stories from a liminal mindscape
I've watched peers worry over query letters for so long that the fact I have yet to send any to agents or editors for a completed manuscript feels strange. Perhaps I'm lucky. I have written query letters for the fun of it and to query editors about the marketability of incomplete manuscripts. (Turns out my… Continue reading How to Stop Worrying About the Query Letter
Welcome to the Friday Face-Off, a weekly event of bloggers pitting several book covers for one title to present a favorite. This is my first time participating. I'm fascinated by book cover designs. The best covers are art, yet unlike art in a gallery, the designs are meant to be judged for their appeal at… Continue reading Fresh Friday Cover Face-Off
A recognizable speculative fiction author published a blog post that I feel needs attention before it spreads through the writing community as gospel. In "Discrimination in the Writing World", David Farland opened with, A few days ago, I saw a Facebook post from a woman who complained that she didn’t want to see panels by… Continue reading David Farland Missed the Point About Discrimination in the Writing World
Where's the line between Horror and Dark Fantasy? The question bothered me earlier this week. Is my classification of darker works appropriate? I've always heard the Horror genre defined by the author's intentions, along the lines of "Horror is anything meant to scare the reader." That makes sense, though it's strange to acknowledge that I… Continue reading Pans in the Fire, Hands Writing Ire
Though my focus this month remains on my short stories, I know many of the writers I see online are holding on to completed book manuscripts in need of homes. Are you ready for an agent or content editor? Manuscript Wish Tracking I came upon resources for querying publishing agents that is now in Www-writing… Continue reading A Few Ways to Get to Publishing Agents
Readers use genre to narrow down their interests. Librarians and reviewers want to know how to tag or shelf books. Authors need to reach a suitable audience to sell a story, whether it's an agent or editor who asked for work in a specific genre or ebook buyers searching on categories. At least among authors… Continue reading What is Contemporary Fantasy?
Don't bother referencing quick advice from ten years ago. Here are general standards for submitting short stories to traditional markets today.
