Sticky Notes Blog

A blog of writing news, tips, and inspiration from Fat Plum

New online literary magazine: Wild River Review

Check out Wild River Review, a new online magazine. The first issue is available now:

Wild River Review showcases the finest works of creative prose, poetry, and contemporary visual artists. We will continually search for and offer high-quality inventive voices, experimental themes, and erudite subjects along with riveting images from around the world.

Readers are encouraged to follow different paths through the magazine?s menu, making their favorite choices from interviews, columns, blogs, novel excerpts, and essays as well as short stories, poems, and original artwork. We want to hear from you, foster connections, and build a community of writers, artists, and readers.

The Wild River Review is accepting submissions in these categories:

  • Fiction
  • Non-Fiction
  • Science Fiction/Horror/Fantasy/Mystery/Romance/Thriller
  • Poetry
  • Comics and Graphic Stories
  • Art

Check their submissions guidlines for more details.

Posted by Cindy on February 16, 2006
This entry was posted in the following categories: Calls for submissions, Online publishing

Being a good author is a disappearing act: Elmore Leonard's rules of good writing

The official Elmore Leonard Website has a forum for fans and writers. One of the most interesting and useful things there is a reprint of his "Ten Rules of Writing" from the New York Times Writers on Writing Series.

I'm a big fan of Mr. Leonard's writing, as past participants of Book Boot Camp and our private coaching know. His writing spins along and his dialogue snaps. These rules clearly and succintly show how he cuts the fat and leaves the meat.

These are rules I?ve picked up along the way to help me remain invisible when I?m writing a book, to help me show rather than tell what?s taking place in the story. If you have a facility for language and imagery and the sound of your voice pleases you, invisibility is not what you are after, and you can skip the rules. Still, you might look them over.

I'll list the rules here, but you should read the full list and explanations -- your readers will thank you.

  1. Never open a book with weather.
  2. Avoid prologues.
  3. Never use a verb other than ?said? to carry dialogue.
  4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb ?said.?
  5. Keep your exclamation points under control.
  6. Never use the words ?suddenly? or ?all hell broke loose.?
  7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
  8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
  9. Don?t go into great detail describing places and things.
  10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

Elmore Leonard sums his rules with this super-rule: "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it." there's no better advice out there.

Posted by Cindy on February 15, 2006
This entry was posted in the following categories: Writing tips
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New Writers Short Story Contest

Glimmert Train Press has announced its Short-Story Award for New Writers. Entries are due by March 31st. The contest is open only to writers whose fiction has not appeared in any publication with a circulation over 5,000.

Posted by Julie on February 07, 2006
This entry was posted in the following categories: Calls for submissions