S. Craig Renfroe Jr.'s Blog, page 8

Stuff I've Been Enjoying

It's a SNOW DAY, not the movie. And honestly, not a real snow day because it's a Saturday. What a waste. And I can tell you that textbook reps are working. I just got another email about them wanting to help me with my book needs for summer and fall. There's snow, people, even if it's not cool like this one time. I'm not thinking about summer. Or textbooks. Here's some things I have been thinking and reading about:
James Patterson Inc.: "I'm less interested in sentences now and more...

Other People's Writerly Advice Tip #5

This helpful suggestion series returns after a short hiatus of...what is it...year and a half? Anyway, last time you'll remember that the tip was on why you should get an MFA. Well, you've had time by now to get that MFA and write your first or possibly fourth novel and now you're in the heat of revision. So here's Martin Amis's tip on style that every reviser needs. I ran across it in a footnote as I read his memoir Experience:
John Gross was one of my two significant early editors, along...

The Girl in the Woods

Remember that zombie book I blogged about? Well, I finished the author's second book: my friend David Jack Bell's creepy, possibly supernatural thriller (is that a bad word?) The Girl in the Woods. Great, keep me up too late at night so I'm tired teaching the next day, stuff. Not convinced? Here's the book trailer:



Also, I just found out that Dave and I will (tentatively) have stories in the same issue of Cemetery Dance out this summer.

Me on 365 Tomorrows

It's the new year! Happy New Year, blog! And some, that is none, of you will remember last year when I vowed to blog more. That turned out swimmingly, so this year I am vowing to blog less just to take the pressure off last year.

This post is not only the first of the new year, but one in which I brag about my writing going up somewhere in the vastness of the Internet. Today, my flash fiction piece "Relative Weather" is featured at the amazing 365 Tomorrows. See that's fitting what with us...

I Read Twilight and I Loved It!

That's right I love Twilight. Not the Mormon fairy tale of repressed sexuality, which I'm sure is great. True this Twilight does have sex with dead people, but not in the way the tweens would really get into. William Gay's Twilight is a Southern gothic, heavy on the gothic, where a prissy and perverse mortician is blackmailed by a brother and sister and in turn sics Sutter on them, Sutter being the kind deranged monster that perhaps only the South can produce. Anyway, good holiday reading.

Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon: DAY 4

So it's Day Four, the final day, of the Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon. I have 18 hours...will I make it to 24 hours? See I could write action suspense. That question probably has you on the edge of your seat alone. Anyway, it will be harder today with family obligations and whatnot.

And this is my last plea to you to sponsor me: You can still donate. And it supports a good cause.

Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon: DAY 3

So it's Day Three of the Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon. I've made it to 12 hours--halfway to my goal of 24 hours during the write-a-thon. Yesterday was easier, most of my time completed in a Starbucks. I know some people cringe at writing in coffee shops what with it being cliche and all. Plus the fear that such a corporate environment could seep into their writing. I just don't see it. I mean, the table over from me had a T-Rex balloon animal in the center and two guys explaining to this te...

Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon: Day 2

So it's Day Two of the Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon. I achieved my goal of writing for six hours yesterday though under duress. As Heather shopped at the Northlake Mall, I wrote in the Borders where I heard great snatches of conversation like:

Girlfriend(?): I'm not buying you another book. I got you one last year, and you didn't even read three pages of it.
Guy: But this one's about war!

Anyway, I should get started. Goal: 6 more hours today.

You can still donate. And it supports a good cause.

Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon: DAY 1

It's Day One of the Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon. I have my prompt and I have my laptop and I have my goal of writing 24 hours over the next four days, so I'm hoping to get 6 hours today. Problem: the wife is off today and needs me to run errands with her. So this may be piecemeal. So I should probably stop writing this and get to work.

You can still donate. And it supports a good cause.

There's Still Time

To sponsor me in Dzanc Books Write-A-Thon. Every dollar counts. You'll be essentially making me write for twenty-four hours straight.* You could win fabulous prizes.** Just think of the crazy things I'll write that you can read for your low, low donation of anything you want to donate.*** Sponsor me today!****

*Straight here only means chronologically and may be stretched out over four days with breaks in between for eating, bathroom stops, sleep, drinking, video gaming, gardening...