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AnnieColleen

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Have you tried the Duotrope submission tracker?
Yep, I use this for subs actually out or responded to. But I was losing track of stories I'm still editing/waiting for beta/waiting for submission windows, etc.
 

WildScribe

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Yep, I use this for subs actually out or responded to. But I was losing track of stories I'm still editing/waiting for beta/waiting for submission windows, etc.

I have a spreadsheet for those, too, but not in excel. Anyone else tried OneNote? I LOVE it.
 

AnnieColleen

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Haven't tried it -- I keep meaning to take a look at it.

I use Excel enough at work that it's what I default to.
 

shelleyo

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I have One Note installed and have never, ever used it. I may have to have a look.

I do use Freemind, a free mind-mapping software. I sometimes just make one on paper, but it's nice to have open when I'm working so between articles I can add new ideas. It's super easy to use and if you like mind-mapping better than linear outlining, it's fantastic. I can do either--I outlined the novel, for instance--but for short stories I like the blobs all over the place.

I use Duotrope, and I also keep track in Excel. I'm anal that way.

Shelley
 

Izz

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Count me as another who uses Duotrope and a spreadsheet. Each story has a separate sheet within the spreadsheet, so i can easily reference for markets already subbed to when surfing duotrope. It also has a front page, which shows all the current markets stories are out to.

Which reminds me: got a rejection from Abyss & Apex today, so it's time to update both the spreadsheet and duotrope and find someplace else to sub.
 

Izz

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Right, it's time to write.

What am i going to write? I don't know. But writing is needed, so writing shall be done.

(i'm not procrastinating. honest)
 

Fenika

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I've got one short almost ready to go out. I need to finish working through a beta's comments and am waiting on another beta's comments. Then (well, after a final read through) I'm kicking Warriors Dead out the door and hoping WotF likes it :D

I want to send a few more stories out too. I'm behind on this story/month sub.

I've also got an idea for the March Challenges (SFF) rolling around, but once again the voice isn't working out for me. Maybe if I force myself to write it I'll nail it by the end.
 

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Go Fen. Sub, sub, sub!

And yeah, force yourself to write. I just did, and unhooked the internet for 45 minutes, and managed to write a whole lot of words i quite like. So do it. Doooo eeeeet!
 

Fenika

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Nice.

If I can get my emails done (I owe some folks emails) I will edit during this work break :)
 

WildScribe

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Yay, I finally made time to write (fiction) last night. Today I have to write a non-fiction piece about a skunk, and start seeking interviewees for another piece. Hopefully I'll have some time in there for the fun stuff.
 

Nathaniel Katz

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I finished the draft of my story for week two. It's a rather odd story for me, as, in addition to the horror/fantasy components there's rather a lot of sex. I'm not sure it's a particularly good story, but... :Shrug: Editing/submitting will come this weekend.
 

Fenika

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Katz, did you write that for the SFF/Horror/Romance crossover challenge (February) or is that a total coincidence? :D
 

Aggy B.

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Been editing some today with somewhat limited success. Planning to work on the novella again this evening but I might be too tired.

Maybe I'll take the night off for St. Patrick's Day. :)
 

Nathaniel Katz

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Katz, did you write that for the SFF/Horror/Romance crossover challenge (February) or is that a total coincidence? :D

Pure coincidence. I'm still slowly expanding through the forums and hadn't even noticed the challenge.

I just wrote a twitter story for thaumatrope, thinking it'd be good fun. It was, but it was also far harder than expected...and, upon finishing it, I discovered that thaumatrope has ceased to exist. I probably should have looked into that first.
 

shelleyo

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Nathanial, there are lots of other Twitter pubs. If it's horror/scifi/fantasy, there's Trapeze. Nanoism is just for literary, non-genre stuff. Cuento is a general one. I'm sure there are more I'm not thinking of. 140 fiction.

There are some more.

Shelley
 
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Nathaniel Katz

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Nathanial, there are lots of other Twitter pubs. If it's horror/scifi/fantasy, there's Trapeze. Nanoism is just for literary, non-genre stuff. Cuento is a general one. I'm sure there are more I'm not thinking of. 140 fiction.

There are some more.

Shelley

I noticed Nanoism shortly after I posted and sent it there, though it doesn't particularly fit. I blame my poor organizational skills today on being sick. It's not bad for getting some words on the page, but it makes coherent thought rather tricky. Up till now I've been avoiding nonpaying markets, but I guess 140 characters is small enough to make an exception. I'll look into Trapeze after the rejection.
 

shelleyo

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This may be an unpopular opinion, I don't know, but I'd hold off on submitting to Seedpod until the little fic has been rejected everywhere else. Nanoism is a good start, because they have the lowest acceptance rate of all the Twitter fic places I've looked at, something like 15%. Trapeze takes about 60% and I haven't looked at Cuento or the others specifically for acceptances, but I think it's pretty high, too.

Seedpod, on the other hand, has a 100% acceptance rate at Duotrope. I'd send them a Twitter fic if it got turned down everywhere else, and may yet have to do that with the one that's been at Nanoism for 50 days. I'd do it, just to get it read by someone else, absolutely.

But I'd never start there, because it's not something you want to put in a cover letter, not when they take everything. There are several places I've published that I wouldn't list in a cover letter with a submission, because I know it's just not going to help me, and may make me look a bit naive. A place that takes 100% of submissions is like listing something you put in your own blog as a publication. Technically, it is, but it doesn't show that someone else read your work and chose it over other work, which is what makes an editor pay a little closer attention to your submission.

I hope I make sense, and don't sound like I'm knocking Seedpod or anyone who's sent stuff there. I'm not. I just think when you look at the grand scheme of things, it's best to start with the harder publications and save the takes-everything ones for the last resorts. It pays to think in terms of 'how will this benefit me the most?' like you might with a career.

Shelley
 
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sisco

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I'm not sure if the twitter submissions get counted as well as they could on duotrope though and rejections do tend to be under reported so I'm not sure there are many markets except for vanity publishers that take everything. I know I didn't bother typing in twitter submissions at duotrope (accepted or rejected) Although I'm sure seedpod does take more than the others since they update a lot and they probably get less submissions than other places because they don't pay. Although I'd estimate that trapeze's rate is lower than 60% as well. I was just listing ones off the top of my head that hadn't been mentioned. I did submit a piece that I think got lost with Nanoism because it was with them for over a month. I figured they lost it but didn't feel like resubmitting it to them and I was submitting something else to picfic at the same time. I didn't even check duotrope before submitting I just found them on Simon's list and figured why not. I don't think there is anything wrong with submitting to them as I doubt people are trying to build a resume or make a career off of twitter pubs. I view them as writing exercises to get me going when other things aren't flowing. Just like the writer's digest your story or any of the many writing prompts you can find across the net.

I'm do think any time you write you should be paid for it so I do think it is better to submit to a paying market, but with something as short as a twitter piece which only takes a few minutes to put together I've not been overly concerned with marketing on it.
 

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I haven't tried writing any twitter-fic yet. I'm a-gonna have to before the year's out.

So few characters/words scares me :D
 

shelleyo

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I did submit a piece that I think got lost with Nanoism because it was with them for over a month.

They can take a long time. I've had something there for about 50 days now, and apparently, of those reporting, about 10% take over 90 days. I've seen responses on Duotrope's list in the 99 day range, both acceptance and rejection.

I don't think there is anything wrong with submitting to them as I doubt people are trying to build a resume or make a career off of twitter pubs.

As I said, I don't think there's anything wrong with it either. I may end up doing just that, eventually.

Shelley
 
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sisco

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Just as an example of what I am talking about according to enchanted conversation they had 200 submissions this last time and accepted 10 of them which is an acceptance rate of about 5% although duotrope has them listed at 27.27%. While the pedastal magazine has a listed acceptance rate of .34% but in the last issue they had 708 submissions and one acceptance for fiction making it an acceptance rate of.0014%.
 

sisco

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They can take a long time. I've had something there for about 50 days now, and apparently, of those reporting, about 10% take over 90 days. I've seen responses on Duotrope's list in the 99 day range, both acceptance and rejection.

Well that was a while back so now it's over sixty days since I submitted to them. Although I suppose it is still possible they could respond. Although they also publish stuff that is already available online so if it isn't lost they could still publish it.
 

sisco

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I haven't tried writing any twitter-fic yet. I'm a-gonna have to before the year's out.

So few characters/words scares me :D

You should give it a shot. I use it for times when I'm blocked or don't have time to work on another piece. A couple have turned into seeds for longer pieces.