Year: 2017

Wattpad and FictionPress

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Wattpad | FictionPress Asking for a friend — I have questions about each. Those of you who have experienced either or both: Have you uploaded your writing works to either? What has your experience been like — pros and cons? Is there a good community — is it legit? Do you use the Wattpad app or FictionPress mobile on your phone/tablet? Overall, have you found your association with either to be beneficial to your writing, or to you personally, or your quest for readers — beta or actual? Wattpad looks like a serious platform for the serious, dedicated writer and perfect for serialized storytelling/publishing. Meanwhile, FictionPress looks like a kind of successor online workshop for aspiring writers — a platform not too much unlike what we had at the Zoetrope Virtual Studio in the late 90s and early aughts — except it’s postings are open to the public (unlike the ZVS). Any info you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.  

NSWM 2018 Edition

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I haven’t read one of these in long, long time. Stumbled across the newest edition at the library yesterday. Worth a look-see if I decide to start submitting and publishing short stories again next year. The last time I submitted a story and published a byline was nearly three years ago and prior to that one it was nearly fours since. There’s certainly some rust to shake off for that whole process and ordeal.

Nic Pizzolatto on Writing

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I recently finished reading Pizzolatto’s debut southern crime novel Galveston. While reviewing it on Goodreads I stumbled across this video. After hearing something he said here it got me I’m thinking maybe that’s been my problem over the last 25 years, because I’ve always also been a musician, maybe not full-time, but certainly in tandem with also being a writer. Music came first, some five years prior to writing. I can’t live without either, though. About the Author: Nic Pizzolatto is an American novelist, screenwriter, and producer. Pizzolatto was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was educated at the University of Arkansas and Louisiana State University. The author of two books, he taught fiction and literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Chicago, and DePauw University before leaving academia in 2010. He is the creator, writer, executive producer of the HBO crime drama TRUE DETECTIVE.

Image Comics: So Much Damage | SYFY Documentary

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Aside from not getting a lot of new information (for those of us who’ve been around since then), the one bad thing about these kinds of documentaries is how they tend to get the chronology all wonky. You don’t cover the start of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead (October 2003) and say THEN Powers (April 2000) came out and Brian Michael Bendis was fired by Todd McFarlane off of Sam & Twitch (series debuted in August 1999) and also say he then went on to write Marvel’s Ultimate Spider (also started in 2000) and Alias – Jessica Jones (later in 2001). Or how about toward the end when they had a footnote saying that Kirkman’s Outcast TV show debuted in the year 2010, the same year as TWD TV show? Smh. There were a couple of other examples. I believe it’s important to get that kind of minutiae as precise and accurate as possible when presenting a historical documentary. That’s often compromised when things are edited for bite-sized consumption. [end nerd rant]. At any rate, it’s always …

“NaNo Prep: How to Go From Plotless to Polished” | Derek Murphy

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November is just around the corner, and as we gear up, we’re sharing advice on how you can best prepare for a month of writing. Today, author and designer Derek Murphy shares his advice on how to turn a messy work-in-progress into a polished draft in November: NaNoWriMo is a great opportunity to push your boundaries and see how much writing you can get done in thirty days. If it’s your first time shooting for 50K, write whatever is easiest for you. However, if you’ve been doing NaNoWriMo for a few years and have struggled to turn your newly generated manuscript into an actual book that sells, here’s some advice that should help: Save a Darling—Plot Ahead First of all, if you started your story with very little plotting, it’s likely you have dozens of powerful scenes but no backbone to hold it all together. And it’s very difficult to go back and operate on your manuscript after it’s finished. “Kill your darlings” is good advice, but painful for a reason. It’s hard to cut the stuff you love—but if …

Comic Book Fetish #1: Skybound’s SLOTS, Marvel’s LEGACY and more!

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It should probably go without saying that if it’s a Skybound book it’s going to read well. I currently read Skybound titles such as Redneck, Extremity and I’ve read Gasolina and Green Valley, I have a Ghosted trade paperback on my shelf yet to read, and I’m now trade-waiting Birthright after reading it in floppies for the first 20 issues or so. Skybound Entertainment founder/CEO Robert Kirkman and company have a lot to be proud of these days. They’re one of the best comics lines around, a line that also includes Manifest Destiny, Kill the Minotaur, Outcast, Invincible, and of course The Walking Dead. And I have no doubt the Image Comics remaining founders/partners are glad they made Mr. Kirkman a partner nine years ago. 1st Issue Fetish The newest Skybound title Slots by creator/writer/artist Dan Panosian – the first issue was yet another fine Skybound read. It takes place in Vegas and features a middle-aged guy trying to get back in the game – of gambling and boxing – and make a big score. Is …

The Quiet Hours

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At last the house is quiet and still. Well, mostly. There’s a cricket outside the living room window chirping incessantly and the Lady of the Manor is in the recliner reading a book and yawning occasionally. Earlier today there was a small family gathering here to celebrate my birthday belatedly (the momentous occasion of my having made another successful trip ‘round the sun again occurred this past Tuesday). The wife served up a nice baked pasta with chicken meal (kinda like a casserole, I suppose) along with Caesar salad, garlic bread and for dessert a choice of chocolate cake with fudge icing, carrot cake and vanilla ice cream. All of it chased down by either sweet tea or ice water. Quality family time followed the eating festivities. All and all a simple, low-key way to celebrate one’s arrival upon this planet. Now, I debate how to best take advantage of these quiet ours. I am often torn between the desire to read and the urge to write or play guitar (I did some strumming on …