M.L. Desir's Blog, page 45
August 7, 2018
New Publication: Copy Cat in Strange Horizons
Strange Horizons story I look forward to reading.
Alex Shvartsman's Speculative Fiction
“Copy Cat,” a collaboration between K. A. Teryna and me, is now live at Strange Horizons. You can read the text or listen to the podcast.
I have previously translated several stories by K. A. Teryna from Russian (you can read two of them at Apex) but this one is a collaboration, with K. A. writing in Russian and me writing in English, then translating her text and both of us working on smoothing out the...
August 6, 2018
Fireside open to submissions in August
It’s (one of the) most wonderful times of the year . . . no, not Christmas. No, not back to school. Fireside is open to submissions again.
Why Lit Mags Don’t Pay – guest blog post by M.R. Thomas
Before reading this I was curious and skeptical as to what I’d find in this post, but after I finished reading, reasons —
1)To build up their writing credentials
2) To reach a maximum number of readers
4) The editor who can’t pay you today may be able to pay you tomorrow — really resonated with me.
LAST WEEK, THE SPALDING MFA Alumni Twitter account tweeted about my small online lit mag:
“@slushpilemag is accepting #fiction, #poetry, and #cnf submissions through @submittable...
August 5, 2018
Why writing a book is like creating a parallel universe #amwriting #writerslife
When I was little there was a children’s book I read, and in the book you got to choose what happened next. Such books were not new then, and they are still around now. I saw an adult version of this not very long ago. You know the kind…
Lots of exciting stuff has happened…do you:
Open the door – go to page 64 Turn around and walk away – go to page 72This got me thinking about the writing process, and how, when we write, we sit out of time, as if we...
A Requiem for Newspapers
I hope the title I’ve put on this blog is premature at worst and nonsense at best. I very much fear it is not.
I am a lifelong newspaper reader. Reading the daily paper while I eat my breakfast is a vital part of my daily routine. I admit to being a Luddite in that respect. My news intake comes from my excellent daily paper, not from television, radio, or the internet. By personal preference I don’t have television reception. I do listen to the radio, primarily when I’m in my c...
Writers: Don’t Edit Away Your Voice
Good morning wonderful writers, I hope you’ve all had a great week.
This week I finished another set of edits, which I think puts me on draft…7? 8? I’ve lost count! Since I finished my first draft almost a year ago, it has been not stop edits. It’s safe to say my story is a lot more well rounded and polished now.
Yet I’ve been thinking a lot recently about all the advice we writers are given in regards to how we tell our story; show not tell, don’t use this word, don’t use...
Lullabies and folk songs, the popular western tradition introduced by Afrikan slave mothers
Contrary to popular belief, African ancient societies developed written languages and symbols that helped keep records of events and happenings. Many of these have been proven through archaeological findings such as paintings, scripts and clothes with symbols that have been discovered to be of great meaning and importance.
Despite the existence of a written literary culture, the main means of passing on knowledge and important events was through oral history. This was done t...
July 30, 2018
What Is Passive Voice And How You Can Stop Using It – by Derek Haines…
If there’s something vague and it don’t sound good — who you gonna call? PASSIVE VOICE BUSTERS! The original post contains examples and explanations on why passive voice sucks the life out of good prose. Most importantly, how to fix it!
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog
on Just Publishing Advice:
Whenever I edit or proofread a text or manuscript, one of the most common corrections I make is to turn passive and causati...
FINAL COUNTDOWN: Yecheilyah’s 2nd Annual Poetry Contest Ends Soon! Enter TODAY
Tomorrow is the last day to enter Yecheilyah’s 2nd Annual Poetry contest! Here’s a direct link to the guidelines and fabulous prizes: https://thepbsblog.com/2018/05/09/yecheilyahs-2nd-annual-poetry-contest-2018-rules-guidelines-entrance-and-prizes/
