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Featuring everything new and experienced authors need to develop creative and technical skills. Check out writing development articles, our Word of the Day, writing prompts, anthology opportunities and more!

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Anthology Development

2023 Anthology Theme - And the Winner Is....

I'd like to extend a huge thank you to all who voted in the anthology theme selection survey. I'm pretty blown away by the turnout we received! It was quite a nail-biting race, especially in the beginning, but eventually a winner leapt ahead.  So without further ado, here's the announcement we've all been waiting for...    Leap of Faith  Please remember that the link to the theme can be tangential - it doesn't have to smack you in the face, as long as it's in there somewhere
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Anthology Development

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Anthology Development

The Final Countdown

Today is the last day to submit stories to the proof team for inclusion in the anthology. I feel like we need a New Year’s Eve type countdown as we approach midnight, EST, complete with champagne and confetti.  Of course, there’s still work for the proof team to do, but we’ll be able to take a break soon.  Maybe.    So the big question with this year’s anthology is “did we reach the goal of twenty stories?”.  Well, I’m going to let the question go unanswered until the antho goes
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Anthology Development

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Anthology Development

Proofreading vs Editing

Proofreading vs Editing No, it’s not a writing smackdown, but two different parts of the writing process that go hand-in-hand.  Since the proof team is working in overdrive at the moment, I thought it would be a good time to rehash the role we play and the difference between a proofread and an edit.  Editing is an in-depth process that looks at all aspects of the story.  So in addition to punctuation, spelling, grammar, language-usage, and the technical aspects of writing, a good edit
Anthology Development

We Need Your Vote!

The anthology selection committee did a great job with suggesting themes and then narrowing them down to a top five for the GA membership to vote on.  It was difficult selecting our favorites, but we have five great themes to choose from.  One of these will be our theme for the 2023 anthology! I'd like to extend a huge thank you to @Aditus@kbois @Mrsgnomie @northie @raven1 and @CassieQ for their input and discussion regarding next year's theme.  You guys are awesome!  Voting will remain ope
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Anthology Development

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Anthology Development

Writing for Anthologies

I wrote my first anthology story for GA for the summer 2014 anthology, The Backup Plan.  It was the start of my Max and Elliot series and hooked me on writing short stories.  I’ve participated in every anthology since then, sometimes with multiple submissions, for a total of 27 stories.  I’m planning on keeping the streak going with the upcoming Anniversary anthology with at least one story.  I thought I’d give some insight as to why I continue writing for all the anthologies and the proce
Anthology Development

Does Size Really Matter?

A couple of questions that come up for discussion frequently here are “How long should I make my chapters?” and “How long should my story be?”.  The truth is, there is no right answer.  My response would be, “Long enough to tell what you want to tell.”  It’s a bit of a glib response, but I’m going to go more in-depth in this blog post.  In terms of the anthology, there is a right answer.  It needs to be between 1,000 and 25,000 words. So how do you decide if your story is going to be a 1k
Anthology Development

The Future of GA Anthologies

In 2012, I took over from Graeme to become the latest Anthology Coordinator. I want to make it clear, I'm a volunteer, just like all the other staff on site and I don't volunteer for the kudos, the recognition, or any reason other than I want to contribute to the site. In the 8 years since I took over the anthology, I have tried my best to improve the anthologies. Some of these changes have met with approval (with only a few complaints), and some of them have been met with numerous complaints (a
Anthology Development

2023 Poetry Anthology - Exploration - Guidelines

It's been eight years since GA has featured a poetry anthology, so if you'd like to see them continue, please consider participating and supporting this one. April is National Poetry Writing Month, so this is a perfect way to celebrate!  The guidelines for participation are featured below and will also be posted in the Anthology portion of the Writer's Circle.    2023 Poetry Anthology - Due: April 1, 2023 The 2023 Theme is “Exploration” Feel free to interpret the theme in any
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Anthology Development

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Anthology Development

2023 Poetry Anthology - Announcement

Due to feedback I've received about the poetry anthology, the guidelines have been revised to eliminate the limitation on number of poems submitted.  There is now a maximum word count instead.  The one poem per chapter rule has also been abolished, so multiple poems may be posted in one "chapter", with a maximum of five chapters.  Please review the revised guidelines and let me know if there are any questions.  I have also created threads in the anthology section of the Writer's Club for discuss
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Anthology Development

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Anthology Development

National Poetry Month - Anthology

April first is an important date for a couple of reasons - and it's no April Fool's joke!  April 1st is the deadline to submit poetry to the 2023 Poetry Anthology - Exploration.   It is also the start of National Poetry Month.  I chose April to feature the poetry anthology for this specific reason.  What better way to celebrate this writing form?  There is an annual challenge as part of National Poetry Month, and that is National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo).  The challenge is to write one p
Anthology Development

Marketing Anthology Stories

Last week, I gave my perspective on the anthology and why I write so many stories for them.  This week, we get a different perspective from @Carlos Hazday. Carlos shares his beginning as a writer and also gives some great advice about marketing.      Carlos Hazday After joining Gay Authors in July 2013, my membership lagged unused until I became active a year later. A newbie with zero writing experience, I gained confidence slaving over weekly prompts for a bit. Maybe not actually
Anthology Development

Poetry Prompts

No, I didn't mix up the days and post the wrong blog  Even though Friday is Prompt Day, I thought it would be a good idea to feature a series of prompts created by GA poet @AC Benus several years ago.  These prompts are a perfect stepping stone for anyone thinking of giving poetry a try, and are also useful exercises for more experienced poets.  Start at the beginning, for each prompt builds upon the rest.  Post your results here, or else in the Poetry Writers Club.  There are a lot of great res
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Anthology Development

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Anthology Development

Anthology Challenge

I’d like to issue a challenge to site authors/poets.  Since the anthology this year is celebrating GA’s 20th Anniversary, let’s see if we can get twenty stories/poems submitted.  This will also put us over the 800 mark for anthology stories on the site.  Let’s thank Myr for creating such an amazing place by making this an anthology to remember. Who’s with me?       
Anthology Development

There's Still Time to Vote!

Happy Holidays!  Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, Festivus, or something else, I wish you the best the holiday season has to offer!  A large part of the US will be facing a pretty nasty winter storm this weekend, my area included, so fingers crossed everyone can still celebrate as planned.    Thank you to all who have voted in the anthology theme selection poll so far.  The poll will remain open until midnight EST on 12/27/22, so there's still time to vote if yo
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Anthology Development

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Anthology Development

We Need Your Support!

The anthologies are an important part of GA, and have always been eagerly anticipated by both authors and readers.  We’re in the final stretch for this year’s anthology, with the deadline for submission to the proof team a week away.  That’s still plenty of time to complete the final edits and get stories to me by or on September first. I’m going to let the final number of stories be a surprise, so you’ll have to wait until it goes live to find out if we met our goal of at least twenty stories.
Anthology Development

Writing for a Theme

I'd like to thank everyone who participated in the polls I posted last week about the number of themes and anthologies for next year.  There was some interesting discussion, and I will be taking a close look at all the comments and the poll results this weekend and will open up further discussion in next week's anthology blog.  This week, we have a guest blog post written by @CassieQ about her take on writing for themes.  She's given us some great food for thought when it comes to writing for an
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Anthology Development

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Anthology Development

2021 Anthology Themes *Announcement*

Well, that's it for this years voting!  The voting was for the top 4 themes to use in the first two themes of the year 2021. The remaining themes have been put through the list randomizer at random.org and will be split up for the potluck for those same themes. Since there were 43 themes left over after the top themes were chosen, one anthology will have 21 themes in the potluck, and the other will have 22 themes. The third and final theme for the year will be a Pre-2021 Anthology Themes and won
Anthology Development

Anthology Favorites

There are currently 781 anthology stories in the GA story archive, so there’s sure to be something in there for everyone.  It’s hard to pick a favorite out of that many stories, but in the nine years I’ve been on the site, there are a few that stand out to me.  The Bachelor Farmer by Cole Matthews is the first story that comes to mind when I think about favorite anthology stories.  It’s a unique blend of history and characterization and has stuck with me since I read it back in 2014. 
Anthology Development

Poetry Revisited

I'm still working on fine-tuning the details for this year's poetry anthology - Exploration, so stay tuned to next week's blog for further information.  In the meantime, I thought I would feature our last poetry anthology, which was eight years ago!  Hopefully this will inspire some of you to explore the realm of poetry and participate in this year's anthology.     
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Anthology Development

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Anthology Development

Seize the Day!

Anyone who's watched Dead Poets Society is familiar with the phrase carpe diem.  Even if you haven't watched this iconic Robin Williams movie, Myr featured this phrase as one of his Words of the Day last week.  Carpe diem was also the theme for the Summer 2009 Anthology.  So seize the day and reacquaint yourself with the stories from this past anthology.    https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/category/22-2009-summer-carpe-diem/  
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Anthology Development

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Anthology Development

There's Still Time!

The deadline to submit entries for the poetry anthology is approaching fast, but there's still plenty of time to either start writing or put the finishing touches on your poetry submissions.  Keep in mind that the link to the theme can be tangential - simply exploring poetry itself or its various forms meets the criteria!  Links must be posted in the Writer's Club thread by midnight EST on April 1st.  Please PM me with any questions.    
Anthology Development

Fall Anthology Due 10/31

Upcoming Anthology Due: October 31st, 2021 Top Themes A Winding Path An Unconventional Gift Pot Luck Themes Pick Your Poison     -     Lockdown     -     Left Behind     -     Dire Monotony     -     Mutation is Progress     -     Blood Moon Birthday Presents     -     Falling for Fall     -     Elves or Elvis?     -     Life’s Past     -     The Woods Rings of Fire     -     Plateau Wolves     -     Rock     -     Men and Women     -     A Legend Retold E
Myr

Myr in Anthology Development

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Anthology Development

More Anthology Voting

Based on the results of the polls I created a couple of weeks ago, I have created two new polls to further narrow down our choices for next year as far as number and type of anthologies/contests, and what you would like to see as far as themes go.  The polls will be open for two weeks, then will be closed.    
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Anthology Development

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Anthology Development

2021 Anthology #1 - Themes and Deadlines

So, this isn't going to be the full announcement for the 1st anthology of the year, but I did want to announce the themes and the deadline.  A more in depth announcement will occur after the current anthology is finished posting.  One thing I want to point out, for 2021 there will be two main themes per anthology and a pot luck. The pot luck includes MANY theme options for if you don't like the main theme options. The number of themes used this upcoming year will help determine the number of pot
Anthology Development

Anthology Poetry

This week I thought I'd feature the poetry submissions from the last two anthologies.  Hopefully these will provide inspiration to work on your own poetry for this year's Exploration anthology.   Just a reminder that submissions are due April 1st, which leaves about a month and a half, so get writing!       
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Anthology Development

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