Month: June 2013

Our Weekly Flash Fiction Challenge Poll

Who will be this week’s Flash Fiction Star? The time has arrived once again for IU readers to choose their favorite entry from this week’s flash fiction challenge.

We had a number of great entries. Kudos to all the entrants. Check out this week’s entries here. Vote for your fave then use those share buttons at the bottom of the post to spread the word.

 

Who is your choice for this week's Flash Fiction Star?

  • Renee Pierce Williams (54%, 26 Votes)
  • Rich Meyer (13%, 6 Votes)
  • Krista Tibbs (10%, 5 Votes)
  • Yvonne Hertzberger (8%, 4 Votes)
  • Marjorie McCoy (6%, 3 Votes)
  • Aron Joice (4%, 2 Votes)
  • RG Bud Phelps (2%, 1 Votes)
  • Tom Kepler (2%, 1 Votes)
  • Michael Allen (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 48

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NOTE: Entrants whose submissions exceeded the 250 word limit were eliminated from the poll.

An Unlikely Roadie

Photo by Michael Messner

I’m going to depart from my usual topics this month…no musings about why non-fiction gets a bad rap or cosy tutorials to demystify geekiness. I’m going to tell you about my week instead. Partly because it has been utterly extraordinary and partly because I relearned something about storytelling.

It all started with my pal Valerie. Occasionally she’ll get an idea in her head and nobody will be able to budge it. She’ll know it’s nuts but she has to do it anyway. She also knows exactly how to work my strings to get me giving it a go too. Sometimes it’s a relatively trivial idea, like ‘let’s go ziplining,’ or ‘camping in the snow will be fun!’ On this occasion however the mad idea spread wider than one terrified and/or frozen Carolyn. Continue reading “An Unlikely Roadie”

Caring Enough to Try

It has been one of those weeks. This and that and some other thing goes wrong. Then some wackadoodle goes off in a Facebook thread, sets up a fake account and starts attacking everyone who disagreed with her, and extends the venom to include members of their families. That sort of thing leaves a bad taste in your mouth and puts you in a crappy mood.

Then I got a message from my friend Catherine Mahoney. She’s asking for a little help to draw attention to some authors who are out there trying to do a little good.

Indies Unlimited does not support or endorse any specific charity or cause. This isn’t just about that though. This is about people who see others suffering and decide to do something about it.That deserves to be applauded, and it reminds me of the greater good in this wonderful community of indie writers.

So, here are three projects aimed at extending a helping hand to those in need. You can click on those covers and buy the books.

Angels Cried – 40 authors and artists who contributed to create the anthology “Angels Cried.” This inspiring collection is a wonderful way to make a difference for those who truly need it the most. The proceeds from this book go to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund, managed by the United Way. Thank you for sharing hope. http://indiesinaction.blogspot.com

April Rains benefits victims of the West Texas plant explosion and the donations go to the United Way of Texas which will distribute them to the first responders, their families, and others injured in the explosion.

United We Stand – This anthology was created by compassionate individuals who desired to assist the victims and survivors of the Boston Marathon Tragedy. All the proceeds will be donated to Wounded Warriors.

I know there are lots more examples of this kind of goodness in the community, like our own K.S Brooks heading up the Indie Authors for Hurricane Sandy Library Relief, and Matt and Danielle Drake, who established Kourageous Kids Storybooks for children with cancer. So, if you’re involved with an effort to help others, or know of an author who is, go ahead and slap a link in the comments. We salute you.

Make Me Believe the Unbelievable

Guest post
by Walt Morton

There is a pact between every author and every reader. The pact goes like this: “I, the author, will tell you a story with characters and events so interesting and true you’ll enjoy every word to the very end.” But sometimes, good intentions fail and the story stinks. The betrayed reader throws the book into the trash and swears never to read the %&$*$ writer again.

The worst offense is when the pact between writer and reader fractures because the writer presents something false, unbelievable, or inconsistent with real life experience. Among Hollywood screenwriters, the relevant tenet is called “suspension of disbelief.” The concept originated with the poet Coleridge in 1817 who said if writers put “human interest and a semblance of truth” into stories then readers would not be put off by any implausibility of the narrative. But what are the three big violations of plausibility that most frequently send books into the trash? Continue reading “Make Me Believe the Unbelievable”