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Holy moly! The end of this semester crept up much faster than I was anticipating it to. I did a few polishing touches on my website (changing the home button to link to the portfolio) and I’ve got a plan to continue writing on a schedule when I’m not submitting fiction as assignments. Moving forward, I plan to:

• remove my legal name from the site so it’s completely under my pen name
• continue writing and posting flash fiction on Tumblr and Ko-Fi
• maintain my beginning relationship with Duck Prints Press
• Edit a story from my intro workshop and submit it to a literary magazine that focuses on dark speculative fiction
• submit my long piece from my senior seminar to Apparition Lit
• adapt a short story into a longer format, perhaps a novella or novel?

Writing fiction professionally is a beast that I don’t think I’ve been adequately prepared for, but I’m starting to learn more about the process and how to get myself paid for my art without forcing myself to do things I’m not passionate about.

Without further ado, here is my portfolio and other places where my writing can be accessed:

V.Z. Addams Writing

V.Z. Addams on Ko-Fi

V.Z. Addams on Tumblr

I’ve gotten to the point in this process where more and more of my work is happening behind-the-scenes. I’m really happy with how my website is looking at the current moment. There isn’t anything I feel like I want to add. It’s more about generating content and connecting all the platforms I utilize.

This week, I have:

• created a Tumblr page specifically for hosting writing and connecting with the writer community there
• opened connections with Duck Prints Press, a small publisher based in the Albany area of NYS, starting as a reviewer in their Advance Reader Program and signing up for calls for new writers
• brainstormed ideas for Ko-Fi, including weekly flash fiction and book reviews for everyone, and early access to short stories whenever they come out for supporters
• wrote a piece of flash fiction for the previously mentioned weekly submission
• added a link to my Tumblr flash fiction to my website
• continued edits for my Apparition Lit submission

Next week, I plan to:

• finish edits for my Apparition Lit submission and send it back to Critique Circle for more feedback
• begin reading the first ARC I have access to through Duck Prints Press
• write and post my flash fiction for the next week
• revisit pieces from earlier in college and pick one to edit
• update my website so that the home page button links to what is currently called “portfolio” instead of the index page and remove the portfolio button to reduce confusion

This week, I started by getting two out of the three free stories from my website posted on my Ko-Fi shop. One of the stories on my website is a Christmas story, so I want to wait to post it on Ko-Fi until it’s more seasonally appropriate.

Ko-Fi was incredibly easy to integrate into my website, and I think it looks much better than anything I was going to make on my own. Ko-Fi has widgets to pick from that work in HTML, and they provide the code and tell you where to put it. With very little work, I was able to make a floating widget on my website that allows visitors to tip me without having to leave the site. I think it looks fantastic and adds a level of professionalism that I didn’t think I’d be able to add without the help of Ko-Fi. Additionally, I’ve added a short blurb on my main page and each of my stories suggesting readers tip me, and I’ve added a second drop-down menu to have off-site links.

Finally, I’ve been going through some of my writing and editing. I’ve recently gotten feedback from my peers and through Critique Circle on a short story I plan on submitting to Apparition Lit Magazine once submissions open in mid-May. It’s a magazine that does themed issues, and so this is something I’ve been thinking about and working on for about a month so far. 

Next week, I am going to continue working on editing/rewriting stories and try to brainstorm ways to make my Ko-Fi more robust. What sort of content can I reasonably provide on there regularly? What should be paid and what should be free?

I did it! I currently have three publicly available stories on my website! I found that this was an extremely tedious process. I needed to copy and paste every paragraph individually into the HTML so that it would format properly. Not fun when you’re trying to format dialogue. 

It was difficult for me to sort through all of the things I have written because there’s a lot of it that I like but want to submit for publication, or I want to edit and attempt to submit. I have had to rummage through my work and figure out what I was going to post on my website. I can’t simply post whatever I would like on my portfolio. That generally counts as being published online, even if it was unpaid, and therefore, that work can’t be submitted to most literary magazines.

This week, I’ve also submitted my first story for professional/semi-professional review! It’s a piece of flash fiction, and I submitted it to Factor Four Magazine. They only accept flash fiction of less than 1000 words, and I sincerely hope that I get accepted. 

Next week, I plan on editing some of the pieces that I’ve uncovered while searching through my files and submitting them to other journals that are accepting submissions right now. I also want to try to do some work outside of my portfolio site, like adding information to my relatively new Ko-Fi site. I want to add a blurb to the bottom of each of my stories with a link to my Ko-Fi (maybe in button form?), so hopefully, I can generate tips from readers and start getting a following.

As an English major, I think it goes without saying that I have absolutely zero prior experience with HTML and coding in general. These past two weeks have been a little stressful in that regard. I didn’t want to destroy the website I was trying to create. I have pages of notes from W3Spaces on the basics of HTML as a reference sheet. Writing it down helps me remember how it’s meant to work. It was helpful for me to have the W3Spaces guide. I knew how to look up what I wanted to do, and the examples provided helped me make sure I didn’t completely screw it up. (I’m particularly pleased with myself that I managed to add a link that opened in a new tab rather than in the same tag.)

I also figured that I would take the recommendations to heart. I didn’t make a single change without saving and looking at my site immediately afterward. This came in handy in one instance: I had issues getting the last image to display. I don’t know what I did wrong, so I just removed the element and retyped it. Whatever the problem was, I fixed it.

While I continue to build and customize my website, I don’t want to fiddle too much with the template code. I’m deathly scared of breaking it and not knowing how to fix it. If I can’t figure out what it correlates to on the preview, I don’t want to touch it until I’m more confident in what I’m doing.

This week, I learned how to add images, change text, add links, make those links open in a new tab, and italicize text. In the future, I want to remove the images, particularly the one of myself. I want to focus my website on my writing, the death positivity movement, and what my art has to do with the movement. However, since these elements are important to the assignment, they will stay for the duration of the assignment. I also use a pen name with my writing (V.Z. Addams) that I included in the URL and the page title, but for now, I have my real name on the page. It will get changed.

Next week, I want to learn how to customize the colors and fonts on my site. I also want to get actual content in each of the tabs. The “Resume” section is going to function as a more in-depth version of the “Previous Publications” on the side-bar. I want to provide links for where readers can visit the publication sign. I want the Portfolio to contain previous writing samples. I have no idea how, but I want to make it easy to navigate between pieces rather than by endless scrolling. That may be above my skill level, so it’s more of a distant want rather than a goal. 

I’m realizing that it’s difficult to map what content I have into the website structure needed for this class. My “resume” isn’t a traditional resume, because I’m not seeking a traditional job. I’ll make it work, but I might find myself not getting as many As as I’m used to.

Using AI to advise me on how to make a portfolio is not what I expected I would be doing with my time, yet here I am. Since I am looking into a non-traditional career path, I didn’t anticipate much unique to be shared or to learn anything new.

I asked Bard: ” I want to create a portfolio as a beginner speculative fiction writer. What should be included in my portfolio?”

This is what it gave me:

As a beginner speculative fiction writer, building a portfolio is a great way to showcase your skills and attract potential readers, editors, or literary agents. Here are some key elements to include:

Writing Samples:

• Variety: Showcase your versatility by including pieces from different subgenres within speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, dystopian, etc.). Choose pieces that represent your strongest writing and your preferred subgenres.
• Length: Include a mix of short stories, flash fiction, or excerpts from a novel (if you have one) to demonstrate your ability to handle different formats and pacing.
• Quality: Prioritize polished and edited work. Consider seeking feedback from critique partners or beta readers to ensure your pieces are well-written and error-free.

Additional Content:

• About Me: Briefly introduce yourself, your writing journey, and your inspirations. Highlight any writing-related achievements or experiences, like workshops attended or contests participated in.
• Genre Interests: Specify your preferred subgenres or areas of focus within speculative fiction.
• Testimonials/Reviews: If you have positive feedback from previous publications, workshops, or critique partners, include it with their permission.
• Contact Information: Provide a professional email address or website where potential readers or agents can reach you.

Presentation:

• Platform: Choose a platform to showcase your portfolio, like a dedicated website, social media page, or writing platform like Clippings.me. Make sure it’s user-friendly and accessible.
• Design: Keep the design professional and aesthetically pleasing. Use clear fonts, readable colors, and high-quality images (if applicable).
• Organization: Clearly label your work, including titles, genres, and word counts. Ensure easy navigation for visitors.

Bonus Tips:

• Tailor your portfolio: When submitting your portfolio to specific publications or agents, research their submission guidelines and adjust your content accordingly.
• Stay active: Regularly update your portfolio with new work and achievements.
• Engage with the community: Connect with other speculative fiction writers online and at writers’ groups. Promote your work and exchange feedback.

Remember, your portfolio is a work in progress. Don’t be afraid to start small and build it over time as you improve your writing and gain experience. Good luck!

This is, quite frankly, stuff I already knew. In this field, cover letters are used not to share experiences we have personally had, but rather to share information on the manuscript we are submitting. I didn’t think it would be a useful way to spend time asking Bard how to write a cover letter when it’s less personal and more about hard facts about the piece (word count, genre, etc.). 

The main thing I gathered was that I needed to come up with a way to display my work. This is something that we are going to be doing together as a class, so I’m looking forward to getting that set up. In the past, I’ve considered setting up a dedicated Tumblr blog for my writing, but I think a website is a better way to display and organize my work. 

As for the next steps:

• I set up an account on Critique Circle last week per the recommendation of Bard. It’s been a wonderful resource so far. I want to continue being active there.
• I have written three pieces of flash fiction for my Senior Seminar. I want to send the best of those pieces through Critique Circle to get feedback and polish them up.
• I have to write a longer piece for my seminar. I want to write it ASAP and send it through Critique Circle. After getting feedback from people online and in class, I want to edit and submit it for consideration in Apparition Lit’s 3rd quarter publication for this year, Anachronism.
• I want to get a website set up. I know this is a thing we’re going to do for class, so I’m excited to start.

This week wasn’t nearly as exciting as I was expecting it to be, but I already knew what it was asking me to do. It’s simply a matter of executing those steps.

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