Tag: The Art of Writing

Information on the art of writing in general

Update, April 25, 2019

I have been writing flash and micro fiction like mad over the past few days. I have sent off at least three new stories for publication this week and 2-3 older stories to be reprinted.

The new stories are centered in horror: “Dirty Phoenix Rising”, “River of Lost Souls”, and “Twizzler”.

I need to get back to my novel, but I have had a sudden passion for flash.

“Diabolical: Three Tales of Jack Thurston and Revenge” is Available on Kindle and in Print

Please go to amazon.com/author/philslattery or Goodreads or any other social media to leave a review.

Jack Thurston is a retired professor of medieval literature and history. He is also a widower and father and a retired sorcerer who has returned to the black arts to exact revenge for the death of his wife, daughter, and brother. He has an intriguing position in the universe at a focal point of life, the afterlife, logic and reason, anger and hatred, the ancient and the modern worlds, grief and his attempts to escape grief through self-destruction. Though he wants to have the peace he once found with his wife, Agatha, he is pulled in many directions by circumstance and by his powerful negative emotions.

I am a fan of the old school horror practiced by such authors as H.P. Lovecraft, Poe, Edward Lucas White, and Arthur Machen.  I endeavor to make a story as terrifying and suspenseful for the reader as possible without resorting to gratuitous blood and gore for a simple shock or quick feeling of disgust.

This collection of three short tales is perfect for those who have only a few short breaks to escape into the hidden world of horror, black magic, sorcery, and anger-fueled revenge.

You can find this and other works at my Amazon author’s page:  www.amazon.com/author/philslattery.

Currently, Jack has a Twitter account (@jthurston666), where he has attracted a small following and where it has only recently been revealed that he is fictional. Jack has his own blog at jackthurstonblog.wordpress.com (a work in progress) and his own e-mail at jackthurston666@gmail.com.

Information on more social media accounts and other characters (as they are developed) can be found at: philslattery.wordpress.com. Please interact with him at any of his social media accounts as you would with a real person.

Show your appreciation for these stories by leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or other social media.

If you enjoy horror, check out my collection of horror short stories A Tale of Hell and Other Works of Horror: Stories of wizards, werewolves, serial killers, alien worlds, and the damned, which includes these stories.

Never Ignore Jill

I was going through my documents file and came across a flash fiction story I had written in 2017, but never submitted. Originally entitled “Jill”, I made a few changes and changed the title to “Never Ignore Jill” and submitted it to flash fiction magazine.com. Total word count: 906. I should hear back in eight weeks.

“Never Ignore Jill” is an amusing little tale of a man who ignores his girlfriend’s pleading to fix her car and pays a slightly painful but humorous price.

Seeking Opinions on a Possible Title

One possible title I have for my sci-fi work in progress is “Shadows and Stars”? It is for a novel set on another planet, where the astronomer, who has teleported there, finds himself caught up in intrigue and caught between the government and the rebels in a revolution.

How does that title make you feel? Does it make you feel curious enough to pick up the book and read the back cover?

Progress

I have been working on a sci-fi novel over the last few months. I had an idea where I wanted to take it, but couldn’t get it to quite come together.

Today, I wrote something vaguely like an outline for it, but more like a list of scenes in bullet form.

Yes, I know. Outlines are an old and very useful means of organizing a story. I have rarely used them, however, as I have written mostly short stories, for which I have found outlines superfluous. But, as Hemingway said, novels are a different animal from a short story. Using my list of scenes has helped me tremendously, not just in organizing, but also in making sure important details and connections are covered. As a result, I feel that today I have made substantially more progress today than at any other time working on this novel. I will be using this method on my other works in progress. My output should increase significantly.

We live and learn.

Lorraine Warren dies at 92; paranormal investigator inspired ‘The Conjuring’ films

Lorraine Warren dies at 92; paranormal investigator inspired ‘The Conjuring’ films

https://allabout.pw/lorraine-warren-dies-at-92-paranormal-investigator-inspired-the-conjuring-films/
— Read on allabout.pw/lorraine-warren-dies-at-92-paranormal-investigator-inspired-the-conjuring-films/