Darius Jones's Blog: A Writer Begins, page 2

Writing Update June 2024: Readings, Signings, and Doubling Down

A few things of note in the last month to share. Then, I’m going to take a bit of a summer “break” in which I’ll be writing, writing, writing.

My First Book Signing
I did my first combined reading/book signing at the Purcellville Public Library in Virginia on June 8.

This was the first time I had a table where I signed and sold my books (even if these were poetry collections I appeared in and not books I wrote solo). I also moderated a panel with six fellow writers which I thought featu...

Writing Update May 2024: Two Readings, a Signing, and a Sale

Right!

Well, 2024 is off with a bang. There’s lots to update you on (including a nice “first”), so let’s get right to it.

StokerCon Reading in San Diego
Well, it turns out that (yet again this year), I’ll be doing a reading at StokerCon (the Horror Writer Association’s annual convention). If you’re at the convention in San Diego on Saturday, June 1 at 2:00 p.m. please drop by and listen to me do a selection from one of my upcoming, yet-to-be-published works. (I haven’t decided on whether...

Writing Update – March 2024

Does anyone else out there feel like 2024 is zipping by?

I sure do. And we’ve just got started.  

Instead of doing a deep-dive on craft or something like that, this time I am going to give you a quick overview of all my writer experiences and going-ons this year so far.

Writer’s Workshop in West Viriginia
My best writer experience so far this year has been a Writer’s Workshop. I took the long car ride to West Virginia for a workshop organized by Michael Knost, a Horror fiction editor....

Where My Writing Is Headed in 2024 — A Time for Courage

“2024” …it has a certain ominous ring to it, doesn’t it?

Well, before you get too down, just a wee reminder: Humanity has been here a loooong time, and we’ve always found a way to survive. No doubt we’ll be here in 2025. Still fighting, still digging in, but still here.

Anyway….

What does this have to do with my fiction writing? Everything and nothing. It’s going pretty well, but there are a few things I want to tweak and mix up this year. But staying on the theme of last year’s “Be...

A Look Back at My Year in Writing – 2023

Another year almost gone…This time, it’s 2023.

Well, this year was mixed for my writing life. On the one hand, I’m a bit frustrated. On the other, I’m quite pleased. 

Let me explain.

I ramped up my literary submissions this year…Which was both good and bad. The good part was just getting experience with different markets and continuing to get my stories/poems out there. The bad part was, well, more rejection. A lot, lot more REJECTION. In fact, I only had two acceptances this year (m...

Staying True to Yourself as a Writer + Fall Writing Update

My biggest lesson this fall?

Stay true to yourself.

Stay true to yourself as a writer. As a creator. As a person.

It all reached a tipping point with my participation in the Horror Writer’s Association’s Mentor Program—a great opportunity. Through some self-reflection, and a few subtle nudges, from said Mentor (whose name I will share once the semester is over), I came to some conclusions.

These are a bit “technical” and relate to writing fiction, but at the same time, I realized,...

My First Podcast Interview Is Now LIVE

Hey, everyone!

A little good news here: My first interview (ever) is now available on the podcast Sonitotum Episode 093.

And I think the host, Matthew Wayne Selznick, did a great job bringing out my creative personality. Our talk covers: creativity, inspiration, poetry, binocular astronomy, Zazen meditation, rejection, the Stoics, Trap music, the Great Dismal Swamp, and much, much more.

And please consider checking out more of his Podcasts. They’re about creativity, writing, ment...

New Poem “Symmetry” Out Now

Hi, Everybody! A short writing update from me during this hot, sticky July in Virginia. Just a few things to share…

New Poem Debuts
My new poem “Symmetry” just debuted in Star*Line Magazine in their Summer 2023 Issue (Volume 46, Issue 3).  It’s a short poem about all the antimatter that’s supposed to be here, but isn’t.  I always wondered what happened and if those realms of antimatter aren’t all around us, hiding in plain sight. With their own similar but different histories, empires, and...

A Look Back at StokerCon 2023

There is nothing like starting to find your tribe.

And last weekend was a big step towards that goal.  

You see, I’ve been writing a lot. And I’ve had trouble finding where it all might fit in (marketing wise) to the world of publishing. My stuff is sort of a mashup of the three main speculative fiction genres: Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy. I’ve been edging more and more towards Horror for some time. And I feel modern Horror has been slowly edging toward me and what I write.

...

Come See My First (EVER) Public Reading at StokerCon

Great news!

I am excited to announce that I will be giving my first EVER public reading of my works at StokerCon 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in early June.

Come by the Convention on Saturday, June 17, at 3 p.m. if you’d like to hear me read some old poems and some new stuff I’m working on.

I will be on a panel with former Stoker finalists (nominees) and winners. I am truly honored to be in such company for our reading! My fellow readers/panelists will be: Elizabeth Massie (2x...