My main or at least minimal SF fiction strategy since I started actively submitting again has been to keep myself eligible for Writers of the Future for as long as possible. My stories run long, at or near novelette wordcounts. Writers of the Future is one of the few places where an unknown writer's 7000+ word story length won't work against him or her (understandably; if you had limited space in your magazine, would you give a huge chunk of your pages to a newbie who's name on the cover probably won't sell issues?).

I figured, if I ever won WotF, I would finally have at least a small back catalog to send out to other markets and--with Writers of the Future in the cover letter--hopefully those submissions would be given at least the benefit of the doubt and get read all the way through. I recognize that a lot of my prose work has been experimental and/or esoteric (on the craft side, I've also been working on making my work more accessible), and I've had very little credibility with which to convince editors that I actually did certain things intentionally.

The shrewdest part of this strategy is that a novelette in Writers of the Future would be one of only a few dozen high-profile SF novelettes published during the year (versus many hundreds of high profile short stories), meaning a higher likelihood of a nomination for a major industry award in that category. Imagine a new writer exploding on the scene with a Writers of the Future placement and a Hugo or Nebula nomination with the same story. *Cough* Jay Lake *Cough*. Just thinking ahead.

Finally, Writers of the Future is just an experience I'd like to have. I keep trying to find a way to go to Clarion, and every year it's just not the right time to spend six weeks and that much money on the retreat. Writers of the Future is a shorter commitment, and one that doesn't cost anything. I'm also interested in it for research purposes. I'd like to see a similiar contest/program/talent search in the comics industry: a sort of combination of Writers of the Future and the excellent Flight Anthologies.

But I knew I couldn't or shouldn't limit myself to one market forever. Tastes differ and it's possible that my writing style will just never work for this one market. I'm turning thirty next year, which reminds me that I've been at this on and off for almost seven years already. I'm also finally at a point as a writer where I'm not embarrassed by the stuff I wrote a week ago. Maybe that means I've finally reached my millionth word of crap.

I'll keep submitting to WotF as long as I am eligible, but I decided this quarter it's past time to start diversifying. It'll likely take just as long to get a few sales in other markets anyway, but I plan on being ineligible for WotF one way or another by this time next year.

Also sent my first ever story to McSweeney's, but there's no real story behind that submission, sorry.

Comics - Origin of a Comic Stripper!

My comics-parody animated short "All's Fair in Love and Police Actions" was selected as IFILM Pick and then, after my guerilla marketing campaign made it the most popular animation on IFILM within 12 hours, it was chosen as an IFILM Clip of the Day. "That was f--kin' tops, Alex!" wrote comics writer Brian K Vaughan (Ex Machina, Y: The Last Man, Runaways, Ultimate X-Men). "Amazingly funny and well-executed," wrote SF author Cory Doctorow (Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Eastern Standard Tribe, "Craphound," Boing Boing). I plan on putting some of these quotes in query letter to Marvel once I get a little more comfortable with comic scripting, maybe get a few publications.

Speaking of scripts, I finally sent out my first ones this quarter--five original stories for various anthologies, each story ten pages or under. This after spending far too much time hunting down and compiling a set of writers guidelines for comics.

One script even got accepted for a New Orleans-Katrina fundraising anthology from Ronin Studios. It will be illustrated by Mario Boon and, if all goes well, published in February with a December solicitation in Previews.

I've also roughly outlined my first issue-length comic script. I'm back in touch with a college D&D bud, Jeremy Freeman. He's an artist who has had some success inking for Tokyopop and other publishers recently. We might be working together to create a proposal for the book this coming quarter. We're just talking at this point, but I wanted an excuse to link to the website of the Studio he just joined.

Finding more and more Undersweet fans, randomly. Kinda makes me wish I would have marketed it out there more, if it actually had a following.

Other stuff - The Adventure Continues!

Major site overhaul, with almost everything powered by Movable Type. Proud of this one.

A lot of Telltale recordings I'm proud of, especially Kelly Link's "Most of My Friends are Two Thirds Water," Sun Tzu's "The Art of War," Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," and two NIMH recordings. I'm particularly happy about the launch of Spoken Alexandria, but it does mean I have a lot more work to do.

Journal reboot completed and integrated into the Movable Type site. If it's not here, it's not worth reading. Next step: categories/keywords.

Six submissions away from reaching my 250th, which means I should hit that milestone next quarter.

Co-wrote my first real screenplay with director Steve Milligan.

So a wonderful quarter overall. Let's see if I can't top it over the next three months.

But no big goals for the end of the year. Get myself organized, write a ten-minute play, do my first issue-length comic script, and write another story for Writers of the Future next quarter. I need to build on the momentum I'm making for myself.

Back to work.

Filed under Comic Stripping, Journal, Prose and Poetry, Writers of the Future
Comments: Discuss this entry at LiveJournal

Posted by: Jay Lake at October 3, 2005 9:19 AM

Posted by: Alex at October 3, 2005 10:03 AM

Posted by: Jay Lake at October 3, 2005 3:15 PM

Posted by: Alex at October 3, 2005 6:03 PM