"You're a good writer, Mom," my 7-year-old son said from the backseat. He has, of course, never read anything written (other than a greeting card or note to the teacher). "Really?" I asked. "How do you know that?" "Because of all those novels," he said. Oh those.
How many angels can dance on the edge of a query letter?
Good writing. Who knows the magic to that? But this I know. You can't get published keeping your writing at home. An agent isn't going to shoot out of the sky and land burning bright with enthusiasm for all things me. Submissions must be sent out. And sent out again. And again. Query letters must …
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Can’t Write on Empty
One day, we ran out of the coffee pods for our coffee maker. We had our French press, but the coffee grinder broke too. I heard clattering in the kitchen. Looking in, I saw my son, six-years-old, standing on a wine box, a mortar and pestle in his hands, grinding the coffee beans himself. "I'm …
Practice makes perfect except when it doesn’t.
My mother often said I had a hard time seeing the world the way it was instead of the way I wanted it to be. But I might not be a writer if I didn't. So, I've been writing a story a day for the month of May. This exercise isn't going to get me …
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Head in the Clouds
I've read that aspiring writers should go to writers' conferences. Austin has this agent conference coming up. Now, if I could get an agent and sell a novel, the advance might be, oh, let's be wild optimists, $5,000. Something like 15% goes to the agent. How much is that conference? $439. Plus $50 if you …
Adventures of a Wayward Desk
Ideally my desk could travel the world and send snaps of itself with beautiful views. Say, where is the writer action figure with desk accessory anyway? In the meantime, in the real world--if that's where I am--I've got a stack of stories and novels with nothing to do but be eviscerated. This month of May, …
The temper tantrum will begin in 4, 3, 2…
I've been writing a short story every day for the month of May. Really. The quality is questionable, perhaps the endeavor is questionable, but that's okay. I've had this collection of stories in mind for a long time and this challenges gets them out there. Except that I've never been sure of myself in short …
Do you write for or in spite of your mother?
"Don't you have a women's day?" my students ask. "Just Mother's Day," I say. I know full well other countries have International Women's Day. It was a huge holiday in Bulgaria. All women and girls got flowers and cheers. Sexism and violence against women are rampant there, but flowers are still pretty. I think it …
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What can you learn in a week?
For a week I've been writing a story a day. The plan is to go all month. It's harder than NaNoWriMo. Do these challenges serve any purpose? I like the challenge though. I see my habits, images, ticks, and typos. Bloody typos. And I like the concrete goal. One day=one story. So much better than, …
The king is in the counting house…
To feel better or crazy or to procrastinate, I counted up how many words of fiction I've written since 2004. I didn't count false starts. I didn't count cut scenes. I didn't count blog posts. I didn't count the first three stories I've written for A-Story-a-Day. Total counted: 550,769 words. The final number disappointed me, …
Marta Bacon 