January Summary of My Writing Life
A break down and glimpse into my writing life including news of my book and game releases, a list of places open to fiction submissions, and more.
What I’ve Been Working On
January was a hell of a month. I went on a bit of a submission and pitching spree. It did wonders for my career and confidence as a writer. I landed spots in some of my dream publications and got to work on projects that I am really proud of and excited about it.
Like I’m sure you’ve heard, I’ve been working on games, courses, and other exclusive content just for my subscribers. Sorry in advance if you hear me talking a lot about it. I’m just super excited.
I’ve never written a game and the whole process of learning to code and testing it out is really putting me through the ringer. I love learning new things especially when they are as impossible seeming as coding. The past year, I’ve spent preparing myself and learning as much as I can so that I can create these stories and offer them to you.
It’s weird to think that they are almost out into the world. Even crazier to think that there are people out there who want my stories, who are hungry for my stories, and are just excited as I am about releasing them.
During the month I also entered into a mentorship with a horror writer that is a bit further along in his career than I am. We focused on a novelette that I wrote and edited through that. He gave me much needed detailed advice and feedback that I plan on implementing on the draft. My plan is to send the novelette to Fantasy and Science Fiction once it’s done.
I also got news that the anthology, “Beyond Ballyhoo”, that I’ll be in has a cover, but I can not share that with people outside my reader group.
The anthology features my short story Lucky Number 8 about a young boy who loses his brother during a carnival ride accident. The moment haunts and steers his life as he searches for the ride in hopes that he will one day reunite with his brother and the safety he provided. The story deals primarily with being Black and gay in the 1920's.
Lucky Number 8 will run alongside other speculative stories set in or around carnivals. “Beyond Ballyhoo” will be available in paperback and e-book format. Once I have a pre-order or buy link, I’ll share them with my reader group.
My focus moving forward is all in on my pre-orders and “Out of the Machine”, my techno-thriller book that I’ve been working for the past few months.
Things Bought, Accepted, or Commissioned
Like I said earlier, I went on a bit of a mad dash when it came to sending things out and taking on work. I sold a few pieces to regular markets like Discover Pods, Oly Arts, and Tor Nightfire. But I broke into some new places as well during the month.
Tor.com has been a weekly if not daily read in my career. It is the go-to hub for critical writing and media in the speculative fiction world. When I first started out in this field, I remember dreaming about having a piece in their publication. To me, it meant I had made it as a speculative fiction writer.
Well, I guess this means I made it.
I wrote a piece for them on africanfuturism. Once that goes live, I’ll share a link with my reader group and on my socials.
I broke into another publication too, the SFWA blog. Over the summer, I was up for the position of their blog editor but didn’t win them over in the end. I was able to meet with a couple of professional heroes who, even though I didn’t get the position, said that my skill and enthusiasm for writing and speculative fiction were strong and encouraged me to submit work their way.
It stung not getting the position, so I waited a few months before sending anything in. My article on how writing communities can help will be up on their site sometime in the near future.
Things Sent Out and Still On Submission
- Anathema: Come to Me- science fiction poem of a conversation between a planet and space cadet
- Nightmare Magazine: Query- ghost story about an editor receiving a haunted text.
Bizness News
Pre-order, pre-order, pre-order. That’s what my business world, Haus of the Three Crows, is all about right now. I’ve put a lot of time, passion, and energy into these stories, games, and courses. I want them to be the first things that I release under my company.
Feb 26th-28th will be my subscriber pre-order date.
During that time, all of my offerings will be up to 80% off and available for purchase. I’ll list out the prices and items in a section below, but throughout February, I’ll be boosting the pre-order details through different promos. Like sample poems from my poetry collection and stories out of the short story collection. I’ll also be releasing some teasers of the games like character profiles and sample sections to my reader group.
January was spent planning and prepping for the pre-order announcements and pre-launch schedule. February is going to see me neck deep in two things: “Out of the Machine” and pre-order set ups. I’ll be putting together the shop for Haus of Three Crows, that way people can purchase the items through one unified place. If I can, I’m going to avoid using Amazon and stick with a more small business friendly set-up.
More details will be sent out in the coming weeks to both of my subscriber groups.
What I’m Studying
My writing and craft moves in phases. One where I’m consuming and learning story and different craft elements. Another where I’m writing and producing stories—this is usually my shortest phase because I produce fast. And another stage of editing. My learning stage is the longest stage I spent time in all in an effort of bettering my craft.
I mentioned that I had started a mentorship with a fellow horror writer, C. R. Langille. This is through the Horror Writers Association mentorship program. We meet once a week and go over either a draft or a craft topic. Throughout January, we focused on my novelette, Queen, that I have been working on and drafting for quite sometime now.
It’s a big, small story that has received generally good feedback, but what Cory provided was a closer more professional read that has pushed the story into the right territory. Moving forward with the mentorship, we will be going over micro-tension, creating dread, cosmic horror 101, action and fight scenes in horror, and scene structure.
Most of these topics I’m already familiar with and have proficient skill in creating, but like always, I want to be better. I want to master the small stuff so that it is more than instinct but something that I control. This will help me continue creating dynamic work and grow as a writer.
I also put in an application for the Odyssey Writer’s Workshop, an intensive speculative fiction workshop that has produced some of the top names in the field. It’s a six-week deep study into craft and publishing that I have wanted to attend since I started writing in the speculative field about five years ago.
Since I opted for the early-action deadline, I’ll know whether or not I’ve been accepted by the end of February. If I’m not accepted, they’ll hold my application and consider me again during the normal admission process. I feel confident in the sample story that I sent in and the references that I put down. Everything else is in the hands of the judges.
During January, I finished “The Science of Storytelling”, which turned out to be a pretty mediocre book. I did enjoy the “sexy science” behind why certain storytelling elements work and why others don’t. But in the end, it just read like every other craft book written by a white guy. It said the same things without exploring any new territory.
Which is why I am excited for my next craft book, “Craft in the Real World” by Matthew Salesses. It’s written against or in a clap back style against the same old craft books. Taking into account the dominating white gaze on craft and cultural implications that come with writing, Salessess proposes a new framework to the way we think about craft, critique, and workshopping.
It’s filled with workshop tips too for setting up or using the craft advice in a live workshop setting. I was going to dive into Tim Waggoner’s “Writing in the Dark”, but then “Craft in the Real World” came in, and a book like this deserves to be read immediately.
Radio at the End of the World
I write a monthly audio fiction and audio drama column for Discover Pods where I roundup the latest or most interesting podcasts out to date. It’s been running for almost a year now and has been getting a steady following of fans.
So, I ended up listening to a lot of podcasts in January. More than I’ve listened to in a while. A lot of it had to do with writing more articles for Discover Pods, but more of it had to do with the fact that I was hungry for story. I was able to find some great podcasts to recommend on my latest installment of Radio at the End of the World. There were some that didn’t make the list that I think are still worth checking out.
A link to the most recent article in that series is shared below in the published articles section.
Community News
Maybe you’ve heard me mention that I have some games, books, and courses coming out. Below you can find all the details about each title, the release date, pre-order information, and pricing. The pre-order dates and prices are only for people within either my writing group or my readers group.
I will eventually open up pre-orders to the general public, but wanted to offer an extremely discounted rate to my subscribers first.
Subscriber pre-order dates: February 26th-28th
Games:
Nightmare House– A terrifying and thought provoking trip through a haunted house with many doors and demons that don’t want you to leave but want you to grow into the monster you were always meant to be. Exclusive pre-order price for reader and writer group $10 (Release date August 1st, 2021)
Take Me Home– Made for the adventurous puzzle solver, Take Me Home is a gamble at survival and a story of hope told through interactive storytelling. Exclusive pre-order price for reader and writer group $10 (Release date August 1st, 2021)
Books:
“Plagued Company: Speculative Fiction Short Stories”– My first short story collection that includes a novelette, Plagued Company about a sentient suit of armor, and four short stories ranging from horror to fantasy to science fiction and fairytales. Exclusive pre-order price for reader and writer group $7 (Release date June 1st, 2021)
“to be haunted”: poetry collection– My first collection of poems; some horror, some surreal, all personal. There will be reprints and new pieces never before published. Exclusive pre-order price for reader and writer group $5(Release date June 1st, 2021)
Master Classes:
Writing Your Book, Your Way–(Spots available 3) A master class in novel writing that encompasses everything from the story generation process to finalizing it for publication. Perfect for the first time novelist or the author who wants to tackle their book process with more order and guidance. Exclusive pre-order price for reader and writer group $100 (Release date July 1st, 2021)
How to Sell Your Writing–(Spots available 1) Designed for the beginner and experienced writer who wants to make a living from their writing and sell their stories, articles, or poems to publications. Exclusive pre-order price for reader and writer group $100 (Release date July 1st, 2021)
How to Edit Your Novel–(Spots available 2) Using my experience as an editor and writer, I teach you the steps and techniques that professional editors use to fix a draft. These techniques are actionable and clearly defined, giving you the tools and knowledge you need to clean up your book. A recent article that goes over the basics of what we’ll cover in the master class was recently published in Better Humans. Exclusive pre-order price for reader and writer group $100 (Release date July 1st, 2021)
To snag a remaining spot in one of the classes, sign up for either my writers group or readers group and respond to the welcome email with which class you’d like to take. The people who reserve a spot get the pre-order link sent directly to them during the pre-order weekend.
Novel Progress
Many of you on this platform don’t know, but I have written a book and am in the process of editing it up to send out on query. “Out of the Machine” is a fast paced techno-thriller set 100 years in the future in a megacity that takes up most of the east coast.
In the city, one corporation controls everything down to the city guards and investigators that use collected personal data to persecute and detain citizens in the city. Tin finds herself falsely accused of murdering a city investigator and decides to take the investigation into her own hands with the help of a new friend. Together, the two explore parts of the city they’ve never been and find out what lies beneath all the advertisements and corruption of the city.
I wrote the original in a month a few years back and then let it sit for a year while I became a better writer and got more involved in the speculative fiction community. Back in 2019, I did a full rewrite of the novel and sent it out to alpha readers for feedback. Based on their critiques, my plan was to edit and have it ready and out on query or submission by the beginning of 2020.
That did not happen. Like at all. A lot of shit popped off in my life and the world that slowed down the progress and changed my focus around.
That’s okay, though.
I’m done setting goals or end dates and have decided to commit to the process — however long that is going to take — to finish the novel and make it into the successful story I know it can be. It’s a major mindset shift, but January had me writing for dream markets and getting noticed by professional heroes for the work that I am doing.
That relieves the pressure of having to get a book out so that I can “bust out onto the scene” with something wild and intriguing. I’m in the scene and people are recognizing that, which is so cool.
January had me tied up in the middle half of the book, working out kinks and doing a lot of restructuring and scene additions or rewrites. Every writer knows the pain of the ugly middle, but it wasn’t all that bad. Scrivener has been a life saver at working on the revisions and keeping everything orderly and in line. I didn’t get lost in the weeds, but charted a thorough course to the end.
Which is what I’ll be focusing on in February; the penultimate end to “Out of the Machine”. I already know that I’ll be adding a lot more scenes and cutting for punch. After that I’ll return to the beginning and address edits related to voice and world.
Things Published
Things Rejected
- Apex Magazine: Dogs of More
- Fantasy and Science Fiction: Pew Pew Bang Bang, Query, Dogs of More
- Diabolical Plots: Query
- Clarkesworld: Alone in the Woods Surrounded by Monsters on an Island
- The Sun: Flowers
- Analog: Come to Me
People within my reader group can see the actual rejection letters that I receive with the notes from the editors. It’s a great way to see the wide array of things editors say about stories and what ends up holding them back.
February Looking Ahead
All of February is dedicated to pre-order launches and “Out of the Machine”. I only have a few assignments that I have to work on at the beginning of the month, but the rest is all mine. I’ve also reached and surpassed my earning goal for Medium, by about 200% or so within the first week.
I’ll be releasing a full breakdown of how I did it in an upcoming article. Stay tuned for more news and writings. I’m only just getting started.
Aigner Loren Wilson is a 5X Top Writer in Fiction, Writing, Art, Books, and Poetry. Her work has appeared in Better Humans, Better Marketing, The Writing Cooperative, and more. Subscribe for access to masterclass courses in writing, editing, and making a living as a writer.