Every manuscript tells two stories. One, how strong the writing is. Two, how professional the writer is. Not sure about the pro part? The story isn’t ready. If your piece isn’t even in manuscript format, or there’s your personal format but not what the market specifies, the story is very definitely not ready.…… Continue reading Didion’s Ghost and 7 Other Tests Before Submitting a Story
Category: This Whole Writing Thing
Me and Tybee
e Me and Tybee I don’t know if it’s the best place to fish on Tybee, but the best place to be seen fishing on Tybee is the Pier. The Tybee Pier and Tybrisa Pavilion II, formally. No one here is formal. They’re fishing or talking about it. Sheepshead, drum, sharpnose shark. From a…… Continue reading Me and Tybee
I Know a Place: On Being There in Fiction
You need travel scoop, I’m your guy. Like if you’re in Paris and want to buy a roast chicken, you go to Rue Daguerre. Your average passer-through wouldn’t head as far south as Montparnasse. If most people lay eyes on Rive Gauche at all, it’s from a bateau mouche or a stop at the Musée…… Continue reading I Know a Place: On Being There in Fiction
2022: 10 Years of Writing Stories
2022 marks ten years since I tried writing short stories. Technically, I wrote my first one–that I acknowledge–in 2010, but that was dabbling and naïve ambition. 2011 was learning, and January 2012 brought my first short story acceptance: “The Food Acquisition Breakdown,” in wonderful but fledgling Canadian lit e-journal. There was no need to convert…… Continue reading 2022: 10 Years of Writing Stories