to anything these past few weeks but I got my personal Fed taxes filed. Now to file about seven (that's 2 each and one for me) other returns and I should be done for the year.

Keep smiling. I also wrote a letter to my state representative on a whim and now he wants to meet with me. WHAT did I do?

[Forest Elf]

You go girl !!!!

Hey, we talked about you last night in the chat room.

Couldn't find the LIFEGUARD!!!!

Did he leave to go work for you? Did he replace Pablo???

[Candela Martinez]

I need new pool boys and parlor attendants.....

HMMM.... any nominees?

[Candela Martinez]

Hey all, just wanted to report that I have begun working again. I got 1500 and some revisions.

[ccmal]

Now where is that darn cheerleading skirt when I need it. Go I swear I put it in the same place as my poms-poms--which really seem more like just poms these days. Need to find a way to replace those missing strings.

Go Sassy! Go Sassy!

[Candela Martinez]

Just Poms huh? Nice. And kudos on still wearing that skirt!

[Candela Martinez]

Just an update. Broken Promises is really moving LOTS better now that I've changed it from third person to first. I have a goal. FIRST down dirty nitty gritty ugly draft done by Christmas.

[ccmal]

You can do it Sassy. Then I hope you'll let me see it.

Good luck!

Cheryl

[Candela Martinez]

When anyone does see it, I hope they can handle it. NOT gonna be rosy and pretty. Definitely want to warn anyone who wants to read it.

[Candela Martinez]

Hey all, just stopping by because I've been writing and the muse has been smiling on me even if the rest of life has been crappy...

I'm about three quarters through the barebones plot of the story, which means I get to start second draft after that. I've not clearly decided the ultimate end but the idea is on the tip of my nose I"m sure.

At any rate, I'm setting a goal for myself...within the next year to year and a half, I plan to have a submittable draft of my novel for an agent or a publishing house.

This story is pretty dear to my heart so I've been holding it in pretty close and secret. After I get a shareable draft, I'll see if any takers on reading for me. But this is still several months in the future. But I see progress which spurns me on.

Good luck all

[Candela Martinez]

Update. .. still writing and closer to a rough bone bare draft of the novel...

[ccmal]

Sounds cool to me. Keep up the great work Sassy girl!

CC