My story, That All Important First Scene, took the prize. It’s a short bit of self-referantial work, based on a writing having a tense conversation with one of his characters during an explosive scene.
Hey, everybody. Man, I love me a good horror story. Something rife with tension and suspense, not too heavy on the gore and violence factor, with a unique premise, good setting, and well-portrayed characters. Yeah, it’s a tall order to find all that, but I have something that might help: Night Terrors Anthology, by Scare Street Publications.
This series, going strong at twenty volumes, pulls together a dozen or so good short stories, all of them built around the simple theme of being downright terrifying. Each volume features a good diversity of styles and ideas, meaning there’s something for just about everyone.
And, of course, you can find me there. I just got a great little story, “The Burned Land”, published in the latest issue. It’s a thrilling monster story in which a poor rancher in Venezuela comes face to face with the consequences of ignoring ancient legends. I heartily recommend it.
E-books of the Night Terrors Vol. 20 are just 99 cents. Get them here:
Anyway, I hope you’ll check it out. Read and enjoy.
Hey everybody. I just wanted to let you all know that I have a whole bunch of stories posted on my profile on the Reedsy blog. They put up everything I submit to their weekly writing prompt contest, even if it doesn’t win. Some of them are quite good, if I do say so myself. If you’re looking for a short, high-quality read, check it out here:
Hey everybody. I recently got into writing following story prompt contests in a big way. I like how they can inspire you to come up with new ideas, take your writing in new directions.
I found this great one that’s been around for a while, The First Line. It’s a literary journal founded in 1999 that holds a quarterly contest. The premise is simple: they give you a first line, and you can write any story you want as long as it begins with that line.
I took that challenge this fall, and I won!
The line was: “What should we do with the body?”
Yep, that hooked me.
The short story I wrote off the prompt is title “Dead in Space” and follows a supply station monitor whose simple day goes very wrong when space pirates show up. It’s just a little story, very light on the sci-fi, but with a big twist.
This is something of a milestone for me, since this is the first time I’ve been published in a for-pay journal, instead of a freely distributed one. Unfortunately for you, my loyal fans, that means you gotta pay to read it, along with all the other winning stories for the year. There’s a lot of good writing in there, so it’s well worth the money.
It’s Vol. 23, Issue 3, available in print for $6.oo USD, or PDF download for $3.oo USD. If you feel like reading some great stuff and supporting a journal that helps writers, give it a go.
One thing we can all use in a world that’s trying to bury us in reality is a little bit of make believe. Doesn’t matter if it’s trying to tell us something, help us understand something, or just trying to entertain us.
That’s why I love Daily Science Fiction. Every weekday, DSF brings a new story to its readers. Sometimes it makes you laugh, sometimes it makes you think, but it always gives you a little distance from the humdrum life we all live.
So maybe check it out. And while you’re there, read my latest published piece, Are You Real, about a guy trying to work up the nerve to ask a pretty girl an important question.
Hey, everybody. Last time I told you all about that little contest I won, ahem, Writer’s Digest’s 89th Annual Writing Competition, where I took First Place in Genre Fiction. Well, the winners have been announced on the official website, and my winning story is now available to read. Am I using too many declensions of the word “win”? Sorry about that. Anyway, you can read the story here: https://www.writersdigest.com/wd-competitions/genre-short-story-first-place-winner-little-time-machines
It’s a little light science fiction about a person with a great gift for memory, and the great curse that comes with it. Please do give it a read, and if it’s not to much trouble, leave a comment. Most important, please enjoy it. Thank you.
I know I’ve mentions Writer’s Digest before, perhaps the premiere magazine for helping writers improve their craft and publish their work. They provide excellent services, everything from tutorials and webinars to inspiring stories and editing. I’ve used the resources of Writer’s Digest for years now, and I’ve never been disappointed. I heartily recommend Writer’s Digest to any aspiring writer, as an amazing aid on the journey to writing success.
Another wonderful facet of Writer’s Digest is the plethora of contests they make available to those seeking a sense of accomplishment and some tangible recognition of their skill. These contests span almost every type of writing imaginable, from short stories to self-published books. There’s almost always one or more contest running, and the entry fees are marginal, especially compared to the potential rewards, which go much farther than money.
Recently, I entered the Writer’s Digest 89th Annual Writing Competition, and not for the first time. One of the things I love about writing contests is the challenge, the need to do my best, and create something that stands out. I wrote a short story with a light science fiction theme, based on the concept of empathic abilities and their use in aiding those suffering with Alzheimer’s and dementia. I called it Little Time Machines. I wrote it up, worked over it more than a few times, and submitted it. Then came my second favorite part of writing for competition: waiting, in breathless anticipation to see if it would hit the mark. Really, I do love the anticipation. Win or lose, good or bad, anticipation is an amazing sensation, like opening a treasure chest that’s been buried for years.
Anyway, this time, there was gold in the chest.
My story took First Place in its category, Genre Fiction. I was…speechless. The win came with a hefty prize package, including a large cash payout, a subscription extension, and discounts on WD products and services. Worth its weight in gold. But the best part for me is the recognition. This isn’t the first contest I’ve won, but its by far the most prestigious, as far as I’m concerned. It’s a validation, an acknowledgement that I do know something about what I’m doing, that I can write, that I am a writer.
My name will be on the winner’s list, published in the100 Years of Writer’s Digest issue for December, 2020. My story, Little Time Machines, will be published online through Writer’s Digest to coincide with the issue’s release. For me, that’s absolutely incredible. Rest assured, I’ll have a link up for it as soon as possible.
I give my heartfelt thanks to all the talented people at Writer’s Digest, for the help and opportunities they provide writers the world over, and especially for the recognition they have given my work. I’d also like to thank all those who put up with me pushing unpolished stories on them for advice and criticism over the years. You’ve helped make me as good as I am.
Once again, I recommend that anyone interested in writing, either as a career, a secondary income source, or just a passionate hobby, make use of Writer’s Digest and its amazing resources. What you find there will change everything.
It’s as simple as that. For eight years now I’ve been submitting to the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest, every quarter, like clockwork. For the last few years, I’ve gotten at least an Honorable Mention for nearly every submission. And each and every time it’s felt like a validation, a confirmation, that I have some talent, and that I just have to keep trying, keep learning, keep writing. One day, I’ll get my ‘break’ and the rest will be a story I’ll tell for the rest of my life. So, I’m happy that once again, I’ve been awarded an Honorable Mention, because someone read my story, and liked it. Not as much as I would have hoped, but enough to let me know they did. I would heartily encourage anyone with any aspirations as a writer of fiction to give the contest a try. You might amaze and astound, win the big prize. Or you might not. At the least, you’ll have done something to move yourself a little closer to your goals. They even have a free workshop, offered by successful authors.
Another six months gone by, and sadly not a lot has happened with my glorious writing career. A lot of writing, a lot of knocking on doors–figuratively speaking–but not much…positive progress.
Not that I haven’t had some fun and done some new stuff. I recently completed an online workshop presented by the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future contest. It featured essays written by Hubbard himself, video presentations by veteran writers Orson Scott Card, Dave Farland, and Tim Powers, and practical writing assignments. The workshop gives a lot of useful information for anyone interested in improving their writing, and I recommend it, whether you’re just starting out or if you have a bit of experience. It is also free, so you can’t beat that.
I’ve been peddling my short fiction to a lot of pulications, both online and print. No takers, but I did manage to get pretty far in some of the submission processes. The e-zine Deep Magic, which proports itself as one of the leading “clean” fantasy and sci-fi publications out there, took one of my stories, Ship of Glass, to the very last stage of consideration…before deciding to pass on it. It was a bummer. I love that publication, and one of its editors and founders is Jeff Wheeler, my favorite fantasy author. I managed to dry my tears with the help of some good advice from the editor’s board, which I will apply to the story before submitting it elsewhere. Of course I’ll sumbit it elsewhere, and I’ll submit to Deep Magic again. And again. And again. Real writers don’t take rejection sitting down…unless they’re sitting at their computers preparing their next submission.
Just a word of advice about rejections, from a writer who gets them a lot. I mean…a lot. Whatever you do, don’t fire off some poorly-thought-out, vitriolic response. On the practical side, that won’t get you published any quicker, and it might even have the opposite effect. Editors do talk to other editors. More importantly, these people are doing their jobs. They’re running businesses. They have to do what their training and experience tells them is best for their business. The least you can do is thank them for their time and accept that rejection doesn’t mean they’re stupid or that they think you’re no good. Then you go and get back to work. Write something.
You’re a writer; it’s what you do.
Or, if you’re not a writer, read something. Check out a few of my older posts, and you’ll find links to awesome, exciting stories that I did manage to get published or posted. Please. And enjoy.
