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:
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.
All right, so when I launched this self-promoting website a
few years ago, I thought I had a good idea of how to do it right. I would use
it to showcase my work, just little samples, try to garner more interest in my
work.
That didn’t seem to do the trick.
The stuff I was putting up was far from my best work, really
just little stories that I belted out without putting much effort into them.
Not exactly the best way to show readers and potential publishers how skilled a
writer I am.
So I’m starting over, with a different focus. Going forward,
rather than putting up work that will give a false impression of my abilities,
I’ll use this website to display the things I’ve learned and the accomplishments
I’ve made. I’ll also still use it as a way to point out some of the good things
I’ve found in the world of writing and other entertainment mediums, I just won’t
be throwing up half baked ramblings of my own. And, sadly, I’ll be taking down most
of the works I’ve posted so far. This is partly because I don’t think it’s a
good way to showcase my talent, and partly because some of the ideas I’ve been
displaying have some potential, and I’d like to take the time and energy to
develop them better.
I’m sorry if this upsets any of my faithful readers, but I
hope that very soon I’ll have more works published, and of course I will provide
links to those stories, and the ones I have already published on various online
publications. Thank you all for your interest and continued support.
So, let’s try this again, and see if I can do a better job
this time.
Hey, everybody. I managed to get another story published. Once again, Every Day Fiction came to my rescue. Not only did they accept my story, but the talented editors at the publication did a lot to help make the story much better than my original version, even helping to give it a proper theme and plot. Not that there wasn’t a great story there to begin with, but it’s amazing how a good editor can really make a piece shine. Big thanks to everybody as Every Day Fiction!
Anyway, if you’d like to read the story, here’s the link:
I also heartily recommend reading some of the other stories made available by Every Day Fiction, and maybe signing up to receive their story of the day, each and every day. It’s a free publication, and they always publish insightful, thought-provoking pieces. Like mine.
This week marks a first for me: I finally managed to sell a story.
Now, it wasn’t a huge story, it was flash fiction, but this is the first time I’ve ever gotten a publication to take my work and put it out there for all to see.
I thank the editors at Every Day Fiction for accepting this story for publication, and for their excellent insight and advice during the revision process. They were both helpful and patient, and made the experience rewarding and fulfilling.
I also thank those readers who commented on my story after it was published. Feedback is essential for a writer, and the thoughtful critique provided by my readers will help me to write better, more entertaining pieces in the future. I truly appreciate even those comments that are not what I wanted to hear, because those are the comments I need to hear if I want to be a better, more entertaining writer.
