Sometimes the links I find don't fit together very well, but still, they're great articles that should be passed along.
Via Lee Goldberg's blog is this piece about self-publishing by Amanda Hocking. http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/2011/03/some-things-that-need-to-be-said.html Finally, someone who's not afraid to splash a little cold water on the flames of self-publishing giddiness that's running rampant.
Over at Book Life Now, Scott Nicholson has an interesting piece on freelancing. http://booklifenow.com/2011/03/artistic-financial-sense-scott-nicholson-on-freelancing-2/
From Brian Lindenmuth we have a great article about writing from a most unusual source. http://www.utne.com/Great-Writing/The-Art-Of-The-Police-Report.aspx
And finally if you're a Richard Matheson fan and have an mp3 player or can get your computer to play podcasts better than mine, there's an interview with Mr. Matheson here http://bookotron.com/agony/audio/2011/2011-interviews/richard_matheson-2011.mp3
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Just Curious
I hear a lot of writers talk about how supporting their spouses or significant others are about their writing time, but I'm sure there are quite a few who don't have that kind of support system. How do you deal with trying to find the time to write vs making your family happy?
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Old Proverbs Story Cupboard
We haven't done a story cupboard post in a while and in remembering an old sign I read from many years ago, "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get", I thought why not use old sayings for an idea starter? I was thinking that noir would be a suitable genre for that particular quote. Kind of like digging your own grave in a way. Ah...there's another one.
So where do you find all these old sayings, you ask? Well right here http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/proverb.html And here are a few to get you started.
"Evil is sooner believed than good." You know how that works, the evil guy is always so smooth and charming and the good guy comes off as a fool.
"Feather by feather the goose can be plucked." A neat way to seek revenge, don't you think? Think along the lines of one small razor slash or pinprick at a time. Painful in such a way that the person being plucked will be begging you to hurry up and be done.
"Anger without power is folly." Make sure you can take the bad guy before you try to match wits with him. Rich vs poor, old vs young, father vs son, there's any number of combinations of characters that fit into this one.
"An enemy will agree but a friend will argue." of course, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." would be a nice fit in this scenario. Three characters trapped in a room or a building, maybe the cops or a madman outside. How did they get in this situation and who do they trust?
"Every ass loves to hear himself bray." Now that one is a dandy base for great humorous character.
Yes, the sayings are old, but if you think of them in terms of our world today, they can spark an idea to get you started.
So where do you find all these old sayings, you ask? Well right here http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/proverb.html And here are a few to get you started.
"Evil is sooner believed than good." You know how that works, the evil guy is always so smooth and charming and the good guy comes off as a fool.
"Feather by feather the goose can be plucked." A neat way to seek revenge, don't you think? Think along the lines of one small razor slash or pinprick at a time. Painful in such a way that the person being plucked will be begging you to hurry up and be done.
"Anger without power is folly." Make sure you can take the bad guy before you try to match wits with him. Rich vs poor, old vs young, father vs son, there's any number of combinations of characters that fit into this one.
"An enemy will agree but a friend will argue." of course, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." would be a nice fit in this scenario. Three characters trapped in a room or a building, maybe the cops or a madman outside. How did they get in this situation and who do they trust?
"Every ass loves to hear himself bray." Now that one is a dandy base for great humorous character.
Yes, the sayings are old, but if you think of them in terms of our world today, they can spark an idea to get you started.
Dark Valentine
News from editor, Katherine Tomlinson, the spring issue of Dark Valentine has hit the virtual streets. http://darkvalentine.net/index.php/2011/03/rites-of-spring/ DV is also open for submissions for their summer/anniversary issue. May 6 is the deadline, but they close early if all the slots are full.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Derringer Award Finalists
Okay, I'm cheating here tonight because blogger is being a pain in my butt. The complete list of Derringer finalists can be found here http://shortmystery.blogspot.com/2011/03/2011-smfs-derringer-award-finalists.html
It's great to see online stories from Dark Valentine, Powder Burn Flash, Beat to a Pulp, Yellow Mama, and A Twist of Noir on the list along with so many friends of the Corner. Congratulations to all the nominees and good luck!! We're doing a giant sized Snoopy Dance for all of you tonight!
It's great to see online stories from Dark Valentine, Powder Burn Flash, Beat to a Pulp, Yellow Mama, and A Twist of Noir on the list along with so many friends of the Corner. Congratulations to all the nominees and good luck!! We're doing a giant sized Snoopy Dance for all of you tonight!
Black Heart Magazine
Black Heart Magazine has a call out for stories for a special noir issue which wil be guest edited by Jimmy Callaway. The deadline is April 30 and they're looking for flash pieces up to 800 words along with poetry and artwork. Submissions are via submishmash. This is a non-paying market. http://blackheartmagazine.com/2011/03/02/black-hearts-noir-issue/
A big tip of the hat to Brian Lindenmuth who supplied the link!!
A big tip of the hat to Brian Lindenmuth who supplied the link!!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Market Day!
It's the first of the month again and there's a whole bunch of markets open for your submitting pleasure. You can find the long list here at Duotrope http://www.duotrope.com/recentupdates.aspx Of interest to most of the writers who stop by the Corner are
Shroud which is only open for two months each year, March 1 to April 30 http://www.shroudmagazine.com/info.html
Bete Noire will be open from March 1 to the 31 http://www.betenoiremagazine.com/magazineguidelines.htm
Big Pulp is also open for one month. This online zine has switched over to print http://www.bigpulp.com/submissions/submissions.html
CrimeSpree is one month also http://www.crimespreemag.com
ChiZine is open for the month also. They're looking for dark stories up to 4000 words with pro payment of 7cents a word. They're also revamping their site. http://www.chizine.com/submissions_fiction.htm
For our flash writers we have FlashQuake http://www.flashquake.org and Wigleaf http://www.wigleaf.com open for the month also.
Happy write/submit days to everyone!
Shroud which is only open for two months each year, March 1 to April 30 http://www.shroudmagazine.com/info.html
Bete Noire will be open from March 1 to the 31 http://www.betenoiremagazine.com/magazineguidelines.htm
Big Pulp is also open for one month. This online zine has switched over to print http://www.bigpulp.com/submissions/submissions.html
CrimeSpree is one month also http://www.crimespreemag.com
ChiZine is open for the month also. They're looking for dark stories up to 4000 words with pro payment of 7cents a word. They're also revamping their site. http://www.chizine.com/submissions_fiction.htm
For our flash writers we have FlashQuake http://www.flashquake.org and Wigleaf http://www.wigleaf.com open for the month also.
Happy write/submit days to everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)