Through a glass, darkly

10 years of writing - A retrospective

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:36:00 +0000

It's an odd feeling, that first time you measure a major thing in life by a decade. While I've had an insatiable love for books since first I can remember (what 8-year-old reads "The Lifecycle of Lobsters" for fun?), and my first attempt at a novel at age 10 resulted in 3 pages of double-spaced,...

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A Christmas Special - Spooky holiday flash fiction

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0000

A little bit back, I got invited to what looks to be a fun new Christmas tradition for those who have a love for flash fiction--the I Saw Lightning Fall Shared Storytelling. For the past couple years, Loren Eaton, who runs the I Saw Lightning Fall blog, has invited a number of authors to write...

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A love letter to urban fantasy

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:08:00 +0000

Hey! Dear god, Urban Fantasy, back off! This is a love *letter* which means you won't be receiving this for at least a month or so, depending on your area's postal service. So stop humping my leg. Okay. Phew. Onward. UF, why is it that you continue to fascinate me? Is it your hardened heroes...

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Space to breathe, think, and do finger push-ups

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:13:00 +0000

Some exciting new developments have been going on behind the scenes here, recently--one of the reasons this blog has been dormant for a bit, alongside Write-Strong.com. For several years now, I've been slowly building up my freelance work in the hopes of eventually cutting loose from the day job...

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Editorial work and other happenings of life

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:49:00 +0000

As you've likely noticed, this blog occasionally goes dormant for a week or two at a time. Fortunately, there's good reason behind that, such as life suddenly deciding the hamster wheel isn't spinning fast enough, or a boatload of freelance work topping the to-do lists. I remain generally active on...

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"Outside the Lines" - My Clarity of Night flash fiction entry

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:45:00 +0000

Just got word that my entry is up for the contest! "Outside the Lines" is #15 (or you could just check for my name). Many great entries to read so far, and there's only about 70 more spots available...though I'm sure that number is even less because Jason often seems to have about 15-20 to...

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The Clarity of Night flash fiction contest has begun!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:48:00 +0000

The Clarity of Night blog, run by Jason Evans, is now live with its 14th flash fiction contest. Here's the picture that writers are to draw inspiration from, titled "Elemental." Here are the basic rules. 1. Write a story with a max 250 wordcount. 2. Submit it by 10PM, Wed., July...

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Upcoming Clarity of Night flash fiction contest

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:42:00 +0000

Anyone out there enjoy writing flash fiction? Ever wanted to experiment with short-short stories? Here's a great opportunity! The Clarity of Night blog, run by Jason Evans, is hosting the 14th flash fiction contest. Each contest has writers submitting flash fiction pieces inspired by specific...

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BookSwim - A Netflix for books?

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 19:31:00 +0000

Not sure how long BookSwim has been around, but I just discovered it. Basically you pay a monthly fee to have a certain amount of books delivered to your door. You then read them and return them in exchange for new books, etc. Subscriptions run anywhere from $9.95 a month (plus shipping) for...

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Don't mess with my dedicated e-reader device

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:54:00 +0000

I don't want my Kindle connected to the internet (except when getting ebooks wireless delivered). In fact, I don't really want an e-reader that does anything but store and display ebooks in a handy fashion. I don't want email on my Kindle. I don't want a browser or chat or music (Okay, maybe music,...

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Digging up past manuscripts - A writing exercise

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:44:00 +0000

So I've been pondering a little experiment, and want to toss it out there to see if anyone would be interested if I actually went forward with it. Over the years, as I've pursued this whole writing career thingamabob, I've written a lot of words. I've got a good handful of novels trunked--ones...

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When I review a book I didn't enjoy

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:31:00 +0000

If you've dropped by this blog from time-to-time or follow me on Twitter, you've seen the occasional review posted on my Speculative Fiction Examiner. I get a general influx of review copies from publishers such as Tor, Pyr, Night Shade Books, and a few others, both in the mail and for my Kindle....

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Flash fiction - Big things come in...you know the cliche

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 31 May 2011 19:52:00 +0000

I find it a bit ironic that the two story lengths I enjoy most are flash fiction pieces and novels. Especially fantasy novels...you know, the genre where you could club a stubborn mule into submission with some of the doorstoppers authors produce. Novels are what I work on mostly, and certainly...

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What's your passion?

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 23 May 2011 18:02:00 +0000

A couple weeks back, I went back to my old high school (10 years since graduation? Really? When did that happen?) and gave a talk to several middle school classes about why I chose to pursue writing. I wasn't there to try and convince them that writing is the highest pursuit of art possible. I...

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The joys and horror of revisions

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 02 May 2011 19:10:00 +0000

So this is an interesting situation. A bit back, my agent passed on some feedback from a particular editor who reviewed, but initially passed on the novel we're shopping around. The editor liked the premise, but felt it needed to bulk up in a couple areas before she could take it on--though,...

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My struggle with validation as a writer

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:19:00 +0000

There's been some discussion stirred up lately that started with comparing self-publishing to traditional publishing and has ended up touching on the issue of validation. Agent Rachelle Gardner asked blog readers, "Why are you pursuing traditional publishing?" More than 200 writers responded, and...

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Finishing a story I've written before

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:10:00 +0000

I've got a first draft sitting on my computer. All chapter breaks in place, mostly formatted properly. Waiting for feedback so I can commence revision surgery (the blood! the horror!). 90,000 words. Thirty-three chapters (this will probably increase after revisions). Urban...

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New article up (by me!) on the Guide to Literary Agents blog

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:22:00 +0000

In some fun news, I've got a second article up on the Guide to Literary Agents blog. This one covers How to Make a Positive Impression at a Writers Conference. My first one covered my road to becoming represented by my agent. Thanks to Chuck Sambuchino for having me back! Also, if...

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What's on my reading list

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:51:00 +0000

It seems the to-read pile is a self-spawning beast that constantly produces new novels and short story collections for me to wade through. Not that I'm complaining! I'm sure you've all seen the shirt that quotes: "Too many books. Too little time." Sad, but true. So, what's in the lineup these...

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Patience - The virtue I despise the most

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:12:00 +0000

Are you with me? Anybody? Comment already, dangit! Er...okay, obviously I'm not so good with this patience thing. Which shows how well I rolled on my sanity check when I chose to be a writer. Writing and publishing in themselves do not lend themselves to the impatient soul. Some people think...

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Aspiring author interviews and further bloggery love

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:05:00 +0000

Fellow blogger Brad Jaeger has been running a series of interviews with aspiring authors in all phases of their efforts. He just posted one with me, and he's got about half a dozen others already up. Check them out here, and then be sure to browse his posts for more on reading, writing, and Brad's...

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New fantasy book reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:43:00 +0000

Two highly recommended books have recently crossed my desk (or Kindle, to be specific). I've got a review of each up on the Speculative Fiction Examiner page, but I'll boil it down here real quick. Want a supernaturally inclined London constable who apparently hasn't heard the phrase "curiosity...

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Stories you don't remember still affect you

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:31:00 +0000

I occasionally check in with the blogroll over at SFNovelists.com. Great content, plenty of mental chow to nourish both writers and readers. A post was put up last month that captured me powerfully, and I want to share it with you: “The Plot Escapes Me” In this, author Alma Alexander...

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Books recently added to my Kindle

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:45:00 +0000

The Heroes, by Joe Abercrombie Midnight Riot, by Ben Aaronovitch Harbinger of the Storm, by Aliette de Bodard Happy Hour of the Damned, by Mark Henry And A Wise Man's Fear lined up for next month. This is gonna be fun. What's in your to-read pile? Subscribe in a reader

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Writing, posts, and other miscellany

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:41:00 +0000

A few links to point to today, and a quick writing update. Brian Jacques, author of the Redwall series, passed away last weekend. Sad news, A new Write Strong post, on forming a writing habit and keeping it a regular part of your life. I'll also be adding a couple tools to the site this week,...

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