Fool's Gold

From the Speakers: HURRICANE by Something Corporate
Just Read: CITY OF GLASS by Cassandra Clare--Again, a great story by Clare. Enjoyed the intricate plot, the back story, how everything came together . . . much more than I enjoyed the writing in general. Still, overall a fun and entertaining series.
Reading Now: A CLASH OF KINGS by George R.R. Martin

You ever get a really exciting idea for a story, dedicate a few hours of your day to penning it, and wind up with something that's just . . . mediocre?

That's the theme of this week's piece of work. I starting full speed ahead but lost steam almost at once. I don't know if the concept--a generally over-medicated society, with the focus on one guy and his best friend and their ensuing troubles--was simply too grand for me, or if it just sounded better in my head but had too many flaws to really come to fruition, but it just is NOT as good on paper as it was in the planning stages.

I'm disappointed. I started out thinking, "Yeah, this is a good idea, and it will be a cool backdrop for a character-driven story that coveted, professional magazines will enjoy." Now, rereading it, I'm thinking, "This is okay. Competent, at least. It could be great in the right hands, but in mine, eh . . . ."

It's like finding fool's gold.

I'm hoping a few hours' worth of revisions tomorrow will improve it. Such work often does.

In other news, the Poe story I wrote last week got passed up through the editorial boards at Penumbra Magazine. That means I'll be one of the final stories considered for publication, and at a professional rate, no less! Fingers crossed, everyone, fingers crossed!

And this week, Poe!

From the Speakers: BEFORE I FORGET by Slipknot
Just Read: THE TALISMAN by Stephen King and Peter Straub--Absolutely awesome! Exquisite writing, fantastic evil villains, and an all around awesome story. Loved the journey.
Reading Now: CITY OF GLASS by Cassandra Clare

Been reading a lot of Edgar Allen Poe this week, and my Write1Sub1 project reflects it. It's just a creepy story about a creepy guy in a creepy jail. But after having so much Poe this week, it was impossible not to incorporate it into my story.

I've done this kind of thing before, write a story similar to an author/style/story I've been into recently. When I read short stories by Stephen King, my characters end up in twisted situations and plots that all come together somehow in the end. When I read Chuck Palahniuk, my voice becomes faster and more stylish, and each story has unique quips. And so on.

Do you writers do that? Adopt a favorite author's style, or even decorate a story you read with unique tweaks and call it your own? I wonder if all artists do this to some extent. I feel like they must; new rock and roll bands always mention earlier bands in their genre as inspiration. Perhaps painting and drawing and singing are all the same.

But this week I did it on purpose. Penumbra magazine's monthly call for stories is in the theme of Poe, and in order to get in the zone for it, I've been rereading stories like THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO, and THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH. Hopefully my creation, in a similar vein, will be equally enjoyable and of comparable quality.

PS: This week's amusingly incorrect prepositional phrase/figure of speech: "We thew everything under the book at her." Nope. No you did not.

Story Sale to Liquid Imagination!

From the Speakers: BATMAN BEGINS SCORE by Hans Zimmer
Just Read: CITY OF ASHES by Cassandra Clare--Similar to the first book, the tone of the writing put me off in places, but overall it was a great plot. Not annoyed to stop reading her stuff so I guess she's doing something right!
Reading Now: CITY OF GLASS by Cassandra Clare

Week 9's story sold yesterday to Liquid Imagination! It's a flash fiction story about a man at the end of his life, and the strange things he remembers as his dying thoughts.

I work in a place where sick people sometimes come to die, and that can be a difficult thing to be around. Once in a while, I wonder how my coworkers, who don't have writing as a cathartic element, cope with being around so much death. I suppose you can become numb to anything. I'm not numb yet though, not even close, and most of me hopes never to be.

So what I do is write. And when my patient got to a point where there was little more we could do for him, I sat down with a pen and wrote this story in a flurry of ink and emotion. Twenty minutes later, I felt better; I had turned distress into something positive, something productive. That story meant something, you know? Not all do, but this one did.

And now, thanks to the fine people over at Liquid Imagination, you'll be able to read it soon! I'll post the link as soon as it's available.

Also, many thanks to my Write1Sub1 buddies like Milo James Fowler, who posted about this and other magazines that I previously didn't know existed. So far the 2012 count is 16 stories written, 10 rejections, 2 acceptances, many still out there waiting to hear back. I hope to keep the good news rolling in.

Fingers crossed, people, fingers crossed.

My (Least) Favorite Things

From the Speakers: INTO THE MOUTH OF HELL WE MARCH by Trivium

To satiate your undeniable curiosity, here are some lists of things that I love and hate, writing and otherwise:

Things I Love:
1) Stories about people who were once great at something, and now must be again after much time away.
2) Reading, drinking a beer, and watching a baseball game on TV all at the same time.
3) Listening to music really loud while driving with the window down on a hot, sunny, summer day.
4) Having the vaguest idea for a story, sitting down, and pounding out the whole thing in one heated, 3000-word, inspired, creative play session.
5) Fairy Tales (usually that I knew as a kid) that are really based on dark stories.

Things I Hate:
1) Writing and editing a story with a magazine in mind, only to find that the story turned out to be longer than that magazine's word count limit.
2) Walking past a switch and flicking it on, but missing and having to stop you're walk mid-stride to reach back and get it.
3) Having a detailed idea for a story, and no energy to put it down on paper.
4) Reading a book with a great plot and story and characters, but terrible writing, so that you can't take the idea and do it right.
5) Coming up with a good idea for a story, running to tell your friend/brother/parent, and having them say, "Oh, yeah, that sounds a lot like (Insert story you've never heard of here)."

How about you?

PS--My newest publication can be read here: Ten Stories Up, Ten Years Later

Story Published!

From the Speakers: CAN'T BE SAVED by Senses Fail
Just Read: CITY OF BONES by Cassandra Clare--Really enjoyed the plot, the story. The writing, though, was redundant at points, and even seemed a bit juvenile here and there. Didn't stop me from starting the sequel, though.
Reading Now: CITY OF ASHES by Cassandra Clare

My story "Ten Stories Up, Ten Years Later" came out in Misfit Magazine! Click on the link to check it out, and leave a comment if you feel so inclined. Always appreciated.

The story's about a car wreck. The county I'm from is notorious for having teenagers killed in car wrecks, and I don't know why. I have a few theories--more winding, country roads, for one, and a general boredom settled over the teenage population that makes everyone want to speed for fun--but whatever the reason, it sucks. There were like ten kids at my high school killed in wrecks when I was there. I'm lucky to have made it out unscathed.

Anyway, thinking about that got me writing this story. A bit of catharsis, yeah, a bit of taking some bad feelings and putting them down on paper so they don't stay up there infect anything. Just one more thing that makes writing great.

But hopefully, you, my Generous Reader, won't let that tidbit bring you down, and you'll be able to enjoy the story as an isolated slice of entertainment. Thanks for reading!

Week 11 is Number 1

From the Speakers: NJ LEGION ICED TEA by A Day to Remember

It's official--my first Write1Sub1 story of 2012 was accepted last week, Week 11!

It took 11 weeks of writing a story per week, 5 rejections, still waiting to hear back from 7 magazines, but I did it. The story is called "Over the Fence," and it will come out in May or June in Residential Aliens.

I started writing a story about baseball--I played every spring since I was five years old until I graduated high school, so this time of year always brings back memories of being on the field (see "Spring Cleaning" post). But somehow I ended up submitting it to a horror magazine. Go figure.

Can't keep the fantasy out of a fantasy author's stories, you know?

Anyway, the editor of Fear and Trembling magazine enjoyed the story and wants to publish it, but she said it might be a better fit in her sister magazine, Residential Aliens. Haven't heard the release date yet, but when I do, you'll be the first to know.

Also, some other good news: I've previously published two stories in Fear and Trembling (a few years back), and since then the magazine's undergone lots of changes, including management. But the new editor, the one who just accepted "Over the Fence," said she still has all the archived stories and will get them online one day. That means you'll be able to read more of my published fiction for free!

Stay tuned! Lots of exciting things going on these days. Keep your fingers crossed, and maybe Week 11 will only be the first of many, many acceptances this year.

Spring Cleaning

From the Speakers: GONE by Jack Johnson
Just Read: THEODORE BOONE, KID LAWYER by John Grisham--A very fun read. At times it was a thinly disguised manual about how courts work (directed toward kids), but I didn't mind. I certainly learned a thing or two!
Reading Now: CITY OF BONES by Cassandra Clare

Spring is here--in NC it's like 80 degrees, sunny, and the air smells like a coming summer of fun and endless possibilities. Time to change up the music station on Pandora to something springy, check out a book I can read in the sun, and open the window and let the breeze blow in while I write. Who knows, maybe it'll carry a few ideas with it.

I played baseball all my life, every spring from ages 5 to 17. There's something about these evenings, this time of year--I don't know if it's the temperature, the pressure, the position of the stars in the sky--that makes me long for those days, being out on the field, smell of fresh cut grass hovering just above the ground, mixing with sweat and leather from your glove and dirt from the side of your leg where you slid into second.

I'm 22 now, and can no longer play baseball every spring, but there's nothing I love more than revisiting the field for a catch with old teammates, or taking some cuts and laughing whenever I swing and miss, or bragging when I send one into right-center. I miss those days.

It's the paramount nostalgic feeling, writing a story about baseball. The images come back so vividly and strongly that it almost hurts. I have 13 years' worth of characters on my teams to draw from, so any story is just barely fiction. But as much as it makes me long for those days, it's a pleasure every time I write a baseball story. I wouldn't be surprised if I write one every spring for the rest of my life.