Professionalism Matters: Part 1

When a writer takes the step from thinking as a hobbyist, to thinking as a professional, the question “What markets do I submit to?” is one of the inevitable steps. Finding the answers to that question can be one of the most frustrating challenges you will face.

So, first things first, what is a professional market? There are two categories. We'll deal today with the short-fiction markets.

Short-story professional markets are defined by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as those paying 5c or more per word. Needless to say, the list is small.

What are the benefits of working with the professional markets, versus the semi-pro?

Well, first off, the money. Some of the pro magazines pay as much as 10c a word. Multiply that by the average 3000 words and you get $300 dollars for a few days' work. Not bad, right?

Aries (March 21- April 19) - Though you might be frustrated with your writing, you shouldn't give up on it.  Your characters need you to turn things around.  Don't be too prompt to insert your own opinions on where your story should go.  Let your characters guide you.  You should look into sending your characters on a voyage: chances are good it will be profitable.  Don't let others limit how you think about your character's families.  Monday will be your best writing day.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) - Perhaps it is time for you to seek the means to improve your writing.  Secrecy can only lead to disaster.  Speak with your writing buddy one on one about writing and how you seek to improve it.  Difficulties might arise this month because you don't share the troubles you're having in writing.  You will write best on Thursdays this month.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) - Your surroundings will factor into your writing this month.  Your characters will be emotional about money.  Your writing this month should probably be something that can be enjoyed by everyone, young and old.  You will receive recognition for your writing this month.  Your best day to write will be Saturday.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) - You might not want to rely on your friends at the forum too much this month.  Instead get your inspiration from your musical selections.  Your writing this month will be more emotional than usual.  Be careful, your characters will try to make you do things with your writing that you don't really want to do.  Your best writing days will be Wednesday.

Wanted: Hero or Heroine.

You need not be talented or famous.  May come from any birth and station, be it noble or slave.  May have special skills or just a drive to succeed, may also just be a normal person.  Help needed in town of Huntsville in Northern Sillia which is currently under siege by evil Count Hallad.  To apply please visit Shallad’s Tavern and listen to the rumors. 

Sincerest Thanks,
-Author

Horace Windsor stood bundled and shivering against the passenger door of his sleek black Rolls Royce. A cigarette was clenched between his bluish fingers.  He exhaled, a shaky stream of frozen breath and toxic smoke hissing from his teeth.  Christ, it was cold.

"Come on, come on," he chattered as the ancient gas pump chugged at a painstakingly slow pace.  The numbers on the meter showed little progress.  If not for his damned wife, he could have just stayed in the car.  Four days of tedious corporate meetings and he was expected to make the three hour journey home without a single cigarette?  "It will ruin the interior, Horace," she had scolded, "We only just bought the car last month."  On any other day, he would have rebelled, but he didn't feel like putting up with her nagging after returning home from such a long week.  He just wanted to get home and sleep in his own bed.  The hotel had had an uncomfortable mattress.

There’s a new section in the Fifthwind Forums-the Rewrite Me section.  Each thread is started off with a post of a small excerpt (100-500 words) from the contributors own work or from an existing book.  Then members can each take their hand at rewriting the excerpt in their own way.  Here are some examples:

Fifthwind’s Original:
A thick odor of birch-bark tar and decaying barnacles soured the night air along the drydocks of the master shipwrights. The rhythmic swells of the summer sea pushed massive hulls up and down against the moorings, groaning like ghostly whales in the surf. The last few crates of a late-night offload reached the pier and the tired deckhands set out toward the nearest barrel house to drink themselves to sleep. In the shadows, not far away, a figure waited.

     “This is as far as you go, Dak,” Varren said. “It's too dangerous from here on in.”

     Dak was not the kind of name that would normally conjure the image of a girl, even if that girl were nearly a woman and had lived a tough life in the forgotten alleyways allotted to the orphaned children of the Great Tanian War.

As the years go by I find myself continually amazed at the community that has been formed on the Fifthwind Forums. Many people who were new to the craft now actively post articles and try to help newer generations of what has been affectionately termed "Fifthwinders". The most important thing to realize is that at one point in time, all of us were new to the craft, all of us had to start at the beginning. While its true many of the senior members of the site are excellent writers and have become greatly skilled in their craft, I can personally assure anyone who visits our forum that if asked, those members will refer to themselves as Students, and that is something I would like to remind the writing world of today.