From the category archives:

Writing

Trying to keep the momentum

August 17, 2009 Writing

Participating in the Flash Fiction Carnival finally got my mental juices flowing, proving to me that even though the gears are squeaky, they still work.  The comments I received were encouraging while pointing out some rusty spots that need additional work.  To keep the ball rolling I worked on some re-writes of the FFC piece [...]

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Flash Fictional Carnival – Aug '09

August 14, 2009 Writing

***UPDATE 08/20/09*** Due to the great response/feedback I received on this piece (and its subsequent drafts), I’ve decided to submit it to pro-markets.   Because of this, I will have to remove the original piece from my blog.  Thanks again for all your comments and support. ********************* I recently joined a Flash Fiction writing group through [...]

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Why do you do it?

August 8, 2009 Personal

Recently a good friend of mine decided to take a more creative direction with his life.  Fed up with the cubicle routine and feeling genuinely unfulfilled, he started writing on the side with the end goal being an eventual transition into full time writing.  We talked about the change in direction over several nights, batting [...]

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Realities of the writing life

July 19, 2009 Writing

Expectations are a tricky thing.   It’s amazing to see in the professional world that when you tell a client something will go wrong beforehand they’re usually ok about it, but when you don’t and it does, they flip the fuck out.  Missed expectations can pack an emotional wallop greater than anything directly hurtful so it’s [...]

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HWA Stoker Weekend Recap

June 15, 2009 Horror

I had an terrific time at this convention, constantly being surrounded by authors, editors, screenwriters, and directors.  The place was buzzing from the collective energy of so many storytellers discovering, debating, honoring and creating stories.  I could not have picked a better writer’s conference to be my first.  So much happened and I met so [...]

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Potent words and visceral dreams

June 8, 2009 Personal

A story at its most basic entertains with fiction woven from the English language.  A good story opens the mind to untold possibilities and stunning visions.  A great story pierces you with its words, stimulating the mind, the heart and the very pit of your stomach.  It is the great stories that every aspiring writer [...]

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Badge of Honor

June 3, 2009 Personal

I got a response from Clarkesworld Magazine last night regarding my submission.  Unfortunately, I did not get accepted and received a form rejection letter.  I don’t feel too bad about either outcome for several reasons.  First, a rejection letter is not only a badge of honor, but also my first concrete evidence of being a [...]

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The first step is always the hardest

May 31, 2009 Personal

I just submitted my first short story to a pro scale market for publication, a 3,800+ word piece titled MOONLIT FAITH to Clarkesworld Magazine.  This officially marks the start of my full fledged attempt at being a writer.  As I’ve mentioned before (here), I set my goals realistically, one piece of writing submitted per month [...]

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Foreshadowing

May 30, 2009 Movies

When crafting a narrative there are many tools you can employ, depending on the type of story you’re telling, the POV involved and personal style.  One technique that can add richness to your stories is foreshadowing.  The general idea behind foreshadowing is to drop hints to the reader regarding events that will occur later in [...]

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Tribes and Mentors

May 26, 2009 Personal

I just finished reading a great book called The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson.  I grabbed it because of a TED speech he gave back in ‘06.  For those unfamiliar with TED, it stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design and they’ve been holding an annual conference of speeches by “the world’s [...]

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