Best damn advice I've read about those rejection slips yet!
http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2010/07/30/staple-your-rejections-to-your-chest-and-wade-into-battle-with-them-as-your-armor/
I had visions of Braveheart racing through my brain when I read this - you can write or die peacefully in your bed wishing you'd been brave enough to wield that keyboard into battle.
Oh yeah, it's Chuck Wendig, so the usual language cautions apply :)
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Crimefactory News
Issue #4 of Crimefactory has hit the virtual streets with shorts by Allan Guthrie, Scott Wolven, Graham Powell and others. Along with the shorts you'll find the usual reviews and interviews. http://www.crimefactoryzine.com/main/HOME.html
Crimefactory is also holding a contest. The theme is "Sad Janitor", with a maximum word count of 1500 and the deadline is August 20. You can find all the details at http://bloodyknucklescallusedfingertips.blogspot.com/2010/07/crimefactory-sad-janitor-contest.html
Crimefactory is also holding a contest. The theme is "Sad Janitor", with a maximum word count of 1500 and the deadline is August 20. You can find all the details at http://bloodyknucklescallusedfingertips.blogspot.com/2010/07/crimefactory-sad-janitor-contest.html
Friday, July 30, 2010
Courtesy of Brian
With thanks to Brian Lindenmuth, we have a trio of interesting blog essays today.
The first is by Rachael Gardner about "Managing Expectations" http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/07/managing-expectations.html It's always easy to blame others when things don't go as expected but then, what in life ever goes as planned?
Conjugate Visits is a new blog to me and it's filled with posts about editing. This one shows how this editor would have edited the first page of Steig Larsson's "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", which would have been a much easier read with a bit of editing to pare it down ( my opinion ). http://conjugatevisits.blogspot.com/2010/07/more-parsing-larsson-querying-great.html
And it's always interesting to read writing advice, even if we don't use everything that comes our way. http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2010/07/mind-meld-the-best-writing-advice-i-ever-received/
Over at the Book View Cafe, Phyllis Radford, takes a look at short vs long from her own perspective of trying to write short stories. http://blog.bookviewcafe.com/2010/07/29/so-you-want-to-commit-novel-9-short-vs-long/
The first is by Rachael Gardner about "Managing Expectations" http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/07/managing-expectations.html It's always easy to blame others when things don't go as expected but then, what in life ever goes as planned?
Conjugate Visits is a new blog to me and it's filled with posts about editing. This one shows how this editor would have edited the first page of Steig Larsson's "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", which would have been a much easier read with a bit of editing to pare it down ( my opinion ). http://conjugatevisits.blogspot.com/2010/07/more-parsing-larsson-querying-great.html
And it's always interesting to read writing advice, even if we don't use everything that comes our way. http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2010/07/mind-meld-the-best-writing-advice-i-ever-received/
Over at the Book View Cafe, Phyllis Radford, takes a look at short vs long from her own perspective of trying to write short stories. http://blog.bookviewcafe.com/2010/07/29/so-you-want-to-commit-novel-9-short-vs-long/
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tension
Yes, I'm writing two posts today because this one doesn't have any links but it might start a nice discussion.
I read an essay last night called "Stepping Into the Shadows" by Charles L. Grant. He was writing about dark fantasy and how to create tension. It's a very cool example.
"Consider a thunderstorm. Watching the sky darken, watching the clouds move in, listening to the thunder working over the horizon, seeing the lightning flare over the tops of far trees--all this creates tension. The air changes, the wind changes, the light changes. You can feel a storm. You know it's coming your way. And there isn't a damn thing you can do about it.
That's tension, and that's what you want to inflict the reader with. That's what you have to create if you want the reader to feel that chill.
If all hell breaks loose right away, from the opening paragraph, from the opening scene, what's left? Not much, because sooner or later the reader gets used to it; and once that happens, the storm loses all its power."
This goes against everything we're being told about writing stories. That first rule that says you have to jump straight into the action, that you can't let the reader take a breath, that you have to keep pounding away to keep the reader involved. And yet, what Mr. Grant says makes perfect sense, and not just for horror or fantasy, but for everything you write. Every story needs tension, but wouldn't building that tension gradually be better for the story than just jumping from one tense scene to the next?
I read an essay last night called "Stepping Into the Shadows" by Charles L. Grant. He was writing about dark fantasy and how to create tension. It's a very cool example.
"Consider a thunderstorm. Watching the sky darken, watching the clouds move in, listening to the thunder working over the horizon, seeing the lightning flare over the tops of far trees--all this creates tension. The air changes, the wind changes, the light changes. You can feel a storm. You know it's coming your way. And there isn't a damn thing you can do about it.
That's tension, and that's what you want to inflict the reader with. That's what you have to create if you want the reader to feel that chill.
If all hell breaks loose right away, from the opening paragraph, from the opening scene, what's left? Not much, because sooner or later the reader gets used to it; and once that happens, the storm loses all its power."
This goes against everything we're being told about writing stories. That first rule that says you have to jump straight into the action, that you can't let the reader take a breath, that you have to keep pounding away to keep the reader involved. And yet, what Mr. Grant says makes perfect sense, and not just for horror or fantasy, but for everything you write. Every story needs tension, but wouldn't building that tension gradually be better for the story than just jumping from one tense scene to the next?
A Bit of Everything
This is one of those posts where there's a little bit of everything. First up is a link that the lovely Michael Bracken emailed me yesterday, which piggy-backs nicely with Jim Hines essay from yesterday. http://angelaslatter.com/2009/04/09/your-writing-is-not-you-%e2%80%93-or-how-to-interpretdeal-with-writerly-rejections/
Shroud magazine is getting ready to launch their online edition called Shroud DE. You can get a free copy delivered straight to your inbox by signing up their newsletter. They're also looking for column, art, photography, or poetry ideas for the new zine, and they're asking potential contributors to send them a pitch. Oh, and there's payment involved! You can find all the details at http://shroudpublishing.blogspot.com/2010/07/shroud-de-get-it-for-free-and-call-for.html
For fans of Bill Pronzini's Nameless character, there's a new interview with Bill up at the Big Adios where he talks about his new book and Nameless. http://thebigadios.yuku.com/topic/1223/t/Bill-Pronzini-7-19-10.html
There's a great essay, by Will Hindmarch, over at Ecstatic Days about writing fight scenes. While his examples are about fighting with swords, the basic mechanics will work for any type of fight scene. He's included a list of authors to read and many of those suggested authors who write great fight scenes come from the mystery genre. You'll find the essay here http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/2010/07/27/writing-fighting
I'm thinking that maybe the zine, Storyglossia, has closed their doors permanently. The last issue was posted in February which is when they closed to submissions, plus their blog hasn't been updated since December. Anyone know for sure?
Shroud magazine is getting ready to launch their online edition called Shroud DE. You can get a free copy delivered straight to your inbox by signing up their newsletter. They're also looking for column, art, photography, or poetry ideas for the new zine, and they're asking potential contributors to send them a pitch. Oh, and there's payment involved! You can find all the details at http://shroudpublishing.blogspot.com/2010/07/shroud-de-get-it-for-free-and-call-for.html
For fans of Bill Pronzini's Nameless character, there's a new interview with Bill up at the Big Adios where he talks about his new book and Nameless. http://thebigadios.yuku.com/topic/1223/t/Bill-Pronzini-7-19-10.html
There's a great essay, by Will Hindmarch, over at Ecstatic Days about writing fight scenes. While his examples are about fighting with swords, the basic mechanics will work for any type of fight scene. He's included a list of authors to read and many of those suggested authors who write great fight scenes come from the mystery genre. You'll find the essay here http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/2010/07/27/writing-fighting
I'm thinking that maybe the zine, Storyglossia, has closed their doors permanently. The last issue was posted in February which is when they closed to submissions, plus their blog hasn't been updated since December. Anyone know for sure?
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Writing Life
Sometimes we writers just need to know that we're not alone, we're not the only ones in this crazy business getting the crap beat out of us, via reviews, critiques and rejections, as we try to climb the writing ladder. Jim C. Hines has an excellent essay about "Taking the Hit" on his blog that puts all the pain into perspective. http://www.jimchines.com/2010/07/taking-the-hit/
There's a great country song I listen to that has a grown man writing a letter to his younger self, sorry the title and artist escapes me at the moment, so when Brian Lindenmuth sent me this link to a writer who's written a letter to his younger self, I chuckled and just kept nodding my head yes to all the great advice. http://antoinewilson.com/?p=776 And wouldn't it be nice if we could write our younger selves a letter? I wonder what we'd tell ourselves.
The song is "Letter to Me" by Brad Paisley. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ3bn7V0zdU
Over at Tor.com there's a great essay by L.A. Banks. The title says the piece is about writing paranormals, but in reality it's a humorous look at the writing life and I found myself laughing my butt off as I read the piece. For your morning chuckles http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/07/writing-the-paranormal
Flash Fiction Chronicles is a great blog with loads of good writing advice. I have a link to it over there on the left. One of the essays that caught my eye today was by Jacqueline Vick, and it's about "Growing a Novel from Short Stories" http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog/growing-a-novel-from-short-stories-2/
At the bottom of the essay, she's also included three markets for novella length fiction.
And last, The Literary Hatchet is open for submissions until September 1 for their October issue. They're looking for dark stories in the horror, mystery/crime and suspense/thriller genres. This is a twice a year pdf publication. They're looking for shorts of 500 to 3000 words, the payment is $15. They're also looking for artwork, poetry, and humor pieces. You can find all the details at http://www.hatchetonline.com/HatchetOnline/LiteraryHatchet/submissions.htm
The subtitle for this zine is Lizzie Borden's journal of murder, mystery and Victorian history, so that will give a pretty good idea of what they're looking for. Plus, they've been publishing since 2004 so there's plenty of back issues to check out. Also if you click on the extras link at the top of the page you will find a link to a looong list of horror magazines.
There's a great country song I listen to that has a grown man writing a letter to his younger self, sorry the title and artist escapes me at the moment, so when Brian Lindenmuth sent me this link to a writer who's written a letter to his younger self, I chuckled and just kept nodding my head yes to all the great advice. http://antoinewilson.com/?p=776 And wouldn't it be nice if we could write our younger selves a letter? I wonder what we'd tell ourselves.
The song is "Letter to Me" by Brad Paisley. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ3bn7V0zdU
Over at Tor.com there's a great essay by L.A. Banks. The title says the piece is about writing paranormals, but in reality it's a humorous look at the writing life and I found myself laughing my butt off as I read the piece. For your morning chuckles http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/07/writing-the-paranormal
Flash Fiction Chronicles is a great blog with loads of good writing advice. I have a link to it over there on the left. One of the essays that caught my eye today was by Jacqueline Vick, and it's about "Growing a Novel from Short Stories" http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog/growing-a-novel-from-short-stories-2/
At the bottom of the essay, she's also included three markets for novella length fiction.
And last, The Literary Hatchet is open for submissions until September 1 for their October issue. They're looking for dark stories in the horror, mystery/crime and suspense/thriller genres. This is a twice a year pdf publication. They're looking for shorts of 500 to 3000 words, the payment is $15. They're also looking for artwork, poetry, and humor pieces. You can find all the details at http://www.hatchetonline.com/HatchetOnline/LiteraryHatchet/submissions.htm
The subtitle for this zine is Lizzie Borden's journal of murder, mystery and Victorian history, so that will give a pretty good idea of what they're looking for. Plus, they've been publishing since 2004 so there's plenty of back issues to check out. Also if you click on the extras link at the top of the page you will find a link to a looong list of horror magazines.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Anthology Calls
I found a few anthology calls this morning that might be of interest. I will admit that this first one I'm posting because I immediately thought of Paul Brazill who is British and living in Poland but then I realized that many of you are living in countries not your own. "Writers Abroad" is open to writers living abroad. They're looking for stories up to 2500 words on any aspect of the Expat life, also flash to 500 words. The anthology will be published in November to coincide with short story week in the UK. I couldn't find any mention of payment. You can find all the details at http://www.writersabroad.spruz.com/
Rogue Blades has three anthology calls listed on their site. http://www.roguebladesentertainment.com/submissions They're looking for heroic adventure fiction with a New Xtreme edge.
The first call is for "Assassins" with a November 30 deadline but they will close when filled though with a promise to stay open until October 1. They're looking for stories of 2500 to 5500 words with payment of $30 plus 2 copies. To submit you send only the first 500 words, then they'll let you know if they want to see more.
The second call is a competition called "Discovery" with a September 1 deadline. You must use the title and the posted picture to create your story. Be aware that there is a $10 fee and if they don't get 30 entries, the competition will be canceled.
The third is called "Heroicologies". I didn't see any payment listed and they seem to be looking for reprints not original stories plus they say there will be no editing for this one.
I have to admit that the last two calls (from Rogue Blades, not to be confused with the next two) don't impress me much. If you're interested in any of these, be sure to proceed with the same caution as you would approach any market. Always remember that all markets are not created equal.
E-book publisher Samhain Publishing has a call out for a Springtime "Just Romance" anthology to be published in 2011. They're looking for novellas from 20,000 to 25,000 words with a November 1 deadline. This is a royalty paying market. And the romance doesn't have to be strictly boy/girl. Be aware that Samhain is an erotica market but this call is NOT for erotica. You can find all the details at http://www.samhainpublishing.com/submissions#spring
The last call is from the Gulf Coast Writers Association. They're looking for stories up to 3000 words set in the South. The pay is $25 or 2 copies. You can find all the details at http://www.gcwriters.org/anthology.htm This will be their third anthology. The deadline for this one is September 1.
Rogue Blades has three anthology calls listed on their site. http://www.roguebladesentertainment.com/submissions They're looking for heroic adventure fiction with a New Xtreme edge.
The first call is for "Assassins" with a November 30 deadline but they will close when filled though with a promise to stay open until October 1. They're looking for stories of 2500 to 5500 words with payment of $30 plus 2 copies. To submit you send only the first 500 words, then they'll let you know if they want to see more.
The second call is a competition called "Discovery" with a September 1 deadline. You must use the title and the posted picture to create your story. Be aware that there is a $10 fee and if they don't get 30 entries, the competition will be canceled.
The third is called "Heroicologies". I didn't see any payment listed and they seem to be looking for reprints not original stories plus they say there will be no editing for this one.
I have to admit that the last two calls (from Rogue Blades, not to be confused with the next two) don't impress me much. If you're interested in any of these, be sure to proceed with the same caution as you would approach any market. Always remember that all markets are not created equal.
E-book publisher Samhain Publishing has a call out for a Springtime "Just Romance" anthology to be published in 2011. They're looking for novellas from 20,000 to 25,000 words with a November 1 deadline. This is a royalty paying market. And the romance doesn't have to be strictly boy/girl. Be aware that Samhain is an erotica market but this call is NOT for erotica. You can find all the details at http://www.samhainpublishing.com/submissions#spring
The last call is from the Gulf Coast Writers Association. They're looking for stories up to 3000 words set in the South. The pay is $25 or 2 copies. You can find all the details at http://www.gcwriters.org/anthology.htm This will be their third anthology. The deadline for this one is September 1.
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