Well, I'm late because I didn't want to post until I finished my April short story.

Actually, I'm shocked I'm posting now, that I'm finished now. 

But yes, short story #3 for 2008 is completed (first draft anyway).  This was the second story in the fantasy world I'd made up.

I didn't like it. 

I loved it but I didn't like it.

It confused me and I don't think it's a real story.  But it's over. 

This process reconfirmed my lesson in writing about how it's okay if the first draft stinks.  You can make it into something pretty afterwards.  I hope.  Though with this one, I can't imagine selling.

Mind you, if this one sells, it could be I had no clue what a real story was.

And I do love it - it's like an ugly duckling that's so cute you have to love it even though it sounds funny, looks odd and smells suspicious.

But the main point is, it's finished! 

Even that ending took me by surprise.  I thought I was in the act two stage and then I stopped and looked at it and thought, hey, wait a minute, I think that's the end!

Go figure.  I'm going to let it sit and ferment before starting any major edits.  I need some distancing from it.

So, what else happened with me in April?

I'm taking a really good on line course called Deep Editing given by Margie Lawson.   It's already helped me improve the opening of the April short story.  By the end of May, I'm hoping it will help me salvage this one.

In other news, I got a 'hold' notice for an older flash fiction piece.  Don't know if they'll buy it, but at least they liked it enough to ask me to put a hold on it.

I also finaled in a contest - The Sandy.  For my first fantasy novel.  I had a chance to revise the opening before it went to an editor at TOR for final judgment.

Oh, and I found another author who's writing I like a whole lot.  Jim C Hines.  I'm reading the first of his books, Goblin Quest.  A really funny and engaging fantasy novel.  I got the first book from the library but I'm going to buy them all and they'll be going on my keeper shelf.  If you like light-hearted, funny fantasy, check him out.

That's it for April.  Hope May's short story is easier to write and less confusing.


Shereen

I recently bought a Blackgate magazine, Issue #10 and was surprised to find I thoroughly enjoyed almost all of the short stories in there.   I’d bought it because my favorite fantasy author (Martha Wells) had a short story in it.

In this issue, I read each story from the first to the last and I would say that only one left me feeling, "uh, didn't like that one."  All the others were absolutely the best fantasy I've read in a long time, the best part of all, most were from new authors.

In fact, I was stuck on the ferry while reading that particular magazine, and the ferry had mechanical problems.  It wasn't until I got off that I realized I'd been stuck there for over three hours, because those three hours just flew by with me buried in those fascinating, original, fun fantasy stories. 

It made me think that fantasy was worth reading again - for a decade or more now, I'd lost faith that I’d enjoy reading any modern fantasy authors.

And one of those stories, I was thinking about just the other day, months after I'd read it, called Awakening by Judith Berman.  I'm not in the least surprised to discover it's been nominated for a Nebula.

Now Judith isn't my new favorite fantasy author, that position is still firmly held by Martha, but I did find this particular story of Judith's to be quite evocative and obviously, memorable.

Blackgate is actually offering this story for free, with the permission of the author, on their sight, if anyone's interested in reading it.

http://www.blackgate.com/fiction/2008/awakening-full.htm

Shereen