R.J.K. Lee's Figments Blog: 39 rejections and 11 pending, Wulf Moon workshop, and upcoming deadlines

Hello everyone. I hope life and your creative pursuits are going well. My goal of 100 rejections in 2020 is still underway. Not sure I'll make it, but we'll see. Current stats are 39 rejections (24 short stories; 14 flash, 1 poem) and 11 pending (9 short stories, 2 flash stories, 1 poems).

I took a wonderful online workshop from Wulf Moon over the weekend. I love that so much is available online now! Since I almost never travel to the USA. Moon went over all the essentials for a prize-winning story and provided plenty of motivation. Great class with practical handouts and exercises. 4 hours was not enough. Recommended. He's teaching it again in November: How to Write Winning Stories that Take the Gold! And he's also teaching a new class in October: The Secrets of a Howling Good Plot.

I am about to join a writing sprint with a fellow Super Secrets challenge member. We're aiming to write something fresh for the Third Flatiron story call. We'll either be using a writing prompt from Super Secrets or a prompt idea I have from the Clarion West workshop I attended.

That's all the news for now. I updated the deadlines list below. Please do let me know if there is anything missing from the list. I'm always looking for more places to submit (though I try to aim at 5 cents a word or above). Currently a speculative short story focus here, though I try to mention opportunities for poetry and may be gradually adding on more general/literary publications.

All the best with life and creativity!

R.J.K. Lee

Submission Deadlines Coming Up in July, August, and September

7/1-7/31, Mysterion, ~9000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: speculative that engages with Christianity

7/1-8/1, Third Flatiron, 1500-3000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: Brain Games Stories to Astonish, Genre: SF/F/H/steampunk/cyberpunk/myth/satire

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/

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

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/

9/1-9/30 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 (1^st $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

Submission Deadlines and Windows in October and Beyond

8/10-10/11 Dream Foundry Contest, Words ~10,000, prize (1^st $1000, 2^nd $500, 3^rd $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)