February 2023 Notes
Notes from the Fiction Factory - Month in Review
February 2023 turned out to be the fastest month and, unfortunately, the least productive month. Life decided to hit the ‘PAUSE’ button with sad news. Sadly, my wife’s Nana passed away and, in the same week, she had to say goodbye to her cat of 16 years. Moments such as the death of a loved are hard and often stark reminders that we are only here for a short time. If there is someone you’ve been thinking about lately - a family member, a friend, former co-worker - pick up the phone and call them. Relationships can be complicated, sure, but life is precious and it’s worth spending it with people you love and hold dear. February was also the month I ramped up my job search. Needless to say the writing was minimal, but I have some cool things in the pipeline that I’m excited to share at a later date.
Let’s get to it.
Words Written
Around 1400 words were produced in February, resulting in two flash fiction stories and my first Drabble. On (most) Fridays, I publish a short short story of less than 1,000 words on this newsletter. This allows me to practice the flash form, produce a very short story, and build some momentum in 2023. Although they are not easy, I’m having a ton of fun writing them and a few readers even reached out to me encouraging me to expand some of them.
Oleg Volkov from Fictitious recently organized a publication of Drabbles, short stories of exactly 100 words. In it, you’ll find 14 submissions from 14 writers of The Soaring Twenties Social Club on the theme of childhood. I was fortunate enough to try my hand and submit a story titled The Dealer’s Trade. Some of the finest writers online are featured and the quality is top-notch.
Enjoy!
If you missed February’s flash fiction, I’ve linked them below:
Regarding word production, I’ve mapped out a new schedule for myself outside of my job hunt and family obligations. Instead of long, late nights and 3+ cups of coffee (Do NOT do this), I’ve organized my day to start far before sunrise and just get the writing out of the way. This is is the approach I should have taken from the start, hindsight and all that, but I’ve made the adjustments necessary. I had zero desire to be a member of the 4AM club, but the chaos of Dad Mode leaves me with two choices: continue the current path with meager results to show for or get my butt out of bed and punch the keys first thing in the morning. Well, with the current way of doing things failing, I have nothing to lose by trying this new approach. I’m not expecting perfect results, I am human after all and some days won’t go according to plan, but that’s okay. I’m tracking my daily progress in a note book that should help me highlight things that work or don’t work. I’ll share the results in next month’s notes.
The House That Pulp Built
Be on the look out for a new article in my “The House That Pulp Built” series this month. There’s a bit of research involved which has taken longer than I’d like, but I’m aiming for accuracy of information vs speed with these longer in-depth pieces. This month, we’ll look at the legacy of some of the most widely read pulpsters. Stay tuned.
Market Watch
In February I submitted three short stories to markets paying $0.05 or higher.
Story Submissions:
The Giving Ghost (The Deadlands Magazine)
Debt Troopers (Asimov’s)
Illuminatus for a Penny-a-Word (The Dread Machine)
Acceptances: 0
Rejections: 2 (Mangoprism and Asimov’s)
I’m happy I was able to submit more stories last month. With the new schedule, I’ll have more time to write and finish new stories. New stories = more submissions. More submissions = more opportunities to crack into a pro market. At the end of the day, it’s a numbers game. To quote professional writer Doulas Smith from his book Playing the Short Game,
“The more fiction you’ve written and you have out in front of editors at professional markets, the better your chances of success…the writer with the most stories in circulation wins.”
There’s been recent news that with the availability of ChatGPT, more markets are being flooded with AI generated stories. The editor of Clarkesworld closed their submission portal temporarily due to this.
As one of the higher-paying markets at $0.12 a word, many adopters of AI generated stories are looking for an easy pay day. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds for other pro magazines.
Stories Read
Not much to update here. 2-3 Charles Beaumont stories and a recent purchase of Flash Fiction America: 73 Very Short Stories to help with studying craft. Onward
Fun Stuff
I’m a big fan of documentaries and watched an entire YouTube series on Jim Henson from Defunctland. It was well done, entertaining, and the final video was quite emotional. If you want to learn more about Jim Henson’s early years, career, and legacy check out DefunctTV: Jim Henson.
If you love comic books but are tired of seeing the Marvel/DC drama and demise, check out these fun books by the imprint Atomic Pulp Media, and their roster of golden-age inspired superheroes, sword and sorcery barbarians, pulpy noir detectives, and more. Many of the stories are penned by writer and publisher Christopher Mills, a great storyteller whose comic book Gravedigger I greatly enjoyed.
Many Thanks!
Well, that’s all I’ve got. If you stuck around till the end, please accept my humble thanks. In a few weeks it will be one year since I first published these little historical chronicles and made the decision to pursue the path of being a pulp writer. I’m forever grateful for those of you who have stuck around this long and read this newsletter. The journey ahead will be long, but I hope to have some fun and will soon share some exciting projects planned for 2023 and beyond. Thank you for reading.
‘Till next time
I love the form. Here's one more, just for kicks. This one is also 55 words.
Mary’s Recipe
I killed my third wife yesterday. Disposing of the body is the trick, and the third time’s a charm.
“She left me,” I said, and threw her a bon voyage party. “Better to get on with my life,” I said.
Everyone pitied me and cursed her for leaving.
Nobody noticed the excellent stew.
Mary’s recipe.
Hey Frank, thanks for the heads-up about Drabble. Interesting concept. I used to submit now and then to 55 Fiction, a magazine that published complete short stories in 55 words or fewer. Great fun. Here's one of my better flash fiction stories:
<b>At Confession</b>
“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.”
“How long since your last confession?”
“Two years.”
“What’s the trouble?”
“I have wished death on a man.”
“You haven’t acted on your wish?”
“Not yet.”
“Who is the man?”
“He is cheating with my wife.”
The priest paled. “I forgive you.”
I shot him through the screen.
***