Memorial Weekend Done Right

Hey there.


It's the end of a glorious Memorial Day weekend, when people all over the United States partake in all of the activities that so many servicemen and women gave their lives to defend - camping, grilling, sharing stories with friends, and a host of other mundane things.  I celebrated in the usual manner by attending Balticon 46 (a science fiction and fantasy convention just north of Baltimore.)


The best way I've found to enjoy the smorgasbord of writers, artists, bloggers, readers, fanboys, publishers, editors, scientists, movie-makers, LARPers, Cosplayers, and boardgamers, is to focus my efforts on a single goal (like networking with other writers) and position myself to be at the right places at the right times. This year was no different.  I decided to check out some of the movie-making stuff (the night of short videos was fun the year before), but ended up getting completely sidetracked by a couple of new friends I met on the first day.


After commenting on his Google Plus post about Balticon, I ran into Andrew Eckhart and found out we shared some of the same thoughts about how fiction writing and movies/games are starting to overlap. I had the distinct pleasure of introducing him to Fiasco - a story game in the spirit of movies like "Fargo" and "A Simple Plan".  We played a scenario set near McMurdo Station in Antarctica that involved a search for a doll lost by a Senator's daughter, 5 kilos of explosives, evil seals, and an alien takeover.  Good stuff.


I also met Trisha J Wooldridge, an editor for Spenser Hill Press and current president of Broad Universe, a non-profit group formed around the idea of "promoting, honoring, and celebrating women who write science fiction, fantasy and horror".  I wish I could have spent more time talking to Trisha about writing as a profession, but there was only so many hours (and I was commuting back and forth each day).  I did learn that Spenser Hill Press is currently working on two anthologies: Holiday Magick (deadline for submission is June 25) and Doorways to Extra Time (October 15).  Feel free to check out their submission guidelines (and tell them I sent you.)


Monday is traditionally focused on my family, and we spent much of it reclaiming our back yard as a living space and planting a lilac bush.  It doesn't sound like much, but I am extremely thankful for the sacrifices others made to give me and my family this utterly ordinary day devoid of hardship and brutality.

Thank you.

My First Blog - Revisited

Hey there,

I was conducting some research for a short story based in my novel's world and happened upon an old blog I created a few years ago. It was interesting (and a bit strange) to read my words again, with new perspectives and a better understanding of what blogs can do. In case you're interested in seeing my past, check out:

afterthepulse.wordpress.com 

This is my fourth blog and I finally think I've found my voice. It isn't about spending all of your time pushing content for an audience saturated with content, but writing about things that mean something to YOU and letting others see the kind of person you are. If they like what they find, they'll come back. Then again, I probably have it wrong and don't realize it. That's okay by me - more time to spend writing fiction and conversing with people I've found along the way.

Memento-Flash Fiction

Hey there.

I offered some advice to another writer on how to write flash fiction, but realized afterwards that my suggestion might have not been as clear as I'd hoped.  I told her to write the ending of the story first, then add only enough material to make the ending make sense.  My reasoning was that a concise story should reach a specific point and to dispense with the usual subplots and in-depth character exploration that regular (and longer) stories represent.

What I described, in fact, resembled a movie called "Memento", where the main character has a medical condition that prevents him from creating long-term memories.  The entire movie is shot in short scenes told in reverse order, giving the viewer the sense of trying to piece together what is going on in the same manner as the main character (who uses photos and arm tattoos to record important stuff).  Well, I can't incorporate the same techniques as he did (I could, but then it wouldn't be flash fiction, would it?) but I could write the story one paragraph at a time starting from the end.

I wrote the story and it worked so well that I've already generated a half dozen more 'endings'.  If you're interested, see what you come up with for the first one:

The next morning, he burned his notes in the fireplace, setting each page ablaze by one corner and allowing the flames to creep along its surface until it was fully engulfed before dropping it into the fire atop a pile of shattered brass gears.