Excited to report that my Friday morning began with an email acceptance of my science fiction adventure tale “In the Span of a Heartbeat” by Black Cat Weekly online magazine!
My story will be featured in a January or February 2025 issue.
I’m thrilled and honored to work with editor and publisher John Betancourt, who has an extensive list of writing and editing credits for original works as well as media tie-in, including Star Trek. Stay tuned for more details!
Farpoint’s 30th anniversary has come and gone and it was a fantastic weekend filled with amazing cosplayers (far more than pictured below), lively discussion panels, cooperative weather, and most importantly, quality time with friends.
It has been three weeks since my last blog post. How the hell did that happen? Well, I’ve been stretched thin as of late with my FT job, a few expensive home renovations, health problems, managing eBay auctions (the time has come to downsize), and yes, writing projects.
I have a short story in progress for a contest, the second draft of my SF novel awaits my attention after that, and I’m waiting to hear back from two small presses on short stories I submitted to them. I’m also scheduling a book signing or two for a speculative fiction anthology I just released with a group of fantastic writers and I’m reviewing a presentation on self-editing that I wll be giving to a local writers group on Monday evening (24 May).
However, the fact that I’ve been neglecting my blog has been gnawing at me, so here we go!
This week, Steve Hooley reviews several sites for serialized fiction, including Kindle Vella, while Jodie Renner discusses close and deep third person POV.
Mary Alice Monroe and KL Burd use fiction to raise awareness of environmental issues and social issues, respectively, while Philip Athans offers advice on blending SF, fantasy, and horror. James Scott Bell provides tips on increasing productivity, Terry Odell delves into crafting character descriptions, and Kathryn Craft wages war against the lame apology.
All that and much more. Enjoy!
Serialized Fiction and Vella – What Do You Think? by Steve Hooley
Tips for Deepening the POV in Your Fiction by Jodie Renner
Weaving Real-Life Environmental Issues into Your Fictional World by Mary Alice Monroe
Fantasy and/or Science Fiction and/or Horror by Philip Athans
The Five Things You Need When Writing a Mystery Novel by Melodie Campbell
6 Practical Business Tips for Authors to Market Their Story of Success by Taylor Payne
7 Tips for Producing More Words by James Scott Bell
Character Descriptions Part I by Terry Odell
Character Descriptions Part II by Terry Odell
Why Bookshop.org is Not the Savior the Book World Needs by Ellen Peirson Hagger
The Magic Number by Todd Sattersten
Legal Protection for Fictional Characters by Matt Knight
Kick Your Story Up a Notch by Knowing Your Character’s Conflict Style by Kelsey Allagood
Unapologetic Characterization by Kathryn Craft
Incorporating Social Issues Into Your Manuscript by KL Burd
This week, Ken Miyamoto discusses five categories of SF and Fantasy worldbuilding while Anne R. Allen lists several reader pet peeves that writers should avoid.
Kris Calvin and Philip Athans provide their points of view on writing multiple points of view, Brian Andrews concludes his lesson on crafting believable action scenes, and Penny Sansevieri offers strategies for book marketing and author branding.
All that and a little more. Enjoy!
The Craft and Rules of Worldbuilding in Science Fiction and Fantasy by Ken Miyamoto
Three Things Your Query Letter Needs to Stand Out by Lucinda Halpern via Anne R. Allen
How to Avoid Writing Stuff Readers Hate by Anne R. Allen
30+ Ideas for Bite-Sized Book Marketing by Penny Sansevieri
Writing from Multiple Points of View by Kris Calvin
Whose POV Should it Be? by Philip Athans
How to Write Amazing Action Scenes (Part 2 of 2) by Brian Andrews
5 Great Tips: A Beginner’s Guide to Author Branding by Penny Sansevieri
Make Your Protagonist an Actor by Kathryn Craft
7 Awesome Foreshadowing Tips for Fiction Writers by Mia Botha
This week, Melodie Campbell offers advice on how to save that sagging middle in your novel while Penny Sansevieri shows you how to optimize your Amazon Author Central page.
Jennie Nash provides a short checklist of common mistakes that might land your manuscript in the rejection pile and Jami Gold explores how our characters can drive the narrative—despite our best laid plans.
Esther Jones extols the benefits of reading SF and fantasy, Julie Glover defends the practice of editing as you go, and Donald Maass helps us to understand how to develop a meaningful narrative.
All that and a little more. Enjoy!
My Novel is as Mess: How to Survive the Chaos Point in Your Novel by Melodie Campbell via Anne R. Allen
Science Fiction Builds Mental Resiliency in Young Readers by Esther Jones
5 Quick Fixes for Making the Most of Author Central (and Why it Should be a Top Priority) by Penny Sansevieri
Do Your Characters Take on a Life of Their Own? by Jami Gold
In Defense of Editing as You Go by Julie Glover
The Secret to More Efficient Revision: Pattern Recognition by Jennie Nash
The Meaning of Meaning by Donald Maass
The Art of Condensing an Entire Book into a Brief Sales Pitch by Florence Osmund
Six Common Problems with Short Stories by Oren Ashkenazi
The Rich Can’t Hide from a Plague. Just Ask Edgar Allan Poe by Maya Phillips
This week, Christopher Cybusz explains what it means to write SF today. Lynn Steger Strong ponders whether you can afford to be a writer without the help of other people’s money while Anne R. Allen cites idiotic advice offered to new writers.
Joslyn Chase and Gabriel Valjean discuss, respectively, five writing rules and styles to learn… before you attempt to break them. Jami Gold reminds us that just as we were helped by mentors or other resources in our writing journey, we should take the time to pay it forward.
Over at the Write Practice, Joe Bunting defines the inciting incident and the denouement and provides examples of each. Oh, and Simon & Schuster is up for sale if anyone has a few bucks to spare.
All that and a little more. Enjoy!
How to Write Science Fiction by Christopher Cybusz
Local Bookstores Have a New Weapon in the Fight with Amazon by Joan Verdon
A Dirty Secret: You Can Only Be A Writer If You Can Afford It by Lynn Steger Strong
Clueless Advice People Give New Writers: 10 Things to Ignore by Anne R. Allen
Five Writing Crimes and How to Get Away With Them by Gabriel Valjean
Five Writing Style Tips to Make Your Writing Stronger by Joslyn Chase
How Can Writers Pay It Forward? by Jami Gold
Simon & Schuster is Up for Sale by Edmund Lee and
Denouement: Definition and Examples of the Literary Term by Joe Bunting
Inciting Incident: Definition, Examples, Types, and How to Start a Story Right by Joe Bunting
Power Up Your Prose with Rhetorical Devices by Suzanne Purvis via Janice Hardy