In my opinion, one of the toughest things for writers to do is summarize their work into a few sentences. I mean get it down to pitch length, still make it interesting, and avoid giving away the entire plot. Authors aren’t called on to do… Continue Reading “Submission Protocol: Summary Execution”
I’ve had a good year for acceptances, and I’m up to an even dozen so far. But, as they say, in every life a little rain must fall, and one of those acceptances is, well, not an acceptance anymore. Let me explain. Earlier this… Continue Reading “Accepting the Unacceptance”
Finally managed to squeak one of these things out on a Monday. Here’s my writing week that was. Words to Write By This week’s quote comes from one of my favorite speculative authors, C. J. Cherryh. It is perfectly okay to write garbage—as long… Continue Reading “A Week of Writing: 8/13/18 to 8/19/18”
Another week of writing in the books. Here’s how I did. Words to Write By I’ve been reading a fair amount of Elmore Leonard, a writer whose style I really enjoy. Today’s quote is another of his pearls of wisdom. “Never use a verb… Continue Reading “A Week of Writing: 8/6/18 to 8/12/18”
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”
Hey, all, it’s Monday, or, uh, Tuesday. Anyway, here’s the week that was. Words to Write By Another quote from Mr. King. This one comes from his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. “I believe the road to hell is paved with… Continue Reading “A Week of Writing: 7/30/18 to 8/5/18”
Monday has arrived, and it’s time to share my weekly writerly report card. Words to Write By This week’s quote comes from Elmore Leonard, whose “10 Rules of Writing” is one of my favorite pieces of writing advice. “Try to leave out the part… Continue Reading “A Week of Writing: 7/23/18 to 7/29/18”
Another week gone by, another week of writing, revising, and submitting in the books. Words to Write By This week’s quote is something I definitely struggle with at times. “If I waited for perfection… I would never write a word.” —Margaret Atwood Though I… Continue Reading “A Week of Writing: 7/16/18 to 7/22/18”
Welcome to another week of writerly works. Words to Write By This week’s quote deals with those tricky endings and even trickier beginnings. “The first sentence can’t be written until the final sentence is written.” —Joyce Carol Oates This quote reflects something I’ve been… Continue Reading “A Week of Writing: 7/9/18 to 7/15/18”
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”