Month: March 2018

Is Your Writing Productivity in a Slump? Try a Sprint

author deadline-stopwatch-2636259_960_720 (002)One of the problems that often plagues authors is their writing productivity. It often seems like there’s not enough time in the day to get everything done. If an author is writing on the side, as opposed to a full-time job, then finding time to sit down and belt out the words can be difficult.

However, some writers are pounding out the words through a technique called sprinting. Much like the running equivalent, sprinting in the writing sense is defined as writing as many words as you can as fast as you can, for a short period of time. Usually, people who sprint set the clock at 20 to 40 minutes. Continue reading “Is Your Writing Productivity in a Slump? Try a Sprint”

Maretha Botha Wins Flash Fiction Challenge

Maretha Botha is the Readers’ Choice in this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. (Theodore Cohen – writing as Alyssa Devine – has already won this month.) The winning entry is decided by the popular vote and rewarded with a special feature here today. (In the case of a tie, the writer who submitted an entry first is the winner per our rules.)

Without further ado, here’s the winning story:

Continue reading “Maretha Botha Wins Flash Fiction Challenge”

Flash Fiction Writing Prompt: Chester the Chipmunk

Photo copyright K. S. Brooks. Do not use without attribution.

Use the photograph above as the inspiration for your flash fiction story. Write whatever comes to mind (no sexual, political, or religious stories, jokes, or commentary, please) and after you PROOFREAD it, submit it as your entry in the comments section below. There will be no written prompt.

Welcome to the Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. In 250 words or less, write a story incorporating the elements in the picture at left. The 250 word limit will be strictly enforced.

Please keep language and subject matter to a PG-13 level. Continue reading “Flash Fiction Writing Prompt: Chester the Chipmunk”

Choosing a Book Excerpt

Book ExcerptAuthors have a lot of blind spots when it comes to their own books. Writing the book turns out to be the easiest part of all the other stuff you have to do. A lot of authors have trouble selecting a passage to feature as a book excerpt. I believe there are two major reasons for this. The first (and probably the biggest contributing factor) is that the author knows the context of every scene in the book and is therefore unable to understand why someone reading the passage without context might not get it. The second reason is an almost paranoid impulse to prevent “spoilers.” A number of sites showcase book excerpts as either a stand-alone feature, or in combination with author interviews. A lot of authors also provide book excerpts on their own websites. It’s a good opportunity to get a sample of your writing out there in front of some readers (hopefully future fans) who may not yet be acquainted with your work. Of course if the sample falls flat the reverse effect is achieved. It’s worth putting a little thought into choosing the right excerpt. Here are a couple of considerations that may help you: Continue reading “Choosing a Book Excerpt”