Category: Dubious Writing Advice
Off the Hook: More Fun with First Lines
For the past couple of years I’ve written blog posts examining the first lines of my short stories. All of this is based on an essay by Stephen King called “Great Hookers I Have Known” from his collection Secret Windows. In the essay, he examines first… Continue Reading “Off the Hook: More Fun with First Lines”
Works in Progress: How Many Is Too Many?
I often go hunting for quotes from authors about writing, usually for my weekly writing update posts. I recently stumbled across the following quote from novelist Philip Roth, and I really dig it. He said: “The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress.” -Philip… Continue Reading “Works in Progress: How Many Is Too Many?”
A New Rejection Record
I’ve written a couple of posts on my various rejections records, lists of dubious achievements in number, speed, and type of rejections. Because I send out so many submissions, it should come as no surprise that a lot of these records don’t stand for… Continue Reading “A New Rejection Record”
Submissions: No Accounting for Taste
The old saying goes one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. That’s applicable to a wide variety of creative endeavors, and writing is no exception. What I mean is that when you send out submissions, whether or not you get published is due to… Continue Reading “Submissions: No Accounting for Taste”
Good Stories Get Rejected Too
Rejections are tough, and getting bummed out is a perfectly reasonable reaction to being told your story isn’t going to be published, but it’s important to have a little perspective on rejections. This is the very core of rejectomancy, understanding that a rejection probably… Continue Reading “Good Stories Get Rejected Too”
Watch Out. That First Line is a Doozy
I’ve written a couple posts about the importance of the first line in a short story. The idea being that a great first line sets the tone, instantly engages the reader, gets them asking questions about the story, and, hopefully, keeps them reading. These posts… Continue Reading “Watch Out. That First Line is a Doozy”
Go for the Goal: 100 Submissions
This year I set a goal to send 100 short story submissions. It’s similar to the 100 rejections goal, but the focus is a bit different. Let me explain why I’m doing it and subjecting myself to all those rejections. 🙂 Why 100 submissions?… Continue Reading “Go for the Goal: 100 Submissions”
Submission Protocol: When to Withdraw
Withdrawing a story from a publisher is an oft-discussed topic in writer circles, and there are a lot of opinions on when and if you should do it. My views have evolved on this subject over the years, so I thought it might be… Continue Reading “Submission Protocol: When to Withdraw”
New Author Starter Kit – Submission Prep
If you’re a new author and you want to submit your work to magazines, literary journals, anthologies, contests, and the like, it can seem a daunting process. I mean, where do you submit? How do you submit? A lot of us simply learned by… Continue Reading “New Author Starter Kit – Submission Prep”
A Day in the Life of a First Draft
As you know, writing requires extreme dedication to the craft, unswerving discipline, and nigh-supernatural resistance to distraction. To shed some light on this magical process, I present a semi-fictionalized account of a single day in in the creation of a first draft. 8:00 a.m.… Continue Reading “A Day in the Life of a First Draft”
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 