Midweek Miscellanea - Quiet Books, a Contest, and a Craft Project

Over at Writer Unboxed, Robin Lafevers has written a wonderful post - Some Thoughts on Quiet Books, Timing and the Ever Elusive Market:

"So this conversation we’re having is not about selling out your artistic vision to get a contract. Nor is it about watering down your artistic integrity in order to find readers. It’s about finding the largest, widest doorway into your story so that you can to draw in as many readers as possible, and then tell them exactly the core story you’re driven to tell."

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For all you flash fiction writers out there, mark your calendars for Flash Fiction Chronicles' String-of-10 SEVEN Flash Fiction Contest starting February 8th. Use the randomly selected string of words and write your best 250 words or fewer story. The contest runs for one week only so on your mark . . . get set . . . . 

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For the artsy and crafty among us, check out DIY By The Book: Lighted Book Boxes. Speaking as someone who has trouble working a simple glue gun, I wish you good luck!

Notes and News - Writing and Otherwise

Lazy days of summer? Who said that?! I don't know about you all, but things have not slowed down for me. And yet I still find time to putz around on the Net. Sigh.

Ah, but my putzing is to your advantage! Here's a quick round-up of some items I thought you all might be interested in... 

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Camp is in session! Camp NaNo, that is! This July, I'm heading back into the woods, armed with only my horror manuscript and some chocolate, and I will not return until the draft is complete! Or until I run out of chocolate...so, about July 2nd or so. 

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The CBS miniseries of Stephen King's Under the Dome starts Monday, June 24th. I can't wait! Here's a preview: 

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If you enjoy a good short story, you won't want to miss A List in Honor of Short Story Month 2013, compiled by Flash Fiction Chronicles. It contains links to over 150 stories, all suggested by readers as some of their personal favorites. (Hmm, number 100 seems vaguely familiar....)

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As a writer and a fan of Pixar movies, I just loved this - 22 Storytelling Tips for Writers from a Pixar Storyboard Artist. 

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On Sunday, June 23rd, Nik Wallenda will walk across the Grand Canyon - no net, no harness. My heart's in my throat just thinking about it! My husband went to one of Nik's local (FL) training sessions - here are some pics: 

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Planning on going to Camp NaNo this July? Will you check out any of those short stories? Are you a Pixar fan? Will you watch Under the Dome and/or Wallenda's walk? I'll be watching both!    

Top Story of the Month!

I was thrilled to learn that Mrs. Drake's Monsters was Every Day Fiction's Top Story of the Month for February 2013. Thank you to everyone who read the story and took the time to comment and vote. It is greatly appreciated.

Every month, Flash Fiction Chronicles runs an interview with the author of that month's Top Story. This time, it's me! So, head on over if you'd like to learn a little more about Mrs. Drake and Lizzie, about how the creative process works for me, and my thoughts on blogging - I even gave a shout out to the Blogging A-Z Challenge. 

I hope you enjoy the interview!

Callout for Submissions

Here are a handful of upcoming submission deadlines I thought some of you might want to check out: 

Every Day Fiction's January Table of Contents says that - "Moving forward, we need those Valentine stories (or anti-Valentine) stories by January 27th at the latest, and don’t forget to mark them Targeted so we can find them." Not much time left on this one. 

(I've got a story in the works, but I'm struggling with the title. Any suggestions for how to come up with a good one? Fingers crossed, I'll be able to sub it in time.) 

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The First Line's Spring deadline is February 1st so don't wait too long to check it out. Plus, you can see all the upcoming "first lines" and their deadlines for the rest of the year.

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Flash Fiction Chronicles "is  having its fifth annual contest—String-of-10 FIVE—for the best 250-word story written from a specific prompt.  At 12:01 on Sunday morning, February 3rd, we will post  a string of ten random words and a thought-provoking aphorism as our contest prompt.  Entries will be accepted during the designated time period  using our SUBMISSION MANAGER.  Guidelines and List of Prizes forthcoming."

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Good Luck!

* REMINDER * Call Out for Contest Entries: String-of-10 FOUR by Flash Fiction Chronicles

Just a quick reminder that the String-of-10 FOUR contest over at Flash Fiction Chronicles starts this Sunday, February 12th. All the official information can be found here but the general idea is to write a story, up to 250 words, using at least four of the ten words in the prompt.

Check it out - but don't wait too long, since it ends Saturday, February 18th!

Good luck!

Call Out for Contest Entries: Flash Fiction Chronicle's Fourth String-of-10 Flash Fiction Contest

This is a fun one. Challenging, sure, but fun. Write a 250 word story (that's maximum word count!) where you use at least 4 of the 10 words given as a prompt. Whew! Last year, my story, Evie, won an Honorable Mention and was later accepted for publication over at Every Day Fiction.

Check out the previous winners and all the rules here. The deadline for this is coming up soon - it starts February 12th and ends February 18th!

Hmm, I might try my hand at this one again. Good luck to us all!

We Interrupt This Giveaway...for a WIN!

Okay, an Honorable Mention but I'll take it! My story, "Evie," was awarded Honorable Mention for the String-of-10 THREE Contest over at Flash Fiction Chronicles. I was thrilled to read the wonderful things Guest Judge Michelle Reale had to say about "Evie." (Unfortunately, you can't read the story itself quite yet but I'll let you know if and when it's published.)

Head on over to check out all of the winners and to read Michelle's interview.