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…
Category: Blog
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…
Why I Volunteer for RMFW
When I first heard about RMFW, I had been floundering around on my own, convinced there were hardly any other writers in my neck of the woods. I’d met a few writers through a small critique group I belonged to, but it wasn’t until I saw an item about a meeting on the “events” page…
Choice Overload
Is your email inbox swollen with “helpful” newsletters and videos? You know the ones, presented by the “Successful Writers” who have found “The Secret” to become (fill-in-the-blank) best-selling authors and astound millions with their novels. Each helpful newsletter or video encourages you to launch a new marketing project (often closely associated with the service the…