Creating Creatures for Speculative Worlds – Written by E. J. Wenstrom

on Fiction University:

The creatures that inhabit our novels should make sense and feel as real as our worlds.

In speculative fiction, we’re not just writing stories—we’re creating worlds. And no matter if those worlds are alternate realms, possible futures, distant planets, or secret portals hidden at the back of the closet, at some point, your characters are likely to run into some of the creatures who inhabit it.

Because yes, your world has creatures! (If it doesn’t, that’s a statement—even in outer space, four different kinds of microbes have been discovered so far.)

The creatures who inhabit the worlds you write make them feel all the more real and multidimensional. Done well, they can also offer a lot to inform your world and fill out its details.

Let’s break down approaches and considerations to imagine these beings into life.

Continue reading HERE

A Child’s Nightmare

Earlier this year I had a task to fulfill: Write a one-page short story, not more than 400 words, Fiction/Drama. I did that, submitted it, and waited. A while later the reading was ready. It took quite some time until the information got to me, but finally, it’s here. Listen to the Short Story Reading below.

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1pg. Short Story: A Child’s Nightmare

by A.J. Alexander on Vimeo

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A Child’s Nightmare By Aurora Jean Alexander

I waited in my grandmother’s salon. The entire house seemed to walk on tiptoes. Did they really think I didn’t know what my parents wanted to tell me?

I was in the living room yesterday when they broke out in one of their arguments.

“I think we should take Stephanie to that boarding school. It would be easiest for her not to see her home being sold, our belongings split up, and us moving to different cities.” My father had said.

My mother replied acidly: “Yes, like you cared a lot about our girl, when you came home, day and night, drunk, reeking of perfume and other women.” My father yelled. “Stephanie never saw anything like it.” He lifted his hand as he wanted to slap her, but my mother screamed fearfully: “Don’t you dare to hit me again, not in my house!”

A calm and controlled voice behind her said: “The way I see it, this is still my house, daughter. I don’t want to hear one more word about it. As for you, soon-to-be-former-son. I don’t want to see you ever lifting your hand again against my daughter or anyone else in this family. It is time you both move on with your plans. Does Stephanie even know you separated and will get a divorce? You cannot just ship her out like a package and expect her to accept everything upon her return.”

My mother replied sourly: “It was his job to tell her. But we all know he is a coward.” My father hissed at her. “How dare you saying that.”

My grandmother shook her head and made up her mind: “I’ll tell her tomorrow.”

Now I stood in front of her in the salon. The door to the back fields stood wide open. My grandmother explained in a few words: “Listen, child. Your father and mother will get a divorce. They planned to have you go to school somewhere else to save you the trouble of listening to their arguments any longer. But I insisted you stay here instead, live with me for the time being. Is that okay?”

I nodded. “Yes, grandmother.”, tears streaming down my face. Then I turned around, darted through that open door, and did what I would do all my life. I ran towards the sun and light, into freedom, away from those who caused me pain and darkness.

(Copyright, March 2021)

Picture courtesy of ‘Teen Magazine’

Author Spotlight – Pat Garcia

Please welcome Pat Garcia on ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’. I’m very proud to have this wonderful author, poet, singer and friend on my blog, and I thank her so much for being my guest today.

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Welcome!

Please introduce yourself?

I am Pat Garcia. That’s my pen name. I write fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and Lyrics, and I sing and play piano.

1.            When did you start writing?

I started singing when I was three and started writing when I started school at the age of five.

2.            What motivates you to write?

My raison d’ etre. It my purpose for living.

3.            What genres do you write in and what made you choose this particular genre?

I write in several genres that are important for me. Romance to include Romantic Suspense, Women Fiction, Erotic and non-fiction I love writing creative non-fiction

4.            What is your goal in writing? Do you have dreams where your writing should take you?

My goals and my dreams are very personal and private, so I am not going to share them.

5.            Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if yes, how do you deal with it?

There are times when I get stuck and when I do get stuck, I start on something else, or I write in my journal or I stay with the same story and just write until I find a spark.

6.            What advice would you like to give new, hopeful authors?

To not put a time table on what you want to achieve. In fact, I would advise them to not be so quick to share their souls with others. There are some things that the writer has to keep to himself.

7.            Please, tell us about your work.

We are coming out of lockdown here in Germany. During the lockdown, I wrote. I submitted two stories to two different publications, started working at THE PIPELINE, which is an RRBC International online literary magazine as the chief staff writer, and now, I am finishing up a submission for another writing contest and a novella that will come out in 2022.

Thank you for being my guest. It was such a pleasure to have you here!!

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Meet Pat Garcia:

Born in Blythe, Georgia, USA, Pat Garcia enjoys writing, music, and games like Bridge, Solitaire, Bid Whiz, Chess, Checkers, and Knitting.

She lives as an ExPat on the European Continent.

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Connect with Pat Garcia

Facebook.com- Facebook.com/patgarciaauthor

Twitter – @pat_garcia

Blog – http://patgarciaauthor.com

Instagram – https://instagram.com/pat7garcia

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Pat Garcia’s Book:

Turn The Light On – Kindle edition by Garcia, Pat, Publishing, 4Wills. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

5 reasons writing fiction is good for your mental health – Written By M. L. Davis

Last week was Mental Health Awareness Week, and it seems relevant to talk about writing fiction, and the positive way it can impact your mental health. I’m sure a lot of writers write as an outlet, so I thought it’d be appropriate to talk about 5 of the reasons writing fiction is good for you mental health.

Writing is cathartic
There’s just something about the act of writing that’s cathartic. It’s relaxing, calming, and allows you to outpour your thoughts and feelings. This is true of journaling, poetry, stories….any writing. When you need a release, getting words down is immensely healing.

It enables you to explore and understand emotions
Pent up emotions often lead to further stress and complications. It’s important to go through your emotions and do all you can to understand them. Writing gives you the space to do that. You can use emotions in your work, and through your characters explore them and their outcomes. Often, writing helps you understand how you’re feeling, and that can be vital.

CONTINUE READING HERE

Change Matters: How to Write Stories that Grip Readers & Don’t Let Go – Written By Kristen Lamb

Thank you so much, Kristen Lamb, for another educational blog post on how to write stories properly and keep the reader interested. We all appreciate your hard work!

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Change is one of those concepts that gets a mixed reaction. Depending on personality and/or age group, change could be welcomed…or greeted with a metaphorical shotgun at the metaphorical door. While change is necessary for all living things to grow and thrive, plants have proven far more open to this notion than people.

I’m betting it’s because plants don’t overthink everything…unless they’re orchids which are high-maintenance and die while writing bad haiku (if they had hands and pen and paper).

Existential plants have a far tougher time, unlike weeds. Weeds just roll with anything that comes their way, and that’s why we can pour concrete over them and it’s no big deal. They simply mumble to the nearby crabgrass, “Hold my beer and watch this!”

*makes crack in new driveway* I’M BAAAAAACK!

All kidding aside, many writers miss the point of a story. Stories are about change, and the more the protagonist (and, to be blunt, all members of the cast) change for good or bad, the better.

Change & Plot

I know what it’s like to have writer brain. We see the world VERY differently than ‘normal’ people. Some see a roll of old carpet at the curb? I’m counting if all family members are present. Just yesterday, I had some fun over on Facebook with this…

CONTINUE READING HERE

The Best Fiction Story Ideas Come From A Simple Question – Written By Derek Haines

Derek Haines informs us on his blog about the fact that the best fiction story ideas come from one simple question. Thanks so much, Derek!

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on Just Publishing Advice:

If you are writing fiction novels or short stories, you need story ideas.

Nothing happens on a blank page, and looking at it is the worst way to start writing.

A lot of writers use creative writing prompts, but they aren’t the best way to come up with original ideas.

Some writers wait for the muse to arrive, which usually works on a very unreliable schedule.

In This Article

Fiction story idea germs

Famous authors and small ideas

Ask yourself simple questions

Avoid writing prompts

Summary

Continue reading HERE

Successful Self-Publishing: Build Your Brand – Written By Laurisa White Reyes

I found an interesting article published by Laurisa White Reyes. Thank you so much for your advice, Laurisa

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on Fiction University:

Getting Personal

If you are not comfortable tooting your own horn, welcome to the club. Writers tend to be introverts by nature. Most of us do not like drawing attention to ourselves. In fact, give us a quiet corner in an empty house for hours on end, and we’d be quite content – as long as we have our computers to keep us company.

But if you want to sell books, you need fans – not fans of your books – fans of YOU! It’s not always about the story you’ve written. Yes, of course, you want your readers to love your books, and they will. But before they ever hit that BUY link on Amazon, they must have a good reason for doing so, and that reason is their loyalty to you as a person.

Continue reading HERE

Blogger’s Books: Darlene Foster – On BeetleyPete’s Blog

On BeetleyPete’s blog we can find the introduction of a very familiar and beloved writer: Darlene Foster.

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It is my pleasure to feature a book from Canadian writer and blogger, Darlene.

This is the latest in her very popular ‘Amanda’ series. This time, our heroine is in Holland.

Here is Darlene’s bio.

Darlene Foster is a Canadian author who has written the popular Amanda Travels series, featuring a spunky twelve-year-old who loves to travel to unique places where she encounters mystery and adventure while learning about another culture. Readers of all ages enjoy travelling with Amanda as she unravels one mystery after another in various countries. Darlene has won prizes for her short stories and a number of them have been published in anthologies. She has also written a bi-lingual book for English/Spanish readers.

Darlene grew up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, where her love of reading inspired her to travel the world and write stories. Over the years she held wonderful jobs such as an employment counsellor, ESL teacher, recruiter, and retail manager, and wrote whenever she had a few spare minutes. She is now retired and has a home in Spain where she writes full time. When not travelling, meeting interesting people, and collecting ideas for her books, she likes to spend time with her husband and entertaining dog, Dot.

Her books include: Amanda in Arabia: The Perfume Flask, Amanda in Spain: The Girl in The Painting, Amanda in England: The Missing Novel, Amanda in Alberta: The Writing on the Stone, Amanda on The Danube: The Sounds of Music, Amanda in New Mexico: Ghosts in the Wind, and Amanda in Holland: Missing in Action. Amanda in Malta: The Sleeping Lady will be released in the spring of 2021.

CONTINUE READING HERE

Creating a Story-Worthy Problem That Will Captivate an Audience – Written By Kristen Lamb

Kristen Lamb provides us with a blog post about creating a story-worthy problem that will captivate an audience. She writes this post in her incomparable unique witty way and still educates us. Thank you, Kristen!

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The story-worthy problem is the beating heart of all superlative fiction.

Unfortunately, creating this central core can often be overlooked. This is particularly true for writers relying on school training.

English teachers didn’t mind we used twenty-five metaphors on one page because their goal was to teach us how to properly use a metaphor…not how to write successful commercial fiction.

Creating the core problem and then—possibly (depending on genre)—the many overlapping layers and misdirections, is tough mental work.

Story as Structure

Like any structure, a story demands a strong foundation and sturdy frame. Without structure, it’s easy for author (and audience) to become lost.

Without those elements? The story caves in. But, foundations and framing aren’t nearly as fun as picking out paint, furniture, or drapes.

Face it, for most of us, decorating a house is much more fun than building one. This can be the same for stories. Crafting the perfect sentence, poring over descriptions, tinkering with dialogue is fun.

CONTINUE READING HERE

 

Writing Legal Fiction: 4 Research Tips – Written By K.M. Weiland

K. M. Weiland gives us four interesting research tips when writing legal fiction. Thanks so much for the advice!

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On television crime dramas, DNA comes back in three minutes, crimes are solved in less than forty-two minutes, and defendants always confess to everything right there on the stand in front of judge and jury.

While I can see the entertainment value in this type of show, I often want to hurl my remote at the television. Why? Because none of it is an accurate portrayal of the judicial system and how it works.

As someone who’s worked in the legal field for over two decades, it’s beyond frustrating.

Continue reading HERE