Darius Jones's Blog: A Writer Begins, page 6

My Story “Pacha-Mama” Out Now on Kindle

My story, “Pacha-Mama” is out now on the Amazon Kindle store. The story first appeared in Canada’s Scarlet Leaf Review in February 2020.

“Pacha-Mama” features great new cover art from Die Welle Design:

I’m also doing a giveaway to celebrate its release: It’s free today and the next few days (February 1-3) on the Kindle store. So, tell your friends and grab a copy for yourself!

IMPORTANT NOTE: You don’t need a Kindle device to read the story. All you need is the  Kindle App download...

Where My Writing Is Headed in 2021

Well…This is tough. Tougher than I thought it would be. It’s not been a normal year. But we get up, we pick up the pen and we find words to put to paper. It’s what writers do. Almost a reflex.

And now, it’s time for everything to change again.

Last time, I took a quick look back at my writing life in 2020. Today, I’m going to look ahead to this year. 2021.

A few months back, I stopped by one of my favorite blogs by the Scottish/Canadian horror/fantasy writer William Meikle. This...

A Look Back at My Year in Writing–2020

What a year. I’ve struggled with what to say about it. It’s been a tough year for many, but somehow I have been able to dodge the worst of it. I’ve stayed healthy and employed, but I know others have not been so lucky.

But I need to be honest and I have to say from a pure writing perspective, this has been a good year for me. Borderline great. I have had lots of writing accomplishments. It’s weird to celebrate at times like these, so I won’t overdo it. But I will say I’m proud of myself,...

My Story “Breakpoint” Out Now on Kindle

My story, Breakpoint is out now on the Amazon Kindle store. The story first appeared in Kyanite Press Volume I, Issue 2 in November 2018.  

“Breakpoint” features great new cover art from Die Welle Design:

I’m also doing a giveaway to celebrate its release: It’s free today and the next few of days (December 1-3) on the Kindle store. So, tell your friends and grab a copy for yourself!

IMPORTANT NOTE: You don’t need a Kindle device to read the story. All you need is the Kindle App down...

My Story “So, You Found Me” Now on Kindle

So, there I was sitting in the Houston airport, waiting for my plane. (It was several years ago, before the COVID times). There were a few real Texan dudes sitting nearby with boxes for their cowboy hats. In between, getting up and buying some teriyaki chicken for lunch, I had this nagging feeling.

It was a feeling I had been living with for some time. I so badly wanted to write a flash fiction piece (less than 1,000 words). I followed Aeryn Rudel and other flash writers. They had done it. Wh...

The Craft: ‘Show, Not Tell’ and What It Might Mean

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

Time to get back to the meat of this blog: the craft of writing fiction. Here’s one you’ll hear every time. In writing workshops..from editors…from other writers: “Show, Don’t Tell.” You will hear it all the time, but what it means varies from person to person. They will only agree that it’s vital to your writing.

From “The First Degree,” 1923.

So, what might it really mean? Well, (credit where credit is due) during...

New Story “Barabanchik” Out Now on Kindle

My story, Barabanchik, is out now on the Amazon Kindle store. The story first appeared in Issue 4 of Sobotka Literary Magazine in July 2016.

“Barabanchik” also features great new cover art from Die Welle Design:

Isn’t that just grand? Just grand!?

I’m also doing a giveaway to celebrate its release: It’s free today and the next few of days (September 15-17) on the Kindle store.

The inspiration for this story came to me when I was living in Moscow near Profsoyuznaya Metro Station....

How Writers of Old Lived through Past Pandemics

“I can make it through.
You can make it too.” — Bob Dylan

Pro tip: If you want to feel better about the coronavirus pandemic, don’t talk to an evolutionary biologist…in the basement of a parking structure…on a rainy day. Like I did.

It was a revealing talk, though somewhat depressing. The basic summary: We may be living with the effects of this virus for the next ten years in some aspects (restrictions on airplane flight, no work conferences, no rock concerts, less sporting events, no ...

How Writers Of Old Lived through Past Pandemics

“I can make it through.
You can make it too.” — Bob Dylan

Pro tip: If you want to feel better about the coronavirus pandemic, don’t talk to an evolutionary biologist…in the basement of a parking structure…on a rainy day. Like I did.

It was a revealing talk, though somewhat depressing. The basic summary: We may be living with the effects of this virus for the next ten years in some aspects (restrictions on airplane flight, no work conferences, no rock concerts, less sporting events, no ...

My Story “The Ghul of Yazd” Now on Kindle

My Historical-Horror novella, The Ghul of Yazd is out now on the Amazon Kindle store. The story was first published in Issue 0 of Strangelet Journal in September 2014. It happens to be a companion piece to The Number Thief and features the same protagonist, Yusuf ibn Yaqzan – but more on that later.

The “Ghul” also features some great new cover art from Die Welle Design:

I’m also doing a giveaway to celebrate its release! It’s free today and the next few of days (August 14-17) on the K...