Dear Diary

May 31 – Damn near June. This should be the week. Shoouulllddd beeee.

I might be wrong. I have been in the past. Still, I feel good about this. Lots of positive waves. God knows I could use it.

 

Mike

Dear Diary

May 27 – Father-in-law is home from the hospital. Yea!

May have discovered yet another problem with the car. Boo!

Have it from a very reliable source that the results of the WoTF should come down sometime next week. Yea!

Or not. Boo!

Mike

Dear Diary

May 26 - Nothing. Can you believe it? Evidently, to win this prize you must first pass a test of patience. Well, I got news for you, people of the WOTF, I can wait a very, very long time. So, just give me my prize. Now.

;)

See what I did there? I said I was patient, then acted all impatient. That’s comedy, my friends ( as denoted by the winky face).

Now, see what I just did there? I explained the previous joke, even though it was blatantly obvious and purposefully bad. More humour.

Did you see what I did there? Ah, never mind, you get it.

Update. In-law still in the hospital, car still screwed.

Nothing funny there.

Mike

Dear Diary

May 22 – Same old same old. Car still on the fritz. Mechanics still don’t know what’s wrong with it. Father-in-law still in the hospital. Still no word from WoTF.

Mike

Dear Diary

May 20 Car back in shop. Still doing the same thing. Hoping beyond hope it’s just a bad part. To quote Star Wars: “I got a bad feeling about this.”

Mike

Dear Diary

May 19 – Got an email from WoTF confirming they’ve received my next entry.  They’ve also confirmed that the results from the first quarter are still OUT. Whew, I guess. The wait continues.

 

Mike

Dear Diary

May 18 – Nearly put the car out of my misery, the repair bill was that high. But with much humility, we borrowed the money. Once it is fixed, my car will actually be more than it's worth.

I sincerely believe the WoTF plan is to wait until all the finalists completely forget about the contest, then spring the results on them as a surprise. Sick, sick people.

Mike

Dear Diary

May 17 – Starting the week off right with a rejection. A well, when will I learn getting bumped up to the editor does not equal acceptance. Took the car to my mechanic guy who pretty much told me unless he is in the car when the problem happens he won’t know what the problem is. Joy. So, he had the car for the day leaving me cast adrift. Funny, other than taking the kids to school I had no plans to go anywhere, but now that I’m without transport I feel all claustrophobic.

Or is that just being lazy?

Still no word from the WoTF, but if there ever was a time for some good news, this is it.

Mike

Dear Diary

May 16 – Something wicked did come. My father-in-law ended up in the hospital and is still there. My car is on the fritz, and when you live in the suburbs, this is practically paralyzing. Frazetta died, but that has no real connection to me, but still, it is bad and wicked.

Thank God, it’s Sunday. Tomorrow we can begin fresh. Hopefully, with good news from the the West Coast.

 

Mike

Dear Diary

May 13 – Another day, another dollar.

$0.75 after taxes.

 

Mike

Dear Diarrhea

May 12- Must have been something I ate.

 

Mike

Dear Diary

ay 11 – Artist and WoTF illustrator judge Frank Frazetta died yesterday. He did the coverart for Vol. XXI, which contains my story, Annus Mirabilis.

To put his impact in perspectiveM, all those fantasy drawings of overly muscular and scantily clad men and women warrior-types that weren’t drawn by him, most likely had been inspired by him. I could only hope to leave half the legacy he’s left in his life.

Mike

Dear Diary

May 10 – Something wicked this way comes. This will be the week. I sense it. The tight twist in the gut. The feeling of impending doom. The prickly hairs at the nape of the neck. The…oh, wait. Just gas.

Excuse me.

 

Mike

Dear Diary

May 09. Mother’s day. A day when mom’s can sleep in, have breakfast made for them and just generally relax--

unless your the Progressive Conservative Party, then it’s the perfect day to canvass for surveys and, well, I don’t know what else because at this point I told the guy what I thought of him calling on Mother’s Day and hung up. A mistake, I guess, since I’m not sure who to be angry at the Federals or the Provincials. I guess I can hate them equally.

 

As you might have guessed, no news yet on the you-know-what.

 

Mike

Dear Diary

May 08 – Realized I’ve miscounted in the last few entries. Since finding I am a finalist some 45 days have past. Not that it matters since I still haven’t heard from the contest, but just want to get matters straightened out.

Hmm, had a fried egg sandwich on a toasted fococcia bun. Not sure that was such a good idea. Going to go look for some antacid.

As noted in the comments from previous post, got a reach out from another finalist, Andrew Baines, who is also waiting as patiently as possible.

At this point I would normally insert some self-effacing comment about the on-going conspiracy against me and the unlikelihood that I would win, but I’m not. Today, I am going to feel positive. Later, I might return to my old ways, but only because it is more fun to be negative. That’s why critics love to blast anything that was once considered popular, but I digress.

No, I’m going to embrace a new philosophy. I may not win, but I have as good a chance as anyone else. The bottom line is, if at any time I felt my story was sub-par, why did I waste money on stamps in the first place? The story is good, and deserves to be published. Hopefully in the next anthology. If not, then somewhere else.

It’s just that ‘somewhere else’ does not provide a cool week of workshops and schmoozing with celebrities in sunny California, or wherever the hold the ceremony that year.

 

Mike 

Dear Diary

May 07 – Another day another sale…for my arch-nemesis, Tony Pi. Of course his success is my success because his stories would never have sold without MY express critiquing. Yes. Me. Oh sure, all members of the Stopwatch Gang have contributed and are deserving of praise in some small measure, but without me to give that single significant comment that turned a mediocre story into a saleable resource—what can I say? I am humbled by my own magnificence.

Hey what did you expect? This is my blog.

In other news, still now word from the contest, although I’ve heard through the grapevine the illustrator winners have been announced. Weird, since they usually get announced after the writers. Just another inconsistency to the contest simply because I’m a finalist.

Not that I’m paranoid.

 

Mike

Dear Diary

May 6 – Over 36 days have passed an still nothing from the WoTF. Running out of funny, cutesy things to say.

 

The truth is, 36 days is hardly a wait at all. Last time I was in the finals I waited over two months. The reason for the long delays is simple. The judges. They are all writers in the field, some of them living legends—and they all work. Judging for the Writers of the Future is very much a labor of love, a chance for them to ‘Pay it Forward.’

This is a term associated with Robert Heinlein who when thanked by someone he had helped with writing replied, “Don’t pay me back, but pay it forward. If you have the chance, help the next guy with his career.” I’m paraphrasing, of course.

This is one of the reasons I strive to succeed in genre fiction. There is an actual community within the field. Stories abound of main stream authors who become full of themselves and only meet the ‘little people’ when its time to promote their books. On the flipside, you go to any SF Con and approach any author you might recognize and admire and say hi. If they have the time, they might engage you in conversation. They might even remember you from a previous meeting.

Be warned, this kind of interaction has its risks. If you’re a troll who only wants to harass an author, don’t be surprised if they rip your head off. After all, they are human, too.

Judges do get paid for reading, but so little you just know they do this out of the goodness of their hearts. (I had asked a judge and he quoted a figure that was less than a hundred dollars. Way less.) Sometimes life gets in the way, and they don’t get to the stories as soon as other times. Even K.D. Wentworth, who has to slog through over a thousand stories every quarter doing preliminary judging, sometimes runs over the limit. For this, she can be forgiven, as with the other tardy judges.

That doesn’t mean I’m not antsy about the outcome. I’m sure the other eight finalists are constantly checking their emails and phone messages. It’s all part of the game. And when the call does come through, and I get the old, “Sorry, but thanks for playing,” I will feel bummed out, more so because I have been to the ceremony before, and damn, but they put on a great show. On the other hand, I made finalist for a second time, which means I’m definitely heading in the right direction, (or is that write direction?).

And I’ve already mailed in my next submission. So, until then…

May 6 – 36 days + 15 minutes and still nothing. So hungry. Family is starting to look like roast chickens.

 

Mike

Dear Diary

May 05 – Schedule of feelings on WoTF story.

0530 - God, it’s morning already?

0900 – You know, I have a good chance at this thing.

1130 – Hurry up and eat lunch or you’re going to be late for school!

1300 – I suppose I could place

1500 – It’s only noon on the west coast.

1800 – I’m sick of cooking dinner.

2000 – Blech, I’m out.

2100 – Well, at least I sent in my next submission.

2200 – What a [smart/stupid/funny/sad] [show/movie/book]

2300 – Zzzzzzzz…

Dear Diary

May…something.

It’s quiet. Too quiet.

 

Mike

Dear Diary

May 03 – Another weekend gone by and still no word from WOTF. Beginning double rations.

Glimmer of hope from a story submission that’s been shortlisted for possible publication. An optimist would think 5 weeks till acceptance.

Oh, that I was an optimist.

…or even a Shriner.

Mike

Tony Pi Must Die

My friend and nemesis, Tony Pi has his story up in Clarksworld. Read it and understand why I must destroy him.

 

Mike

Dear Diary

May 1st – Oil change went well. Still no notice from WoTF.

Have been illuminated to the fact WoTF is putting together a 25th anniversary coffee table book. Now. Jeez, guys. Priorities. I mean, it’s me. All. About. Me.

Mike