Tag: Horror

Charting Rejection Progression II

A few years ago, I posted the rejections I’d received from a pro market I’d been trying to crack from some time. The point of that post was to illustrate that rejections often indicate if you’re making progress with an editor/publisher and getting closer… Continue Reading “Charting Rejection Progression II”

Effectively Wild – A Horror/Baseball Novella

Way back in August of last year, I was joking with my wife about writing a baseball monster story featuring a certain type of monster. I offered the title Effectively Wild as a haha-isn’t-that-funny and got the appropriate eyeroll. Well, friends, that slightly silly idea… Continue Reading “Effectively Wild – A Horror/Baseball Novella”

One-Hour Flash: The Christmas Crypt

I don’t write many holiday-themed stories (okay, maybe Halloween), but I did write one Christmas story nine years ago for a one-hour flash fiction event. I’ve shared it before, but, you know, ’tis the season and all that. It’s a weird little flash that’s… Continue Reading “One-Hour Flash: The Christmas Crypt”

Submission Statement: November 2021

November 2021 is but a memory. Let’s see how I did. November 2021 Report Card Submissions Sent: 8 Rejections: 5 Acceptances: 1 Publications: 1* Further Consideration/Shortlist: 0 November was a momentous month in submission land, not because it was special in the sense of… Continue Reading “Submission Statement: November 2021”

Write to Revise: My WIP Checklist

This week, I started the second revision of my WIP novel Hell to Play. This is the big revision/rewrite before I start shopping it around, and it will be driven by the comments and notes from my three excellent critique partners (bless you, you wonderful… Continue Reading “Write to Revise: My WIP Checklist”

A Week of Writing: 6/14/21 to 6/20/21

Three weeks of June gone by. Here’s how I did. Words to Write By This week’s quote comes from Anthony Trollope. A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labours of a spasmodic Hercules. – Anthony Trollope I like this… Continue Reading “A Week of Writing: 6/14/21 to 6/20/21”

One-Hour Flash: My Hero

Been a while since I’ve done one of these, but this is another story I wrote in an hour based on a visual prompt. Many of these prompted one-hour stories go on to publication, and others, like this one, well, don’t. So instead of… Continue Reading “One-Hour Flash: My Hero”

Night Walk Wednesday: The Rarest Cut

Welcome to Night Walk Wednesday, where I talk about the submission journey of a story from my flash fiction anthology Night Walk & Other Dark Paths. This week’s tale is “The Rarest Cut.” How it Started This is yet another one-hour flash fiction success story,… Continue Reading “Night Walk Wednesday: The Rarest Cut”

Night Walk Wednesday: Far Shores and Ancient Graves

Welcome to Night Walk Wednesday, where I talk about the submission journey of a story from my flash fiction anthology Night Walk & Other Dark Paths. This week’s tale is “Far Shores and Ancient Graves.” How it Started Another one-hour flash fiction success story, “Far… Continue Reading “Night Walk Wednesday: Far Shores and Ancient Graves”

Submission Protocol: New Story Strategy

I recently finished a new short story, and what I like to do before a send a shiny new word baby out on its first submission is strategize a bit to make sure I’m maximizing my submission efforts. I do this by looking at… Continue Reading “Submission Protocol: New Story Strategy”