Happy Independence Day v.3

 

(Updated my runs and will note I've now passed the blogmark of 20 years and a million visits. My running, due to health issues, has been reduced to walking. My weight has ballooned. But I've been there before. My writing is a series of short-story rejections. I've also been there before. More t/k. 

 

I've been a slob, a loafer of the first rank in ignoring this blog. And here I stand, on the brink of 20 years of continuous posts to a select audience. Nevertheless, I present a sampling of past July 4s (and a 5).

The Onion

Memorable July 4th Events

Thanks to the Founding Fathers for sticking their necks out and declaring independence when it was unclear they could back up such a deed. (I recommend David McCullough's book 1776 if you wish to read how the British kicked the American army off Long Island, chased George Washington from New York, and came very close to mopping up his ragged little force.)

History aside, here are several recollections from July 4th past: 

5Ks   

Mark up another one today. (Only 3 miles.) Ran around the golf course at Griffith Park along the soft dirt bridal trails where you rarely see a horse while maneuvering past their rounded droppings. Felt good, no injuries, taking it very slow. In the past, there have been runs and walks in:

2007

2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023

5th of July Party 1981

Close enough for a list. This epic bash saw an entire Hollywood apartment building unite in pursuit of a drunken bash that began around 11:00 AM at the pool, spread from the building, down the block to a bar, back to the building and inside an apartment where it continued until the cops showed up at 3:00 AM. My recollections are fuzzy due to age and staggering drunkenness.

1986

This year, repairs were finally completed on the Statue of Liberty and there was to be a big televised event with more fireworks than Saturday night in the barrio. An old improv friend invited me to a party down near the beach. I'd once had a crush on Lisa. She reluctantly informed me of her gayness. But I still didn't give up, as I'd met women before who were "gay for a day." In any case, Lisa's party was lesbian central. Out of 22 women, only three were straight. One was ill and left early, the other nursed a bad sunburn, and I didn't hit it off with the third. No matter. We all had a grand time watching fireworks over the ocean off Santa Monica. The following year, Lisa moved to Sedona, Arizona with a girlfriend, bought a house, and waited for UFOs to circle Coffee Pot Rock. (I could be wrong about the last part.)

1976

Bi-centennial. A big deal. My sister was attending Western Illinois University. Out in the cornfields, near the Mississippi River, not far from Iowa, stood the little town of Basco. There they made their own fireworks and put on a patriotic pageant every 4th. My girlfriend and I, my sister, and her friends attended. We ended up trashed in some field drinking Grain Belt Beer and watching the fireworks crackle. We all bought tee-shirts that said "Basco 1976." I drove back to the farmhouse my sister was renting, hunched over the wheel, barely able to see.

Horror Book Discount Continues

That's about all the July 4th memories I can salvage for the day , but there's always time to flog a book. Through today and ending Tue. July 5th, Hallow Mass continues to be available in Kindle form for under three dollars. Cool off with a nice chilling horror tale of old grudges, new terrors, and unadorned sorcery. A pleasant weekend to all! 

Writer Beware Spots the Scams

 Grift in the Publishing Industry?

 Sadly, yes, and Writer Beware helps to pinpoint the publishing-agenting-AI schemes that attempt to part writers from their money and rights. Give it a peek. You owe it to yourself.

 

Gifdb.com

 

 

 

Readers Prefer Books—For Now

 Ebooks, Phone and Audio On The Rise 

Such is the state of reading preferences according to Pew Research. I still prefer a fine hardcover or paperback. It's one less daily screen for my eyes to fix upon. 

 

bookartwork.com

 

Substack Explained in Brief

 Intriguing place, this Substack, alive with many facets. A social media replacement? A platform for fiction? Go here to discover more: https://tinyurl.com/mw6dx8k9. I have and don't regret it.

freepik.com

 

50 Publishers Not Requiring Agency Submissions

dreamstime.com

Writers! You Are Free!

Submit That Manuscript Today!

Get that fantasy novel off the computer and out the door without someone else's approval. This can be good and bad, but if you lack representation or can't get any movement out of your agent then these 50 + spots await your pages. In a stunning binary move, some publishers also accept non-fiction. Hence, all tales are free to seek a home. 

 

Penning Short Stories Absorbs Me

So I haven't queried any of these publishers just yet. But experience dictates that their slush piles are  immense, equaling long response times. But that could be just what you need to start your next book, finishing around the time the first publisher responds. (That's why many authors self-publish, but less on that today.) They are all free-of-charge. Beware publishers that ask for money.

So go-do-experience.

  

 

 

Adrift in a Sea of Unfinished Stories v.2

 

uncoverydiscoveryblog

(Eight years later, not much has changed. Though this year I have submitted three shortie short stories with one rejection. David Mamet had a good take on writer procrastination: It's a way of avoiding the writing of a shit first draft. Interesting.)

Haven't finished a short story in over six weeks. Not even a first draft. Zip. I have no idea what I'm waiting for. Certainly not inspiration. Or the perfect metaphor. Or a really ironic Twilight Zone ending. I'm not even pushing the cursor around the screen, filling pages with swill that I'll edit later. Can't be fear. Whatever it is, I'm not producing.

Only a single short story remains under consideration with a magazine. Maybe I should switch to Flash Fiction until this malaise passes. "Death Honk" was fun, a thousand words, and still floating about online in Microliterature. I recall writing it very quickly. Could not other tales be written equally fast?

Back running and walking again, using my new chi running techniques. This morning, a friend called during my post-run stretch. I took the call and finished tasking my hamstrings, realizing that I'd become the person I swore I'd never be: one who combed physical activity and a phone call. At least this transformation took place in Griffith Park and not a gym, where those nearby would be hostages to my infernal chattiness.

Okay. Away. Keep it short.

 

Who Can Forget 2013?

Daisie Blog

Most people, myself included. 

Back then I imagined I'd complete 3 fiction ebooks within the year.  These days I am completing one of them, a mystery-thriller about a dystopian Los Angeles--hardly fiction--and a former cop attempting to stop a series of seemingly senseless murders.

First I went through four drafts and printed out material I thought could be shaped into a story. I ended up with a 240 pages of material. Lots of useabale copy. I should have finished this 11 years ago. But I'd feel awful if I never finished it at all.

More soon.

A Pulp Title to Cherish

A Golden Story Prompt

What writer couldn't wait to sink his typing into such a challenge? Tempting, oh, so tempting, but I must concentrate on the work before me.

guto

 

 

Putting the Write Back in Write Enough!

Since When?

The beginning of the year. I've mentioned the immense chasm I've fallen into with unfinished projects. Resolving that 2024 would see this addressed, I decided to clear my desk and approach writing as if I were a yarn ball of bad habits in need of unraveling.

Seeking insights, I signed up for MasterClass. Authors on tap willing to share their knowledge include Neil Gaiman, James Patterson, Joyce Carol Oates, and more. So far, they've been a mixed bag.

Lots of encouragement, personal tales, and philosophy, but I needed child-simple, A-B-C, this-is-what-to-do examples. I believe I've found same on YouTube with writer Kieren Westwood.

If you're wrestling with wordsmithing, you could do a lot worse. Westwood details his own struggles, his mistakes, what he did to correct him, sloppy writing habits and ways to rectify those flaws. Westwood also offers his own editing and critique service for short fiction and novel extracts. 

No kickback for me, other than sound, straight-forward writing advice. Below is Westwood demonstrating ways to add depth to your fiction.

 

Kieren Westwood

 

My Writing Schedule. v2

 What now, big talker?

Eleven years ago, I was working this hard to build an ebook empire. So where is it? Still in boxes and boxes of first drafts, waiting for the author to stop screwing around and finish.

A few points: I didn't break each project into small enough pieces, so that completing it in bite-sized chunks wouldn't feel so daunting. 

Also, I failed to periodically assess my progress. Too much time on outlines? Not enough? Why did I allow procrastination to torpedo such excellent headway?

A finished first draft is an accomplishment, but only an initial step in the final product. I took the easy path of parking the draft "just for a bit" and starting on new projects, then "allowing them to simmer."

When it comes to writing, I excel at conning myself to avoid the hard work of pressing on.

I'll do it again if I'm not careful. 

CBT Psychology

Hallow Mass Update

COMING THIS SPRING!

Igy Hotarubi Pinterest

Following an inquiry or two, I've committed to writing and publishing Volume II of my Lovecraftian horror trilogy: "The War on Death" Hallow Mass by spring 2024. 😬🙏 As illustrated by handy emojiis, fear and hope collide in my aging head. What if I botch the attempt? One promising backstop is to insert a financial penalty for NOT finishing, such as taking out advertising in advance of publication. Yeah. I like it. Now to work.

I'm also writing a horror/suspense novella which should publish in ebook form by Christmas. On top of that, I'm collating my notes from Ireland and hope to put out a short non-fiction book on my pilgrimage by next March. 

So many projects. I'm bound to complete one.

Available in durable ebook and softcover

Large Stinking Winter Storm

 

Patabook News

Oh, what a merry time to write. The heating bill is paid, the roof doesn't leak, and we have glass in our windows. In addition, our supply of coffee is ample. Under such conditions, working on my marathon book is a delight. 

What if I lived in Seattle? Under such conditions, I'd be familiar with rainy weather and spend the time web surfing. A pleasant Christmas eve to one and all.