I’m discovering something interesting about the stories I love. There are a few common qualities: Immersive. Beautiful language is nice, but what I want is a story that pulls me in and takes me somewhere else. Strong ending. I need some plot. I need things to happen. And I need that to resolve in some […]
If you are in the US, this is Thanksgiving weekend and I imagine you are spending time with family and enjoying some tasty leftovers. And even if you are not in the US, I hope you are taking time to nourish yourself in this crazy world with friends, family, and good food (and, yes, I […]
I was lucky enough this year to attend the Austin Film Festival, which is about film, but is focused on writers. I went to four days of an amazing conference listening to and meeting some successful screen writers and podcasters. It’s a different world, but it’s still storytelling and I learned a lot I bring […]
Hugh is a holographic surrogate, one he created of himself while he was alive, while he was dying. Now he has to find a way to help his grieving wife, Elizabeth, find a way to get on with her life. This story was a semi-finalist in the Writers of the Future Contest in 2013 A […]
Well, September was not like last month, I actually got some short stories read, but not up to the old pace. Earlier in the challenge I worked well ahead of that one story per day pace, but with August off and September at half speed, I’ve really got to step it up. Streaks have power […]
Smith erases memories, he’s one of the best. He can remove your traumatic or dangerous memories and and lighten your spirit. But the Order of Mnemosyne requires that the Eraser then erases their own memory of the encounter, leaving Smith with very little left of himself. Now’s he’s met a client whose memories put her […]
Last month I said I was going to take a break from reading short stories, and boy did I. I did’t read any. Not one. And this is a good thing. My wife and I desperately needed to get out of town, so we did just that, rambling through beautiful locations in Utah, Arizona, and […]
Jack is just another orphaned kid working the tourists, except Jack lives on Mars and works the Pavonis Mons Beanstalk Terminal guiding visitors through the delights and dangers of New Chicago City. But his new client is a mysterious man named Aldan who wants to go into the Maze and take on one of New […]
Time has a way of changing the game on you. My initial goal for this challenge was not to read a story every day, but to read 365 short stories this year (subtle difference). But, through July, I managed to not miss any days and to read at least one story a day (I can […]
Connor Bright dresses and talks just like Crocodile Dundee, but that’s just his way of hiding from his past. He’s a private detective in Phoenix, Arizona and his next case involves a man slain by what appears to be a purple unicorn. He doesn’t think unicorns are real, but Irene, his new eight-year-old client, saw […]