Week 11 Flash Fiction Contest Voting

Vote!The time has arrived for IU readers to begin voting in this week’s Flash Fiction Competition. On behalf of the IU staff, I want to thank all the entrants for doing such a great job with the writing prompt and the merciless constraints of the exercise.

This week, there are ten entries from which to choose. You may review the entries here. Please spread the word and encourage your friends to vote by using the share buttons at the bottom of the post!

The poll will be open until 5:00 PM MST Thursday

Select the entrant with the best story for the IU writing exercise competition, "The Last Season."

  • 3. Shiri Sondheimer (39%, 38 Votes)
  • 7. Dianna Stover (23%, 22 Votes)
  • 5. K. Zeth Ozbirn (18%, 17 Votes)
  • 9. Genora Powell (10%, 10 Votes)
  • 8. Terveen Gill (5%, 5 Votes)
  • 2. Yvonne Hertzberger (3%, 3 Votes)
  • 4. RG Bud Phelps (1%, 1 Votes)
  • 10. A. L. Kaplan (1%, 1 Votes)
  • 1. Robert H. Cherny (0%, 0 Votes)
  • 6. Elisavietta Ritchie (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 97

Loading ... Loading ...

Video Trailer: Julieanne Lynch’s Walking with Shadows

Author Julieanne Lynch shares the trailer for her Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy/Young Adult novel, Walking with Shadows:


Walking with Shadows is available through Amazon.comAmazon UK, and Barnes & Noble.

Other Influences on Authorial Style – by Joe T Velikovsky

Stephen Hise posted a really great question here about The Influence of Personality on Authorial Style  – and it really got me thinking. I’m paraphrasing now, but Stephen’s (excellent) point was, as an Author – can you put your attitude towards the world into your Storyworld? (i.e. Optimist, Pessimist, Skeptic, Cynic or Realist/Pragmatist…)

It’s an excellent point! And – in my humble opinion, probably the most important thing about `Voice’ as a writer. But – I also think – it’s incredibly difficult to do—not in the execution but in the publishing.

Allow me to unpack that idea: Continue reading “Other Influences on Authorial Style – by Joe T Velikovsky”

Pitfalls for New Writers

There are many potential pitfalls for new authors. Not for me. Not that I ever was a new author. I was born an old author. Like an older, wiser Hemingway with more of a drinking problem, but without the suicide problem. Still, it is hard for me to watch others make mistakes that I have seen people of lesser worth than myself make.

One thing new authors do is think they are hot shit. This happens a lot. It happened to a friend of mine. He got paid to write at a very young age. He was the hotshot writer in all his classes. Then he moved to San Francisco and got his ass handed to him. Actually, he was still fairly good, but he definitely wasn’t the best, and he definitely didn’t get better until he ate some humble ramen. Continue reading “Pitfalls for New Writers”