Making the Jump

Well, I've finally begun submitting my flash fiction. Finishing the work was just the first step in a longer process. It is easy to be tempted, after you finish, to rush to submit your work. However, the query letter that must accompany your submission is of vital importance. If you don't put the time in to make a good letter, there is a good chance your story won't even be read.

Here are some tips to create an intriguing query:

1. A brief, dynamic synopsis of your work. It should be written in a voice that reflects the piece.

2. An explanation of how your work fits with the publisher you're querying. This shows that you've done your research.

3. A short introduction to you. Only highlight areas of your life that qualify you to write what you wrote. They don't care about your personal life other than how it makes you a better writer.

If you put in the time for a good query, it will pay off.

Writing Snippet

Here is a bit of writing I'm working on for publication. It's based off of my travels in Venice. Enjoy!

"The plague doctor waited over the canal. The open air carried the alien buzzing to him through the dark, and he knew what swarmed in the piazza. The square was close, but separated by a watery maze.   

            His mask made it difficult to breathe, and he drew slowly through its long, sloping beak. It was the mask of battle, and it had been protecting the doctors of Venice for centuries.

            But he was not fighting the plague of his ancestors, the flesh-eating spots the soldiers brought back from the Thirty-Years’ War. The plague he fought was eating the city itself.

            The locusts were devouring whole neighborhoods, eating away at the city’s foundation as they gouged down into the Grand Canal. Long ago, The Virgin had cured the city of its black spots. Now he, Dr. Maurizio Luchini, saw fit to finish Her work.

            He heard footsteps from the alley on the other side of the bridge. Ducking down behind a mooring pole, he disappeared under his black cape and waited.

            Their foreign speech gave them away though the locusts wore the costumes of carnevale, just like he did. The doctor studied them as the insects wandered slowly, stupidly together toward the hive center in the Piazza San Marco. These two were tall, with white-blond hair. They must have come from the far north. But really, they were all the same: members of the swarm, called together by their own putrid stink."

Bestiary

Check out this book project I'm working on--along with 24 other authors! "The Bestiary of People We Know, Love, and Hate" is the result of story synergy. The rough draft is done, and the editing has started.

Bestiary of People We Know Love and Hate

Dan Williams, Illustrator

A lesson from Sweet Adeline

Every word counts. We hear this often, and it's become cliché. In our instant gratification era, we don't have time to finesse every word. We'll pay attention to a few special ones, but for the most part, we move on. For some people this is constructive; they would never finish their essay, let alone 1700 word novel, if they agonized over every word.

But for people like me, dedication to detail is a necessary reminder.

Today I was reminded not just of how important words are, but individual syllables themselves.

I am in two a capella groups. A modern, coed group and a Sweet Adeline quartet. We have our first concert of the year next week, and memorizing 30 minutes of barbershop is challenging. It's challenging because if our syllables aren't right--just one vowel even, the magic of our harmony begins to unravel.

My other group is creating our own arrangement. I sat today at the computer, agonizing over whether our bases should be singing Do or Ah. It's a big difference, and the whole feel of the piece can change with that little vowel.

So now, when I go back to writing my stories, I won't complain about words. It could be worse. I could be dealing with syllables.

Publishing: a market in flux

The more I write, the more I understand how little I know about writing. The more I research publishing, the more the mystery of this world grows.

While there are certainly defined and concrete aspects to the industry, it is constantly shifting and adapting to engage market trends, consumer desires, and technological advances.

It’s hard to keep up.

Good writers today know how to find their niche. You’re supposed to get specific—or if you feel adventurous, bridge categories to create something unique. Make your own sci-fi western.

But just like the publishing industry, genres are in constant flux. New ones are born, and old fads fall out of the spotlight.

Do you know the difference between biopunk and postcyberpunk?  

I don’t.

But by the time I learn, the definition will have changed anyway. Besides, biopunk was so last season. Atompunk is where it’s at.

It Begins

For new writers, the thought of getting published seems like a journey equivalent to Frodo's march on Mordor. While I'm tempted to stay home in the Shire, if I don't start this adventure now, I never will.

Step #1: Write something!

Here's a snippet of a flash fiction piece I'm working on, born from my travels in Venice.

               The plague doctor waited over the canal. Still air carried the alien buzzing to him through the dark, and he trembled at what swarmed in the piazza. It was close, but separated by a watery maze that could have been designed by Minos himself.   

                He gripped the bridge rail and tried to breath, drawing slowly through the small holes in his mask. The long, sloping beak made it difficult, but the filter would protect him. It had been protecting the doctors for centuries.
                But he was not fighting the plague of his ancestors, the flesh-eating spots the soldiers brought back from the war. No, the plague he fought was eating the city.
                What started as small pockets had quickly combined into colonies.  No one was ready, no one knew, until they started devouring whole neighborhoods, eating away at the city’s foundations as they gouged down into the Grand Canal.
                Tonight, his whole purpose, his life’s work, would bring their destruction to the surface.

So come along with me. Start the journey. Write something!