© by Gerald So | 1:30 AM
Published a few hours ago, here's the story I hyped in my previous post, twenty-six years in the making. I hope you enjoy.
Coming soon, a post on how I revised the plot and characters from aborted novel to finished flash, perhaps relevant to stundent writers.
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Monday, April 19, 2021
Turning a Page
© by Gerald So | 7:30 AM
In 1995, a fan of mystery fiction for two years, I started a novel in my final undergrad writing workshop, a mystery workshop led by Sam Toperoff. The novel's setup, inspired by unrequited feelings for a classmate, involved a restaurateur narrator talked into catering his college reunion only to be suspected of poisoning an old rival. The first 60 pages got me an A for the course, but I stalled out trying to finish the next two years.
I moved on to other writing until 2016, when a submissions call for the Level Best Boooks anthology Noir at the Salad Bar inspired me to revise the novel idea into a short story. That attempt was rejected, but instead of abandoning the idea again, I went back to it in my spare time, submitting revisions to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Shotgun Honey Presents: Recoil, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, the Bouchercon 2021 anthology...
Yesterday morning I read an acceptance email from Every Day Fiction. Later this month, they'll publish "Say Cheese," a 544-word story from the classmate character's perspective. Elmore Leonard advised that writers remain invisible behind their stories. In switching main characters, I disappeared from "Say Cheese". Then again, using the fewest words to the greatest effect is very much my style.
In 1995, a fan of mystery fiction for two years, I started a novel in my final undergrad writing workshop, a mystery workshop led by Sam Toperoff. The novel's setup, inspired by unrequited feelings for a classmate, involved a restaurateur narrator talked into catering his college reunion only to be suspected of poisoning an old rival. The first 60 pages got me an A for the course, but I stalled out trying to finish the next two years.
I moved on to other writing until 2016, when a submissions call for the Level Best Boooks anthology Noir at the Salad Bar inspired me to revise the novel idea into a short story. That attempt was rejected, but instead of abandoning the idea again, I went back to it in my spare time, submitting revisions to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Shotgun Honey Presents: Recoil, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, the Bouchercon 2021 anthology...
Yesterday morning I read an acceptance email from Every Day Fiction. Later this month, they'll publish "Say Cheese," a 544-word story from the classmate character's perspective. Elmore Leonard advised that writers remain invisible behind their stories. In switching main characters, I disappeared from "Say Cheese". Then again, using the fewest words to the greatest effect is very much my style.
Sunday, January 05, 2020
For Your Agatha Consideration
© by Gerald So | 4:00 AM
My short story "Fred" (published on the Mystery Tribune website and apps December 16, 2019) features no explicit sex, gore, or violence. I made these choices organically while writing, coincidentally meeting Malice Domestic's Agatha Award eligibility requirements.
If you'd like to nominate "Fred" for the 2019 Best Short Story Agatha, I thank you.
My short story "Fred" (published on the Mystery Tribune website and apps December 16, 2019) features no explicit sex, gore, or violence. I made these choices organically while writing, coincidentally meeting Malice Domestic's Agatha Award eligibility requirements.
If you'd like to nominate "Fred" for the 2019 Best Short Story Agatha, I thank you.
Monday, December 16, 2019
Saturday, August 31, 2019
No Time to Write?
© by Gerald So | 3:30 AM
This post title plays on the latest James Bond movie title, No Time to Die. Reading a Shortmystery digest message on August 22, I learned submissions were open July 1–August 31 for an all-PI story issue of Black Cat Magazine.
Having finally learned my lesson from term papers, I dislike deadline pressure and try to write and submit with plenty of time. Given these work habits, I thought of skipping the opportunity. The prevailing thought was to see if I could devise and finish a story in nine days.
I've developed a planning method that's worked well for my previous few stories, and I started running the germ of an idea through it, but I didn't have time to both draft the story and check it against my planning method as I went.
There are ideas that look good in planning that don't work in execution. If I spent too much time planning, I might not finish writing. I had to be writing as ideas formed to quickly see if they worked or not. As in a maze, I could see the end but needed to pick the right way there. As soon as I realized I picked wrong, I would start over
I also gave up my daily TV and exercise time to write. I still stepped back from the story now and then, but forced myself to shorten these breaks—including sleep—to get back to writing as soon as possible.
Even with this level of focus, there were times it seemed I wouldn't have a full story by the deadline, that ideas weren't coming. For hours I'd rewrite the same paragraph, trying to find an angle on the story. I was very conscious of leading readers down the right path, having the right mix of narration and action. Very often, narration can ramble without moving the story.
With two days to go, I received an email from my friend Graham Powell. I mentioned going for the deadline. He said he'd submitted earlier in the week and hoped both our stories would make it. That was a boost.
Wrapping up, somehow the story came together despite several times I thought it wouldn't, and I submitted yesterday. More and more I'm convinced inspiration isn't sudden. It comes from somewhere. We just don't always track its path. Doing all of the above positioned me to finish in time. Acceptance would be the ultimate victory, but submitting was a big one.
This post title plays on the latest James Bond movie title, No Time to Die. Reading a Shortmystery digest message on August 22, I learned submissions were open July 1–August 31 for an all-PI story issue of Black Cat Magazine.
Having finally learned my lesson from term papers, I dislike deadline pressure and try to write and submit with plenty of time. Given these work habits, I thought of skipping the opportunity. The prevailing thought was to see if I could devise and finish a story in nine days.
I've developed a planning method that's worked well for my previous few stories, and I started running the germ of an idea through it, but I didn't have time to both draft the story and check it against my planning method as I went.
There are ideas that look good in planning that don't work in execution. If I spent too much time planning, I might not finish writing. I had to be writing as ideas formed to quickly see if they worked or not. As in a maze, I could see the end but needed to pick the right way there. As soon as I realized I picked wrong, I would start over
I also gave up my daily TV and exercise time to write. I still stepped back from the story now and then, but forced myself to shorten these breaks—including sleep—to get back to writing as soon as possible.
Even with this level of focus, there were times it seemed I wouldn't have a full story by the deadline, that ideas weren't coming. For hours I'd rewrite the same paragraph, trying to find an angle on the story. I was very conscious of leading readers down the right path, having the right mix of narration and action. Very often, narration can ramble without moving the story.
With two days to go, I received an email from my friend Graham Powell. I mentioned going for the deadline. He said he'd submitted earlier in the week and hoped both our stories would make it. That was a boost.
Wrapping up, somehow the story came together despite several times I thought it wouldn't, and I submitted yesterday. More and more I'm convinced inspiration isn't sudden. It comes from somewhere. We just don't always track its path. Doing all of the above positioned me to finish in time. Acceptance would be the ultimate victory, but submitting was a big one.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Ups and Downs
© by Gerald So | 6:45 a.m.
I hope you've noticed I haven't blogged in almost a month. (Noticing means you check my blog.) The reason turns out to be good.
On May 28, I received a rejection for a story I submitted to an anthology almost six months earlier that saw me retool characters I created in a 1995 mystery novel writing workshop. I thought the work of revision took me to a different place as a writer. I was confident the story would be accepted to the anthology and that disappointed it wasn't.
For a day or two I did nothing but wonder if I should move on to a different project. The specific anthology theme gave me the idea to use the characters again at all. "Should I just forget them?" I asked.
Then, early one morning, I opened the rejected story file and just started writing, targeting it for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine or Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. I figure, why not? These are the most mainstream mystery characters and story I've written. Yes, EQMM and AHMM are big game, the average word counts on their accepted stories four times longer than most I've published, but why not?
Giving myself that word count and standard of quality to hit, I'm trying to learn greater character and plot development by doing. Going to the keyboard any time of the day has been automatic. I'd rather be distracted by these characters than anything else.
So far, I've produced different length versions of the story, from 1,000 to 2,500 words. Currently I've worked back up to 1,500 words and will submit the length I think tells the story and showcases the characters best. Reading my drafts are three college friends who've known the characters as long as I have.
With luck, this venture will end in publication, but for now it's given me what's important, enthusiasm for the process.
I hope you've noticed I haven't blogged in almost a month. (Noticing means you check my blog.) The reason turns out to be good.
On May 28, I received a rejection for a story I submitted to an anthology almost six months earlier that saw me retool characters I created in a 1995 mystery novel writing workshop. I thought the work of revision took me to a different place as a writer. I was confident the story would be accepted to the anthology and that disappointed it wasn't.
For a day or two I did nothing but wonder if I should move on to a different project. The specific anthology theme gave me the idea to use the characters again at all. "Should I just forget them?" I asked.
Then, early one morning, I opened the rejected story file and just started writing, targeting it for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine or Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. I figure, why not? These are the most mainstream mystery characters and story I've written. Yes, EQMM and AHMM are big game, the average word counts on their accepted stories four times longer than most I've published, but why not?
Giving myself that word count and standard of quality to hit, I'm trying to learn greater character and plot development by doing. Going to the keyboard any time of the day has been automatic. I'd rather be distracted by these characters than anything else.
So far, I've produced different length versions of the story, from 1,000 to 2,500 words. Currently I've worked back up to 1,500 words and will submit the length I think tells the story and showcases the characters best. Reading my drafts are three college friends who've known the characters as long as I have.
With luck, this venture will end in publication, but for now it's given me what's important, enthusiasm for the process.
Monday, October 06, 2014
At Shotgun Honey: "What Are Friends For?"
© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 8:04 A.M.
Roguish aviator C.J. Stone returns in "What Are Friends For?", set eight days after this summer's "King of the Sea" in Pulp Modern #7. I hope you enjoy.
Roguish aviator C.J. Stone returns in "What Are Friends For?", set eight days after this summer's "King of the Sea" in Pulp Modern #7. I hope you enjoy.
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
More C.J. Stone
© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 3:32 P.M.
Coming to Shotgun Honey October 6, "What Are Friends For" is a short follow-up to roguish aviator C.J. Stone's Pulp Modern #7 appearance, "King of the Sea".
Meanwhile, the Kindle version of Pulp Modern #7 can be had for 99 cents. That's nine cents per story.
Coming to Shotgun Honey October 6, "What Are Friends For" is a short follow-up to roguish aviator C.J. Stone's Pulp Modern #7 appearance, "King of the Sea".
Meanwhile, the Kindle version of Pulp Modern #7 can be had for 99 cents. That's nine cents per story.
Monday, June 30, 2014
He's a Thief, He's a Liar, He's a Treetop Flyer...
© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com
With nods to Steve Miller and Stephen Stills and featuring John Ricotta's C.J. Stone theme, here's a trailer I made to promote Pulp Modern #7 and my new Stone story "King of the Sea":
With nods to Steve Miller and Stephen Stills and featuring John Ricotta's C.J. Stone theme, here's a trailer I made to promote Pulp Modern #7 and my new Stone story "King of the Sea":
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Pulp Modern #7
© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com
I'm pleased to have a new story, "King of the Sea", in the "Thieves and Liars" issue of Alec Cizak's Pulp Modern, now on sale.
"King of the Sea" is my tenth story about 1930s aviator C.J. Stone and the first Stone story in a commercial print journal.
My fellow Issue 7 contributors are Tom Barlow, Patrick Chambers, C.J. Edwards, Richard Godwin, Edward A. Grainger, Ken Miller, Ross Peterson, Chris Rhatigan, Mike Sheedy, and Robb White. I hope you enjoy and review.
I'm pleased to have a new story, "King of the Sea", in the "Thieves and Liars" issue of Alec Cizak's Pulp Modern, now on sale."King of the Sea" is my tenth story about 1930s aviator C.J. Stone and the first Stone story in a commercial print journal.
My fellow Issue 7 contributors are Tom Barlow, Patrick Chambers, C.J. Edwards, Richard Godwin, Edward A. Grainger, Ken Miller, Ross Peterson, Chris Rhatigan, Mike Sheedy, and Robb White. I hope you enjoy and review.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
New "Cop" on the BEAT
My maybe-too-clever entry title refers to my just-published story, "Cop", at BEAT to a PULP. My thanks to editors David Cranmer, Scott Parker, and Chad Eagleton.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...
You may now buy my Valentine's ebook of six flash fiction stories for Kindle or Nook:
"Call Me Cupid"
"Connect the Dots"
"Every Man for Himself"
"Sweet Child O' Mine"
"Rocky Road"
"Once Upon a Wedding Cake"
Comments here on the blog have called these stories "Brilliant," "Clever and entertaining," "Refreshing."
You may also enjoy We Might Have, my ebook of twenty-four poems on love and chance. Give yourself or your Valentine the gift of my wit.
"Call Me Cupid"
"Connect the Dots"
"Every Man for Himself"
"Sweet Child O' Mine"
"Rocky Road"
"Once Upon a Wedding Cake"
Comments here on the blog have called these stories "Brilliant," "Clever and entertaining," "Refreshing."
You may also enjoy We Might Have, my ebook of twenty-four poems on love and chance. Give yourself or your Valentine the gift of my wit.
Thursday, January 05, 2012
"Remaindered"
I'm back at Nasty. Brutish. Short. reviewing "Remaindered" by Lee Goldberg. Originally published in the August 2001 issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, the story is available as a free Kindle download this week only.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
A Look Ahead
Tomorrow I begin the final proofreading of my February 2012 ebook, Call Me Cupid: Six Screwball Stories of Love.
In April, I will be publishing a $2.99 ebook version of The Lineup #3 (2010) for Kindle and Nook, including seventeen of the original nineteen poets' work. Sarah Cortez sold the electronic rights to her poems elsewhere, and Carrie McGath opted not to have her poem reprinted. If you're curious, you can read one of Sarah's poems here, and hear Carrie's poem, "The Crimes of Cat-Calling", in an episode of Seth Harwood's CrimeWAV.
And later this year, I will publish a second ebook of C.J. Stone stories.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Coming February 1, 2012
I've written many a lovelorn tale over the years, and I'm collecting some of them into an ebook in time for V-Day 2012:
"Call Me Cupid"
"Connect the Dots"
"Every Man for Himself"
"Sweet Child O' Mine"
"Rocky Road"
"Once Upon a Wedding Cake"
Comments here on the blog have called these stories "Brilliant," "Clever and entertaining," "Refreshing."
Give yourself or your Valentine the gift of my wit. Just $2.99 for Kindle or Nook.
"Connect the Dots"
"Every Man for Himself"
"Sweet Child O' Mine"
"Rocky Road"
"Once Upon a Wedding Cake"
Comments here on the blog have called these stories "Brilliant," "Clever and entertaining," "Refreshing."
Give yourself or your Valentine the gift of my wit. Just $2.99 for Kindle or Nook.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
New Trailer for STONES
I've made a new video trailer my first C.J. Stone ebook, featuring original music by my friend and Stone fan John Ricotta:
And my latest original Stone story is "Partners" at Pulp Pusher.
And my latest original Stone story is "Partners" at Pulp Pusher.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
You'd Better Watch Out
My Christmas story "You'd Better Watch Out" is now live at The Flash Fiction Offensive. Thanks to editor David Barber.
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
"Partners" at Pulp Pusher
"Partners" is my latest C.J. Stone story, posted today at Pulp Pusher. Thanks again to editor Tony Black.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Jochem Vandersteen reviews FIRST IN, LAST OUT
Sons of Spade's Jochem Vandersteen reviewed my ebook First In, Last Out, concluding, "Gerald edited fiction on the Thrilling Detective site and it shows. The writing is tight and well thought out. Solid, fast read."
Monday, October 24, 2011
Keith West reviews STONES
Adventures Fantastic blogger Keith West has reviewed my ebook Stones, writing in part:
Thanks very much, Keith.
How do the stories stack up? They were a delight to read. The central character, C.J. Stone, is a pilot in the Caribbean in the 1930s, and So does an excellent job of capturing the tone of the era. The stories are short, almost vignettes in some cases. But they work. They were a lot of fun, and I'll be tracking down the other stories about Stone that are mentioned in the author bio.
Thanks very much, Keith.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)