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Update: Smell of November revisit

Posted by nightphoenix on Sep 8, 2010 in Novels, Output, Process, Short Stories

This month I’m making it a goal to revisit The Smell of November. I think that story always suffered from the word limit needed to enter it in the WD contest. So I’m lengthening it, and tweaking the storyline a bit. I’m making it more ambiguous, so that the reader never really knows if Alan Hunter is truly a wolf-faced escapee of Arcadia, or if he’s just plain crazy. Going to try and get it in shape to submit to the Realms of Fantasy magazine.

If they take it, I may turn it into a serial thing. Alan Hunter’s story makes a nice lead-in to the overall Grimms storyline, something I’ve wanted to get started on. One of the Grimms, on a rescue mission, meets Alan after he’s been recaptured. They all escape. The Alan/November romantic tragedy will be wrapped in as a subplot to the whole Grimm tale. I don’t think Alan will ever actually be a Grimm; he’ll function more as a solitary ally. He may not be the only one; the Grimms will probably acquire a network of allies as the story fleshes out. Rescued kids who make it back to their families, but still know. Faerie enthusiasts who are in on the truth. Maybe even a rogue Fae or two.

I’m still working on Shades. In the process of spreading out and raising stakes on an already tense scene. I think I’m approaching the point where I won’t have to change much more. I’m also pretty sure I’ve said that before. *sigh* On the upside, I get to burn some mansions down. What’s the point of having a cabal of Cowls in a Mantle city if they never wreak any havoc? Let’s just say it’s high time for some chaos.

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Contest update

Posted by nightphoenix on Oct 27, 2009 in Output, Short Stories

Well, “The Smell of November” has officially been sent off to Writer’s Digest pop fiction contest. I should hear something back around January-ish, if I’ve placed. If not, oh well.

Thank you to my friend K and the folks in my writer’s group for their critiques!

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Smell of November

Posted by nightphoenix on Sep 26, 2009 in Output, Short Stories

A number of months ago, I wrote a short story that I intend on submitting to a Writer’s Digest competition sometimes before Nov. 2. I’m not a very good short story writer…or at least it doesn’t come naturally to me. My ideas for stories can be many and varied, but rarely are they brief. Writing “Smell of November” was a challenge.

Last night, I went through the draft that one of my friends so thoroughly picked apart for me, and revised. I need more people to point out when my prose starts turning alarming shades of purple. I’m on version 4 of the story now, and I definitely think it has improved. I’m going to send it out to my critique group and see what they think. I’ll revise one more time after that, and call it done.

I think that’s an accomplishment. Now, back to Shades…

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