There are cons...and then there's NECon

I’ve been going to writing conventions for a decade. I attended one local writers guild convention in the late 1990s (Joe R. Lansdale was a guest, which was a big draw). Then I resumed my long-fallow interest in writing and I wanted to start networking with other writers. My first big convention was the World [...]

Are you ready? Well, then, let’s begin.

No one can tell you when to start a short story.

People can give you all kinds of advice about how to write one, but only you can decide when you are prepared to start.

This is something I deal with all the time. I’ll have a window of opportunity where I can work on a short [...]

Reading Slush

I’ve never been in the position of having to read through a slush pile to pick out publication worthy short stories. However, as one of the judges of a short fiction contest, I feel like I’ve been through a similar experience. The contest had on the order of 150 submissions. In the first round, we [...]

Contests? No contest.

Some of my best successes in submitting short fiction have been by winning no-fee [...]

Ch-ch-ch-changes

An old dog contemplates trying out a new trick: using a new program for working on a [...]

How far would you go for a critique?

Lessons learned in the past concerning critique groups, and a new journey with another [...]

Why digital publishing didn't catch on 10 years ago--and why it might now.

Ten years ago, publishers and agents thought digital publishing was going to take over the industry. It didn’t, but the advent of inexpensive book readers means that the digital format stands a better chance of succeeding this time [...]

Gap Year(s)

Gap year: a period of time taken off by a student after the completion of secondary education and before starting higher or further [...]

Aspiring writers

I hate writing, I love having written — that’s not true for me, but some people find the actual writing part such a hurdle that they never get to appreciate having [...]