Reading: Zombies of the Gene Pool
Music: Sample This! BYO Presents...
TV/Movie: Yes, Prime Minister
Link o' the Day: Paula Fleming's Market Listing

Info an the Fiction Writers APA can be found in February 26th's entry. If you're a writer, give it a look.

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Everything is coming together for our roadtrip to Cleveland. We got the car and house-watching situation set up. I go to get road munchies after work. We have maps. We have CDs. I probably won't have the laptop as I can't get my hands on a working battery, which is a shame. I started a very promising story this morning and would like to work on it during the odd moments here and there.

Ye gods! Two ten-hour drives. But it's still cheaper than flying by almost half.

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I'm considering a new strategy to writing stories. Most of the time, I'm writing a story that _I_ like and which appeals to me primarily. Well that's all well and good if I'm buying and publishing my own stories. I'm not, however. I'm trying to sell to those other folks. You know... Gardner, Gordon, Stanley, Ellen, Lou, Jed, Liz, Ian, and so on. Would it be worth a try in crafting a story specifically for said editor? But what if the story I crafted especially for Stanley doesn't sell? Maybe Gardner or Ellen would buy it--maybe. Would Gordon? Possibly Ian, probably not Liz or Lou. Likewise, would something aimed at Gordon or Ellen sell to Ian, Stanley, or Liz? Probably not, but maybe to Jed, Lou, or Gardner.

So in approaching a story that way, am I limiting my market choices?

Probably not. Or at least, no more so than I am already doing. "Counting Down From Five" might have fit Gordon or Ellen's market. It almost made it to Jed's. It wouldn't sell to Stnaley or Ian. Likewise, "Wil-0'-Whisps"would have fit well at Stanley's or Gordon's (both almost-solds, I am told), and it might yet at Gardner's or Ellen's. It wouldn't work for Liz or Lou or Ian. Probably too long a piece for Jed. (By this point, giving the last names of all these people isn't very important--you get the idea. I'm just being a smartass in using first names only. It's my webjournal--I can do that.)

I've had luck in crafting theme-anthology stories, perhaps if I treat each individual publication as having a theme (i.e., the editorial style/theme preferences), I may have a touch more luck.

Hmm. Something to consider.

Thoughts, anyone?

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Today's link lead to Paula Fleming's Market Listing. It's pretty comprehensive in its scope, and worth checking out for anyone on the search for new markets.

Cheers!