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Gay Authors News blog focuses on items of interest for our entire site with an emphasis on stories.

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Anthologies

One More Week!

Who's frantically writing and working to get their story done in time for the deadline?   While I don't have the official number of stories submitted yet, I can say we are very close to matching the number of Secret Author stories.  This is going to be a great anthology, so stay tuned!   The Proof Team is hard at work proofreading the stories that have been submitted so far.  Please be patient as more stories are coming in every day, and we are volunteers with a life outsid
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Anthologies

Two Weeks!

There are just two weeks left to get stories sent to me for the Proof Team to review.  From the selection I've read so far, this is going to be a great anthology! The Proof Team has been hard at work, but we're always eager for more, so keep sending me your creatures to feature!   Hmmm... maybe something a bit scarier? Nah... scarier.  That'll do       
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The Proof is in the... Creature Feature!

What does the Anthology Proof Team do?  Once your anthology story is finished and edited, then it's time to send it to me so I can assign a Proof Team member to give it a final once-over.  Why do we do this? To ensure that stories meet site guidelines and basic editing standards.  We look for anything the author and their team may have missed - misspelled words, misused words, unintentional grammar mistakes, punctuation.  I have a great team of knowledgeable proofreaders ready to go with their r
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Anthologies

Writing Short Stories

Classic Author Libby Drew wrote a great guest article a couple of years ago about her take on writing short stories.  Since this year's anthology is fast approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to re-feature it.    
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Anthologies

Upcoming Writing Events

It's been a busy year with writing events here at GA so far.  We started with our second tribute to Carlos Hazday - Auld Lang Syne, and continued with our annual Poetry Anthology - Diversity, followed by a tribute to a GA icon, Comicality - Coming of Age.  A favorite of both authors and reader is the annual Secret Author contest, which just concluded.   Now it's time to focus on the annual Anthology - Creature Feature, which is due on October 1st.  Guidelines can be found here:  I've
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Anthologies

Raise Your Hand

While we're all eagerly awaiting the reveal of the Secret Author stories, I thought it would be a good time to check in and see how those anthology stories are coming along! We can't reveal the participants of the SA contest yet (or I should say Cia can't.  I have zero insider knowledge about it.  Yes, it's that secret!), but we can openly talk about who's writing what for the annual anthology.  I've already had five stories submitted to the proof team - which is a record this far from the due d
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Anthologies

Not So Secret

There are lots of secrets surrounding our Tell the Truth - Secret Author contest, but one thing that's not a secret is the due date for story submissions!  My beta reader is twitching in the corner because I used "secret" three times in the same sentence   There's less than a week to go, so get those finishing touches put on your stories and get them sent off to @Cia.  Just don't tell anyone about it   It won't be long now until we can start the guessing game as to who wrote what, whi
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Anthologies

I Don't Like the Anthology Theme. What do I do?

GA features several writing events throughout the year, usually with a theme.  When themes are announced, there are generally two reactions - yay, I love it! or WTF were you thinking?  Participating in site events is fun and a great way to get your work out there and gain new readers.  So, what happens when you want to participate in a site event but don't like the theme?  I'm going to outline some tips and tricks to still participating, even if the theme doesn't "speak" to you.  
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Anthologies

Decisions, Decisions

I have a really awesome blog post in the works for next week, but in keeping with our upcoming Secret Author contest, my lips are sealed   You'll have to tune in next week to see what it is.  In the meantime, here are the guidelines for the SA contest and the annual anthology.  Which one will you participate in?  Don't answer that... letting us know you are writing a story for the SA contest will get you disqualified so   You can tell us if you are writing for the Creature Feature anthology, tho
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Anthologies

2025 Secret Author Story Contest-Reveal the Truth

For 2025, the Secret Author Contest theme is going to be "Reveal the Truth". Now... the only one you can reveal the truth to in real life is your beta/editor, but in the story there should be some link to the theme of revealing the truth in some way. A juicy secret that comes out, a bitter reveal that one doesn't want to believe, best friends that finally end up doing the horizontal tango and the betting pool reveals who won on how long it took them to get there? Authors, you decide how it plays
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Anthologies

What's Next?

We've already completed two events this year, Carlos Hazday's tribute and the Diversity Poetry Anthology.  Our third event, Coming of Age - A Tribute to Comicality, goes live tomorrow.  So, what's next on the radar?   Or, shall I say that @Cia has a secret  One of our most popular site events is the annual Secret Author contest, where stories are voted on without the readers knowing who wrote them.  Guessing who wrote what always creates great discussion!  Details should be coming soo
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Anthologies

2025 Poetry Anthology - Diversity Wrap-Up

We had eight poems featured by site poets who were inspired by the theme of "Diversity".  I really enjoyed everyone's unique take on an important theme.  If you haven't done so, check out the links below and leave the poets a reaction or comment.  A huge thank you to everyone who contributed poetry, read, reacted, commented, and reviewed.  You guys are what makes this site so awesome!  There's always behind-the-scenes help when it comes to anthologies, so I would like to extend my heartfelt than
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Anthologies

2025 Poetry Anthology - Diversity - Week Two *Now Live!*

Our celebration of National Poetry Writing Month continues with four more poems from site poets.  I love the diversity of these submissions, and I hope you will too.  Be sure to show the anthology participants your appreciation by leaving a comment, like, or review.  If you haven't read them yet, check out last week's offerings as well.  I'm really glad to see all the support for those who participated this year.  Time to start reading!         
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Anthologies

2025 Poetry Anthology - Diversity *Now Live!*

April is National Poetry Writing Month, and it's time for GA's annual celebration of this event - the poetry anthology!  This year, the theme was Diversity, and we had several site poets take up the challenge.  We truly have some diverse poetry, and I am sure you will enjoy reading these selections as much as I did.  Please show our poets your appreciation by leaving a reaction, comment, or review, and stay tuned next week for even more poetry Diversity!      
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Anthologies

Comicality Tribute and Upcoming Writing Events

The poetry anthology will be going live next week, so today I wanted to remind everyone of another upcoming writing event - Comicality's tribute.  May 2nd would have been Comicality's 50th birthday, so we are honoring him by featuring a tribute to his memory - Coming of Age.  The deadline for submissions is April 25th.  Check out the guidelines here:   Also coming up this year is the Secret Author contest this summer, the Creature Feature anthology this fall, followed by another Promp
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Diversity Exercise #2

We're getting down to the wire for submissions to the annual Poetry Anthology.  Submissions are due March 30th, so there is about a week and a half to get your links posted to the thread in the Anthology forum of the Writer's Circle.  I'm really looking forward to reading the different interpretations of "Diversity".   I thought it would be fun to do another exercise using the Diversity theme.  This would be a great jumping off point for poems for the anthology *hint hint*  We can create a
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Poetry Anthology 101

The deadline for the annual poetry anthology - Diversity - is fast approaching!  I'm really looking forward to reading what everyone comes up with on this important topic.  Since I've had some questions come up about the posting procedure for the anthologies, I'm going to break them down and hope this helps when it comes time to upload your poems.  Cia has created a step-by-step tutorial with screenshots, which I will link to below.  Myr recently updated it to ensure it is as up to date as possi
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Anthologies

Anthologies Check-In

Submissions are coming in for both the Diversity poetry anthology and Creature Feature fall anthology.  I think we've set some kind of record because I've received not one, not two, but three submissions already for Creature Feature!  Not bad for an event that's still six months down the road.  Based on what I've read so far, this is going to be a fantastic anthology!  There's also two submissions for the poetry anthology, which is only a month away.  So, how is everyone doing with their antholo
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Anthologies

Diverse Diversity

Before I get into today's blog, I just want to say how thrilled I am that submissions for both anthologies have started coming in! I'm loving the enthusiasm.  You guys are what make this site so amazing ⭐   Now back to today's regularly scheduled blog feature... One of the reasons I chose the theme "Diversity" for our poetry anthology is because poetry is... well... diverse.  There are so many forms to choose from, and exploring those forms can be a fun aspect of writing poe
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Diverse Connections

When I interviewed for a job a few years ago, one of the questions they asked me was "what does diversity mean to you, and why is it important?".  I told a story in that interview about a woman I had worked with at my old job who uses a wheelchair and is also non-speaking.  She had a communication device and was capable of using it; however, she wasn't very motivated to do so.  She frequently refused therapy and was depressed.  I knew her abilities and things that she enjoyed doing in the past,
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Anthologies

Diversity Exercise

Diversity is a topic that has been on my mind lately, which is perfect timing since it's the theme of our annual Poetry Anthology.  One of the things I love about my job is the diverse nature of the individuals I serve.  I've gotten a bunch of new referrals lately; many from cultures I am only rudimentarily familiar with.  So, I've been doing a lot of research to ensure I account for these individuals cultural heritage and beliefs when providing services.   I recently attended a continuing
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Future Anthology Blogs

I have some exciting plans for the anthology blog this year, including a series of writing tips.  I'd like to get an idea of what else authors/readers would like to see here in the Thursday anthology blog.  Please comment or message me about any topics you would like to see addressed, and I will do my best to accommodate.  Also let me know if you like the anthology rewinds, where past anthologies are re-featured.  It's not too early to get started writing for our Poetry Anthology - Diversity or
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2025 Anthology - Creature Feature - Guidelines

I'm super excited about this year's theme!  There are so many possibilities.... Do I go with a cute fluffy kitty?  Or maybe a fire-breathing dragon?  Or an army of Norse penguins fighting Canadian otters?   It's a good thing there's a lot of time before the deadline, although with my prowess at procrastinating, I probably won't start till the week it's due   The guidelines for this year's anthology are posted below.  So now that we know the theme and the parameters... start writing!  
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2025 Poetry Anthology Announcement!

The GA Poetry Anthology is returning for 2025 with the theme "Diversity"!  It's the perfect theme to show off the diverse world of poetry and its various forms.  I look forward to reading what our site poets come up with!  Please note the earlier due date.  The extra few days will give me more time to get submissions ready for the big reveal in April to celebrate National Poetry Month.     2025 Poetry Anthology - Due: March 30, 2025 The 2025 Theme is “Diversity” Feel free to
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Auld Lang Syne - A Tribute to Carlos Hazday *Now Live*

Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot in the days of auld lang syne?   To answer the question in the song - no, old acquaintance should never be forgotten, especially when they were a force named Carlos Hazday.  It's hard to believe our friend has been gone for over a year now.  Based on the stories submitted for this tribute, it's clear that his influence lives on.  So, let's raise a glass and toast to auld lang syne and fond memories of
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