Category: Dubious Writing Advice
Rules for Good Writing? How I Relate – Part One
One of my literary influences is Elmore Leonard. If you’re unfamiliar, Leonard is the author of some of the greatest crime fiction novels (among other things) that you have almost certainly heard of because a lot of them have been made into movies. A… Continue Reading “Rules for Good Writing? How I Relate – Part One”
Talkin’ Tags II: How THEY Write Dialogue
Last week, I posted an article about how I write dialogue, which dialogue tags I use, and why and when I use them. To be clear, I don’t think there is a right and wrong way to do this, just a way that works… Continue Reading “Talkin’ Tags II: How THEY Write Dialogue”
Talkin’ Tags: How I Write Dialogue
If you’ve spent any time among writers, be it on social media or even in private writing groups, you will have almost certainly heard the “rule” that you should only use said when it comes to dialogue tags. I think this originated in Elmore… Continue Reading “Talkin’ Tags: How I Write Dialogue”
Three Things I Learned from 100 Story Sales
Since I started submitting work seriously in 2013, I’ve sold* 120 short stories. Like the piles of rejections I’ve racked up in that same time, my much smaller heap of acceptances has taught me some valuable lessons about writing and the often arcane process… Continue Reading “Three Things I Learned from 100 Story Sales”
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I’m a car and motorcycle enthusiast, and one of my favorite bits of (now outdated) slang is “hitting the ton”, which means going over 100 miles per hour (usually on a motorcycle).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”
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 