OT: Budokan, Ryu, writers on the board

[KC Elbows]

What would you consider the limit on the amount of time you should spend on one short story for publication?

I've been getting a lot more organized in my writing over the last 6 months, and I'm at the point where I've got a story ready for submittal, and another in progress(aside from other writings not presently for publication), and my goal is to get some short stories out there for a while. However, I've had to change around how I write, as I used to spend so long nit picking little sections, that the story would never get done. Now I write the whole thing, then nit pick it, which seems much faster. However, I don't want to become mired in a story either, as I need to produce. Produce quality, but still produce.

Also, are any of you familiar with any decent writer's forums? All the ones I know are pretty dead, which I find ironic to say the least.

Also, any good tips on cover letters?

Thanks.

[KC Elbows]

If there's any editors on the board, too, obviously your advice would be useful.

[Budokan]

KC--

There always has to come a time when you as a writer have to decide that a story is finished and it's time to mail it out to a magazine rather than keep re-writing it. It's a fine line, knowing when this is, but the biggest mistake you can make is to keep re-writing the same piece over and over. Not that it sounds like you're doing this, but it's something to keep in mind. You're doing the right thing, though, in writing the story first and then going back to rewrite.

As far as how much time to spend on a story, that varies. The best rule of thumb I can give you is to keep working on a story until it's finished. I know that's not very helpful, but it's still a good lesson to keep in mind.:)

On average, I usually take about a week to write a story. I average maybe about a page every hour. This is an average. I've written 20 page stories in a couple of hours, and sometimes taken even longer for shorter works -- weeks or maybe months. You take as long as you need until the story is finished. Everyone is different. Don't think you're doing something wrong just because it takes you longer, or less time to finish.

Cover letters are tricky. The easiest thing to do is not come across as pretentious or like a hopeless amateur. Just introduce yourself, the title of the story and say you look forward to hearing from the editor soon. You can give any credits that may help sell the story, too. Example: You've written a story about kung fu and you yourself have studied the art for X number of years, that sort of thing.

Here are two of the best forums and websites I've ever seen. Published and newbie writers all use them.

ralan.com (a comprehensive list of paying and non-paying markets)

speculations.com (info on how to write, markets, and everything else you can imagine)

Finally, the best advice I can give you is never give up. If you're in martial arts already you know how important that statement is. Perserverence is the key to being a successful writer. Keep writing, and also just as important, keep reading. Only by knowing what's been published and what other writers are doing can you be up to date with your own work.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions just email me so we don't clutter up KFO with writerly messages. (We must save bandwidth to rag on Rolls! hahaha)

Good luck!

Mark

[rogue]

Read some articles and essays by Harlan Ellison. There was one about how he has written in the window of bookstores and how writers should write every day.