I've been taking a lot of fiction writing classes, both before and during the pandemic, in the hope that maybe one story will not suck so badly that it could be revised into a publishable thing. So far that hasn't happened, but it has produced a lot of printed out/marked up drafts that I look … Continue reading Recycling drafts
writing
Doll Parts
Back in 2009, I took a writing class taught by Jeremy Shipp and the end result was a short story draft called "Doll Parts." I will say, as an aside, that if Jeremy ever teaches a class again, you should take it. My class was a lot of fun. Some friends thought the story was … Continue reading Doll Parts
Jersey Derby story
If there is a sport I was healthy and badass enough to participate in, it would be roller derby. I spent a year or so traveling to games all over New Jersey and Pennsylvania (the pictures taken above come from a tournament held in PA). And what I saw were players working together to come … Continue reading Jersey Derby story
Another Facebook jumper
I have joined the ranks of people who are dumping Facebook, mostly because it's a major time waste. Recent developments in my life made me realize that I cannot be productive creatively if I'm spending most of my free time on Facebook looking at photos of people's kids or pets, or being horrified or placated … Continue reading Another Facebook jumper
Krampus, Jersey style: The Dark Servant by Matt Manochio
I reviewed Matt Manochio's The Dark Servant in Issue #44 of Weird NJ and was poking around the Internet (okay, Googling my name) when I came across a thank you post on his blog: Weird NJ gives some Krampus love! I always get scared when I publish a story about a person or book recommendation, as … Continue reading Krampus, Jersey style: The Dark Servant by Matt Manochio
The Chill of Moist Snails
I'm just as guilty as the next writer of throwing clichés into my work, especially when I'm writing early drafts. And I'm sure that people can go through my "final" work and find others. That doesn't mean I can't note commonly used clichés that I try to avoid and see being used by other writers who … Continue reading The Chill of Moist Snails
A fear of clowns…
I was no more than two or two-and-a-half years old when I became very aware of the painting on my bedroom wall. It was a portrait of a clown that my dad had painted in 1971, presumably with the intent of using it to decorate my bedroom, because don't all kids like clowns? It hung … Continue reading A fear of clowns…
The Mother of Action Park Stories
In 2014 my local newspaper reported on two different television production companies approaching Action Park about doing a reality TV show. (Chances are this link will be dead or under a subscription wall.) Action Park, if you don't know, is a notorious water park located in the Northwestern NJ town in which I live. The … Continue reading The Mother of Action Park Stories
How to navigate my slush pile
I've been doing some slush pile reading for a literary magazine that shall remain nameless, if only because I don't want to advertise that I'm doing slush pile reading for them, hence people trying to find out if I read/passed their work on to the editors in charge. The magazine publishes short stories of 4,000 … Continue reading How to navigate my slush pile
In which I am a whimsical failure, of sorts
In July 2008, I had just finished assembling my second anthology of ghost stories, Weird Encounters. And despite my efforts to complete the book in time for the publisher to get it on shelves in time for Halloween that year, they were all for naught. Thanks to the financial crisis, the publisher said it might … Continue reading In which I am a whimsical failure, of sorts
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