Find Your Writing Niche

While I was getting a short horror story ready for a contest this week, Black Petals, an online ezine, accepted one of my other horror stories.

I am so excited, it's difficult to conduct my regular life. I found myself giggling at work this morning, all the angst of writing forgotten for a brief celebratory moment. However, sanity is returning. With validation for my work, I'm doubly determined to edit and send out my manuscripts. 2015 will be my year.

One thing I've learned through the process of sending out my babies, is to pay strict attention to the type of writing that agencies accept. In my initial foray into magazines, I thought all horror was the same. Oh, pity this foolish woman. 

The contest I just entered gave the following categories of horror: gothic, dark fantasy, erotic, noir, psychological, quiet/soft, and suspense. Wow! I had no idea in which group my story fell. 

 

The choice of an online magazine that might consider my work was difficult. When I read through representative stories looking at the writing style, obvious sub-genre differences leaped out at me. I crossed those off my list.

Similarly, when choosing a place to submit my books, I've been told to look for books like mine and see who published them. If a publisher is making money from a certain type of book, they'll be looking for more of the same.

I've also gotten good ideas about places to submit my work from my online writing groups, SinC, Guppies, RWA, FF&P. It pays to become part of a writing community whose members have succeeded. Most authors are generous and enjoy helping out the newbies. 

My biggest asset has been my in-person writing group. We meet weekly, discuss our work, pass on writing tips, and cheer each other on. The ezine who accepted my story came from one of their tips. 

It's all about finding your niche, finishing your manuscript, and sending out.

Have a wonderful holiday.

And always -- Keep writing!

Horror Short Story Contest

Just a brief note to tell you what I'm up to.

My friend and writing bud, Lisa, sent me a list of contests from Writers Relief. She is such a sweetheart. Her blog, Enchanted Notebook, is listed on the right under favorite Sites.

I found a contest for Horror short stories, due in ten days. Picture me in determination mode. Two nights ago I began setting up a story. It took me ten tries to find the bones of a plot I liked. Then I played the "what if" game. So, then I needed  a good reason why my protagonist would act the way he does. You know, this isn't easy.

It came to me. What would hurt him the most? I found it. Then I posited that he would be hit with that scenario. Oh no! Poor thing.

Now I could see him acting in a way ordinarily foreign to him. Let the horror begin!

I'm presently in the process of fleshing out my characters, setting a believable scene, and wondering how best to end it, because I know what is going to happen.

This is exciting. I don't usually take the time to have all my information set up before I write. I like to rely on my muse. Unfortunately, my muse isn't a fairy godmother. She needs to know a little bit about the story before she can do her work.

Due Damn Diligence! 

Okay, I'm doing that. I'll get back to you on this after I submit my story.

Remember, keep writing.

  

Short Story Conundrum

I have two manuscripts in the editing mode, one Paranormal and one Urban Fantasy. I've won three Flash Fiction contests. Why, then, do I have so much trouble writing Short Stories?

I have actually written two short stories, both rejected, one of them multiple times. I agonized over both stories. What am I doing wrong?

In my longer work, I'm able to pull together a plot and then fill it in. I'm a pantser, so any kind of an outline is out of the question. When I try to use the same tactic with a short story, it doesn't work.

Right now, I'm in the process of constructing a short story, a paranormal mystery, but it isn't coming together.

One problem I've discovered with my shorts is that I haven't fleshed out my characters very much. So, without knowing who they are, it's difficult to know how they'll act. Why is the villain a villain? What makes the protagonist worth befriending or saving? Does the hero have anything more going for him than his good looks?

I know. I know. Of course I should have all that information in hand before attempting to flesh out the story. How else can I make the reader care? But, if I'm able to get all of that information into a story, how long will it be?

I actually have a good back story and motivation for my protagonist. One of her supporting characters is her aunt. (not fleshed out) I'd like to introduce another supporting character in the form of a peer/friend. Okay, how many words will this use? I still haven't taken into account the hero, villain, or red herring characters. And, then there's the plot. How heavy can I make it and still keep it short? I don't know. That's my problem.

Maxi

Mini

Also, what about length? What is a good length for short stories? I know that they can go from flash to novella, but what do readers prefer? Length matters. 

There are any number of websites where I can find information on short stories. 5 Short Story Tips, Short Story - longer explanation, Some Rules and Tools to name a few. These websites contain excellent advice. But, I still need more help.

So, I've begun an online Short Story workshop. I'm hoping for some guidance, any guidance at all. Maybe if I'm able to ask the instructor specific questions, I'll understand where I can improve. Or, maybe, I just don't have a good short story in me.

I have lots of ideas. That isn't the problem. Transferring the ideas to viable stories in a few thousand words is the what cause me heartburn. 

Maybe I'll try to write flash fiction and then add depth to that. I actually have one flash fiction story that I'd like to flesh out. I might give that a try. 

Both of my previous stories have been horror. I'd like to write something in a mystery or thriller.  I've wondered if the genre change could be what's tripping me up. I'd like to think, but my horror stories haven't gone anywhere. 

The more I think about it, the more confused I feel. In any case, I intend to keep trying. More research, more practice, and some plain old stick-to-itiveness will bring about success. I hope!

In the meantime, I'll take my own advice. Keep Writing!

New England Crime Bake 2014

This past weekend at Crime Bake was the best so far! Every November for the past five years, I've driven with my friend Dianne to Dedham, MA for the Crime Bake weekend, but we both agreed that this conference outdid the others. The guest author was Craig Johnson.

For all you fans familiar with the Longmire series, its author Craig Johnson does the cowboy persona proud. From the top of his hat to the tip of his boots, Craig is a good looking and gracious gentleman from Wyoming with a dynamite sense of humor. 

In keeping with the western theme, the workshops had titles like: Desperadoes Waiting for a Train: Why Do We Write Crime Fiction?, I Shot the Sheriff: Lawmen & PIs Getting It Right, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys: Ordinary People in Extraordinary Situations, Home on the Range: When Setting Becomes Character, and Don't Fence Me In: Big Press, Little Press, ePress, Oh!

Four excellent Master Classes, agent pitches, and an actual crime scene set up by State Police officers added to a productive weekend. At the end of the conference, we learned whether we had guessed correctly about the clues in the crime scene and how the actual crime was solved.

Saturday evening we put on our cowboy hats and boots and headed to the Wordslinger's Ball and Barbecue. Yummy food, good company, and an introduction to country line dancing filled out our evening. I got up and kicked my boots with the rest of the crowd. I've never been that great at following instructions, but I kept at it, laughing most of the time.

Sunday morning, as we finished breakfast, the winners of the 2014 Flashwords Contest were announced. My story, Don't Go in the House, was one of the winners!!!! I stood up in front of all my peers to read it. 

My 150-word entry, using ten words from Craig Johnson's book titles: 

Don't Go In the House

“No way!”

“Come on, Joey. It’s Halloween.”

“It’s haunted by evil spirits.”

Chad coaxed Joey past “No Trespassing” signs and around the junkyard mess, but had to shove him through the door into the dark, empty house.

Minutes later, screams. The boys came barreling out, startling a huge crow.

Mrs. Bedloe saw them.

“What’s the matter?

Joey choked. “It’s awful.”

“Oh dear. Come in boys.

She gave them hot cocoa and a dish of cookies.

“We saw something bad.”

“Yeah,” Chad said, “A pile of bones.”

“Lord. You must have been scared to death. Drink up boys.”

Two heads nodded as they finished their cocoa.

Chad rubbed his eyes. “I’m getting tired.”

Joey gave a huge yawn, mumbling, “Someone was murdered.”

“Yes dear, I know.”

“You know?” But his eyes closed. He missed her next words.

“Indeed yes. That pesky old man. How did his bones get uncovered? Dogs, perhaps?

What a wonderful weekend. I spent most of the time with a happy grin on my face. I did lose it for a few hours before I gave my pitch, but got it back in a hurry when the agent, Paula Munier, asked for 50 pages of my manuscript. 

Next year, same time, same place, I'm there. And, the guest of honor for Crime Bake 2015 will be none other than Elizabeth George whose novels were adapted for British television in the Inspector Lynley Mysteries.

Remember, keep writing!

NaNoWriMo Time Again

 

It’s that time of year once more. NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month is a few weeks away.

 

One of the members of my writing group, Dianne Herlihy, is planning on doing NaNo this year. She’s working on an exciting mystery series and hopes to get at least 50,000 words written of Book two or maybe it’s Book three.

 

 

NaNoWriMo is an online self-challenge to write 50,000 words during the month of November. Most participants form a group and use the mounting word count of the others as an impetus to do better. When I took the NaNo challenge, I tried to keep up with whoever was in the lead, but I also noticed that participant’s counts flagged during busy times in their lives.

By that time, I’d had days when I couldn’t meet my projected goal. Seeing others stall for a few days and then pick up again took away any guilt I had. For me, I needed to see that other people had slow days. That knowledge acted like a head slap, reminding me that I’m human and that unforeseen difficulties do crop up. It kept me from shaming myself into quitting. The most satisfying day of my life was when I reached the NaNo goal. During that month I completed the basis of my paranormal mystery.

 

Was it easy? Hell, no. I wanted to give up many times, but, as I said, I had others who would see that I quit. Sure, there were a few late nights and some exhausting days, but it was worth it. Right now I’m in the middle of one book and editing another, so I don’t have time to do it this year. But I want to wish Dianne the best and let her know I’m here to cheer her on. If you’re interested in this exciting challenge, go to their website http://nanowrimo.org/NaNoWriMo.

 

You'll see how they support their entrants with pep talks, support and introductions to fellow writers. 

Freebie!

Musa Publishing is giving away the whole first year of their eMagazine, Penumbra which publishes speculative short fiction. I haven't downloaded it yet, but plan to.

Check it out for yourselves at Musa Publishing.  :)

A Short Synopsis? Are You Kidding?

The dictionary defines synopsis as "a condensation or brief review of a subject: summary." 
Okay, I get it. You need to boil down the essence of your book so that you provide only the important information. Agents and editors don't have a lot of time to find out how much they need your masterpiece, so make it short. 

At PitchFest, agents asked me to send them my book along with a "short" summary. 
"Oh," I said, "like four pages?"
That evoked a head tilt with a wry smile. "No. Two pages. Double spaced."
"Oh." Gulp. "Fine." I forced a big smile. "No problem."

No Problem! I had four and a half single pages that had been whittled down (with extreme angst) from ten. How could I possibly hone down all that important information to two double-spaced pages. I threw my head down against my arms on my desk. Impossible!

Thankfully, I have cheerleaders--my writer's group. With their support, I worked and reworked the synopsis until I had it tamed to a reasonable length.

How did I do it? It wasn't easy. Good thing my kitties don't understand English. 

I checked out online resources with information about the short synopsis. (Because there is also a long synopsis.) See the links at the end. I tried to keep my thinking within the main plot, ignoring subplots, no matter how amazing they happened to be. I then wrote a super short outline that hit on the suspense, character interaction, and a hint of romance. From that outline, I tried to find those parts that were pertinent to the genre, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal. 

Finally, I had the basics, the information that showcased the story points. Next I tried to cut out the extra description. Whew! A lot of that. Then I needed to cut out superfluous words. That forced me to make the sentences more active. A good thing.

Of course, I still had too many words and so I had to delete more of my beautiful babies. Ouch! But I persisted, dried my tears, and prepared the finishing touches--writing the synopsis in the present tense, third person using my voice. 

I wanted the reader to view the synopsis through my protagonist's eyes so they could get the flavor of the book. When I finished, I had two double-spaced pages plus two lines. 

At present, I'm in waiting mode for the results of those submissions. But now that I have a nice short synopsis, and a query letter (that is another whole story), I'm all set. Right? Oh, no. One of the publishers asked for a back cover blurb and a one-sentence blurb (an elevator pitch). Eek! More work.

And, then, since I'm half-way through the second book in the series. . . .  You see where I'm going with this. 

For today, though, I'm simply going to concentrate on writing--one word at a time.

Synopsis examples

Synopsis tips for Literary Agents

Recipe for a Successful Synopsis