Thought I'd let you know that I had two stories published last week. One's a flash crime piece at Out of the Gutter and the other is a flash horror piece that got released at Flashes in the Dark.
The crime piece is titled "Belly or the Head." It's a nasty story that that I enjoyed writing. It's my first piece at Out of the Gutter and I owe a lot to the editor there, Joe Clifford. He liked the story but made the great suggestions to improve it.
The horror story is called "Trophies," it's my second story at Flashes in the Dark. Lori Titus is a great to work with.
If you're interested you could check them out at:
Belly of the Head (at Out of the Gutter)
Trophies
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Indie Publishing vs Legacy Publishing: Can You Do Both?
I just came upon a link* (see below) to an article that tackles the issue on whether an author can go the self-publishing route and then come back to traditional publishing.
Indie or Traditional: Should you make the jump?
This author clearly has evidence that you can. I know in the past, going the self-publishing route basically killed your book with traditional publishing, but I guess that if you show you can generate sales, a traditional publisher would be very short sighted not to consider publishing your were (and making some money while doing it).
[* I found this link on Belinda Frisch's blog. She's the author of the Strandville Zombie series.]
Indie or Traditional: Should you make the jump?
This author clearly has evidence that you can. I know in the past, going the self-publishing route basically killed your book with traditional publishing, but I guess that if you show you can generate sales, a traditional publisher would be very short sighted not to consider publishing your were (and making some money while doing it).
[* I found this link on Belinda Frisch's blog. She's the author of the Strandville Zombie series.]
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Going the Indie Route
Deciding to go the Indie Writers route is one that is full of fear and trepidation. It's also a lot of work. Unless you're independently wealthy, you're the whole enchilada when it comes to your writing team. You're job entails:
When I first started writing (more like dabbling in writing) over 15 years, I envisioned that I would sending my manuscript off to some agent or a publishing house and after mounds of rejections, someone would take on my book and I would be published. I fear those days are over. Yes, outside the few select writers that consistently have books out on the shelves, there are a few authors that break into the traditional publishing world, but I think that is becoming the land of the lottery ticket for the new writer.
The one thing I do like about the indie route is that I can avoid all the rejections. With Amazon and the other avenues to self-publish, you can get your works to readers. Of course, it has to be quality writing, had to have a compelling plot and characters, has to have a good cover, and be free of grammatical and spelling errors. Which brings me back to the list of things that the indie writer has to be (see above).
The bottom line is that you have the need to be a writer if you're going to do this. You have to have stories you need to tell. For long time, I wanted to be writer, but now I need to be a writer. (Or I convince myself I need it.)
- Writing (of course)
- Editing
- Marketing
- Cover Design
- Psychiatrist and Motivational Coach
When I first started writing (more like dabbling in writing) over 15 years, I envisioned that I would sending my manuscript off to some agent or a publishing house and after mounds of rejections, someone would take on my book and I would be published. I fear those days are over. Yes, outside the few select writers that consistently have books out on the shelves, there are a few authors that break into the traditional publishing world, but I think that is becoming the land of the lottery ticket for the new writer.
The one thing I do like about the indie route is that I can avoid all the rejections. With Amazon and the other avenues to self-publish, you can get your works to readers. Of course, it has to be quality writing, had to have a compelling plot and characters, has to have a good cover, and be free of grammatical and spelling errors. Which brings me back to the list of things that the indie writer has to be (see above).
The bottom line is that you have the need to be a writer if you're going to do this. You have to have stories you need to tell. For long time, I wanted to be writer, but now I need to be a writer. (Or I convince myself I need it.)
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
George Romero - Father of the Zombie Movie
I was really too young to see Night of the Living Dead when it came out. My introduction to Romero came unexpectedly and shockingly in 1978 with Dawn of the Dead.
I'm going into the theater not really knowing what to expect and this is what I got:
- a zombie biting into a woman's neck,
- a person's head being blown off with a shotgun at point blank range
- the top of a zombie's head being cut off by the blades of a helicopter
- zombies ripping out and eating someone's entrails
The list could go on and on.
And the bottom line is that I loved it. I was back the next week to see it again and then even went to the drive-in with a group of my rowdy high school friends to see it yet again.
Many people called Romero the “Father of the Zombie Movie,” and rightfully so. Maybe today, he’s the “Grandfather of the Zombie Movie,” though.
Of his dead series, Dawn of the Dead is still my favorite. Night of the Living Dead is probably a close second. Despite it’s primitive technique, it has a great story with some layers going on. Day of the Dead is a close third. It was a bit heady for the genre, but it still satisfied.
Some might say that with his later zombie films, that Romero was cashing in, but who could blame him. And what choice did he have. Can you imagine Romero walking into a studio and pitching a Rom-Com? He talks about this in this interview;
Even though his follow-ups are weaker than their predecessors, they still have his ambition behind them. He always seems to reach a little deeper than the blood and gore and try to add another layer.
Land of the Dead was a disappointment for me upon the first viewing, but when I watched it a second time, it seemed to have improved with age. Diary of the Dead has it’s moments, too. Survival of the Dead starts out somewhat gritty and even unappealing but opens up and gets better over time.
If you’re “into zombies” and want to see what inspired “The Walking Dead” folks, you owe it yourself to watch Romero’s Dead Series.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Why I Love The Walking Dead
Why do I love The Walking Dead? Well, it's about zombies. Isn't that enough?
Okay seriously, I enjoy zombies and to have them featured in an on-going TV series is a dream come true. It also amazing that the show is so good. Yes, it has its ups and down and there were some big lulls in the 2nd season, but on the whole, the show has engaged, entertained, and shocked. It's also incredibly brave. It has no reservations with killing off main characters.
It also very human. You have people at their best and their worst.
I think I'm most happy that it's tapped into a wide audience -- which surprises me because I never guessed that that it would garner such an audience. Who would have thought that zombie would have that sort of appeal.
Okay seriously, I enjoy zombies and to have them featured in an on-going TV series is a dream come true. It also amazing that the show is so good. Yes, it has its ups and down and there were some big lulls in the 2nd season, but on the whole, the show has engaged, entertained, and shocked. It's also incredibly brave. It has no reservations with killing off main characters.
It also very human. You have people at their best and their worst.
I think I'm most happy that it's tapped into a wide audience -- which surprises me because I never guessed that that it would garner such an audience. Who would have thought that zombie would have that sort of appeal.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Balancing a "Real Job" with My Writing Job
Like many, many writers, I have a real job that pays the bills while I fit writing in as I can. Well, that's not an accurate statement, really. I don't fit writing in as I can, writing is one of the priorities that I balance with a full time job (and a family, too). When I'm putting words on paper (or characters on screen), I tend to write 1,000 words a day. Why I qualify my writing with the phrase of "putting words on paper," is that there are days in the writer’s life that he/she has to work on marketing, cover design, ebook formatting, etc. While writing is the essential activity, these other duties are crucial to being successful.
Anyway, the way I maintain my productivity is to stick to both a production schedule and a quota. As for quota, I want at least 1,000 words a day...or 90 minutes of writing times. Regarding a schedule, I want to maintain one as best I can. I write for an hour in the morning and an hour over the lunch hour. In the past four months, I have never missed more than one day of writing in a row. In fact, since December, I've only missed writing on 3 days. I even got in 1,000 words on Christmas Day.
If I think I might miss two days in a row, I get very, very nervous. Good habits are hard to make and easy to break. Being dedicated to writing every day, even if I miss a day here and there, is important to me.
For instance, today I’m getting ready to leave for a weekend retreat with my wife. We’re only gone for two days and it is a retreat for us, but I know I probably won’t be writing. Nervous, nervous, I am.
You can’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or two if you’re sick or you need to attend to something important like keeping your job or making sure your significant other is happy, but, for me, I need to make writing a priority.
Anyway, the way I maintain my productivity is to stick to both a production schedule and a quota. As for quota, I want at least 1,000 words a day...or 90 minutes of writing times. Regarding a schedule, I want to maintain one as best I can. I write for an hour in the morning and an hour over the lunch hour. In the past four months, I have never missed more than one day of writing in a row. In fact, since December, I've only missed writing on 3 days. I even got in 1,000 words on Christmas Day.
If I think I might miss two days in a row, I get very, very nervous. Good habits are hard to make and easy to break. Being dedicated to writing every day, even if I miss a day here and there, is important to me.
For instance, today I’m getting ready to leave for a weekend retreat with my wife. We’re only gone for two days and it is a retreat for us, but I know I probably won’t be writing. Nervous, nervous, I am.
You can’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or two if you’re sick or you need to attend to something important like keeping your job or making sure your significant other is happy, but, for me, I need to make writing a priority.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Fear and Trepidation in Zombieland
In many ways, I feel like I've come to the party late. What I mean by that is I'm writing a zombie apocalypse novel. My fear is that the reading public is done with the zombie apocalypse and is ready to move on the next fad, be it mutant robots, resurrected vegetables or whatever.
Stant Litore, a writer who's written several zombie novels, posted a note in the Horror Forum on Amazon asking readers to rate where they were on the following continuum:
Are you "zombied out?"
A. Heck no, bring me more ghouls!
B. I enjoy reading boks with an entirely new take on zombies
C. Meg, somewhat
D. Please God, make the zombies stop
F. Zombies were never on my thing anyway
While I was heartened by the fact that many people did respond with "A- Bring on the Zombies," I was discouraged that many were getting fatigued by the genre.
Ergo, why I'm feeling fear and trepidation.
Of course, you have to write the book you want to write and right now, it's a zombie apocalypse novel. I do think well written books -- in whatever genre they're written in -- will break through to audiences. Or least I delude myself with that thought.
What do you think?
Stant Litore, a writer who's written several zombie novels, posted a note in the Horror Forum on Amazon asking readers to rate where they were on the following continuum:
Are you "zombied out?"
A. Heck no, bring me more ghouls!
B. I enjoy reading boks with an entirely new take on zombies
C. Meg, somewhat
D. Please God, make the zombies stop
F. Zombies were never on my thing anyway
While I was heartened by the fact that many people did respond with "A- Bring on the Zombies," I was discouraged that many were getting fatigued by the genre.
Ergo, why I'm feeling fear and trepidation.
Of course, you have to write the book you want to write and right now, it's a zombie apocalypse novel. I do think well written books -- in whatever genre they're written in -- will break through to audiences. Or least I delude myself with that thought.
What do you think?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)