An aspiring author confronts the literary demons of the world and sets off in search of an agent.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Zero Heroes Writing Challenge

This is a follow-up to my Zero Confidence Fairy Tales post. This time I would like to propose an anthology where famous writers write short stories addressing the following challenge:

We all have our heroes, be it real or fictional. But what if you woke up one day and realized you could not recall who your heroes were? You try to summon them but neither name nor image comes to mind.; it is as if the knowledge has been wiped from your brain. You feel as if an essential component of your persona has been stolen and you must, at all costs, get it back. Write the story of your quest to reclaim this lost knowledge.  Good luck!

By the way, I wouldn't mind if a publisher contacted me about making this book a reality.




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Android Dreams, Cats Purring and E-books!










Hmmm...Philip K. Dick once wrote a story entitled, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Now I wonder if an author who publishes solely e-books dreams of electric cats?



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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Short Story: That's the Finest I've Ever Known

A new short story!



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Monday, January 21, 2013

An Eudora Welty Haiku

I was reading the short story, A Still Moment, by Eudora Welty in which she described an encounter with a snowy heron.
"He watched without moving. The bird was defenseless in the world except for the intensity of its life."
This feels like the stuff of haiku to me, hence:

The bird, defenseless.
The intensity of life
clinging to this world.


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Saturday, January 19, 2013

Haiku of the Discouraged Writer



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Zero Confidence Fairy Tales

I have an idea for an anthology series to which I would like to lay claim: Zero Confidence Fairy Tales. Each collection would feature stories by famous writers imagining ways to overcome the challenge of losing one's confidence.

The first book in the series would offer the following challenge to our intrepid writers:
Imagine a curse has been laid upon you; it drains every last bit of your confidence as a writer. Each time you confront the blank page, the horror of having Zero Confidence overwhelms. Write the story of how you regained your confidence (Note: This is, of course, a bit of a paradox, but what the heck!).
Remember,you are writing a fairy tale. For purposes of this anthology, let's borrow/modify a few ideas from Tolkien's On Fairy-Stories. Your tale should include these elements:
Escapism:  By this we mean escape from an accursed condition. Each writer should consider the specific nature of the curse that robbed him of his confidence. What elements of the curse is specific to your condition/circumstances as a writer? Why did this curse befall you?
Recovery: In this case, recovery means a return to, and a greater appreciation, of your normal (i.e., mundane) condition as a writer. What is that you (re)discover upon regaining your confidence?
Eucatastrophe:  This was Tolkien's term for the sudden, unexpected turn of events that leads to a happy ending. This may be the most challenging aspect of your story, coming up with a turn of events that absolutely makes sense given the context of your writing career.
I don't know about you, but I'd love to see the likes of Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, Haruki Murakami and others take a shot at this. Heck, I wouldn't mind if a publisher contacted me about making this book a reality.





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Friday, January 18, 2013

Short Story: Dorothy Gale's Second Chance

A short story about Dorothy Gale of Wizard of Oz fame and her encounter with Frank Baum.


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