The slush pile, that place that all entry level writers dread.  When I come across advice about how to get out of the slush pile I sit up and listen.  And 21 Tips to Get Out of the Slush Pile by James Plath is just such advice.  Go ahead and read it.  I’ll wait (so to speak).

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My book order arrived yesterday and I am wallowing in writing book goodness.  A week ago or so I broke down and ordered a number of books on writing and criticism that I have been lusting after.  They are:

• About Writing: Seven Essays, Four Letters, and Five Interviews by Samuel R. Delany
• Creating Short Fiction by Damon Knight
• The Jewel-Hinged Jaw: Notes on the Language of Science Fiction by Samuel R. Delany
• West of Everything: The Inner Life of Westerns by Jane Tompkins

Now I just have to find time to read them all…

Have any notable books arrived in your life recently?  Or just books that you are reading now and want to comment on?

Last night I pulled out a copy Fredric Brown's Angels & Spaceships that I  Read the rest of this entry »

Last week I promised I would send out my favorite short story market research link to AAAWG.  I’ve finally gotten around to it.

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I managed to finish the rewrite on "Stealing a Seed of the Giving-Tree" and get it submitted to the Ann Arbor Book Fair Short Story Contest, too.  Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve submitted "All You Quantum Zombies" to the Ann Arbor Book Fair Short Story Contest and am trying to put enough polish on my heavily tweaked "Stealing a Seed of the Giving-Tree" in time to get it in by midnight.  It’s a bit dicey as to whether or not I’ll get it into shape and within the word count (you can guess which of those is more difficult for me).  Nose to the grind-stone and no writers' group for me tonight.

Hacking and slashing, I’ve been busy rewriting the last third of "Stealing a Seed of the Giving-Tree".  More action!  More danger!  Less words! (But not less dialogue.) Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I attended the Wednesday night AAAWG (at Borders on Lohr Rd), Read the rest of this entry »

"Stealing a Seed of the Giving-Tree" just went beta. If you are interested in being a beta-reader, drop me a line. It’s only 7000 words. What are you waiting for?

"Stealing a Seed of the Giving-Tree" has entered beta draft. I’m planning on reading the first part of it tomorrow evening at AAAWG.

"Stealing a Seed of the Giving-Tree" has moved into its first polish phase at a bit over 6000 words.  On track for a beta release by Monday.

I’m wrapping up my first draft "Stealing a Seed of the Giving-Tree" Read the rest of this entry »

“Stealing a Seed of the Giving-Tree” is just shy of 3400 words and Read the rest of this entry »

Off to a good start on my latest short story, “Stealing a Seed of the Giving-Tree”, the second Kregar the Dimlander story.

I’ve finally finished the first polish pass on Read the rest of this entry »

Sitting at the mall while Merideth and her friends wander about. At least I can work on edits to “A Sword in the Spokes”.

The Ann Arbor Book Festival is currently running a short story contest. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve finished another polish pass on “All You Quantum Zombies”.  There has been some significant modifications.  If you are beta reader, I’d like your opinion.  You can find PDF files posted on the other blog.

Yesterday I finished up the barf phase of “A Sword in the Spokes”, Read the rest of this entry »

Almost finished with my first pass on “A Sword in the Spokes”, the second Pelly and Winters story. Turned out to be about twice as long as I had expected, and that was after jettisoning several subplots.

I just replied to an email from a friend who is also a writer, and she was saying that she struggled with writing short stories, or, more accurately, short-short stories. Read the rest of this entry »

The barf phase of “Lair of the Feathered Termites” has dragged out more than I would have liked.  Read the rest of this entry »

Finished the barf phase of “All You Quantum Zombies” at 3500 words.

Finished up the beta draft of “Fortress of Wind and Glass” this morning.  It ran over a week and ended up being just a bit under 18,000 words (about the same length as “Up in the Nightgaunts Gang“).

Just finished up the barf phase draft of “Fortress of Wind and Glass”. Came in about fifty percent longer than I had originally projected at a bit over 15,000 words. Doesn’t look like I’ll finish the first polish pass by the end of November, but should have it done by the 7th of December.