I recently ran across a couple of articles describing a joint DEA/FBI/PD task force that busted several people working for one of the big Mexican drug cartels in the U.S. One article was all about how the operation was one of the biggest busts in that state’s history and how it put a nail in the coffin of a powerful cartel in particular and drug running in general, and went heavy on blaming the drug cartels. The other piece took a different approach, citing drug use statistics and the toll it takes on everyone involved, and blamed America’s addiction to illegal drugs for the escalating cartel influence in the U.S. Of course, the truth is somewhere in between the two extremes, and it got me thinking how this related to writing and the indie community (yeah, I see connections everywhere—even when the link is wafer-thin). Continue reading “Two Sides to Every Story”
Day: October 16, 2013
Time to Vote!
Who will it be? It’s time for IU readers to choose the next flash fiction star.
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.
Remember, all our winners will be included in the next edition of the IU Flash Fiction Anthology.
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 close tomorrow at 5 PM.
Whose flash fiction entry was your favorite this week?
- Kathy Steinemann (43%, 34 Votes)
- Yvonne Hertzberger (21%, 17 Votes)
- Kat Cantwell (15%, 12 Votes)
- Jacqueline Hopkins (11%, 9 Votes)
- ALKaplan (5%, 4 Votes)
- Lois Browne (4%, 3 Votes)
- Helen Haught Fanick (1%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 80
Loading ...NOTE: Entrants whose submissions exceed the 250 word limit are eliminated from the poll.
Poor Misunderstood Sturgeon and BigAl’s Rebuttal
I’ve never been a big science fiction reader, so the name Theodore Sturgeon meant nothing to me. But he’s been inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, so I guess as an author he might be a big deal. Regardless of whether you’re familiar with his books, you’ve probably heard or read his words.
Often paraphrased as “90% of everything is crap,” Sturgeon’s Revelation (sometimes called Sturgeon’s Law) is one you’ll see bandied about in various contexts. In my experience the most common situation will be coming from the mouth of an elitist of some kind, one of those people who look down on everyone and everything. Needless to say, I’ve read or heard this many times in reference to indie publishing from both sides of the discussion. Continue reading “Poor Misunderstood Sturgeon and BigAl’s Rebuttal”