If you go back a year or two, every single piece of writing advice you could find was summed up in these three words: Platform, platform, platform. You want to get published? Build a platform. You want an agent? Build a platform. You want a contract? Build a platform. You get the idea. It was […]
Are Form Letter Rejections Really That Bad?
It goes without saying that every new writer should expect to receive pile upon pile of rejection letters. According to Duotrope.com, my overall acceptance rate for short stories is 13%, so if we want to view the glass as 87% empty then then that adds up to quite a few rejections (163 to be exact), […]
The Biggest, Ugliest Thing
I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the plot of one of my WIP short stories lately. It’s one of those stories where I think the style it’s written in is pretty good, but the plot is pretty…blah. It’s a classic example of all style, no substance. Kind of like the early days […]
5 More Awesome Quotes About Writing From The Pros
Here is a batch of some of my favorite quotes about writing (from writers) and what I like about them. It’s always great to check out stuff like this for both information and motivation 🙂 “When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature.” – Ernest […]
“I have writer’s block”
What do you do when you have writer’s block? It’s something that happens to everyone every now and then, but what is writer’s block really? I’d say its most basic definition is that it’s a condition where–for whatever reason–a writer is unable to write. One could argue, however, that there is really no such thing; […]
What makes a good twist ending?
Everybody loves a good plot twist. When it comes to writing short stories and flash fiction, the ending will often make or break the story. And a good plot twist can definitely leave the reader satisfied at the end of the story. But a huge problem can arise when a plot twist is done poorly. […]
Don’t worry so much about your word count
One of the most repeated pieces of advice I see in writer’s magazines and other online writing sites (including my own) is to write every day. You’re thinking, “Well, duh…” and so am I. Of course you need to write every day. If you want to master anything, from sports to arts, you need to […]
Should you ever consider publishing FTL?
In a previous post about pay scales for short stories, I mentioned that I wouldn’t personally recommend publishing with non-paying print markets. First, let me get it out of the way that I’m not a fan of the label “For The Luv.” In fact, I hate the phrase and the attitude it represents. In my […]
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