Aaron Polson's Blog, page 49
July 22, 2010
Why I Won't Quit Doing Whatever it is I'm Doing
Yeah...yesterday was just a reality check.
While in Chicago, we stayed with Owen's god-mother. Her husband happens to be a sound engineer, educator at Tribeca Flashpoint in Chicago, and a huge Rush fan. He introduced me to Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (a documentary).
Yes, the band Rush. Even though we've had our share of splits, I've had a long-term relationship with Rush. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're a great band, amazing muscians, and some of the most thoughtful lyrics in hard...
While in Chicago, we stayed with Owen's god-mother. Her husband happens to be a sound engineer, educator at Tribeca Flashpoint in Chicago, and a huge Rush fan. He introduced me to Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (a documentary).
Yes, the band Rush. Even though we've had our share of splits, I've had a long-term relationship with Rush. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're a great band, amazing muscians, and some of the most thoughtful lyrics in hard...
July 21, 2010
WIP Wednesday: Why I'm Quitting
A work of fiction. (sort of)*
I've learned a few things this summer, and now I'm going to share the reasons why I'm going to quit writing. Feel free to find the nearest link out of here.
1. Rejection will always be part of the game. But rejection sucks. Even those wonderful, "you were soooo close but..." rejections from well-paying/prestigious markets. I know those type of rejections are supposed to feel like "progress". Sorry, but failure doesn't seem like progress. Never has; never will...
I've learned a few things this summer, and now I'm going to share the reasons why I'm going to quit writing. Feel free to find the nearest link out of here.
1. Rejection will always be part of the game. But rejection sucks. Even those wonderful, "you were soooo close but..." rejections from well-paying/prestigious markets. I know those type of rejections are supposed to feel like "progress". Sorry, but failure doesn't seem like progress. Never has; never will...
July 20, 2010
Something Old, Something New
God...I've become that writer who only blogs when he has something to promote. It would be far too easy to blame it on our delayed flight last night and 2 AM bedtime, but I digress. I'll have a bit about our trip to post later, but in the meantime you can read some stories, if you're so inclined.
In the first issue of Basement Stories, you can read "Dancing Lessons", a reprint from last year's Triangulation: Dark Glass. This story only saw the light of day in print, so enjoy it while it's free...
In the first issue of Basement Stories, you can read "Dancing Lessons", a reprint from last year's Triangulation: Dark Glass. This story only saw the light of day in print, so enjoy it while it's free...
July 14, 2010
WIP Wednesday: Trying to be a Better Citizen
If you haven't noticed, I've been a piss-poor citizen of the online community this summer. Not only has my posting frequency fallen into the proverbial toilet, I haven't made "commenting rounds" enough. I feel disconnected. Disillusioned with writing, too, but that's another story.
I'll try to be a better citizen. Promise. Just like I promise to write more.
Right after we get back from Chicago. We're taking Owen and Max to Chi-town on Thursday, their first "big city" trip (I don't count St...
July 12, 2010
It's Virtually Here...
And you can sign up for a free sample when The House Eaters is available. Go on. Do it. (I just love the campy, 1970s Scooby-Doo vibe to the cover. Hell, bats are even flying out of the tower.)
July 9, 2010
"Tesoro's Magic Bullet"; Because These Things Make Me Sad
Nossa Morte, one of the best online markets for short horror/dark fiction, is no more.
I'm glad "Tesoro's Magic Bullet", which I reprint here, made it's digital pages before the end. The inspiration for my story was a little flash by Kim Church simply titled "Bullet". It originally appeared in Painted Bride Quarterly . You can also find it in Flash Fiction Forward . It's one of those brilliant little things that keeps me coming back over and over again.
RIP, Nossa Morte. You will be missed.
"...
I'm glad "Tesoro's Magic Bullet", which I reprint here, made it's digital pages before the end. The inspiration for my story was a little flash by Kim Church simply titled "Bullet". It originally appeared in Painted Bride Quarterly . You can also find it in Flash Fiction Forward . It's one of those brilliant little things that keeps me coming back over and over again.
RIP, Nossa Morte. You will be missed.
"...
July 7, 2010
WIP Wednesday: "The End" Never Felt So Good
Okay, so "The End" felt pretty good when I finished my books. "The End" felt pretty good when I knocked out a few stories I liked. But I've been on a three-week hiatus from finishing anything, and when I put the last period down on "Manning Up", it felt like a major victory. Yes, it's only a piece of flash fiction (850 words). But I wrote it, damnit. From start to finish. Whew.
Evan was Evan. Big E. The kid who took every dare and peeked around every corner without thought to what might be...
Evan was Evan. Big E. The kid who took every dare and peeked around every corner without thought to what might be...
July 5, 2010
All of My Fingers...All of My Toes
No major injuries this year during our Fourth of July festivities. (Long time readers will remember several burns sustained last year.) So whew. I'm thankful for that.
After a slew of rejections this weekend (and a few from short-listed stories), I've put the old editing nose to the grindstone, hoping to find my stride in this "summer of slack". Unfortunately, I sort of feel like this guy...
...when I'm trying to write. There are some ideas in my head, I'm sure. Now to tease them out.
Speak...
After a slew of rejections this weekend (and a few from short-listed stories), I've put the old editing nose to the grindstone, hoping to find my stride in this "summer of slack". Unfortunately, I sort of feel like this guy...
...when I'm trying to write. There are some ideas in my head, I'm sure. Now to tease them out.Speak...
July 2, 2010
Here's to Fireworks Safety
I feel like I've been out of the loop of late...kind of have. I'm up to my eyeballs in paint (Owen and Max's rooms), carpet (Max's room), and the previously mentioned potions/spy games. Not to mention soccer two nights a week, swimming lessons, drama camp...seriously, aren't I "off" in the summer?
Anyway, we're headed to our Fourth of July celebration today, and I thought I'd leave with a moment of zen from last year:
(Notice how there wasn't a WIP Wednesday? I'm still circling the airfield.)
Anyway, we're headed to our Fourth of July celebration today, and I thought I'd leave with a moment of zen from last year:
(Notice how there wasn't a WIP Wednesday? I'm still circling the airfield.)
June 28, 2010
On Magic Potions and Super Spies
Welcome to summer at my house.
Yesterday, Owen and Max made "potions" in our front yard, a variation on mud pies, I suppose. They filled a few old plastic bottles with their nefarious concoctions, and when I asked what was in the bottles, Owen replied, "magic potions."
"Oh," I said. "Potions. Sweet. What do they do?"
"Turn you into a gorilla," he said.
Me: whistle. "I guess I shouldn't drink it, then."
This morning, they constructed binoculars out of mini-planters (the biodegradable kind for s...
Yesterday, Owen and Max made "potions" in our front yard, a variation on mud pies, I suppose. They filled a few old plastic bottles with their nefarious concoctions, and when I asked what was in the bottles, Owen replied, "magic potions."
"Oh," I said. "Potions. Sweet. What do they do?"
"Turn you into a gorilla," he said.
Me: whistle. "I guess I shouldn't drink it, then."
This morning, they constructed binoculars out of mini-planters (the biodegradable kind for s...
