Fiction: The Truth Behind Boot-cut Jeans

Taking a cue from David Cranmer's blog yesterday, I threw my hat into the ring for a fun writing contest. Jason Evans, at the Clarity of Night blog, put up a photograph here. Our job as writers was to submit a 250-word story inspired by the photo.

My entry is #120. David's is #93 and Sandra Seamans is #20 (guess she got the memo earlier).

After I finished the story, I didn't quite know where it all came from. Neither did my wife. But, it's there. Enjoy.

I'm a Winner!

Well, it seems these book reviews I'm doing for my blog are paying off. I just got the official word that I won the book review contest sponsored by the Ft. Bend Writer's Guild. Yee-haw! The winning essay was the one I wrote about The Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow. You can read it here. This marks the first time in my career that I've won for non-fiction. I don't intend for it to be the last.

Thanks to everyone who visits my blog and reads my reviews. Without y'all, this blog and these reviews and the discussions generated would be a bunch of soliloquies. I prefer dialogue.

Winners all around...even me

The Shamus Awards were announced today up in Baltimore at the Bouchercon. Head on over to The Rap Sheet for the list. Cornelia Reed won for "Hungry Enough," a short story from A Hell of A Woman: An Anthology of Female Noir, edited by Megan Abbott (Busted Flush Press). You can read my review of that story here.

At my local Fall Writer's Conference sponsored by the Ft. Bend Writer's Guild, at which Robert Cremins was the terrific guest speaker, I won for the 6-word novel contest.

My winning entry: Wanted: new husband without bullet holes.

This marks the third time I've written something and won money for it. You know, I like that feeling. I'd like to keep that going...

Writer's League of Texas Novel Contest: Results

In the words of Agent Maxwell Smart: "Missed it by that much."

My second book, Justice in H-Town, missed the cut for the Writer's League of Texas 2008 Novel Contest. Bummer. But I got my score sheet back...and it's full of little gems that are quite encouraging. There is a scoring system that consists of ten categories. Each category is awarded a score between 2 (Major problems) and 10 (Excellent). Here are my results, starting with the last one.

For anyone who thinks grammar is not important, talk to me. I mean, I'm a tech writer so I should have caught the little things (tic not tick; who's not whose; short not shot), right? Wrong. I got an 8.

Synopsis: 6 - I had to condense my one-page, single-spaced synopsis to a one-page, *double-spaced* synopsis. While the judges said "Great opening! Excellent premise.", they said the ending was somehow unsatisfying.

Hook: 10 - This judge said similar things that another judge mentioned: lose some of the introspection in chapter 1. "Great hook, though - the stand-off scene has a good tone and great tension. And the chapter end really leaves us hanging."

Structure: 10 (see a trend?) - "Great job - sucks me in and keeps the tension up."

Characters: 10 - [no comments]

Conflict: 10 - Money quote: "I'm dying to know what happens next!"

Dialogue: 10 - "Natural dialogue, good, snappy, internal monologue, and a great narrative/dialogue rhythm. Well done."

Setting: 10 - "Excellent job during the stand-off - great description."

Plotting: 10 - "...Excellent transitions and scene opening, good rhythm."

Technique/Style: 10 - "Very readable - funny, yet real and vulnerable main character. Good scene structure, excellent transitions, good tension. Nicely done."

Additional Comments: "Top contender; your grammar errors and synopsis held you back, but great job. Clean this up and send it out!"

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Now, how's THAT for some Friday morning encouragement! And it couldn't have come at a more perfect time as I'm wallowing in doubt about the story. Uh, not any more. :-)

My Desk and Writing Area

Over at Murderati, there is a discussion from the question: What is on your desk? Here is my response.

I have two desks--one made by my dad--and I use them in different ways. The writing desk is literally the desk I sit at to write anything long hand. There are times when pixels and a keyboard don't do it for me. I break out the pen (Pilot PreciseGrip 0.5mm, blue ink) and paper (college-ruled comp books) and compose. Yes, there are times when the ideas flow too rapidly that my handwriting is horrible. (During those times, I make notes in the margins or on yellow Post-its.) But the old-school way of writing helps the flow sometimes.

Then I have the computer desk. It's really a old server thingy--with shelves on both sides of a central post. On the closest shelf, I have it lowered to where my ergonomic keyboard sits. The other shelf I have raised so that my MacBook is almost eye level. Behind the Mac, in plain view when the Mac is closed, are my Current Books. (Right now: Money Shot by Christa Faust, Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps, Complete Western Stories of Elmore Leonard, By Night in Chile, Hell of a Woman (anthology), The White Trilogy (Bruen), and the book I just finished and reviewed, Kiss Her Goodbye by Allan Guthrie) On the walls next to my Mac are my awards (four so far). I won an authographed photo from the band Chicago when I wrote a short story using over 70 titles of their songs. My first novel, Treason at Hanford, twice won third place at the Ft. Bend Writer's Guild contests. My second novel, Justice in H-Town won third place just last month. And I have a framed copy of my first published piece: a memorial to the journalist David Bloom, published in the Houston Chronicle in April 2003.

I use them to remind me that I have the talent to be a writer...and that only persistence will help me become a *published* author.

Another Contest - Another Win

Over the weekend, I attended the spring workshop for the Ft. Bend Writer's Guild. The speaker was Ron Rozelle. And it was great. I highly recommend that you go hear Ron speak if you get a chance. My wife sometimes asks why I attend conferences and workshops when all I need to write is either pen/paper or a computer. I do learn things, even if it is reinforcements of things I already know.

The good news about this workshop is that I won Third Place for *both* of my novels in the Novel Contest. This is the second win (also third) for Treason at Hanford: A Harry Truman Mystery. But it marks the first time my second novel, Justice in H-Town, has won. And the second book isn't even finished yet. Like I did last August when Treason won its first award, I stopped by Michael's on the way home and picked up a frame for my JiHT certificate. Awesome!

Oh, and this marks the first time that I've won money. It was modest. But it was monetary. The win was much more important. Like a business man who frames his first dollar, there's a certain part of me that wants to frame this check. But I think I'll hold off and frame my first advance check instead.

Treason at Hanford: Now an Award-winning Manuscript

Over the weekend, I attended the Ft. Bend Writer's Conference. It was a wonderful day and I met some great folks (Hey Dawn and Joe!). The subject of the conference was screen writing. Granted, I'm still working on my novels but most of the tips can apply to novels as well as screenplays.

Anyway, I entered Treason at Hanford into the Novel-Writing Contest...and won third place. There were others who tied for 3rd with me but the simple fact is I Won Third Place. Yippee!