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I think maybe Dean Koontz's "Odd Thomas" books could fit into this category. I've read all of them and I think they are fantastic.

I submit because I'm a writer working to be a published author. Pure and simple.

Ever since I started learning craft and technique and writing stories of my own — and also being involved in writing and critique groups — I've often found myself becoming overly critical of stories I write myself, as well as stories I read from others. It seems that sense of innocence and wonder I ...

Pretty much anything else from Neil Gaiman. American Gods or Good Omens or Neverwhere or Anansi Boys. I recommend all of them.

If any of your favorite authors have a website, you can visit their About section and see what they wrote for their bio. Also, you can check the inside back sleeve of any of your favorite books to get some ideas. I've found these to be a good template for my own bios.

The only time I put words in italics are when 1) I want to distinguish an internal thought, or 2) I want the word to be spoken (dialogue) with an emphasis on the word (ie. I want the reader to hear the word being emphasized for some reason). That's pretty much the only time I do it.

How do you show interior dialogue for your main character? Do you put it in quotes? Do you italicize it? I have Googled this and just ended up confused. What is the best way for WoTF? When you say interior dialogue, are you talking thought processes or an exchange between multiple characters? (Ital...

disgruntledpeony wrote:Helge is right; you get paid pro rates PLUS the prize money.

Aaaahhh...nice!

I thought it was interesting, because I was thinking about pro rates and looking at the prize payout for WOTF. Third place pays $500. Depending on how long your story is, that could either be a pro rate, or not. If your story is 10,000 words, that's only $0.05 per word, which isn't a pro rate payout...

That's really exciting. I hope the critique comments are helpful. Looking forward to one day getting at least that far in this contest. ~M Well, you have the perfect picture/avatar for a pro-author, Morgan! That, alone, should set you up for placement and back cover. wotf007 Bwa ha ha! Thanks Drago...

That's really exciting. I hope the critique comments are helpful. Looking forward to one day getting at least that far in this contest.


~M

(Super late reply, woops. I suck at checking social media/forums... but I feel like I have more info now!) So I just found out I got SF and I'm 99% sure I didn't ever actually get the notification email for that - only just found out because Joni sent me my critique. Not sure what was up with that ...

I haven't been published yet anywhere, other than a short essay I wrote for Orange County, California's Literary Arts Center. My default cover letter reads like this: Dear Editors: Please consider my x,xxx word story "Story Title" for publication in "Name of Magazine". Thank you ...

I went to a workshop one time and learned about text and subtext. People very often do not say what they are really thinking or feeling, and a lot of times that can create really great conflict and tension during dialogue. We know our protagonist is thinking or feeling one way, but because of social...

I just read the interview that Preston did with May S. Ruiz. Ruiz says Preston is vying for the Golden Pen Award with his story. Are all winning writers eligible for the Golden Pen? I thought it was only some of them.

~Morgan

You're frelling right you can make your own cuss words up! Unless they're from Earth, then it starts sounding frelling silly. I think you have to be very careful when making up your own swear words. They should make sense within the environment and/or culture of the story you're building. One of th...

So like the title says, I've had a story in my head for a long time, but when I sit down to write it, it just feels off. I have the plot, the characters, the setting, conflict, try-fail cycles, satisfying conclusion. It's all there (which as a discovery writer, is weird) but I've started it three o...

Reading in this old thread and concerned it may be time to follow up. When I submitted via email to Galaxy's Edge, I never received an automated confirmation. At the time of submission it said "wait 3 weeks," but now says "wait 4 weeks" to inquire. It's been that and change, but...

I have since gotten in contact with Joni, though, and she's confirmed that my stories for both Q4 and Q1 were received, so yay! Now I'll just have to keep an eye on that pesky subconscious mind of mine... >.> Hannah, Were you ever able to figure out why you didn't get any of the submission confirma...

Thomas Woodward wrote:Would anyone be up for a quick 450 exchange before the end of this month? Please PM me if interested.

Hi Thomas,

I saw you note and, unfortunately, I'm WAY behind on writing so won't be able to critique/review anyone else's work this quarter.


~Morgan

One of the exercises I've found to be helpful is to find a story--or a passage of a story--that was done very well. Then I go through and try to deconstruct what made it so effective: what words did the author use, how did he arrange their order, what senses were involved, etc. It's a pretty fun act...

Going to rewrite my HM for this one, which gives me lots of time to just polish. The story is done, only I think I may have to kill somebody. It's impossible to tell what was wrong with the story, since there's no feedback. My first hypothesis is always going to default to, "Maybe not enough p...

At the risk of going into religion... For the love of God, why in the hell would you ever consider going to an agent? I can kind of understand...sort of...going with a trad pub deal. Maybe. If you're desperate for validation and don't care to make money. But an agent??? Are you trying to have your ...

When you find yourself in that position of wondering whether you're still eligible to enter the contest, you can always send a note to Joni and ask. Include the word count of the stories you've sold, who bought the stories, and how much they paid you. She'll let you know.

Nice way to give an old story a new twist, Will. Congrats!


~Morgan

Thanks everyone!

Hey all, I'm doing the 52 Week Story Challenge (thanks again Phillip McCollum!) and posting the stories on my website. Not a lot of traffic there: maybe a couple members of my family and a few friends, if I'm lucky. Can I still submit these stories for publication elsewhere? I can't seem to find any...

Solid advice from everyone above, and I wholeheartedly agree. A couple more points I'll throw in: 1) Make sure YOU are happy with the story before you send it out to others for a review. There's no point in making other people point out something you already know is an issue. I never send a first dr...

I write on my lunch hour during the day. I usually head over to the library or Panera or Starbucks and TYPE TYPE TYPE. Depending on how soon I wake up before my alarm goes off in the morning, I might also get another thirty or sixty minutes in before work too. In all, at least one hour a day, someti...

I feel drained after writing my Q4 story. I took it easy the middle 2 quarters of this year but Q4 I went all in. Usually I finish a story bored and ready to move onto something more exciting but this time I am not sure what comes next. I need some time. I am in a weird transitional stage where I a...