Do you want to hear something sad? I forgot my WordPress password. Can you believe that? It hasn’t been more than a couple of months since my last post (yes, I know, entirely too long!) and I forgot how to sign in. It’s the product of a month busy with the birth of my second daughter and a sleepless night.
The good news? Well, the dream isn’t dead. That’s good, right? I mean, I’m not giving up. Writers still manage to make it onto bookstore shelves, so I’ll keep running for the prize. In fact, in spite of a long month of baby business, I’ve managed to write two short pieces that I feel really good about. I would share them here, but they are bound for contest submission. The first is a really dark novelette (No. I don’t mean novella. There’s a difference. Look it up!) which marks the first real horror story I’ve written. It’s been “in process” since I was laid up with pneumonia several months ago, festering in the shadowed recesses of my mind. It’s a sick and twisted tale, a far cry from my usual leanings, but I’m excited to see if it makes any impact at all. I’m using a psuedonym for this one but, if it finds a home, I’ll let you know.
The second piece will be my entry for Writers Digest’s short short story (not a typo!) contest for the end of the year. It’s a story called MORNING and puts to use - albeit in a fictional setting - some of my experiences with grief and the comments made by the well-meaning crowd just after a funeral. It’s been a while since I’ve written anything so short, but I’m proud of it. Whether it wins or not - whether or not my horror story ever finds it way to a magazine or anthology - I feel I’m writing better than I ever have.
I’m also excited about what’s waiting on the horizon for the Write Crowd. Before the year is out, we will publishing our first zine. It will feature an original short story by yours truly as well as some of the helpful info you’ve come to expect from our podcasts. In the future, we will open the zine (tentatively called THE WRITE CROWD READER) to your contributions. It’ll be a short print run kind of thing here in the DFW metroplex, but we’ll make it available to anyone who wants to order my mail.
Also, 2009 should see The Write Crowd enter into the publishing arena. We intend to publish an anthology of original fiction, so we’ll let you know where to send your submissions, but will also use it to launch a few side projects that have been on our back burners.
The bottom line: Keep supporting The Write Crowd. We may be slow to update from time to time, but we really believe in what we’re doing here. We believe in you and your passion for writing. As time marches on, we plan to introduce more and more ways for you to pursue that passion. In the meantime…
Write More! Write Now!
J
J. Patrick Lemarr @ July 21, 2008
Wow. Okay, normally this blog is just about my own journey, mistakes, etc. But, I just got through reading Odd Hours, the latest Odd Thomas book by Dean Koontz, and I have to say - Odd may well be one of my favorite characters ever. It’s like, no matter what the plot entails, I enjoy spending time with Odd, you know? If that isn’t the mark of a well-written character, I would like to know what is. As writers, I think we should pay attention to the kind of characters we connect with.
What makes them tick?
What makes them unique?
What tools does the writer use to draw us into this character’s world?
Every character is different, of course, and some don’t reach us the way others might. Sometimes the lesson is in what DOESN’T work, but with Odd Thomas (at least for me) it’s all about what does work. His charm. His morality. His sense of self - and his own fallibility. His understanding of grace and how it comes to us. And, of course, his sense of humor. If you’ve never read these books, check them out. And pay attention. When we aren’t learning, we’re just wasting time.
Write More! Write Now!
J
J. Patrick Lemarr @ May 28, 2008