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Month: September 2022

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Writing Progress Report – Third Quarter 2022

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 29, 2022

Progress Report – Third Quarter 2022

How was third quarter 2022 for writing? So I spent third quarter 2022 mainly editing. This is a necessary part of writing! I also did some planning for NaNoWriMo.

Third Quarter 2022 Posted Works

First of all, I worked on a number of new short stories. A lot of these had been drafted on paper and so I spent some time fixing and polishing them.

Then on Wattpad I posted on the WattNaNo profile and the Star Trek Fans profile, and nowhere else.

Milestones

Also, I have written over 3.3 million words (fan fiction and wholly original fiction combined). So right now my stats on Wattpad for wholly original works are as follows:

• Dinosaurs – 40 reads, 9 comments
† How to NaNoWriMo – 25,401 reads, 340 comments
• My Favorite Things (like kibble) – 983 reads, 133 comments
† Revved Up – 59,423 reads, 531 comments
• Side By Side – 17 reads, 2 comments
† Social Media Guide for Wattpad – 15,632 reads, 592 comments
• The Canadian Caper – 506 reads, 37 comments
† The Dish – 250 reads, 24 comments
• There is a Road – 189 reads, 28 comments
† WattNaNo’s Top Picks 2018 – 1,955 reads, 45 comments
• WattNaNo’s Top Picks 2019 – 1,824 reads, 10 comments
† What Now? – 2,700 reads, 104 comments

More Published Works

Also, I am amassing quite the collection of published works!

Untrustworthy, which is my first published novel. So yay!

A True Believer in Skepticism, published in Mythic Magazine.

Almost Shipwrecked, a story in the January 2019 edition of Empyreome, a site which unfortunately is no more.

Canaries, a short story in the March 29, 2019, edition of Theme of Absence.

Complications, a story in the Queer Sci Fi Discovery anthology. So this is an anthology where the proceeds went to supporting the QSF website.

Cynthia and Wilder Bloom, stories in the Longest Night Watch II anthology.

Props, a story in the Longest Night Watch I anthology. So this is an anthology where the proceeds go to Alzheimer’s research.

Surprises, a story in Book One of the 42 and Beyond Anthology set.

The Boy in the Band, a story in the Pride Park anthology. So this is an anthology where the proceeds go to the Trevor Project.

The Interview, the featured story in the December 14, 2018 edition of Theme of Absence. So they even interviewed me!

The Last Patient, a story in the Stardust, Always anthology. This was an anthology where the proceeds go to cancer research.

The Resurrection of Ditte, a story in the Unrealpolitik anthology.

This is My Child, a short story published in the April 8, 2019 edition of Asymmetry Fiction, another site which is no more.

Three Minutes Back in Time, a short story published in Mythic Magazine.

Killing Us Softly, a short story published in Corner Bar Magazine.

Darkness into Light, a short story published in Corner Bar Magazine.

WIP Corner

So my current WIPs are as follows:

The Obolonk Murders Trilogy – so this one is all about a tripartite society. But who’s killing the aliens?

The Enigman Cave – can we find life on another planet and not screw it up? You know, like we do everything else?

The Real Hub of the Universe Trilogy – so the aliens who live among us in the 1870s and 1880s are at war. But why is that?

Mettle – so it’s all about how society goes to hell in a hand basket when the metals of the periodic table start to disappear. But then what?

Time Addicts – No One is Safe – so this one is all about what happens in the future when time travel becomes possible via narcotic.

Time Addicts – Nothing is Permanent – this is the second in this trilogy. What happens when time is tampered with and manipulated in all sorts of ways? It’s the ultimate in gaslighting, for one thing.

Time Addicts – Everything is Up For Grabs – coming in November 2021!

Prep Work

So currently, my intention, for next year’s NaNoWriMo, is to write the third trilogy in the Time Addicts/Obolonks universe. But I need to iron out the plot! So a lot of this year has been spent on that. I have no name for this one yet.

For 2022 NaNoWriMo, I have decided to create a prequel for each of the 5 main universes: Real Hub of the Universe, Obolonks, Time Addicts (while the Obolonks and Time Addicts are in the same universe, I just plain want to write two separate prequels!), Untrustworthy, The Enigman Cave, and Mettle.

So, I anticipate a lot of fun and perhaps a little confusion. But it’s all good!

Third Quarter 2022 Queries and Submissions

So here’s how that’s been going during third quarter 2022.

Reprint

Coming right out of the blue, Mythic Magazine wants to do a second Best of Mythic and chose A True Believer in Skepticism!!! Yay!!!!

In Progress

As of third quarter 2022, the following are (allegedly) still in the running for publishing:

This list is the name of the story and then the name of the potential publisher.

† I Used to Be Happy – Gemini Magazine
• Justice – Adbusters
† Mettle – RAB
• Soul Rentals ‘R’ Us – A Thousand One Stories
† Who Do We Blame for This? – Sonder Review

All Other Statuses

So be sure to see the Stats section for some details on any query statuses for third quarter 2022 which were not in progress.

Stats

So in 2018, my querying stats were:

• 68 submissions of 19 stories
† Acceptances: 4, 5.88%
• In Progress-Under Consideration: 3, 4.41% (so these don’t seem to have panned out)
† In Progress: 10, 14.71%
• Rejected-Personal: 14, 20.59%
† Rejected-Form: 24, 35.29%
• Ghosted: 13 (so these were submissions where I never found out what happened), 19.12%
So in 2019 my querying stats were:

† 23 submissions of 11 stories (so 6 submissions carry over from 2018)
• Acceptances: 4, 17.39%
† In Progress: 11 (so this includes 2 holdovers from 2018), 47.83%
• Rejected-Personal: 4, 17.39%
† Rejected-Form: 3, 13.04%
• Ghosted: 1 (so these are submissions where I never found out what happened), 4.35%

2020 Stats

So in 2020 my querying stats were:

† 37 submissions of 12 stories (so 9 submissions carried over from 2019)
• Acceptances: 3, 8.11%
† In Progress: 7, 18.92%
• Rejected-Personal: 12, 32.43%
† Rejected-Form: 4, 10.81%
• Ghosted: 11 (so these are submissions where I never found out what happened), 29.73%

2021 Stats

So in 2021 my querying stats were 5 submissions of 5 stories, all carried over from 2020, all ghosted, 100%

2022 Stats

So in 2022 my querying stats are:

† 6 submissions of 65 stories (so 5 submissions carry over from 2020 and 2021), plus 1 reprint!
• Acceptances: 14.29%
† Rejected-Form: 1, 14.29%
• Ghosted: 5, 71.42%

It can be pretty discouraging and hard to go on when nothing new comes up which is positive.

Third Quarter 2022 Productivity Killers

So it’s work, what else? It’s always going to be work, and third quarter 2022 will not be the end of that…

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Plot Creation

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 27, 2022

Background – Plot Creation

Plot creation can be a somewhat personal experience. And I will be the first to admit that my methods can often be haphazard.

So sometimes, for me, plots come from prompts (my own or others’) or even from dreams. Or I will connect seemingly disparate things, people, scenes, characteristics, etc.

In addition, I like to engage in what I like to call thought experiments. So why is something the way it is? And what happens if one key element changes? Does the thing fall apart? Or can it become something new and different? Or even better?

A big part of writing well is making your plot—even if you’re mostly flying by the seat of your pants.

Getting to the Point

Because I tend to plan out what I write, I often write with a point in mind. Now, this isn’t necessarily that I want to lecture anyone. Instead, it’s more that I want to say something perhaps a smidgen grander than just the plot and the characters.

For example, the point of Untrustworthy is about not letting your personal freedoms slip away. The point of the Obolonks is to look beyond the surface at people. So for The Enigman Cave, the point is that evolution works, no matter where you go.

In addition, in Real Hub, the point is to set aside class and wealth and judge intelligence and talent instead. And finally, in Mettle, the point is to work together for the greater good.

The Germ of an Idea

But before we can get to the point, we have to start from somewhere. For Untrustworthy, The Enigman Cave, and The Real Hub of the Universe, a killer opening line drove the plot bus.

Untrustworthy: There was nothing easy about it.

The Enigman Cave: Life is common.

The Real Hub of the Universe: The greatest treasure in the galaxy is the truth.

Other plots came about in other ways (of course). The Obolonks originally came from two things. One was a means of using The Wizard of Oz in a perverse fashion. The other was to show a tripartite society.

Mettle absolutely came out of a thought experiment: what would happen if some of the elements on the periodic table started to disappear?

And Time Addicts came about because I wanted to see what could happen if you could travel in time by taking drugs. Drugs led to the idea of addicts, and I was off to the races.

Plot Creation: Some Takeaways

Let your mind wander as you consider plots. Have you ever wondered about something or other? Or have you thought: I can do or make something better than what’s out there? Those can form the framework for plots!

How do YOU create a plot? Here’s how I do it. #amwriting

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Self-Review – A True Believer in SkepticismShort Stories, Road, My Aliens, Last Patient, interview, Surprises, Props, shipwrecked, child, Killing Us Softly, Ditte, Band, three minutes, Longest Night Watch, Nothing Good Ever Happens, Complications, Your Call, Darkness into Light, canaries, gentrification, Cynthia, True Believer, Short Stories, Wilder Bloom, Dish, Gentrification, Mitalisque, kitten, Last Try, Minnesota Wish, Dominick and Angela, Alix, Alix’s Apocalypse, A Chance Encounter in Time, A Crime in Time, A Show for the Galaxy, Aenor the Wanted, Alien Justice, And the Band Played the Apocalypse, Babel 2.0, Back, Front, and Side Pages, Camp, Courier to the Soviets, Frozen Assets, Julie's Dollar, Mandy Goes to Aspen, Martin's Choice, Mike’s Grades, Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan, Saddle Up, Bank Teller, Sarah’s Invention, Small Acts of Defiance, The Future Has No Foundation, The Ides of the Secretarial Pool, Unexpected Help, You Will Drink Your Coffee and Like It, Unreliable, East Side of the Universe, Eros vs Thanatos, Dust Between Our Stars, A Show for the Galaxy, A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults, A School for Scavengers, Frozen Assets, Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan, 1960s Temporal Crimes, Lizzie Borden is Vital to the Timeline, Walls Came Tumbling Down Again, The End, Will's Dog,

Self-Review – A True Believer in Skepticism

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 22, 2022

Review – Self-Review – A True Believer in Skepticism

So the concept for A True Believer in Skepticism came from a few stray thoughts which ended up coming together rather nicely. It was at this time that I was actively trying to write every single day. Hence, I needed to find inspiration anywhere I could.

And in this case, it was the Home Depot. No lie.

Background

When I wrote True Believer… my husband and I had just come back from ordering flooring from the Home Depot. We had met a very pleasant and knowledgeable salesman named Reynaldo.

And I loved that name, because, to me, it evoked mystery. Hence the story started to come together.

Plot

Denise lives an ordinary life in a dull, ordinary town. But when a fair comes to town, she eventually goes to it. But she scarcely knows why.

While there, she meets the Great Reynaldo, who tells her fortune. Denise is skeptical, feeling that fortune tellers are only so much hokum. And she isn’t fully convinced that the Great Reynaldo can do what he claims he can.

It’s not until she leaves the fair that the first part of his predictions start to come true….

Characters in A True Believer in Skepticism

The characters are Denise and the Great Reynaldo. While there are other people at the fair. While the story refers to them, they don’t have names. And those other people don’t speak, either.

Denise, of course, is the True Believer.

Memorable Quotes

There was a booth which she had not noticed amidst the crowds. A fellow was seated on a stool, wearing a turban. There was a banner at the front top of the booth which said, ‘The Great Reynaldo Will Tell Your Fortune.’

Denise laughed a little. Fortune tellers were just so much hokum, the product of willing believers who were so chatty they would give their secrets away willingly. A scam artist merely needed to be good at reading body language, asking leading questions, following up on the answers, and convincingly recover from unexpected or out and out wrong answers.

Rating

The story has a K rating.

A True Believer in Skepticism: the Upshot

I really love the title of this one, and am particularly happy that it found an audience. It is to be published by Mythic Magazine, which also published Three Minutes Back in Time.

Are YOU a true believer in skepticism?

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Character Review — Dalton FaroukShazad Latif, who I see as Dalton Farouk

Character Review — Dalton Farouk

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 20, 2022

Dalton Farouk is a character I created as the love interest for the main character in Time Addicts, Josie James.

Who is Dalton Farouk?

He was always to be a Muslim character and always to be smart, attractive, and have a very strong reason for being chosen for the team.

Shazad Latif Dalton Farouk Time Addicts
When I think of Dalton Farouk, I see actor Shazad Latif.

So, why was he put on the team?

It’s because he’s got a very real memory gift. It’s rare and quite amazing.

Hello, Hyperthymesia

So, to make Dalton truly fascinating, I decided he would have hyperthymesia.

It also goes by the name, ‘highly superior autobiographical memory’. Essentially, a person is able to recall everything that ever happened to them, and in exceptional detail.

Where Did Dalton Farouk Come From?

The name just sort of came to me. I loved the idea of a very WASP-y kind of first name and then the surname just kind of bangs a left.

And here we are.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Dalton Farouk

Born in the Philadelphia-Main Line section of the Washington Megalopolis, Dalton is the elder of two. His sister, Maryam Tracy Farouk, shows champion schnauzers. Maryam is learning from their mother, Susan Dalton Farouk. Their father, Ali, is also involved in the breeding and training of the dogs. But he doesn’t show them.

Dalton himself reports that he and Maryam didn’t always get along as kids. But they’ve gotten better as they’ve gotten older.

Description

So, just like Latif, Dalton is a handsome Middle Eastern guy with a beard. He smiles easily and is exceptionally attentive to Josie. He is, in many ways, the perfect boyfriend.

Why?

Because, since he can remember everything forever, he does everything in his power to avoid regrets.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Dalton really has two separate motivations. His first is like the other employees of the OIA-DTN: to preserve and restore the original timeline. But his second motivation is to date Josie. And I suppose there’s a third—to cope with the burdens of his gift.

It’s got to be tough when you remember every humiliation you ever had in nursery school.

Quotes

(from the first time we see Dalton in the storyline)

“Hi, I’m Dalton.”

“Er, hi. I’m Josie James.” His hand was smooth, as if the only physical labor he did was in a gym.

“You sound like a dance hall girl or an outlaw. Definitely something from a western movie.”

“You sound upper crust.”

“I was born in the Philly section of the Washington Meg so, yeah, kinda. You?”

“You want to know where I was born?”

“Well, yeah, seeing as we’re not supposed to be hinting at roles and responsibilities yet.”

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot that. Man, oh man, the OIA sure has some strange protocols. Still, I figure there’s a kind of a method to their madness.”

“Oh?” asked Dalton.

“Yeah, they get to continually test us on secrecy and on following instructions. We screw up, and they can boot us. You know, like it says in our contracts. I am assuming you got the same contract that I did, er, Dalton.” Why the hell is this dreamy guy just going by his last name? How weird.

“I’m sure I did. And yeah.” He seemed to be staring at something for a second, as if he was mentally flipping the pages of the contract, in electronic or paper form. “You’re right; it does say that. But you didn’t answer my question, outlaw Josie James.”

“I didn’t? Er, what was it again?”

“Where were you born?” he asked, as the door opened and a Wingbot arrived with a strong-looking guy who looked like he played football professionally.

“Tad Lewis,” the new guy said, shaking Josie’s hand and then turning to Dalton.

“I’m Josie James and this here is, er, Mr. Dalton.”

Dalton started to laugh. “Hell, no. My first name is Dalton. Hiya, Tad. Where you from?”

Josie mouthed the word ‘sorry’.

Relationships

Dalton of course has been around the block enough that Josie isn’t his first love interest.

Lisa Shore

So, when I started, Lisa was a blank slate. And then I got to thinking about her being borderline abusive. Since Dalton would not want to rock the boat in most relationships, I felt it best to make her so awful that he would just have to end things.

His parents even comment that they weren’t fond of her.

Conflict and Turning Point

For Dalton, the conflict and turning point align with the rest of the story and characters. He, along with Josie, Tad, Jerry, Cindy, Keisha, and Carmen, have to finally stop a group called the Yestermasters. Changing time is making Obolonk lives worse and worse. Unsatisfied with Obolonk slavery, the Yestermasters want to commit genocide.

Dalton’s role is perhaps a little foolhardy, as he sustains a rather bad injury.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Apart from having love interests in many of my works, I kind of don’t have a continuity or Easter Egg for him. I love his memory, and may write a similar character in the future. Imagine Dalton’s POV!

Future Plans

Right now, there are no plans for a sequel featuring him, and the prequels I am planning don’t have him, either. In a way, I like the idea of him ending with a question mark, for tomorrow never knows.

Dalton Farouk: Takeaways

Dalton is a little bit of a “careful what you wish for” character. Smart, handsome, and kind, he feels perfect. And then, when you get to know him, you learn just how troubled he really is.

Dalton Farouk — Time Addicts is all about memory, and he’s its poster child.

Want More of Dalton and the Rest of the Obolonk Universe?

If the story of the Obolonks resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how our society turns tripartite, with humans, robots, and Obolonks.

Character Reviews: The Obolonk Murders

Humans

Robots

Obolonks

Character Reviews: Time Addicts

The Good Guys

The Bad Guys

The Obolonk Universe

Self-Reviews: Obolonk Trilogy

Self-Reviews: Time Addicts Trilogy

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When NOT to Post on Social Media Platforms

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 6, 2022

When NOT to Post on Social Media Platforms

When NOT to Post on Social Media Platforms? Timing, as you might expect, is everything when it comes to posting on social media platforms. After all, if you, say, tweet when your audience is sleeping, they won’t see your tweet. It’ll be lost in the mountain of missed social media communications.

We all have such a mountain of missed communications and connections. Social media just moves way too quickly for us to see, comment on, share, and experience everything. We’re only human, and of course that’s fine. Your mission, though, is to post when your audience will be around, not when they’ll be offline, or busy with work, or settled into bed for the night.

Note: this information is from a few years ago. Yet a lot of it is still valid.

Zzzz AKA La La La I Can’t Hear You!

According to Kate Rinsema of AllTop (Guy Kawasaki‘s great site), the following are the most godawful worst times to post.

  • Facebook – midnight to 8 AM
  • Google+ – 6 PM to 8 AM
  • Instagram – midnight to 8 AM
  • LinkedIn – 9 AM to 5 PM
  • Pinterest – 1 to 7 AM and 5 – 7 PM
  • Tumblr – 12 AM to 12 PM
  • Twitter – 8 PM – 8 AM

But pay attention to your audience. Maybe they’re night owls. Maybe they live on the other side of the planet.

I’m Here and I’m Listening

These are reportedly the best times to post on social media platforms:

  • Facebook – 1 to 4 PM
  • Google+ – 9 AM to 11 AM
  • Instagram – 5 PM to 6 PM
  • LinkedIn – 5 PM to 6 PM
  • Pinterest – 8 PM to 11 PM
  • Tumblr – 7 PM to 10 PM
  • Twitter – 1 PM to 3 PM

What About Social Media Platforms and Different Time Zones?

Articles like this often vex me, because there usually isn’t any consideration taken when it comes to customers, readers, and audience crossing time zones.

My suggestion is to take these times as your own, for your own time zone, unless your audience is on the other side of the Earth.

Try for some wiggle room, e. g. if you’re on the East Coast of the United States, like I am, you might want to time things for later during the window if you’re aiming for an audience pretty much only in America. But for a European audience, you should aim for earlier in the window but recognize that, with a minimal five-hour difference, you might not hit the window perfectly.

Or, you could set at least your tweets to run more than once. If you do this, though, I suggest spreading them apart by a day, say, posting post #1 on Monday at the start of the window, and post #2 at the end, and then switching them on Wednesday or the like.  But repeating other postings could turn out to be overkill for your audience. Try using the #ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) tag when repeating your posts.

Or, it could be fine. We all know that we miss scads and scads of stuff online. Maybe your followers will be fine with a little repetition. Hell, many of them probably won’t even notice it.

Caveat marketer.

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