"Required reading" for today's smart writer.
Friday, December 6, 2024
Enjoy the Holidays With More Pleasure & Less Pressure
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Quick Quotations Worth Lengthy Reflection...
Happy fall, all!
Raise your hand if the recent political landscape, upcoming holidays, and frantic pace this year has you in need of some peace and positivity. Some encouraging words. Some hope.
If so, today's post will put you on the "write" path. To many of you that have followed this blog for some time, I'm sure it's no secret that I love quotes!
They're so versatile and multi-functional. Wouldn't you agree? Quotes can be used as writing prompts; as an introductory opening for essays; or points to ponder.
With this in mind, I hope you'll read, enjoy, and reflect upon the ones shared today. Some are spiritual, while others are practical.
Please feel free to provide your own favorite quotes in the comments section.
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES TO CONSIDER IN 2024.
"Our past doesn't have to be our prison." ---The Equalizer Show
" If it's predictable, it's preventable." ---Author unknown
"Peace is power." ---Joel Osteen
"My goal in life is not to be someone famous or great, but to be greatly remembered when I'm gone."---Jennifer Brown Banks"Volunteer. Sometimes the jobs no one wants conceal big opportunities."---Life's Little Instruction Book.
"It gets greater later!" --- Bevvy Smith
"If you don't have time to read, you don't have time (or the tools) to write." ---Stephen King
"This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice in it."--- Psalm
"I have learned to be content in whatsoever state I am in." ---Phillipians 4:11
"Without music life would be a mistake."---Friedrich Nietzsche
"Love the giver more than the gift."---Brigham Young
Readers,
Do you have a favorite quote here or one of your own?
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Branding Blunders! The Martha Stewart Saga...
This post was unplanned. But, like most creative folks, I am motivated to write as my muse inspires...and sometimes she's more generous than others. So here we are. I particularly enjoy seizing opportunities to pen pieces that I feel are purposeful with an educational component.
I hope you find today's post to meet that criteria. I invite you to grab your favorite brew and read on. And if you have thoughts on this post, l would really dig it if you would leave a comment to share your feedback.
This week, while tuning into the daytime talk show, The View, one of the hot topics was lifestyle diva, Martha Stewart and her recent disclosure of infidelity with her former hubby. To say that I was stunned would be an understatement. I felt as disappointed as a kid first learning that there's no Santa Claus.
For the record, I have been a huge Martha Stewart fan for decades. I've watched her career over the years; written about her in numerous articles; followed her recipes; and purchased her products. I believe in her brand. In her quality standards. In her integrity.
But, much like Joy Behar (one of the hosts of The View), I am totally baffled as to why Martha would make the decision to go public about something so private.
Don't get me wrong. My position here is not to judge her. Nor to serve as her image consultant. Instead it's to use this as a teachable moment for those of us who have professional careers in the public and platforms. You with me here?
THE MORAL OF THE STORY...
Even when it's not intentional or strategic, whether you sell books, create blogs, or have tangible products in a store, your collective efforts over time are building a brand. This includes your business cards, your social media threads, your online image, your books, etc.
It takes a lot of hard work to build a solid brand; yet it can be dismantled with one simple act or bad decision. Freedom of speech is not always free. Hello?
I understand that sex sells. I understand that controversy sometimes garners followers, and the more followers one has, the greater the potential to sell books, make money, close deals. But, is it worth it? Consider the people that could be potentially damaged by it. Be it your family members, friends, fans or stakeholders.
Some things private should stay that way. Leave confessionals for your priest or your personal diary. Unless what you're sharing is something intended to give someone else struggling with the same challenge encouragement, hope, or courage.
Like battling a disease, dealing with loss, or increasing their faith and spiritual walk.
That's my take on the topic. What's yours?
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
How to Write Flash Fiction For Fun & Profit
Flash Fiction is the label literary folks have put on fiction that’s super-duper short. Ask 100 editors what the word count is, and you’ll get 100 different answers…200 if you come back a year later and ask again. Generally, we can assume anything under 5,000 words might count and anything under 500 words definitely counts. My flash fiction newsletter, Flash in a Flash, cuts it off at 1,000 words.
Jennifer invited me to come on today and talk a bit about why flash fiction is fun, why authors might want to try some out, and a few places that might pay for yours.
Sound fun? Good. Let’s get started.
Why Flash Fiction is Fun
Readers enjoy flash fiction for different reasons, but a few things keep popping up when we ask.
● It’s quick to consume, something people can dip into on a work break or riding public transportation. On days when time isn’t there to read a chapter in a novel, we can still get our reading fix in.
● It’s punchy. The form forces authors to get to the point quickly, and deliver the feels. Flash fiction often hits harder than longer works because of this.
● Instant gratification isn’t just for video games. Dopamine is real, and flash fiction delivers.
● It offers a lot of different reading experiences in a short time, for readers who like variety.
● It’s mobile-friendly as compared to longer phones: just the thing to bring up on your phone while you’re out in the world.
There are as many other reasons as there are readers, but those are the top five. They explain why flash has been enjoying a bit of an ascendance over the past five years or so.
Why Authors Should Try Flash Fiction
The most important fun aspect of flash fiction (for me, at least) is that you get to be creative. You’re not bound by genre for most markets. You’re not bound by a commitment to a long piece. You can play with style, structure, voice, and weird concepts that came to you in the shower that one time.
Almost every author I’ve ever met has a notebook of ideas they’ve never gotten around to working on. Given the “I should write that” pile most of us have, we never will. Flash fiction is an outlet for those ideas, a set of literary monkey bars too few of us take the opportunity to swing on.
It can also give you immediate feedback. Flash fiction sites tend to have a rapid publishing schedule, and the stories take only a short time to read. You’ll hear what people think of your work early and often, which is a welcome change for many of us.
Flash fiction is an opportunity to get loose, get weird, and get feedback. More of us should take that chance.
How to Win Fans and Thrill Audiences
It’s possible I’ve suggested that writing flash fiction is easy. It’s not. It can be fun, and it doesn’t take a long time, but telling a complete and compelling story in just a few hundred words is a challenge. A few tips to start out:
● Start in the middle (or the end) of the action. Let the readers imagine and intuit what comes before.
● End as soon as the crux of the story is over. Never provide an epilogue, or explain the consequences.
● Focus on a single event, moment, or emotion. These stories aren’t the place for sweeping exploration.
● Make every word count by trimming all the fat and using the most powerful vocabulary you can manage.
● Don’t just make tension the core of the story, make it the whole story.
● Make the ending surprising or resonant.
● Edit with absolute ruthlessness. Cut your prose to the bone.
An overarching method is to leave much more to the reader’s imagination. Rather than spell out all but the most essential details, imply the depth, breadth, past, and future. This freedom for the reader is one of the reasons flash fiction is so effective and popular.
A Few of My Favorite Markets
If you’re not convinced you want to try writing some flash fiction, that’s okay. You do you. I’m not mad…just very disappointed. If you would like to give it a shot, here are some places that buy great flash from great authors.
● Vestal Review does two tiers of flash: those up to 500 words, for which they pay $50, and those in the 500 to 1,000 word range for which they pay $25. I guess they really buy into that Twain quote about writing a long letter because he didn’t have time to write a short one. They prefer stories with a twist.
● Flash Fiction Online accepts stories in the 500 to 1000 word range, and pays $80 for them. They accept all genres, though your chances are better with literary or speculative fiction and pretty slim for graphic horror and erotica. They are a higher-paying market, so expect tighter competition than with other options.
● The Molotov Cocktail goes darker and edgier than most but is a good home for stuff you might not want to show your mom. Word count limit is 1,000. They pay $10 to $20 per story, and have themed contests with higher payouts to the winners.
● Flash in a Flash. I mentioned this one earlier, because it’s my own project. We publish two stories a week and an annual anthology. Word count limit is 1,000. At present we pay $5 for the newsletter, and another $5 if your story gets picked for the anthology, and plan to increase that as we grow enough to get some ad revenue.
● Brevity. The market is smaller, but some sites like Brevity pay for nonfiction flash. If you’d like to give that a try, they pay a “modest honorarium” for slash nonfiction of 750 words or less.
One Last Little Thing…
I’m going to put my marketing hat on here for a second and talk about one final advantage of writing flash fiction from time to time. It’s an opportunity to A/B test some of your ideas.
Generally, we shouldn’t “write to market” and instead follow our passions. But if you have a couple of ideas for your next book, and you’re genuinely equally (or almost equally) into both of them…write a few pieces of flash fiction related to both and put them out into the world. Whichever one generates the strongest response is the book you write next.
BIO
In the 22 years of his professional writing career, Jason Brick has been involved in over 100 books and written more than 6,000 articles for online and print publications. He is the skipper of Flash in a Flash, a newsletter delivering flash fiction to subscribers twice every week. He lives in Oregon where he practices martial arts, plays tabletop role-playing games, and spoils his wife and sons.
Thoughts, readers?
Image credits: Freedigitalphotos.net
Monday, September 16, 2024
My Summer Blog Break...A Recap in Photos
It's a pleasure to be back on the blog scene and reconnect. As many of you are aware, June 2024 marked my 15th year anniversary here at Pen & Prosper. This important milestone ushering in and underscoring the need for a much-deserved break. But a break is not always the same as a vacation, in my estimation.
Anyhow... I had an interesting summer, filled with highs and lows. One thing became increasingly clear, in the interim. One of the best ways to keep this blog going and to combat writer's block in general, is to engage in things that feed the mind, body, and spirit. Wouldn't you agree?
See people. Go places. Read more. Take in some sun. Discover some new dishes. Embrace daily blessings. Expand your horizons. To write is to live.
With this in mind, today I'm sharing some pics of my summer. Please note that my photography is not as developed as my writing! Pun intended.
Activities included backyard parties; local food fests; grilling good grub; shopping; reading in the sun; drinking lots of green tea; etc.
...
Feel free to share some of your summer highlights and lessons in the comments section.
Thanks for reading!
Monday, September 2, 2024
Want Greater Writing Success? Shift Your View!
NORMAN SHABEL |
- Break them down into a series of smaller steps and take them one step at a time.
- Focus on the process and the parts of it that you enjoy instead of the end goal.
- Remind yourself why the activity brings you meaning and continue nurturing the aspects most closely related to this.
BIO
Sunday, June 9, 2024
Pen & Prosper Turns 15 on the Blogging Scene!
It's a beautiful spring day in the big city, and it's a pleasure to welcome and rejoin you here. As I count my blesssings, I count you among them. June, 2024 marks fifteen years in the blogosphere here! Yay!
I started this blog back in 2009 to share my love of the written word, share my writing experiences, learn, laugh and navigate the publishing industry.
A humble blog that started with a dozen or so readers has blossomed into a go-to site for writers of every level and genre, boasting numerous online awards and recognition.
Many of you have read faithfully, placed comments, sent questions, submitted guest posts, and cheered me on. Thank you. This would not be possible without you.
Blogging for 15 consecutive years is no small task. Believe me. I've seen many bloggers come and go.
Here are some fun facts in this 15th year of Pen & Prosper...
- According to my stats, Pen & Prosper has over 9,000 subscribers to date.
- It has been recognized as a "top blog for writers" over a dozen times, by other respected websites and media outlets.
- The blog has received 8,650 comments here.
- There have been over 920 posts.
- Pages viewed are 854,443.
- Some of my most popular posts have been written by guests.
- Karen Lange has posted the most comments.
- Pen and Prosper has gone from weekly posts to monthly.
- Other than brief vacation breaks, this blog has never not been published on the regular, in 15 years.
ON ANOTHER CELEBRATORY NOTE..
Pen and Prosper is happy and proud to honor Black Music Month. Initially established and recognized in 1979 by President Carter, it recognizes the many contributions to the industry by people of color. Chances are, no matter what you like to groove to, someone of color has influenced, shaped, produced, or performed a few of those favorites.