Wednesday, May 19, 2021

NEW RELEASE: A Quick Spell by Patricia Josephine (Guest Post)

It's a great day! Friend of the blog, Patricia Josephine/Lynne has a new book out! I already read this latest collection of short (short!) fiction, and really enjoyed it. You can check out my review here. And find out more about Patricia's book below!


Magic.

Myths.

Fantasy.

We are bewitched by what we can't see.

Conjure delight with a fantastical collection of tales. Each story is told in exactly 200 words and designed to delight your imagination no matter how busy your day is.

Will you believe? 

 

!BUY THE BOOK!

AMAZON 


!GUEST POST!

The challenge of writing short fiction
by Patricia Lynne/Josephine

You may think writing a 200 word story isn’t that challenging, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Some writers may actually say it’s harder than writing a full-length novel, and I know a few who don’t write shorter fiction because they can’t wrap their brains around it. Their muse only works in long form.

Writing short fiction is different from a novel. With novels, you have an unlimited number of words you can use to paint a picture for the reader. Short fiction you have restrictions on word count. You may only have 1000 words. You can even have as little as 50. When you have that limit, you are forced to choose more carefully. Your strokes have to be broader instead of going into minute details as you can with a novel.

The way I approach short fiction is similar to my novels. I just start writing. I figure out the story as I go and when I get to the end, I edit. I edit until the story is at the word limit I’ve imposed. That’s done by cutting descriptive words. The sentence doesn’t need the color of someone’s shirt for example. Thoughts the character has might get axed as well. If it doesn’t serve the basic story I want to tell, it can go.

Sometimes that doesn’t always work. Sometimes the story I’m trying to tell needs to be longer. When that happens, I stop worrying about word count and let it end as a novella or novel. I have a zombie apocalypse story I hope to release in the future that I initially intended to be 100 words. It ended at over 10,000!

Writing short fiction is a great exercise. It makes you think about word choices and their importance to the story. I encourage anyone who enjoys writing to give it a shot.




!THE AUTHOR!


Patricia Josephine is a writer of Urban Fantasy and Sci-Fi Romance books. She actually never set out to become a writer, and in fact, she was more interested in art and band in high school and college. Her dreams were of becoming an artist like Picasso. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head for fun. That was the start of her writing journey, and she hasn't regretted a moment. When she's not writing, she's watching Doctor Who or reading about serial killers. She's an avid knitter. One can never have too much yarn. She writes Young Adult Paranormal, Science Fiction, and Fantasy under the name Patricia Lynne.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, and has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow. 

!THE LINKS!

Website | Patreon |Twitter

Facebook Newsletter Goodreads

Amazon Author Page Smashwords 

Draft 2 Digital 




Wednesday, May 5, 2021

DARK MATTER and other frivolities...(#IWSG, May 2021)

What the hell... I missed another IWSG post last month? I don't even know where I am anymore...

As you've no doubt seen from other IWSG blogs today, the latest IWSG Anthology was released this week! Dark Matter: ARTIFICIAL, published by Dancing Lemur Press, is now available for purchase! Featuring brand-new stories from 9 amazing writers (plus me), you're sure to find something to satisfy any hankering for sci-fi goodness!

Be sure to check it out and pick up your copy here! 

You can also learn more about the anthology and all of the contributors are the official IWSG Anthology blog website.

Dark Matter: Artificial
An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

Print ISBN 9781939844828
EBook ISBN 9781939844835
Science Fiction: Collections & Anthologies/Space Exploration/Genetic Engineering

Discover dark matter’s secrets…

What is an AI’s true role? Will bumbling siblings find their way home from deep space? Dark matter is judging us—are we worthy of existence? Would you step through a portal into another reality? Can the discoverer of dark matter uncover its secrets?

Ten authors explore dark matter, unraveling its secrets and revealing its mysterious nature. Featuring the talents of Stephanie Espinoza Villamor, C.D. Gallant-King, Tara Tyler, Mark Alpert, Olga Godim, Steph Wolmarans, Charles Kowalski, Kim Mannix, Elizabeth Mueller, and Deniz Bevan.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents, authors, and editors, these ten tales will take readers on a journey across time and space. Prepare for ignition!

#


IWSG May Question

Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way that you didn't expect? If so, did it surprise you?

Those of you who have followed me awhile have probably heard this story before. Back in 2016, I signed up for the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off with my first book, Ten Thousand Days. I didn't expect to do very well, but I also didn't expect to be the first book (out of 300) cut from the competition.

The reviewer assigned to my book took offense to an off-colour joke in the first half-dozen pages or so, and didn't even read any further. Now, I'm not surprised when people are turned off by some of my writing (Hell Comes to Hogtown and the Werebear vs Landopus stories are really obscene in parts), but I never dreamed anyone would be offended by Ten Thousand Days. I tried to keep it PG-13, and there was nothing in there that you couldn't find on prime time network television, but this particular reviewer just really didn't like the joke. It was a harsh reminder that different audiences like different things. The things that some readers love are loathed by others, and taste varies tremendously.

For comparison, the aforementioned Hogtown was entered into SPFBO the following year. The first reviewer who received it adored it, despite it containing hundreds of f-bombs, sex, and gratuitous violence. It actually made it to the second round of the completion. 

I dunno either, Pierre.

#

Oh, in case you missed it on Facebook and Twitter... I finished a thing:

I still really hope to get it out this year, but I'm a couple of months behind schedule so we'll see what happens. Watch this space for more info.

So.... is the world around you shit for everyone else, too?

Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/.

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