Month: July 2013

Travel Tips for Your Vacation

I am given to understand that vacations are not completely extinct in some sectors of society.

Presumably, there are people who still travel for pleasure, and may even take their families along.

For writers, the challenges are many. It can be difficult to leave our characters at home, since they live in our heads.

The writer inside you will still be on. You’ll see people doing things and you will look for ways to incorporate or adapt some of those things into your writing. You’ll hear new words and phrases and possibly an interesting patois. There will be quirky mannerisms or speech tics. The scenery and settings will go into a mental file for later retrieval and use.

And, of course, the resort you go to will probably be run by a colony of vampires, or you will be drawn into some global political intrigue, or have to solve a murder case. The usual stuff. Continue reading “Travel Tips for Your Vacation”

Making First Contact

Last month I probably had you scratching your heads on why authors are like crawdads. This month, it’s aliens!

Yes, writers are like aliens because we tend to be skittish when it comes to dealing with the human race. But there are a few things we can do to help break the ice when we finally get around to showing our faces in public—making that first contact. As I’ve joked before, I live in the middle of nowhere. When we go into town, I try to make my interaction with other humans count. How? Continue reading “Making First Contact”

Get Your Flash Fiction Vote On

It’s time for Indies Unlimited readers to choose the next Flash Fiction Star. Remember, all our winners will be included in the next edition of the IU Flash Fiction Anthology. So, support your fellow writers and participate in this week’s voting, then spread the word, bang the drums, and share the link to let everyone know the vote is on.

Polls will close tomorrow at 5 PM, so act quickly, while supplies last!

We had a number of great submissions this week. 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 wrote the best flash fiction entry this week?

  • Dick C. Waters (48%, 83 Votes)
  • Robert K. Blechman (35%, 61 Votes)
  • Ed Drury (8%, 13 Votes)
  • Jon Jefferson (5%, 9 Votes)
  • alkaplan (3%, 5 Votes)
  • James Mender (1%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 172

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NOTE: Entrants whose submissions exceed the 250 word limit are eliminated from the poll.

Why I Read

Just after Christmas the Evil Mastermind had a post called “Do Write and Fear Naught,”  about why he writes. His reasons and mine are much different and I thought discussing those differences would make a good post some day. (These differences are the reason why he writes fiction and it’s doubtful I ever will.) This subject immediately went on my subjects-for-posts-when-you’re-out-of-ideas list. This was one of those times. I saw that idea and, as often happens, my brain connected it with a couple of recent thoughts, and I was off on a tangent. My role at IU is more one of a reader than any ability to string words together, why not a post about why I read? As much as I like to think otherwise, it isn’t all about me, but perhaps it will trigger some thoughts about the range of readers and what they’re looking for in their reading experience. As an author hoping to connect with readers it would be valuable to ask yourself a few questions. What do you hope the reader will get out of your book? Does it provide it? Is this something readers are looking for? Continue reading “Why I Read”