(photo credit: Shandi-lee Cox)

I’ve never been tagged in a blog hop before, but I thought this sounded like a great topic for a post so I am happy to have been tagged by Mike Revell. Mike is an extremely talented writer. I had the pleasure of working with him in Jack Ketchum’s Talking Scars class, where I was first introduced to his excellent work via the assignments in the class. Most recently, Mike has signed on with Quercus in a two book deal. His debut novel will be released in Spring 2015.

All right, here are three things I don’t write.

I’ll admit, narrowing down things I don’t write makes me feel a little bad. Why don’t I write them? Maybe, sometime soon, I’ll go ahead and prove myself wrong.

Other-world Fantasy

When I first began to take myself seriously as a writer, I drafted a few traditional fantasy stories, complete with their own worlds, politics and magic systems. I never brought any of these to completion, and I’d wager the main reason was lack of drive. My heart wasn’t in it, and before long I accepted that it just wasn’t what I wanted to write. It was my first experience of loving to read a genre, but simply not wanting to write in it.

 Second-person POV

Again, something I tried and just couldn’t get to work. I’ve read some amazing stories written in second-person, among them an absolutely outstanding story by Jay Lake called The Cancer Catechism, which I have mentioned before on this blog. For me, that story works so well because it could not be told in any other way and remain as crushing a read as it is. Maybe one day I’ll have a story to tell that might work in second-person POV, but as far as I’m concerned, if I can tell it in first or third, then that is how it belongs.

Poetry

Almost didn’t include this one because I feel a little embarrassed about it. Truth is, poetry intimidates me. I’m sure I’m not alone in that. I’m not very familiar with poetry and not nearly as well read in it as I am in short stories or novels. It’s an alien world to me, and one I hope to explore more with time. The most recent poetry I read would be Joe R. Lansdale’s poems in his newest collection, Bleeding Shadows. I enjoyed them. His notes about them were helpful to see his process, though I don’t feel any closer to truly understanding where poetry will fit in with my current writing. It’s something I hope to change.

So, as a challenge to myself, I plan to write a traditional fantasy story, a second-person POV story, and a series of poems. We’ll see how they go!

Three Things I Do Write

Horror

I began submitting my work in 2012. 2013 saw my first seven published stories, and all seven of them are horror in some fashion. I have written, and submitted, stories that are science fiction and fantasy and even one detective story, and while there are a number of great reasons why these have never found homes, the one I latch onto is that my heart simply wasn’t in them. I enjoyed writing them, but there is nothing like sitting down to a project that I know is going to be dark and hopefully a little frightening. I write horror because the stories that stick with me the longest, that burn images in my mind that I’ll never forget and that sneak up on me at times I least expect, have always been horror. That final scene in Joe R. Lansdale’s masterpiece, Night They Missed The Horror Show, disturbs me still, even years after first reading it. More recently, the entirety of the events at Mr. Dark’s Carnival in Glen Hirshberg’s story of the same name had me curled into a ball as I read them. Terror in fiction moves me in a way that no other genre can; those last two words in Richard Matheson’s story, Dress of White Silk, the sense of dread that seems to hover over every sentence in the works of Robert Aickman, that search for hope in a hopeless situation at the climax of The Autopsy by Michael Shea. The list could go on forever.

Love Stories

This one was a bit of a revelation for me last year. Love is a powerful emotion, and one that drives most–if not all–stories in some way. In many of my own stories, it’s a character’s love for a person, an idea, an activity, something, that drives them to do the things they do. And even if those things aren’t particularly wholesome (Compassion, During and After the Fall), or if they are the product of loss and devotion (Dusty’s Pint), it’s love that brought all the events of the story together. When a story of mine isn’t working, or isn’t hitting the right note, I find it’s usually because I’ve left some important detail of the character out, some piece that needs to be added, and nine times out of ten, that piece is love. I may love horror, I may love to be creeped out, but give me a cheesy romance any day and I’ll take it.

Monsters

Vampires. Zombies. Ghosts. Weird, unclassifiable things. While not all of my stories have an actual monster in them, of the beastly or supernatural form, you can bet that there’s a monster to be found somewhere, and if it’s not some creature calling out for attention, then it’s likely the twisted narrator who is taking you through the story. I’m a big fan of telling the story through the lens of the monster, getting into their head as best I can. And while monsters you can see are all very great, the ones you can’t (or maybe didn’t realize you did) are even better. For a great example of this I point once more to Joe R. Lansdale and his story On a Dark October, which can be found in the collection Bumper Crop. There are a lot of monsters in that story, that’s for sure. In fact, that entire collection is filled with excellent monster stories: Shaggy House, Chompers, The Dump. All original, all bizarre, and all worth your time.

I’ve invited two other writers to follow after me in this blog hop. Be sure to check out their blogs and work as well! They are Rhonda Parrish and Milo James Fowler.

Rhonda Parrish is a writer and editor extraordinaire. Most recently, her work has appeared Mythic Delirium, edited by Mike Allen. Two recent anthologies she has edited are Fae and Metastasis. Check out her blog and list of publications.

Milo James Fowler is the incredibly prolific author whose work includes the Captain Quasar series of short stories. Recently, his story Soulless in His Sight, originally published in Shimmer magazine, was picked up for reprint in Wastelands 2, edited by John Joseph Adams. His first Captain Quasar novel is coming soon at Every Day Novels. Check out his blog as well as his gargantuan list of publications.

 

 

 

In January I took part in the Shock Totem bi-monthly Flash Fiction contest for the first time. It’s a fun contest hosted by one of the best horror magazines publishing today. You have one week to complete a flash story based on a prompt, and then all entrants spend three weeks reading, critiquing and voting on the top three. The story with the most points (based on votes–5 for 1st place, 3 for 2nd, 1 for 3rd) wins for that month and is entered into the running to have their story published in the magazine.

For the January prompt I wrote a short story called “Shut In” that received not one single vote. Granted, I did get lots of fantastic feedback, and saw that more than one person had it shortlisted as a contender, but still, in the end, it wasn’t enough to garner even a single 3rd place vote.

Well, for March I really wanted to write something that would get me at least one vote. I figured if I could get one person to vote for me, I’d feel pretty good. The prompt was the image at the start of this post.

Imagine my surprise when I woke up to find I had won first place! There were 30 stories this time around, and several could have equally placed first as well. So many good stories. I’m honored to have received votes from these amazing writers.

Very exciting. My story, “The Better Magician” is now in the running for the grand prize later this year–publication in Shock Totem.

In other news, Rhonda Parrish’s anthology “A is for Apocalypse” is coming along well, and will include my story “T is for Taxidermy.” I’ve received a lot of great feedback and comments from my first readers on this story, and Rhonda’s edits were amazing. I can’t wait until this is released and people can check out the story. And the line up of other authors is simply amazing. It’s going to be good.

Besides the contest win, I’ve got little other news to share. Lots of 2014 rejections so far, though one story, a personal favorite of mine, is being held at a market I really enjoy. That’s all I can share about that, but even if it ends up not making the cut, I’m hopeful it’ll find a home in 2014.

Oh, and Game of Thrones and Orioles baseball is back. Life is good.

It’s almost 2014, which means if I do receive any more acceptances on stories this year, they will be published next year. So, I’d say that’s a wrap on 2013 publications.

I received my first acceptance just shy of a year ago, for “The Black Pageant,” which appeared in the debut issue of Grim Corps. I couldn’t be happier to see Grim Corps become my first real publication. It was both digital and print, and was illustrated by the very talented Luke Spooner. Issue 1 was filled was exceptional dark fiction, and issue two was even better. I was hoping to submit for their 3^rd issue this month, but it looks like they’ve delayed submissions until the summer, but I still plan to submit again when they reopen.

I received six more acceptances and one anthology invite throughout the rest of the year to the following magazines: Niteblade, The Colored Lens, Every Day Fiction, 101 Fiction, Apocrypha and Abstractions, and eFiction Horror (renamed to Under the Bed). The anthology will be edited by Rhonda Parrish (of Niteblade) and will be called “A is for Apocalypse.”

I still have not broken into a professional market, which will be an exciting goal to shoot for in 2014. My work has grown a lot in the last year, and I’m very happy with where it is going. I think with discipline, persistence and confidence, I can realize that goal next year. In 2013 I received two short-list/next round of consideration notices, a near miss, and my first “2^nd tier” rejection from various professional markets that I love. It stings to feel like I am so close and still so far, but it is also very rewarding to know that I’m making progress.

A highlight of my year was the Talking Scars class that I wrote about in my last post. What a great experience it was to work with so many talented writers and with Jack Ketchum, whose passion for writing and supporting new writers was outstanding. I’ve since substantially rewritten two of the stories I completed in the class, and hope to see them find homes in 2014.

A good year, and here’s to the next!

 

On September 16th I began a four week online course called Talking Scars, taught by Jack Ketchum. Here is the class description:

“In this four-week intensive online class, grand master of horror and suspense, Jack Ketchum, will take you by the hand and lead you through the dark side, revealing the working dynamics for how to craft compelling horror and suspense stories.

Just as his own work both helps define and ultimately transcends contemporary horror fiction, Jack will share his deepest personal insights into finding your own path to character depth and thematic unity, all while crafting stories that thrill and delight a hungry audience.

You’ll find Jack’s extensive experience and mastery of the dark tale rivaled only by his generosity and appreciation for students and emerging authors.”

If you are not familiar with Jack Ketchum’s fiction, grab a copy of Peaceable Kingdom and give it a read. It’s a short story collection, and one hell of a ride through some very strong and intense dark fiction. Jack was named the Grand Master of the 2011 World Horror Convention.

The class is hosted by LitReactor, an online writing community. It is one among many wonderful online courses that they offer. I’ve seen Talking Scars offered in the past, and it always caught my eye, especially because of its instructor and the subject matter of the course. When I saw that it was going to be offered again this past September, I could no longer resist and took the plunge.

And now, 3 weeks in, I am happy to say it has been an amazing experience. I have never struggled as hard to craft a story as I have in the three assignments I have so far completed. He’s challenged us to dig deep, and to embed what truly frightens, angers, and motivates us into our fiction. And the feedback from both Jack and my peers in the class has all be incredible. And … well, I’m getting story notes from Jack Ketchum.

I’m allowed to be starstruck right?

One thing I have learned about Jack Ketchum in the last three weeks is that he is not only an accomplished master of dark fiction and suspense, but also a devoted instructor. His notes on each and every student’s work have been honest, thoughtful, and above all encouraging. There are twenty students in this class, and he reads every one of the stories with care and provides the same level of straight-up, no bullshit criticism for all of them.

If you are curious about whether or not to sign up for Talking Scars, I’d say keep your eye out for the next time it is offered and DO IT. But remember that a class, no matter where or how it’s taught, and no matter the instructor, is only as good as you want it to be. It’s only four weeks long, and you have roughly 4 days to complete each assignment of a NEW SHORT STORY each week (Or, in some cases, a revised one). Work hard, go crazy (I know I have been), and you’ll come out a better writer for the effort. Two of the three stories I’ve written for the class so far are, in my opinion, the two strongest works of fiction I’ve written yet.

And if your group is anything like mine, be prepared to discover 19 new writer classmates who each bring something original and compelling to the table, and who are all worth keeping track off when the class is over.

Take this class.

The final lecture and assignment is being posted tomorrow. I’m sad to know it’s already almost over, but excited to get some new and better stories out there.