I made a website

In April, I will meet many writers and sci-fi fans who may want to know more about T.R. Naus. I suspect that means business cards and some social meeting presence, but I am starting with a web page. 

I am using Google Sites because of its price point (free!) and ease of use. It is a start, so any suggestions are welcome. I will be adding a headshot and bio, but at the moment, it is an excellent place to consolidate links to my various activities. I am a massive fan of the cyberpunk aesthetic, so I always look for images to incorporate. 

I spent more than a few hours proofreading and reworking "Last Era of Mankind" (or "Thank You for the Art"). I am still waiting to receive votes on which to use. Meanwhile, I will start submitting it on 3 December, so there is little time to incorporate much-appreciated feedback.

I Hate My Story

OK, I don't really hate my story, but it is a catchy title. I needed to go through a few rounds of editing and proofreading for the story that will (hopefully) be published in Writers of the Future, Vol. 41. Everything (the story, the logline, and my bio) has been submitted. I think I am good. Maybe.

It was the proofreading process that led to my half-joking title. After reading and rereading (and rereading and rereading) the same story, I started to see the plot holes, weak dialogue, and dull passages. I was also so done with the story that I didn't want to make any more changes (that would require me to restart the process). I also started doubting everything (was I being too hard on myself? Did I need to rewrite the whole thing?) Sometimes, however, I thought it was great. Man, what a roller-coaster. 

I want to thank Dusti, particularly, for some last-minute proofreading. She caught a few things that both the editor and I missed.

The experience has me rethinking "Last Era of Mankind." I am about to go through the proofreading process with this story to see if I can improve it. There is no looming deadline, so I have some time. The only downside is that I have a few stories I really want to get to. 

I have a poll (if you have a minute): "Last Era of Mankind" or "Thank You for the Art"? Take a read here and let me know which you prefer (or do you have a better one in mind?).

I am still shopping "I Will Save You." Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine also passed on it. I just submitted it to Apex.

Thank you again for your support. 

Daniel

 

An Update

I have a few updates to share. There is no "good news," but I am not inclined to think that I have "bad news." 

• Writer's Digest did not select my story for the "Your Story #131" competition. You can find my entry here.
• Uncanny Magazine passed on "I Will Save You." I just submitted it to Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. The turnaround is about five weeks.
• I also submitted "Hiding Inside" to the Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Prize. Winners will be announced in January 2025.
• There has been some movement with the story publication. I submitted my bio to Galaxy Press and started working on incorporating editor feedback from Jody Lynn Nye.
• I am going through another round of editing for "Last Era of Mankind." I missed my self-imposed deadline of 31 October, but I am still committed to getting out quickly.

I am now in the editing process for a story that I am calling "The Time Ripping Incident." I've changed the name a few times. It is a novelette-sized tale told in ten small chapters. I thought I could send this out as an old-fashioned weekly serial. If you are interested, please let me know.

In the meantime, thank you. This journey would not be possible without a fantastic support structure.

Hurry Up and Wait

There is a lot of waiting in the writing business than I imagined. On August 19, I submitted a very short story to Writers Digest. Sixty days later, they still haven't revealed the five finalists. I also submitted "I Will Save You" to Uncanny Magazine on 31 August. I am still waiting to hear back 48 days later. Submissions are due for the F(r)iction contest on 1 November, but winners will not be announced until 18 April. 

To be clear, I am not faulting any of these magazines for the length of time. I get it. There are so many entries that reading and reviewing must take forever. I am sure losers or rejected contestants do make the job easier.

I raised this because it was something I was not expecting. I've read a lot about preparing myself for rejections, but I've not heard that those rejections often come after a lengthy hold. I can see the buildup of anticipation deepening the emotional investment. In many cases, the stories can only go to one publisher at a time, focusing authors on a single decision at any given time. Pieces will also take much longer to go through the rounds of all the possible publishers and restart the cycle of submit/reject each time it is submitted. 

I am not deterred. I will be cleaning up plenty of material to run through this process. 

Churning them out

I mentioned last week that I was going to take time this month to get some ready for a few competitions. I am happy to report that I've been progressing slowly but steadily. In addition to "The Pod Chaser" and "Last Era of Mankind," I am about halfway through the internal editing of my first novelette, tentatively called "Burn it Down" (I am not thrilled with the title). I am also through my second round of edits on "Amelia and the Butterfly," thanks to Dusti's feedback.  

I never explained why I am attempting to churn these out (relatively) quickly. Quite simply, I wrote a lot of cool ideas that are only partial stories—eleven to be exact. I challenged myself to turn seven into works I could submit to publishers and other competitions before the Writers of Future Awards Gala on 4 April 2025. I plan to do that while still writing new content like "Burn it Down" and "The Right to be Forgotten" (which is in pre-writing now).

I am still waiting to hear back from Uncanny Magazine about "I Will Save You." In the meantime, I am still looking for readers to help me refine "The Pod Chaser" while I send "Last Era of Mankind" to the editor. 

October Sprint

I love October. This is the time of year that I am most likely to take off from work and enjoy myself. With contest deadlines looming, I also plan to get some stories ready for release. It will be an intense month that is already underway. I spent my first long weekend of the month behind the keyboard. These are two of the four stories that I am considering for the Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Prize and the F(r)fiction competition. 

• I just finished the first draft of "The Pod Chaser, " in which a cosmic biologist investigates Earth's fate. I am looking for beta readers, so if you have time, I have some questions for you that will help me better shape the story.
• I also finished my revised draft of "Last Era of Mankind." I incorporated my editor's comments, beta reader feedback (thank you, Violet, Dusti, James, and Sarah), and a new opening scene. Let me know what you think. 

What else is on tap this month? 

• I will be taking another look at my first short story, "Hiding Inside," to see if it might be ready for those two competitions.  I would love to hear your thoughts on that.
• I am also going to revise a very short story I wrote several years ago called "Amelia and the Butterfly." This is not sci-fi, but I have high hopes for it in the Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition.

The final story I am considering is "I Will Save You." I cannot do anything, however, until I hear back from Uncanny Magazine. 

Capclave 2024

Wait, wait, wait. Did I hear correctly that the DC area hosts a short-form sci-fi/fantasy convention? Yes. Yes, I did hear correctly. It is called Capclave and was held on 27-29 September 2024 in Rockville, Maryland. The show was pricey for the size and venue, but I met some incredible people. I heard interviews with Matt Dinniman and Sheree Renee Thomas and attended a workshop given by Martin Wilsey. The highlight for me was a panel of publishers that included Neil Clarke (I subscribe to Clarkesworld). I am new to the industry, so I appreciated the education.  

I also met three L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future winners. Over the last few weeks, I've been talking to more past winners, and they have been great. I am so glad I had the opportunity to meet three of them (all from the DMV). They had some great stories.
     "Yellow and Pink" by Leah Ning (WotF Vol 36)
     "Ashes to Ashes, Blood to Carbonfiber" by James Davies (WofF Vol 40)
     "Son, Spirit, Snake" by Jack Nash (Golden Pen, WofF Vol 40)

Last week, I said I needed to get out there and learn more about the community. I didn't realize the turn-around would be that quick.