then twist it. I wrote "Out of Print" over a weekend because the prompt "Last Death" made me wonder what I would like to die, some characterizations of Asian women, how would I let them die? People stop reading those stories. apex-magazine.com/short-fictio...
His white skin looked even more pale in monochrome. In the final chapters, he had worn his officer’s uniform, to remind me of his country’s authority over my city.
17. Let it be. Consume some longform fiction. Talk to some neglected friends. Walk the dog. Exercise. The well will fill again because it filled before. Write some things with no ending, just vibes, so dark and twisted you're never going to let another soul read it. Write something 99% true to life
16. that blank page with the blinking cursor. Just have to fill that page with words, Then all the decisions, what are you paying attention to, clothing, appearance, relationships. The mind is showing this movie in a blur and I'm struggling to sketch everything down then figure out how to rewind
15. whenever dog leaves me alone? I see why writers have cats instead. I'd like at least three uninterrupted hours, between meals, preferrably before 7 pm. After that, my brain wants bed. 1st novel gave me nightmares so I needed a detox between writing and bed.
14. I don't pay attention to word count because I tend to write flash, and I could write gibberish I'd have to clean up later. I think more of scenes or pieces. Introduce XX through the relationship with her sister first, intro magic to reader, layered in sensory detail.
13. I do not write every day because I have a day job. Some people can do 3 sentences a day but I'd cheat by writing "F..k." 3x until I hit the weekend. If I can cheat a rule, I will.
12. Caveat: I do 99% audiobooks for long fiction, and eyeball read short fiction. So I can consume short fiction and listen to nonfiction, but not long fiction while I'm writing because plots, characters, they'll get jumbled. I also pick up the style of what I'm eyeball reading (could be a feature)
11. Zen Cho, Nnedi Okorafor, Ursula Vernon, Mary Robinette Kowal, Terry Pratchett, R. F. Kuang, Toni Morrison, N. K. Jemisen, Fonda Lee, Nghi Vo. Off to day job, I'll add more if I remember.
10. At least dual monitors to keep one copy up while I write in the other so I can ctrl f for what that minor character looked like, etc. No dog, no spouse, a bottle of water.
Sorry above should be 9 not 8.