It's not a Bo Fexler story, but you can read my flash fiction story "Money-back Guarantee" at Flashshot for a limited time. You can find it under the link for the last ten Flashsots. For about ten days since Flashshot is a daily genre fiction publication. While your there, you might consider signing up to recieve Flashshot daily in your email. I do and recommend it to others. They're all just one hundred words long, so its a quick read.
Speaking of things emailed, I believe that by clicking the button waaayyyy down at the bottom of this blog, you can sign up to be emailed whenever I post something. Obviously, it won't be that frequent. Not with three jobs. At least grad school's done for the semester.
Story currently working on: heh heh, yeah. no comment
Excuse for not writing: end of semester crunch-- such as making up the Goodnight Moon project for English 9 (see last post)
Story I want to work on: Francis Thayer Whittacker. I think I know how to end it.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
GOOD NIGHT MOON
I wrote this as an example for a project in my English 9 class. With credit due to author Margaret Wise Brown.
Goodnight room
Goodnight moon
Goodnight CD with my favorite tune
Goodnight desk
Goodnight chair
Goodnight floor that is never bare
Goodnight boxes
Goodnight totes
Goodnight ideas hastily scrawled on notes
Goodnight paper
Goodnight pen
Goodnight story I don't know how to end
Goodnight office
Goodnight mess
Goodnight plot issues I need to address
Goodnight cups
Goodnight clock
Goodnight to another bout of writer's block
(Which also explains why I haven't done much writing.=)
Goodnight room
Goodnight moon
Goodnight CD with my favorite tune
Goodnight desk
Goodnight chair
Goodnight floor that is never bare
Goodnight boxes
Goodnight totes
Goodnight ideas hastily scrawled on notes
Goodnight paper
Goodnight pen
Goodnight story I don't know how to end
Goodnight office
Goodnight mess
Goodnight plot issues I need to address
Goodnight cups
Goodnight clock
Goodnight to another bout of writer's block
(Which also explains why I haven't done much writing.=)
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Everyday Evil
I've concluded a couple things in the past year as I've avidly pursued and moderately succeeded in being a published short story author. One of those is that my particular storywriting has trouble fitting into most publications.
Obviously, if you're reading this, you're familiar with Bo Fexler. She's not a terribly heart-warming character. She doesn't always do what's best. And she's quite fluent in profanity. Well, my readers may not realize that since many publications don't accept profanity. So, it's edited out or downplayed to meet the audience (or rather the publication's editors).
These are fine publications and I accept that profanity is still considered inappropriate speech in many forums. Hell, I'm a teacher. I'm regularly reminding my students to watch their language. (The irony is not lost on me!) My stories are usually not affected by lose of vulgarities.
Except some of the stories are not about good people doing good things. They're about people who are bad to varying degrees-- including Bo-- doing a variety of bad things. I don't often write about murders in my stories, but rather missing people, cheating spouses, and other everyday evils. But many publications don't seem to accept bad people doing bad things. Maybe because there's no redemption and no warm-fuzzies. Warm fuzzies make me gag.
On the other side are the hardcore crime noir publications. These are bad people doing horrible things. Everyone gets beat up. People are killed for fun or sport. Women are prostitutes and men are sleaze. The extreme. Now, I'm familiar with pulp fiction (both movie and genre.) Some of my work pushes into this ultra-gritty area. And in these ones my aptitude for profanity also finds its outlet.
Except most of my work isn't hardcore enough. Bo doesn't beat everyone up. She tries to walk the legal line. She's not willing to jeopardize her PI license since she really likes her job. But she's also not redeemed at the end of the story with a "happily ever after" and a "God bless us one and all." Bo's not hardcore crime noir. She's not literary detective/ mystery fiction. She's just an articulate dame trying to make her way in the world full of regular do-badders.
Now THAT is writing I can relate to.
Obviously, if you're reading this, you're familiar with Bo Fexler. She's not a terribly heart-warming character. She doesn't always do what's best. And she's quite fluent in profanity. Well, my readers may not realize that since many publications don't accept profanity. So, it's edited out or downplayed to meet the audience (or rather the publication's editors).
These are fine publications and I accept that profanity is still considered inappropriate speech in many forums. Hell, I'm a teacher. I'm regularly reminding my students to watch their language. (The irony is not lost on me!) My stories are usually not affected by lose of vulgarities.
Except some of the stories are not about good people doing good things. They're about people who are bad to varying degrees-- including Bo-- doing a variety of bad things. I don't often write about murders in my stories, but rather missing people, cheating spouses, and other everyday evils. But many publications don't seem to accept bad people doing bad things. Maybe because there's no redemption and no warm-fuzzies. Warm fuzzies make me gag.
On the other side are the hardcore crime noir publications. These are bad people doing horrible things. Everyone gets beat up. People are killed for fun or sport. Women are prostitutes and men are sleaze. The extreme. Now, I'm familiar with pulp fiction (both movie and genre.) Some of my work pushes into this ultra-gritty area. And in these ones my aptitude for profanity also finds its outlet.
Except most of my work isn't hardcore enough. Bo doesn't beat everyone up. She tries to walk the legal line. She's not willing to jeopardize her PI license since she really likes her job. But she's also not redeemed at the end of the story with a "happily ever after" and a "God bless us one and all." Bo's not hardcore crime noir. She's not literary detective/ mystery fiction. She's just an articulate dame trying to make her way in the world full of regular do-badders.
Now THAT is writing I can relate to.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Muzzle Flash #4
My story "Bad Set-Up" is in the just-posted Muzzle Flash #4. www.dzallen.blogspot.com. In fact, I kick off MF #4, which is certainly good for the ego. While you're over there, I do recommend reading the other stories. There are some good writers submitting to Muzzle Flash.
Last story finished: Old Adversaries (Seventh's time a charm?)
Story currently under the knife: Francis Thayer Whittacker. Still. I can't figure out how to 'kill Harold.' (A "Stranger than Fiction" reference. Decent movie. Very apt reference.)
Excuse for not writing: the dish fairy didn't come
Last story finished: Old Adversaries (Seventh's time a charm?)
Story currently under the knife: Francis Thayer Whittacker. Still. I can't figure out how to 'kill Harold.' (A "Stranger than Fiction" reference. Decent movie. Very apt reference.)
Excuse for not writing: the dish fairy didn't come
Monday, April 9, 2007
Latest News
Quick post on the latest news about Bo. Out of the Gutter has accepted one of my stories for issue number two. I will get a link to their site up shortly. (For the readers who know me personally, I adamantly emphasize that Bo Fexler is NOT the author. Or the author's alter-ego. She is a fictional character.)
Muzzle Flash accepted another short. I believe it'll be out in the next issue.
And I'm just revised a story the nice folks over at Mysterical-e were insterested in. With some changes. I'm not averse to changes.
That's the funny thing, I think, about being a novice writer. The writer's who need the most editorial help are often the ones who are just starting out. Many publications that allow new writers require the writing already be good.
***
I've been thinking about Bo's novel lately. Pretending I have time to work on it. (Maybe this summer). And I'm starting to waffle as to where to place the story-- originally it was to be when she first meets Dawn. Then I thought about moving it back to when Bo returns to her native Michigan. Both are points where Bo as a character goes through some personal growth, which I gotta figure is good for a novel. Since I like to envision Bo's novel as the first in a series, I'm also worried that the deeper, more sinister part of the plot in the original first novel (hereafter cryptically referred to as ML) would mistakenly be assumed to be a part of all her novels.
Of course, I'd have to write and publish a first novel before I even have to worry about a series! For now, I'll stick to my grad school case study and my novella. The latter is going quite well. The former is due Tuesday. Maybe I shouldn't be posting in my blog.
***
Yeah. This is a quick post. Brevity is not one of my strengths.
***
Last story completed: Cat Nip
Story currently in progress: DEATH BY PI (novella)
Excuse for not writing: allergies and 15 page case study.
Current computer quirk: fucking corrupted my compact flash card. Of COURSE I didn't have everything backed up! Why would I? It's supposed to be stable storage.
Muzzle Flash accepted another short. I believe it'll be out in the next issue.
And I'm just revised a story the nice folks over at Mysterical-e were insterested in. With some changes. I'm not averse to changes.
That's the funny thing, I think, about being a novice writer. The writer's who need the most editorial help are often the ones who are just starting out. Many publications that allow new writers require the writing already be good.
***
I've been thinking about Bo's novel lately. Pretending I have time to work on it. (Maybe this summer). And I'm starting to waffle as to where to place the story-- originally it was to be when she first meets Dawn. Then I thought about moving it back to when Bo returns to her native Michigan. Both are points where Bo as a character goes through some personal growth, which I gotta figure is good for a novel. Since I like to envision Bo's novel as the first in a series, I'm also worried that the deeper, more sinister part of the plot in the original first novel (hereafter cryptically referred to as ML) would mistakenly be assumed to be a part of all her novels.
Of course, I'd have to write and publish a first novel before I even have to worry about a series! For now, I'll stick to my grad school case study and my novella. The latter is going quite well. The former is due Tuesday. Maybe I shouldn't be posting in my blog.
***
Yeah. This is a quick post. Brevity is not one of my strengths.
***
Last story completed: Cat Nip
Story currently in progress: DEATH BY PI (novella)
Excuse for not writing: allergies and 15 page case study.
Current computer quirk: fucking corrupted my compact flash card. Of COURSE I didn't have everything backed up! Why would I? It's supposed to be stable storage.
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