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Tuesday, April 29, 2014
A New Writing Challenge
Here's a link to a new writing challenge called the Light and Shade Challenge! Please check them out! I'll put a link on my Writing Resources page when I get a chance.
Light and Shade Challenge: About The Challenges: Every Monday a picture and a quote will be posted. These are the prompts, an invitation for you to take any spark they give you and write a... (go to the site to see more)
© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved
Thursday, April 24, 2014
FSF Challenge - Vacation
This week's writing challenge from
Five Sentence Fiction
( Lillie McFerrin Writes ) is based upon the prompt:
Vacation
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What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week Lillie posts one word for inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word.
Private Retreat
There weren't many places to escape the heat and danger of the inner city streets during the summer, but Ty and his dog found a little piece of paradise when they slid down into a storm culvert to hide from a gang. There wasn't much of a beach, just some sand that had piled up against the drainpipe strewn with bottle caps that glistened like multi-colored seashells in the soapy water flowing through from someone washing a car. The sumac fronds overhead hide the sun as well as any palm tree, and the cool air flowing from the concrete storm drain was as close to an ocean breeze as he was ever likely to experience. He sat quietly in the shade waiting for the disturbing noises above to dissipate, relaxing in the refreshing serenity of his tiny oasis. When Ty's dog jumped at the sound of gunfire nearby, he reassured his friend with, "Don't worry about that today—we're on vacation."
Image source: http://lilliemcferrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/original-summer-vacation-book-glasses-bookmark-sand-1024x576.jpg
© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
HB Challenge #3 - The Commuter
This is a new writing challenge posted on the Office Mango website that Lizzie Koch pointed out to me. I thought I'd give it a try! I don't know how particular they are about word limits, but I used all 300 getting this down.
This writing challenge from
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From the Office Mango website:
Come on guys I know you can come up with something dark & delicious :)
Guidelines :
1: Tales can be posted on your blogs & then just add to the wee linky tool, or add as a comment if you don’t have a blog.
2: A word count of 200 to 300.
3: Try to scare me, or at the very least create a little bit of darkness.
4: This will be a fortnightly (two weeks) challenge from when the post goes live, so you’ve got plenty thinking time.
I'm a terrible creature of habit. Every day for years, I took the same train, sat in the same seat, read my paper, and got off at the station near my office within a few minutes of seven o'clock. Co-workers often suggested I add a bit of variety to my life.
One morning, distracted by some movement, I looked up to see the reflection of a child gazing out the window in front of me, her small frame apparently obscured by the seat back. I was surprised as there are so few riders that early in the morning, especially children. She never talked, and I never heard her arrive or depart. As time passed, however, her reoccurring presence along that leg of my commute became a part of my daily routine. It's the same section that passes where someone had placed a cross and small stuffed animal by the tracks—the thing people put up as a memorial. I can't really say why I took notice of it.
It all meant little until that drizzly day last week when I saw two people standing by the cross as the train approached. Getting nearer, I merely watched—but the young girl waved vigorously. As we passed, I saw the woman look up, a hand over her mouth, eyes wide open, flowers dropping from her hand as she fell to her knees, the man struggling to support her. I wanted to ask the child if she knew them, but when I leaned over to speak, the seat was empty. I felt the cushion, but there was no residual warmth as one might expect; indeed, it was quite cold.
I haven't seen the child since that morning. But change is good, so I'm told, and the drive into work really isn't so bad.
© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved
Sunday, April 20, 2014
FSF Challenge - Lucky
This week's writing challenge from
Five Sentence Fiction
( Lillie McFerrin Writes ) is based upon the prompt:
Lucky
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What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week Lillie posts one word for inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word.
Lillie hasn't posted a challenge this week, possibly because of the holiday, so I've added a poem for the season based on an earlier challenge I hadn't entered.
One man gazed across his vast, landscaped property,
admired his large, stately home,
and watching the chrome gleam on his new car
said,
"I'm a very lucky man."
One man walked behind the lawnmower in the yard of his townhouse
the perfume of freshly cut grass filling the air,
and rejoicing in the beauty of tiny, manicured patch of greenery
said,
"I'm a very lucky man."
One man sat on a blue lawn chair outside of his mobile home
with a glass of iced tea and a bag of chips,
and as he watched his grandchild play happily in the dirt
said,
"I'm a very lucky man."
One man returned to his small apartment
only to find thieves had knocked the door in while he was away,
but seeing the picture of his late wife untouched upon the table
said,
"I'm a very lucky man."
One man limped across the littered street
with an eye out for those who might be watching,
and spotting a half-eaten sandwich in a trashcan
said,
"I'm a very lucky man."
K. R. Smith
Image "Dustbins" courtesy of Matt Banks / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved
Friday, April 11, 2014
FSF Challenge - Feathers
This week's writing challenge from
Five Sentence Fiction
( Lillie McFerrin Writes ) is based upon the prompt:
Feathers
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What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week Lillie posts one word for inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word.
Brazen Display
The first thing Wanda noticed was how much time the males spent preening themselves, then strutting around in front of the females. They also made a lot of noise, but she wasn't sure if it was to communicate with a potential mate or as a threat to other males. The only thing that seemed to interrupt the non-stop courtship ritual was when the males needed to get a drink.
Her cohort, Janice, sat down beside her and asked, "So, what do you make of all this?"
Wanda just shook her head and replied, "I don't think the nightclub scene is for me."
Image source: http://lilliemcferrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/peacock_by_bleeding__roses-d4w4x28-1024x682.jpg
© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Job Listings
Here are a couple of places looking for stories and poems. They even pay a little bit...
Burial Day Books / Gothic Blue Book 4
From their website:
Burial Day Books Call for Submission: Gothic Blue Book VOL 4
Gothic Blue Books were short fictions popular in the 18th and 19th century. They were descendants of the chap book trade and are now a thing of the past. Burial Day Books will resurrect this art form with its own Gothic Blue Book Vol. 4 to be available this October 31st 2014.
What was a Gothic Blue Book?
Gothic Blue Books were abridgements of full-length Gothic novels. The subjects of these books fell into one of two categories; the first being set in a monastery or convent and the second being set in a castle.
In terms of the physicality of the book, they were three and a half to four inches in width and six to seven inches in height, with a page count of thirty-six to seventy-two pages.
These little pieces of terror were popular at the time because they were affordable, a sixpence or a shilling each. Their cost affordability led them to be nicknamed Shilling Shockers or Sixpenny Shockers.
What are we looking for?
Original Gothic Blue Books typically took place in either a monastery, convent or castle. In years past we have asked for short stories that take place in one of these locations, or a modern day location such as a morgue, haunted house or cemetery. This year, we have added a new entry – legend, folklore or myth of the Americas.
When we think of legend, folklore or myth of the Americas the range is staggering, from the Jersey Devil in the East Coast, to the Wendigo, American werewolf, La Llorona, vanishing hitchhiker, the woman in white, abandoned mining towns and so much more.
Please submit a short story or poem no longer than 3,500 words that follows one of the following:
A single mention or setting in one of the original Gothic Blue Book settings:
a) Monastery
b) Convent
c) Castle
A single mention or setting in one of the modern Gothic Blue Book settings:
a) Cemetery
b) Funeral home or morgue
c) Haunted house
2014 Addition:
a) A story or poem dealing with a legend, folklore or myth of the Americas.
In addition to the above, the story or poem must instill fear using a supernatural element – ghosts, ghouls, monsters, myth, folklore or legend. Extreme violence, sexuality, gore, and profanity will not be considered. For inspiration look to Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, Jorge Luis Borges, Shirley Jackson, Emily Brontë, or Neil Gaiman.
The collection will be published October 31st 2014 in eBook and traditional book format.
DEADLINE: AUGUST 31st 2014
LEGAL DETAILS
If accepted you are giving Burial Day Books:
A. The exclusive first right to publish your story.
B. The right to republish the story in or in connection with Burial Day, including electronic or hard copy form, including in promotional material or compilations – provided that authorial credit is given in every instance of reproduction.
After your story appears on Burial Day and in the Gothic Blue Book you are free to republish your piece elsewhere as long as you communicate to potential buyers that they are buying your story as a non-exclusive piece
Payment details:
$25.00 (USD)
Two (2) Contributor copies of the anthology
Solar Wyrm / Latchkey Tales
From their website:
June 2014: “Fire and Ice” – Submissions close April 30
August 2014: “Children of Water” – Submissions close May 31
If you have a story or poem that fits the theme, or you’d like to write one, please go ahead! You can email them to me at solarwyrm@gmail.com, with the subject heading “Latchkey Tales submission – [your name]“. Please submit as doc or docx files, 12 point font, a clean font like Times, Arial, Calibri. I’ll accept stories between 1000 and 6000 words. At the moment I am not sure how much I’ll be paying, but my working amounts are roughly $10 per story and $5 per poem. That will vary depending on how many subscriptions we get.
If you’re an artist and you’re interested in working on our cover, please get in touch with me at solarwyrm@gmail. Working amount for payment for cover images is currently $50, but that is also variable depending on subscription.
If you have something they might find interesting, drop them a line. Or maybe a thousand...
Disclaimer: I was published in Gothic Blue Book III, so I've dealt with Burial Day Books, and the seem to be good folks to deal with. I'll probably submit a story to them again this year. I haven't done business with Solar Wyrm, so I can provide no information on them. In both cases, please visit their websites for complete information!
© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved
Monday, April 7, 2014
Pantsing vs. Plotting
One of the Google+ folks I check in on from time to time, AmyBeth Inverness, has posted a question:
I'm almost always a pantser, but I do a little outlining for longer stories. I don't think I've ever done it for a poem.
If you have an opinion, let me (or AmyBeth) know!
© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved
Thursday, April 3, 2014
FSF Challenge - Whimsical
This week's writing challenge from
Five Sentence Fiction
( Lillie McFerrin Writes ) is based upon the prompt:
Whimsical
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What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week Lillie posts one word for inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word.
Viewpoint
This was Sarah's first time home since moving away for college and that junior position at a law firm, and a walk around the old property flooded her mind with pleasant, though long-forgotten, memories. Most of all, she was surprised to see the playhouse her father had built years ago still there, maintained in perfect condition. The playhouse was complete, even down to the tiny table inside where she'd held so many make-believe tea parties, and yet it wasn't quite right somehow. Sarah didn't recall the playhouse being so amusingly proportioned; it had seemed perfectly normal to her child's eye. The smile disappeared from her face as she wondered if her view of the past was distorted—or her view of the present.
Image source: http://lilliemcferrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/wimsical-playhouse.jpg
© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved