Sunday, March 31, 2013

MGOC Contributor: Lynn Salsi


LYNN SALSI

EXCERPT from "To Be Reviewed or Not to Be Reviewed" by Lynn Salsi in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction

Once upon a time book reviews gave readers, writers, and publishers an overview of the industry. A positive review in a major magazine or newspaper promised a book a long shelf-life in stores, giving the writer an opportunity to produce a second book before the first title went out-of-print. A review in a major newspaper like the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, or the Miami Herald put books and authors on an elite list.

Professional book reviewers delivered objective comments about content and interpreted the book’s importance as an addition to the canon of its genre. Newspapers—large and small—published weekly book pages which occupied space from a few columns to a complete section.Large dailies employed fulltime book page editors. Since writing defines civilization, print media considered the creation of a best-seller list a contribution to society. And, such lists defined the best writing available on a weekly basis.

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Lynn Salsi has a BA in Journalism and an MA and MFA in creative writing from Seton Hill University. She is the author of 18 books. She has received many awards, including Jacqueline Lougheed World Understanding Lecturer (International Alpha Delta Kappa), an American Library Association Notable Book Award, eight Willie Parker Peace History Book Awards, a Stars and Flags gold medal, and a silver medal from the Military Writers Society of America. In 2008 she was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for The Life and Times of Ray Hicks, Keeper of the Jack Tales. She writes popular fiction and
Literary non-fiction.

Friday, March 22, 2013

MGOC Contributor: Rebecca Baker


REBECCA BAKER

EXCERPT from "Getting Your Words Out: The Basics of Promoting Your Fiction" by Rebecca Baker in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction

While I have met writers who are perfectly comfortable with the business of promoting their work — and to them I say good luck and Godspeed — the greater majority of us would prefer to believe that someone will show up, someone who knows and loves our work as much as we do, to take care of all the commercial unpleasantness that happens after we get the blasted book finished.

That person does not exist.

Actually, that person does exist. It’s you.

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Rebecca Baker currently serves as the manager of communications and web content for Seton Hill University. Previous positions include associate director of media relations and staff writer, both at Seton Hill, and community affairs coordinator for Mellon Bank (now BNY Mellon). Becca is also a freelance writer. She lives in Greensburg, Pa. with her husband, Bruce Siskawicz, a photographer and graphic designer. They have two cats, Max and Sam.



Monday, March 18, 2013

Arnzen's "Instigation": Creative Prompts on the Dark Side


New ebook for writers: $3.99
Michael Arnzen's latest book for writers, Instigation: Creative Prompts on the Dark Side is a treasury of over 500 twisted tips, strange scenarios and disturbing sparks to help ignite the fuel in your creative furnace. Its aim? To push you into the danger zone of your imagination, by thinking in unconventional ways and trying things you never thought — or dared — to try before in your writing, art, or dreams.

Writers, especially, will benefit from this book of “story starters” that can shatter writer’s block and possess your fingers with an impish creative spirit. Arnzen’s Instigation — filled with unique prompts drawn directly from his fiction workshops at Seton Hill University, his columns from Hellnotes and his Bram Stoker Award-winning newsletter, The Goreletter — has already helped hundreds of horror writers, dark “creatives” and unconventional artists…many of whom have not only crafted original material, but published it as a result of responding to these twisted prompts.

Contents include: Prompts: 365 Sick Scenarios | Spurs: 31 Turns for the Worse | Resurrections: 13 Radical Revisions | Memoir Mayhem: 151 Prompts for Journaling | The Devil Made You Do It Yourself: 6 DIY Exercises | Essays on Writing on the Dark Side: “In the Mood: Getting Ready to Write”; “Binge Writing and NaNoWriMo”; “Discovering Your Hidden Intentions”; “Question-Storming”; “Making Modern Monsters”; “What Corrupted Me”; “The Five Laws of Arnzen” | Tips For Further Instigaton | Apps, Websites, Related Readings, and Writing Communities

See the catalog page for more information on this dangerously helpful ebook. Or visit scribd.com for a meaty 30 page preview, with a heaping supply of prompts and an article on "Binge Writing and NaNoWriMo" excerpted from the book.

Just $3.99! Now available direct from Mastication Publications, or on the Amazon Kindle and B&N Nook.

 Writers inspired by Instigation are inspired to share and promote their work on the Instigation Showcase.

Monday, March 11, 2013

The Fridge of the Damned!

Many Genres co-editor Michael Arnzen reports a successful kickstarter campaign (that doubled its goal) for The Fridge of the Damned: a quirky horror poetry magnet kit that draws words directly from his book The Gorelets Omnibus. Magnets have been distributed to all backers, and you can read the strange-yet-fun results in the active online gallery.

While supplies last, Raw Dog Screaming Press is selling remaining magnetic tins for just $12.

One of the many incentives for the kickstarter is a new ebook from Arnzen, called Instigation: Creative Prompts on the Dark Side, which genre writers might want to look into. It should be released from Mastication Publications, on March 15th.

#TFOTD tin / cover magnet designed by Nathan Rosen @BlackDogNate

Saturday, March 2, 2013

MGOC Contributor Event: Michael A. Arnzen and Jason Jack Miller to Teach Writing Workshop at Confluence 2013

EVENTS


FREE RDSP WORKSHOP AT CONFLUENCE 2013

As part of Raw Dog Screaming Press's DogCon2 celebration at Confluence 2013, award-winning authors and Many Genres One Craft contributors Michael A. Arnzen and Jason Jack Miller are on the faculty to teach a free 3-hour writing basics workshop on Saturday, July 20. The event is open to all registered convention participants. Pick and choose from 6 different 1/2 hr. sessions or attend them all.

The workshop will run from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM

CRAFT
10:00-10:30 AM - CHARACTER with Matt Betts
10:30-11:00 AM - DIALOG with John Edward Lawson
11:00-11:30 AM - PLOT with Michael A. Arnzen
11:30–NOON - SETTING with D. Harlan Wilson

BUSINESS
NOON–12:30 PM - PUBLICATION OPTIONS with Deanna Lepsch
12:30-1:00 PM - BRANDING AND PROMOTION with Jason Jack Miller

To register for CONFLUENCE 2013, click the link below: