By now you know I am a new author, sort of, I have been writing off and on for years. Poetry, flash and science fiction/horror but it has only been in the past year and half I have made attempts to market any of my stories.
One question I keep being asked is, when I am going to write a stand-alone book? I am giving it a shot now. A good reason to write short stories is to expand your genres, get a feel for what you like writing, try something new and flex the grey matter. Shooting for 25,000 – 30,000 word novella for a pocket digest. My goal is to tie at least a couple of my short stories together since they are set in the same world.
So far, I have marketed weird tales, noir, poetry, adventure, mystery, gothic romance/horror, and historical fiction. All of them, except) the poetry, fall into a broader category of pulp. My favorite genre to write so far is the supernatural/weird/horror tale. The only one I have not overly enjoyed writing is the straight historical fiction. I have been told by a couple of beta readers that is really pretty good. I am glad to hear that because it will be a long time before I do another.
The mystery and the noir were fun. It was a murder mystery based on characters by D.L. Champion. The hardest part was coming up with the murder and the solution. Still, I would enjoy writing more about that character. The noir was a satire based on the Three Billy Goats Gruff. It will be out this summer in an anthology called “Once Upon A Mystery” from Beyond The Threshold Studios. I will post some excerpts of it later this week along with an update where it is in the publication process.
Writing in these varied styles gave me a feel for first attempt at a stand alone. And yeah, I chickened out, going for the comfort zone. >grin< As long as I am writing and submitting to Pro Se Productions, which I consider to be my writing home for now, there will always be opportunity to stretch my creative styles.
Thank you for reading,
Ernest
When My Worlds Collide 