Great. Another one of those "tips for writers" posts. Even worse. Another introduction to a "tips for writers" posts. I'll keep it short. These are ten things I believe in when it comes to writing. Do with them what you will. If you use them, I promise the results will be positive. 1. Seek inspiration … Continue reading Ten Commandments for Fiction Writers
One week from today, on what happens to be my 32nd birthday (that's February 20th for those looking to send me a gift), my first short story collection will be published in both e-book and print by Martian Lit. The collection (as I’ve mentioned) is titled Nagging Wives, Foolish Husbands, and features 24 stories that … Continue reading 24 Reasons That Don’t Explain Why I Titled My Short Story Collection “Nagging Wives, Foolish Husbands”
If you've used the internet much, particularly if you've read or posted on blogs, then you've probably witnessed (or even been involved in) the proverbial internet pissing contest. It can be tough to avoid. Inevitably, no matter what you write or who you are, there is someone out there that just doesn't like you or … Continue reading Responding To a Public Attack Against Your Writing
To oversimplify things, there are two types of writing I do: the kind I do purely for fun and the kind I expect to get paid for doing. When I write fiction, I mostly do it because I love it, not because I expect to get rich from it. Of course, I still send out … Continue reading Dealing with Nonpayment for Your Writing
In the six years I've been a serious writer, I have submitted stories for publication over 1000 times. While I still have some things to learn about submitting, I've certainly come a long way during this period. I now know better than to finish typing a story and quickly send it off to Glimmer Train, The … Continue reading When Not To Submit to a Literary Magazine
People often ask why I'm not a teacher anymore. I have decided that it is time to publicly answer. For the past nine years, I was a teacher in the Missouri public education system. It surely wasn't been all roses, but for every kid who threatened to kick me in the balls, there were dozens … Continue reading A Rant Against the Minnesota Department of Education
In the past six years, I have been rejected almost 700 times. That’s an average of about 1 rejection every three days. At this point, you’d think I’d be completely immune. I should at least be an expert on rejection. Why then do I keep getting rejected? Literary magazines can be pretty fickle. They are … Continue reading Ten Levels of Rejection (And What to Do About Them)
David S. Atkinson is one of the finest people in the indie literary community today. While the community on the whole is friendly and supportive, David takes support to a whole new level. If you are friends with him on Facebook, you can be certain that he will read every story you post, and he … Continue reading Speed Reading with David S. Atkinson
A special thanks to Sean Munger for providing his insightful thoughts on writing historical characters into fiction. This is something I have never done successfully, and I think Sean's thoughts here are quite helpful. Characterizing History: Writing Historical Figures as Interesting Characters by Sean Munger If, like me, you’re drawn to using the … Continue reading Characterizing History: Writing Historical Figures as Interesting Characters (Guest Blog by Sean Munger)
Anyone who maintains a blog that consists primarily of words knows how hard it can be to constantly come up with new posts. Even more difficult, of course, is finding the time to write a new post every week (or whatever your blog schedule may be). This is especially challenging for fiction writers who would … Continue reading The Value of a Guest Post
