I'm doing very well with writing and submitting a short story every month. I even have May's story written already. It's a sci-fi piece and my first attempt using an omniscient POV. I like the way it turned out. I'll have it critiqued by my writer's group at our monthly meeting and then I'll submit it.
I've gotten a couple of rejections lately, but this morning I was happy to find an acceptance in my inbox. My paranormal crime short story, "Immaculate" has been accepted by The Harrow Press for their anthology, Mortis Operandi. I don't know the release date yet, possibly November or December, but I'll keep you posted.
I planned to revise three of my novels this year, but it wasn't happening. Other things in life have to take priority, and so I've changed my novel goals for this year. I'll still participate in NaNoWriMo. I can't miss that! I'm not sure what I'll write yet, but that's still a little while off.
I started on my revisions for my paranormal romance, Witch's First Rule. I've done a lot of work on it, and it's survived two drafts so far. I love most of the changes I've made, but the one thing I'm struggling with is changes to the protagonist. This manuscript had gotten a lot of attention from agents and publishers when I queried it, but they always passed after reading the full manuscript. Two were kind enough to send personalized rejection letters. The problem they had was the protagonist. They feared readers wouldn't be able to relate to her. Basically, they felt the protagonist was too much of a b!tch. Yes, my protagonist is sometimes dominant, selfish, and defensive. (There's a reason why, but it would spoil the plot if I explained why!) So while I was revising, I attempted to make her more likable, to soften her hard edges. I realize it's important that readers need to be able to relate to the main character, but I didn't like how I changed her. I wasn't happy. She wasn't happy. It was her hard edge that made her unique. So I've stopped. I'm not going to change my protagonist. I've put it aside for the moment until I decide what exactly I want to do with it. Self-publish or seek a small publisher? I'll know with more certainty what I want to do after I complete my next project which will take me on a self-publishing adventure.
I'm writing a paranormal romance/urban fantasy series consisting of six novellas. They'll be in the same vein as my story from the A to Z Challenge. I'm really excited about this project. I considered seeking a publisher for them, but with the way my life is at the moment, I don't know if I could keep deadlines. I want the freedom to move at my speed and to promote the series as I want. It will also be a good way to see if I want to self-publish anything else in the future. Self-publishing has its own challenges, but I need that flexibility right now in my life. I won't say anything else about this project until I have more to give you, but it's going to be so much fun.
Have a good weekend!
If they match your story during the Challenge, then that's awesome.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope they can be just as fun. I want to have the novellas interlinked too. That's an added challenge for me.
DeleteCongrats on the acceptance! Woohoo!
ReplyDeleteAre you talking about Magena? Did you change the title of the book? I liked reading about her even though she was a little mean at times!
Thanks! And yes, I'm talking about Magena. I tried to make her nicer, but it just wasn't working. I'm glad you liked reading about her, though.
DeleteCongrats on the acceptance!
ReplyDeleteI know what you're talking about as far as making a MC more relatable. One of my stories is about a female assassin. I've been told to make her more sympathetic. Um... she's an assassin! I think my biggest problem was that I was trying to call it a paranormal romance or an urban fantasy with romantic elements when it's really a paranormal thriller. I don't think I need to change her to be more sympathetic if it's a thriller versus a romance.
Thank you! It's difficult to make an assassin sympathetic. I completely understand. Have you ever read Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin series? I love it, and her protagonist, Gin, is very likable. You do have a good point about the difference between a thriller and a romance.
DeleteWow, Christine, Congrats on the acceptance! And the idea of 6 novellas is great :)
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI see nothing wrong with a protagonist being a b!tch, especially if there's a story behind why and it's central to her character.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the acceptance of your paranormal crime story. If I were a writer, I'd be jealous by now. :)
Thanks! And you are a writer. I wish I had your wit. I don't have a problem with b!tches either, if the story supports it, but I don't like the ones that are b!tchy just for the sake of it. (Like a lot of TV these days!)
DeleteCongratulations on the acceptance! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteWith a long series of novellas, the traditional route might not even be the most effective, since that's a long commitment for a publisher in a slightly less usual form. It's presumably going to be more about distribution through unusual channels.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteGlad to find you have the energy to find it fun. :0) This poor old thing is wilting...
ReplyDeleteNo, you're not wilting at all. :)
DeleteCongratulations on your acceptance! That is wonderful news. Good luck reaching all of your other goals. I'm sure you'll succeed.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I've made them much more realistic, so I think I have a good shot at reaching them.
DeleteYou are busy! And it's paying off, I can tell. Congratulations on your story acceptance. That's wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI have a secondary character in one of my WiPs that I had to soften quite a bit to make him more "likable." It was hard to do it. I knew he was a softy underneath, but I didn't want that to be apparent right away. Always such a hard line to walk....
Best of luck with all your endeavors, Christine! You have wonderful goals!
Thank you! It is a fine line to walk with characters. Some people can stand the less likable ones if there's a good story to match it.
DeleteCongrats on the acceptance.. that is awesome..Harrow Press is pretty good:) Well done.
ReplyDeleteYou've got a lot of projects on, which will keep you busy. Can't wait to read your novella series:)
Thank you! I've heard Harrow Press is pretty difficult to get in with. (They also pay nicely!)
DeleteAnd now I feel like a writing loser. Man, you've got it going on! I have a question for you: do you write your short stories based on what certain presses are looking for? Or do you write what you want and then search for a home?
ReplyDeleteYou're not a loser. I had to change my goals because I wasn't going to make them. As for short stories, sometimes I write what I want and then search for homes, but sometimes I do write for a certain anthology or press. I get a lot of good ideas for submissions from Ralan.com. There's always a great list of anthologies seeking submissions, plus magazines and book publishers.
DeleteCongrats on the acceptance of your short story! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd those sounds like great goals! I don't have a plan for NaNoWriMo either, but we've got a few more months. :0
Thank you! I think maybe by the time we hit Halloween, I'll have a plan for NaNo. :)
DeleteCongratulations on getting in Mortis Operandi, that's going to be a very interesting anthology. I got a reject from them, but I like the way the story turned out, so I might give it another stab. I wonder if they're still open.
ReplyDeleteI think you're doing the right thing, staying true to your MC in Witch's First Rule. And how wonderful that you can hear her voice so strongly.