Hello, dreamers. As October draws to a close, I have a transition week ahead of me. I’ll be wrapping things up regarding queries for Seven Days on Samarkand as well as short fiction subs for the year, before reviewing my notes and locking in for my current work-in-progress. I still have a lot to do before the end of the month. So with that said, here’s what I’ll be working on this week:

Querying Seven Days on Samarkand

So last week, I received another rejection. This one came from the agent I’d queried less than a week earlier. But I was surprised by its content…

The first paragraph was a form, but the second was actual personalized feedback. And though there’s no “good rejection letter”, this one came awfully close. The agent started off by saying he actually really liked my work; it just didn’t fit with his current list. He praised my premise, mentioned that alien dinosaurs was a really cool idea, and lauded by writing. The letter ended with him telling me he was cheering me on.

That, I would say, was about as positive a note to end my first query round on as I could have hoped for. It reminded me that I’m writing in what is and has always been a niche market (adult hard sci-fi), but that I’ve done something that will appeal to agents. Nonetheless, that’s about it for my querying this year. I still have three outstanding queries, but as all three were via email, I’m not expecting much. I plan to keep them as they are until December 1, and if I haven’t heard anything by then I’ll mark them CNR (“Closed; No Response” in query lingo).

Mind you, this isn’t the end of my querying mission; just the end of the first step. A pause, while I devote the coming months to working on something new. Before that happens, though, I plan to conduct a “post mortem” early this week. I’ll be reviewing notes on my queries, as well as all my materials. I’m still considering potential changes to the early passages of my manuscript (the ones that would be sent to an agent). Once that’s done, it will be time to move on.

Short Fiction

Short fiction was a mixed bag last week. I received a rejection, which was unfortunate as I really believe in the story I’d submitted and had hoped to break into the market I’d subbed to. But, I did end up signing my first short fiction contract, which felt really good.

I also completed a short story, and this one was special. It was my first attempt at a dual-POV short fiction piece, and it went better than I could have hoped. I may still try to work on a few short pieces over the coming week, as I begin the transition to a new project.

NaNoWriMo

For those who are unfamiliar with the event, November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). This will be the first year I’m participating since the organization that ran the event collapsed amid a series of scandals. But while the organization may be gone, the mission continues.

I’ve already found a new group of writers to work with over the coming month. Now, it’s time to review my notes, look over my previous drafts, and take the plunge. This Wednesday I’ll be formally announcing my participation, as is my tradition. From this week through the end of November, I’ll be replacing my “WIP Wednesday” posts with midweek updates on NaNoWriMo.

Upcoming Content

As I mentioned above, this week I’ll be resuming my “WIP Wednesday” posts, as a midweek “NaNo Update”. I will also be making weekly NaNoWriMo wrap-ups every Sunday through the month of November.

That said, here’s what you can expect on this site through the week ahead:

Wednesday: “NaNoWriMo 2025”

Don’t miss my formal announcement of my participation in National Novel Writing Month. This post will introduce readers to my current work-in-progress, updating them on what’s changed since my previous attempts to write this novel. This will be the first in a weekly series of posts running throughout the month of November.

Friday: “DNF: Blue Remembered Earth”

Because this month has a fifth Friday, I’ll be introducing a new monthly post series: “DNF”. For the uninitiated, in reading circles DNF is short for “Did Not Finish”. It’s understood that it takes a lot for a writer to not finish a book. These posts will only occur on months with a fifth Friday because, well, I seldom refuse to finish a book. Each of these posts will explore a book I didn’t finish, and why I couldn’t keep reading to the end. This month I’ll be looking at Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds. It was a great book…if only it had a plot…

Sunday: “NaNoWriMo: Week 0”

By the time this post is out, it will have been all of two days since NaNoWriMo began, so I’m calling this “Week Zero”. But regardless, I’ll update readers on my progress.

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