Jump to content

Blogs

Featured Entries

  • Myr

    General Fiction Deep Dive 11

    By Myr

    Top Read General Fiction Stories Since Deep Dive 10 Top 10 Most Read General Fiction - Big City / Urban Life Stories centered on city living, independence, anonymity, ambition, reinvention, and relationships shaped by urban environments. IceBerg by J92 In Process Kismet by E K Stokes Complete Employee of the Month by Boy Mercury X Complete Straight to the Morning by Boy Mercury X Complete Bearding the Lion by Boy Mercury X Complete Parent
    • 6 comments
    • 69 views

Author Experience

Author Experience There are many different talents and unique gifts that go into being a really great writer, and you have to eventually learn how to master them all over time. That pretty much goes without saying. You have to be able to create compelling characters, write engaging dialogue, have an understanding of plot points and strategy, add details, pay attention to themes and tone, build reader empathy so you can get your audience to invest the time and energy that it takes to make you

Comicality

Comicality in Writing Tips

My LinkedIn Profile Was Stolen, a Cautionary Tale

“ERIN SMITH IS A LIAR!!” I went to log onto my LinkedIn profile, to post a link to my latest blog, but I was locked out of it. There was a message saying my account had been locked because of “suspicious activity”. But all I had been posting on it were links to my writing. I checked my emails and found ones from LinkedIn, several of the many emails from them telling me someone had messaged me, someone had viewed my profile, someone had posted another notification, but the recent ones w

Drew Payne

Drew Payne in blog post

Moving on.

Life: I start a new job on Monday. I haven’t had a new job in ten years, mostly because I was happy at my old one. Good hours, good money, good people… Yeah, pretty content. Not gonna lie. But then another opportunity came up, and I thought, “Hey, why not?” The new job still has all the things: schedule, pay, autonomy, etc.  You know what’s shocking? All the people -- at the old company -- flabbergasted at my decision. Why would I leave if nothing was wrong? Am I not scared?

Vote For Your Favorite Secret Author Story!

Voting is happening now! (click the image below) What, you say you didn't get a chance to read all the stories? Well just click on the preceding link or check out the list of awesome stories below! Or... maybe you want to refresh your memory or look for author clues. Yes, that's right! Monday we're going to have a fun 'Spot the REAL author' blog feature. Do you know? Of course not, only I know! Muahahahaha!      1.       14,000 Days of Virtue 2.       Adrift 3.    

Cia

Cia in Anthologies

July Signature Excerpt: Torn in Two by Graeme

I know this may seem like a story you've read before... but Graeme has a way of bringing emotions to life that you can't help but absorb and follow as if they were your emotions and your choices. Don't pass up this short story if you ignored the comments by Wildone featured on Monday's featured blog post or this excerpt tidbit!  Want to read more? Click here!

Cia

Cia in Signature Feature

Secret Author Story Contest Voting

Time to vote! What are you waiting for?! You read, you liked, commented, and reviewed the Secret Author Story Contest stories so now it's time to get out and vote. Wait... not out, stay in! Just click on the vote picture below to go make your choice!  Need a reminder of the stories first? Click on our Secret Author below (image) to visit the story listing 

Cia

Cia in Anthologies

July Signature Author Feature: Torn in Two by Graeme

July has come and with it so many events for me I can't pick between if I'm coming or going... so I chose Graeme's story, Torn in Two, as this month's feature. Please enjoy this short story and leave him a comment or review!  Length: 9,024 Description: Scott's heart is torn in two directions. He wants to leave Greenwood to be with his boyfriend, but he can't leave his grandfather, who needs him. A Reader said:  I just read the story and loved it ❤️ As always, Graeme, th

Cia

Cia in Signature Feature

Welcome to My Blog about Thicker Than Water

This is always an awkward situation, never knowing how to start a conversation that may very well be just to yourself that others may end up reading.  To start, I guess, I hate first person narratives.  You can tell a good writer from a bad writer based on how they use this perspective.  A good writer using first person will give some insight into the mind of the lead character, such as suspicions, theories and point of view, which is used to drive the plot.  A bad writer will focus more on the

Weekly Wrap Up (Jul. 9 - Jul. 15)

Hey all, I'm up at 3:00 and doing the update  And have to be up at 7 again  Just going to do an abbreviated version of the Wrap Up today. If I'm missing something, let me know in the comments and I will try to update later on in the day! Thanks. Monday was reserved for our Review Team! This week @Aditus brought us a review on one of @Sasha Distan works: Tuesday, Cia dropped by to let us know how we are doing on the Secret Author contest: And speaking of Secret Author, Cia w

wildone

wildone in Weekly Wrap Up

I guess I'm meant to revisit traumatic moments in my life this year.

Many of you know about my friend Steve, who died of a heroin overdose when we were 27 years old in 2013. It was, to say the least, a very painful experience for me, during a very turbulent year and half of my life. I recently got an email from our mutual friend inviting me to a bench dedication they're doing for Steve at a park that was, coincidentally, built near the site where their former dorms were. I mean, I'm going. No doubt about it. I just don't know how I feel about more cryin

methodwriter85

methodwriter85 in life

Against The Grain

Against The Grain You know...as you get a bit older...you begin to see a bunch of ‘re-runs’ in the world. Or, at least in the world that the mysterious ‘they’ want to present to you. Hehehe, I’ve never understood the fascination, to be honest...trying to control public perception when reality is just….ummm...reality. It just seems so utterly exhausting to me. It’s like going through all of the trouble of kidnapping somebody, chaining them up in a basement with no windows, and soundproofing t

Comicality

Comicality in Writing Tips

Origin Stories - The Possibilities are Endless

Character development is not an easy, or formulaic, task.  Many of us read and write stories that are character-driven.  We fall in love with a character we create, or read, and follow their life and events as they unfold.  This means a writer can create the character's habits, quirks, strengths, weaknesses, and reactions through the use of narrative.  However, there are times when a writer needs a back story for a character, a motivation, a sort of history that helped form the character's perso

Cole Matthews

Cole Matthews in Prompts

Secret Author Story Contest-Voting Coming Soon!

Well, better late than never! You readers certainly haven't been slack in providing your feeback!! Wow! With just one more story to go, I have to feature how the 10 stories so far have been received, and we still have 1 to go. Keep it up! 10 stories in 10 days 323 Likes 190 Comments 45 Reviews Voting will start next Tuesday, so make sure you read all the Secret Author Contest stories so you're ready to vote for your favorite! Click on our Secret Author below (image)

Cia

Cia in Anthologies

London Pride 2023: A Long Wait or Another Broken Promise?

They were dotted throughout the London Pride march. On all different types of banners and placards, some very professionally produced and others homemade but often more pithy. All of them demanding the same thing: BAN CONVERSION THERAPY! Every time I saw one, I would smile, partly to show my support and gratitude to the person carrying the banner, and partly to myself. To see the dangerous threat of conversion therapy so openly denounced by the LGBTQ community was so reassuring. I

Drew Payne

Drew Payne in blog post


×
×
  • Create New...