I did the whole writing thing backwards. I started out writing novels, all through my teens and into my late 20s. It wasn’t until 2018 that I became serious about short stories. My enthusiasm for the short form has only grown since. And lately, I’ve decided that I want to focus on it exclusively—at least … Continue reading Short Story Fever
weird fiction
Writing with Passion
For me, a writing project needs passion to succeed. These last six months, I’ve been writing stories that, while they interested me intellectually, I wasn’t passionate about. And ultimately, they failed. There was no heart in them, and I didn’t particularly bond with the characters. My latest project, however, has reinvigorated me and reminded me … Continue reading Writing with Passion
What I Read – June 2023
I wish I didn’t have to sleep just so I could read more books. My goal in June was to immerse myself in weird fiction, a genre I greatly enjoy. I was only two books in, however, when I relapsed into my beloved horror. I can’t get enough of it, it seems. Still, going forward, … Continue reading What I Read – June 2023
When Everything Clicks (Writing Update)
I love it when my writing clicks. I’ll spend an hour forcing myself to press one key after another and then suddenly the whole story opens before me. These are the moments that make me love writing. Fortunately, this month was full of those. Short Stories Last month, I mentioned that I was working on … Continue reading When Everything Clicks (Writing Update)
Evolving as a Writer (Update)
For me, there is no greater feeling than seeing my name in print. I received that honor a few days ago when my copy of It Calls From Below arrived in the mail, containing my story “The Installation”. I’m eager to see what my fellow contributors wrote. Now that I have three stories published, I've … Continue reading Evolving as a Writer (Update)
What I Read – April 2023
What started as a fruitful reading month turned into a morass of unproductivity as life got in the way. It meant I didn’t read as much as I would have liked. As I mentioned last month, I’m reading all weird fiction, both new and old. Two of the books below were some of my all-time … Continue reading What I Read – April 2023
The Fickle Finger of Fiction
Creativity is fickle, coming and going without rhyme or reason. This month, try as I might, I had a deficit of inspiration, as if my muse took a vacation without telling me. Still, I found ways around this. Short Stories Between now and September, I hope to submit at least one story a month. I’ve … Continue reading The Fickle Finger of Fiction
My Shelf Tour
One of my first posts on this blog was entitled Books as a Drug, in which I talked about bibliomania and my impulsive purchase of 81 Dragonlance novels. Well, four years later, I’ve doubled (or maybe even tripled) the number of books I own. For me, buying books is intoxicating, and once they’re on my … Continue reading My Shelf Tour
Going Weird
Before horror, before bizarro, I was obsessed with weird fiction. For those unfamiliar, it’s a hard to define genre with multiple definitions. Tim Waggoner describes it succinctly as “a mix of horror, fantasy, science fiction, and just about anything else you want to put into it.” The genre often shows the insignificance of human beings … Continue reading Going Weird
Finding My Rhythm (Writing Update)
This was one of those months that reminded me why I’m a writer. I’ve found the right rhythms, balanced multiple projects, and felt part of the community. At the moment, I’m hurrying to get a story finished that has a deadline in a few days (more about that below), but I thought I'd take a … Continue reading Finding My Rhythm (Writing Update)
Zé Burns | Blog 