Posts Tagged ‘writing’

Silly Western Anthology

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

CyberAliens Press is looking for some humorous short fiction. I quote:

Mosey on up to the bar and and let me tell you about the darnedest, silliest, most outrageous Western anthology this side of the Mississip’.

Ya’ll heard right! CyberAliens Press’ll be spittin’ out another one ‘o them themed antho’s on May 1, 2009.

We’ll be featuring hilarious stories of the Wild West, some sappy Prairie Romance, and even a little bit ‘o SteamPunk – as long as it’s knock-us-on-our-butt funny! We’re also lookin’ fer cowboy poetry and limericks, art and comics, and anything else that’s sure-as-shootin’ silly.

So saddle yer ponies, get them doggies ta market then set yerself down and write us the silliest bunch a words what never come outta that pencil a yers.

In plain language:
We are looking for short stories from 500 to 3500 words in length, poems, jokes, puns, limericks and general silliness. All submissions must be on one of the following themes:

+ American Wild West
+ Steampunk
+ Prairie Romance

or some mixture of the above.

Submissions open November 1, 2008 an’ close on February 28, 2009. Acceptances and declines will be ongoing through the submission period. No early or late submissions will be accepted. Put “SUBMISSION: [TITLE]” in the subject line, and address all correspondence to The Editors (there’s two of us) and email them to: sillywestern@gmail.com¿Comprende? Now saddle up and write.

Isle of the Sea Drake

Saturday, October 4th, 2008

My first gig involving the new 4e rules. Here’s the copy:

Death stalks the Isles!

All through the Known World, the stories are told again and again, by pirate captains and boasting merchant lords: a ferocious sea monster is stalking the trade lanes, and no vessel is safe. The call goes out for a band of heroes willing to dare the impossible: to slay a leviathan of the murky deeps.

Are you and your companions the heroes that can bring back the head of the sea dragon? Or will you perish like those before you, adrift on the unforgiving sea? An adventure of exploration, courage and cunning, Isle of the Sea Drake will challenge characters with savage natives, the walking dead, gold-crazed pirates, a sea dragon, and an ancient mystery from beyond the stars.

When heroes dare the sea dragon, only the most courageous will survive!

Isle of the Sea Drake includes a full-color double-sided poster map depicting the area of the adventure. This world-neutral adventure can be used alone or to launch a campaign in the epic fantasy world of Áereth.

It just went up at RPG Now. Grab a Copy!

Terrance Dicks gets a Second Life

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008

Terrance Dicks is coming to Second Life! Today!

Who is Terrance Dicks? He’s written more Doctor Who books than you’ve had hot dinners.

Where can you see him? Luckily, there are two places. Both events happen today.

Place the first: Union Island (SLURL), at 11 AM SLT. POC: Johninnit Ni

Place the second: Red Sky Club (SLURL), at 12 PM SLT. Terrance will be speaking with Jilly Kidd for a special episode of her popular Meet an Author show.

Starving artist? Not!

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

I’m always looking for new places to submit my work. Some markets pay better than others – and the most lucrative is not always your first choice. Hence, today’s examples:

The Artist’s Magazine is looking for informative articles about techniques from the artist’s viewpoint, using the language of art. Features need to emphasize the creative process: how the artist works with a medium, solves problems and conducts business…

Did I mention TAM pays $300-$1000 for features of 500-1200 words?

And then there’s Dramatics magazine, which is looking for practical articles on all aspects of acting, directing, design, and stagecraft; profiles of working professionals in various theatre jobs that illuminate what it’s like to pursue a career in the theatre…

DM is happy to part with $100-$500 for 800-4000 words.

Not too shabby…

Andrew Todhunter

Friday, May 2nd, 2008

Met up with Andrew Todhunter today. We had a great talk about the art of writing, and even geek’d out about RPGs for a bit.

Visit his home page: Andrew Todhunter.com

A little somethin’ somethin’ about Andrew’s book, A Meal Observed (Knopf, 2004):
“Awarded three stars by Michelin, Taillevent is one of the finest restaurants in the world. Todhunter spent several months working in its kitchen in preparation for the divine experience of eating a five-hour meal in the nineteenth-century dining room. From the amuse-bouche (a warm cheese puff to “amuse the mouth”) to the crowning glory of the fantasie, he perfectly captures the sensual pleasure of the meticulously served dinner. Along the way he expertly discusses everything from the state of French haute cuisine and the complexity of running a renowned restaurant to the chemistry of chocolate and the history of salt. A Meal Observed is a rare treat, a paean to the French and French cuisine that is as enchanting and richly satisfying as the meal it describes.”

Andrew’s also written Fall Of the Phantom Lord, about climbing, and Dangerous Games, about so-called extreme sports.

2008 First Chapter Contest

Saturday, April 5th, 2008

There are about six weeks left in the The Writing Show’s 2008 First Chapter Contest. $2,000 in the prize pot. If you’re an aspiring novelist, check ‘er out:

http://www.writingshow.com/contests/2008/2008callforentries.html

WritersWeekly.com Spring 2008 24-Hour Short Story Contest

Thursday, April 3rd, 2008

The WritersWeekly.com Spring 2008 24-Hour Short Story Contest is now open for entrants. Each contest is limited to 500 entrants. Contests usually fill up, so don’t delay if you want to participate. The contest is tons of fun! You can see the list of 85 prizes (first prize is $300, second is $250 and third is $200 – plus 82 other prizes!), and sign up here:

http://www.writersweekly.com/misc/contest.html

Writing and Game Design Columns

Saturday, December 1st, 2007

There are a lot of people out there who write about fiction and freelance writing, game design and publishing. They have columns in magazines, blogs and newsletters. I’d like to know two things:

(1) What would you like to know about?
Do you want to know how to design an adventure? Are you interested in world creation? As you an aspiring novelist, or do you want to know what one must do to make a living (ha) as a freelancer?

(2) Who would you like to hear this advice from?
Who’s got the chops, in your book? Name those people to whom, if they were writing about the subjects above, you would pay attention.

Passive Voice

Monday, October 15th, 2007

Oh, passive voice, how do I loathe thee!

I’m editing an article that needs to be submitted in less than 30 hours. I’m dying here! Every other frickin’ sentence has passive voice in it. What, was I in another place, watching myself type? Was I not even present when I wrote these words?

I loathe thee, passive voice. I loathe thee!

Sum of All Fears

Saturday, July 21st, 2007

I’ve been reading a lot of alternate history lately, which might explain some of the wierd ideas I’ve been having. I was thinking about the premise in the movie The Sum of All Fears where an Israeli pilot gets shot down, carrying an atomic bomb. Well, what if he did not get shot down, but instead was zapped back in time to the Ancient Near East? What if, loosing contact with his home base, and thinking the worst, he completes him mission, dropping an atomic bomb on Egypt. Would that cripple the country to the point where the history of the ANE would be drastically changed? Heh… What if that happened to coincide with the Exodus?