Elmore Leonard has passed away

He is a literary giant in my book. Today Elmore Leonard passed.

Leonard's offered 10 tricks for good writing:

1.  Never open a book with weather.
2.  Avoid prologues.
3.  Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.
4.  Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said”…he admonished gravely.
5.  Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. 
6.  Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose."
7.  Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
8.  Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
9.  Don't go into great detail describing places and things.
10.  Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.
    
    ... he added "My most important rule is one that sums up the 10. If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it."

Positive News for THE ARTIST

My short tale of horror, entitled THE ARTIST was first published by TITLE GOES HERE and appeared in Issue Eight on July 13th, 2011. (Yes, the magazine is actually titled "Title Goes Here". I'm not making that up!) Although issues are available in print and digital formats, TITLE GOES HERE is not free to read. That means  you cannot currently read the story online.

This summer I've been sending out THE ARTIST as a re-print, hoping to see it published again. If that wonderful sci-fi series The X-Files were still in production, I'd like to think the subject of this story would make a killer episode.

At any rate, my fingers are still crossed, but my latest news is THE ARTIST will appear as an Honorable Mention in Volume 22/49 of ALLEGORY.

I'll post a link when that edition is ready, but this is the language ALLEGORY uses to congratulate its Honorable Mentions (this comes from the current Volume, 21/48): 

Allegory deals with submissions in the way that, as far as I know, remains fairly unique in the publishing world. Each story is individually reviewed and, if considered publishable, is placed in our "Maybe" pile. At the end of each submission period, these "Maybes" are reviewed, and the best eight chosen to appear in the next issue. This final cut is made on the basis of issue balance, and does NOT reflect the overall quality of these stories.

That said, here - in no particular order - are the "Maybes" who just missed publication in Allegory. Each one is a fine tale that we would have been proud to publish. Remember these names, friends and fellows. You'll be hearing from them in the future. I guarantee it!

Playing the Waiting Game

Hello, I'm Sasha, I'll be your friendly neighborhood writer for the evening.

I keep a writerly blog over at Live Journal, but it has proven impossible to access from work for about a month now, so I'm in the process of switching here to Blogger, which has been much more convenient.

As a writer, I always have multiple projects going on at once. I have a weekly movie review both in video and print format appearing in Hinesville, Fort Stewart, Richmond Hill and Statesboro, Georgia newspapers/ news sites. My short stories tend to be of the speculative fiction variety. I've published FIVE thus far. I am seeking an agent for my recently completed darkly comedic crime novel and for my Christian Young Reader book.

I'm also the official blogger for the Savannah Writers Group.

I enjoy sharing rejection letters and the like on Face Book so that non-writer types can see the perils we writers must go through.

Here was one such update I posted today:

THREE of my short stories have been SHORTLISTED this summer. The suspense is KILLING me as I wait to hear the outcomes. One of the three was cut, but only due to space restrictions. (Never mind that I'm also waiting to hear about my crime novel and my children's book!)

~

We have good news and we have bad news. The good news is that your story has made our second round, rarified company that more than 90% of submissions do not reach. While half or more of our second round stories will not ultimately see publication under the DSF rocket, this story has reached the final go/no-go before launch.

The bad news--and I promised you some bad news--is that it will take us time to make that final decision. Expect an additional two weeks or so, but don't be surprised if it's a month from today. Thanks for your continued patience, and thanks for sending us this worthy submission.