HAXAN

Blood.
Dust.
Wind.

HAXAN

Appearing in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine

03. 26. 09

"Widdershin" Sold To Three Crow Press

Three Crow Press just bought my darkly erotic science fiction story "Widdershin" for publication in August or November. WOO HOO!

My Writing Buddy And Me

Here is the coffee shop where I write a couple of times a week with my writing buddy:


Here is my writing buddy, . She's shy.


Here she is writing. You should check out her LJ. She's smart and she knows stuff. When I talk too much she yells at me, though.


Here we are. She's actually writing. I'm pretending.


We often sit in front of the window so we can keep an eye on who's coming and going.


Eh, one of me.

Money Flows To The Writer

Next?

I got the rewrite for "High Moon" finished and sent it off. I believe I did a good job but was reaching a point of diminishing returns so I needed to get it out. I'm meeting my writing buddy again tomorrow and I'm thinking of starting a new story, except there's going to be a problem with that.

I've got some personal stuff piling up on me for the next month so I might not have much time for writing. Not much I can do; I can't get out of it. (I've tried.) So I don't want to start a story and then leave it hanging...but then again I don't want to take that kind of time off when I'm sort of in a groove of story writing.

So I guess I'll probably start the story and hope I can catch up to it and give it the attention it needs in the coming weeks. Like Pooh says:

"Oh, bother!'

Show Me The Money

While I maintain print was long overdue for a shake up, I don't view this economic downturn as any kind of validation for self-publishing.

Here's how it works: Money flows to the writer.

That holds true in all cases. I don't care how many magazines go under. Or how desperate you get to see your stuff published.

We're Writers. We Write.

I maintain the print magazines that are going under is a good thing in the long run for our industry. Let's face it. Print has needed a high colonic cleansing for a very long time now. The cobwebs needed to be cleared out. Heck, in the last couple of years I've seen changes in print magazines that were a direct result from economic forces manifesting themselves from online magazines.

Rejection return is one such example. I know I'm not alone here. Online magazines tend to have a faster turnaround for rejection/accepting stories. I saw print magazines make a real effort to catch up in this regard over the last two years. Same for payment and publication of stories.

I'm not pro-print or pro-online or anti- either one. I'm pro-WRITER. That's why I believe in the long run this will be a good thing for both writers and the publishing industry. It's capitalism, red in tooth and claw. In our profession magazines die and others take their place. Sometimes they prosper and sometimes they don't. Like the song says, the times they are a-changin'. Writers and magazines who adapt will succeed. Those that don't will fall by the wayside.

There are no guarantees in this brutal business. But you knew that before you jumped in with both feet. And if you didn't you just had a dash of cold water to the face which is also a good thing. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Especially in this industry.

Realms of Fantasy is just the first. I expect many more "Big" science fiction and fantasy magazines will go under as well. I can see the death rattle in two of them right now and if you pay attention to the markets like I do I'm sure you can, too. And don't think it will be confined to print because plenty of online paying magazines will go belly up as well. I'm not happy about it. I don't like it anymore than you do. But let's get real here. We knew this was going to happen sooner or later. The trick is to remember why we are here in the first place.

We're writers. We write. We would do so if there were no magazines whatsoever to publish in. At least I would and you probably would, too.

Yeah, it's bad right now. Downright nasty. And it's going to get worse. But in the long run lessons will be learned and other magazines will have the opportunity to fill the vacuum. I really do believe this will be good for writers and publishers in the long run.

Hang in there. And remember you're a writer first.

We'll get through this. We always do. And so will the magazines.