The normal noises are missing. It's too quiet. I lie awake waiting for some of the sounds of normality. My favourite music to help me sleep is Rumble (Link Wray). It doesn't work now. There used to be a fox coming to the front window, sniffing around and rattling the blinds. Of course, I planted … Continue reading Not Sleeping?
Month: March 2020
To Journal, or Not to Journal
That is the question. Life is a bumpy road. That's true for most of the moments of a life, but this period of time has me jumping from moment to moment like a critter caught in the instant before being hit by a spotlight -- and waiting for the sound of a bullet. The mind … Continue reading To Journal, or Not to Journal
'Authors Give Back' Sale on Smashwords
All but two of my books are free, and they're reduced by 60%. If you need some reading material, come on over and have a look. This is for my books, this is for Smashwords Sale items. Come on in, have a browse, see what looks interesting. I just have to figure out a way … Continue reading 'Authors Give Back' Sale on Smashwords
Just sending…………….
Add mine, add yours, hugs, hugs, hugs …
National Hug Day was in January, but in today’s current state with many in isolation, self imposed or not, those living alone, those with no family close by, or those that just need a sense of physical contact, I am sending you Hugs by the ton.
Take your pick.
Dog Food Run Out?
The madness continues. The request was for dog food, but the shelves are empty. Cat food, too. Dogs will eat cat food, but cats will not touch dog food. What to do? I have a recipe for dog food, a basic one that I've used and adapted for each dog and its individual needs (age, … Continue reading Dog Food Run Out?
What Makes a Story Great?
It's been a discussion on several different platforms lately. What is it that makes a reader ignore the obvious problems and gush about a story? What is it that takes a story from good to great? If I knew for sure, I'd be writing like that all the time. Well, I am, but it's about … Continue reading What Makes a Story Great?
INFECTED!
Wanna say something about it? Read on …
Call for Submissions
LOOKING FOR:
The next Things in the Well anthology will be Infected and I’m after dark, highly memorable (even moving!) stories of infections, viruses, and other similar apocalyptic conditions… They don’t all have to be bleak, and happy endings or optimistic tones are even encouraged!
WHAT I DON’T WANT:
No ‘isms’ of ANY KIND will be tolerated. If you have to discriminate against any group of people, make sure it’s the character’s PoV and not your own! Keep gore to the minimum required for the story/effect and don’t let the story suffer for the fact you want to include graphic violence, torture, body horror, sex, etc. These can all have their places in the story (it is an adult theme!) however will not carry a poor story…
WORD COUNT:
Enough to make the story memorable, intriguing, suspenseful, meaningful, and no longer. Whether that’s 500 words or 10,000…
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Flash Fiction – Gothic-ish
From Fandango's Flash Fiction Challenge-57. Frontage A few minutes is all I need. When all the lights go out, I go in, fix the alarm, go around the rooms, put new dreams in their heads with a drop of the drug on their tongues. It hides the mind from what's waiting for deep sleep.I never … Continue reading Flash Fiction – Gothic-ish
How To: Short Story
There's a lecture series that goes up on YouTube (2020 Creative Writing Lectures BYU) and the most recent one was about short story writing. Now, anyone who knows me also knows I can't give a simple instruction without going over the limit. Truly. So I watched it (twice) and did the exercise. First, this is … Continue reading How To: Short Story
WRITER’S WORKSHOP I, Week 1, The Fastball
It’s up to week 2 now, but start here:
Something to think about:
My stepfather, a custom home builder, taught me the basics of carpentry: “measure twice, cut once.” Sounds simple enough, but it takes discipline and an investment in time to slow down and repeat the measurement, and the power saw can be unforgiving. Many are the boards wasted by a few mismarked millimeters. The lesson stuck with me, and I think about the concept often in other areas of my life, including my writing and editing.
For this prompt, I encourage you to slow down and measure twice. We are writers. We have stories to create. That creation requires an investment in ourselves, a belief in our ideas, a commitment to the hard work of writing so that we may communicate our creative babies effectively to others. In the words of Henry Miller, “open up…discover what is already there.”
Every man, when he gets quiet, when he…
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