I came across a site I quite like, and the fellow over there is having a flash fiction writing challenge--a fairy tale upgrade in less than 1,000 words. The site is terribleminds. The fairy tale upgrade is this. The Mermaid There are other fish in the sea and June Mintz is a fish that keeps …
The Light around the Corner
Sending your work out into the world is an adventure--no matter the path. E-publishing is a widening path these days, but that doesn't make it easy. Friend and colleague, Niamh Clune, launched her book a few weeks back, and due to technical difficulties, has had to launch the book again. Many lessons learned, including--Amazon isn't …
The Perplexity of Others
A fellow human being does something you don't understand, how do you react? It depends, probably. Maybe you get confused, angry, or sad. Maybe you tell yourself to keep an open mind, but maybe you're clear on right and wrong. I try to open my mind to another possibility. Sometimes I manage it. Sometimes not. …
Measuring Your World
Do you know when you've gotten better at writing? I don't. Sure, if you're published you could look at sale numbers, but that's not he same thing as getting better. That's getting more popular. Anyway, three days a week I go to quad speed skate practice. I used to be one the slowest. Well, the …
Brimming Over
Sometimes the mind just brims over with ideas. Do you ever have trouble deciding what to focus on or what to pursue? I'm going to pursue as many as I can. One is the idea of a princess detective. I want to try to write a princess that isn't what most people think. I'm writing …
The Feminine in the Sky
A smart and talented woman I know wrote this book: The Coming of the Feminine Christ. (Which due to some technical difficulties, I've had to unlink to.) This is not a review; I haven't read the book yet. And this is not about your religion; I don't need to know (and let's not ruin a …
Fandom
Are you a true fan of anything? Ever written fanfic? Worn a costume of a favorite character? Waited in line for hours to meet a singer, writer, actor you love? Or have you ever wanted to but didn't because you were afraid of the looks you'd get? In time for our housewarming party, I turned …
The Scariest Part
So it begins. I'll edit my novel. My novel will go out into the world. I've worked many years for this. Today I told my dad that my book will be published. I never talk to him about my writing. Once, years ago, I told him I'd written a book. His only reaction was to …
Navigating New Seas
In case you have somehow escaped me telling you, I have found a publisher. This press is small and new and in the UK. Since it was a UK literary journal that published my first short story and the BBC is my favorite channel, a British publisher makes sense really. Don't you think? The name …
The Butterfly Effect and Dreams
At 17 I put away my dream to be an artist. Art turned from dream to hobby. Sometimes people mistook me for an artist--usually because I wore a scarf or long earrings or too many bracelets. I don't know. What do people mean when they say, "You look like an artist." I figured they meant, …
Marta Bacon 