Tag: writing tips

That New Story Smell

I recently finished a short story, one I really like. After letting my critique partners work it over, I revised the piece, shaved off 500 words, and now I’ll start submitting it. What I want to talk about in this post is the wonderful,… Continue Reading “That New Story Smell”

Aeryn’s Archives: Paint-Eater

Today’s installment of Aeryn’s Archives features a short story called “Paint-Eater.” It’s an interesting piece in that it’s one of those stories that took a lot of refining (and a bunch of rejections) to get to a place where it was sellable. I’ll discuss that… Continue Reading “Aeryn’s Archives: Paint-Eater”

365 Rejections: A Year’s Worth of No

Yesterday I received my 365th rejection since I started tracking my submissions seriously through Duotrope back in 2012. I think that’s kind of a cool milestone, and, well, like the headline says, it’s a whole year’s worth of rejections. Anyway, I thought it might… Continue Reading “365 Rejections: A Year’s Worth of No”

Submission Top 10: Most Subbed Stories

Time for more submission greatest hits and another top ten list. This time we’re looking at the short stories I’ve submitted the most and what has become of them: submissions, rejections, acceptances, etcetera. Yeah, I know there are actually twelve stories on the list… Continue Reading “Submission Top 10: Most Subbed Stories”

Aeryn’s Archives: Night Games

Hey, here’s another installment of Aeryn’s Archives, my series of shameless self-promotional posts about works I’ve published over the fifteen years or so I’ve been writing and editing professionally. The story I want to talk about today is called “Night Games” and it’s easily… Continue Reading “Aeryn’s Archives: Night Games”

Weeks of Writing: 2/17/20 to 3/8/2020

Playing catch up and hitting you with multiple weeks here. I was on vacation for most of this period, then I caught a bad cold (while on vacation, no less), but I did manage to do a bit of writing and submitting and whatnot.… Continue Reading “Weeks of Writing: 2/17/20 to 3/8/2020”

10 Top-Tier Markets: My New & Improved New Story Gauntlet

Back in 2016 I put together a list of markets I submit to first with new short stories (not flash; that’s a different list), dubbing it my new story gauntlet. I published that list in a post titled 7 Top-Tier Horror Markets: My New… Continue Reading “10 Top-Tier Markets: My New & Improved New Story Gauntlet”

A Week of Writing: 2/10/20 to 2/16/20

Another week of writerly wins and woes. Let’s have a look. Words to Write By Got two quotes for you today that essentially say the same thing. The first is by Stephen King. “In many cases when a reader puts a story aside because… Continue Reading “A Week of Writing: 2/10/20 to 2/16/20”

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”

A Week of Writing: 2/3/20 to 2/9/20

One more week down, and it was a fairly productive one. Let’s take a look. Words to Write By This week’s quote comes from novelist Jane Smiley. “Every first draft is perfect because all the first draft has to do is exist. It’s perfect… Continue Reading “A Week of Writing: 2/3/20 to 2/9/20”