Sunday, March 23, 2014

Revising my poetry

I'd originally got my poetry published in the late 1990s.  I spent yesterday and today reorganizing my poetry for submissions.  I refile and reprinted my older poems.  I then put them into file folders by date.  I found out organizing the individual poems by date is the easiest way to deal with them.

I have lots of poetry.  I weeded out the ones I thought were too weak.  I also organized files for poems being submitted for publication and poems that have been published.

My poetry has been my best work.  Alas, poetry pays in copies.  The press I used to submit, The Sunday Suitor Poetry Review, no longer exists.  I spent last night combing through Poet's Market 2012 looking for new places to submit poetry.  I'd look them up and then go to their website for submission guidelines.

Some of the addresses for websites didn't work.  One of the problems I found is that most academic presses only take submissions from September 1st to May 15th.  I'll have to wait to submit until the fall for several presses.  Fortunately, I have more poetry than I thought available for submission.  But part of the problem is that presses on want material that hasn't been submitted to other publishers.  In other words, they won't take simultaneous submissions.  Alas, small presses usually take months to respond.  Some case it could be as long as 18 months.

So I'm starting out small with my submissions.  I hope to hear back from the first place I submit to by August.  That way, I can reuse any poems that are rejected for submissions to other presses.  Speaking of rejections, I used to keep track of the places that rejected me.  The last time I submitted poetry was winter 2008.  So it's about time I submitted something...

Regards and good writing,
Blake

Sunday, March 16, 2014

BETA Versions of my novels

As part of a larger effort to get my work published, I revised Kepler Falling to 54,000 words.  The second part of the Kepler cycle, Redemption of Eden, is now 54,000 words.  Each novel could be published individually or collectively as one work (about 108,000 words).

I now in the process of editing Redemption of Eden.  I think it should take about a month.  I'm also working on another Desmon Singh story.  I don't know if this one will be a novella or just a short story.

Now, I'll be waiting for feedback on Kepler Falling.  Though I've been busy with other things.  I'm supposed to take Finding an Agent seminar at St. Louis Community College later next week.  I put together summaries for Price of Command, Kepler Falling, and Redemption of Eden.  I'm also thinking about taking several short writing courses through STLCC Continuing Ed this summer.  One course is called "Reading Like a Writer."  The other is a "Writer's Workshop - Editing and Revising."

Those two courses looking interesting.  But I also have a backlog of reading to do.  I'm in the process of reading The Faded Sun Trilogy by C.J. Cherryh.  I'm about halfway through the novel.  I don't know when I'll get done with it.  I have a backlog of 10 other books to read.  I haven't managed my time as well I as should.  That's something I want to dedicate more time to do...

Until then, good writing,
Blake