Category: Dubious Writing Advice
Hitting the Ton: 100 Submissions
I’m a car and motorcycle enthusiast, and one of my favorite bits of (now outdated) slang is “hitting the ton”, which means going over 100 miles per hour (usually on a motorcycle). For me, there’s a literary version of hitting the ton, too, and… Continue Reading “Hitting the Ton: 100 Submissions”
Micromanagement: 7 Reasons You Should Write Microfiction
I’ve been writing microfiction almost daily for the past five years under the prompted #vss365 hashtag on all the social media sites I currently inhabit, and I’ve blogged about the benefits of tiny tales before, but it’s been a while, and, well, the social… Continue Reading “Micromanagement: 7 Reasons You Should Write Microfiction”
Three Things I Learned as a Staff Writer/Editor
Working as a freelance writer certainly has it’s challenges, but what’s made me an expert at hitting deadlines and producing work to order was the years I worked as an in-house staff writer and editor for a couple of gaming companies. My first gig… Continue Reading “Three Things I Learned as a Staff Writer/Editor”
Three Things I Learned from 500 Rejections
Back in 2023, I received my 500th rejection since I started tracking submissions through Duotrope. I’m closing in on 700 now, but that first five hundred was an important milestone. Despite the mountain of no’s, it felt like a real achievement, a rite of… Continue Reading “Three Things I Learned from 500 Rejections”
The Monsters the Guidelines Forgot: Vampires
Continuing my series of post about how to sell stories featuring monsters who frequent publisher do-not-send list, we’re gonna talk about the only monster that might give zombies a run for their money as most maligned. Yep, it’s time sharpen our fangs and talk… Continue Reading “The Monsters the Guidelines Forgot: Vampires”
The Monsters the Guidelines Forgot: Zombies
In this series of posts, I’m going to talk about writing and selling stories featuring classic monsters. You know, the ones you often find in publisher guidelines after the words “absolutely no”. It’s usually the big three—vampires, werewolves, and zombies—that make the do not… Continue Reading “The Monsters the Guidelines Forgot: Zombies”
Writing Challenges: The Four Brain Weasels of the Apocalypse
It goes without saying that writing and publishing is a tough gig. To make matters worse, the writerly brain is beset by a myriad of doubts, insecurities, and plain old fears that make it even tougher. Speaking from my own experience, there are four… Continue Reading “Writing Challenges: The Four Brain Weasels of the Apocalypse”
One Author, Three Styles
I’ve done a pretty exhaustive series of posts on my writing style and how it developed, but as I was working on a freelance piece recently, it occurred to me that I have three different styles I use on a regular basis. I thought… Continue Reading “One Author, Three Styles”
Hot Topic: Dialogue Tags
In this series of posts, I’m going to cover writing topics that are often hotly debated and tell you where I stand on that particular issue. The goal here is not to try and persuade you that my view is correct, and more to… Continue Reading “Hot Topic: Dialogue Tags”
Effectively Wild – A Baseball Horror Story
Night Walk & Other Dark Paths
Acts of War: Flashpoint
Acts of War: Aftershock
Acts of War: Stormbreak
Aeryn Rudel's Rejectomancy 