Month: February 2018

Which “The Mountain” Flash Fiction Story Gets Your Vote?

Vote5It’s that time again…time to choose your favorite flash fiction story of the week! It’s all up to you now – only one can win Flash Fiction Readers’ Choice Champion honors. It’s super easy – choose your favorite and cast your vote below.

Check out this week’s entries here. Make your decision, then use those share buttons at the bottom of the post to spread the word. Attention Authors: It is okay if you ask people to vote for you!

Voting polls close Thursday at 5 PM Pacific time. If the poll doesn’t close on time, any votes received after 5 pm will be removed.

REMINDER – entries over the 250 limit are disqualified.

Which "The Mountain" flash fiction entry deserves your vote?

  • Alyssa Devine (58%, 26 Votes)
  • A. L. Kaplan (11%, 5 Votes)
  • Ann Zimmerman (9%, 4 Votes)
  • Anurag Bakhshi (4%, 2 Votes)
  • Diane Selby (4%, 2 Votes)
  • Lou Silvestri (4%, 2 Votes)
  • Bill Engleson (2%, 1 Votes)
  • Judith Garcia (2%, 1 Votes)
  • Allen Alright (2%, 1 Votes)
  • E.D. Martin (2%, 1 Votes)
  • Nicole T (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Virginia Gayl Salazar (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 45

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NOTE: Entrants whose submissions exceed the 250 word limit will be disqualified even if they win. ONE VOTE PER PERSON, please. Duplicate votes will be deleted. The results displayed above are unofficial until verified by administration.

Conventions on an Author’s Budget – Tips and Tricks of a Battle-Hardened Con Man

not really a gangsta rapper-1717972_960_720There are a lot of articles out there on doing conventions. How-tos, tips, tricks, puppy tails, and horse whips. Well, guess what? Here comes another article on the subject. Except, I’m here to tell you can do it on the cheap, because there’s no reason to do it any other way.

We’re writers, titans of the ink and lead, masters of the backspace button and the dead stare at the bright screen of emptiness. We can turn the voices in our heads into stories on the internet – it just doesn’t pay that well. So, we have to pinch those pennies like so many piggies. Reeet reet.

Let’s start with the items you’ll need: Continue reading “Conventions on an Author’s Budget – Tips and Tricks of a Battle-Hardened Con Man”

How Can Authors Protect Their Works in Progress?

locking up your computer-1591018_600 (002)This question gets asked by readers a lot here at Indies Unlimited: How can I protect my manuscript from being taken by someone I let read it? And as common as the question is, it’s an easy answer: you can’t.

That’s not the answer most people want to hear, but Indies Unlimited is an “Alternative Facts Free Zone,” so only the truth appears here. And the truth is, you really can’t stop someone from doing unauthorized things with a document you give them.

The good news is that most people don’t do untoward things with your document. Most people do what was asked: read your manuscript and then either provide you feedback or write a review. However, occasionally, an unscrupulous person may share your book. Like I said, there’s really no way to stop someone who wants to do wrong with your file, if they have it.

While you can’t guarantee anything, there are some things that people do to try to prevent readers from sharing their work, taking credit for their work, or uploading it to pirated book sites. Here are a few: Continue reading “How Can Authors Protect Their Works in Progress?”

The Definitive Guide to (Some) Newbie Author Questions

newbie author question-mark-2546103_960_720Recently, I was invited to join a Facebook group whose membership includes a lot of new authors. I’d forgotten about some of these newbie concerns. I’d also forgotten how everybody asks the same questions over and over, to the point where those of us who have been at this for a while get kind of tired of answering them. So I thought I’d pull together some of these typical questions and answer them here. Feel free to bookmark this post and refer to it as needed.

Q: I have my plot, but I need interesting characters. / I have my characters, but I need a great plot. Can you help me? Continue reading “The Definitive Guide to (Some) Newbie Author Questions”