tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post3868850611909108346..comments2023-09-30T10:31:07.390-04:00Comments on Short Fiction. Write it. Sell it. : Appearing in issue #2, January 12, 2015Jody E. Lebelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-89667352854000253012015-01-16T18:45:38.683-05:002015-01-16T18:45:38.683-05:00Estelle Getty would have made a great Mrs. Potts. ...Estelle Getty would have made a great Mrs. Potts. Someone who's living? Betty White. Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-8902754976455250992015-01-14T17:57:50.315-05:002015-01-14T17:57:50.315-05:00My bad re the word count, Julia. I'm confusing...My bad re the word count, Julia. I'm confusing the word count with the payment!bettye griffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04457387770524295498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-59129967789938543422015-01-14T16:03:22.471-05:002015-01-14T16:03:22.471-05:00I definitely see a big grey sweater over a dress.I definitely see a big grey sweater over a dress.Tamaranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-27651979662296057552015-01-14T14:19:43.323-05:002015-01-14T14:19:43.323-05:00Orthopedic shoes? Lavender jogging suit or button...Orthopedic shoes? Lavender jogging suit or buttoned-up white blouse?Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-35472665640742859992015-01-14T13:33:11.646-05:002015-01-14T13:33:11.646-05:00She's thin, with spectacles, and a bit bent. H...She's thin, with spectacles, and a bit bent. Her hair is brown with large grey sections, and she wears it in a bun.Tamaranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-53905473051518328792015-01-13T17:10:20.782-05:002015-01-13T17:10:20.782-05:00@ Mary Ann. Believe it or not I have given one of...@ Mary Ann. Believe it or not I have given one of John Floyd's Chunky/Potts stories 5 stars. But each story has to stand on its own and they have to earn their stars. Those two characters can be amusing, and they can be annoying. <br /><br /> Does anyone have a visual for what Mrs. Potts looks like? I do, but I'll hold off until I hear others. Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-27751705821125806272015-01-13T16:50:21.184-05:002015-01-13T16:50:21.184-05:00Holy cow this went off the rails--but there was so...Holy cow this went off the rails--but there was some interesting banter thrown around! I am just chiming in late to say that I love the stories about Mrs. Potts and Chunky. (Although I noticed this one didn't have mention of him as "chunky" or his weight issue. Maybe they decided against that nickname?) But I wholeheartedly agree with Chris (scroll up about a mile) that we know what to expect when we see it's a story with these two characters. Granted, the mystery part was not the best of John's, but I still thought the story was amusing. And that seems to be the ticket with Woman's World mysteries. Mary Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00947204195242982339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-83216011726290350032015-01-13T03:59:20.194-05:002015-01-13T03:59:20.194-05:00Jody, NOOOO - it was a joke to illustrate how coll...Jody, NOOOO - it was a joke to illustrate how colloquial use of language can make it hard to understand if you aren't familiar with it. Don't go filling your UK subs with rhyming slang if you want to make a sale, any more than you'd use Bronx type talk in a romance for WW. The poor ladies on the fiction team would blow a fuse. Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-37857255950324996662015-01-12T21:22:44.762-05:002015-01-12T21:22:44.762-05:00@Chris. Yes, now I see how confusing the language...@Chris. Yes, now I see how confusing the languages can be from country to country. Do the UK mags have that type of lingo in their stories as a rule? Is it something we should think about inserting here and there?Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-66039911328806300152015-01-12T21:19:11.705-05:002015-01-12T21:19:11.705-05:00@ Susan Sorry about the Big R. I heard from the ...@ Susan Sorry about the Big R. I heard from the WW group that someone got a rejection from a September submittal, so the pile is starting to move. Not in a good direction...but starting to move. <br /><br />Chris is so right. Find a new home for it. Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-66952060407071563892015-01-12T17:52:14.844-05:002015-01-12T17:52:14.844-05:00Check the others on Jody's list, ladies. As we...Check the others on Jody's list, ladies. As well as many US mags, there are UK ones and a handful in other countries. Kate also has a list that I sent her last year under the title Overseas Markets. Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-63422525193502872032015-01-12T17:47:13.437-05:002015-01-12T17:47:13.437-05:00Chris, thanks for the Fast Fiction info. Much appr...Chris, thanks for the Fast Fiction info. Much appreciated. :)Susannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-71667947671996577012015-01-12T17:17:33.660-05:002015-01-12T17:17:33.660-05:00Chris - LOVE that rhyming slang. And thanks for so...Chris - LOVE that rhyming slang. And thanks for so generously sharing the information on Fast Fiction and its website. A lot of good writers get those big bad rejections from WW; it's good to know alternative markets exist.Julianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-69748504892155496112015-01-12T16:45:23.734-05:002015-01-12T16:45:23.734-05:00Susan, commiserations on the rejection. Always a p...Susan, commiserations on the rejection. Always a pain, but recycle it and try it somewhere else. Fast Fiction in Australia take a variety of lengths, from 600 to 2,600, and in lots of genres. Guidelines available on <br />http://www.thatslife.com.au/FastFictionGuidelines AND you submit by email.<br /><br />There's a new, female fiction editor there now and she has taken two of my WW rejects so far, plus a third longer one that I'd tried over here (UK) but hadn't found a home for. There's always a market if the story is strong enough.<br /><br />Okay, Cockney rhyming slang... apples and pears, stairs;<br />whistle and flute, suit; boat race, face; rub-a-dub, pub; Vera Lynn, gin! Slap is just a slang name for make-up. Well done with your guesses, you are now an honorary Brit.Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-34250783376011635212015-01-12T16:22:25.278-05:002015-01-12T16:22:25.278-05:00Well, darn. Today I received a rejection letter fo...Well, darn. Today I received a rejection letter for a story subbed in August. It came from Seattle. Sad, rainy Monday. On to the next story. :) Susannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-30180841158168994022015-01-12T14:19:15.117-05:002015-01-12T14:19:15.117-05:00Chris, Oh my Goodness! Your work is definitely not...Chris, Oh my Goodness! Your work is definitely not complete. What does that mean? The first sentence I have not a clue. Is dog and bone a phone? Is rub-a-dub a pub? Vera Lynn a drink? Love it.Susannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-74741136652987212542015-01-12T11:36:57.436-05:002015-01-12T11:36:57.436-05:00Just goes to show how it rubs off after a while, J...Just goes to show how it rubs off after a while, Julia. I'm waiting for the day when I see some of my American friends using Cockney rhyming slang in their stories... <br /><br />'Lucy ran up the apples and pears to put on her whistle and flute and get some slap on her boat race. Steve had just called on the dog and bone and asked to meet her in the rub-a-dub for a Vera Lynn after work. She couldn't wait!' <br /><br />The day I see THAT in WW I'll know my work here is done!Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-40807602629636221192015-01-12T08:34:03.801-05:002015-01-12T08:34:03.801-05:00Chris - I will indeed keep on reading this blog an...Chris - I will indeed keep on reading this blog and Kate's as well. So many interesting contributors and a chance to learn new things like the meaning of FWIW. (I never would have figured that one out!) You "speak" (write) American-English so well I would not have figured out that you're from Britain either. Julianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-78528060854197262882015-01-12T04:16:59.645-05:002015-01-12T04:16:59.645-05:00Ahhh, for what it's worth. I see. Thanks, Jody...Ahhh, for what it's worth. I see. Thanks, Jody.<br /><br />Julia, I'm in the UK so I often don't get what's said over there. We speak the same language but in very different ways sometimes, so I just ask. Keep visiting the site (and Kate's, of course). I've learned loads and it's nice to swap info and markets news.<br /><br />Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-61629838924433775532015-01-11T16:47:06.970-05:002015-01-11T16:47:06.970-05:00@ Chris FWIW For what it's worth.@ Chris FWIW For what it's worth. Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-90030056435572336822015-01-11T16:45:41.725-05:002015-01-11T16:45:41.725-05:00RE: the play. Thanks, ladies. It is a different t...RE: the play. Thanks, ladies. It is a different type of writing for sure. It's tell, not show. Not something we're used to doing. And the director gets to have input as to how a scene should go. And the costume lady does her thing. And then the set director plans a set that is nothing like what's in my head. And THEN the actors inject their personalities into it. It's a whole other world from story writing. <br /><br />RE: resubbing a story. I waited over a year, and then dragged out a story that I liked but that never made it to Johnene. I changed it up a little bit but not too much, changed the title, and sent it in. It made it past Patty this time. Unless, of course, it's lost in the mail. I sent it in July. So, I'd say dust off that old story and give it a new chance at life. IF Patty were to say something to you, like Haven't I seen this before? Send her back a little note saying, Sorry, my record keeping isn't as good as it used to be; didn't realize this had come your way before. <br />Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-72887506241474873732015-01-11T16:37:28.827-05:002015-01-11T16:37:28.827-05:00Chris - thanks for asking what FWIW means. I wonde...Chris - thanks for asking what FWIW means. I wondered too, but didn't ask as I am a newbie on this site and figured everyone else already knew the answer! We'll soon find out!Julianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-54832149350425176092015-01-11T15:00:14.130-05:002015-01-11T15:00:14.130-05:00Julia, I totally agree that Jody is so funny (I es...Julia, I totally agree that Jody is so funny (I especially like sarcastic humor anyway). Jody, that's really exciting that you wrote and had a play accepted. I haven't tried that yet. I am interested in the notion that there may be other first readers lightening the load for Patty Gaddis. I have a romance I want to resubmit, because I got it back from her without comment (it's been a few years), and I got some other great feedback on it. I did this once before and was almost successful (alas, top editor rejected it). I don't want to make Patty Gaddis angry, but I think it's worth a shot. Think I should try it?Tamaranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-76584496037798777512015-01-11T14:58:29.038-05:002015-01-11T14:58:29.038-05:00Congratulations on the acceptance of your play, Jo...Congratulations on the acceptance of your play, Jody. Yet another string to your bow. I did a scriptwriting course at my local theatre a few years ago but didn't like the jerkiness of writing only dialogue, with no connective description. Well done you.<br /><br />I also enjoy your blog but your 'tell it like it is' style doesn't suit everyone. I know how much you hate exclamation marks but they do help soften the effect of a jokey comment sometimes, just so we know it's tongue in cheek.<br /><br />By the way, can someone explain what FWIW (in one of the comments above) stands for? It's probably very obvious, and I've tried to work it out, but I don't have a clue.Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015329098122035196.post-7006086932899396592015-01-11T13:54:21.018-05:002015-01-11T13:54:21.018-05:00Congratulations on your play! You are a funny lady...Congratulations on your play! You are a funny lady, I always find a chuckle or two in your blog. Glad you're pursuing humorous writing.Julianoreply@blogger.com