O | The Online Writing Workshop for SF, F & H Newsletter, December 2002
W | http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com
W | Become a better writer!
| - - CONTENTS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
- Workshop News:
Happy holidays
Workshop updates
OWW to launch romance workshop
YA novel contest deadline
Market wants OWW members
January writing challenge
Membership payment information
- Editors' Choices for October submissions
- Reviewer Honor Roll
- Publication Announcements
- Workshop Statistics
| - - WORKSHOP NEWS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
This month's sales and publications announcements are a great end to
the year at OWW. One member sold her first novel and two members made
their third sales at professional markets to qualify for joining SFWA
(The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association,
http://www.sfwa.org), while many other members continue to make sales
and see their work published. We're happy to see these accomplishments
and expect even more of them in the coming year.
As you evaluate your writing successes and challenges this year and
your growth as a writer, and set your goals for 2003, we at OWW want
to wish you and your families very happy holidays. And remind you, as
our T-shirt says, "Just write!"
WORKSHOP UPDATE
To recognize and reward the most prolific reviewers in the workshop,
we recently began displaying either one, two, or three bees (as in
"busy bees") after their names. Anyone who has contributed 50-149
total reviews will be recognized as an Prolific Reviewer with one bee.
150-349 total reviews will earn Veteran Reviewer status with two bees.
350 or more total reviews will earn the coveted three bees of the
Master Reviewer. If you feel that the total-review number we
calculated for you to start things off is unfairly low, e-mail us at
support@onlinewritingworksop.com and we'll see what we can do.
The Horror workshop has smoothly merged back into SF & F with the
desired results, including more reviews for the horror submissions.
The only real slip-up was forgetting that we moved the Horror EC
deadline up by ten days...so this month's EC review will be running a
little late.
And the "rescue this under-reviewed submission" feature continues to
help spread around the reviews. During the first month of use, the
number of under-reviewed submissions dropped from a daily average of
125 to 88, and in the second month it dropped again to an average of
around 55 -- despite the influx of under-reviewed horror submissions!
So in two months, we've declined from about 18% of all submissions to
around 12% to 7%, a significant improvement. Thanks to all the
reviewers!
In a related note, we've seen very high review numbers for the past
several weeks with more than 90% of all subs having two or more
reviews, and as much as 79% with three or more. The average
review-to-sub ratio has crept up to 4.74 -- an all-time high. We hope
that this means the workshop is giving all of you more of the feedback
that you need.
We also bid a temporary farewell to one of our Resident Editors. Nalo
Hopkinson will be taking a break from those duties to finish her new
novel and complete some other projects. Taking her place this month is
author Paul Witcover, the workshop's original Admin and a former SF
editor at Warner. Welcome back, Paul!
Author and editor Jeanne Cavelos will be joining the team here to
continue the horror reviews she provided for the other workshop.
Besides being a scientist, writer, and editor, Jeanne is the moving
force behind the annual Odyssey writing workshop for
speculative-fiction writers. We look forward to her reviews.
OWW TO LAUNCH ROMANCE WORKSHOP
In early 2003, OWW will launch a new workshop for romance writers. We
need beta-testers for the early phase (starting in January). If you or
anyone you know is interested in submitting, reading and reviewing, or
just poking around during the beta weeks, please e-mail Ellen at
ellen@onlinewritingworkshop.com to let her know. If you include
"Romance workshop" in the subject line, you'll make her job a lot
easier.
YA NOVEL CONTEST DEADLINE
Some of you may be interested in entering the 13th annual Delacorte
Press Contest for a First Young Adult Novel, the deadline for which is
December 31, 2002. (Yikes!)
The prize of a book contract (on the publisher's standard form)
covering world rights for a hardcover and a paperback edition,
including an advance and royalties, is awarded annually to encourage
the writing of contemporary young adult fiction. The award consists
of $1,500 in cash and a $6,000 advance against royalties.
Manuscripts must be postmarked after October 1, 2002, but no later
than December 31, 2002. Details may be found on the following Web
site: http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/games/delacorte.html
MARKET WANTS OWW MEMBERS
This came to us from one of the workshop members, who is an editor at
_Deep Magic_ e-zine (http://www.deep-magic.net):
We are especially interested in submissions from the OWW writers, of
which we are a part. To date, these OWW members have been published
in our e-zine: Peter Dahl, Brendon Taylor, M. Thomas, Matt Mansfield,
and Jeff Wheeler. But we have also managed to publish exclusive
articles and interviews contributed by some serious names in fantasy
and science fiction: Robin Hobb, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, David Farland
and Charles Coleman Finlay.
What we offer is exposure to our over 900 readers each month, which is
a good circulation considering we're going into our 7th month of
publication. Our subscriptions and downloads are steadily growing
each month. All we ask is 3 month's electronic rights (and we do
accept reprints).
We also accept article submissions on the craft of writing in general,
or writing sci-fi and fantasy. A lot of the big mags have in-house
people to do it, but we rely on the staff editors and others to help
out with these articles.
The official submission guidelines are here:
http://www.deepmagic.amberlin.com/writer_submissions.html
JANUARY WRITING CHALLENGE
The mailing list's January Writing Challenge is "Naughty or Nice"--to
be exact, the Seven Deadly Sins (and the Contrary Virtues). You may
write about all of them, or you may pick one and concentrate on it.
Your story does not need to revolve around the sin of your choice, it
should just have some sinning in there--your story doesn't need to be
about sloth, the character could just be too lazy to clean the house.
Got it?
Workshop challenge stories have resulted in sales for more than a few
members (there's yet again another in this month's "Sales &
Publications" section) so join in and have fun. For more information
on the challenges, visit
http://www.thermeon.net/checkered/Challenge.html.
MEMBERSHIP PAYMENT INFORMATION
How to pay: In the U.S., you can pay by PayPal or send us a check or
money order. Outside of the U.S., you can pay via PayPal (though
international memberships incur a small set-up fee); pay via Kagi
(www.kagi.com--easier for non-U.S. people); send us a check in U.S.
dollars drawn on a U.S. bank (many banks can do this for you for a
fee); or send us an international money order (available at some banks
and some post offices). If none of those options work for you, you
can send us U.S. dollars through the mail if you choose, or contact us
about barter if you have interesting goods to barter (not services).
Scholarship fund and gift memberships: you can give a gift membership
for another member; just send us a payment by whatever method you
like, noting who the membership is for and specifying whether the gift
is anonymous or not. We will acknowledge receipt to you and the
member. Or you can donate to our scholarship fund, which we use to
fully or partially cover the costs of an initial paying membership for
certain active, review-contributing members whose situations do not
allow them to pay the full membership fee themselves.
Bonus payments: The workshop costs only 77 cents per week, but we know
that many members feel that it's worth much more to them. So here's
your chance to award us with a bonus on top of your membership fee.
For example, is the workshop worth a dollar a week to you? Award us a
$12 bonus along with your membership fee. 25% of any bonus payments we
receive will go to our support staff, sort of like a tip for good
personal service. The rest will be tucked away to lengthen the
shoestring that is our budget and keep us running!
For more information:
Payments: http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com/memberships.shtml
Bonus payments: http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com/bonuspayments.shtml
About our company: http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com/bonuspayments.shtml
Price comparisons:
http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com/memberships_comparison.shtml
| - - EDITORS' CHOICES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
The Editors' Choices are chosen from the submissions from the previous
month that show the most potential or otherwise earn the admiration of
our Resident Editors. One submission in each of three categories --
SF, F, and short stories -- is given a detailed review, meant to be
educational for others as well as the author.
Reviews are written by our Resident Editors, award-winning authors and
instructors Kelly Link and Nalo Hopkinson, or occasionally other
writing pros. Close contenders for EC will be listed here as
runners-up but usually won't get a review.
The last four months of Editors' Choices and their editorial reviews
are archived on the workshop. To view them, go to the "Read, Rate,
Review" page and click on "Editors' Choices" in the Submission
Selector.
Congratulations to this month's Editors' Choice authors!
Editor's Choice, Fantasy Chapter/Partial Chapter:
THE TALE OF SINTER KLOSH, Ch. 1 by M. Thomas
Aside from its seasonal relevance, what appealed to me about this
chapter was its promise of a refreshingly dark and eccentric fairy
tale as rich in horrors as in wonders, one permeated, for all its
vitality, with a haunting sense of sadness and loss . . . something
similar in tone to Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film "The City of Lost
Children" and Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy.
I found the prologue (posted separately) not only unnecessary but
harmful to the unfolding of the story. It gives away too much, too
soon. Why not try breaking up the information contained in the
prologue and scattering bits throughout the rest of the novel?
I liked the mix of fairy tale and realism evident from the very first
line -- not just the vague "once upon a time," but the more specific
"a day or so ago." That mix can be a real strength, but it's
difficult to get just right. Some elements of M Thomas's story jarred
me, and I decided it was because they zigged in one direction when
they should have zagged in the other. When Apple asks the girl her
name, she replies "Getlost." Now, in a fairy tale that kind of
bathetic reply is believable, as is the implied history of neglect
behind it. But in this particular story, unless Wispy is
brain-damaged, I don't believe she wouldn't know her name; everything
about the world she comes from, as described in the opening
paragraphs, tells me that it's enough like our world for Wispy to have
a name, and everything I see about Wispy tells me she's smart enough
to know it. In balancing fairy tale and realism, my sense is that Big
Island and its characters can be written more in fairy tale mode,
while Wispy can be written more in realistic mode. The author is
already using multiple viewpoint characters; a further shift in style
and sensibility would only enhance the effect, I think, should M
Thomas decide to continue with multiple POVs. (As other reviewers
have noted, the author occasionally slips out of the perceptions of
the POV character; I would echo their advice to pay closer attention.
Also beware of overwriting, especially in descriptions!)
How old is Wispy? We need a better sense. And again: poor she may
be, and hungry, and abused, but she isn't brain-damaged! She knows
perfectly well what an island is. She is a smart, resourceful child.
There are some dubious word choices; here are three. In paragraph 2,
"scrubbled." Neither I nor my pal Webster is familiar with this word.
In paragraph 13, "ecstatic brown hair." The only hair I can think of
that might merit this adjective is on the head of Don King; let's
leave it there. Finally, in a tale where everyone has an unusual name,
the guy with the ordinary name is going to be seen as a joke: not for
nothing did Monty Python call their sinter-kloshing film about Jesus
"The Life of Brian." Similarly, the author's choice of similes
sometimes clangs; for example, the comparison of "shiny bobbets and
spindlies" (these words, also strangers to Webster, somehow work
better than "scrubbled") to intestines feels wrong in tone, filtered
as it is (or should be) through Wispy's consciousness. Even in the
choice of metaphor and simile, POV must be determinative. Also: the
acceptability of made-up words depends not only on their inherent
fitness but on whether they are created by the author out of momentary
caprice or have a well-thought-out place in the fantasy world as a
whole.
The bit about giggling as Apple is drying Wispy's hair is very nice
and typical of the author's talent for understated emotion. When M
Thomas combines restraint with suggestiveness, the results are
powerful, as in the dialogue with Sinter Klosh. And the final image
of the chapter is also well done. But if the shared history between
Brian and Apple suggested there involves the loss of a child, then I
think Apple's earlier memories about her brothers are out of place; in
fact, that flashback feels forced in any case.
Stories that play with other, better-known stories, as this one seems
to be doing with the Santa Claus legend, can be artistically and
commercially successful, but they have a tendency to lapse into mere
parody. Judging by this chapter, M Thomas has the talent and
ingenuity to avoid this fate.
--Paul Witcover
http://www.sff.net/people/stilskin/
Editor's Choice, SF Chapter/Partial Chapter:
KHEPERA AT DAWN, CHAPTER 9, "THE FOLD" by Ray Lacina
Ray states up front that this chapter is "still pretty rough."
Nonetheless, I think it shows potential. First, though, I should
confess that I haven't read any of the preceding chapters; thus, some
of my comments may be rendered irrelevant or worse by what's come
before. I apologize in advance.
I'm not sure how far in the future this is set, and I think I should
be. Even if the date is presented in an earlier chapter, and hence
need not be repeated now, the text should reflect the date clearly,
and at present it does not. We see technologies beyond current
capabilities, although perhaps not that far beyond: the starships,
which use ramjets for non-Fold travel; the Fold-related technology
itself; the "molecular massage" com device; and quantum computers.
And we see technologies that are current: the "'tainment net" is the
most obvious example. The future depicted doesn't feel coherent; it
seems patchy, jury-rigged. The author's language sometimes
exacerbates this. It seemed anachronistic for Jameelah to
characterize rumor as the "steam" driving the engine of society.
Similarly, describing the nav hub by contrasting it with 'tainment net
starship bridges felt like too blatant a use of Star Trek and its
progeny to me; it relied too much on readers' knowledge of another
fiction, and not enough on the author's own fiction and his
descriptive powers: this can be a convenient short-cut for a writer,
but it also opens up cans of wormholes, like a character in a play
suddenly turning to address the audience directly. But my main
stumbling point with the coherence of this future is the Caliphate.
This term, and the language used by Jameelah, suggests that we are in
an Islamic future; yet the presence and evident importance of
Jameelah, a woman, made me wonder what kind of Islam we are seeing,
and how it came to be the dominant political, economic, and religious
form. Indeed, the general feel of this future is quite Western;
again, even if these historical questions are answered explicitly
earlier on, character behavior and psychology, word choice, etc.,
should all reflect the Caliphate's history.
Jameelah's worry about her looks seemed excessive for someone nearly
30; it felt more like the way someone nearly 40 might think. Then,
after she's described in her frumpy unglory, no further description is
offered of her damage control, even though about two hours seems to go
by between the opening scene and her appearance on the bridge (and a
line break, or some indication of time, needs to go between the
paragraph beginning "Jameelah's eyes" and the following paragraph).
The lack of a sense of what Jameelah looked like was a distraction
throughout the bridge scene.
That whole scene needs to be reworked, I think. First, there's too
much time to get through before Foldfall; I suggest cutting the time
drastically. Second, instead of having Amjed invite her to the bridge
and then ignore her, make him confront her in some way; get the sparks
flying and the action moving between them, as the clock to Foldfall is
ticking down. Show us what is at stake personally and plotwise:
resentment, a hint of romantic possibility, etc. This will enliven
that scene considerably. A fuller, more precise description of the
placement of people and objects in the nav hub will also be helpful.
Quantum computers were invented to create and then solve the calculus
necessary for plotting trajectories through the Fold? This seems like
circular logic. I always feel that unless you're an expert, you
should keep the scientific explanations to a bare minimum. The author
can avoid this problem by narrowing his focus more specifically to
Jameelah's POV throughout. Let more of her personality into the
language and the observations.
The most intriguing event in the chapter is Jameelah's delay in
activating her shield. I wanted to see more of that Jameelah.
Perhaps she and Amjed play a little game of chicken to end their
bridge discussion -- who will be the last to shield up? It seemed
strange to me that Amjed went first of all; I would have thought it
might be traditional for the captain of a ship to go last.
The Fold is a very cool idea, and I like the way it's described, by
Amjed for example, in almost religious terms; but again, why not make
those terms more explicitly Islamic or reflective of Caliphate-style
Islamic beliefs?
I hope these comments are helpful in the next draft!
--Paul Witcover
http://www.sff.net/people/stilskin/
Editor's Choice, Horror:
"Crow Among the Starlings" by John TMD
Because we've switched over to a combined workshop, the editorial
deadline for the reviews has changed. This review is coming soon;
we'll send out a notice when it's done and post it to the workshop.
Horror reviews are partially sponsored by Odyssey, the summer writing
workshop for writers of fantasy, SF, and horror. Begun and run by
Jeanne Cavelos, horror editor and author, Odyssey happens in New
Hampshire (USA) and can be found online at http://www.odysseyworkshop.org/
Runner Up, Short Story:
"The Golem" by Greg Hamel
This is a great concept for a story -- unfortunately, it's already
been used to terrific effect in Michael Chabon's AMAZING ADVENTURES OF
KAVALIER & CLAY. Crusading golems in comic books may have already been
thoroughly mined. Having said that, this story is constructed in an
interesting way, and the panel descriptions/quotes from the different
issues of _The Golem_ manage to be both cheesy and powerful. That's
the great thing about comics. Even when they aren't quite as fabulous
as _League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_ or _Top Ten_ or _Hicksville_,
they still have that mythic, over-the-top energy. Using comics is fun
for the reader, and it also packs a wallop, as does the ending of this
story.
The repetition/variations on "how it began" and "how it all started
was..." is also a nice device, especially considering how important
origin stories are in comic books. However, none of these starting
places really add up: neither Mark nor Rebecca really become real
people, and Robbie doesn't really convince either: he's angry, but we
don't ever really know why. The characters in the comic book, by
contrast, which we only see in glimpses and pieces, have real weight.
I know that this is part of the story: Robbie's Golem has become more
real than its creator. But Robbie needs to have some weight as well --
something besides his rage and his various origin stories. It could be
as simple as describing his routines when he sits down to write/draw
his comic book.
The writing is mostly strong, although sometimes feels hasty or
sloppy. The first real paragraph, beginning "The same old same old" is
great (although I think "bust" should probably be "busty.")
On the other hand, sentences like "He turned and was confronted by the
new girl standing there looking at him with concern, and his fading
anger flared up again, then died down as he took in her features in
the soft yellow light" are awkward and clunky. Try reading your work
aloud -- "He turned. The new girl stood there, looking at him with
concern." I'd consider cutting the rest. Similarly, you can cut down
the sentence "She said nothing, only looked at him, concern still on
her face, along with a half-hinted promise" so that it reads "She said
nothing, only looked at him." We get the picture.
--Kelly Link
http://www.kellylink.net/
Short story collection STRANGER THINGS HAPPEN available from Small
Beer Press
Editor's Choice, Short Story:
"Bear" by Stella Evans
This is a deft, magical, and economical story. Maybe not a lot
happens, but the author manages to sum up both a life and a way of
life in the narrator's smart, stubborn, resigned voice. In under 1,500
words, we know Allen pretty well, and through Allen, we know Bear.
This may be the first story I've read where a man compares his ex-wife
to his dog, and it feels affectionate and loving and appropriate,
rather than insulting. There are no wasted sentences here.
I don't actually have a lot to say about this story: it's a good
story, and the author knows what she's doing, and she should continue
to do it. It's a wonderful example of the genre of fantasy (sometimes
called slipstream) in which the ordinary and the magical bump up
against each other. Maybe Alaska, being a kind of frontier, is a
particularly good setting for this kind of story.
There's another genre of stories that the author is utilizing here, in
which humans (usually men) marry shape-changers. These stories usually
end when the husband unfairly rebukes his transformed wife (it usually
has something to do with housekeeping matters) and she abandons him.
This story picks up a good long time after those stories leave off.
And here, of course, we find out that all of Allen's wives have left
him: now that he's dying, it's Bear who comes back to fix him a final
meal. The twist, of course, is the lovely, surprising, perfect last
line.
--Kelly Link
http://www.kellylink.net/
Short story collection STRANGER THINGS HAPPEN available from Small
Beer Press
| - - REVIEWER HONOR ROLL - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
The Reviewer Honor Roll area of the workshop recognizes members who
have given useful, insightful reviews. After all, that's what makes
the workshop go, so we want to give great reviewers a little
well-earned recognition! (Some months we also award a prize to a
special reviewer.)
If you got a really useful review and would like to add the reviewer
to the Reviewer Honor Roll, just use our online honor-roll nomination
form--log in and link to it from the bottom of the Reviewer Honor Roll
page at http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com/honorroll.shtml. Your
nomination will appear on the first day of the next calendar month.
The Honor Roll will show all December nominations beginning January 1.
Some advance highlights from the December honor roll:
Reviewer: Dorian E. Gray
Submission: Aftermath by michael keyton
Submitted by: michael keyton
Nominator's Comments: Dorian not only restored confidence (after a bad
day) in a very positive review but more importantly ruthlessly exposed
every little typo along with the fine points in punctuation, which is
my Achilles' heel.I have been lucky with some very good, conscientious
reviewers and it is their example I try to follow when I in turn
review.
Reviewer: Kathryn Allen
Submission: Lex Talionis: Part 11 -- Synopsis Included by Rhonda S.
Garcia
Submitted by: Rhonda S. Garcia
Nominator's Comments: Because she addressed some things no one else
did that I really wanted and needed to hear from readers about.
Because she mentioned some points I really hadn't thought of, and most
of all, because she understood what I was trying to accomplish and
critted from there. Thank you so much, Kat!
Reviewer: Stuart Etter
Submission: Second Class Citizens -- Chapter 13 by Brian Otridge
Submitted by: Brian Otridge
Nominator's Comments: Stuart has the eagle eye to spot silly mistakes,
poor use of language, setting, POV and all sorts of other technical
slips, while also pointing out broad issues -- all delivered in a
tactful manner. The two reviews of his that I have received so far
have been very helpful, and I hope to receive more.
All nominations received in November can be still found through
December 30 at: http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com/honorroll.shtml
| - - PUBLICATION ANNOUNCEMENTS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
We can't announce them if you don't let us know! So drop Charlie a
line at support@sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com whenever you have good
news to share.
Ideomancer is thrilled with the release of their first anthology,
IDEOMANCER UNBOUND: 26 FANTASTIC TALES, edited by Chris Clarke and
Mikal Trimm and featuring stories by today's top short-story writers,
including workshop members Meredith Patterson, Marlin Seigman, and
Charles Coleman Finlay. Available in e-book form from Fictionwise,
it's 95,000 words of fine fiction for only $7.19
(http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook8401.htm)
Sales and Publications:
It was a great month for member sales!
Elizabeth Bear sold the prologue to her novel ALL THE WINDWRACKED
STARS to _Ideomancer_ (http://www.ideomancer.com) as a short story
"Ice" -- "Thank you very much to all who critted and guided me on this
one. Yay!"
Audra Bruno's flash story "The Space Between" will appear in the
Winter issue of _flashquake_
under her
usual byline, A. Leigh Jones. "This story was workshopped twice, and
was my very first submission to the OWW -- how cool is that?" Pretty
cool.
Wendy Delmater sold another humor piece to _Survivor Wit_, and says
"thanks to Ralan.com, where I found this market!" (That's
http://www.ralan.com). She adds: "This was another in my 'Emotional
Special Olympics' series, the Discus Blame Toss. Expect another sale
or two when I complete series entries 'Sock-her,' 'Emotional Hurdles'
and 'The Daily Marathon.'" Go, Wendy!
Look for Jennifer de Guzman's short story "She Who Sows" in
_Gothic.net_ (http://www.gothic.net) on Jan. 27, 2003. Jen hollered,
"Third pro sale, baby!" making her eligible to join SFWA
(http://www.sfwa.org). In her note to the workshop mailing list, she
added: "[It] is a horror story set in the Philippines. I owe a ton of
thanks to a pre-Del Rey OWW reviewer who helped me immensely with my
Filipino lore and Philippines setting, but I feel so terrible because
I can't remember his name!" The list remembered for her.
Stella Evans sold her flash story "Sleipnir's Mother" to _Abyss &
Apex_ for their April/May issue. Stella: "This was originally a
workshop challenge piece, which I never would have thought of writing
without the goad of the monthly writing challenge." Score another one
for the writing challenge!
Charles Coleman Finlay sold his short story "Lucy, In Her Splendor"
to the new webzine _MarsDust_ (http://www.marsdust.com/), where it
will appear in the April issue. Charlie writes: "I got great reviews
on both the SF/F and Horror workshops for this one, so it ended up
being twice as good as it would have been otherwise."
Dena Landon polished up her YA novel SHAPESHIFTER'S QUEST and mailed
it off to the Ann Durrell Fiction Contest. When she got a call from
the editor at Dutton Children's Books, she thought she might have won
-- but no! They loved her manuscript so much they wanted to buy it
outright. Her reaction to the news was predictably calm: "They're
buying the book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OHMYGOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She thanked all of her
reviewers, and added: "There is NO WAY this would have happened
without the list and the workshop." Which is why we all work as hard
as we do here.
The ever humble Pam McNew has a very moving poem, "This Place," in
volume 4, issue 3 of _Snow Monkey_ that she didn't bother to tell us
about, but Charlie read it and tells you to check it out.
Sharon Partington sold her short story "The Treasure of Agrinothe" to
_Aphelion_ (http://www.aphelion-webzine.com). Look for it in the
January 2003 issue, online in less than two weeks.
Chelsea Polk had a second story accepted at _Clean Sheets_
(http://www.cleansheets.com/). She's reported to have sighed at the
news and said, "Maybe I should just write porn for a living."
Sarah Prineas sold her short story "Seamstress" to _Strange Horizons_
(http://www.strangehorizons.com). She was a little more word (and
restrained) in her celebration than Jen: "I'm particularly psyched
about this acceptance--it's the third story of mine that SH has taken
so it qualifies me for SFWA membership." She added thanks to the
people who reviewed it when it was posted. "Angela Boord, Larry West,
John Borneman, Kyri Freeman, chance morrison, Marsha Sisolak, John
Paradise, Sharon Woods, Ruth Nestvold, Elizabeth Donald, Brad
Beaulieu, and Laura Fischer. Wow--that list of reviewers says it
all..." Look for publication sometime in April!
Marsha Sisolak sold her killer cookie story "Sweet Revenge" to
_Fortean Bureau_ (http://www.forteanbureau.com). It was originally
workshopped as "Sugar and Spice," but we like the new title much
better and are looking forward to Marsha's next sale.
Tempest apparently sold a short story about drunk people to _Abyss &
Apex_ but couldn't be bothered to drop a note to the workshop to let
us know about it. *sniff* Maybe when it finally appears...
M. Thomas had two publication notices to report: "Loose Maria," a
magical realism story, will appear in _Abyss & Apex_, and her academic
article "The Facts About Fantasy" will be published in the _NCTE
(National Council for Teachers of English) Journal_. She writes: "The
article explores methods of using various fantasy novels and their
themes in the classroom, encouraging teachers to make more use of the
genre." We're impressed.
Mikal Trimm's "Back Among The Living" was accepted by the newly
pro-paying _Palace Of Reason_ (http://www.palaceofreason.com) for
their December issue. He told us, "I believe the story was one of the
first I workshopped here."
Wade White sold short short story "Le Fil" to _Story House_ for
publication in the coming year. It was workshopped on the OWW under
the title "Tracing the Thread." Wade says, "Many thanks to all who
reviewed this particular piece. The input I've received on my writing
since joining the workshop has been invaluable." (This news item
arrived just like this. When Wade says "Wade says" it amuses us.)
Congratulations, Wade!
| - - WORKSHOP STATISTICS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Number of members as of 12/20: 647 paying, 132 trial
Number of submissions currently online: 743
Percent of submissions with 3 or more reviews: 79%
Percent of submissions with zero reviews: 2.96%
Number of submissions in November: 449
Number of reviews in November: 2011
Ratio of reviews/submissions in November: 4.48
Estimated average word count per review in November: 570.1
Number of submissions in December to date: 325
Number of reviews in December to date: 1631
Ratio of reviews/submissions in December to date: 5.02
Estimated average word count per review in December to date: 581.9
| - - FEEDBACK - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Send your feedback to support@sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com
See you next year!
The Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction and Fantasy
http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com
support@sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com
| - - Copyright 2002 Online Writing Workshops, LLC - - - - - - - - -|
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