I remember reading Stephen R. Donaldson’s Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever as a teen and feeling frustrated. At the time, I didn’t have the experience to define the source of that frustration, but later in life I was able to put my finger on it. I was reading good-sized books about epic fantasy adventures,…
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Rocky Mountain Writer #165
Ian Shane & Postgraduate Ian Shane’s second novel, Postgraduate, comes out April 5. It’s a love letter to the music of the ‘80s and ‘90s, when the main character, Danny, worked at his college radio station. The resulting story is one of nostalgia, disappointment, rivalries, and romance. We talk about the tools Ian uses to publish,…
No Greenhorns Allowed
My wife and I are getting ready to move, so recently I went through all my stuff. We’ve taken a sh*t-ton of stuff to Goodwill. Lots of the jettisoned crap wouldn’t even be worthy of a kiss-off, “Namaste” blessing from Marie Kondo. But I’m not tossing my stack of agent and editor rejections. Why? I…
I did it my way (and you should do it yours)
Decades ago, a slick-covered magazine catering to the libidinous interests of some folks published a short story of mine—my first published work—for which I received 75 dollars. That publisher, as well as a couple more, said yes to additional short story submissions and, certainly proud of those achievements, I cut out the cover pages for…
Short Story Craft, Part 3: Setting
In preparation for the 2020 RMFW anthology, I’m doing a series of blog posts on short story craft. While plot and character are the two most important elements of your story, setting comes in a close third. In my opinion, setting is the fastest way to elevate a good story to a great one. A…