I’ve got some good news. My short science-fiction-western story, “The Bounty Hunter,” is going to be published in the April-ish edition of the sci-fi magazine, Bewildering Stories. How cool is that!? I’m very excited. I’ve sent some other pieces out, too, and I’ve received one “no,” but am still waiting on others.

Also some cool news. M is going to be designing the covers for my short story collection and The Novel That Will Get Me Published. So once he does that, I am going to self-publish them with Amazon. I’m thinking that’s another spring release. I’m not sure which one I’ll release first…

I’m also on new medicine and it’s working really well and I feel great. 🙂 In general, I feel really uplifted, positive, determined, grounded, and mindful. I know a lot of it is probably the medicine, but I also hope some of it is how much work I’ve been putting into fighting myself and trying hard to practice mindfulness. I’m also proud of myself for sending stories out and working to get my stuff published. Hurray for hard work and positivity!

Up, up, and away!

Posted by

jcd kerwin

Posted on

16 January, 2019

Posted under

determination, mental illness, short story, The Novel that Will Get Me Published

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2 Comments

Ten Spoons of Spinach

Hey weberverse. How have you been? I haven’t been doing well lately. I haven’t been managing well. It has been a hard fall-now-into-winter. My heart longs for spring.

I do have some cool news about writing. I have a new plan on getting published. I am going to self-publish (yes, like every other Joe Schmo) The Novel That Will Get Me Published and I have several ideas on how to market it/myself. I am hoping a pub. company will get wind of it and then I’ll get offered a contract from that point. Hey, it could happen.

I also have a new sci-fi short story I am working on. The idea came from a co-worker, so I’ll be sure to credit her, but her idea is too good not to write down. I’m going to work on that and add it to my sci-fi collection. I’ll probably self-publish that, too. That way, I’ll have a couple different things for people (soon to be fans, I hope) to read.

I have several new ideas for novels, too. I think I mentioned one of them already, but now I’ve come up with another one. So I hope to be starting work on those, too…

M and my psych have been encouraging me to write more. I haven’t actually sat down and written anything in many, many moons. I suppose I can say half of it is because you never want to do anything when you have depression, but then I guess the other half, is I don’t feel I’m good enough so why bother. I think I talked about that before, too. But right now I just want to finish some stories to read them and make myself feel better. That’s the whole idea, right there.

So that’s where I am right now. I hope I can start to manage my illnesses better this year and I hope to write and read a lot more. I guess those are my “resolutions.”

Stay classy, San Diego.

Posted by

jcd kerwin

Posted on

6 June, 2017

Posted under

determination, fiction, prose, short story, storyteller, writing

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3 Comments

Better, Faster, Stronger

the-only-wat-to-get-better-at-writing-is-to-write-and-read-quote-1

*except it’s “way” not “wat”

But it’s still true.

I started this short story about six years ago and ever since, I have revised and redone it at least ten different times.

…and I’m about to do it again.

It’s one I want to include in my short story collection, and one I’d like to get published beforehand, so I want to make sure it’s totally rad. As I was going back through, it I realized I’m not happy with it. Maybe it’s because I’ve been reading a lot in general lately, or maybe I’ve just grown as a writer since I first started it, but I really think the story is crap as it stands now. Needs work.

Just an update for you…and a motivational quote from Stephen King.

Posted by

jcd kerwin

Posted on

5 December, 2016

Posted under

resources, storyteller, tips, writing

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Keeping it Real

It’s December, and here in the northeastern U.S., that means it’s winter, whether we like it or not. (I don’t do winter. My summer soul can’t handle the cold.) But at least it’s Christmas season and that’s pretty rad.

How did you all do with NaNoWriMo last month? I didn’t write a whole novel, which I knew I wouldn’t, but I did complete that short story I told you about. And *drumroll*, I finished my short story collection! Yeah, bbbbooooiiii. It’s just about 50,000 words, total. It’s eight stories, which I’m a bit disappointed in. I’d like to have 10. I’m currently editing the thing, but if another story just suddenly strikes my fancy, well then I’ll probably end up adding it. It’s all speculative fiction—sci-fi, specifically.

I’ve sent several of the stories off to some magazines, too, in hopes of getting them published. I’d like to have some published in magazines or journals before I compile and self-publish the collection. Cross your fingers. I’ve already been rejected by one. Looking good already, folks! -.-

I’m starting to look at indie book publishers again, too. That old familiar feeling about my novel is coming back. You know: the one where you think “Well, god dammit, this is good! Why did I stop sending it out? I’ll try again!” before you again decide it’s complete shite and let it sit, buried beneath the piles of self-loathing and bitter cynicism, for a few more months before the whole damn cycle of pessimism-then-egoism starts over again…

*ehem

The problem with indie book publishers is that a lot of them started out indie and have since become, dare I say it, mainstream. (THE SHAME.) Many no longer accept unsolicited mss, or they now require agented communication. I understand why they’ve turned that route, but it’s awfully damn discouraging. Below are some of the lists I’ve been looking through. Maybe your pub. company match is on here…

Poets and Writers: http://bit.ly/2gVGlis

Independent Publisher: www.independentpublisher.com/gbpublishers.php

Every Writer’s Resource: www.everywritersresource.com/bookpublishers/

Stay real, kids.