Darius Jones's Blog: A Writer Begins, page 26

Editta Sherman and the Lost Bohemia

[SPOILER ALERT: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE DOCUMENTARY “LOST BOHEMIA.”]

Well, I was going to write about something quite different today, but circumstances have changed. I was reading the NY Times obituary page this week (they have the best obits in the world, I think) and learned that Editta Sherman had passed away. And well, it made me sad to hear it and I had to write about it.

I had seen Editta in a documentary film a little over two years ago called “Lost Bohemia.” Now, I’m not...

Introducing the UnRejectionable Ghoul

Thought I’d mix things up this week. Crack open the door just a little wider.

So, in the interest of getting you closer to what it’s like to be an aspiring fiction writer, I wanted to give you a feel of what it’s like to submit a story, to keep flogging it until it gets accepted somewhere. That’s why I’m introducing “The UnRejectionable Ghoul.” (I know ‘unrejectionable’ is not a word, but it works, dammit.).

To update, I’ve just submitted and got the first rejection for my new story, “The Ghul...

My Horror Story, “The Hatchlings” Is Now On Amazon Kindle

Hi, everyone. In all the excitement of my vacation to Peru, I failed to notice an important development. My short story, “The Hatchlings” is now available on the Amazon store in Fiction Vortex’s August 2013 issue.

That’s right, for $2.99 you get not only “The Hatchlings,” but eight other great speculative fiction stories from new writers. If that’s not enough, you can really feel good about supporting an up-and-coming fiction e-zine. Let me tell you, as a new writer I think the editors of pub...

Talk with a Young Writer

A few weeks ago, I got a request from a work colleague to talk to his son who is thinking about becoming a writer.

Not a fiction writer, mind you, but just a writer. You see, I’m a professional writer (of a technical nature) already. I make my writing off my pen, just like Stephen King or Neil Gaiman, but in a much, much less glamorous way. I show up to work five days a week, bang out some material, my editor reviews it and if it’s good enough it gets published and I get to draw another paych...

A Writer Reads: My October Reading List

Ah, October.

The weather changes, the leaves begin to turn and I peruse the shelves of my library for horror books.

I started doing this last year, but this year I’m getting a bit deeper into it and making it a tradition. In preparation, I’ve landed on a series of classic tales that I’ve been meaning to read, but never quite gotten to. No more. It’s time to dust off these old tomes, grab a cup of tea and start reading.

This October, I’m reading these classics:

“ The Legend of Sleepy Hollow ” by Was...

My Historical Novella is Free All Weekend

My Biblical historical novella, “The Man Who Ran from God” is free all weekend long (Oct. 19 and 20) in the Kindle store. It’s a reimagining of the tale of Jonah based on Biblical and other sources.

And if you read it, please leave a review on Amazon. Good or bad, I want to know what you think.

Also, don’t forget you don’t need a Kindle to download, just the Kindle app.

Thanks!

…And I’m Back/Hotel Illness

Just made it back from Peru and want to let you all know I’m still alive. And still writing.

The trip to Peru was great, but challenging. I was able to see a good portion of the country, but managed to get a parasite whilst traveling on Lake Titicaca. On the upside, I made it to Arequipa, went hiking in Colca Canyon, sea kayaked on Titicaca, and hiked Machu Picchu. It was epic despite my inadvertent tour of the (bus, hotel, rest stop and airport) restrooms. If you haven’t done Peru, I highly r...

A Little Trip and Blog Break

We’ll it’s been a very busy year, and I haven’t taken a vacation yet. So, for the next three weeks I’ll be travelling way down south.

That means no writing, no blogging and no Tweeting.

But I’ll be back and ready to go in mid-October. So, look for more posts then. I will have new works in progress to announce and a little snippet on a meeting I had with a new writer. And lots, lots more on the craft of writing fiction.

I hope you’ll join me, I think we both still have a lot to learn.

Darius

The Craft: Rules for Writing, Rule #5: Stick To What Works

[This is part of a continuing series on the art of writing fiction.]

Alright. We’ve got down the four basic writing rules you need to get started, rules that enable you to write every day. But there’s one last rule to keep in mind that ties everything together:

Stick to What Works.

Like “Get Black on White” this one seems pretty obvious, but applying it is a bit of a trick. One of the great things about the rule is that it’s so flexible and constantly open to experiment. Whenever I have a great...

‘The Hatchlings’ Gets 3rd Place in Fiction Vortex’s Reader’s Poll

Hey everybody, some good news.

My short story, “The Hatchlings” tied for 3rd place in Fiction Vortex’s Reader’s Poll for August.

I want to send a big thanks to all of you for voting. Getting published for the first time and placing in the Reader’s Choice poll is more than I could have ever hoped for. It’s a great start. And I owe it all to you guys, the readers.

As a small token of my appreciation, I’m posting the clip below. It’s a movie that I saw as a child during a sick day away from scho...