Category: Dubious Writing Advice
Rejection Reflection: Is This Market for Me?
One of the toughest questions writers sometimes ask themselves is if a particular publisher is a good market for their work. When the form rejections pile up, you begin to wonder if maybe they just aren’t into your style, voice, tone, etc. That’s entirely… Continue Reading “Rejection Reflection: Is This Market for Me?”
Submission Journal: The Bad Year
I’ve been submitting short stories pretty regularly for the last seven years, and my acceptance percentage is usually between fifteen and twenty percent, except for one strange, terrible year. In 2017 I managed only a measly 7% acceptance rate. But why? Well, first some… Continue Reading “Submission Journal: The Bad Year”
Evolution of a Short Author Bio II
An author’s bio can change quite a bit over an author’s career. Mine sure has. The more writerly accomplishments I accumulate, the more my bio changes, and over the past couple years I’ve added some important things to my resume. Before I get into… Continue Reading “Evolution of a Short Author Bio II”
Writing Prompts: Stirring or Stifling?
These days it’s not uncommon for writers to use a prompt of some kind to get the ol’ creative juices flowing. It’s often part of a writing exercise, but sometimes it’s an element of a writing contest or even a short story submission. But… Continue Reading “Writing Prompts: Stirring or Stifling?”
Micromanagement II: 4 MORE Benefits of Writing Tiny
Almost exactly one year ago I published an article called Micromanagement: 4 Benefits of Writing Tiny. I had just started writing microfiction, and I found a number of tangible benefits from doing so. To quickly recap, those benefits are: better self-editing, a chance to… Continue Reading “Micromanagement II: 4 MORE Benefits of Writing Tiny”
First Draft Drive: 2000 Words Per Day
This week I’m starting the first draft of a new novel. I’ve got my outline, and I’m (more or less) ready to go. But what’s my plan of attack? What are my goals? How quickly do I aim to finish. Let me answer those… Continue Reading “First Draft Drive: 2000 Words Per Day”
The Way I Write Part 3: Refinement
Once more we’re taking a look at my writing as it’s progressed over the last twenty years to see how it’s changed and if it’s improved. The first post focused on pretty amateurish works of fiction from the early aughts. The second post jumped… Continue Reading “The Way I Write Part 3: Refinement”
Acceptomancy?
I assume you’re all quite familiar with the term rejectomancy (or at least how I interpret it). I’ve spent years and a slightly embarrassing number of blog posts talking about what rejections mean, but what about acceptances? What if we turned our overly optimistic,… Continue Reading “Acceptomancy?”
Proofing Checklist: Just Nod & Smile
I recently finished the latest revision of my novel, and after all the heavy lifting was done–you know, adding new scenes, tweaking character motivations, all that–it was time for one more proof before it goes back to my agent. Now I have a pretty… Continue Reading “Proofing Checklist: Just Nod & Smile”
Get Your Hooks In: Even More Fun With First Lines
For a while now I’ve been revisiting my published stories specifically to look at the first line and determine if it’s the kind of line that immediately hooks the reader. Once again, this is because of an essay by Stephen King called “Great Hookers… Continue Reading “Get Your Hooks In: Even More Fun With First Lines”
Acts of War: Flashpoint
Acts of War: Aftershock
Acts of War: Stormbreak
A Point of Honor
