But the good news is that it wasn't because I've lost interest in the blog, or don't think I have anything worthwhile to write, or have nothing to update you on -- it was simply a lag in posting caused by a very busy schedule. I spent most of last week scrambling to get things done because my wife and I were going away for several days, and then -- you guessed it -- my wife and I were away for several days.
We were here:
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| (Photo by Chris J. Fries, 2013) |
It was a very, very fun trip -- we stayed on the American side of Niagara Falls and had a really great time. And if this were a travel-blog or a personal-diary kind of blog, I'd tell you about how awesome it was to do the Maid of the Mist, and how cool the Cave of the Winds was, and how good the food was an Wine on 3rd, and where we went on the Niagara Wine Trail, and so forth, but this is not that kind of blog. This blog is about my creative outlet, so I'm just going to say it was an absolutely wonderful trip, spent with an incredible woman who I love with all my heart, and that I enjoyed every minute of it.
And then -- to keep with the spirit of what this blog actually is -- I'm instead going to tell you about something that I scrambled to get done before our trip; something I haven't done in a very long while:
I finished a story and submitted it for publication.
OK -- it wasn't a brand-new story written completely from scratch, but it still feels like a big accomplishment to me. This is a science-fiction story that I'd written and had submitted to Ray Gun Revival, and had gotten some very positive feedback on, along with a request for revision and resubmission. But then RGR stopped publishing, and this story has sat since.
I decided to revisit it and liked it. I think it's a fun throw-back pulp sci-fi story, and so I wanted to revive it from the dead-story pile. I tweaked it a little bit more, and have now sent all 4,150 words of it out again into the world to find a home.
So if a writer is someone who writes and submits, then a writer again am I...
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(From "Apologies" by Chris J. Fries):
Corvan turned back to the
Ambassador. He struggled to overcome the urge to yell at the naive woman. "You
never mentioned the arrival of a fleet."
She rose and walked towards him.
"I'm sorry, but I did say I had a deadline. I saw no need to expand on the
reasons why. But look -- if a treaty is in place when our fleet arrives, then
they are merely here to solidify our new border." She stood in front of
him, put her hands out, and gave a slight smile. "So a treaty must be in
place."
Corvan stared at her. "It's
very probable your government expects you to fail, Ambassador. They've never
been known to put much effort into negotiation with the Velux. Any excuse for
war might be welcome."
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That's awesome! Hoping it's accepted. If you need a large list of science fiction magazines and online sites, visit Milo James Fowler. The dude knows all of them.
ReplyDeleteGlad you two got away to Niagara Falls. Been years since I visited there.
Go, Chris! I'm so happy for you that you had the opportunity to travel with your soul girl and that you've been inspired to revisit shelved work!
ReplyDeleteI like the 'naive woman' in the passage. She's got spark.
How wonderful that you and your bride went to Niagara Falls. Evidently, it didn't dampen your enthusiasm for writing, eh? I'm glad to hear your submitted your story. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYay! You go Chris! Hope it gets accepted and you keep writing more and more. :)
ReplyDeleteGood for you. I have to tell you that I have enjoyed your insightful comments over at Dl's Write Club. I always check in to see what you have to say, after I've voted.
ReplyDeleteI have never been to Niagara Falls. Some day, I hope! You know, it's totally acceptable to talk about how the trip inspired you as a writer. It did inspire you, right?
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on submitting and fingers crossed for you!
Congrats on the revision and the submission! I remember my own good ol' days of desperately doing Duotrope searches, looking for homes for my babies. Good luck - the story sounds exciting. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy compliments and admiration. Niagara Fall has long been a honeymoon destination and, after 44 years, my wife and I are still considering it. Something always seems to come up though. Maybe next year. Best of luck with your story!
ReplyDelete@Alex: Thank you very much, good sir! I appreciate it! And absolutely -- I've been a big fan of Milo's since reading his first Captain Quasar story at Every Day Fiction several years ago. He's one of the hardest-working writers I know, is tremendously creative and talented, and deserves tremendous success!
ReplyDelete@Suze: thank you very much! And thanks for the feedback on the excerpt -- yes, Ambassador Tyril Gunlee does indeed have spark. But her spark leads to an immense explosion... ;)
@Susan: Thanks! It was a very fun trip, and I appreciate the support on the submission. :)
@Gina: Thank you! And I hope that, too.
@farawayeyes: Thank you very much. I'm not a huge blogger, but I do always try to support DL -- He was my first "cyber-writing buddy". I met him through the old Writer's Digest forums back when I first started experimenting with the idea of becoming a writer. And with WRiTE Club, I always want to give the writers more feedback than just "liked it" or "hated it", My opinion is just one guy's opinion, but I try to at least offer what I hope is constructive feedback because that's what I want as a developing writer.
@Dianne: You should go! It was a great trip. And yeah, it was inspiring, but no concrete story ideas or anything have come from it. At least not yet... ;) And thank you very much for the crossed fingers -- I appreciate it and I'll take all the positive mojo I can get, lol!
@Lexa: Thank you! But I haven't used Duotrope since they went to a fee. I may sign up, but I'm not sure -- I've read a lot of debate about how it will skew the reporting and other stuff, but the listings themselves are probably worth it.
@Geo.: Thanks! And you should go -- it's something very cool to see, and just because you're on the 44th year of your honeymoon doesn't mean it's to late for it. ;)
I love Niagara Falls. Awesome, that overworked and sometimes tiresome adjective, totally describes this amazing natural wonder. The river, before it crashes over the Falls, scares the living daylights out of me.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see this post on writing! Here's to "Apologies" and its publication. It is so cool that you've reworked and submitted it ... I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!
@R.T.: I agree -- it WAS awesome, and you're also right about the scary river rushing towards the falls. Walking over the pedestrian footbridge definitely freaked me out a little. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you very much for the kind words of support and the crossed fingers!
Niagara Falls I saw in my history book in probably 8th grade, along with fields of wheat in the midwest. Being from Maine, they seemed unreal. But I remember the feeling of being in my textbook when I saw both in person. Things that you see if photos are really real somewhere. Go figure!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations for reworking and resubmitting! Quite an accomplishment. Like places in photos, writers are really real somewhere, too.
@Donna: Thanks for the kind support! I really appreciate it. And yes writers are real. At least I think I am... But it's just like the world-changing historical events of famous people is just "family drama" when seen from the inside, lol!
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