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The Writers Aspirant Accountability Thread

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DoctorJest
(@doctorjest)
Posts: 835
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Posted by: @ease
Happy Thanksgiving to all the Americans (and American-adoptees)! I hope you're able to use the time to take a break from writing, or a break to writing, whichever suits you most.

As a happy adoptee, thank-you! I'm doing a mixture, as a break to write has let me clear my head and make progress, which in turn lets me feel relaxed enough to set it aside for a few days. Or, at least, write throw-away stuff and play games without any need to put pressure on myself for a bit. 

 

DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex

 
Posted : November 21, 2022 9:30 pm
Writhmic
(@writhmic)
Posts: 95
Silver Member
 

Posted by: @ease

@writhmic, finished plotting implies (pretty strongly) that you've settled on an idea! That's brilliant, as I know the decision was vexxing you a little. Looking forward to reading it when it's ready.

I have indeed settled on an idea. I thought I was stuck but when I started plotting, I realized I'd subconsciously made the decision already 😅 I'll be sure to send it over when it's done. I think I'll make my new goal be to finish the first draft by Dec. 20 That means ten days to edit. So much time!

V39: -- / SHM / SHM / RWC
V40: HM / SHM / SHM / SHM
V41: P / WIP / -- / --

 
Posted : November 21, 2022 9:35 pm
Anna X and James (Ease) reacted
pdblake
(@pdblake)
Posts: 463
Gold Member
 

@ease I'm already in for this quarter. I'm working on next and the couple beyond. I want to get a handful ready so I can concentrate on novels for a while.

 

The re-sub is gonna have to wait too, the three markets I want to sub to either aren't open yet or I've subbed too recently. Still, I can wait another week. 

R:6 RWC:1 HM:9 SHM:3
My Blog

 
Posted : November 22, 2022 3:04 am
Anna X and James (Ease) reacted
(@annax)
Posts: 159
Silver Member
 

@ease I understand about rejection, but we don’t get better without it so think of it as a stepping stone on to great adventures! 😊

I finished my draft for Dragonesque. I really like it and I’ve got some great advice from people that have read it.

I’m going to work on the finishing the draft to Art and Artifice tomorrow as well as tackle the draft to my Q1 entry!

I love that the Art and Artifice can be horror because I think horror brings out some really strong emotions in people (not gore, just the good ole suspense and spine tingling kind of horror). That would be fun to write. I don’t have an ending in mind so I’ll just let the story write itself.

My Q1 is definitely different in that I hope it’s good enough to place. Getting rejected for my Q4 entry was a real bummer. I really loved it, but it was space and aliens so I could understand the cliche and why it got rejected. I’ll try to edit it one day and turn it in elsewhere for a good home. I’m excited about my Q1. I know where I want to go with that and how things will play out.

I feel excited!

I also even wrote a KYD! 

I wrote 2 KYDs now! Yay! This last one was quick, 10 minutes, but I like it a lot. 😊

~ I honestly believe that good stories write themselves. You can always start writing a story, but the characters tell their own tales and if you're lucky enough, you get to merely be in the audience watching everything unfold. ~ 8/1/2022
***
WotF - 2022, V39 Q4: R
WotF - 2022/2023, V40 Q1: HM; Q2: HM; Q3: HM; Q4:HM

 
Posted : November 22, 2022 10:24 pm
James (Ease) reacted
James (Ease)
(@ease)
Posts: 468
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Topic starter
 

Posted by: @pdblake

@ease I'm already in for this quarter.

Ah, I knew that. Apologies for the blip in recall. That sounds like a grand idea. I'd love to get to that point as well: I have three novels trying to clamber out of me at the moment, and time to write none of them.

@annax, I can't believe how much you get done. It's incredible. Have you had someone with a longer WOTF history take a look at your Q4? It's quite possible that the writing is more than good enough, but it's just not WOTF-targeted enough. 

  sunny Happy Thanksgiving everyone! sunny  

 

 

VOL 40 2nd Quarter: Third Place ("Ashes to Ashes, Blood to Carbonfiber")
Past submissions: R - HM - HM - HM - HM - HM - SHM - SHM
www.jd-writes.com

 
Posted : November 24, 2022 8:31 am
Anna X and storysinger reacted
(@annax)
Posts: 159
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Posted by: @ease

Posted by: @pdblake

@ease I'm already in for this quarter.

@annax, I can't believe how much you get done. It's incredible. Have you had someone with a longer WOTF history take a look at your Q4? It's quite possible that the writing is more than good enough, but it's just not WOTF-targeted enough. 

  sunny Happy Thanksgiving everyone! sunny    

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 😊🦃

I think it was the 15k words and the close resemblance to xenomorphs. Perhaps. I did get some feedback, but that was after I got to know people on the forum. I submitted before I joined the forum.

My Q1 and Art and Artifice story is coming out well, but I’m pondering a conundrum of sorts at the moment.

 

~ I honestly believe that good stories write themselves. You can always start writing a story, but the characters tell their own tales and if you're lucky enough, you get to merely be in the audience watching everything unfold. ~ 8/1/2022
***
WotF - 2022, V39 Q4: R
WotF - 2022/2023, V40 Q1: HM; Q2: HM; Q3: HM; Q4:HM

 
Posted : November 24, 2022 6:21 pm
storysinger reacted
Spencer_S
(@spencer_s)
Posts: 153
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@annax My winning story was 12K words, so certainly it is possible for longer ones to do well. I actually didn't think my story would place at all, because it was long - I submitted it because I had nothing else to submit at the time. So don't get too hung up on word count. Certainly treat it to the good old 10% (or more) rule, but writing a story you enjoy--and then retooling it into an even better story--comes first.

“Stories are the collective wisdom of everyone who has ever lived. Your job as a storyteller is not simply to entertain. Nor is it to be noticed for the way your turn a phrase. You have a very important job—one of the most important. Your job is to let people know that everyone shares their feelings—and that these feelings bind us. Your job is a healing art, and like all healers, you have a responsibility. Let people know they are not alone. You must make people understand that we are all the same.”
Brian McDonald
2022: Second Place Winner V39 Q1
2021: HM, HM, SHM
2020: R
2019: SHM, R
2018: HM
2017: HM

 
Posted : November 25, 2022 6:28 am
David Hankins, storysinger, James (Ease) and 1 people reacted
(@annax)
Posts: 159
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Posted by: @spencer_s

@annax My winning story was 12K words, so certainly it is possible for longer ones to do well. I actually didn't think my story would place at all, because it was long - I submitted it because I had nothing else to submit at the time. So don't get too hung up on word count. Certainly treat it to the good old 10% (or more) rule, but writing a story you enjoy--and then retooling it into an even better story--comes first.

That's actually great to hear! Thank you very much for the encouragement! smiley  

 

~ I honestly believe that good stories write themselves. You can always start writing a story, but the characters tell their own tales and if you're lucky enough, you get to merely be in the audience watching everything unfold. ~ 8/1/2022
***
WotF - 2022, V39 Q4: R
WotF - 2022/2023, V40 Q1: HM; Q2: HM; Q3: HM; Q4:HM

 
Posted : November 25, 2022 10:58 am
pdblake
(@pdblake)
Posts: 463
Gold Member
 

It's not quite the end of the month, but I've got a couple of first drafts done and just made a start on a third. I've also submitted a piece of flash (something I don't normally do).

The idea is to get a couple more first drafts done and the whole lot edited by new year so I can spend next year concentrating on editing my novel and getting another written.

Now I just need to shake this horrible cold off.

R:6 RWC:1 HM:9 SHM:3
My Blog

 
Posted : November 28, 2022 11:00 am
Anna X, David Hankins, Spencer_S and 1 people reacted
James (Ease)
(@ease)
Posts: 468
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Topic starter
 

That's pretty prolific, @pdblake. Nice one! I also very rarely submit flash (mostly because I'm not very good at it) but this month I've submitted too drabbles/flashy flash/hundred-word stories. 

Best of luck with shaking that cold, and even more luck for perfecting that novel!

VOL 40 2nd Quarter: Third Place ("Ashes to Ashes, Blood to Carbonfiber")
Past submissions: R - HM - HM - HM - HM - HM - SHM - SHM
www.jd-writes.com

 
Posted : November 28, 2022 12:39 pm
Anna X reacted
Spencer_S
(@spencer_s)
Posts: 153
Silver Member
 

@pdblake keep up the excellent work! Hope you feel better soon.

“Stories are the collective wisdom of everyone who has ever lived. Your job as a storyteller is not simply to entertain. Nor is it to be noticed for the way your turn a phrase. You have a very important job—one of the most important. Your job is to let people know that everyone shares their feelings—and that these feelings bind us. Your job is a healing art, and like all healers, you have a responsibility. Let people know they are not alone. You must make people understand that we are all the same.”
Brian McDonald
2022: Second Place Winner V39 Q1
2021: HM, HM, SHM
2020: R
2019: SHM, R
2018: HM
2017: HM

 
Posted : November 28, 2022 1:04 pm
K. Z. Richards
(@kz_richards)
Posts: 132
Silver Member
 

I’m interested in this! Accountability can do wonders. Now I just have to decide how to tackle revisions for my Q1. 

V39:- - - HM
V40:SHM, HM, SHM, HM
V41: HM, WIP

Stories published in Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine, Flash Fiction Magazine, 72 Hours of Insanity, and Curios.
Story forthcoming in Murderbugs.

 
Posted : November 28, 2022 1:08 pm
DoctorJest
(@doctorjest)
Posts: 835
Platinum Member
 

A quick one as a breaker for me to finish the month--started on Monday, finished tonight, quick edit, polish, and straight out to a market before I second guess myself.

(I should add that prior experience suggests I will realize that I should have waited and edited this one more, soon enough--but despite having learned that lesson a dozen times over by now, I still like to do this kind of rapid fire write-polish-submit thing every now and then).

DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex

 
Posted : December 1, 2022 12:57 am
Anna X and James (Ease) reacted
James (Ease)
(@ease)
Posts: 468
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Topic starter
 

It's December! Time to check-in.

@ajschultz6, did you revise and submit the last story you mentioned? How did the KYD (and expansion) go?

@clfors, how did NaNo go? Did you win?

@doctorjest, nice one on checking in before roll call! A story in a three days is amazing. Have you tried a 24 hour story before? I hope you're obliged to in the near future, if you catch my drift.

@writhmic, did you finish your Q1 first draft?

@pdblake, how is your Q1 first draft going?

@annax, did you get both ZNB entries finished and your Q1 draft?

@kz_richards, how did you do in November?

For my own accountability: I did none of the revision on my Q4/SHM that I intended to, nor did I finish revising my intended V40 Q1... but I have done a lot of revision on it, and I think I'm nearly done.

Let me know what you're planning for December. For those without a plan, may I humbly suggest/insist: SUBMIT FOR Q1!

VOL 40 2nd Quarter: Third Place ("Ashes to Ashes, Blood to Carbonfiber")
Past submissions: R - HM - HM - HM - HM - HM - SHM - SHM
www.jd-writes.com

 
Posted : December 1, 2022 8:17 am
(@annax)
Posts: 159
Silver Member
 

@ease 

Hello December! 😊

I got one ZBN entry done. I’m halfway done with the other intended one. I also got some writing for my Q1 done so that’s good. I didn’t get it all completed as I had hoped.

I came upon a bit of a stumbling block which made me question writing and I was a bit torn about it, but I guess since I don’t have a concrete answer for myself, I’ll just continue writing.

Good job on all your revisions! That’s still a lot of good progress!

For December, I’ll have to finish all 4 ZBNs and turn them in AND finish my Q1 and turn it in too. That’s the big goals. No little writings. Just big writings. 😊

~ I honestly believe that good stories write themselves. You can always start writing a story, but the characters tell their own tales and if you're lucky enough, you get to merely be in the audience watching everything unfold. ~ 8/1/2022
***
WotF - 2022, V39 Q4: R
WotF - 2022/2023, V40 Q1: HM; Q2: HM; Q3: HM; Q4:HM

 
Posted : December 1, 2022 8:53 am
storysinger reacted
Writhmic
(@writhmic)
Posts: 95
Silver Member
 

@ease 

Well... I started my first draft. I still stand by my goal of finishing it by Dec. 20. As for what I've written so far, I'm really pleased with it and if the rest of the story follows that style I think it'll be my best piece yet!

V39: -- / SHM / SHM / RWC
V40: HM / SHM / SHM / SHM
V41: P / WIP / -- / --

 
Posted : December 1, 2022 9:09 am
Anna X and storysinger reacted
K. Z. Richards
(@kz_richards)
Posts: 132
Silver Member
 

@ease 

Thank you for this! Changes to Q1 are outlined and ready to implement. Now it’s time for a “save as” and actual writing.

V39:- - - HM
V40:SHM, HM, SHM, HM
V41: HM, WIP

Stories published in Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine, Flash Fiction Magazine, 72 Hours of Insanity, and Curios.
Story forthcoming in Murderbugs.

 
Posted : December 1, 2022 10:33 am
Anna X and storysinger reacted
pdblake
(@pdblake)
Posts: 463
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@ease you did it again, I'm already in laughing  

 

I have 2 first drafts ready for q2 though and one fully ready. 

My hideous cold has got worse though. I've spent all day trying to track down a mysterious buzzing noise in the house only to realise I can hear it inside, outside, in every room and even with earplugs in, which only make it louder. I think a really heavy bout of ear popping sneezing in the night has given me a bit of tinnitus. At least now I know I'm not going insane, or more insane anyway. Still my son seems to find it all hilarious. 

I doubt I'll get much writing done for a few days either way. 

R:6 RWC:1 HM:9 SHM:3
My Blog

 
Posted : December 1, 2022 10:38 am
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(@annax)
Posts: 159
Silver Member
 

Posted by: @pdblake

@ease you did it again, I'm already in laughing  

 

I have 2 first drafts ready for q2 though and one fully ready. 

My hideous cold has got worse though. I've spent all day trying to track down a mysterious buzzing noise in the house only to realise I can hear it inside, outside, in every room and even with earplugs in, which only make it louder. I think a really heavy bout of ear popping sneezing in the night has given me a bit of tinnitus. At least now I know I'm not going insane, or more insane anyway. Still my son seems to find it all hilarious. 

I doubt I'll get much writing done for a few days either way. 

 

Great job on the stories ready to go, the drafts and the fully ready one!

I hope you feel better. Don’t let being sick stop you. Be unstoppable! 😁

Good luck!

 

~ I honestly believe that good stories write themselves. You can always start writing a story, but the characters tell their own tales and if you're lucky enough, you get to merely be in the audience watching everything unfold. ~ 8/1/2022
***
WotF - 2022, V39 Q4: R
WotF - 2022/2023, V40 Q1: HM; Q2: HM; Q3: HM; Q4:HM

 
Posted : December 1, 2022 3:43 pm
DoctorJest
(@doctorjest)
Posts: 835
Platinum Member
 

Posted by: @ease
@doctorjest, nice one on checking in before roll call! A story in a three days is amazing. Have you tried a 24 hour story before? I hope you're obliged to in the near future, if you catch my drift.

Thanks--I hope so too! 😀 And yes, I have done one-day writes before. My Finalist started out as a 1.5k story that I wrote in three hours, pretty much an idea that went straight from the shower to the page. I felt it was incomplete, though, and a month later, I put 5 more hours into fleshing it out, polishing it up and submitting it (the final entry version was 2.4k). So it ended up a 2-day story in the end, but it had a long period of fermenting between the two that helped me think of a much improved ending.

The longest one-day story I ever wrote was 6.1k, written in an afternoon to see if I could. It was pretty awful. I didn't have a clue what I was doing back then, maybe that's why I was able to write that much--I think it's easy to write garbage really quickly! 😀 But by and large, the stories I write in a day (or a handful of days) are the ones where I have the story very clearly in my head. That's true even of the really bad ones.

 

DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex

 
Posted : December 1, 2022 7:13 pm
Anna X reacted
James (Ease)
(@ease)
Posts: 468
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Topic starter
 

@pdblake Gosh darned it. Did I mention I have a terrible memory? I can't remember...

Really sorry to hear about the tinnitus: that's one step worse than what I had a few years ago: I spent a whole night tracking down and destroying every fire detector in my rented accommodation because I could hear constant beeping... Turns out it was the neighbors, and they were out of town for two weeks...

I hope your tinnitus doesn't last a fraction that long!

VOL 40 2nd Quarter: Third Place ("Ashes to Ashes, Blood to Carbonfiber")
Past submissions: R - HM - HM - HM - HM - HM - SHM - SHM
www.jd-writes.com

 
Posted : December 1, 2022 8:20 pm
Anna X reacted
James (Ease)
(@ease)
Posts: 468
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Topic starter
 

I know I said this would be a monthly check-in, but is everyone who's not in yet happy that I tag and nag you about your Q1s the week before the deadline?

I would love if we could continue the trend of forumites winning the contest!

VOL 40 2nd Quarter: Third Place ("Ashes to Ashes, Blood to Carbonfiber")
Past submissions: R - HM - HM - HM - HM - HM - SHM - SHM
www.jd-writes.com

 
Posted : December 1, 2022 8:22 pm
Spencer_S, ajschultz6, Anna X and 1 people reacted
DoctorJest
(@doctorjest)
Posts: 835
Platinum Member
 

Posted by: @ease
I know I said this would be a monthly check-in, but is everyone who's not in yet happy that I tag and nag you about your Q1s the week before the deadline?

I would love if we could continue the trend of forumites winning the contest!

Well, it won't trouble me personally! I'm just now returning to revising my draft. You can nag regardless--I'm planning to submit in the final week of the quarter.

(Also, got back a story today, and pinged it straight back out to a pro market, so that'll be my first pro sub for the month; paired up alongside a semi-pro sub that went out on a December market window. Gotta keep on swinging!)

 

DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex

 
Posted : December 1, 2022 10:12 pm
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DoctorJest
(@doctorjest)
Posts: 835
Platinum Member
 

And, addendum--whoo-ee, editing this one is going to be work. It's taken me a couple of hours to do just sweep edits for the first three pages, and even then there's stuff still to do there. I hope it's all worth it when I'm done...

DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex

 
Posted : December 2, 2022 1:36 am
Anna X and James (Ease) reacted
(@annax)
Posts: 159
Silver Member
 

Posted by: @ease

I know I said this would be a monthly check-in, but is everyone who's not in yet happy that I tag and nag you about your Q1s the week before the deadline?

I would love if we could continue the trend of forumites winning the contest!

 

Please nag me! I should not be procrastinating anyhow so I’m happy for this thread and trying to keep accountability. 

I did some editing to my Q1 opening yesterday and it sounds a lot better to me. I’m going to try and finish it this weekend to try and get a critique or two (or more) on it. 

 

~ I honestly believe that good stories write themselves. You can always start writing a story, but the characters tell their own tales and if you're lucky enough, you get to merely be in the audience watching everything unfold. ~ 8/1/2022
***
WotF - 2022, V39 Q4: R
WotF - 2022/2023, V40 Q1: HM; Q2: HM; Q3: HM; Q4:HM

 
Posted : December 2, 2022 5:43 am
James (Ease) reacted
(@ajschultz6)
Posts: 46
Bronze Star Member
 

@ease I am good with nagging! 

Am I the only one who was locked out of the forum for a few days? I kept getting sent to a weird green page.

Anyway, I had a less productive November than October, but I still got some stuff done. I did that KYD and outlined and expanded it into a 3500-word story. I also wrote 3k of a story I'm going to set aside for a little while, and 4k of a complete rewrite of the first story I ever wrote a long time ago. I've never done a total rewrite before, and I'm surprised how much I'm enjoying it. I thought it would be a slog, but the world and characters feel familiar and much more fleshed out than the first time I wrote it.

I also did revisions on the 3500-word story and sent it out for some critiques. I received four rejections (including a WotF HM for Q4) and sent out three new submissions. I currently have five stories out on sub, soon to be seven.

I hope everyone's going to make it in for Q1 despite the holidays!

v37: Q3HM
v38: Q1R, Q2HM, Q3HM
v39: Q2HM, Q3HM, Q4HM
v40: Q1 In Progress
I'm available for critique exchanges via PM. Note: I will not be available for exchanges from 12/17/22-1/1/23.

 
Posted : December 2, 2022 7:30 pm
Anna X, MarathonCoder, David Hankins and 2 people reacted
K. Z. Richards
(@kz_richards)
Posts: 132
Silver Member
 

@ajschultz6 

That’s an impressive amount of writing! I need to get more submissions out. I spent November writing a story for a very specific market, but now that they’ve rejected it I’m not sure where else it belongs. I guess another accountability goal of mine will be to get more stories ready and out for submission. Also, no more writing for very niche markets, ha ha. 

I was also unable to access the website. Some kind of certificate problem?

V39:- - - HM
V40:SHM, HM, SHM, HM
V41: HM, WIP

Stories published in Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine, Flash Fiction Magazine, 72 Hours of Insanity, and Curios.
Story forthcoming in Murderbugs.

 
Posted : December 2, 2022 9:05 pm
(@ajschultz6)
Posts: 46
Bronze Star Member
 

@kz_richards 

Thanks! Okay, good to know it wasn't just my weird internet connection.

And yeah, I always try and make sure I'm sending stories out. They're not doing any good sitting around. My stories still do more sitting than I'd like, but I'm working on fixing that. That's my big goal for next year in addition to placing higher in the Contest.

v37: Q3HM
v38: Q1R, Q2HM, Q3HM
v39: Q2HM, Q3HM, Q4HM
v40: Q1 In Progress
I'm available for critique exchanges via PM. Note: I will not be available for exchanges from 12/17/22-1/1/23.

 
Posted : December 2, 2022 10:37 pm
Anna X and James (Ease) reacted
DoctorJest
(@doctorjest)
Posts: 835
Platinum Member
 

I'm going to lay out my basic goals for December--obviously, Q1 entry being finished and submitted is the main one. I'm deliberately going to wait until later than I usually do, though still, probably no later than December 30th to go in with it, so that I have time enough for any thoughts I have about things that might improve or sharpen parts of it to take root.

Other than that, I'm going to look to finish up another short story--horror fare, total Contest misfit, but fun to work on. And aside from those two, and any regular resubmission churn on stories I have out already, I'm going to allow myself to breathe. I'll likely work on other projects between now and the New Year, but I'm not going to make any of them something I've set down as a goal.

(Addendum--I may also look at some planned revisions to a story I have marked as a Q2 prospect entry, and see if I can enter Q1 and Q2 side by side, and free up the first quarter of 2023 to look at novel writing instead.)

DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex

 
Posted : December 3, 2022 11:49 am
Anna X, Todd Jones, David Hankins and 3 people reacted
K. Z. Richards
(@kz_richards)
Posts: 132
Silver Member
 

This story is terrible. This story is great! Give up, it can't be saved. Are you sure? I think it can! 

And the winner is...another round of revisions complete! How are everyone else's stories coming along?

V39:- - - HM
V40:SHM, HM, SHM, HM
V41: HM, WIP

Stories published in Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine, Flash Fiction Magazine, 72 Hours of Insanity, and Curios.
Story forthcoming in Murderbugs.

 
Posted : December 4, 2022 4:03 pm
Anna X, Spencer_S, David Hankins and 1 people reacted
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