Inside Out

The Ten-Year Season

The Ten-Year Season

 

I have always loved reading and writing. Even at an early age, I spent time writing little stories. I can remember my mother’s frustration each time she found me writing a story instead of completing my homework.

I tried my hand at writing nonfiction years ago when my brother Jack and I wrote, and then published The Winning Edge, a day-to-day account of a college football team’s national championship season. The experience left me with a few observations: first, I found that while I loved writing, nonfiction was not for me—at least not yet; second, I discovered how challenging writing and publishing can be. It’s hard work, but it’s also highly rewarding; third, I learned the value of having a professional editor; and finally, I discovered that writing fiction is what I enjoy because it offers total freedom—you’re not tied to facts or reality. If you want to say that the elephant you’ve created can fly, then it flies! So I limit my writing to works of fiction now. When I had a day job, I’d carve out a little time here and there to write. Now that I’m retired, I treat my writing like a regular job—one that I love waking up to each morning.

Over these many years, I have written more than four hundred short stories, then mercifully tossed most of them in the dumpster because…well, because they weren’t very good. But I have kept fifty or so stories for further editing. I’ve also worked on six novels. I love working on my novels most of all. Writing something that is 300 pages (give or take) gives you enough time and space to build characters and intersperse plots that you simply don’t have in a short story. Short stories are fun, and it there that I experiment with new structures and techniques; but novels provide the most satisfaction.

On the marketing side, I have studied short story publishers and novel agents, and used the research to target publishers and agents, to which I will market my short stories and novels. (A side note: Sun Tzu’s The Art of War has application here as well.)

So I’ve created short stories and novels and prepared marketing processes for publishers and agents, but I haven’t attempted to market any of the stories or novels. Until now.

And that is where the ten-year season comes in.

The Ten-Year Season—starting on May 24, 2024, my 75th birthday—refers to a ten-year writing process that includes two creative and marketing operations. The first covers the creation of short stories and the marketing of five stories per year to targeted short story publishers. The second covers the creation of novels and novellas and their marketing to targeted agents. A Beta Season—the testing of my marketing process—occurred in early 2023.

I realize that the road I’ve chosen is not a recipe for guaranteed success; but it’s mine, so I’ll claim it.

James W. Fried May 24, 2024

What follows is a summary of my portfolio of short stories and novels that will be marketed over the next ten years.

My Short Stories: Creative

Short Stories That Were Published During Beta Testing (2023)

  • Suffering

    Jonah, an investigative reporter, rejects the advances of a woman he admires, then searches for a way to overcome his mistake.

  • Playing Handball Off a Curb (A Noah Ballard Story)

    Noah Ballard’s plan to cut ties with his girlfriend is derailed by an Irish mafia family.

2024 Short Story Submissions

  • Shame

    A candidate for a major corporation’s chairmanship fights to protect his reputation before confronting the ugly truth about himself.

  • A Country Girl Can Survive

    While pursuing a dangerous drug pusher, a deputy sheriff crosses paths with one tough Georgia peach.

  • Surviving an FBI Investigation (Thirty Stages of Paranoia)

    A neurotic man suffers through thirty-two stages of paranoia after convincing himself that he’s under investigation by the FBI.

  • Call Me

    After enjoying a lucrative career as an escort for wealthy women, an aging gigolo must discover a remedy for his lonely Friday nights. 

  • Celebrity Teacher

    A state senator agrees to serve as a substitute teacher during the heat of his re-election campaign and gets a chance to reveal his true character. 

2025 Short Story Submissions

  • Along Michigan Avenue

    A father, whose daughter was killed during the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, is still haunted by her death twenty years later.

  • Options

    A pack of barking dogs outside a man’s bedroom window robs him of sleep until he comes up with a masterful plan to solve the problem.

  • Blue Rock Special (A Noah Ballard Story)

    Noah learns how building a rock fence without applying a proper amount of mortar can lead to consequences never imagined.

  • Then the Rain Came

    A law school student watches his young wife, a health care worker, face the reality of COVID.

  • Keith’s Fine Books

    A dedicated bookseller finally recognizes a friendship that is more important than the fictional characters in his precious books.

2026 Short Story Submissions

  • Mona’s Law

    Mona takes matters into own hands when her boyfriend refuses to change his ways.

  • Rubber Thumbs

    Five mailroom employees must tolerate each other while waiting to hear which one has been named director of the company’s new Department of Technology.

  • Safe House (A Noah Ballard Story)

    Noah visits the one place that provides him relief from the pressure of his job.

  • Phone

    A career-driven couple responds to a life-altering event in different ways.

  • Mr. Borlin’s Shadow

    An elementary school teacher learns a lesson about the value of life’s little things.

2027 Short Story Submissions

  • Around the World (A Noah Ballard Story)

    Noah’s ski trip fantasy game becomes a nightmare when his wife learns the truth he’s trying to hide.

  • The Last Train

    A soon-to-be lawyer questions his choice of professions when the judge he most admires reveals some serious personal problems.

  • The Road to Laredo

    A strange couple’s trip to Laredo includes a detour on a road that never ends.

  • Tenure

    A burned-out community college teacher struggles to overcome his personal distaste for a mouthy student as he decides on an exam grade.

  • Katie

    The sudden appearance of a missing woman creates a dilemma for the man who has been anxiously searching for her.

2028 Short Story Submissions

  • Star Struck

    A woman obsessed with Hollywood must reevaluate her opinion of celebrities when she meets two stars in the flesh.

  • Suffocation (A Noah Ballard Story)

    Noah takes a hard look at his current life situation when deciding what he wants his future to look like.

  • GoldenRod

    A female workaholic seeks the aid of a young escort as she searches for a diversion from the hectic pace of her everyday life.

  • Riding the Clouds (A Noah Ballard Story)

    Noah has a curious conversation with a stranger on the day of his father’s death.

  • The Secret (A Noah Ballard Story)

    A woman’s secret includes whatever is in the trunk of Noah’s car.

2029 Short Story Submissions

  • A New Star in Heaven Tonight

    A one-sided conversation between a mother and her daughter releases a flood of unexpected emotions.

  • Unintended Consequences

    A seemingly innocent conversation between an executive and his young assistant about her pending marriage results in an outcome neither one could have predicted.

  • Too Many Rivers

    Hearing another one-liner from an old flame is more than a woman can take.

  • Wide Awake & Clear-eyed

    You’ve been in a fog: lost but now you’re found; blind but now you see.

  • Lone Wolf (A Noah Ballard Story)

    Noah searches for the meaning of life—as well as a little entertainment—while trying to survive another boring political reception.

2030 Short Story Submissions

  • Passing the Bucks

    There’s a deal to be made and cash to be passed around, but two FBI agents are getting cold feet.

  • Wired for Sound

    Two federal agents, searching for a man who is always one step ahead, make a discovery at a local artistic studio.

  • Turning on the Lights

    A man, a woman, a bottle, and a confession start a process that takes an unexpected turn.

  • House of Pies and Pastries

    The owner of a large pie and pastry company is riding high after giving a tour of her workplace to potential investors, but then a phone call changes everything. 

  • Thomas

    Thomas is confronted by a gorilla of a man who is not there for a pleasant conversation.

2031 Short Story Submissions

  • The Bastards Are Up to Something

    All he wants is to build a casino, but a man with a barrel of ink is in his way.

  • “I’ll Kill Him with My Own Hands”

    A newspaper editor’s decision to publish a tough story unleashes his own personal  nightmare.

  • A Bleak Christmas

    A woman spends the holidays with her partner, but the Spirit of Christmas passes her by.

  • The Tumbleweeds

    An attorney for a minor league basketball team proposes a strange solution to an old problem.

  • The Chief (A Noah Ballard Story)

    A visit to a friendly powerful tribal chief causes Noah to consider his roots.

2032 Short Story Submissions

  • A Biscuit for a Brain

    A burned-out lobbyist shows his contempt for the modern-day politician.

  • Baiting the Trap

    A female police officer has a chance to prove her worth, but a long-time rival has other ideas.

  • Death List

    An old man’s ability to accurately predict the date of his fellow nursing home residents’ deaths is not appreciated by everyone.

  • Christian Soldier

    A devout church-going woman finds salvation from the man in the pulpit.

  • Butterbutts

    A sweet young woman slides into a temporary zone of sleaze.

2033 Short Story Submissions

  • Power Grab

    A son’s challenge to his father for control of the family empire creates chaos that he can’t control.

  • Red Jeep

    A successful businessman enjoys a sterling reputation in the community until his secret ambition comes to the surface.

  • Junior

    A corrupt city leader faces the challenge of his life.

  • Invasion of the Greenies (A Noah Ballard Story)

    Noah’s quiet day at the State Capitol is interrupted by a throng of crazies and a few normal types, too.

  • Come Away with Me

    A frustrated man visits his favorite porn site and finds a surprise waiting for him.

2034 Short Story Submissions

  • Sausage Machine

    A lobbyist talks to a group of students about the making of sausage.

  • Hooked Horns (A Noah Ballard Story)

    Noah’s trip to a big football rivalry game comes with an unwanted intrusion.

  • A Settling of Accounts

    When a man receives a late-night visit from an uninvited guest, his world is turned upside down.

  • Larcenist Pockets Little League Tourney

    The coach of a little league team is in for a surprise when his team plays in a championship tournament.

My Short Stories: Marketing

Short Story Submissions (five submission months)

Five initial stories submitted to five short story publisher tranches and rotated in February, April, June, September, and November 2024. 2) Five short stories submitted to five short story publisher tranches and rotated in January, March, May, September, and November of each year beginning in January 2025.

My Novels: Creative

2025 Novel

(Submission begins in February of 2025)

    • The Fight for Misery Mountain

      Julian Rose, a frustrated investigative reporter, finds the big story he’s been looking for in a West Virginia Energy War, but what he really wants is to get his old flame back.

2027 Novel

(Submission begins in February of 2027)

    • Love or Death (Jordan Foxx Series)

      Jordan Foxx and Olivia “Ollie” Doucette have the perfect marriage until their opposing positions on two crucial social issues turns personal.

2029 Novel

(Submission begins in February of 2029)

    • Naples Nights (Jordan Foxx Series)

      Jordan loses Ollie and Taylee loses David, and then they’re surprised by what they find.

2031 Novel

(Submission begins in February of 2031)

    • Fine Lines (Jordan Foxx Series)

      Jordan and Taylee are haunted by dead spouses that have points to make.

2033 Novel

(Submission begins in February of 2033)

    • The Sausage Maker

      A young advocate of liberal causes matures, and her newfound beliefs put her older and younger selves at odds with one another.

2035 Novel

(Submission begins in February of 2035)

    • The Mighty Race

      "Freddie Twice,” an aspiring new minority mayor, discovers that pleasing everyone is not as easy as he imagined.

My Novella

    • Collateral Damage

      (Submission date TBD)

      Sometimes the best laid plans fall apart, and the innocent suffer the consequences.

My Novels: Marketing

    • Novel Query Submissions

      (Four novel query submission months)

      Agent queries submitted and rotated to four tranches in February, April, October, and December of each year beginning in February 2025.