Hello, dreamers. October is here. Fall is my favorite time of the year: the temperatures drop, the leaves change. College football, good beer. And of course novel-writing season.

This year I’ll be working on Aquarius 1, though I haven’t decided whether to plunge right in or take my customary October short fiction break. I’ve decided this will be my final month of active querying this month. And I have #SFPit coming up in a few weeks. So there’s a lot to do. But first, an announcement:

Short Fiction

Dreamers, I have some good news to share. Hawkeyed readers may have noticed last week I neglected my customary “WIP Wednesday” post. That was because on Tuesday night I was celebrating.

I’m pleased to announce that one of my stories won First Prize in the third quarter of the Writers of the Future short fiction contest. I had been informed last weekend that I’d been selected as one of eight finalists, but was not permitted to announce it publicly (the judging is kept completely anonymous). So I privately informed my partner, my family, and a few close friends (including fellow writers). Then I waited.

When the call came on Tuesday night I’d expected the worst. I’d already mentally composed a “concession speech” for Twitter. I’d kept telling myself just being eighth out of thousands was impressive. I’d entered the contest three times before. My previous two stories had finished honorable mention and silver honorable mention. When Joni Labaqui, the contest director, told me I’d won first place, my entire world changed in an instant.

For all the years I’ve been writing, every time someone asked me if I was an author I quickly replied, “No, I’m a writer. Authors get paid.”

Well, dreamers, I am now an author.

I’d just love to tell all my readers about this story, which will be appearing in the Writers of the Future vol. 42 anthology, out next year. Unfortunately I can’t discuss any specifics about my story, because as a first-place winner I remain in the running for the annual grand prize. And after learning how my story was received by the judges, honestly I think I may have a shot.

In the meantime, however, work continues apace. I plan to spend the early week writing around, trying to build out sketches and picking up lapsed projects to see if anything jumps out at me. I still have three active short story submissions, down from four; I formally withdrew my submission for next quarter’s Writers of the Future contest. As a first-place winner, I am no longer eligible to compete.

Aquarius 1

Honestly, I was tempted to end the post after the above announcement. But that was just the start of my week.

Late last week, I managed to finish my background piece for the primary POV character of my upcoming WIP. The result (which I’ll be discussing in this week’s “WIP Wednesday”) was one of the toughest, most heart-wrenching things I’ve ever written. I’d only written one story from a child’s POV before. Writing a story about a twelve-year-old girl slipping into depression after the death of her father was well outside of my comfort zone.

But I got through it, as did Karen. The experience, which went pretty well with the swirling hurricane of emotions I experienced last week, left me with a deeper understanding of Karen’s character. I’m still not sure that I’m ready to dive right into the novel itself. I’ve considered writing one additional sketch. But either way, I feel this story calling to me. It’s almost time.

Querying Seven Days on Samarkand

Nearly five weeks in, and just the four rejections. I still hope to hear back from one or two of the agents I queried in this round. But either way, I know that my querying year is drawing to a close.

For now, I’ve ceased reading up on literary agents and am focusing all my querying efforts on #SFPit. This event, the first geared exclusively toward sci-fi writers, will serve as the effective end of my querying calendar. The following Sunday, I will post a final 2025 “Dear Sir or Madam”, and that will be that. Obviously I’ll still hope to hear back from agents, and will be happy to send along further materials if they’re requested. But from that point through the rest of the year, I’ll be focused on my work-in-progress. Ever forward.

Upcoming Content

This week, I’ll be updating my project pages for Seven Days on Samarkand and Aquarius 1 in preparation for #SFPit. At present, those are the only major changes I have planned for this site.

That said, here’s what you can expect this week here on my site:

Wednesday: “WIP Wednesday”

In my next “WIP Wednesday” post, I’ll be discussing how writing about a twelve-year-old girl losing her father is helping me write a novel about an oceanic exomoon.

Friday: “On Writing: #WritersLife”

In this month’s “On Writing” post, I’ll be discussing the dramatic changes in my writing this past year: my output, my outlook, and my style itself. I’ll tell readers what I think worked, what I think helped, and how I feel a writer can adjust their lifestyle for better results on the page.

Sunday: “Dear Sir or Madam: Querying Rounds”

This week on my Sunday post, in addition to an update on my querying mission, I’ll be explaining why most querying writers send out queries in rounds: the benefits, potential drawbacks, and why I feel it’s the best practice when playing the long game.

It’s going to be another busy week. So read on, and dare to dream. – MK