Tag: Progress

Progress Report – First Quarter 2020

How great was first quarter 2020? So I spent first quarter 2020 finishing up my 2019 NaNoWriMo novel. In February, I started to edit that same novel. This also meant starting to outline that novel’s sequel. I will be writing it for 2020 NaNoWriMo. So how awesome was that?

First Quarter 2020 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 nowhere else.

Milestones

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

• Dinosaurs – 323 reads, 9 comments
† How to NaNoWriMo – 22,775 reads, 308 comments
• My Favorite Things (like kibble) – 972 reads, 133 comments
† Revved Up – 59,320 reads, 530 comments
• Side By Side – 10 reads, 0 comments
† Social Media Guide for Wattpad – 14, 070 reads, 591 comments
• The Canadian Caper – 485 reads, 37 comments
† The Dish – 250 reads, 24 comments
• There is a Road – 189 reads, 28 comments
† WattNaNo’s Top Picks 2018 – 1,855 reads, 45 comments
• WattNaNo’s Top Picks 2019 – 1,551 reads, 10 comments
† What Now? – 2,471 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, to be 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 this year’s NaNoWriMo, is that I am writing the third novel 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 called this one Time Addicts – Everything is Up for Grabs.

First Quarter 2020 Queries and Submissions

So here’s how that’s been going during second quarter 2021.

In Progress

As of second quarter 2021, the following are 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 second quarter 2021 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 carry 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%

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

This Quarter’s Productivity Killers

So, it’s work and the pandemic, what else? But we also spent the end of the first quarter clearing out my mother-in-law’s apartment. Second quarter 2020? Dealing with the rest of it.

I fear second quarter 2020 will not be the end of that!

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Progress Report –Fourth Quarter 2019

How great was fourth quarter 2019? So I spent fourth quarter 2019 preparing for and then doing NaNoWriMo. And then the aftermath! Then everything just sort of fell into place. So how awesome was that?

Fourth Quarter 2019 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 some fan fiction as I am not posting wholly original work there these days. That is, unless it’s for the WattNaNo profile.

Milestones

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

• How to NaNoWriMo – 17,865+ reads, 231 comments
† My Favorite Things (like kibble) – 972 reads, 133 comments
• Revved Up – 59,075 reads, 528 comments
† Social Media Guide for Wattpad – 13,007+ reads, 589 comments. This is under my actual name, Janet Gershen-Siegel.
• The Canadian Caper – 468 reads, 37 comments
† The Dish – 249 reads, 24 comments
• There is a Road – 188 reads, 28 comments
† WattNaNo’s Top Picks 2018 – 1,692 reads, 48 comments

More Published Works

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

Untrustworthy, my first published novel. So yay!

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.

Nothing Good Ever Happens at 3 AM, a story posted at Unfading Daydream‘s October issue (about possession) and their 2019 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 the November 2019 issues of Mythic 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 handbasket when the metals of the periodic table start to disappear. But then what?

Time Addicts – the latest designer high doesn’t make you happy or sad, and it doesn’t even make you hallucinate. Rather, you can go back in time.

Welcome to the 26th century, where the very rich use yesterday as their playground, and it’s up to Josie James and the rest of the OIA Department of Temporal Narcotics to rein in the worst of the abuses and cut off a burgeoning black market.

Prep Work

So currently, I have been working on some writing prompts to keep me sharp and keep the words flowing. My 2019 NaNoWriMo novel is set in the Obolonks universe. But I need more of a plot! So a lot of this year has been spent on that.

Fourth Quarter 2019 Queries and Submissions

So here’s how that’s been going during fourth quarter 2019.

In Progress

As of fourth quarter 2019, the following are still in the running for publishing:

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

• A Kitten – Dual Coast Magazine
† Blue Card – Gods Among Men podcast
• Darkness Into Light – Polychrome Ink
† Dinosaurs – Electric Spec
• Gentrification – Hecate
† Killing Us Softly – Strange Fictions
• None of This is Real – Analog Science Fiction & Fact
† Side by Side – Leading Edge Magazine
• Soul Rentals ‘R’ Us – Weekly Humorist
† Who Do We Blame for This? – Emerging Worlds

Some of those have been out for a while, so I’m not exactly hopeful. Dinosaurs is on its 11th query. And Side by Side is on its 9th query. Who Do We Blame for This? is on query #8, and Blue Card is on query #7.

Assuming no one picks them up, at some point, I’ll throw in the towel on those, and just post them on Wattpad. For Dinosaurs, this is its last shot.

All Other Statuses

So, be sure to see the Stats section for some details on any query statuses for fourth quarter 2019 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%

And so in 2019 my querying stats are so far:

30 submissions of 13 stories (so 6 submissions carry over from 2018)

• Acceptances: 5, 16.67%
† In Progress: 10 (so this includes 2 holdovers from 2018), 33.33%
• Rejected-Personal: 10, 33.33%
† Rejected-Form: 4, 13.33%
• Ghosted: 1 (so these are submissions where I never found out what happened), 3.34%

So, particularly discouraging is the fact that I had no new acceptances in second quarter or third quarter 2019. In the fourth quarter, one story sprang back to life and I got another acceptance. So those were helpful.

But man oh man! It’s still pretty discouraging and hard to go on.

Fourth Quarter 2019 Productivity Killers

So, it’s work, what else? Furthermore, during fourth quarter 2019, I did NaNoWriMo and saw my parents three times. I was a busy gal!

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How Awesome was the Third Quarter 2018 for Writing?

Third quarter 2018 was another productive three-month period.

Finished 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 editing them.

So, here’s what I created and improved.

July

I wrote well and regularly this month. It was great progress for third quarter 2018.

July 1 – 7

During the first week of July 2018, I wrote every day. I wrote Glass, a science fiction piece. Then I added Disaster with Place Cards. This was another in the series of comic stories about a human-alien wedding. Freshly Baked Bread was about an abused mountain girl getting away. The Crossing was an imagining of how my ancestors got to the US.

Candy was about an executive restraining herself from committing sexual harassment. Turkeys was another tiny piece, semi-comic. Then the last was Impromptu Memorial, which was about a very real memorial in my neighborhood for someone who was shot.

The stories were all … okay. I think the best one was Freshly Baked Bread. It had more of a plot and more thought to it.

July 8 – 14

In the second week of July 2018, I wrote every day. First up was The Court, a reaction to how immigration courts in the US have been treating children. Then on the same day, I wrote Designer Maroon. This is another in the series about the human-alien wedding. And I started a piece for an anthology, Surprises, which takes place a year or so after the events of The Enigman Cave.

Next was The Little Farm, a historical piece about the Black Death. My next foray was Shadow Puppets, about the wife of an Alzheimer’s patient. Soup was a historical piece about the Great Depression. And Canaries was about an alien conquest of Earth. King Me was about a researcher studying centenarians.

It seems I was hitting my stride better. From Surprises to King Me, I think they were all pretty great.

July 15 – 21

During the third week of July 2018, I wrote every day. The Hermit was another Dark Ages story. Jurisdiction concerned the legal implications of shapeshifters living among us. Fragments was about an archaeological discovery in a distant star system. Then I wrote My Heroes, where pixies help a middle-aged nurse.

I then created Weeding, about a teenager and his elderly neighbor. The following day, I flipped point of view and posted Neighborly, from the elderly neighbor’s POV. My favorite, by far, was the story posted on the 21st, Three Minutes Back in Time, a historical science fiction piece.

The others were rather good although I’ve done that same sort of pixieish story before, with The Forest. As for Three Minutes … it helped tremendously that I knew the POV character as she was an original character in, of all things, a Star Trek TNG fan fiction. But there’s nothing Trek in Three Minutes … at all. Therefore, it’s a story to query.

I also finished writing a story for the 42 and Beyond anthology, Surprises, which is a sequel to The Enigman Cave. It takes place maybe a year after the events in the book.

July 22 – 31

In the ten-day period of July 2018, I wrote every day. Naturalization is another story about the wacky mix ups aliens get into. In this one, aliens in an ESL/naturalization class learn about human culture (like, what’s a bicycle?). Pixies is a lot like My Heroes, where little people help out us humans.

Roommates is a kind of strange rebellion story, where two people, thrown together by aliens to mate, plot their escape by talking political nonsense with hidden meanings. Yeah, even I think that one’s weird.

Rage is weird (and I didn’t name it well), where a cosplayer is bothered but then turns it around. Marked is a topic I’ve tackled before, where imperfections are blown way out of proportion. At least they’re not lethal, but the ending is a lot like a Twilight Zone episode. I know that I can do better than just copying.

Medals is a retread of a story I did in fan fiction. But it’s still a winner and I should query it, as it covers a disabled veteran ‘running’ a 5K. A Life in Maps is a wacky time travel-style story where the main character can go anywhere if she touches a map. Eventually, she gets an idea to touch older maps and ends up with a form of time travel. It’s another one I may be able to query.

Scratches, Beware, and The Unexpected Phenom rounded out the month.

Scratches is another we’re-on-a-ship-but-I’m-the-lone-survivor story. But it has more detail and is better certainly. Beware is a bit of a fan fiction retread about vermin on a space ship. Phenom is a bit about sports.

My best works for this time period were Medals, A Life in Maps, and Scratches.

Best of the Best for July

In the month of July, my best work was The Hermit, Fragments, Three Minutes Back in Time, Medals, and A Life in Maps.

August

By design, I did no writing. Instead, this was time for submitting to various magazines.

September

I also wrote well and regularly this month. It was more great progress for third quarter 2018.

September 1 – 7

During the first week of September 2018, I wrote every day. My first story was First Real Job, about a former homemaker getting a job answering mail for a thrash metal singer. I deliberately didn’t reveal the gender of the homemaker. So it could very well be a man. The second work was a little something to slip in the Real Hub series, A Celebration.

For the third day, I wrote Money Changes Everything. That one is another cautionary tale from the Middle Ages. And on the fourth day, I wrote Chip, about POWs trying to escape a Stalag. For the fifth day, I wrote Save Me, about an Amish girl looking to change her life.

On day six, I wrote Examination, about a weird test. Kinda creepy! And on day seven, I wrote The Shimmering Wasteland, where a routine tax collection creates an interstellar incident.

Only The Shimmering Wasteland really stood out. This is typical for me for a week of writing after some time off.

September 8 – 14

In the second week of September 2018, I wrote every day. On the first day, I wrote Appealing, which is a direct homage to a fan fiction, about a woman released from prison after two decades. Next was What’s Your Story? That odd little story was about time travelers escaping the destruction of the Earth.

On the third day, I wrote The Messenger, a kind of crazy story where the Roswell incident brings new fashion to Earth but also women’s liberation. That one was well-received.

On the fourth day (September 11th), I wrote The Bride, a direct prequel to The Real Hub of the Universe. Then on Day Five, I started to transcribe Killing Us Softly, where first contact goes wrong in a very weird kind of way.

The best of the bunch was definitely The Messenger. It’s the kind of story I should edit and submit.

September 15 – 21

During the third week of September 2018, I wrote every day. Four of these days were spent on Cape Cod. For the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth, I finished Killing Us Softly. I think it’s a good piece. On the seventeenth, I posted Make a Wish, yet another medieval time period story.

For the eighteenth, I posted The Law, a western where a woman becomes sheriff. And on the nineteenth and twentieth, I wrote (posting on the twentieth) Gentrification, where a house flipper meets a family devastated by illegal abortions in two separate generations.

For the twenty-first, I started to transcribe The Student. That one was about an alien student in an integrated school, and I meant it to be a lot like the real-life story of Ruby Bridges.

During this time frame, there were two great stories: Killing Us Softly and Gentrification. I think I’d give the edge to Gentrification.

September 22 – 30

In the ten-day period of September 2018, I wrote every day. On the twenty-second, I finished and posted The Student. That one is about an alien version of Ruby Bridges. From the twenty-third through and including the twenty-sixth, I transcribed and then posted Miss Milky Way, which is exactly what it sounds like. For the twenty-seventh, I wrote The Test, a story I tossed off about the end of a relationship.

On the twenty-eighth, I added Underfoot, where little people have crash-landed in what is now a back yard. And on the twenty-ninth, I posted Feathers, about aliens who may be conscripting us into a war. Finally, for the thirtieth, I posted Sunshine, an odd little bit about cows.

Best of the Best for September

So the best of the best were: The Shimmering Wasteland, The Messenger, Killing Us Softly, Gentrification, and Miss Milky Way,.

Of these, the best was probably Gentrification.

Best of the Best for Third Quarter 2018

From July: Three Minutes Back in Time. And from September: Killing Us Softly. What’s the best of these two? I honestly think it’s a tie.

Milestones

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

• How to NaNoWriMo – 7,332 reads, 78 comments
† My Favorite Things (like kibble) – 969 reads, 133 comments
• Revved Up – 58,601 reads, 524 comments
† Social Media Guide for Wattpad – 12,156 reads, 587 comments. This is under my actual name, Janet Gershen-Siegel.
• The Canadian Caper – 452 reads, 37 comments
† The Dish – 249 reads, 24 comments
• There is a Road – 188 reads, 28 comments
† WattNaNo’s Top Picks 2018 – 826 reads, 43 comments

WIP Corner

The current WIPs are as follows.

The Obolonk Murders Trilogy is a futuristic crime story where our society is divided into three parts – humans, semi-sapient and sapient robots, and aliens. I may end up writing a sequel trilogy. I’m not sure, so stay tuned.

The Enigman Cave takes place about a half a millennium from now and imagines a first contact where the aliens are at the level of Australopithecus.

The Real Hub of the Universe Trilogy takes place about 140 years ago and covers an Earth overrun by alien factions during the Victorian Era. I’m still getting together the outline for the third book.

Mettle takes place only a few years from now and is the story of how society crumbles when metals begin to disappear.

Prep Work

So currently, I have been working on some writing prompts to keep me sharp and keep the words flowing. My intention, for this year’s NaNoWriMo, is that I will probably write the third novel in the Real Hub trilogy. But I need a plot! So a lot of this year will be spent on that.

Third Quarter 2018 Queries and Submissions

So here’s how that’s been going during third quarter 2018. So far, I’ve received some encouragement but no acceptances. Yet I keep plugging.

In Progress

I spent time on perfecting The Real Heart of the Universe. This came from some excellent beta reading.

All Other Statuses as of Third Quarter 2018

I worked on some old fan fiction to try to finally finish it. This will get it out of the way, which is what I really want.

Third Quarter 2018 Productivity Killers

Work, what else? I am now a supervisor, with two direct reports! So I have even more to do!

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Progress Report – Second Quarter 2018

Second quarter 2018 was another productive three-month period.

Finished Works

So 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 really making them shine.

So here’s what I created and improved.

April

So first of all, by design, I did no writing. However, I posted The Badge of Humanity (Book 3 of The Obolonk Murders trilogy) and The Real Heart of the Universe (Book 2 of that trilogy) for review.

Also, I queried The Resurrection of Ditte twice and Darkness into Light one time.

May

So, I wrote well and regularly this month. All in all, it was great progress for second quarter 2018.

May 1 – 7

First of all, during the first week of May 2018, I wrote a piece every day. I also posted The Lark, Recovery, Flooding, Intolerable Behavior, Coping, Cultural Exchange, and Suspension of Disbelief.

So, in keeping with the dystopian scenarios that have been creeping into my works lately, The Lark, Coping, and Cultural Exchange are all pretty creepy, with the former two being post-disaster stories. Finally, Cultural Exchange is more of a first contact gone wrong short story.

Recovery is kind of odd, since I deliberately made it unclear whether the narrator was human.

Also, Suspension of Disbelief is almost the prelude to a whodunit. In addition, Flooding takes the perspective of (yes, really!) a worker ant. And Intolerable Behavior is a comedy; the main character is rather similar to the unnamed narrator of Revved Up.

So, I think I like Coping and Flooding the best, with the former having a commanding lead over the latter.

May 8 – 14

Next, in the second week of May 2018, I wrote a piece every day.

I also posted Side by Side, You Never Know, Taste, A Path Not Taken … Much, Coincidence, Succession, and Snub. Side by Side is another comparison of one timeline to another. Since readers said they felt one of the sides was like The Path (from the previous quarter), that was an issue.

You Never Know is another humans fighting back type of story.

Taste is another return to cave people. A Path … is a wry comedy about another first contact gone wrong. Coincidence is yet another creepy Twilight Zone-type piece where people seem to be disappearing. Succession is a sequel to Merciful.

Finally, Snub is a kind of wedding drama piece.

So this week, I like Side by Side, You Never Know, and Coincidence.

If I had to pick a favorite, I would probably go with either Coincidence or You Never Know. The former because I spent some time crafting it (rather than just reeling it off), and the latter because it’s ultimately got some hope in it (like Coping does, from the prior week).

May 15 – 21

During the third week of May 2018, I wrote a piece every day but the 19th (the day off was because a friend had died).  So, I wrote Dinosaurs, The Panther, Chains, Freedom, The Seed, and Time Stretching.

So, Dinosaurs is about a race which has gone past physical bodies and moved onto mechanical ones. The Panther is another tale of cave people.

In addition, Chains is a kind of odd dystopian story. Also, Freedom is the defiant words of a prisoner. The Seed is yet another cave people story. Finally, Time Stretching is just a short tween thing.

So, this week, I liked The Panther the most, with The Seed coming in second.

May 22 – 31

Finally, in this ten-day period of May 2018, I wrote a piece every day. I wrote Just About, Captive, Your Planet Smells Like Wet Dog, A Touch of Gray Hair, Carney Crash Canyon, Separated, A Place, The Ridge, Placid, and also Treasures.

Also, Just About is a sonnet I wrote for my wedding anniversary. Captive is about a woman held hostage in the jungle. Finally, Your Planet Smells Like Wet Dog is a semi-amusing alien contact story.

Also, A Touch of Gray Hair is an amusing piece I wrote for a contest. But Carney Crash Canyon is a depressing story of a crash victim waiting to die. In addition, Separated is about children separated from their parents in America.

A Place is about a mentally ill or challenged person who is also being mainstreamed. The Ridge is a war story. In addition, Placid is about Nessie. Finally, Treasures is a strange story about witness protection.

So, I think my favorites from this period are Your Planet Smells Like Wet Dog, A Touch of Gray Hair, The Ridge, Placid, and Treasures.

For this month, my overall favorite is the last story I wrote, Treasures.

In addition, I queried Ditte again and Blue Card.

June

Also by design, I did no writing.

Second Quarter 2018 Milestones

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

• How to NaNoWriMo – 6,196 reads, 75 comments
† My Favorite Things (like kibble) – 969 reads, 133 comments
• Revved Up – 58,341 reads, 524 comments
† Social Media Guide for Wattpad – 11,953 reads, 587 comments. This is under my actual name, Janet Gershen-Siegel.
• The Canadian Caper – 439 reads, 37 comments
† The Dish – 248 reads, 24 comments
• There is a Road – 188 reads, 28 comments
† WattNaNo’s Top Picks 2018 – 684 reads, 43 comments

WIP Corner

So, the current WIPs are as follows.

The Obolonk Murders Trilogy is a futuristic crime story where our society is divided into three parts. So, they are humans, semi-sapient and sapient robots, and aliens. So, I may end up writing a sequel trilogy. I’m not sure, so stay tuned.

The Enigman Cave takes place about a half a millennium from now. However, it also imagines a first contact. But this is where the aliens are at the level of Australopithecus.

The Real Hub of the Universe Trilogy takes place about 140 years ago and covers an Earth overrun by alien factions during the Victorian Era.

Mettle takes place only a few years from now and is also the story of how society crumbles when metals begin to disappear.

So I also spent a bit of time writing fan fiction, in order to finish up a series during second quarter 2018.

Prep Work for Second Quarter 2018

So currently, I have been working on some writing prompts to keep me sharp and keep the words flowing. After that comes this year’s NaNoWriMo. So, I will probably write the third novel in the Real Hub trilogy. But I need a plot!

So, a lot of this year will be spent on that. In addition, this quarter, I got closer to having a viable plot. So this is for what I now know will have the title of The Real Hope of the Universe.

I also have some ideas for a time travel series and maybe even young adult. But those didn’t happen during second quarter 2018.

Second Quarter 2018 Queries and Submissions

So here’s how that’s going as of second quarter 2018.

In Progress

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

• A Kitten – Flash Fiction Online
† A Touch of Gray Hair – Owl Canyon Press
• Almost Shipwrecked – Not One of Us
† Blue Card – Cincinnati Review
• Darkness into Light – ServiceScape Contest
† Dinosaurs – Factor Four Magazine
• Side by Side – Strange Horizons
† The Interview – Kferrin.com
• The Resurrection of Ditte – AGNI Magazine, Slice Magazine
† This is My Child – Analog Science Fiction & Fact
• Who Do We Blame for This? – Apparition Lit Flash Fiction Contest

All Other Statuses

• Almost Shipwrecked — Clarkesworld Magazine; Spaceports and Spidersilk; Unidentified Funny Objects — all rejected
† Blue Card – Threepenny Review – rejected
• Dinosaurs – Fantasy & Science Fiction; Shimmer – rejected from both
† The Enigman Cave – Bolide Publishing – ghosted; RAB – back in play as of 6/14/18
• The Resurrection of Ditte – Apex Magazine – rejected; Metamorphosis Magazine – personal, encouraging rejection
† Who Do We Blame for This? – Daily Science Fiction; Freeze Frame Fiction – rejected from both

Second Quarter 2018 Productivity Killers

So, it was work, what else? Because yes, that includes second quarter 2018. So, the following quarter should be better. Because I would like to reduce the stress in my life!

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