REBLOGGED: Short Fiction Writing, In Short

~ JM Williams ~ Leave a comment

Here’s another one laying out the basics of short fiction. You can send me your work at the OMAM site.

Of Metal and Magic Publishing

I always encourage new writers to experiment with short fiction. There are numerous benefits to be gained from practicing the short form. First, you learn, by necessity, to be more efficient with your writing. The shorter the story, the more you have to scrutinize each and every word, eliminating redundancies and maximizing clarity with as few words as possible. Second, you get more experience working through the publishing process—formatting manuscripts for submission, writing cover letters, working with editors,etc—than you would by writing one or two books a year. Last, publishing short fiction improves your author brand. In order to get a story into an anthology, you need to get past the gatekeepers (editors and publishers), proving you have at least some chops at this writing thing.

When you make the decision to attempt your first piece of publishable short fiction, first you need to consider format and size. There are…

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REBLOG: The Sound of Silence

~ JM Williams ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been rambling about the craft over at OMAM. How do you like the new design?

Of Metal and Magic Publishing

Utilizing sensory details is a critical part of good writing. Tapping into the five senses allows a reader to go beyond just visualizing the scene to the point of feeling it for themselves. But of the five, sound is probably one of the hardest to convey.

You can get by sometimes withonomatopoeia. Providing details of what is making the sound can create subtle differences–the light clang of steel vs. the heavy clang of iron. Changing the sound word a slight bit can also do the same–the thunk of light wood vs the thud of weighted-down wood or barrels. More often than not, I find myself resorting to similes to describe certain sounds, e.g, a metal scratch like the wail of the damned.

I’ve always felt that Terry Pratchett had a wonderful sense of sound, and more significantly, a peerless skill at delivering that sense to the reader. Take these…

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Guest Post: Superfluous Writing or When Simple is Better

~ JM Williams ~ Leave a comment

Here are some great tips from a visiting editor.

Of Metal and Magic Publishing

By Melyssa Van Lydegraf

Imagine entering a bookstore, with the goal of finding your next engrossing read. You find the shelf with your favorite genre and start browsing through the selection. An intriguing cover catches your eye, and you open to the first page to get a sample of the story.

After a couple sentences, you realize that you have no idea what’s going on. The author clearly has a vast vocabulary but attempting to piece together the narrative leaves you thinking it will be a chore to get through this book. You place it down and decide to go for another book instead.

This scenario happens more often than expected. You could have the most interesting story, the best characters, or the twist ending to beat M. Night Shyamalan, but a portion of your potential readers will never know because your opening chapter is a struggle to get…

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Reads: 3 More Free Stories for You

~ JM Williams ~ Leave a comment

Check out these great new stories over at OMAM. All of these are flash fiction, so they are quick and easy reads.

Of Metal and Magic Publishing

I am happy to announce that we have three more fantasy stories available to read here on our website.

We are getting closer and closer to having capacity for a new anthology! I’ve got several more stories in my read pile as well, just need the time to get at them. If you’ve submitted to us recently, thank you. If not, what are you waiting for?

Here’s today’s lineup:

First up is a flash fiction piece by OMAM’s own Douglas W.T. Smith entitled “Into the Forest.”

After a tragedy at home, Jaeden flees into the forest. He hopes to eke out a living off nature alone, but soon comes to question that decision.

Humor writer and blogger Shawn Cowling sent us this short and funny story which reveals the truth about interactions with fantastic beasts.

Yahhan had always wanted to become a griffin keeper. Now he is apprenticed to one…

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Letter from the Editor

~ JM Williams ~ 2 Comments

We are actively looking for new content and other support. Check here for my preferences as an editor, most of which are the same as others. These tips will help you clean up your manuscripts and cover letters, whether you’re submitting to me at OMAM or something fancy like Asimov’s.

Of Metal and Magic Publishing

We’ve been up and running for three months now, and I am getting a steady stream of submissions at this point. I’ve received about an even balance of short story and novel pitches, but not many offers for other things. (Hint: We need beta readers!)

I wanted to take the time to address some common issues, as well as offer some general tips on submitting to publishers–whether to OMAM or others.

I know that our “write with us” page does not provide specific guidelines. That omission is purposeful, as I like the initial interaction between myself and new authors to be first and foremost about us as people, not about the work. I am also willing to assist a novice writer through the submission process.

But what do you provide, whether that be a cover letter, a synopsis, or a manuscript, reveals a lot about you as an author and…

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