Writing Update - May & Onward

Hello everyone,

It has been a while since I last posted here and some of you may be wondering what happened to me. Radio silence does not equal dead, at least not in this case. In fact, I have been quite busy. I’ve been working on several short stories and editing a novel.

During January and February, I worked on several different flash fiction and short stories. I always enjoyed creating short stories. It was what got me into writing in the first place. Being able to have fun and write whatever popped into my mind is a great way to relax and improve my writing craft.

I know what you’re going to ask: “Hey, that’s great! Can we read them?”

Not yet. I have been going through all of them, one by one, and editing them. I want to deliver better work every time and if I don’t edit, you don’t get the content you deserve. Also, I have been taking some that I really enjoy, and I’ve been attempting to get them published in a few magazines. My mini goal this year was to get at least three short stories sold to a science fiction or fantasy magazine. It’s an ambitious goal, but even if I got just one story published, that would be incredible!

Now, if I don’t get a short story or flash fiction published, what do I do next? The plan is I will do another round of edits and then put them on the website…for free! Not all the short stories, but the ones I enjoyed the most. Some may be quite a bit different than what you are currently accustomed to, but some may feel familiar.

I’m also planning on doing a small information blog about short fiction magazines. There was a ton I learned when researching short stories and I would love to share what I learned with you. Another blog I would also like to share with you is about editing.

Around the middle of January, I was asked to edit a novel. No, this isn’t a big-name author or ghostwriter. It was my brother. He has a story that he’s been eager to tell, and I’ve been helping him go after it. In a later blog, I may go through the process of what I did and what I learned from the experience. However, this experience is still ongoing and I’m sure I’ll learn more as I go along.

I also plan this year to make some additional changes to the website, but when those happen, I’ll let you know.

Until next time, read, write repeat.

-J.J.

Fear & Pace: Crafting A Powerful Horror Story

I have been reading through a novella called, Gwendy’s Button Box, written by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar, and while I was reading, I started to realize why so many people enjoy the horror genre of novels. I’ve never been a fan of horror movies (I get scared too easy) and it led me to fear approaching the horror genre of novels as well. I didn’t want to read a story that would give me insomnia and have me constantly checking every lock in the house. However, that changed, at white elephant Christmas party last year. As part of the gift exchange, I received the novella as a gift. I had never heard of the book, let alone knew that legendary Stephen King put out novellas.

After I got home, I didn’t pick up the book. Instead, I placed it on my bookshelf, thinking I would probably never get around to reading it, considering my already atrociously high queue of books waiting patiently for me to read, and moved on.

Then, just this month in fact, my lunchtime was filled with boredom and out of curiosity, I thought I’d give the novella a look. Almost instantly, I was captivated. The story moved with expert pace; not too fast to cause confusion, but not too slow to feel like a drag. Short chapters, comfortable pace, compelling opening, everything you need for success.

As of writing this, I have not finished it. Why? It’s not just because I’m a slow reader, but I’ve only had like 10 minutes each day. I get about chapter done each day, but I might take this weekend and finish.

Yet, it’s what I learned why reading it that made me re-evaluate my own approach to writing and how to better improve my story’s tense moments and build a bit of a thrill. I can boil it down to two points: Fear & Pace.

FEAR: NOT AN BAD FOUR-LETTER WORD

Honestly, those two points seem to be the bread and butter of horror and thriller stories. Without fear, you can’t create tension, build suspense, or have your character make the ill-informed decisions that they do. Fear disorients both the character and reader, warps reality, and can bring an almost suffocating experience to the everyone in and around the pages. Fear is a powerful emotion and when you used right, it gives the first part of a successful horror story equation. Well, maybe not the first part.

PACE: KNOW WHEN TO RACE AND WHEN TO SLOW WITH GRACE

The first part of our horror story equation is more reserved for pace. Pacing a story, any story, is important from the get-go. We don’t want a large fantasy epic to be moving at breakneck speed with short sentences and intense drama if we know nothing about the characters. We also don’t want a long winded, two pages on the description of the killer as they plunge a knife in an innocent character’s back. Proper pacing is appropriate spacing. To do that, for horror stories, it’s important to build characters, give us some time with them in the beginning. We need to get comfortable, at least in the beginning. Maybe sprinkle in some subtle foreshadowing of the events to come. Striking the right balance is key to delivering a killer story.

Obviously, there is a lot more to crafting a horror story. Put if you keep these two ingredients in mind, making your next horror story might just be scary easy. Well, I doubt easy, no story is, but I’m not you. You might be the second coming of Stephen King for all I know, pumping out 2,000 words a day or something crazy. If so, your awesome! If not, your still awesome!

Anyways, what do you think is important in a horror story? Am I completely off base on what is important in a horror story? Please let me know in the comments. Also, remember that NaNoWriMo is less than 10 days away, so get prepared and ready to write!

Until next time, write, read, edit, repeat.

-J.J.

What I Learned From Writing A Story For An Anthology

A few years ago, I got one of my short stories published in a small anthology called, “The Monsters In Your Closet.” I was proud of the work and learned a lot during the process. However, I realized I didn’t really explain much about it.

I first met Madeline Smoot at a writing convention in Minneapolis, MN. She was part of the editing panel for participants who requested to have their first 10 pages reviewed. She had reviewed my piece, and, to my surprise, she thought it was good. We got to talking after the critique and she mentioned in passing that she was doing an anthology.

Long story short, I submitted a piece I worked after the convention and it was accepted. After the excitement died down a bit, we got to business. A contract was provided, and requirements were set for the piece regarding editing. Madeline, along with another editor, reviewed each story and provided editing requests. Some was basic spelling and grammar mistakes, but most of it was about the structure and character. They asked questions such as, “Would a character talk like this?” “Would this character act like that?” The editor asked questions that required some deeper searching in the story to not only challenge you to make the story better, but to make you a better writer.

It was my first experience getting feedback from editors on my stories and I was nervous. I was in a state where I didn’t want to say no to doing an edit. If it was recommended, I did it. Mostly, it was out of fear that if I said no or challenged it, I would be rejected.

It wasn’t until later did I learn that was and never should be the case. You can fight to keep the story how you want it, but it’s important to pick your battles carefully. Don’t ever assume your story is perfect. It would be impossible. Editors are there to help make the story better. They will find things you missed. And that is great! But editors are not here to fix stories. If a story doesn’t work, they can’t fix it. Only the writer can.

Editors find your errors, put them on a pedestal, and say, “You can make this better.” They provide guidance, help make the story refined, and in most cases, champion your work. Editors are invaluable to writers and that was the most valuable takeaway from my experience.

If you haven’t picked up a copy of the anthology and want to give it a try during this Halloween season, pick it up on Amazon and give it a read.

The Monsters In Your Closet

Until next time, read, write, repeat.

-J.J.

How To Prep For NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo, is drawing near and preparation is everything. Well, I mean you don’t have to prep, but it couldn’t to do an outline.

NaNoWriMo, for those who don’t know, is a both an event and an organization. During the month of November, the challenge is put forth to write 50k words in 30 days! It’s the longest writing sprint you will ever be a part of. To put this in perspective, that is writing over 1,666 words every day. No breaks. For a month.

For some that is a daunting task. Writing almost two thousand words a day is a lot of writing. However, it is definitely possible, and you can do it!

But I would recommend to prepping beforehand.

“How can I prep? I don’t even know what I want to write?”

That’s okay. Take a deep breathe, relax, maybe sip a warm beverage. We all start at zero, every story does.

First, determine what genre you want to write? Is it science fiction? Fantasy? Romance? Choose which genre you want the story to be. If you want, feel free to mix several genres. Your story = Your rules.

Next, what kind of story do you want to tell? Are you going to take us on a thrilling adventure across time and space? Do you want to tell a story about two sword experts falling in love? Describe what story you want to tell.

At that point, and maybe before, you might have the next element in your mind. Characters.

Who is/are our protagonist(s)? Our villain’s? Loveable side characters that would make us cry if they were harmed in any way? Discover who your characters are and what they need to do. Good characters can keep a story moving and bring excitement to every page. They are the lifeblood, treat them as such.

Once you have all these needed ingredients, you can start to create the colorful cocktail you will call your story. And a great way to gather your thoughts and organize them is an outline.

Outlines may not be your favorite part, but they can be incredibly helpful in laying out your story and helping you make sense out of every twist and turn.

To recap, determine the following three for an easier time during NaNoWriMo:

• Choose your genre

• Describe your story

• Create your characters

If you can do this, you are well on your way to writing your first book.

Make sure to check out the NaNoWriMo website for information on how the organization and event works, as well as find useful tools for your story. For additional preparation resources, visit NaNo Prep.

Are you excited for NaNoWriMo? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time, write, read, repeat.

-J.J.

State of the Industry - A Publishing Whirlwind

The publishing industry has been taking some flak over the past few months for a variety of different controversies. From American Dirt to the Romance Writer’s Guild, there seems to be a problem around every corner.

However, how bad are these issues and can they be avoided? I was listening to a podcast on NPR about the American Dirt controversy and it was quite insightful on how the participants looked at the issues of publishing, authorship, and censorship. If you would like to listen in, I have the podcast embedded below.

Listening to the different perspectives, it creates a clearer picture on how to handle different cultures in stories and how online criticism is not the same as censorship. I wish they would’ve spent more time on the idea of censorship and dive a little deeper into what that would look like today. That topic I found the most interesting and can heard around the 25-minute mark.

It’s obvious that the issues being raised need to be addressed, but I don’t think the controversies are inherently bad. Why? Because it means we have more to learn. To improve. Take the criticism, use it, and be better. That’s what most people want. Criticism is a spotlight on our mistakes and we can use the light to find our way out of the dark. We can also use it to avoid the issues completely.

The podcast really boils down to a simple statement by David Bowles, a Mexican American author, mentioned at the beginning of the podcast:

“It’s just about doing the homework that has to be done.” - David Bowles

So, for those writers out there that want to write unique characters outside of their culture or life experience: Do your homework.

If you would like more short podcast related posts on the website, please let me know in the comments or send me a message.

Until next time,

J.J.

2018 - New Possibilities & YOU!

I know its nearly a month into the New Year, so I apologize for the lack of blogging. 2018 has been pretty busy already and it holds a lot of possibilities. Writing new stories, experimenting with mediums, just trying new things. 

I'll admit, I have been inconsistent. Late posts...like really late posts. Some uninteresting. Oh, and don't get me started on my pathetic attempt at National Novel Writing Month. It has been disappointing, trying to put fingers on the keys and words on the blank screen. 

However, with every New Year, comes new possibilities. My goal is simple: Consistency. I know I will have difficulty keeping up with every news article and event surrounding the wonderful world of comic books and pop culture in general. The train's always moving, never stopping, and becoming more and more saturated. So, my goal is to be consistent. A blog post a month is the main goal. I want it to focus on either writing or comic books/pop culture. Long as it stays in that realm. I have quite diverse tastes. One second I want to write about spaceships blowing up bigger spaceships ran by androids, the next I want to do a romantic comedy about two penguins roaming the refrigerators of South Africa. So many ideas, not enough time. 

So, on this blog, I want to just keep it simple. I also want to add a free short story or two. Something new, a bit off the beaten path. Or maybe not, I'll see how I feel. 

Anyway, that's what you should expect this year. Still, I do want to know: What do you want to see here? To say the responses to my questions after each post has been...limited. Let your opinion be heard! But, not too loud because I think i'm going deaf. Not sure, just a precaution really. 

Leave a comment and I'll read it. Maybe even answer! Who knows? Who am I kidding, I'll answer. Also, I plan to be a bit more active on Twitter than I have been. Keep it loose and fun. Oh, and no politics! 

Hope to hear from you all soon and start of 2018 off right! -J.J.

Storyclock Notebook: How it works and why it’s awesome!

When I first heard about this on Twitter earlier this year, I knew it was going to be something useful.  A small, simple tool to help bring order to my internal chaos of runaway story ideas? I am totally in! That tool was the Storyclock Notebook.

What is the Storyclock Notebook?

The Storyclock notebook is a research and development tool that helps writers organize their ideas and find gaps in their stories. For screenwriters (which were the intended audience) it helps them get a bird’s eye view of their story to really nail down the details of the story. Created by Seth Worley, a Los Angeles-based director/writer, he drew up the idea for the Storyclock out of his own frustration with half-baked ideas, but no story to put them to. Starting out on Kickstarter, the Storyclock Notebook decimated their intended goal and kept everyone in the loop about the progress.

When I saw the Storyclock, I knew I could use this for preparing and organizing my own stories, whether it’s a short story, a novel, or even a screenplay.

Why is it Awesome?

For an interview video with the tool's creator, click the photo.

Outside of the fact that Seth Worley made it? Not much. Just kidding. What makes it great is the ability to organize and develop a story all in one place. For people like me that occasionally struggle with keeping all my ideas straight, this tool will add a much-needed focus to crafting stronger, sharper stories. It also gives me a more visual way of looking at the story. It doesn’t just feel like a block a text. It feels like fleshed out, beat for beat, story. It helps me play out the story like a movie in my head.

So, where are they now? The Kickstarter ended a few months ago and are just starting to move into the shipping process of the physical copy. For those who backed it, a digital copy has already been received along with a hilarious, 80’s VHS inspired tutorial. Seth is always one for surprises!

If you want to learn more about the Storyclock Notebook, check out Storyclock.co.

Also, I was not sponsored or asked to promote this product. I just believe in it's use and think it could be a great tool in a writer's journey. I recommend using it next time you want to organize your ideas and create a strong, yet flexible foundation for your story.

-J.J.

Writing Update #3 - I Won Something!

Another update post about my writing work. I have recently submitted a short story for a superhero anthology through Meerkat Press. Meerkat Press is an independent publisher put of Atlanta that works on a variety of fictional work. They are also running a IndieGoGo campaign to help with some of their costs associated with publishing a short story anthology.

Whether or not my story is selected for the anthology, I am excited to see what stories will be in it.

Honorable Mention - Love Came Down

A few months back, I mentioned in passing that I won an honorable mention award through Writer's Digest for their annual writing competition. Yesterday, I received my first award for the short story, Love Came Down!

This is my first award I have ever received for my writing (unless you consider writing to be its own reward, then I have several). It is great to receive this recognition and I hope to continue to create more stories that are even better. I am still sending this short story out to a few other short story magazines and publishers, so it will be a while until it goes on the website. If it does get accepted by another publisher, I would need to let them retain a majority of the rights to the work until the end of the contract.

As far as my novel, I am still going to agents and publishing houses, but I want to focus on an agent first before I jump into a publishing house that may not be my first or best choice. I am also still considering self-publication through an e-book, but the costs involved are more than I initially anticipated.

I also purchased a writing bundle and webinar from Writer's Digest website about world building and creating monsters. I will speak at bit more about these resources in a review next week.

Until next week, keep writing everyone! -J.J.

Writing Update #2

My projects have been moving a bit slower than I would like due to some additional job duties at work, but I hope to get one of my short stories finished this week. At the beginning of August I made some good progress on the Comic Con romance, but these last two weeks were snail pace progress. Still, slow progress is progress! My hope is to get it completed this weekend though, so that's great! The story will be involving a fan favorite comic book heroine, Squirrel Girl.

The squirrels are so adorable! They get less adorable when they carry pizza up trees though...

For my Sci-Fi stories, I have been getting some inspiration after reading some of Phillip K. Dick's short stories in his collection. I highly recommend the story AutoFac, it was a compelling little story about self-replicating robotic factories and the human struggle for resources. Definitely check it out!

Next week, I will be posting a review/impressions of a comic book I had just finished reading that I really enjoyed. It may or may not be a part of an upcoming giveaway. Stay Tuned!

Writing Update

Today's post will be an update (different from the newsletter) on my short story and novel progress.

This last week was incredibly busy, but productive. I made some progress on two short stories: One nerd romance (in honor of Comic Con) and one Sci-Fi story. Both stories, once completed, will make some rounds to different short story publishers for potential publication. If neither of the stories get published, I may consider posting them either to the website or create a free e-book. I find it important that stories are created and read by others. Stories are meant to do one of these three things:

• Inspire
• Entertain
• Educate

If it accomplishes one of those its good, but if it accomplishes all three its great! Would it be great to get paid for creating stories? Of course! However, I feel it is more important that stories are read and shared with others.

For my novel, I finished a rough draft in December of last year and I have progressed through several drafts and a few trusted beta readers to get the novel ready to pursue agent representation. What people won't tell you is that a polished draft is only the start! Another step in the adventure for publication is getting an agent and to get an agent's interest is through crafting a query letter.

A few months ago, I attended a webinar through Writer's Digest titled Focus on Young Adult Fiction: Writing a Strong Young Adult Novel and Crafting the Query Letter. The webinar, as the title spells out pretty well, focused on constructing query letters for Young Adult and Middle Grade novels. The presenter of the webinar was Marie Lamba. Marie Lamba is a literary agent at Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency. The webinar was a great opportunity to learn about the Young Adult and Middle Grade industry and the insights on how the market is moving now was invaluable. As a part of the webinar, participants were able to send in their query letters for review and edits. I had been working on my query letter for a couple of months for my unpublished novel and I decided to get some professional advice.

Last Wednesday, I received some positive feedback and edits on my query letter. It was amazing to see some professional input on a query letter and how to create a tighter, more compelling query letter. I didn't have much time to look through the edits last week, but I plan to take a closer look this week and continue to sharpen the query letter for the next couple of weeks. 

So, that is my update on my writing projects and I hope to share some of my writing projects with everyone soon. On Friday, I will be posting a review of the movie Suicide Squad. I have been hearing word about some poor reviews by critics, but I would like to withhold judgement until I actually see it for myself.