This has been a blood-drenched reading month—something that happened quite by accident. Three of the five books below I would label as “extreme horror,” while a fourth had plenty of disturbing imagery. There would be more books on this list, but I gave up on two large novels halfway through each. Next month, I may … Continue reading What I Read – February 2023
I Finished My Rough Draft! (Kinda)
The title says it all. After 2 months of planning and 3 months of writing, my linked collection, Stories From the Infinite City, is finally complete—half a month later than I had originally planned. It is made up of a novella and 12 short stories, coming to a total of 48,000 words. This past month … Continue reading I Finished My Rough Draft! (Kinda)
What I Read – January 2023
I can say this month that I read widely. Each book was a different genre (horror, high fantasy, urban fantasy, meta-fiction, weird fiction) and I must admit that it was refreshing after being locked solely in horror for so long. While I’ll always have a home in horror, the many worlds of speculative fiction provided … Continue reading What I Read – January 2023
Productivity & Deadlines (Writing Update)
This month started as a jog and ended as a sprint. I was hoping to announce that I had finished the rough draft of my collection Stories From the Infinite City. I had timed it perfectly—or so I thought. This week, I received a laundry list of edits for my recently accepted story “The Installation.” … Continue reading Productivity & Deadlines (Writing Update)
What I Read – December 2022
I wish I could read faster. There are so many books I would love to read, but only so much time in my life. My shelves alone have hundreds of unread volumes. And for every one I finish, I buy two more. This was a slow month with all the holidays thrown in, but it … Continue reading What I Read – December 2022
Resolutions 2023 + Top 10 Books
Why do I keep making resolutions? I never complete them all. For me, they provide structure. While I know I may not accomplish everything I’ve set out to do, I realize that doing something is better than doing nothing. I kept that in mind when I wrote this year’s resolutions. Via Wikimedia Commons Last Year’s … Continue reading Resolutions 2023 + Top 10 Books
My Short Story Method + Writing Update
After much trial and error, I think I’ve finally found the writing method that works the best for me. At least, for short stories. It blends elements of both pantsing and plotting, providing structure and freedom at the same time. It's not wholly original, but rather an amalgam of different advice I've been given over … Continue reading My Short Story Method + Writing Update
What I Read – October/November 2022
I like to have a theme with the books I read. At the start of October, I was determined to consume every weird fiction book centered around a city (there are a surprising number of them) to inspire me for my own collection. This started out all right, but a vacation to Palm Springs and … Continue reading What I Read – October/November 2022
Maintaining Momentum (Writing Update)
I am notorious for starting projects and not finishing them. There are half a dozen unfinished novels on my computer and about 30 short stories that never survived past the first draft. But I feel my current WIP is different. I’m 3 months into it and I’m even more enthusiastic about it than when I … Continue reading Maintaining Momentum (Writing Update)
An Elegy for Twitter?
I avoid talking about current events and divisive topics on this blog, but there are some things I want to share about the state of Twitter and what the site means/meant to me. For the unfamiliar: Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of Twitter is causing a ruckus. His big plans for the micro-blogging site are not … Continue reading An Elegy for Twitter?
Zé Burns | Blog 