Sent out another story yesterday, this time to a small market called, “The Transdimensional Horror Express.” They have a werewolf issue coming out in October and I have a werewolf…er, werebear story in my archives. The magazine looks like a lot of fun and, curiously, is on shelves in the UK and Germany. I don’t think this story, an old pre-Clarion one, had a shot in hell in most of the big markets so I figure it’s better in a small mag somewhere than nowhere.

I found out a story I submitted to “Farthing,” another UK magazine that’s due to debut at WorldCon this year, made it past the first round of cuts. It’s been over two months since I sent it and I feared that it had been lost. Let me tell you, there’s nothing worse than sending a story and waiting for months only to find out it’s been lost and you need to resend. Something particularly heartbreaking about that. I don’t mind long wait times, as long as I know the story is sitting in a stack somewhere waiting to be read.

Need to grocery shop and then it’s back to the grindstone. This has been an extraordinarily busy summer and it’s nice to have a weekend to get run-of-the-mill stuff done. Things like mowing and cleaning and shopping. When these aren’t done over the weekend, they get pushed into the week and that eats up valuable writing time. Since work has been nuts too (I’m currently covering two positions) I haven’t had much time there, either.

I also found out some good stuff about UW-Milwaukee’s program in Creative Writing, both at the Masters and PhD levels. A good writing program would be great for me right now. All I have to do is get in! But man, I really don’t want to take the GRE this fall. I hate standardized tests, and I hate studying for them any more. Things need to be together by December which gives me about four months to get things straight. I’d love to get another story published in that time, too.

All I can do is put my head down and go.

I sent F&SF my latest story today. The good folks from Clarion who read it and gave me feedback all pretty much said it was a pleasing read but didn’t have any conflict or tension. Instead of rewriting the whole thing I just added a few sentences to make the immediate situation a bit more stressful. In short, the story’s about a soccer player who goes down during a game and the club physio needs to fix him up. Now, the injured player is a key to the team’s success and the game is of more importance.

We’ll see if it works. I’m not sure it’s F&SF’s style but I wasn’t sure about the story they bought, either. And like that one, I’m not sure this is good enough. John mentioned Analog as a possible market. Never sent anything there before and I might have to give it a try.

In happy news, I think I found the impetus to finish the longer story I had been writing. The structure is basically three scenes separated by some expositional world-building. Scenes one and two wrote themselves but I hit a brick wall when I got to scene three once I realized it was, more or less, scene two over again. Now I think I’ve found the idea that frees me up. It’ll finish around 8K but I think I can whack and whittle and hack and hew it down to 5.5 to 6K.

Is it any good? I have no idea. I lose perspective so quickly. Of course, it’s the golden mead of poetry while I’m writing but now I’m not even sure the internal logic works. Now I just have to get the ending written and begin the first round of edits to at least make it coherent.

I’m reading Nancy Kress’ “Beginnings, Middles, and Ends” after a few Clarion mates recommended it. It’s quite good. The only writing books I’ve read are William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well” and now this one. Even though I feel like I know about 90% of the advice, that remaning 10% is quite useful and it helps to have the other stuff reinforced anyway. She’s also got interesting advice to help inject life into old stories.

Which helps. In the last year, I’ve finished exactly five original stories and I’ve sent out exactly two of them. I’ve run them all through the Clarion critique group and decided that the stories are all pretty good but they really do need something to finish them off. There’s no point in sending them out if I know they’re not working to their full potential. Nancy’s book is helping me look at them from a slightly different angle. She even has a line in her book that says, “Here are some ways you can sell your stories instead of getting the this isn’t quite what we’re looking for rejection letter.” Currently, I think could write the rejections for most of these stories myself.

And with an open weekend (finally!) I can put some time towards writing and hopefully get another burst of stuff out the first couple weeks of August.

You know, I’ve dated girls who were masters of creating conflict where none existed. Where are they when I need help on the story I’m working on?

I like bears. A lot. They just seem to know what’s up. I’ve only ever seen two bears in my life (not including a zoo) and I was in a car both times. I found this video of a Montana bear falling from a tree onto a trampoline to be mildly horrifying although I get the feeling most people find it funny. Bears have big, thick necks so I’m sure he’s okay, but still…poor bear.

Speaking of bears, I just received the edited copy of “Change of Seasons” back from Cicada yesterday along with an extremely nice letter from the editor who re-emphasized how much he really, really enjoyed the story. The returned copy is a lesson in editing. I rewrote the story a number of times before submitting it and it’s amazing how much more tightening could be done by a skilled editorial team. Lots of good notes in the margins, too, including high praise for the “lovely” ending–which is more or less the feeling I was trying to invoke. Considering one of the main characters was killed a paragraph earlier and another was nearly fatally mauled, I’m pretty proud that “lovely” comes across as a strong emotion a few heartbeats later! Just a few touch-ups on my part and I’ll get the contract in another 2-3 months. Once that’s done and dusted, I should get some idea of when it’ll be appearing.

To conclude the bears theme, I just finished Terry Bisson’s “Bears Discover Fire.” Here’s what I thought of each story:

A number of these stories didn’t really catch my fancy but several did. I think I was most surprised by “The Message” and “England Underway,” each of which is simply marvelous in its own way. Even for the stories that left me a little cold, I still was in awe of Bisson’s mastery of language and, more than anything, his use of distinct voice. I can read an issue of F&SF or Asimov’s and really think some stories are duds, but there really weren’t any in BDF that I had a hard time getting through. Okay, well “Two Guys From the Future” was probably my least favorite and I saw the ending almost immediately, but other than that one, the rest simply flowed.

I’ve only got two stories left in John Kessel’s “The Pure Product” and I’ll be interested to compare the two books side-by-side once I assign those stories knee-jerk ratings like I did Bisson’s.

Inoculated City by the Clash

The soldier boy, for his soliders pay,
Obeys the sergeant-at-arms, whatever he says

The sergeant will, for his seargent’s pay,
Obey the general order of the battle play

The generals bow to the government
Obey the charge–”You must not relent”

What of the neighbors and the prophets in bars?
What are they saying in the public bazaar?
We are tired of the tune,
“You must not relent”

At every stroke of the bell in the tower there goes
Another boy from another side

The bulletins that steady come in say those
Familiar words at the top of the hour

The jamming city increases its hum
And those terrible words continue to come

Through brass music of government hear those
Guns tattoo a roll on the drums

No-one mentions the neighboring war
No one knows what they’re fighting for
We are tired of the tune
“You must not relent”

Still recuperating from our trip this weekend to the Porcupine Mountains in the U.P. It’s about 6.5 hours virtually straight north of Madison and you just keep driving until you hit Lake Superior. Then you take a left.

We hiked out three miles to our backcountry, rustic cabin only to discover that the folks in the ranger station put the wrong key in the envelope. Ha-ha, very funny. And they were due to close. See, when you think you’re staying in a cabin you don’t bring things like tents. So Steven and I had to drop our packs and run (yes, run) three miles back to the car and speed to the ranger station before they closed to get the right key. Then we had to walk back (and I do mean walk) the same three miles to the cabin where Amy and Jenny had been playing frisbee with Athena and drinking wine.

Let’s recap. Steven and I backpacked three miles, then ran three miles, then walked three miles. Amy and Jenny backpacked three miles and then drank wine.

My legs are still sore and I have vowed never to run again unless it is during a competitive sporting event–preferably one with a ball being kicked about–or unless I’m being chased.

Unfortunately, work is keeping me from writing much although I did whip out a 1500-worder the previous weekend that I think is kind of fun but has no real conflict. Does a story need conflict? Well, kinda sorta. So now I’m trying to decide whether to add conflict (which means a complete rewrite) or hope that brevity and cleverness win the day.

Still no word on any of my pending subs. This makes me irritable. I wish I could get to a place where I happily forget pending stories, but I’m not there yet.

There is quite possibly nothing more evil than a spam attack when you’re waiting for responses to an e-sub. I have an email address I use exclusively for writing (e-submissions, queries, follow-ups, etc.) and for this blog. I currently moderate each comment (if you’ve ever tried posting a response to this site you’ll notice that it takes a day or so to show up) because every few weeks I’m beseiged with spam for online Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments and the like.

Although I did receive some spam recently about low home-equity loans–from sexycaligirl@whatever.com. That email address may seem appropriate for online poker, or ever online pokeher, but for finance? I mean really, who emails back to sexycaligirl about a loan?

Anyway, point being I don’t get much email at this address so my heart flutters whenever I see something in the In box. Usually that means someone is kind enough to leave a comment (and I’ve had lots of interesting comments from long lost friends and folks who just stumbled onto my blog via Google), or it’s spam, or, crucially, it’s an editor responding to an e-sub. As I said yesterday, I have four stories out, three of which were e-subs, and all three are in the window for “average response times,” meaning I should be getting an answer from each of them any time now.

I’m struggling to get a few more out the door as well. It would be so nice to send one sub out a week and have a steady streams of submissions and responses, but I tend to send out a bunch at once and then there are few weeks of anxious waiting (most places average 4-6 weeks for a response) as they all come back in.

Like most little kids, I used to cut proof of purchases off my toys and send away for the special limited edition G.I. Joe badass (I still remember being disappointed when I got the Cobra Commander with the hood instead of the store-bought standard issue faceplate–the drawing showed him with this sort of ominous hood that only intensified the mystery and evil that was the leader of the Cobra forces, but instead of using cloth (like the cool little jackets on the Jawas) that flowing black hood was actually non-flowing plastic, and the end result looked more like Dumb Donald than the purer form of evil I expected) and I’d perch by the window and wait for the mail.

It’s funny how some things don’t really change.

Sigi Schmidt smokes crack.

That’s the only way to explain his comment that L.A. Galaxy players like Tyronne Marshall were still scrapping, even in injury time, to maybe score a goal and steal a draw or even a win against Real Madrid. Um…the scoreboard said 2-0 to Madrid in the 93rd minute. The Galaxy had only a few sniffs at goal the entire game, and I don’t think anyone, players included, believed they could score two much less three goals in about ninety seconds. They were scrapping for a goal, no doubt, but c’mon. Had they even scored one (which they didn’t) any player even getting close to the goal would have been scythed down so Madrid could preserve the win.

Overall, it was a fun game to watch. Did the Galaxy earn some respect? Probably. But that’s to suggest that they were in the game even for a minute. Madrid’s passing was smooth and sublime and Zidane was, well, Zidane. What’s more, Madrid didn’t keep the pedal down the whole match but rather pulsed it. The Galaxy chased shadows anytime Madrid really decided to go for it and some wayward finishing and some great work by keeper Kevin Hartman kept the scoreline respectable. The gap between the MLS and Europe’s average squads surely isn’t that great, but it’s still a chasm when compared against one of the top teams in the world. It was great to see the difference in quality between the two. Madrid moved the ball faster and played a bewildering one-touch passing game. The Galaxy, like most MLS teams, are sustaining that kind of fluid play for about ten to fifteen seconds before becoming unstrung by a bad run or a poor pass.

All in all, it was about what I expected. And I enjoyed it. Much better than a lot of lackluster, toothless friendlies.

I’m on day 56 for two small stories (at Fortean Bureau and Farthing), day 32 for a story at Strange Horizons, and only day 27 for a long-shot at Asimov’s. I should be finding out on the first three soon. I need to finish more stuff and get it out so I’m not watching the seconds tick by on every submission that’s out. I have a submission tracker on my website so I’ll never forget what’s our where, but it would be nice to have enough stuff in circulation that every other week you’d be getting some kind of news.

Yesterday was great for footie. The Crew and the Fire played to an entertaining 1-1 draw on ESPN2 and both goals were out of this world, really high quality stuff. It always kills me when the nationally broadcast games are poor but this one featured lots of one-touch passing, counter-attacking, and guys just taking players on. I had the game on in the background while writing (a soccer story, as it turns out) and took what was supposed to be a five minute break to watch. It was so gripping I ended up watching most of the second half. 55,000 on hand in Chicago to watch this game followed by Chivas vs. Real Madrid.

The U.S. squashed Jamaica yesterday with DaMarcus Beasley scoring twice and getting an assist in the 3-1 win. Of course, I only know this by reading about it–Univision broadcast the Honduras vs. Costa Rica game instead, damn them. I remember reading a few footie columns that blasted Landon Donovan for returning to MLS rather than sticking it out in Europe. Jen Chang of ESPN’s soccernet.com specifically said DaMarcus should be the Golden Boy of US Soccer considering what he’s done with PSV Eindhoven; I didn’t disagree then, and DaMarcus’ shining play in the Champs League, the Dutch Eredivisie, and the way he’s elevated his game for the national team speaks for itself.

In other happy news, it sounds like Milwaukee is trying for an MLS expansion bid with Peter Wilt heading the charge. This is awesome news even if it doesn’t materialize for a few years. MLS needs more local rivalries and a Milwaukee vs. Chicago hate-fest would be more than welcome. The Fire screwed up royally when they axed Wilt who was the nicest guy I ever met from any MLS team when I worked at US Soccer. What’s more, his record with the Fire was phenomenal so firing him in favor of a suit was ridiculous. I sincerely hope he gets Milwaukee off the ground and can stuff the Fire a few times each season. And wouldn’t it be cool for the Fire’s Jesse Marsh–MLS veteran, Racine native, and good friend of a friend–to come play for Milwaukee? Well, now I’m just being silly…

And poor John Ellinger at Real Salt Lake. First, he has to deal with that stupid team name. Second, he’s got to deal with Clint Mathis. And third, his team blows. In 1998 when the league first expanded, Chicago won the whole shebang–won MLS Cup and did the double by capturing the US Open Cup, too. The Miami Fusion wasn’t so shabby either, making the playoffs in their two years. But man, RSL and Chivas USA both really suck. Is the league that much better or did Chicago just do a great job in their expansion draft? Anyway, I happened to meet John Ellinger once at a conference and he seemed like a very soft-spoken, humble guy. I hope he doesn’t get drummed out of Salt Lake, but his team did get spanked by Chivas USA last weekend; and Chivas have won exactly two games, both over RSL. Since both teams are in the Western Conference and thus can’t both miss the playoffs (a tragedy, that) someone’s going to have an easy first round against whichever teams manages to bumble into fourth place.

Real Player is telling me that I could start listening to my digital music collection for over a month (24 hours a day) and never hear the same song (or perhaps the same version of the same song) twice. 818 hours, 26 minutes, and 48 seconds of music to be precise.

That’s not including some stuff I have at work.

I’m wondering how much of this I’ve actually listened to. Sadly, it’s not entirely organized. This is on my to-do list, but I guess as long as I can find Kim Wilde’s “Kids in America” with relative ease it’s not all that bad.

Here are my top ten artists, ranked by the number of songs I have:
Bob Dylan - 821 (57 hours of Dylan alone)
Johnny Cash - 333
The Clash - 231
The Rolling Stones - 204
The Cure - 201 (?)
Leadbelly - 192
Elvis - 173
Louis Armstrong - 172
Bruce Springsteen - 172
Greatful Dead - 165

Huh? I don’t even like The Cure.

And this is rather misleading. I don’t know how many unique songs the Clash have, but it’s probably half of the 231 I have listed. Don’t get me wrong, the Clash’s limited output is an absolute tragedy. I’m just saying that a song like “(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais” appears on The Clash, From Here to Eternity, Clash on Broadway, and Chaos in New York (a bootleg). So it counts four times.

I have to get this cleaned up some day. I’m doing this because I have something called the Media MVP that allows me to play my substantial digital music collection over the home stereo as opposed to the PC speakers. This is a far-from-perfect technology but it cost less than $100 so I can’t complain too much. The interface is incredibly sucky and it’s impossible to create a playlist or even fast forward to certain songs, but it’s still nice to have 818 hours of music available without having to reach for a single CD.