Can you believe it’s February already? Time for another issue of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. I’m feeling a bit more insecure than usual. I found out by accident that I wasn’t selected for our “Dark Matter” anthology (didn’t even get a form rejection, either), and Zombies Need Brains rejected both of the stories I…
Just got two form rejections from Zombies Need Brains. Form rejections suck. They didn’t like the “Modern Deity’s Guide to Surviving Humanity” humor piece or the velyr “When Worlds Collide” story. Of course they did get 1400 submissions when they only had 20 slots available so I guess it’s not horrible. I may try reworking…
A writing pal of mine suggested I submit the historical fiction novels to the UK publisher who handles his books. I’ve sent in a query letter and we’ll see what they say in a week or two. I’d have let my agent handle it, but she said I could do it, which either means she’s…
It’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post. We’ve seen the end of the old year and the beginning of a new one. May 2021 be far kinder than 2020 ever was. May any creativity we lost during the old year be returned threefold in the new. May the asteroids miss Earth, and the…
In two days I will be 60. That just can’t be right, can it? I can’t say I’ve been a writer all those years, though I have been a storyteller since I could speak coherently. My early writing is unpublished and rightly so! However, I feel I’ve progressed as a writer until the point where…
Once again, it’s time for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Post! A writer’s life is one of insecurities. I’d imagine even a New York Times Bestselling author – perhaps especially a New York Bestselling author – worries that their writing just isn’t good enough, that they can never equal what they’ve already produced. Writing is…
Robin Gainey did a great webinar for my writing conference about “First Page Perfect.” Here are some of her suggestions: In the perfect first page, the main character must be sympathetic and introduced in a setting: Here are some things she recommends you not do: Robin says you should read and question. Read your story…
I “attended” a virtual query letter “boot camp” last month. Angie Hodapp talked about some pitfalls you might fall into while writing your query letter pitch — the part where you describe your story and try to hook the agent or editor. First, here are some awkward phrases to avoid: “Have you ever wondered…?” “What…
November’s Question: Albert Camus once said: “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Conner said: “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write? Why do I write character-driven science fiction? I’ve had…
I’m running the short story past the critique group before I submit it to the anthology, so I’m thinking about “What makes a good short story?” First, of course, you need an idea that you can develop into a plot — and no, the two aren’t the same thing. Your idea will be something like…