Category Archives: fiction

>Drabble: Boo-Boo

Posted on June 19, 2010 | Comments Off on >Drabble: Boo-Boo

>”Andy!”

Brandon flung his little body across the room, and Steve scrambled to keep his brother from barreling right into his boyfriend’s lap. “Be careful,” he warned gently. “Andy’s got a boo-boo.”

Brandon looked solemnly at Andy, who held up his elastic-encased wrist, victim of a sprain caused by a fall from a position he’d never describe to anyone. “Just watch out for this and we’ll be fine, buddy,” he said, smiling.

Brandon climbed onto the sofa, all hands and feet. “Make it better,” he said, leaning over to press his mouth against the wrap of fabric covering Andy’s skin.

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Posted in boo-boo, drabbles, fiction, writing

>Drabble: Carnations

Posted on June 11, 2010 | Comments Off on >Drabble: Carnations

>The peppery-sharp scent of carnations tickles her nose as she crosses the unkempt cemetery toward his grave.

She met him only once, at five to his ninety; she remembers the cracks in his skin and the gaps between his teeth. He gave her a Japanese doll wearing a kimono in vibrant reds and greens; she’s treasured it for thirty years.

She replaces the faded plastic flowers with her bouquet, brushing leaves away from the headstone. She resolves to visit more often, to keep the area around the grave clean.

He lived his life alone. He shouldn’t be alone in death.

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Posted in carnations, drabbles, fiction, writing

>Outside My Realm

Posted on June 2, 2010 | Comments Off on >Outside My Realm

>I’m in the midst of editing a novel for an online friend. Only trouble is, it’s not my type of story. It’s fantasy, which I’ve read at times but which I tend to find overwrought and overly descriptive. Still, I can recognize that my friend’s done a good job avoiding the annoying parts of the genre while still staying true to the core. And I can edit almost anything for basic style, grammar, and sense, which is mainly what she wanted from me anyway.

This brings up some interesting questions. My “day job” consists of technical editing, and I’ve worked as a writer and editor in a number of different areas over the years: newspaper, magazines and journals, public relations. I’ve learnd two primary lessons—I don’t want to write for someone else for a living (because then I lose interest in writing for myself), and I don’t want to work with any subject matter that holds no interest for me, as writer or editor.

My current writing is gay romance. This is a spinoff from fan fiction I’ve written recently, but I’ve written fanfic in the past without crossing over into original fiction. I’ve tried, but it’s never worked for me. I’m not really sure what made the difference this time. I’m also writing much longer stories now than I did previously.

For those of you who are writers or editors, do you stick with a specific genre, subject matter, even length? If so, how did you get started working with that type of material? How much do you experiment outside your usual “comfort” range? Have you ever tried something new and loved it? Tried something new and found it just didn’t work for you? What do you think it is that makes the difference?

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Posted in editing, fiction, genre, grammar, style, writing

>Drabble: In the Dark

Posted on May 28, 2010 | Comments Off on >Drabble: In the Dark

>She has always hated noir. Pretentious and self-congratulating, it leaves her cold as a Chicago winter, empty as the spaces life has left in her heart. The outside world provides more than enough darkness and paranoia for her taste. She does not need it disguised as entertainment.

She watches now only out of apathy, unwilling to expend the energy it would take to argue her date’s choice. He is engrossed, enthralled, and she flinches as he reaches out in the darkness, his fingers wrapping icicles around her hand.

On the screen, the hero abandons the girl, and she shivers, remembering.

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Posted in drabbles, fiction, in the dark, writing

>Works in Progress: Summer Stock

Posted on May 24, 2010 | Comments Off on >Works in Progress: Summer Stock

>”So tell me all your secrets.”

Ethan’s gaze snapped back up to meet Jason’s, sure he was caught checking out his new roommate, but Jason’s face was relaxed and his eyes closed, lashes casting dark shadows on the ridges of his cheekbones. “You’re supposed to keep me out of trouble this summer, right?” Jason continued, a note of humor in his voice. “Or do I have to go through some elaborate hazing ritual first?”

Ethan laughed a little at that and relaxed, too, settling onto his side on his bed, propping his head up with one hand. “I think rooming with me is enough punishment for anyone,” he said, drawing a chuckle from Jason. “What do you want to know?”

Jason shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest, eyes still shut. “Anything that’ll help,” he said. “People to avoid? Food not to eat? Where the poison ivy hides?”

Ethan rolled onto his stomach, folding his hands under his head and resting his cheek against the backs of his fingers. “People to avoid, not many,” he said. “Mostly Don doesn’t put up with any nonsense. Some rookie usually gets full of their own worth within the first few weeks and gets put into place pretty quickly. It’s kind of like boot camp, really. Not that bad, but they do kind of tear you down so they can build you back up.”

Jason nodded, eyes finally opening, focusing on Ethan’s face. “Got it,” he said. “No ego trips.” He shrugged again, grinning. “Not likely to be an issue anyway. I’m fully aware I’m pretty much a rank beginner here. I never even took a drama class until my junior year in high school.”

Curious now, Ethan lifted his head and an eyebrow. “How’d that work anyway?” he said. “It’s kind of hard for me to imagine. I’ve been acting since I was a kid in some form or another. How’d you get into it so late?”

Jason dropped his head forward and gave a lopsided smile. “My best friend wanted to do it,” he said. “We both had an elective spot open, and she’d done some community theater stuff and liked it, so she talked me into it. And the rest–“

“Oh no no no,” Ethan interrupted, waggling a finger. “No cliches! We’ll get enough of that when we start reading scripts, trust me.”

Jason grinned then. “Okay, okay, so let’s just say I got my foot caught in the door.”

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Posted in fiction, snippet, summer stock, works in progress, writing

>Submitting

Posted on May 22, 2010 | Comments Off on >Submitting

>I’ve just send in my second-ever fiction submission (not counting a handful of drabbles published in a long-defunct webzine). The first submission came many years ago, when I knew much less about writing and publishing than I do now. I chose an inappropriate market and didn’t put enough effort into editing, so naturally, it was rejected.

Everyone knows that rejection is difficult. Unfortunately, it’s a fact of life for an author, especially one who’s just testing the waters. It’s easy enough to find suggestions and recommendations for ways to improve the odds of success, but much harder to implement them. Writing workshops, critique groups, “beta” readers, professional editing; at what point does it become too much? When do you reach a point of diminishing returns?

The story I’ve just submitted was originally written as fanfiction, which means that it’s been edited and read in a different form already. For that reason, I chose not to go through the workshop/critique whirlwind this time, ready to accept a rejection if it comes. Call it impatience, but at this point, I’d rather expend the energy on stories that aren’t yet completed. If this submission is rejected, then I’ll decide whether to put in the additional effort to try again.

Eventually, I’ll probably also return to that first story and give it more polish than it had on the first try. It’s a learning process, and I’m fully willing to admit that I’m still a rank beginner.

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Posted in critique, editing, fiction, rejection, submissions, writing