Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Day 163 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

THERE ARE DAYS YOU FEEL YOU SHOULD LOOK LIKE THE ROCK OR ARNOLD SCHWARZENNEGER

OR

IT'S ALL HEAVY LIFTING AFTER THE CREATIVE PART.

 
 
I really do try to avoid getting this late a start. Until the second half of fame and fortune kicks in, I have to be mindful of sticking to my schedules. Up early, work, tend to business, blog, write. Unfortunately, the business part took a bit longer tonight then I normally allow.
 
You see, I was looking for a new 'possible' home for a piece of short prose. This wouldn't seem to be too much of a problem. You find someone who deals in that genre, offers a decent payment, and claims to be able to turn things around in a reasonable amount of time. No problem, right?
 
Okay, I heard the snickers! They started with decent payment and peaked somewhere near reasonable turn around. You might as well get the whole guffaw out because, if you've learned nothing else about yours truly, genre driven I'm not. I've been called everything from quirky to eclectic, with occasional reference to stubbornly pig headed when it comes to my style and subject matter. So, when it's time to size up a potential relationship among the ever shifting constellations of publishers...Well, I get a bit frazzled.
 
Let's face it, the academic journals are really - well - academic. The vast majority of the main stream outlets want what, in my world, amounts to 'flash fiction'. Come on, guys. Nothing over three thousand words? Then there are the politically, sexually, scatologically correct. Let's not forget the ones that insist the story be placed in a certain narrow geographic location or time or galaxy or dimension. I mean, it does limit my choices, and makes finding a venue a bit like trying to see a black hole with the naked eye.
 
Awe, if only the business part was more like the art part, huh? You know...You write that story and set it aside for a week or so. Then you rewrite it, and ask someone else to give it a look. Then you agonize over their list of suggested changes. Finally, you cave in and spend a week or four rewriting it to incorporate the changes that, in the end, you admitted were right. Then you ask someone else to read it...That last individual generated too much work!
Then comes the market research. Formatting it the way the publisher you decide on wants it. Polishing the bio. Putting together the cover letter. Proofreading EVERYTHING for the umpteenth time...Aaaahhhh!
 
Okay, it's all heavy lifting, I admit it. After a while I look forward to the workout like an endorphin junky. Anyway, it gives me an excuse to eat dinner at the terminal and moan about how hard this whole thing is. Think I'll go work on the novel. At least that character's only under guard in a psych ward.
 
 
Meanwhile...live, love, write.
 
 
Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.
 
 
Tomorrow,
 
Dane F. Baylis
Author.
 


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