Showing posts with label Night to Dawn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Night to Dawn. Show all posts

Friday, September 07, 2007

Night to Dawn #12

I got my contributor copies for Night to Dawn #12 yesterday and the magazine looks very nice. I actually was not expecting it to be so beautifully done, and at almost 90 pages it's thicker than I expected as well. My piece, which is either a micro fiction or a prose poem, depending on how you define it, is called "When the White Mist." It's...uhm, well, rather a romantic piece. If you've read any of my novels you might be surprised. No gore or bloody battles. Just love, albeit slightly on the kinky side.

If you want to check out the website it's here. Note, if you do go to the website do not click on the "check out my blog" link at the top or you will be taken to a porno site. Barbara Custer is the editor and I think her blog address has been, shall we say...compromised. The rest of the website is fine.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Some Happenings, and a Question

1. Lana's home! Yeah! She got in late Wednesday night and it's very good to have her back.

2. From what I hear, Night to Dawn #12 was released today, with a story by me in it called "When the White Mist." And for some synchronicity, that piece was originally written for Lana.

Now for the question. I was working on an advice piece today on writing and I came up with the following as a possible suggestion. I'm just not sure it's a worthwhile one, or if I've thought it through carefully enough. Any feedback would be appreciated.

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In real life, people get flat tires. They run out of gas. They get sick. They bump into people they know. They have a thousand other experiences. If used correctly, such everyday “surprises” can significantly increase suspense, and can produce excellent cliffhangers.

Consider, an undercover police officer is working a drug buy when he realizes that one of the men approaching him is someone he knows, someone who will recognize him. End the scene now and you’ve upped the tension. Or, our hero has been secretly tailing a terrorist who knows where a bomb is planted. They’ve traveled so far, she’s worried. She glances at her instrument panel and sees the gas gage on “E.” Drop the scene here and you’ll leave the reader wondering what the hero is going to do.

Anything that tosses an obstacle into the hero’s path can ratchet up the suspense. This works especially well if it comes as a surprise in a critical moment.