(Cover art by Duncan Fegredo)
On the grounds that I have a better idea of what's going on, I'm about to launch that story again. Let's see what happens.
[EDIT: 1302 words as of 10:59, one scene with too much dialogue and not enough physical description.]
[First sentence, for consideration:
"Shuttling along with the crass, impeccable body language of a silent film star, the brown-blotched salamander touched window pane for one tick of the big clock before fingers deathly in need of a manicure peeled it off."]