Ninety-Four "Likes," Baby!

So I've started doing the guest blogger thing, and it's a lot of fun.  Much to my shock and surprise, my first guest blog at The Flaming Vegan has already scored 94 "Likes" on Facebook.  Um . . . 94 is more friends than I think I've ever had. 

Here's the link:

http://www.theflamingvegan.com/view-post/Oh-No-I-Couldnt-Possibly-Give-Up-Cheese 

How MANY Stars?

Three things happened to me this week that reminded me the world can be cruel. 

1.) I got observed and evaluated at my day job.  Actually, my boss told me I did "great." But the whole ordeal just reminded me that I'm being watched.  That the quality of my performance carries much weight at work, and the higher-ups know it.

2.) I viewed a fabulous movie - "Jeff, Who Lives at Home" - while curled up on the couch with the stomach flu.  Impressed as hell, I read some of the many lukewarm reviews on the Internet.  WHAT?  If a stellar movie like "Jeff" can't fare well in the public eye, where does that leave novice free-lancing story weavers like me?

3) My story, Lifeline, was printed by Every Day Fiction.  I've been nervous since the story was accepted, because at Every Day Fiction, you're at the mercy of the readers, who rate the story on a scale of 1-5 stars.  And the story is quite experimental (all dialogue).  I'm averaging about a "3" right now.  

My mom said, "That's pretty good, 3 out of 5 stars."  Sigh.  Thanks, Mom.  But stars are pretty, and I wanted at least 4 of them.  

Thoughts.  So Many Thoughts.

I'm not one to post my own thoughts and opinions.  I'm a writer, but also an introvert.  I don't mind creating characters and publicizing their thoughts and opinions, but my own personal world?  That's just kinda private.

But in the wake of the Connecticut tragedy, I have a few thoughts to share.

Heck, no one reads this anyway.  It's kind of like sharing with the wall.

I try to write funny.  Funny comes easily, it gives me a lift, and hopefully it gives my readers something too.  Something light.  Something happy.  Something good.

But how can a person think funny thoughts in a world where crazed shooters take the lives of innocent children en masse?

The only conclusion I come up with is this:  Humor helps us enjoy life.  It gives meaning to life.  Pleasure.

Life, which may end at any time. 

I hope those little children were happy right up until the end.  I hope that, until that lunatic forced his damn way into their world, they were having a good day at school.  I hope they ate a delicious breakfast and their parents kissed them goodbye.  I hope that, as a matter of morning ritual, the adults at their school treated them to a joke, a silly story, or at least a smile.

Because for them, life was not about quantity.  But hopefully, it was about quality.

Humor is not everything.  But it can help bring quality to life.  I know I'll still find funny words to write.  But not today.

Ahoy there!  It's an anthology!

There's something very satisfying about seeing your work in a book!

Thanks to Wayman Publishing for giving me this opportunity.

Approval Feels Awesome!

Garrison Keillor once joked that it feels so good to get "approved" by the credit card machine thingy when you swipe your Visa at the grocery store.  And it's true, instant approval/acceptance does feel grand.  Since I began submitting fiction last summer, I've received a healthy dose of rejection and not that much approval.  But lo, in the past week, I've receive THREE acceptances for my fiction, and I must say, APPROVAL FEELS AWESOME!

So which three publications have bestowed upon me the honor and excitement of their acceptance this past week?  I'm glad you asked.

Who Loves Me, Baby?  

 

 Okay, "Love" might be kind of a strong word here.  Perhaps a better heading would be:

Who Appreciates My Writing Enough to Print it on Something (Cyberspace, Paper, what-have-you)

eFiction has accepted my story, "Planet of the Slim, Socialist Ex-President" for the first edition of their Humor magazine.  I can't post a direct link because the humor division of eFiction has not gone live yet, but suffice it to say that editor Holt Hunziker is hard at work compiling funny stories for this magazine, which should go online any day now.  Thank you, Holt, for the insightful editorial suggestions which strengthened this story to publication quality!  

The Story Shack will publish a flash piece I wrote called "Reindeer Pictures" this Christmas season.  The best part: Each story at The Story Shack is accompanied by an awesome piece of visual art!  Which means that an artsy guy or gal somewhere will actually create a picture to go with my story.  Am I giddy about this?  Uh, yeah, just a little!

Wayman Publishing will include my story, "The Winkie Boy," in their upcoming print anthology titled "Open Doors: Fractured Fairy Tales," to be released on Amazon December 1st.  This is a publishing house with real heart, as the proceeds from the sale of this anthology will be donated to long term patients at a children's hospital.  Knowing this makes me feel all warm and goopy inside.  And no, I'm not referring to the three fun-sized chocolate bars I just inhaled from my kid's Halloween stash.

AHH.  Now, to stroke my ego even further, I'm going to post this blog and re-read it a couple of times.  Well, maybe fifty times.  All right, one hundred times.  Because I was never a popular kid in high school, and  I just can't get enough of this.  Acceptance feels so darned good!

P.S. You know who else loves me?  (Yes, this might secretly just be a way for me to practice adding photos to a blog post.  But they really do love me.)

What's the cheapest way to become a better writer?

Good news!  Becoming a better writer is not only cheap, it's free!  

Sure, you could pay $700 for an online writing course.  You'd undoubtedly learn some valuable tidbits from the teacher/editor to whom you've bequeathed the equivalent of half a mortgage payment (or 281 boxes of frosted strawberry Pop Tarts; however you choose to frame it.)

Or, you could join Critique Circle .  I did.  In just one short month, I've learned how to structure stories and polish my writing so it has a higher chance of appealing to others.  I've learned how to evaluate others' writing based on all the important factors: hook, POV, setting, dialogue, plot, and so on.  No, I haven't achieved Dean Koontz status yet.

Even the cat loves Dean!

But it turns out that, by reading and critiquing the work of others, you can learn a lot about the flaws in your own writing.

Of course, the critiques I've received from CC members on my own works have been immensely helpful.  But honestly, the most valuable skill I've picked up since joining Critique Circle is the (still-developing) ability to scrutinize a piece of writing, tear it down, and creatively brainstorm new ways to build it back up.

So enough of this blogging thing.  Back to critiquecircle.com

for more free writing lessons!

On Writing and Death

I've been reading this fabulous book called The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes and it's been an inspirational boon to my current writing projects.   But I can't help notice that the author, Jack Bickham, makes several dark references to a writer's mortality.  If you want to be a published writer of fiction and you don't buckle down, dig in, and learn the tricks of the trade, you are very likely to die unpublished.  And that's what it all comes down to, isn't it?  How many books can I publish before I die? 

Will it be one? 

Will it be ten? 

Will it be none? 

I'm sure I'm not the only one who grapples with this issue from time to time.  Or, shall I say, all of the time.

I'm up way too late.  Good night.