Michael Darling's Blog, page 3

A Picture Worth At Least 22 Words

I’m heading to the League of Utah Writer’s conference tomorrow and I couldn’t be more excited! Writing is primarily a solitary act and conferences give us a chance to meet and share information about the very personal, complex, and challenging business of authorship. We share stuff with each other all the time online and in emails but it’s always better spending time together, face-to-face.

A few days ago, I finished a project and sent it to my content editor, Callie Stoker, atthe Manuscript...

Writers of the Future, Volume 31

I received an ARC of Writers of the Future, Volume 31. Did I love it? So much so that I bought a copy after I read it. This collection of amazing stories and fantastic artwork deserves a buy and is worth far more than the asking price. The editors have done a great job selecting this year’s entries and assembling them into a well-paced rollercoaster ride of speculative fiction. These are writers I will look forward to reading again as more stories – and novels – get published. Hopefully soon....

The Nuts and Bolts of Short Sci-Fi Storytelling

You have interesting technology. You have pages of scientific research. You have an incredible plot. You have characters readers will fall in love with.

You have 4,000-6,000 words.

If this strikes fear into your heart, consider yourself normal.

Writing solid science fiction and keeping it short is always a challenge. Quick tips up front: know right from the first word that you won’t be able to include all the “good stuff” so get used to cutting. The sooner you can determine what is necessary...

Secrets & Doors

Cover Reveal and Pre-Order for a Great Cause

My short story, “Temp,” is one of eleven amazing new tales of fantasy and science fiction appearing in the Secrets & Doors anthology. The collectionis now available for pre-order and the beautifully intriguing cover has been revealed.

Open the door and unlock the secrets in eleven short stories from The Secret Door Society, an organization of fantasy and science fiction authors dedicated to charitable work

The anthology is being published for chari...

“The Hollow”

A few months ago, I started writing short stories again. I had some success in college but it was a real challenge to ramp up to a story that might be commercially viable in a larger market. I wrote a story called “Temp” for an anthology that will be published next month. Then I heard about a horroranthology accepting submissions as well, titled Old Scratch and Owl Hoots. In second grade, we read Poe and the “The Tell-Tale Heart” was especially interesting to a kid who was just discovering th...

Punkins

I participated in a great flash fiction event on Facebook in October. The challenge was to write a dark fantasy piece of 250 words or less. There’s a lot of Halloween and little Thanksgiving in it. Enjoy.

Punkins
By
Michael Darling

“It’s always so hard to cut one of these things open,” Mom said. She sawed back and forth, cutting a jagged hole all the way around. Then she grabbed the top and pulled. The lid came off with a soft, wet sound.

“Smells gross,” sister said, peering inside. “What is...

First Writer’s Conference

The League of Utah Writers held its annual Fall Conference this month. What a fantastic experience! With 44 lecture sessions over the course of two days, there were a lot of options and there was only time to attend eleven of them. Here is an overview of the sessions I attended.

Writing Fight Scenes
My first session gave instruction and practicein creatingrealistic hand-to-hand combat situations. After the class, I had a chance to ask a question about a fight scene in my book Got Luck and I w...