Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?

I spent quite a long while today finishing another Iron Maiden story to send to Cobblestone Press. (They seem to like them, and I like writing them, so....) The main reason I spent so much time on it today, though, was to reach my goal of getting two stories completed and in the mail this week--and that was the second one.

The first story, "Reunion", is a short short. About 1900 words. Not a flashfic, but much shorter than most of the stuff I've written of late. I like it. My lovely and talented wife likes it.

Tomorrow the cycle starts all over again, with a goal of getting two stories written. However, November is now less than a month away. I'm going to participate in Nanowrimo this year--for the first time ever--so next month I'll be scaling back to one short story a week plus work on the novel.

I'm in the market for a first reader. While my lovely and talented wife has been serving that purpose, I think it would do me good to see if I can find at least one more. She admits that she may not be critical enough for the purpose, though that's not necessarily true--and if it was, not insoluble. I may need to learn how to ask questions of her, to draw out her reactions to my stories.

Still--what am I looking for in a first reader? Allow me to crib from Dean Wesley Smith's blog:

– A first reader reads your story when you feel it is ready to go out to an editor. (Never before.)

– A first reader reads for pleasure to see how the story works to a general reader.

– A first reader stops the author from mailing a story that might be wrong in execution or too many craft issues.

– Some first readers copyedit a manuscript, but not a critical feature of first reading....

So, what makes a good first reader?

— The good first reader must understand and like your style and voice.

— The good first reader must look forward to reading your next story.

— The good first reader must be able to stand up to you and tell you a story doesn’t work, and exactly why, when given the chance to explain. And must be as excited for you as you are when a story really works.

— The good first reader does not have to be a writer, but must love reading.

— The good first reader must not have any agenda of their own to place on your work.

So there you have it. I'll add that I'd also want someone who can read it and get back to me fast.

Stories in Circulation: 14
Rejections: 15
Stories Accepted: TWO!