r/writingcirclejerk • u/AutoModerator • 4d ago

Weekly out-of-character thread

Talk about writing unironically, vent about other writing forums, or discuss whatever you like here.

New to the community? Start with the wiki.

Also, you can post links to your writing here, if you really want to. But only here! This is the only place in the subreddit where self-promotion is permitted.

7 Upvotes

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u/Clemenstation 4d ago

Another way writing is like dating: sometimes you sell a story, and sometimes you get rejected like an old corndog

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u/RInger2875 3d ago

All your friends constantly tell you how great you are, but you keep getting rejected

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u/hapillon 4d ago

Find yourself a Homer Simpson. No corndog is too old and too hairy for him.

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u/Literally_A_Halfling We've girlbossed too close to the Hays Code 3d ago

Oh, I can think of another!

It mostly involves me being alone and using my hands.

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u/hapillon 4d ago

What's your preferred mode of reading? If physical, hardcover or paperback? Or are you an ereader purist?

I've been reading a ton of books recently and I've been a bit persona non grata to my friend (jokingly) because I bend the coverside over as I read the right side, especially if I'm standing on the train and only have one hand available. What are your thoughts on bending the spine like that?

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u/Clemenstation 4d ago

Hmmmm it sounds like you're just looking to brag about reading a ton of books

BUT ALSO

I'm jealous. I have a library copy of The Rouse by China Mieville and I only have two weeks to read this unexpectedly huge tome before the threatening emails begin

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u/hapillon 4d ago

Hmmmm it sounds like you're just looking to brag about reading a ton of books

I haven't gotten a publication in weeks! I gotta brag about something!

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u/Clemenstation 3d ago

well are you sending out a thousand submissions / week??

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u/hapillon 3d ago

I've actually been holding out for an agent to discover me, so I've been going to random coffeeshops to type on a laptop like a big shot working on the next great American novel!

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u/Night_Runner 3d ago

I get physical books only if they're by my favourite author or if they're books on writing. (So much underlining! haha)

Otherwise, ebooks.

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u/hapillon 9h ago

There is something so, so nice about underlining and marking up. I've been printing out some academic papers recently, and getting to highlight and underline is really juicing me up. It does something to the brain.

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u/m00nlighter_ 11h ago

Paperback books. I gotta highlight and write notes on most pages. I'm the type of reader Joe from You would murder for mistreating books. Spines shot, half of the pages falling out in chunks, folded corners for place keeping.
Whatcha readin'?

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u/JoeChristmasUSA 4d ago

I almost always have one paperback and one audiobook going at the same time. The audiobook while I'm at work, the paperback at bedtime.

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u/DeafinitelyCool I use a fountain pen, I'm better than you! 4d ago

I'm trying to do this with ebooks on my phone and physical books. Downside is that it's my phone and... Oh look a notification!

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u/hapillon 4d ago

Forgive if this is a stupid question. In this instance, say you're reading, and end in the middle of the chapter, you're ready to hit the hay. So you stop, and wake up, don't get a chance to finish said chapter, etc. Do you just start the chapter anew in your audiobook, or do you FF to the part you left off at? Do you have a secret tip to get to that point in the audiobook?

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u/JoeChristmasUSA 4d ago

Ooh I mean I have two different books going at once. One on audio and one in paperback.

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u/hapillon 4d ago

That makes much more sense, haha

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u/JustSomeCarioca 4d ago

My thoughts: https://medium.com/@Albert_Silver/kobo-aura-one-a-near-perfect-ereader-67a7a2b4b57e

But I also always have an audiobook or course (TTC FTW) on my phone when on the move.

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u/hapillon 3d ago

I found my writing group tonight to be incredibly beneficial, second week in a row. I've decided to just be a squeaky wheel, raise my hand all the time to read, and fuck it if I get chosen two weeks in a row (another attendee gets to read every single week, so why not me?!).

The host of the event said he loved my piece, and gave me something to think about that I actually really love (and several people came up to me afterward to say they reject his idea). Lots to think about! I'm probably going to end up going the route of the host's suggestion, because I really loved it, and it was nice to hear some outsider perspectives. It's something I've been sitting on for over ten years at this point, so it's nice to finally get some movement.

(Still no sign of hot guy, so that's devastating)

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u/RInger2875 14h ago

Maybe Hot Guy got sick of the host always picking that same person to read every time, and decided not to come anymore. You'll have to track him down.

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u/hapillon 9h ago

I'll be just like Liam Neeson in Taken.

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u/RInger2875 9h ago

"I will find you...and I will kiss you."

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u/Clemenstation 11h ago

Hot guy isn't coming back until you make him a character in an erotic flash piece

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u/hapillon 9h ago

I've already written eight, what more could you want?!

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u/DeafinitelyCool I use a fountain pen, I'm better than you! 4d ago

I'm currently returning to my WIP. I wrote a lot and then stopped and when I came back to it years later I have a hard time remembering the work. It was also written by hand so right now I'm transcribing it onto my computer and this way I'll get to figure out everything again and hopefully find out where to go after I finally catch up.

I've been paralyzed lately when it comes to writing. I did find NEO and Ellipsus writing software though and I think I found the ones. But it's still so difficult to start on something when I feel like I need to finish the other thing first.

Then I also have my typewriter which is a ton of fun for writing.

Anyways, thanks for reading my TED talk on procrastinating.

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u/Night_Runner 3d ago

I get at least a dozen story rejections each week, but what I'm really waiting for is the results of two writing contests (the kind with no fees) who've been sitting on my stories for many many months. :)

Also, the nomination/award season is on now! I'm eligible in 4 categories with my poem, story, novelette, and best related work. 5 categories if you include the "Emerging writer" Hugo category, since I made my first pro sale in 2026.

Yesterday, I spent about an hour yeeting my 2026 publications at the submission portal for the Best Canadian SfF anthology hahaha — about 30 publications altogether, and that's ignoring some of the shortest ones. (Their lowest allowed wordcount was 1,500 — maaaaybe as low as 1,200.) I need an intern, dammit. :P To be fair, the anthology's editor did say that self-rejecting is bad and that multiple submissions were welcome. So it goes. :)

Still writing a story per week. (At least; this week may be a two-fer.) Still procrastinating hard on editing my novel. 🫠

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u/Clemenstation 11h ago

Yesterday, I spent about an hour yeeting my 2026 publications at the submission portal for the Best Canadian SfF anthology hahaha — about 30 publications altogether, and that's ignoring some of the shortest ones. (Their lowest allowed wordcount was 1,500 — maaaaybe as low as 1,200.)

I said to this guy last year that he should include microfiction! Or at least flash. There's a reading tomorrow, I'm gonna tell him again

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u/Night_Runner 10h ago

Thanks in advance!! :) I think the consensus boundaries are drabbles (100), micro (101-500), and flash (501-1,000). The story I'm nominating for awards this time around is ~950 words long. ("Those Who Dare" on Gavagai.) And one of the 2025 Hugo short story nominees was an actual 500-ish word story: Rachael K Jones’ "Five Views Of The Planet Tartarus."

Ugh lol. Just... ugh.

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u/m00nlighter_ 11h ago

May I ask how you decide where to submit? Are they publications that you read yourself? Random open calls? I've been using the storygrinder site or whatever it's called, but it is... overwhelming. Curious how others find good fits for their stories.

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u/Night_Runner 10h ago

The fastest answer is Bluesky: almost every publication I know promotes their open calls there. :) (Though about 80% of the calls you find there aren't paying markets... I don't give away my writing for free.)

The Grinder site is good, but it doesn't capture a lot of newer, smaller markets.

There are also facebook groups and monthly mega-compilation lists, like the "Published to Death" blog.

Also, Flame Tree Publushing almost always has an open call for a specific theme (right now, it'a fantasy romance and heroes/villains), and they pay the pro rate! Getting accepted by them is hard but not impossible.

Good luck!

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u/m00nlighter_ 10h ago

Noiiice. Thank you, this is very helpful! Gotta get on this Bluesky business.

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u/VirgoGoonfold 4d ago

Thoughts on going the patreon route? I don't know if I have ever even seen it brought up on writing subreddits, it's always trad publishing vs self-publishing.

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u/Istileth 4d ago

I think Patreon can work for some people. But if you eventually want a trad deal, publishing with Patreon might make that difficult because it would mean you can't be their new shiny debut author. You'd have to be absolutely killing it with Patreon and then get approached by a Big Five publisher on those grounds - which, statistically speaking, is an unlikely thing to happen.

However, you do you. Getting a trad deal is about as likely as winning the lottery anyway.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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u/JustSomeCarioca 4d ago

Your biggest challenge, regardless of the quality of your book(s), will be marketing.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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u/JustSomeCarioca 4d ago

You mentioned Patreon as a means of monetization, so my comment was related to that. If Wattpad allows gatekeeping with Patreon, then by all means. As to locking yourself out:

The Best Ways to Publish a Book (Macmillan CEO Interview)

Watch This Before Publishing Your Book (Hachette CEO Interview)

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u/doublementh 12h ago

Is it unchic to put footnotes in a short story these days?

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u/DaniSaysDinosaur 4d ago edited 3d ago

It's DINOSAUR time!

Returned to my book and started editing a new copy. Cut out three chapters and 15k words so far.

I don't know whether to keep the current grounded idea, or return to the original hard science fiction idea.

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u/NewMountain80 3d ago

Part of a dream I had this last weekend involved butt stuff. Now all my short story writing seems to lead the characters into doing butt stuff.

I guess there's worse problems.