New Story Online

 My story, 'Glass Future' is online at Nature's website.

I got my hard copy through the post today. Excellent. Great illustration for my story from the talented JACEY.

'Not Just Rockets and Robots': Are You in it?

This is an anthology of the first year's stories from Daily Science Fiction, and what a monster it is. With more than 425,000 words. I've got a story in here, and so have some of you. Give me a shout out if you have, because I'd like to re-read your story. 

You can buy a copy here. 

Daily Science Fiction will send a fantasy or science fiction story to your e-mail every week day for free , and is open to story submissions. 

Short Story Techniques: False Documents Plus Healthy Writers Club

Clockwork Phoenix 4 is open guidelines here, and I'm re-reading Clockwork Phoenix 3. Editor, Mike Allen, ran a successful Kickstarter campaign, and Clockwork Phoenix 4 is paying pro rates. And factor in the the roar of critical approval that met the previous anthologies, there are going to be a lot of people subbing. But, hey, I've always liked a challenge.

Clockwork Phoenix 3 gets the Deb's thumbs up of approval, both a story level and at a craft level. In fact, I'm going to do a few posts looking at techniques in stories from the collection.

Tomorrow is St Valentine's Day, by Tori Truslo is a beautiful and strange retelling of The Little Mermaid set on the moon. Truslo creates  false documents to tell the story: diary entries, letters, poems, academic papers. I actually dislike the term false, as the documents are real in terms of the story, but I can think of a better one. Truslo also quotes and riff's off a real-life document, an extract from Hamlet.

False documents are often used to head section in a short story, The Zepplin Conductors' Society Annual Gentleman's Ball, by Genevieve  Valentine is a lovely example.

Wiki's entry on false documents say that they create an illusion of truth for the reader. I really can't agree with that. What I think they do is offer the author a clever way of introducing other point of views within the narrative, and expanding the world building at a relatively small cost of words. Something's that's important to the short story writer. There's a distancing effect also, I think in telling the story in this way. It's a very interesting technique. I must ponder more upon it.

I haven't used this technique in any of my stories yet. But I want to. What about you? Have you used false documents in your stories?  Do you like the technique?



A writer update for the Healthy Writers Club, hosted by Shallee McArthur  Sign up here. Wow. I'm loving it. What is it about writing things down on my blog that makes me feel obliged to do it.

I have certainly done more exercise this week because of the club, sneaking in extra walks, a swim and a bike ride. Although I must admit It went a bit pear-shaped at the weekend, but onwards.

So much so, that I'm inspired to increase my daily walk target to 1500 steps or 12km. Trying to do a bike ride and a swim and my ten a day fuit and veg challenge. Bring it on.

Amazon Rankings

Hey, Amazon.com have just e-mailed me my author ranking. I can proudly announce I am #650,000.

But hold on a minute, all my but one of the books I've appeared in have disappeared from my page.  This will not stand.

I've already added one, so I better get the rest done. *laughs* And it's updated hourly. That's something else to distract me.

What about you, readers? Are you busy updating your Amazon page today? What do you think of this new feature? Has anyone else got a ranking lower than me? Anybody in triple digits?

I'll update as I climb through the rankings. Or I might descend. Then I won't mention it.

edited. Aha, my ranking is just counting books, not e-books. Got to wait until Amazon confirms me as author.