Hey guys,
Music to write by: “Mother Mother“ by Tracy Bonham
So I thought that for IPSTD I’d truck out one of my old trunk stories. I wrote it about a year ago, and I’ve never even shopped it around. I have hopes of eventually rewriting it to make it saleable, but for now, here it is. Comments are appreciated. Be warned. It’s long.
Music to write by: “Tomorrow“ by Silverchair
I started this blog because there was a lot of information out there for writers on how to write better, but very little on how to actually succeed as a writer. There are a lot of writers who already write well (you’re one of them, right?), but who need a little help getting noticed. To that end, I’ve posted about the Writers of the Future contest, the size of submission piles and wait times, and even pointed out a few OTHER blogs that are worth following. Coming up, I plan to focus on: how to get to know other writers, finding a good crit group, and identifying a few great ways to scope out new markets.
In conclusion, I’d like to thank the following writers for their kind words.
“Entertaining, educational, with a slight dash of lemon-lime.” -Michael Ehart, author of The Servant of the Manthycore Series.
“Informative and engaging. I’ve added it to my favourites.” Joel A. Sutherland, author of “The Death of Captain Eugene Bloodcake and the Fall of The Horrid Whore” in Black Sails (May 2007).
“The site is filled with good intentions and timely information all couched in a writer’s wry humor. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!” - Howard Von Darkmoor, author of Von Darkmoor’s Thoughts.
“You run an engaging blog, Jordan.” - Jens Rushing, author of “A Spider”, in Out West #4.
Thanks for the encouragement guys!
Hey guys,
Music to write by: “Money Honey“ by State of Shock
I thought I’d bring your attention to an awesome little website for reviews. Tangent Online is a site devoted to reviewing the short story market. They review everything from independently produced anthologies like this one, to Asimov’s (probably the premier pro magazine out there for fantasy and sci-fi.
What’s really useful here is that Tangent Online also reviews semi-pro zines like DKA Magazine (where this writer got his start) and The Sword Review, both publications where the unpublished author stands a good chance of getting in.
What does this mean for you? One of the things any author thrives on is his/her quote sheet. Garnering (positive) quotes from independent reviewers is even better than getting published and looks great on a cover letter. Tangent Online also lifts the profile of the magazines it reviews, which means that your work is seen by that many more eyes. As far as exposure goes, getting reviewed here is a great start!
A few of the authors I know use Tangent Online to find new markets (check out the market list on the lower left side of Tangent’s home page), specifically to get reviewed. This isn’t a bad strategy. Being listed means that a market is at least semi-legitimate and your work won’t end up stuck at a single-issue magazine.
Another great venue for reviews is Locus Online, but we’ll be taking a look at their site in another blog post. Until then, ciao!
Hey Guys,
Music to write by: “How Long“ by Hinder
What is International Pixel-Stained Technopeasent Day? Well, it’s a response to a rant by Howard V. Hendrix, SFWA’s current Vice President. Mr. Hendrix basically complained about people like John Scalzi who promote themselves by posting their own work online for free, calling them Pixel-Stained Technopeasants and webscabs.
As you may remember, Scalzi posted his first novel on his blog as “shareware”, asking readers who liked it to send him a dollar. He ended up making $4000 from this, as well as attracting representation for his next novel. This was a huge boost to his career and other writers have followed suit. Posting your work online for free just plain works (if done right).
A blogger known as papersky and others responded by suggesting that April 23rd be “International Pixel-Stained Technopeasent Day”, a day for writers to post their work online for free.
She writes:
In honour of Dr Hendrix, I am declaring Monday 23rd April International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day. On this day, everyone who wants to should give away professional quality work online. It doesn’t matter if it’s a novel, a story or a poem, it doesn’t matter if it’s already been published or if it hasn’t, the point is it should be disseminated online to celebrate our technopeasanthood.
Of course, yours truly will be participating. Aside from a political statement, IPSTD is a tremendous opportunity for new writers. Many of the editors of today’s leading magazines are also writers in their spare time, and as I’ve said before, reading the work of editors is the best way of getting familiar with their tastes.
One of these editors is Nick Mamatas. He edits Clarkesworld magazine, a professional magazine that pays a stunning 10c a word. He’s already posted his own work online. You can find it here. If you want to get published in Clarkesworld, I strongly suggest you read it.
Got a favorite magazine? Find that editor’s personal blog on April 23rd and give it a read. Enjoy the opportunity!
Hey guys,
Music to write by: “Adrenaline“ by Bush
So I’d like to give a shout out to Howard Von Darkmoor for writing an article about this site on his blog entitled How to Write like a Succeeder (without even trying). Thanks Howard! It’s great to get support from the SFReader crowd.
Aside from returning the favour, I’d also like to point out that Howard Von Darkmoor’s blog is one of the few places where you can read reviews on small press fiction. You can also read up about some of the up-and-coming writers before they break out, as well as find some great markets to submit to. Howard’s reviews are especially useful because he pulls no punches, even with the masters (read his review of Heinlein’s “Stranger in a Strange Land” here).
Howard’s on the ole’ Blogroll for good reason, his site is updated frequently and highly recommended. He’s also subbed to Michael D. Turner’s A New Century of Sword & Sorcery, so hopefully will both get in and share a ToC.
Anyways, lunch is over, so I’m back to my real job now. Chowder!