Limitations of Short Stories

Had to think for quite a while before I came up with a topic for this post. Especially since nothing new has appeared. Had a new acceptance, but still nothing has actually been published. Soon.

Until then, I'm going to breifly-- I promise!-- talk about the limitations of short stories in Bo Fexler Land. There is far more to Bo's world than just the cases-- short and long-- that she's seen working in the stories thus far. Briefly, we've seen her friends Axel, Dimi, and Michael and her assistant Dawn. Since I've been focusing on mystery stories, the mystery doesn't often include her pals. But their presence, if I could squeeze it into the limited word count, would show Bo to be a fuller, richer character.

Many of the sites I read and submit to limit story length, some as low as 700 words, but most under 5000. I have a couple stories in the to-be-revised bin that are hefty 8 to 10k. The cases are more intricate (can we say 'red herring!') The story more involved. But the markets are fewer for these. Then these are even parred down by the ones that won't accept violence and profanity-- But that's a whole separate issue.

Just wait until I get my novel written! Then you'll get to see so much more of Bo Fexler's little world. Actually, it's getting big enough that I sometimes get lost in there. =)

• Story in progress: Medium-Well
• Last story finished: False Impressions (accepted)
• Reason for not writing: Summer school papers to grade

New Things

No stories published since last week-- though several have been accepted. As they appear, of course I'll provide links.

One important new development, however, is the addition of an email subscription. Those interested parties who would like to recieve posts-- and all accompanying links-- in their email inbox as they occur can subscribe in the little box on your right.

Maybe if I get enough subscribers, I can use that as leverage in selling Bo Fexler novels. Of course, I'd have to have to time to WRITE said novel(s), but we'll start one step at a time. Bo Fexler is growing in popularity, in spite of her bitter nature and sharp tongue. I understand: I like her too.

Bo's got stories scheduled to appear in August, November (2) and December as of right now. Rather exciting. Especially since I look back and realize that one mere year ago, I had a pair of stories in Flashot and 'Spark' had just come out in Mysterical-E. It's been a long-seeming short road, but a lot of fun. And surely just the beginning.

Oh yeah, I added links to the 'Internet Places I Haunt' section. Check 'em out. Good stuff there.

• Last story completed: False Impressions
• Story in Progress: Medium-Well
• Excuse for not writing: Ah-ha! I have been writing. I get a scratch&sniff smiley face sticker for working hard. =)

Too smart?

My short story "Atoner" is in the July issue of New Mystery Reader. In it, Bo is called to a murder scene. Her client wants her to show that he didn't kill his wife; the police want Bo far, far away from the crime scene. The fingerprints on the suicide note are too smudged to be useful, so Bo looks for other evidence to clear-- or condemn-- her client.

A fairly quick little read. So . . . what are you waiting for?

Don't forget, I'm not the only good writer appearing in these online zines. There are plenty of other great writers. A few that I'm partial to (and this is by no means a complete list!) are BJ Bourg, Frank Zafiro, Stephen D. Rogers, Sandra Ruttan, Patricia Abbott, DZ Allen, and r2.

Hmm. A list mostly full of men . . . interesting. Anyway, consider this your summer reading list.

• Story in progress: Medium-Well AND Mary Duncan story
• Last story completed: Still DEATH BY PI
• Excuse for not writing: Start of summer school

Summer School

Long Story Short has just published my short story "Failing Mark." It's a Bo Fexler story drawn from my teaching experiences. Bo's a little less crude in this tale, but she's still on the top of her investigating game.

This story debuts on the last weekend before I start teaching summer school classes. Always an interesting experience-- summer school. Take twenty kids who don't much care for or about school, sit them in a classroom in beautiful July, and try to teach them English. I did actually get chastized by one parents because my class was too fun for summer school. =D

• Story currently in progress: Medium-Well
• Last story finished: DEATH BY PI (still)
• Excuse for not writing: working. And reading Frank Zafiro's "Under a Raging Moon."