[stylist] Catching up...

[Kerry Thompson]

Hello friends.

Tami,

you may only send multiple or simultaneous submissions to markets that specifically say in their guidelines that doing so is acceptable. Not many markets allow this. I don't know about dire consequences, but following writers guidelines is courteous and professional. Use the wait times to work on other projects.

JC,

Chapter breaks seem to me to be a largely individual thing. yes, often a new chapter indicates a change of some kind; a new viewpoint character, a new timeframe, a new physical locale. Sometimes, though, chapter divisions occur for suttler reasons. For instance, a chapter break may emphasize a point or a minor cliffhanger. Or, it may simply be convenient for the author and the reader to have somewhat smaller chunks of material to deal with.

In a project of my own, for instance, a certain chapter break transitions from the present of the story to a flashback. But, within this particular  flashback section there are three chapters. No particular reason for three rather than four or two, I suppose, other than that each chapter contains or circumscribes a particular action or related set of actions.

While there are sometimes section breaks in short stories, usually chapter breaks occur only in longer form works, such as novellas and novels. Breaks in a short work are usually too fussy and distracting.

As to editing while composing: I sometimes proofread and edit while composing, which can get to be kind of annoying. Sometimes I get so caught up in geting this sentence just right that I forget what the next sentence was going to be. More often though I do what many others here have mentioned, that is write till the steem runs down and then tidy up while waiting for it to build up again.

Ahem. If you all would care to indulge me in a little shameless selfpromotion... Pleas visit my poetry spot (http://ketpoetry.blogspot.com) and fiction spot (http://ketfiction.blogspot.com). At the latter there is one story, "The Lady of the Stars," which is not quite finished, but has an  anomaly which I have yet to find a satisfactory solution for. Still, overall, the tale is in pretty good shape. At the bottome of the righthand sidebar of both blog sites you'll find links to my larger works in progress, "A Very Dragon Christmas" and "Bronte Sinclair's Island (working title. I do need to find a better title). All of these blog sites allow commenting. So, please feel free, if you visit, to comment.

One more thing: Helene, your story, novel that is, sounds fascinating! When you have some chapters roughed out, I'd love to see them, either online or via e-mail.

Solidarity and Peace,
Kerry