Darius Jones's Blog: A Writer Begins, page 4

The Craft: How One Writer Thinks about Literary Rejection

Rejection. Nobody likes it. Whether it’s for a job, on a date, or of a more…literary nature. Nobody likes it. But like death and taxes—it’s one of life’s unfortunate guarantees. Stick around long enough and you’re sure to experience it, whoever you are.

Today, I want to talk about literary rejection since I’m a writer. How do I react to it? And how do I move on and keep submitting?

First off: I generally haven’t reacted well. But now, I am trying to change and am having some success. Perh...

Ten Years of This Blog – Inside the Writer’s Mind

Whew! 10 years. Wow.

It’s hard to wrap my mind around it.

Today celebrates 10 years of this blog, “Inside the Writer’s Mind.” And it’s time to celebrate!

It all began back in 2012. Remember that time? I don’t, not really. (With the pandemic and political turbulence it seems like a century ago!) But apparently, early that year I was just starting to write again(!) and wondering if it would really stick this time. Mostly I was wondering if I would stick to it, if I would sell ANYTHING, he...

The Two Things That Make a Writer, a Writer

What makes a writer, a writer?

Well, that’s a tough question to answer. But I think it only requires two things. Those two things are: vision and finishing. That is, staying true to your artistic vision and finishing your work. I think if you do these two things and NOTHING ELSE, you are a writer.

That is, you don’t need an agent. Or a book contract. You don’t need to have sold a single story. You don’t need the affirmation of friends or readers. You just need to have a vision, stick t...

Writing Update – May 2022

After all the excitement over the last couple of months (my poem and Podcast story debuts), I’m feeling a bit worn thin. Also, I have a vacation coming up (first Int’l trip since the pandemic!), so lots of things other than writing on my mind.

So, this month I decided I would give you all just a quick update on where my writing stands. I’ll take the updates as they come one by one.

I’m Now a Member of the HWA and the SFWA!
Great news! After years of sending out stories, getting most of t...

“The Hatchlings” Gets the Horror Podcast Treatment

Guys, I’m really, really excited! My Space Horror story, “The Hatchlings” has now received the Horror podcast treatment thanks to The No Sleep Podcast. That’s right! It’s live now on Season 17, Episode 18 of the Podcast. It’s the last story in the episode, so enjoy those tales from the other talented writers first!

NOTE: To access the full episode (the version with my story), you can either sign up for The No Sleep Podcast Season Pass (and get access to all of Season 17!) or pay $2 to get ac...

The Craft: ‘Toes in the Sand’ or Some Great Writing Advice from David Bowie

You know, there are a lot worse places you could go for some writing advice than the late, great David Bowie. As someone who’s always looking to improve their writing, I’m often searching the Internet, Podcasts, Twitter for advice to creatives, to musicians, to writers to see if there is anything I can learn and then apply to my own craft. Sometimes, it’s just a quote, a line. Sometimes, it’s a whole hour-long Podcast or some long-form article. Some of the advice sticks and some doesn’t.

B...

New Poems Out at Strange Horizons

Great news, Everyone!

My collection of short poems, “The King Becomes a Star” is out now over at Strange Horizons. I am very, very pleased to share these 24 short poems with all of you!

It all came from the idea of “What if…?” In this case, “What if…Pharaoh Unas had access to super-advanced technology so that his daily mythological death and resurrection became a sort of Manhattan Project?” That is, that’s what the idea became AFTER stargazing in my backyard (using nothing more than my...

Imagining a Better World

What kind of game do you think you’re in?

Some people think we’re living in a video game and certainly some game theorists (and a few evolutionary biologists) view all life as one big game.

If that’s true, what type of game is it?

Are we in the well-known zero-sum game? Where one side wins and gets everything and the loser gets nothing? Or is it another type of game?  

Maybe it’s a game where we can all win (or all lose) to a certain extent? A blended game. A game of cooperation....

Where My Writing Is Headed in 2022

Another year past, another opportunity is NOW HERE to crank up the writing.

And that’s exactly what I intend to do this year!

I don’t want to beat around the bush here. So, let’s dive right into a few simple, straightforward writing goals I have this year.

Edit
I have plenty (plenty!) of finished first draft pieces now. (Maybe too many?). So, now it’s time to turn to editing, editing, editing.

To be honest, this is a phase I struggle with. I love the pre-writing, ideation, ske...

A Look Back at my Year in Writing – 2021

Well, well, well. Another year has passed.

How to sum it up? Where to begin? Another tough year for all of us, for the planet, for the country. Again this year, we have lost way too many people. To COVID, to opiates, to just plain ignorance and disinformation. It is upsetting to me, to put it mildly.

But we’re surviving. I count myself very blessed to be healthy, to have a steady job and, most importantly, that all of my close friends and family members have remained healthy. (Some hav...