Chris Chelser's Blog, page 9
November 2, 2016
“After the Happily Ever After”
I’m terribly excited to announce that my short story The Thin Blue Breadcrumb Trail has been accepted for publication in Transmundane Press’ latest collection:
The happily ever after is never the end. The curtain doesn’t fall once love is recognized or evil is vanquished. Credits don’t roll once the giant is slain or the big bad wolf is boiled alive. Wicked stepsisters, malevolent rulers, and hideous creatures still have lives after their sinister roles play out; heroes, lovers, and dreamers often find their victories lead to more troubles.
Within these pages are more than seventy continuations, retellings, and eldritch stories that explore the dark forests, magical castles, and grotesque monsters After the Happily Ever After.
November 1, 2016
2 Indispensable Writing Instruments
Once a month I permit myself to discuss the challenges of being a (self-published) author. In this month’s post:
Two Indispensable Writing Instruments
I’m terribly ashamed that the first few words I have typed in the past two months. What in blazes? I write creepy stories, but had to skip posting on Halloween? How on Earth did that happen?
Simple: as I type this, my hands are pulsating continuous warning signs. Have for weeks. Going on to long means they will seize up.
This strike is caused by a rather classic case of repetitive strain injury. Where I live, RSI is interpreted as either you’ve sat behind a computer too much, or you play tennis. But apparently packing and hauling 100+ boxes, most of them filled with books, isn’t beneficial to your hands either.
Pianists work keyboards, too. They’re taught to take care of their hands. So why not writers?
When circumstances forced me to take on the challenge of moving two homes within two months, I thought that I’d pack during the day and write in the evenings. Within a week, my cramped fingers made it very clear that that wasn’t going to happen. Now, five weeks onwards, rather than participating in this year’s Nanowrimo, I’m monitoring their forums for tips on hand care.
Certainly, there is voice recognition software available. That may work wonders for regular texts, but have you ever tried dictating a dialogue with this kind of software? Or tried to teach it to recognise your fantasy characters’ unusual names? Ugh.
Writers need their hands as much as they need their brain that comes up with new stories. We all know how bad a head cold can be for your writing and RSI is a constant risk, especially for the more prolific writers. I never could have dreamt that I would be physically banned from writing because of, well, other people’s books…
What about you? Have you ever been unable to write due to physical problems? Did you have to wait for things to get better, or did you find a solution? Please share in the comments below!
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
A safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Writer’s Woes: Indispensable Writing Instruments
Once a month I permit myself to discuss the dark side of being a (self-published) author.
In this month’s post rants about…
Indispensable Writing Instruments
I’m terribly ashamed that this is my first post since September. Or the first few words I have typed in the past month, for that matter. What the…I write creepy stories – one was even accepted for publication – but had to skip posting on Halloween? How in blazes did that happen?
Simple: for the past few weeks, and even now as I type this, my hands have been warning me to go easy or they’ll seize up.
This strike is caused by a classic case of repetitive strain injury. Where I live, RSI is interpreted as either you’ve sat behind a computer too much, or you play tennis. But apparently packing and hauling 100+ boxes, most of them filled with books, isn’t beneficial to your hands either.
When circumstances forced me to take on the challenge of moving two homes within two months, I thought that I’d pack during the day and write in the evenings. Within a week, my cramped fingers made it very clear that that wasn’t going to happen. Now, five weeks onwards, rather than participating in this year’s Nanowrimo, I’m monitoring their forums for tips on hand care.
Pianists work keyboards, too. They’re taught to take care of their hands. So why not writers?
Certainly, there is voice recognition software available. That may work wonders for regular texts, but have you ever tried dictating a dialogue with this kind of software? Or tried to teach it to recognise your fantasy characters’ unusual names? Ugh.
Writers need their hands as much as they need their brain that comes up with new stories. We all know how bad a head cold can be for your writing and RSI is a constant risk, especially for the more prolific writers. I just never had expected to be physically banned from writing because of, well, other people’s books…
What about you? Have you ever been unable to write due to physical problems? Did you have to wait for things to get better, or did you find a solution? Please share in the comments below!
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
A safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
September 30, 2016
September 14, 2016
Story Mechanics Is Live!
It took a lot longer to get it right than I had thought, but now at last:
The Story Mechanics Course is live!
I have posted two free videos for you to get an idea of what the course will look and sound like.
Enjoy, and please consider supporting me on Patreon!
“Weaponized Ghosts of the 96th Infantry”
Today’s short story is a recent favourite of mine, written by James Van Pelt.
“Until now, vengeful ghosts have been documented in history but never seen by science,” said General Kilborne as he led the Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff into the forward bunker. “The army has known about them for years. We’ve studied the types of persons and the mindset that produces a violent, motivated spirit. Today you will see our first field test of the technology.”
Read the whole story on Daily Science Fiction!
September 9, 2016
What do you mean, autumn?
It’s September, it’s 2 weeks until the official start of autumn and only 7 weeks until Halloween, and my garden is full of… butterflies!
How I wish I was a better photographer. This beauty deserves that.
September 6, 2016
Writer’s Woes: Two Confessions
Once a month I permit myself to discuss the dark side of being a (self-published) author.
In this month’s post rants about…
Two confessions
First confession: I’m not cut out to be a blogger.
Oh, I can write. Stories, letters and the occasional report. But blogging seems to require more journalistic skills than I possess.
Many writers are, or once were, journalists. The two writers I most admire started in journalism (Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, for the record). It’s a very common combination, but personally, I have no propensity whatsoever for writing news articles, catchy headlines or “content”.
I’m the other type of writer. The one who is also a lawyer.
Not all lawyers are flamboyant attorneys a la Boston Legal (perhaps a pity, perhaps for the best…). In fact, where I come from lawyers are notoriously sensible. The good ones, anyway.
Good lawyers don’t see only black and white, but navigate so many shades of grey to make Christian Grey pale by comparison., Language is their tool. They tend to be cautious in claiming anything as a fact, because they know that most facts can be interpreted in various ways. The trick is to go with the one that’s best for your case and convince the judge – your audience – that this is the “correct” way to regard the matter at hand.
The skills of a good lawyer are quite similar to those of a good storyteller, but these skills are nigh on worthless when it comes to newspaper articles, magazines, or indeed blogging. And don’t even get me started on marketing messages! I’m just too reserved and introvert to do that properly.
So here is another confession: I need help. Not to write my stories, but to get them out there.
Sure, Google can dredge up plenty of agents, coaches and marketing people, but that is not the same as personal referrals. Who to trust? I already narrowly escaped from the snares of vanity publishers and other charlatans over the past years, and I don’t want to walk into any more such traps.
Are you a writer? What are your experiences with blogging and media outreach? Do you have an inherent aptitude for marketing yourself, or have you found anyone whose help and services would you recommend? Share your experiences in the comment below!
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
A safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
September 3, 2016
Readers’ Question: Writer’s Block
I love readers’ questions. Want to ask me something? Click here.
“Being a writer, you have surely stumbled across a writer’s block. How did you overcome that?”
The garden variety of writer’s block is what I call the Blank Page Syndrome: a persistent kind of fear of failure that gets in the way of writing. I don’t always manage to beat it every day, but when I do, it’s a matter of “close your eyes and jump”.
Real writer’s block is uglier. Some people claim it doesn’t exist, because “plumbers don’t get plumber’s block either”. True, but plumbers don’t rely on a volatile chemical-electrical tool that can short out on you, without a warning and for an undetermined time. Writers do.
I had this happen once, courtesy of pregnancy hormones. Not a single daydream or idea showed itself, never mind anything worth writing down. The part of my brain that was responsible for imagination was out of service.
Dead as a doornail. For months on end.
As for overcoming it? It just went away, as fast as it had struck. Nothing I did, I’m afraid. Maybe it would have gone sooner if I hadn’t stressed so much about whether it would ever go away, but other than that, I was just happy to continue writing again.
And happy that it never happened in the 10 years since. Just the BPS to tackle now.
Thanks for asking!
Have a question you want me to answer? Click here.
Ask the Author: Writer’s Block
Every last week of the month, I’m answering readers’ questions.
Want to ask me something? Click here.
“Being a writer, you have surely stumbled across a writer’s block. How did you overcome that?”
The garden variety of writer’s block is what I call the Blank Page Syndrome: a persistent kind of fear of failure that gets in the way of writing. I don’t always manage to beat it every day, but when I do, it’s a matter of “close your eyes and jump”.
Real writer’s block is uglier. Some people claim it doesn’t exist, because “plumbers don’t get plumber’s block either”. True, but plumbers don’t rely on a volatile chemical-electrical tool that can short out on you, without a warning and for an undetermined time. Writers do.
I had this happen once, courtesy of pregnancy hormones. Not a single daydream or idea showed itself, never mind anything worth writing down. The part of my brain that was responsible for imagination was out of service.
Dead as a doornail. For months on end.
As for overcoming it? It just went away, as fast as it had struck. Nothing I did, I’m afraid. Maybe it would have gone sooner if I hadn’t stressed so much about whether it would ever go away, but other than that, I was just happy to continue writing again.
And happy that it never happened in the 10 years since. Just the BPS to tackle now.
Thanks for asking!
Have a question you want me to answer? Click here.
