will finish this darn story

By Wednesday. It’s a short story, entitled “The Watcher.”
Yes, I’m still “blocked.” But I’m finishing it anyway, even if it’s terrible in the end. Because really, it’s time to move on.
One thing about the current protagonist is that he reminds me of the protagonist of a story I wrote previously. Not the characterization, since they are drawn very differently, [...]

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the dream-story

Last Saturday I wrote a post about dreams over at Adventures in Writing. I was wondering whether dreams are ever a valuable source of inspiration or ideas for writers of fiction. This post was prompted by a dream I’d had the day before, which I thought (and still think) might be the seed of a short story.
Well, I haven’t written this story. Not [...]

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market response times

I just withdrew a short story from a market that had been holding it for 14 months. Fourteen months! Now, while I do understand that editors are busy, and I certainly know that they are in no way begging writers for stories, I still think that response times of months are too long, response times of six to twelve months [...]

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story published and a brief update

Some exciting news! My short story “Beanstalk” has been published in OG’s Speculative Fiction. This is my first time appearing in that magazine. You can read the current issue here.
Now, I know I haven’t posted here in a while. So, here’s what’s happened regarding my writing since my last post: I received a rejection from a professional [...]

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a short story writer’s view of 100,000 words

I haven’t started writing my new novel yet. I said I would start it in February, but I did not. Nope. I did not start it.
I have characters, plot, tension and most of the scenes outlined (according to the snowflake  method) but with the expectation that I will still need to grow and expand the story during the writing process. Still no title [...]

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story published

My short story “All That Glitters” is now appearing in Reflection’s Edge, which is an excellent online magazine publishing a variety of genres. The story just published is a fantasy, and it happens to be one of my favorites. I hope you’ll stop by and read it.

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winter blues

Yep, I have them - compounded today with the Sunday blues! I’m in survival mode now: first survive January, then survive February, then survive March, and so it goes for every me, every year.
Anyway, I thought I should post an update on my writing, even if it’s just a record for my future self to read on [...]

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trusting the creative process

I want to write a short story this week. Just because I want to. Yes, I know – the novel should be my priority, and maybe working on another project is really just a form of work-avoidance. Maybe, maybe. But I’m doing it anyway.
I have half-a-story in mind for this project, but I don’t have an ending. [...]

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opposite gender pov characters, and a new rejection

I’ve noticed that in my short fiction, I usually write from the POV of a male character. In fact, of the stories which I’ve sold, 12 of them have had male POV characters, 3 of them female  POV characters,  and 1 had a POV which shifted between a male and female character. That’s pretty overwhelming, but [...]

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the reasons short stories get rejected

Attention short story writers!
Here’s the link to an article I found on the Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine website. It’s a list of the 24 most common reasons short stories get rejected.
Note the cruel advice about starting in the middle and cutting your beloved story down to its bare essentials. I know this is sometimes hard for me.

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