SUMMER ROSE, part II by Leigh Lundin with John Floyd continued from yesterday… A block from the café she got her answer— and stopped dead in her tracks. There was Ross Stevens on the sidewalk, hugging another woman. Young, slim, dark-haired. And wearing a wedding ring. Rose watched them climb into a parked BMW and […]

WHAT’S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN? by Steven Steinbock I’m still basking in the glow of my first short story publication. It spurred me on to start another story. I’m off to what I feel is a really good start, but I have no idea where I’m going with it. That’s an awkward state for […]

NEVER QUIT WHILE YOU’RE AHEAD by Deborah Elliott-Upton When a writer tells me he is going to quit, I reply, “If you can, do. It wasn’t meant for you.” Personally, I am addicted and couldn’t quit if a doctor told me I’d drop dead mid-sentence if I didn’t. I’d be like those patients sneaking a […]

SHUT UP by Rob Lopresti This is an editorial reply to the blog I wrote last week, and with which I entirely disagree. So there. – Rob Lopresti Due to an unexpectedly sharp turn on Employment Street a friend of mine recently found herself with some unwanted spare time. She decided to write a novel, […]

We’ve featured Kurt Vonnegut’s list of rules for writing short fiction before—here’s a link—but here they are again, this time in his own voice. HOW TO WRITE A SHORT STORY by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

HIGH CONCEPT by James Lincoln Warren Per Rob’s request, today’s column concerns the Hollywood idea of high concept. Simply put, the phrase “high concept” describes a story, especially a movie, that can be pitched by using a catchphrase that evokes a contrived premise, one that explains all ye need to know about the story and […]

WEIRD CRIME STORIES, Feb by Leigh Lundin Chargers 1, Free Speech 0 San Diego, CA.  Half the population is watching Super Bowl XLIV, which means you’re missing your dose of sports. Twice recently I’ve read sports items suggesting fans sitting in the wrong section should be arrested. One story attempted to justify a basketball player […]