These statistics are all for short stories, poems, or contest entries. Book reviews are not included. Sales in September: 0 Rejections in September: 0 Submissions sent out in September: 0 Total stories/poems/contests pending responses: 3 Even with no children in school, September is usually one of my busier months of the year. I get to recharge with a… Continue reading September 2009
Tag: Writing
August 2009
These statistics are all for short stories, poems, or contest entries. Book reviews are not included. Sales in August: 0 Rejections in August: 2 Submissions sent out in August: 0 Total stories/poems/contests pending responses: 3 So the lesson this month is… better tracking. I know two of my submissions in pending response status are for markets not listed in Duotrope. I… Continue reading August 2009
July 2009
These statistics are all for short stories, poems, or contest entries. Book reviews are not included. Sales in July: 0 Rejections in July: 2 Submissions sent out in July: 3 Total stories/poems/contests pending responses: 5 In the first week of July the rejections began arriving. I’d entered a poetry contest and the top three poems were published. My… Continue reading July 2009
Characters on a Journey
One reason why readers keep reading a story or book is to find out what happens to the characters. Sometimes an event will push the main character on their journey and other times the main character comes to a realization and acts on it. Examples of an event would be job loss, war or a death. … Continue reading Characters on a Journey
Writing As Your Characters
One key to writing a successful novel is to slip inside the skin of the characters. Narrators can provide a buffer between the reader and the characters. The reader gets to know the character from the narrator’s point of view which is not always reliable. But when the reader gets to know what the character… Continue reading Writing As Your Characters
Memoirs, Movies and Those (Mostly) True Stories – Guest Post by Steve Luxenberg
 Memoirs, Movies and Those (Mostly) True Stories A Writer’s Take on Reality’s Rough Edges By Steve Luxenberg, Author of Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret Why do they do it? Why do so many film makers put “based on a true story” or some variation as one of their opening frames, when they… Continue reading Memoirs, Movies and Those (Mostly) True Stories – Guest Post by Steve Luxenberg
Short Story Writing Advice
The wonderful thing I’ve found about writers is no matter where they are in their writing journey they are helpful to other writers. Now, one local published writer will tell a completely different tale but that’s his version of events and it’s only hearsay. My experience has shown no method works exactly the same from… Continue reading Short Story Writing Advice
June 2009
These statistics are all for short stories, poems, or contest entries. Book reviews are not included. Sales in June: 0 Rejections in June: 1 Submissions sent out in June: 1 Total stories/poems/contests pending responses: 4 The good news is that I am writing some new material again. It’s short stories. Though I think I have a few books… Continue reading June 2009
Mood Music for Writing
Some writers use music to set the mood while they are writing. They may listen to a specific time period to conjure a mood or get into the mindset of a character. In general, I’m not one of those writers. In fact, I rarely listen to music at all when I write. I find I can… Continue reading Mood Music for Writing
May 2009
These statistics are all for short stories, poems, or contest entries. Book reviews are not included. Sales in May: 0 Rejections in May: 0 Submissions sent out in May: 3 Total stories/poems/contests pending responses: 4 Didn’t I say May had better watch out for me? 🙂 Back in April I submitted a poem for a contest and the… Continue reading May 2009