WWiR

It's been a productive week here in the OK Corral. Got another thousand words added to the sequel Wendell Null story, "Stranded with a Killer," in which our starship constable has crash landed with his worst rival and a recently convicted felon. But when the death that caused the crash seems to be murder, is the felon really the prime suspect?

I would have gotten more writing on that story done, but the paying gigs took over for a bit there. I did some reaserch for SupermomWFH, a stay at home fitness site. I provided more web content to Arcade Grab. I signed a deal with the guy who runs Get Exclusiv! and will be providing articles on a regular basis there (so you should go and comment on them so he sees how valued an employee I can be).

I also wrote up a quick story called "Chance Encounters," which I discussed in my last post. Just a quick commission piece that I have yet to find out where it will land on the great, wide, wonderful internet. The instructions he gave me were thus, "Write a sexy sci-fi story." Sexy? Well, I gave it my best shot without being too graphic. I don't do gratuitousness in stories. I believe things like that are better left to the imagination of the reader.

Right now I'm righting some ad copy for a new product that is basically a sports-themed puppy tent. If I had a dog I would consider buying one, but since I have a cat I doubt that he would enjoy it. Still, an interesting product that will soon be available and when you read about it just think about me.

And that's how the West was won

Who just finished a commission story about a sexy alien seductress getting revenge against the intergalactic senator that signed the kill order to blow up her planet? I'll give you one guess, and it ain't Shirley Temple.

When I get a link for it I'll share the wealth. And when I say wealth, I mean the location of the story on them there internets and not the cash I collected for writing the tale.

Fangs or no fangs?

Having just recieved a polite rejection from Comets and Criminals, I begin to wonder just how worn out vampires are in this industry. The story in question barely dealt with the bloodsuckers, but they were present, and the editor of the site told me that vampires are just too hard a sell.

When searching for a new magazine to submit the story to, I came across several more that basically said, "If your story has vampires, just move along." Have the billion dollar franchises of True Blood and Twilight ruined the market for the rest of us? And yet, they're still insanely popular. In fact, I'd wager that stories online featuring vampires in any respect would probably garner more attention/hits. Why are editors turning away a specific genre?

Hmm.

If move along I must, then move along I shall. Repacking the story and sending it over to Apex Magazine, which is certianly a colorful publication, vampires included. Their submission system is filtered through HeyPublisher, which is fine by me. It seems like a very efficient way of getting lots of stuff out to lots of different buyers.

The Client List

So, it appears I have signed on two regular clients. Both have upcoming websites that they would like me to provide copy for on a monthly basis. One is a TV review site (link forthcoming) and the other...well, I don't really know what it is. Something tied to Amazon. I've written three articles for the guy and he insisted that specific items within the articles could be traced to Amazon. Whatever. Link also forthcoming.

I met both of these guys through Fiverr, which I am still highly promoting. I feel lucky that I've stumbled onto a few people there that desire more work than what the site was actually built to provide. Now that they've agreed to become standard clients of mine I'll be switching off of Fiverr (just for these two gents) and use direct billing invoices through PayPal.

Also got a lead this morning for a web content writer for a business located right here in Pittsburgh. I have a good feeling about that one, so fingers crossed.

By the way, still working through the sequel to my last Wendell Null story and hope to have that finished by the end of the week. So long as I can find the time to write actual fiction, that is, instead of all this work for hire stuff. You know, since this blog is supposedly about me writing fiction.

Sliced together a quick spot for another guy for his Gem Fortunes business. One of these "You'll make seventy billion dollars in two days!" deals. Did that pretty quick last night, and was amazed at just how much free imaging there is available online. Imaging, for those not in the know, are sound effects and audio zingers used in production (like the sound of a cash register opening or a lasers being fired at writers who refuse to write).

Provided that I finish this latest short story by the end of the week, I'll be finishing off the outline and plots for my upcoming novel. Not really sure how much I'm allowed to talk about that, since it was just accepted the other week. The publisher is one most of you are familiar with as he circulates through our little community. That January 1st deadline seems a hell of a lot closer now than it did last week...I better get to work.

Finished

Just finished up the audio version of my sci-fi crime noir short story that got sold to Strange, Weird, and Wonderful Magazine. Took me long enough! Taking care of a one year-old girl and a pregnant wife eats up time for stuff like that. I assume the audio version will be posted on the site around the same time that the story does, in Fall 2012.

Also did a short sound bite for some guy. He wanted Charlie Sheen saying something weird. I don't do the best impression of the guy, but hey, whatever. One line. Five minutes of work. Ka-ching!

WWiR

Oh, it's been a busy week here at Casa de Golightly. I picked up a couple audio gigs and got some hits through Craigslist for editing work. When things eventually make their way online, I'll let you know so you can tell the site owner how much you love what you see and those involved should be paid way more then they were initially.

That novel I mentioned before? Yep, let's go ahead and make that official, seeing as how I have a deadline now. January 1st. How...appropriate. Well, you'll understand when you read it. And you WILL be reading it, won't you? Dude, I've got kids to feed, so of course you'll buy a copy when it's released around May 2012. It is fast approaching, isn't it? Good thing I have a prologue and three chapters completed.


Didn't have time to get any short stories finished and submitted this week due to an increasing volume of work through Fiverr. You'd think that it wouldn't be worth my time since you only get paid $5 per gig, with the site actually claiming a dollar off of every transaction. Still, these guys I've gotten as steady clients are paying for multiple gigs at once with very little work involved. I just do it during downtown at work during the day, averaging two or three gigs a day. It's paying for my gas, lunch, and then some.

By the way, if you happened to need some work done (writing, editing, audio, whatever) I would gladly accept any offer you made me. Seriously. Any offer. Within reason, that is.

Work for Hire

Picking up more and more work from Fiverr. I know, it's weird, but a lot of the jobs are actually paying more than the $5 standard. These are mostly little book reviews and article commissions that take less than twenty minutes to write up. I grabbed several gigs over the weekend that I'm plowing through this morning.

It's little stuff, but it's adding up quick!

Video game blurbs

Just got commissioned to write web content for the casual gaming site http://www.arcadegrab.com/. Ah, the sweet smell of success! It doesn't come around often, but when it does, I don't have to worry about paying for my lunch.

WWiR

Just finished off "Citizen Cog and the Vampire Society" and submitted that to Comets and Criminals. It's set in the 40s and features a very pulpy robotic secret agent who now works directly for a retired J. Edgar Hoover. A fun romp, written fairly quickly, and I hope they fit it in at their site because their site rocks. It doesn't hurt that they pay decently for such things, either.

Edited a few chapters of an excerpt from Derrick Ferguson's latest Dillon adventure, and when I say edited, I mean produced. I cut a theme for the character and cleaned up the first two chapters of audio. Sent that off to him and he seemed to really enjoy it. I miss producing audio like this, and even though it benefits him, I'm having a nostalgic blast. I miss radio.

And speaking of editing, I've had two such gigs thrown my way this week. One man was ready to hire me to edit his crime fiction novel, but when I told him there was no chance of my flying to Montreal to meet with him personally he pretty much backed down. He said he would give me a call, and even though his solicit said that telecommuting for this job was okay, he was hesitant to work with someone he couldn't meet face to face.

The other job just came this morning, through Fiverr of all places. I posted a few things I would do, mostly as a joke, but one of them actually got a response. I'm waiting to hear more details from the client, who wants me to rewrite his story.

Just started work once more on "Stranded with a Killer," the second story to feature Constable Wendell Null. I had begun this about, oh, four months ago and just never went back to it. Probably hit a wall somewhere along the line, but I'm determined to get this done. Mainly because the first story featuring this character sold quickly. This time the good Constable has crash-landed on an alien world while he was transferring a prisoner. Just before the crash one of the pilots was murdered. Cue the dramatic music.

Well, that was actually nice

Just got a rejection letter from Pseudopod, but to be honest, it was actually helpful. Now, I expect more rejections than successfull submissions, but I do not expect them to offer constructive criticism. So, with their helpful thoughts in mind, I've repackaged the story (which would be "God's Great Acrimony) and sent it over to the fine folks at Title Goes Here. Neat little site there, however I don't think they take themselves too seriously.

Egads!

I couldn't sleep and started trading e-mails back and forth with an editor while working on my latest short story (the title of which has been changed from Citizen Machine to Citizen Cog...just sounds better).

...and I think I've been commissioned to write a novel.

Bounced

Just got a rejection from One Buck Horror for the story I recently submitted, "Weeping Willow," so I'll be bouncing that right back out there by reformatting and sending it over to Shroud Publishing.

I shall not be denied! You know, except when someone denies to pay me.

Weekly Writing in Review

Finished up "Red Rush" late yesterday and submitted that to Ray Gun Revival. Set in the 1930s, this quick story takes place on Mars and is a tribute to Ray Bradbury. Awesome site, btw. They update at least once a week with some pretty cool space opera. You should probably sign up for their newsletter so you can have those stories sent directly to your e-mail free of charge.

I also began work on "Citizen Machine and the Vampire Society." Set in the 1940s, this enigmatic adventurer has found his brain and heart trapped in a robotic body of unknown origins. He works for a former famous crimebuster you may know as Hoover, and he loves scotch and the ladies (despite his physical limitations). Not sure where to submit this once it's done, but right now I'm leaning toward Hyperpulp. It's a quartlerly mag that just got established and looks like a fun place to write for. Plus, they offer free translation into Portugese! Who can claim that?

Tomorrow I'll be swinging back through my ol' stomping grounds of Johnstown, PA to meet up with a buddy for breakfast and then drop off some material to Brandon Wilt at his comic shop, my go-to artist. He'll be using said material to design a new cover for my zombie/pirate novel. More on that as it develops.

And so it begins...

If you've stumbled upon this humble blog, more than likely you are someone who has mistakenly clicked the wrong link. Perhaps you were searching for the renowned composer with the same name, or the Hollywood moron responsible for the insults that were the Dresden Files TV series on SyFy and the Ghost Rider film. Or perhaps you were looking for a laxative. Or diabetic candy.

Yes, I share a surname with all of these entries into your search engine of choice, but only I can boast of...well, nothing yet. Yet. I'm working on that, which happens to be the purpose of this blog.

I'm a writer. I write. According to one pompous philosopher, therefore, I am. I used to write for a newspaper, and then got picked up by a radio conglomerate as a producer and copywriter. From there I moved into obscurity, where I fended off hordes of fans with a very big stick or a rocket laucher (whichever was closer at the time of incursion).

Or something like that. My memory is a bit foggy and I may have embellished at least some of that last paragraph. It's a writer's prerogative to do just that.

I've sold many scripts, produced hundreds of spots, and even interviewed my fair share of b-list celebrities (most of which turned out to be f-list). Right now, I'm working on getting my original fiction work sold into the online marketplace. The sweet smell of rejection is always around, but occasionally, and these days much more often, I do come across that malicious odor of success.

This blog will catalogue my attempts, successes, and failures at getting my stories out there. Follow along, comment, persuade, entice, and advise. If you're so inclined, you could even proof read, discourage, and mock. I'll also be linking to publications that are actively buying, because I know of more than a few people in this little community of ours that will appreciate such things.

And so, with an unapologetic cry of guttural enthusiasm, here we go!