IWSG - Stumbling Into Short Stories

Hey, hey, hey, this week it's ACTUALLY time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the IWSG allows writers to express their insecurities and support each other. Anyone is welcome to join. Simply click on Alex's name and put your blog on the linky list. Then post the first Wednesday of each month and hop around to visit others.

Our exalted co-hosts this month are 

Susan Baury Rouchard, Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jennifer Hawes, Chemist Ken, and Chrys Fey!

The optional question this month asks: Have you ever written a piece that became a form, or even a genre, you hadn't planned on writing in? Or do you choose a form/genre in advance?

Well, when I started out trying to be a professional writer, I first tried writing a couple novels. One I only researched (I'm probably on a watchlist because of it). It was back when the Hantavirus hit the news. It started on a reservation, and I had an idea for a mystery story in the Tony Hillerman-type style that involved the government releasing a test virus on the reservation. Considering the government's past, it wouldn't have been the first time they tested something on a minority population. I spent months researching government testing and biological warfare. Astoundingly, I found out how to make anthrax from one of the library books. I have no idea idea which book now, and I don't remember anything other than that it was shockingly easy to get what was needed.

Tony Hillerman ended up putting out a book that seemed to have a similar premise. I was upset, figured I'd never get a book published if he'd beat me to the punch (I was about 20), and I got a new job where I was working 9am to 2am all but one day per week, in which another manager opened and I closed. Zero days off, discouraged, overworked, exhausted, I gave up on the story. 

I started another book, but it felt more like a thriller short story to me, so I eventually hopped back into short stories, because I just didn't have time to do anything else. Two rejections (one from Aasimov's and one from Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, both via mail, both of which I still have!), and I set that all aside until years later as a new mom. I made money as a stay at home mom in writing a monetized blog on being the mom of a child conceived via IVF (2005) and eventually writing articles for an online periodical (2006) (and being a guide on ChaCha and kgb--I suck at not working). But I started slowly, but surely writing short stories and learning how to submit them, all while I also worked on another novel.

I thought being a novelist was the only way to break in, but then my short stories started selling. Then I started being invited to speak and to teach. Writing organizations and the library started treating me like a real author before I felt like one.

Short version: I created my career by accidentally happening into a different form than the one I thought was required to make it in the writing world!

On the flip side, I've had short stories end up clearly needing to be novels, and I'm working on two of those now. We'll see what happens there.

That turned out longer than I intended, so I'll save the rest of my post for next week (if I remember what I was going to say.)

If you missed my post last week, I had a new story come out that is FREE to read, plus I was interviewed, and one of my stories was read on a podcast, also free to listen to! Here's that post if you want the links: Horroraddicts, Dust Bunnies, & Novel Noctule.

Submission stat time! Each month I report the previous month's submission stats to keep myself accountable.

July

9 submissions

1 acceptance (YAY!!)

1 rejection

12 stories currently on submission

6 stories pending resubmission

Pikes Peak Writers continues with free online programming this month, so if you haven't been able to drop in, you're still welcome! We're likely looking at doing this for at least the rest of 2020. Write Brains are a two hour workshop, Writer's Night is for writing discussions (you can throw out a topic/question for all to discuss or just hang out and take part in the discussion), and Write Drunk, Edit Sober is a series of mini lessons with prompt writing between each lesson. There's also a free conference being put on this fall by three writing groups working together: Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and Northern Colorado Writers. Anyone can take part, all for completely free. Go the Pikes Peak Writers website for more information.

What's your answer to the IWSG question? What are your insecurities? How are you doing right now? Have you submitted anything? 

May you find your Muse!

Writing Exercises for the Coronapocalypse

Hi, guys! I hope everyone is at least finding a "new normal" right now and hanging in there as much as possible. My husband has been playing with his 3D printer to make masks, and my sister-in-law made me a fabric one, so I have a variety to wear to work and the store.

I was able to do a Zoom call with my mom and three of my four siblings, which was nice. We're not big phone talkers, any of us, and Zoom is basically a phone call with pictures, but it's the best we can do right now, so we'll take it.

I've decided to do some simple prompts on my author Facebook page for people struggling with their creativity during this time. Starting tomorrow, there will be a basic prompt, such as describing a memory or a person you know, something that will hopefully get people to write a bit without making them feel bad about having trouble creating. If you'd like to take part, you can click HERE and "like" the page to get the daily prompts. You can also search for Shannon Lawrence - The Warrior Muse if clicking the above link doesn't work.

Note that I don't go to bed until about 5 or 6 AM, so I will be checking in on the page later in the day. I don't want anyone to think I'm ignoring them! I'm just sleeping. Hopefully. I will schedule the prompts to post first thing in the morning, though. Likely 7 AM MT since that's when I do my blog posts.

Speaking of sleep, raise your hand if you're having crazy, intense dreams. I have been. They're not nightmares, just vivid dreams, and since I wake frequently I also remember a lot of my dreams. Some of them are so seemingly normal that I almost struggle to tell the difference between things that didn't happen and things that did. Only briefly, of course, in that way people (women?) have of waking up mad at their spouse because they had an intense dream that felt so real that it hurt in reality upon waking.

We also have three new events arranged for Pikes Peak Writers. They're all free, so I'm going to list them here. If you want to see all of them, you can click HERE. The new ones aren't added on there yet, but I'm going to list them here, and if you're friends with me on Facebook and want me to send you an event invite, let me know. There are two events on there marked Non-PPW Events. Those are not run by us and are not virtual (and not free), but the others are!

Again, these are completely free. We don't make any money off these. This is purely a way to give back to the writing community and help people hang in there. All of the below speakers are also doing this for free, no honorarium, for the same reasons. If any of you are interested in doing a workshop in May, either on a week night or a Saturday afternoon, let me know, and we can see if we can make it work.

How to Become a Better Writer in Quarantine—Even If You Don’t Feel Like Writing
April 25, 2-4 PM MST, via Zoom *links will be up online in the next week
It sounds like a writer’s dream: hours of time at home, no expectations to go anywhere or do anything outside your house, so you can really dedicate yourself to your writing.

But during this rough time, many find their creative energy has short-circuited: With everyone stuck at home maybe your creative space and time has been crowded out. Maybe worry, uncertainty, and even fear make it hard to concentrate on your craft—the very sensitivity that makes artists artists might be working against your ability to create your art in such unsettled times.

But even if all you’re able to manage right now is curling up on the sofa with a book or the remote control, #stayhome can actually be the perfect time to train your editor brain. Analyzing other people’s stories is often the best way to learn to objectively assess your own, and using examples from popular TV shows, movies, and books, Tiffany will teach you how to objectively analyze and dissect the art you're taking in, the way professional editors do with manuscripts, to see how it accomplishes (or doesn't) major storytelling techniques. Using specific suggestions and questions, this hour-long presentation will help you gain the often-elusive skill of self-editing and effective revision to help you get your story onto the page with all the depth and richness and impact it has in your head.

Speaker BIO: Tiffany Yates Martin started in the publishing industry more than twenty-five years ago as a copy editor for the Big Six. As a developmental editor for the last decade, she works directly with authors as well as through major publishing houses, on titles by New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal best-selling authors. She holds a BA in English Literature from Georgia State University and is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association.

Q&A with an FBI Profiler
May 2, 2-4 PM MST, via Zoom *links will go up this week

Pete Klismet, retired FBI profiler, will discuss his background and how he got involved in the FBI, then open up for questions. Want to know how profiling works? Have burning questions about serial killers? Ask away! He'll answer your questions and tell some entertaining tales.

Speaker BIO: Peter M. (Pete) Klismet, Jr. is a U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran and worked for the Ventura Police Department before entering the FBI in 1979. He was trained to be a Firearms Instructor, Hostage Negotiator, and was in the first cadre of Special Agents chosen to be trained in “Psychological Profiling.” Pete received extensive training in profiling over the years, and worked on numerous cases. He was named the 1999 International Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for solving a large multi-national fraud case. Following his retirement in 1999, Pete accepted a position as Department Chair and Associate Professor of the Criminal Justice Department at Pikes Peak Community College. Now retired from that, he continues to do training and consulting work for law enforcement and private companies and law firms. He has authored four award-winning books.

Story Breaking Monday
May 4, 7-9 PM MST

Wanna kick the tires of your story with a storytelling expert? Game to do it LIVE in front of a gaggle of writers? Ready to embrace this new world of Digital Creative Community?

Join Trai Cartwright for an evening of story development – we promise everyone will learn lots about story build and get inspired, and 2 (or 3!) lucky writers will be chosen through lottery to work through—and fix—their stories. Bring your screenplays, books, TV pilots, or web series.

Everyone is welcome to listen—maybe even give notes!
Stories will be chosen by lottery that night.

FREE -- but you must register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0qduGtpzwr43sPYeVcIVZ-7PTK7b9Lhw

BIO: TRAI CARTWRIGHT, MFA, is a 25-year entertainment industry veteran and creative writing and business development specialist. She teaches, produces, and writes screenplays and novels. While in Los Angeles, she was a screenwriter, independent film producer, and story consultant and development executive for HBO, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, and New Line Cinema. She was the Assistant Director of Leonardo DiCaprio’s online endeavors and the Manager for 20th Century Fox’s Mobile Studios. Trai currently teaches creative writing, screenwriting, and producing for Western State Colorado University, Denver University and CU Denver, conferences and cons, and one-on-one as a development and story editor. She is the screenwriter of Secret Ellington, and producer of docu-series Hidden Tigers, and short film Sundown Road.
www.traicartwright.com

How are you doing? Are you coping okay? What coping mechanisms have you found that help you? Have you been able to write? Having vivid dreams? Will I see you on my Facebook page or at any of the events?

May you find your Muse.

Human Trafficking: Not What You Think It Is

I attended a RMMWA (Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers of America) meeting last week on human trafficking. The information was eye opening. Some of it I knew, but much of it I didn't. So I thought I'd pass it along since I keep talking to people who say they're including some aspect of human trafficking in their books/stories. Be aware that it's a heavy and depressing topic.

The presenter was Brittany Austin, from LCHT (Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking.)

Her initial definition of human trafficking: A severe form of exploitation for labor (including sex) through the use of fraud, force, or coercion. 

There are three categories:

1. Those under 18 involved in commercial sex acts (probably the one we hear most about).

2. Those 18 and over involved in commercial sex acts through force, fraud, or coercion.

3. Those forced to perform labor and/or other services in conditions of involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery through force, fraud, or coercion (the one I think fewest people consider when thinking of trafficking.)

An incident must involve one of the following (not one from each category, just one of any of these) to qualify:

Action: Recruit, Harbor, Transport, Provide, Obtain
Means: Force, Fraud, Coercion
Purpose: Commercial Sex Acts OR Labor or Services

Some examples that you might not think of in terms of the means are things like threatening to deport someone, threatening to hurt a family member, or even using a type of blackmail where you threaten to reveal something private and/or embarrassing.

**Sex acts can include stripping and other similar acts, not just prostitution.**

Trafficking often uses a person's needs that are not being fulfilled to coerce them. (Examples: "I'll be the mom you've never had," "I'll marry you so you," "We'll be your family.") Teens/kids will do something to help their single mom, as another example. Those silly ads we see on lamp posts that offer excessively high pay for a mystery job are often targeting youth.

Some simplified examples of how they use a person's needs to get them to perform labor, etc.:

1. Someone suffering from abuse/neglect will fall for the offer of a relationship of some sort.

2. Someone who is homeless will fall for offers of food, shelter, and family.

3. Someone with a marginalized identity can be coerced with acceptance.

4. Someone with an inability to access the job market can be coerced with offers of income.

**Marginalized communities are especially vulnerable**

Immigrant labor force makes up 22% of Colorado's labor force.

Many people know or have some manner of relationship with their trafficker. Interfamilial pimping is a big thing. Arranged marriages can also be examples of human trafficking in some circumstances.

Trafficking tends to come across as being about young females, often white (the white slave trade, etc.). This is what is most often depicted in fiction. However, it is young and old, male and female, white and people of color. It can be anyone.

Sean Crumpler was a human trafficker caught in Colorado. He ended up sentenced to 50 years. He had ten to fifteen LGBT+ boys between the ages of 16 and 21 in his home. Some of them had disappeared from California. In exchange for food, shelter, and gifts, they had to capitulate to his sexual needs.

Ski resorts, agricultural areas, and construction sites are places where immigrants are often recruited directly from their country and brought up to Colorado to be forced into a type of indentured servitude. Often, they get here with promises of a job and somewhere to stay, only to discover their wages are garnished for the transportation, the building they're required to stay in, food, etc. As they continue to work there, they continue to rack up dues, never making enough money to be able to escape. In one local case, the only time they were allowed out of the disgusting building they were being kept in was for work and church attendance on Sundays. A nun noticed their degenerating conditions and reported it, which is how they were found. Not only were they being held due to debt, but their families were threatened. When the perpetrator got out, he kept good to his promises, and traveled to Mexico to go after family members.

Something I've dealt with personally is teens that answer those mysterious ads promising tons of money. They are then transported somewhere for "training," only to discover they're now far from home, often unsure of where they even are, and that they owe money for the transportation and training after the fact. These are the teens you see knocking on doors and selling things like magazine submissions that are not for a local school (for example). They are typically being dropped off in neighborhoods, and must make a certain amount of sales if they want to eat that night. They will be picked up many hours later and taken to a hotel room or similar place, where they all stay in one room. They often have no means to try to reach out to family (or have no family to reach out TO). I've seen these kids selling in my area before, and when I looked up the company they worked for, this exact situation was described. All I knew to do at the time was ask the boy if he was okay. I wish I'd known more about this and had offered to call someone for him or get him to safety somehow.

Here are some red flags and indicators:

- Unexplained injuries
- Evidence of prolonged infection or untreated injuries
- Repeated bacterial, yeast, STI infections
- Dental issues
- Exposure, repeated motion injuries
- Cardiovascular and respiratory problems
- Tattoo branding (there are Denver tattoo parlors that have contracted with people to brand the people they are trafficking, and this likely exists all over the U.S.)
- Evidence of sexual trauma
- Not making eye contact
- Individuals not in control of their own identification documents
- Someone claiming to speak for or on behalf of a victim
- Individual has numerous inconsistencies in his/her story and/or exhibits a loss of sense of time or place
- Individual claims to be visiting, but has no real understanding of where they are or even where they're from
- Youth having relationships with older unexplained adults
- Individual with no idea when his/her last last medical/dental checkup was
- Individual exhibiting PTSD symptoms
- May be in crisis or downplaying injury/illness
- Confused/out of it

Some additional facts:

25% of children worldwide are victims of modern slavery

Women and girls make up 71% of modern slavery victims

Debt bondage affected half of all victims of forced labor imposed by private actors.

In Colorado, you can call 866-455-5075 or text 720-999-9724 to report suspected human trafficking. LCHT.

Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance: 303-861-1160.

You can visit the website for the National Human Trafficking Hotline for more information, including stats in your own state.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline can be called at 888-373-7888 or texted at 233733.

Now for some links. Please bear in mind that I'm not endorsing them, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence before submitting.

Accepting Submissions:

Dragon Soul Press has a number of anthologies open for submissions. The one closing soonest is Organic Ink: Volume 2. No theme, just poems. Pays in royalties. Deadline September 30.

Backpacker is seeking off-the-trail stories from true lovers of the wilderness. There are many categories freelancers can break into. Pays $.40 to $1.00/word.

Funicular Magazine is seeking "quality fiction and poetry that shocks, surprises, moves, and tickles us." Pays $25/piece to $10/printed page, depending upon submission type.

Flash Fiction Magazine is seeking flash fiction of 300-1000 words. Pays $40 per story in their anthology, but nothing for those published online.

Dream of Shadows is seeking fantasy and horror short stories. Up to 1500 words. Pays £20 per piece.

Did you learn anything new about trafficking? Did you know how widespread it was? Any submission links of interest to you? Anything to share?

May you find your Muse.

Surprise Book Release! - Maski, Upcoming Workshop, & Links

For anyone Denver adjacent, I'll be doing a workshop for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers next month!

Saturday, May 13, 2017 - 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. - FREE

Location: Sam Gary Library, Denver

Deconstructing the Horror Genre - Everyone has their own definition of horror, but it's often oversimplified. The genre extends beyond jump scares and slashers. We'll break horror down to its base elements to learn how to build a solid horror story.

Hope to see you there!

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Joylene Nowell Butler's new book Maski: Broken But Not Dead releases today!

Where does the surprise come in, you ask? Joylene had an injury that has her stuck in the hospital right now, unable to partake in the launch of her new book. L. Diane Wolf, her publisher, set this surprise release up for her! We can only hope to have a publisher like this in our writery lives.

EBook release date: April 18, 2017

Maski: Broken But Not Dead

By Joylene Nowell Butler

Psychological Thriller

$4.99 eBook ISBN 9781939844385

An IPPY Silver Medalist!

To the Breaking Point...

When Brendell Meshango resigns from her university professor position and retreats to her isolated cabin to repair her psyche, she is confronted by a masked intruder. His racial comments lead her to believe she is the solitary victim of a hate crime.

However, is all as it appears? After two bizarre days, the intruder mysteriously disappears but continues to play mind games with her. Taught by her mother to distrust the mainstream-based power structures, and with her stalker possibly linked to a high level of government, Brendell conceals the incident from the police. But will her silence keep her safe?

Then her beloved daughter, Zoë, is threatened and Brendell takes matters into her own hands. To save Zoë, Brendell searches for the stalker and confronts not just a depraved madman but her own fears and prejudices.

Purchase Links:

Barnes & Noble 

Kobo

iTunes 

Amazon 

“Joylene Nowell Butler gets straight to the story, taking you from one happening to the next and keeps you turning the page.” - Martha A. Cheves, author

“A psychological thriller filled with suspense, action and drama...” - John Bell, 93.1  CFIS-FM: Prince George, BC

“Riveting and beautifully written. You won't be able to set it down.” Judith S. Avila, author

Joylene, Métis, is the author of Dead Witness, Broken But Not Dead, and Break Time. She and her husband and their two cats reside in Canada for the summers and Nayarit for the winters. They believe life should be an adventure. https://cluculzwriter.blogspot.com/

If you'd like to help get the word out about Joylene's new book, you an tweet the following:

Available now! Amazon- https://tinyurl.com/m63vmxr  B&N- https://tinyurl.com/kah7yj5  iTunes- https://tinyurl.com/kx44u8d  @cluculzwriter

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Now for some links. Bear in mind that I'm not endorsing these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence before submitting to any market or contest.

Accepting Submissions:

Inklings Publishing is accepting short stories for the anthology Eclectically Heroic. Up to 7000 words. Pays $25. Deadline April 30.

Lamplight is accepting short stories in speculative fiction. Up to 7000 words. Pays $.03/word. Deadline May 15.

The Lorelei Signal is accepting short stories, poems, and flash fiction in fantasy. Up to 10,000 words. Any female characters must be strong/complex, not just victims for the rescuing. Pays between $2.00 and $7.50, depending upon submission type. Deadline May 15.

Pedestal Magazine is accepting poetry in the theme of "War." No length or genre restrictions. Can submit up to 5 poems. Pays $40 per poem. Deadline May 21. (Does not start taking submissions until May 1.)

Cloaked Press is accepting fantasy short stories for their annual anthology Fall Into Fantasy. 2000 to 7500 words. Pays $10 + possible royalties. Deadline May 25.

National Lampoon is accepting humorous articles. Up to 1500 words. Pays $70.

PPWC 2016 Wrap Up - All the Firsts

I'm back!

Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2016 is a wrap! I had several firsts (first time as PPWC faculty, first time being a participating author in a book signing), missed a couple opportunities (I was supposed to have a critique and present my query to an editor, both of which ended up not happening because I was working during the times I would have done them), and had an overall exhausting, but wonderful experience.

I had the opportunity to meet Jeff Lindsay, Joe R. Lansdale, Rachel Caine, Wendy Corsi Staub, Johnny Worthen, Steve Saffel, and a slew of fantastic creative folks.

I taught a workshop on short stories, and was on a panel with my fellow Ladies of Darkness, DeAnna Knippling, MB Partlow, and Susan Mitchell. Both had good attendance, and lots of questions and positive feedback, which felt phenomenal!

I also participated in the faculty book signing, where I signed copies of The Deep Dark Woods. I sold all but two of the books I'd consigned, which I'm really happy with.

The next week will still be busy, but not with the level of stress and pressure I had the last few weeks. I'm looking forward to getting back into my blog and jumping around to visit everyone I've missed in the last month!

How have things been for you for the last month? Anything exciting or interesting to share? How did your first book signing go? Every met any of the folks I mentioned above?

May you find your Muse.

Photo #1: With Jeff Lindsay, photo by Deb
Photo #2: Charise and I with Wendy Corsi Staub, photo from Charise's camera
Photo #3: Me presenting on short stories, photo by Becky
Photo #4: The horror panel, photo by Kameron
Photo #5: Me at the book signing with the last three copies remaining, photo by Michelle