Where has January gone?

Did you know gym attendance doubles in January?

The sweat-soaked weight machines groan under the eager, inexperienced enthusiasm of the well-meaning but physically unfit, whilst the regular gym-goers look on in disgust.

They call it the New Year’s rush. With each passing day, their willpower fades. Come February, most of these new faces will be back in the pub, where they spend their evenings for 11 months a year. So much for that fresh start, huh?

No — I haven’t joined the gym (although that’d be a handy excuse for why I haven’t updated the blog). In fact, I’ve never been a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions, despite pushing myself every year to come up with a list.

The problem with making resolutions is that you start out with the best of intentions, but the mounting mental pressure strangles the habit. Soon your carefully planned fresh start turns into something you’re doing because you have to, and not because you want to.

And the moment you begin to resent your resolution — the moment you break your new habit — then it tends to stay broken.

Which brings me to: what do I want to accomplish this year?

  1. Get Above Ground done and dusted. Finish serialising it, get it out in print and ebook form, and close the chapter on that novel.

  2. Plot/plan the next book. I haven’t decided which, yet — I may run a little poll and get you guys to vote on which I should work on.

Yep, that’s it.

Why only two things? Because what with being editor-in-chief of 1889 Labs, co-producing and hosting Webfiction World, eating chocolate, being lazy, and spending time with the boyfriend, I don’t want to commit to anything else… for now.

But you know what? Since I don’t do New Year’s resolutions, I can make new resolutions any time. So beware, gym-goers — you may see me in the gym yet!

How about you? What are your plans for the year?

(Psst! Join the mailing list and get a free book! If you’d like to receive emails from me with news, special promotions, exclusive content, pre-releases, etc, you now can! How exciting is that? All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter. And if you sign up by January 31st, you’ll get a e-copy of Belonging FREE! You know you want to.)

A Closer Look At Flash Fiction

Episode 10 of Webfiction World looks at flash fiction: the pros and cons of writing short stories, the different communities, and why you should give it a try.

My guests, John Wiswell and Angie Capozello, showed me up by have serious insight into the flash fiction community. Here’s a recap of the main points discussed.

Why write flash fiction?

To be a better writer, you need to write. It’s a simple concept: practice makes perfect. But writing flash fiction — and short fiction more generally — has unique benefits when compared to writing novels.

Flash fiction is short, under 1,000 words. It forces you to be concise and precise, it teaches you how to use your words effectively. There’s no space for infodumps or random descriptions; the challenge is to make your story engaging in a short space.

The short length of this form also makes it a perfect testing ground: you can try new genres, characters or writing styles, and if it turns out horribly, then you can move on. It would be far worse to be halfway through a novel and realise that it’s not going to work.

There is also a great twitter community surrounding flash fiction (FridayFlash, particularly) which means you can also get feedback — and if you want to improve as an author, feedback is crucial.

On the reader side, flash fiction requires very low investment. It’s generally free, and takes five minutes to read. It exposes prospective readers to your writing style, and gives you a chance to tempt them into wanting more of you.

Not to mention the numerous ezines out there accepting flash fiction submissions — even if they’ve already been posted on your blog.

So if you’re eager to give flash fiction a try, what should (and shouldn’t) you be doing?

Flash Fiction Do’s and Don’ts

  1. Be concise. If it doesn’t move the plot forward, don’t put it in.

  2. Don’t convolute. Too much of anything is too much, whether that is number of characters, points of view, time lapses, etc.

  3. Avoid word-counting. Don’t write 999 words. Be willing to experiment with how short your story can go.

  4. Push your boundaries. Try new genres, themes and writing styles.

  5. Don’t overplan. Go with your idea and see where it leads you.

  6. Write around the edges of your day. If you find it hard to make time to write, then scribble during breakfast or lunch, or write John style, in the toilet.

  7. GO FOR IT!

If you’d like to hear more about John and Angie’s work, flash fiction communities online, and whether chocolate trumps cheese, tune into the podcast.

In the meantime, any suggestions to add to the list?

RED HERRINGS

His beard is a disguise.

People see the dark skin, the thick hair, the traditional clothing, and come to all the wrong conclusions. But it is his beard they notice first, the thickness of it, its length. It is the first of many red herrings in his appearance.

Hiding behind its thick, curled tangle are gentle cheeks, a sad smile, soft lips that mouth poetry on the underground.

He’s clutching two open notebooks, one on top of the other. His nails are rough-ridged and cracked but he holds the pen delicately, copying words from one notebook into the other.

The words themselves are another red herring: words of pain and suffering, of loneliness and anger, carefully misspelled to feign ignorance.

He needs these — the beard, the words, the disguise — because without them, he is nothing, no one. Just another man on the tube, another forgettable face.

Interview on Free Book Reviews

Free Book Reviews is a blog that reviews indie books, interviews indie authors and generally talks about whatever amuses them in the literary world.

Yesterday, Free Book Reviews posted an interview with yours truly. I discuss poetry (and Gabriel Gadfly), horror, chocolate, and other things I can’t remember saying.

Some choice excerpts:

FBR: Why do you write?

Me: Because not to write is to despair; I simply cannot imagine life without it.

There’s an immense satisfaction in crafting a story, in finding the right turn of phrase, in seeing the little characters in my head come to life. But there’s an even greater satisfaction in having my work read, and finding that others, too, can fall in love with my worlds. Sharing the joy of writing and reading is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

FBR: Did researching and writing Hungry For You teach you anything or influence your thinking in any way?

Me: It’s made me appreciate horror as a genre — I’ve come to realise that horror is more than just gore and guts. There’s a lot to be learnt about the human condition in extreme situations; I think people really show their true nature when faced with life or death situations.

FBR: What is your greatest strength as a writer?

Me: I think my greatest strength is that I believe nothing I write is sacred.

It can always be improved, rewritten, changed. I want to tell the best possible story, and if that means cutting out 30,000 words and writing new stuff, I’ll do it.

You can read the rest of the interview here.

Win a Kindle! and Other Short Stories

Just kidding, no short stories involved.

As you may have seen over on the 1889 Labs blog, we are giving away a Kindle Fire to one lucky reader.

To enter, simply join the 1889 Labs mailing list by December 31st at the latest.

If you join by December 15th, you’ll also get a bonus prize!

That’s right: you’ll get a FREE e-copy of our latest release, The Destructibles by IsaKFT. I’ve read and edited that techno-thriller, and let me tell you, it’s pretty great.

If you like thinking about net neutrality, newsmedia conglomerates ruling the world, and the underdogs fighting back, this is the book for you.

If you sign up by the 15th you’ll also get up to 50% off of selected 1889 titles, including my ever-lovely Hungry For You.

Plus, you know, as editor-in-chief, I’m the one writing the 1889 newsletters, so it’d be an extra way for you to keep tabs on me and stuff. :-)

What are you waiting for? Sign up now.