Hilary Moon Murphy

New Year's Resolutions

I just heard from Eric Heidemann at Tales of the Unanticipated. I've just sold "The Grand Cheat" to him! Two story sales in a month. What is the world coming to?

But this means that it is imperative that I get off my butt, revise the stories that need revising and finish "This space intentionally left blank" and the fantasy chess story that I have in the works. Oh yeah. And write my chimp story too. I finally have enough research on that one to go ahead, but I've been procrastinating. If I don't have stories written, I can't sell them while there is still wind in my sails.

My Resolutions for 2002:

• Continue to work out and exercise.

• Continue to be a good parent to Cassie, and a good spouse to Andrew.

• Pick up house clutter every day. (This is a joint resolution with my spouse. We're both slobs.)

• Sell enough stories in 2002 to get my SFWA credentials.

It's only the last resolution that is an actual challenge. I mean to earn my SFWA membership, and soon. SFWA is the professional SF writers organization. To get SFWA membership, I need three story sales (or one novel sale) to pro markets. Tales of the Unanticipated does not count because they publish only once a year. In a Nutshell does not count because they have not found a publisher for the anthology yet. However, they've said that they would be willing to take second rights for "Carol in the Garden" so I'm now marketing that story elsewhere.

My sale to Realms of Fantasy does count, but this leaves me with two pro story sales to collect by the end of the year. I think I can do it, if I get all my stories out into circulation.

Why do I want to join SFWA? It's a good goal. I like that one has to earn membership through actual fiction sales, so partly I'm doing this for the prestige of it all. Getting SFWA would be a tangible marker -- validation that I am no longer a wannabe.

Plus, I'd be supporting the organization that lobbies for higher story pay rates and better rights for SF writers, and I'd get a bunch of SF books free every year come Nebula season. (Publishers will send likely Nebula candidates to every SFWA member, because only active SFWA members can vote on the Nebula awards.)

"I thought that you wanted to get into SFWA for the parties." My muse, Ganpati-Baba, has appeared, settling his full hefty weight on my desk and scattering the papers that collected there to the floor. He looks down at where they have fallen. "You know, that would not happen if you filed them and put them away."

"I don't have any M & Ms for you," I tell him as I lean over to pick up the papers. "Perhaps you should go have an apple. Upstairs."

"You don't have any new stories for me, either," he says. "I can forgive the lack of sweets, but stories... They have true sustenance. You have not fed me a good story in a long time."

Then he crosses two of his four arms and gives me a probing stare. "Why are you ignoring my point about the parties?"

Okay. I admit it.

Partly I'm doing this because I want to get into parties in the SFWA suite at conventions -- not that I haven't managed to wrangle a "SFWA guest" pass at every convention I've attended, but it would be nice to get into the suite on the merits of my writing rather than my charm. And it would be nice to be able to bring in my own guests too.

"Partly?" Ganpati snorts. "Doesn't this have just as much or more to do with it than the prestige? Then again, receiving a double reward should just encourage you that much more."

"It probably would," I say to him.

"Maybe you'll even finish that Chess story of yours," he adds hopefully. "Or at least get the silly Chicken Boy story out. You've done most of the rewrite, what are you waiting for?"

My muse disappears, and my office seems darker and chillier in his absence. I realize that he's right. I have not fed him a good story in quite a long time. We will both be better for it when I do.

So, why am I writing this when I should be finishing the polish on Chicken Boy? Because I'm lazy. And it's hard to crack the whip on oneself. Nag me, will you?

Hmm