Saturday, July 25, 2020

Expanding (9 deadlines soon; WWC 2020 next week; 40 rejections so far!)

There are at least 9 deadlines coming up on 7/31-8/2, so feel free to jump to the updated deadlines listed below. I started including a few more details, such as poetry, multiple subs, simultaneous subs. You should also check the conferences. Willamette Writers Conference is coming up very soon; you should register by Monday and jump into Eric Witchey's class. Highly recommended.

It's going fairly strong with my writing; I've written a few new short pieces and done some revision. Submitted a bunch. Now if I could just fit in some work on a novel. I've probably been holding back enough and need to wrap up and consider how to publish, perhaps starting with those agents I met at the conference years back...

Current Stats for Personal Goal of 100 Rejections in 2020 
Rejections: 40 (25 short, 14 flash, 1 poem) 
Pending: 19 (10 short, 5 flash, 1 poem)
Total 2020 Submissions: 59

The writing sprints went well this week, and I've just about finished the story for the Third Flatiron story call. I like how it loosely linked to another flash I sent into a contest earlier this month. Now to just sort out that ending and polish it up to send in for a few critiques, so I can get to other matters.

Thankfully, more members from the Super Secrets challenge group joined my shared critique folder, and we have been exchanging emails. I find this was one of the major changes that helped me after joining the Super Secrets challenge group: more exchanges with other motivated writers. Writing together with others who are just as motivated, exchanging critiques or brainstorming or discussing ideas, is incredibly inspirational.

Good news that I noticed: Apex Magazine is open for submissions, and their already successful Kickstarter is still going. Amazing Stories successfully funded their Kickstarter.

Missed: I just missed the submission window for Addition Magazine (1000-5000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: general, SF), so submit right away next time it opens.

Lists below. Do let me know if you have anything else I should add.


Conferences, Conventions, and Workshops to Sign Up For

Willamette Writers Conference 2020, July 30 - August 2, 7 AM - 8 PM Pacific Time, Online, $299/$349, Note: I wish I could go but work won't allow me to make time for this, definitely take a class from Eric Witchey if you can (it's called Character Fluency, and is 5-7 PM PST on 7/27/. 7/28. 7/29). There's still time to sign up! In fact, I may be able to fit Witchey's class in between work obligations.












8/1, Cemetery Gates Media Untitled Anthology, 3000-6000 words, 5¢/word, Genre: Horror, Theme: local lore or location-based oddities, Simultaneous OK

8/1-8/2, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 6¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-6¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), Note: great feedback provided if requested in cover letter

8/1-8/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)

8/15 (or until filled), No Police = Know Future, ~4000 words. 8¢/word. Theme: SF stories that give potential (and hopefully positive) futures that involve alternatives to modern day policing. 

8/15-30 (tentative), Cast of Wonders (Flash Fiction Contest), ~1500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any YA, Note: good feedback provided last time I submitted, https://www.castofwonders.org/submissions/

8/23, Great River Review, Poetry (1-3 poems), $120, Note: BIPOC poets only, Note: must provide mini reading of your work

8/24-8/28, Fireside Summer 2021 Issue, ~3000 words, 12.5¢/word, Genre: Any (English or Spanish) 

8/30, Heartwreck: Romantic Disasters at Sea, 2000-5000 words, 2¢/word, Seeking personal essays and creative memoir about love gone wrong at sea

8/31, Strange Horizons (Mexico Issue), ~4000, 10¢/word, Genre: any speculative, Note: only for Indigenous people in Mexico, Mexican people, and people of Mexican origin

Submission Deadlines and Windows in September and Beyond

9/4, On the Premises Short Story Contest 36, 1000-5000 words, prize money (1st $220, 2nd $160, 3rd $120, HM $60), Theme: Smell, Genre: any except children’s and gross horror, https://onthepremises.com/current-contest/

9/22, Reckoning: 5th Issue, ~20,000 words, 8¢/word ($30/page for poems), Genre: SF/F/General, Theme: enivironmental justic, Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (prefer multiple 3-5 poems <10 pages, but send only one if longer)

9/25, Incoming Magazine, Pitches for 20-page black and white comic, Genre: SF, £ 800/$1000, email story outline (text/storyboard) and a selection of concept art/past work to: magincoming@gmail.com

9/1-9/30 PodCastle, ~6000 words (3000-4500 best), 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy, Simultaneous OK, Reprints ($100 for >1500 words, $20 for flash)

7/1-9/30, WotF Q4, ~17000 words (aim for 3000-10,000), 8¢/word, prize money (1st $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500, annual grand $5000, plus Hollywood workshop; semi-finalists get feedback), Genre: F/SF, Note: contest for new writers w/o 4+ pro-level publications; the forum is very helpful, especially the Super Secrets thread; free workshop available on website

8/10-10/11 Dream Foundry Contest, Words ~10,000, prize (1st $1000, 2nd $500, 3rd $200), Note: contest for new writers (have published 4000 words or less, earned $320 or less from those words and never been nominated for a major award)

11/1 WEIRD CHRISTMAS Flash Fiction Contest - 3rd annual; SpecFic/sf/f/h/humor/weird (flash). Words: <350. Fee: $0. Prizes: 1st=$50; 2nd=$25 10+ HMs=$5; + pub & podcast. Reprints: query. Note: will accept narrative poetry, multiple entries okay. Judge: Craig "Kringle" Brewer. E-subs: EMAIL ONLY. Contact: Craig "Kringle" Brewer (QS). Results & PubDate:: 7 December 2020

10/15-11/2, PseudoPod (General Submissions), 1500-6000 words (4500 best), 8¢/word, Genre: any horror, Reprints OK 

9/15-11/15, Lamplight Magazine, ~7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Dark/Literary

1/4-11/15, In Darkness Delight Anthology (Corpus Press), 2500-7500 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Horror, SF (soft)

11/30: Cast of Wonders (General Submissions), ~6000 words (best 3000-4500 or flash <1000), 8¢/word, Genre: any YA, Note: good feedback provided last time I submitted

12/1 Worldbuilding Fantasy Anthology, 3500-7000 or 9000-15,000 words, flat payment (short $100; novella $200), Theme: Politics as Conflict. Genre: any Fantasy (PG-13)

11/30-12/4, Fireside (Autumn 2021 Issue), ~3000 words, 12.5¢/word, Genre: Any (English or Spanish) 

7/1/2020-2/28/2021, Upon a Once Time, 1000-3000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: Mashup of two fairytales, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Grimdark/New Weird/Dying Earth/genre-bending

7/1/2020-2/28/2021, The Wild Hunt: Stories of the Chase, 1000-3000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: Wild Hunt (folklore, myths, drama), Genre: SF/Fantasy/Grimdark/New Weird/Dying Earth/genre-bending





Hybrid Fiction, 500-5000 words (or serialized novellas), 6¢/word, Genre: speculative hybrid/cross-genre (blend of 2+ genres, such as dark fantasy, steampunk western, historical fantasy, weird western, crime fantasy, etc.)