This Human Condition: A Collection of Flash and Micro Fiction

Happy New Year! I’m very excited to be kicking off 2010 with a wonderful announcement:

We are now accepting submissions to This Human Condition: A Collection of Flash and Micro Fiction!

This unique anthology will feature a collection of stories ranging from 250-1000 words.  The book will be divided into two sections, each with corresponding emotional themes.

Section One

Love
Joy
Pride
Inspiration
Awe

Section Two

Sorrow
Fear
Grief
Guilt
Disappointment

Petal Pusher Press, the publisher of Saponifier Magazine and my current employer, is sponsoring the anthology.  This means that it will be edited, proofed and then generated by a talented layout designer that who will make this e-Book pop!

As originally planned, the completed eBook will be distributed at no cost to readers through the participating author websites, as well as via download on Amazon.com. Authors who contribute to this project will have to grant Petal Pusher Press limited use of their work, but will retain copyright. 

Because this anthology is designed to assist new authors with marketplace recognition, no payment will be made to any participating author.

PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED SUBMISSIONS ONLY

Submission will be accepted by email until January 30, 2010

Email subject must read: This Human Condition Submission

Email body must include:

• Your Full Name
• Your Email Address
• A 200 Word Biography of the Author
• Your website URL
• The Section and Emotion that you are submitting to

You may also include a a 200×200 pixel headshot for marketing purposes.

All submissions should be sent as an .RTF email attachment. RTF files need to named in the following format: human_condition-AUTHORNAME.  RTF files should be formatted to have 12 point Times New Roman font.

All questions and submissions should be directed to Tamara Dourney via email to Tamara@petalpusherpress.com

10 Things I Learned About Writing in 2009

I wrote this for SheWrites, posting it over there first, so some of you may have already read this.

Its been a long year, and frankly I’m glad to see it leaving us in peace. Despite the challenges I’ve faced, I can rejoice in many learning experiences, as well as the formation of many new friendships. Having said all that, I’ll get to the good stuff and share with you the top ten things I learned about writing over the past year.

1. If you tell someone you’re a writer, they will ask you what you’ve written that they might have read or heard of. I find this interesting on several levels. First, because many people assume that your writing is either meaningful or worthless based on your response. Second, because the odds that the average person has come in contact with any one book or magazine article are fairly slim. Consider Amazon.com- according to Wikipedia, there are currently about 250,000 books on the site. The Washington Post has reported that about 1/4 of the population actually doesn’t pick up a single book in an entire year; the rest read about 9 novels per year. Even if they read 9 books per year for 65 years, that means they’d only read 0.234% of the books available on Amazon.com. This tends to give an overwhelming portion of the population the impression that writing, on the whole, is worthless.

2. I don’t care. I don’t write to get the approval of others; I do it because I just can’t help myself. I find fulfillment in providing reading material that others enjoy, pride in knowing that I might have given someone a new perspective on a topic. So, if no one ever reads anything I write, that is okay- I’m still going to write it anyway.

3. Writing can pay the bills, but it requires an overwhelming amount of work. There are no easy, eight hour days and, when a deadline is looming, the words you need are most likely to fail you.

4. No amount of notebooks or computer programs can organize my notes.

5. Outlines are great I particularly like the sound they make as I move them to the recycling bin.

6. Editing and Revisions never end. Never. Its very much like the Henry the 8th song. Second verse, same as the first.

7. Proofing is best done 1 to 2 years after a story is completed. Five to ten years might work even better, as the content is sure to be long forgotten by then, but that wouldn’t allow for the next five rounds of proofing you’ll be going through. Ah, the dangling particle of it all!

8. It’s way too easy to slip into a rhythm, formatting all your sentences exactly the same. You, of course, will never notice you’ve done this, but will be appalled when someone points it out to you in a very public manner.

9. I enjoy writing things I hadn’t expected to enjoy. Like flash and micro fiction and even children’s stories.

10. I love the Kindle and I’m thrilled to be learning how to format writing for it.

And that, my friends, is what I learned about writing over the past 12 months.

THT: Week 6

I can’t believe it’s time for another Treasure Hunt Tuesday post already- time sure is flying by these days!

Today’s quote comes to us from Benedict de Spinoza. From Wikipedia:

Benedict de Spinoza

Benedict de Spinoza (November 24, 1632 – February 21, 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese Jewish origin. Revealing considerable scientific aptitude, the breadth and importance of Spinoza’s work was not fully realized until years after his death. Today, he is considered one of the great rationalists of 17th-century philosophy, laying the groundwork for the 18th century Enlightenment and modern biblical criticism.

Spinoza has had influence beyond the confines of philosophy. The nineteenth century novelist, George Eliot, produced her own translation of the Ethics, the first known English translation thereof. The twentieth century novelist, W. Somerset Maugham, alluded to one of Spinoza’s central concepts with the title of his novel, Of Human Bondage. Albert Einstein named Spinoza as the philosopher who exerted the most influence on his world view (Weltanschauung). Spinoza equated God (infinite substance) with Nature, consistent with Einstein’s belief in an impersonal deity. In 1929, Einstein was asked in a telegram by Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein whether he believed in God. Einstein responded by telegram: “I believe in Spinoza’s God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings.”[14] Spinoza’s pantheism has also influenced environmental theory. Arne Næss, the father of the deep ecology movement, acknowledged Spinoza as an important inspiration.

It stands to reason that Spinoza wrote a lot of rather influential things, but one simple quote stood out to me above the others.

Prop. IX. The more reality or being a thing has, the greater the number of attributes.

For many people, this quote is something that applies to a scientific or philosophical understanding of the world around them. I found it rang true from a different perspective: that of an author.

Consider that the ‘thing’ in question is a character, and the ‘reality or being’ is just that. In order to make a character realistic, to make it live and breathe and almost seem to walk among us, it needs to have more attributes. Sure, you can start by describing height, hair and eye color, but it isn’t until you venture into the land of personality quirks, political leanings, emotional baggage and bad habits that most characters really come to life.

You might be tempted to think that the increase in attributes only helps the reader connect with a character, but I’ve found it to be exactly the ‘stuff’ needed for characters that practically write themselves. When you create a character with such a strong reality, their path through a set of obstacles becomes obvious, their reactions to their surroundings natural and their interactions with others almost predictable. As a writer, what more can you ask for?

I found this quote in the book The Rationalists | Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz. I’ll be the first to admit that The Rationalists isn’t a light read, so if you’ve never tackled something like it before yet want to read it, you’ll probably need to absorb it small doses. It is really well worth it, though- there are so many gems in it, so many inspirational, controversial, amazing or simply profound items contained within the pages that it lives on my ‘Keep Forever’ bookshelf in a place of honor.

Better Late Than Never & Black Holes In The Dryer

I know, I know, I know. I’m late.  I never posted the Thursday Talkabout.  Does it help if I make excuses? I have an laundry list of them ready for you- I got busy and the day got away from me, I was working, it was the season finale of Burn Notice (oh, Fiona, how I adore thee!), it was bedtime before I knew it…I can go on. No? Okay, then let’s just move past it.

The truth is, I was going to post about a ‘Mainstream’ blog, one over on MSNBC, and the delay actually led to an interesting new post over there.  But we’ll get to that in a minute.

This week’s Talkabout Blog is the Cosmic Log, something most of my family and friends have never heard of.  Its a lesser known part of the MSNBC website, but one of the highlights.   If you’ve never come across it before, it’s written by Alan Boyle, a winner of the AAAS Science Journalism Award, the NASW Science-in-Society Award and other honors; a contributor to “A Field Guide for Science Writers”; and a member of the board of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing.  Rather than bore you with a list of reasons I love to read Boyle’s blog, I’m going to simply share this, an excerpt from today’s Cosmic Log:

“Last weekend, an eminent panel of theorists (including myself) gathered to reflect upon “cannibalistic socks” and other riddles at the SpoCon science-fiction and fantasy convention in Spokane, Wash. I think we may have made as much headway as the Solvay Conference did back in Einstein’s day. Here’s the rundown on our results:

Where disappearing socks go

Some people have suggested that socks go missing in the laundry because a space-time warp somehow transforms them into belly-button lint and dust bunnies that appear out of nowhere. That’s only half-right. Take a look at this diagram of the modern clothes dryer, then note the similarity to this picture of the ATLAS detector at Europe’s Large Hadron Collider. Is that mere coincidence?

I didn’t think so.”

Interestingly enough, had I posted this Talkabout yesterday (you know, like I was SUPPOSED to..lol) we would have had a totally different topic and the quote would have been more like this:

“Scientists are improving their technique for bending DNA into origami shapes. The latest twist uses custom-made chemicals to turn bunches of molecules into smoothly curving circlets and gears – a trick that eventually could set the stage for practical nanomachines.”

Since today’s topic was much more entertaining, I’ve begun to wonder.  Do you think it was a ripple in the space-time continuum that caused me not to post yesterday?  Some Dr. Who– like stroke of luck that aligned my procrastination with the forces of the universe, creating just the right atmosphere for a better blog? Perhaps, my friends, perhaps.

On a side note, I’ve been thinking a lot about those nanomachines.  At first they creeped me out (yay for scientific advances, but I’d like to avoid living out I, Robot, thanks!) Then I decided that if they can proof and edit manuscripts, I’m in!

All kidding aside, the Cosmic Log is a wonderful place to visit on your coffee break, a source of inspiration and education that, as a writer, I see as wonderful fodder for the next great Sci-Fi tale!

Friday 5: Taboo

In order for you, my readers, to understand this week’s challenge, I need share a bit of information from the Friday5.org blog:

“This week’s 5 is inspired by the party game called Taboo, in which players must make their teammates utter key words by giving them clues. The twist is that each key word is assigned five Taboo words, and players are forbidden from using the Taboo words in their clues. For example, one key word might be milk, and its Taboo words might be dairy, cow, drink, white, and carton. Your clue might be something like, “It’s a beverage from Bessie,” or “You add it to coffee,” or “The land of BLANK and honey,” or “It comes out of breasts.”

Your task is simply to answer these five questions without using any of the Taboo words or phrases. Challenge yourself not just to avoid using the words, but to think of fresh, new answers to these sort of cliched meme questions!”

Now that you know the rules of the challenge, on to my answers!

1.  Who’s making a positive difference in your life?
Taboo words: friends, family, husband/wife/spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend.

I think right now I’m making the most positive difference in my life.  I’ve pulled up my big girl panties and dedicated myself to truly working on being a writer.  As a result, those around me have become more supportive, offering feedback and encouragement at levels that just continue to propel me forward.  If I had ever had an inkling it could be this wonderful to be a writer, I’d have made the commitment long ago!

2.  Where would you like to be right now?
Taboo words: home, bed, anywhere but here.

I’m torn on my answer to this question. Part of me would love to be somewhere that is described with words like ‘windswept’ and that has rocky sea cliffs, heather and endless views.  Another part of me yearns to be in Indiana, where my best friend lives, so that we could spend some serious quality time together- its been years since we’ve seen each other and the internet, while great for keeping up with each other, just isn’t the same.

3.  What’s the first thing you’d do with a $5,000 (or your local equivalent) gift?
Taboo words: save, debt, vacation, payments, invest.

No questions here- I would buy a new computer (mine has SO many issues!) and a new camera.  I’ve wanted both for quite some time, but never seem to find the money in the budget to allow me a guilt-free purchase.

4.  What super-power would you really like to have?
Taboo words: invisibility, x-ray vision, flying, strength, transform.

My first instinct was to say empathy, but the more I thought about it, I realized how painful it could turn out to be.  So instead, I’ve decided on super-speed. That way, when I find I’ve procrastinated to the point of danger, I can catch up without worry! On the down side, I’d eventually become accustomed to the super speed, thus procrastinating even more.

5.  What’s your favorite sound?
Taboo words: laughter, music, ocean, wind, ____’s voice.

Well, this is a pickle. I can’t use any of my favorites, which are all included in the Taboo words, so I’m at a loss. Wait! I know! The sound of fingers typing quickly on a keyboard- the sound of writing, of progress. Yep, love it!

Have you ever noticed

Have you ever noticed that no matter how much time you spend proofing and/or editing a piece, the second it lands in print you end up finding something you’ve missed- a comma, or maybe you were supposed to type ‘then’ but only have ‘the’.

I’m not sure where these little imperfections originate, but I do know that I’ve seen them in many professionally edited and published volumes, in Classic books, in modern romances, even in other magazines. So I think its fairly safe to say that everyone suffers from this problem.

The question then becomes simple: How do you deal with them? I used to fight them, sending my work around to a list of various people, each skilled at detecting a different type of error. But these days, I’m less uptight about it, freer with my words. You’d be surprised how much personal happiness you can find when you let go of those little imperfections, embrace them even.

They’re going to happen. You can’t stop them. Tha is the beauty of it all.

Yes, I know, my ‘that’ is a ‘tha’ but somehow, today, it just doesn’t bother me.

Talkabout Thursday

Pack your bags, we’re going on a trip! I’m going to take you to Dramaquill’s Blog– a wondrous place for writers.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, but most importantly, you’ll nod your head and say, “me too!”

Writer, Jacqueline McMahon blogs about the one thing we all love more than anything else (right?)- writing.

Jacqueline is a playwright as well as…well- she’s just a writer, much like the rest of us.  She’s published pieces in a variety of locations- everything from magazines to anthologies, and has one of the most entertaining blogs I’ve had the pleasure of stumbling across.

Seriously- no matter how far or near you are in your career, take a few minutes and head over to Dramaquill’s Blog – you won’t regret it!

You might be a writer…

It was a dark and stormy afternoon; the thunder was crashing all around, shaking the walls of the house.  Children squealed in fright as lightning forked across the sky, and the power flickered repeatedly, making it nearly impossible for the writer to finish her assignment.   Checking the online weather radar, the writer was quite upset to find that she had her own personal rain cloud, an unhappy blob of reds, yellows and greens parked right above her house.  She knew it was going to be a long day.

If you’ve ever sent an instant message like this, you might be a writer.  I was amusing myself to no end with my little third person story, but nobody else seemed as entertained. Have you ever had those days?

I should probably make it clear that I don’t write in third person on a regular basis; something about today just seemed to demand it.   I know, I know.   You’re probably thinking, “isn’t this just another seductive form of procrastination?” and the truth is, you’d be correct. But its so delicious, you should try it some time!

I’ve actually accomplished quite a bit.  I’m cruising right along on the latest issue of Saponifier, eager to have this edition finalized and in print despite the delays we’ve encountered.  I’ve put the children to work, forcing them to do chores as a way of keeping them occupied- is that wrong? So, as I sit here sipping coffee and eating a blueberry PopTart, I thought a bit of creative writing couldn’t hurt….could it?

Now I’d rather free write than write articles.

*sigh*

Goodmorning? Maybe…

Its early; too early, I think, for the time I went to bed last night.  This being the summer, my internal clock has reset and my body has decided that I should be awake from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.; tough hours to stick to when you have three kids. Now I’ve got a bit of a headache and I’m drinking my first cup of coffee, reflecting on the day ahead of me. I actually feel somewhat guilty that I didn’t do the Friday5 last Friday; the questions didn’t suit me.  Instead, I worked on my WIP and on Saponifier, which is what I’m working on today.

I’m using Google’s new Task List, a part of Gmail.  As a serial email-checker, every time I look for new messages, I am now confronted with a list of things I need to accomplish by the end of the day.  I’m hoping that the little notes will remind me of all the things I have needing done, thus making me more effective as both a writer and Managing Editor, but we’ll see.  I have superhuman powers to stubbornly procrastinate.

I snapped a picture that I want to share with you;  I thought it might help generate a little inspiration for someone.  Its a picture of the sunset and the moon, as seen from my driveway at about 8 p.m. on July 23rd.  Being of the sort that needs inspiring, I’m also going to share a poem, one that seems to fit the mood I’m in today.

The Moon
by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 – 1822)

I
And, like a dying lady lean and pale,
Who totters forth, wrapp’d in a gauzy veil,
Out of her chamber, led by the insane
And feeble wanderings of her fading brain,
The mood arose up in the murky east,
A white and shapeless mass.

II
Art thou pale for weariness
Of climbing heaven and gazing on the earth,
Wandering companionless
Among the stars that have a different birth,
And ever changing, like a joyless eye
That finds no object worth its constancy?

And with that, I’m going to finish my coffee (and perhaps a Blueberry Pop Tart) and start on my day.

The Proofing Problem

Have you ever run into the proofing problem?  Its plaguing me  a lot lately.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the people who are kind enough to proofread my pieces, but sadly, they aren’t catching the errors.  Its one thing when its an article going to print, but another when its a creative piece.  In my recent experience, the problem is simple: when someone is reading a work of fiction, they get caught up in the story and overlook simple errors.

As far as complaints go, its not a bad one to have.  I’d much rather know that they feel my work is enjoyable, but it leaves me wondering how everyone else manages to find the errors in their work- without paying for a professional to proof it, that is.

In the grand scheme of things, I’m a starving artist with a matching budget, so paying for something like proofing isn’t in the cards.  So, do you have tips on proofing works of fiction?  I’m interested to see how other people handle this problem.