Storytellersunplugged

--by Bev Vincent Whenever the subject of writer’s block comes up, I usually say that I don’t believe there’s any such thing. The answer to writer’s block is, quite simply, to write. Write something. Book reviews, essays, blog entries, anything. However, I do believe there is such a thing as Writer’s Doldrums. The original Doldrums are regions in the oceans near the equator where the prevailing winds are calm. Sailors who ended up in the Doldrums could find themselves becalmed for days or weeks. ... Read More

I must keep writing, he says, or I’ll die. He’ll kill me the way he has the others, take my skin, tan it, and bind my books with it, transforming them into the most prized editions of my work in the world. Like some modern Scheherezade, I must keep spinning one story after another if I want to keep his poisoned pen from piercing my throat. Just keep my tired fingers typing, tapping out my desperate tales. I will laugh last though. I will ... Read More

by Bev Vincent In his endnotes for the short story “N.” in Just After Sunset, Stephen King postulates that “everyone suffers OCD to one degree or another.” What does that have to do with submission tracking? I’ll get to that shortly. I concur with King’s theory, though I would add that most people’s version of the disorder can be written off as mere quirks. I, for example, have a mild obsession with numbers. Even before the recent roller coaster ride on Wall Street, I ... Read More

by Gerard Houarner For Storytellersunplugged's "October story" tradition, I'm reaching back to 1995 to post a piece from a Necropolitan Press small press magazine called The End (#3), edited by Jeffrey Thomas. It earned an Honorable Mention in the 9th Annual Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. The Lost Mothers "Eat your chicken soup," she commands, keeping the steaming spoonful of yellowish liquid hovering by my mouth. "Wear your hat," another advises, thrusting a mass of prickly wool into my hands. "And your scarf." "Did you wash behind ... Read More

-- Bev Vincent I received a surprising e-mail a few weeks ago from a grade eleven student at a magnet school in Nashville. As part of an English class on critical thinking, their teacher had assigned them my short story “One of Those Weeks” from the anthology From the Borderlands (originally Borderlands 5). This isn’t the first time one of my stories has been read in an English class, but it’s the first time where I have absolutely no association with the teacher, the ... Read More

-- Bev Vincent I have published something on the order of fifty short stories since I began writing seriously at the beginning of the millennium. Some of the early stories appeared in what are disparagingly referred to as “for the love” (or “4theLuv”) markets. A few were published in “royalty only” anthologies (which are but a smidgen better than 4theLuv markets in that in rare cases some of them have delivered a pittance in revenue—my current record is about $18). Most of ... Read More

YOU'VE GOT TO READ THIS!   The title of my entry today has been shamelessly stolen from a book called (what else?) YOU'VE GOT TO READ THIS. Edited by Ron Hansen and Jim Shepard, it's published by Harper Perennial, and is subtitled CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN WRITERS INTRODUCE STORIES THAT HELD THEM IN AWE.  You probably already have a pretty good idea of what the work offers, but Donna Seaman's BOOKLIST review will give you the details:  Writers are passionate readers because literature is an ongoing dialogue. And ... Read More

SNAPSHOTS: 20th Century Mother Daughter Fiction is an anthology I edited with the extraordinary Joyce Carol Oates. It was a joyous experience and, for those who might be interested, it remains in print. Here’s the story I wrote for the book: “Everything Old is New Again by Janet Berliner “Thank you for coming. “Yes, brunch was a good idea, wasn’t it? Thank you for coming. “We’ll get together soon.” “Thank you for—” —Leaving. Thank you for leaving. Don’t call me, I’ll call you. Jenny shut the door, leaned ... Read More

By Richard Steinberg This month's essay is dedicated with love and gratitude to Sgt. Bryan J. Tutten, 33, of St. Augustine, Fla., who died Dec. 25 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position.  He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, and also, to: Pfc. Brian L. Gorham, 21, of Woodburn, Ky., who died Dec. 31  of wounds suffered in Afghanistan when his vehicle encountered an improvised ... Read More

A few weeks ago, I read the submission guidelines for a small press anthology. I’d never heard of the publisher, but a superficial search told me they’d been in business for a couple of years and had published some books, including one by an author whose name I vaguely recognized. It wasn’t a pro-paying gig, but they offered moderate compensation in advance, and the premise intrigued me enough that I started adapting an old, uncirculated story to suit their guidelines. Then I did a ... Read More