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Friday, Jan. 31, 2025

7:59pm EST

Members: 882

Guests: 2,378

Total Online: 3,260

Writing Blog Number 2

by S 🤦

Rated: 18+ · Book · Personal · #2311764

This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC

This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. If it falls this year (2024), then I may stop the whole blogging thing, but that's all a "wait and see" scenario.

An index of topics can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"

Feel free to comment and interact.

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

S 🤦

about 18 hours ago
In response to "20250131 Mythological Or Legendary Creatures As Cliché"

Ms. TerrifyingTuber - This is mainly Western dragons because those are the ones that feature most in books. That was the idea of this - looking at creatures that have become cliche in books. As for Eastern dragons, around 50-50 good-evil. And Native American beliefs had very few dragons, so calling them good or evil was difficult.

2 Like

Ms. TerrifyingTuber

about 18 hours ago
In response to "20250131 Mythological Or Legendary Creatures As Cliché"

Interesting, so most of the characteristics for dragons listed in this entry were more typical of western/European style dragons. In Eastern and Native American folklore their dragons can be benevolent. Are often associated with rain, rivers or the ocean and sometimes have antlers. Or so I've heard in the folk tales I've read.

But anyways, thanks to the textile industry and weird obsessions from the 80s and 90s, the Eastern Dragon has probably been overused.

1 Like

tj wanderlust-words-in-motion

Jan 27, 2025 at 2:18pm
In response to "20250127 List Of Bad Tropes"

Similarly, minimum workers who drive an expensive, new car and travel overseas, stay in high end hotels, etc...

Kissing in the rain? My wife and I had attended a street dance many years ago that had been moved inside the Fire Hall because it was raining. It was hot and humid, about 39^oC with a relative humidity in the upper 90% range. They had the overhead doors open and fans, but with all the people it was stifling, so we stepped outside the doors and danced in the soft, light, and slightly cooling rain.

I agree, however, they use kissing in the rain way too often, and it's usually in a cold downpour.

1 Like

Jayne

Jan 27, 2025 at 11:28am
In response to "20250127 List Of Bad Tropes"

Basically agree, except #12. There's a reason women cut their hair after leaving awful relationships. There's a reason women cut off their hair as a middle finger to society. Ask around and see how many women with short hair have been told they're cute but would look cuter if they grew their hair out. Why do we need to look cute? Why can't we have a style that makes us feel fierce?

Not all women, of course. It's not that wide of a brush. But for some women, absolutely empowering and does result in a different outlook and demeanor. As to having a hairstyle that won't get in the way - yeah, that's part of it.

I freely admit I'm part of the empowered brigade. Fierce jet-black pixie-cut bed-head I-don't-care-if-you-think-women-should-have-long-locks mention-it-at-you-own-peril hair.

Not directed at you. But it's mind-boggling how many strangers still call it 'brave' or ask 'why did you do that?'

My least favorite is, "Oh, I wish I could do that. My husband/boyfriend/partner would throw a fit." I don't usually say anything, because it's not my place to say, "Get a new partner."

If you feel it's overused, that's fine. But it's definitely one of the more believable ones and has a valid reason for sticking around.

2 Like

Ms. TerrifyingTuber

Jan 27, 2025 at 10:15am
In response to "20250127 List Of Bad Tropes"

The way you phrased number 11 in this list really made me giggle. Although I agree, it is a really annoying trope.

1 Like

Dave Ryan

Jan 27, 2025 at 5:03am
In response to "20250127 List Of Bad Tropes"

There was a comedy sketch show in the UK in the late 90s called The Fast Show, where the sketches each week used recurring characters. They had fun with trope 2 in a series of spoof trailers - "coming soon to the BBC, a brand new drama series":

John Actor is a tough, uncompromising cop

.
John Actor is a tough, uncompromising doctor

.
John Actor is a tough, uncompromising vet

.

and so on, and it was all the same ridiculous cliched crap every time.

2 Like

Kåre เลียม Enga

Jan 23, 2025 at 1:02am
In response to "20250122 Romance Tropes That Annoy Me"

As Quilli ☕ said, "we've seen it all before". It becomes boring.

The Thai BL industry overdid 'enemies to friends' except perhaps "Bad Buddy" where the parents were the true enemies and the two main characters struggled with their childhood secretive friendship becoming much closer. Personally, I've had friendships that had rocky starts, and that's common.

The 6 you mention may exist in reality... as do unicorns and dragons...

Quilli ☕

Jan 22, 2025 at 7:17am
In response to "20250122 Romance Tropes That Annoy Me"

Great entry! Most of these annoy the hell outta me, too. I think some tropes, regardless of genre, bug folks who do a lot of reading, like us. Often while watching a movie with my husband, I goran and tell him that it's too predictable and then tell him how things will go down - because we've seen it all before.

Adherennium - Maybe Writing?

Jan 20, 2025 at 2:52am
In response to "20250120 Utilising Peter's Evil Overlord List"

What if Sceleratus exercised his royal prerogative with some Palace maid, who on discovering her pregnancy has a fair idea what will happen to her if Sceleratus finds out, disappears. Son grows up, overthrows the father. If the mother dies in childbirth without revealing the father, you can avoid the more obvious plot lines.

Adherennium - Maybe Writing?

Jan 17, 2025 at 5:56am
In response to "20250117 My Most Hated Tropes"

Trope 2 above is a staple of all British soap operas. The thread weaves its tedious way to the inevitable line, "We've got to talk." Whereupon the misunderstanding that has spawned fire, murder, theft, adultery and more is explained and resolved. Till next time. I'd personally rate this my least favourite of the three, but they are all terrible.

4 Like

January 13, 2024 at 8:00pm

#1062351

20240114 The Boring List Post

The Boring List Post

So… this is a list of my publication credits, just to give people an idea of where you can sell these things. Most of the websites are no longer valid (the Wayback Machine might help), and 95% of the books are also no longer available, and the poems can be found in old copies of the newspaper…

Here goes!

BOOKS
Invasive Species (AM Ink Publishing, 2022)
Patch Of Green (Little Demon Books, 2022)
Relick [competition winner] (Lightning Source UK, 2013)
Sins Of The Fathers (Grinning Skull Press, 2019)
Under Ground (Black Hare Press, 2021)

SHORT STORIES
‘Adelaide, City Of Churches’ in A To Z: Cities Of Death (Static Movement)
‘Another Endless Night’ in The Undead That Saved Christmas (Rainstorm Press)
‘Bobo’ in Satan’s Toybox: Terrifying Teddies (Angelic Knight)
‘Box Factory’ in South East City Stories (Box Factory)
‘Carnal Knowledge’ in Once Bitten Never Die (Wicked East Press)
‘Conspiracy Theory’ in Told You So (Pill Hill Press)
‘Contemplation’ in Worlds Dark Drabbles #1 (Black Hare Press)
‘Corvalo And The Outside World’ in Key To The Kingdom (Sword & Sorcery Book 1) (Black Hare Press, 2020)
‘Couldn’t Be Bothered’ in Sloth (Black Hare Press, 2020)
‘Dark’ in Trembling With Fear (https://horrortree.com/unholy-trinity-dark/)
'Days Of Future Past' in The Trouble With Time (Three Cousins Publishing, 2024)
‘Dead Silence’ in South East City Stories (Box Factory)
‘Discarded’ in Thema Vol. 31 No. 3 (magazine)
‘Doppleganger’ in Beyond The Grave (Static Movement); The Speculative Edge, Issue 3, October 2012 (magazine); The Speculative Edge, The Best of 2012
‘Evie’s Wish’ in Dead Girl Walking – Green Volume (Wicked Shadow Pess, 2024)
‘Evil?’ in Trembling With Fear (https://horrortree.com/trembling-with-fear-06-16-2019/)
‘Extinction’ in The Temporal Element (Martinus Publishing)
‘Facebook Friends’ in A To Z Of Horror: I Is For Internet (Red Cape Publishing, 2021)
‘Facebook Reality’ in Through Death's Door (Monnath Books)
‘First Martian Contact’ in The Martian Wave Magazine, March 2020
‘Food For Thought’ in First Contact Imminent (Red Skies Press)
‘Forever Young’ [highly commended in competition] in Shades Of Sentience
‘Fortune-teller’ in Curses And Cauldrons (Blood Song Books)
‘From Arkham’ in Lovecraftiana Magazine, Candlemas 2019
‘From The Forebears’ in Midnight Echo Vol.9 (magazine)
‘Gardening Work’ in Legends And Lore (Static Movement)
‘Ghost Tour’ in The Haunted Life (Alban Lake Publishing, 2019)
‘Glorious Destiny’ in Mythic Resonance (Specusphere)
‘Here's One I Prepared Earlier’ in Long Pig (Static Movement)
‘History Of Love’ in Rabbit Hole Vol.3 (Writers Co-Op, 2020)
‘Humanocentricity’ in Martian Wave March 2021
‘Hunting Vengeance’ in The Trigger Reflex: Tales Of The Monster Hunter II (Pill Hill Press)
‘I Shot The Sheriff’ in Wicked West (Summerstorm Press, 2021)
‘Jasmine’s Start To Life’ (Tales From The Crosstimbers, Winter 2024)
‘Katie And Rover’ (Petting Boo!, Wicked Shadow Press, 2025)
‘Killers’ in Monsters (Dark Drabbles #3) (Black Hare Press)
‘Knight-Time In Adelaide’ in Crunchy With Ketchup (WolfSinger Publications, 2021)
‘Lament Of The Unknown Soldier’ in War Is Hell (Cruentus Libri Press)
‘Lazarus Rising’ in Short Sips (Wicked East Press)
‘Like Romeo And Juliet’ in Flash Fiction Addiction (Zombie Pirates Publishing)
‘Love Of His Life’ in Under The Knife (Cruentus Libri Press)
‘Lover's Belief’ in Mon Coeur Mort: My Dead Heart (Post Mortem Press)
‘Maid And Monster’ in Monsters (Dark Drabbles #3) (Black Hare Press)
‘Misplaced Optimism’ in Worlds Dark Drabbles #1 (Black Hare Press)
‘Money?’ in Curses And Cauldrons (Blood Song Books)
‘Mr Hadley’s Circus’ in Beyond The Grave (Monnath Books, 2021)
‘Mystery’ https://insidepulse.com/2012/12/10/the-view-from-down-here-12-10-2012-wrestling-...
'New Occupant' in A Little Fantasy Everywhere (Jersey Pines Ink, 2024)
‘No Stand’ in Broadswords And Blasters, Issue 12 (2020)
‘Office Education’ in It Calls From The Doors (Eerie River Publishing, 2021)
‘On The Wings Of An Eagle’ in Fated (Stormy Island Press)
‘One Less’ in Use Enough Gun: Tales Of The Monster Hunter III (Emby Press, formerly Pill Hill Press)
‘People Of The Earth’ [2nd place in competition] in Goodnight Goodnight (Seaview Press)
‘Power Of The Gods’ in Scribing Ibis (Bibliotheca Alexandrina)
‘Random Encounter’ in Strangers (Thirteen O’Clock Press, 2020)
‘Rejection’ in SQ Magazine, Winter/Fall 2010/2011
‘Rescuing A Princess’ in Flashes Of Fantasy (Fantasia Divinity, 2021)
‘Resolution Cycle’ in Positive Words, August 2011 (magazine)
‘Return Of The Blade’ in Modern Pulp Heroes (Pulp Empire)
‘Rex The Rotten - Beast From A Very Long Time Ago’ https://www.irbstore.co/product-page/rex-the-rotten-by-s-gepp (Alban Lake Publishing)
‘Roadhouse Blues’ in Dark Transitions (13 O’Clock Press, 2019)
‘Romance In The Botanic Gardens’ in Trembling With Fear Valentine’s Special (https://horrortree.com/trembling-with-fear-happy-2020-valentines-day/)
‘Rudolph The Avenger’ in Eerie Christmas (Black Hare Press)
‘Russian Roulette’ in Pulpsploitation (Metahuman Press)
‘Sacrifice To A Dragon’ in Dragon Blood (Static Movement)
‘Scientific Method’ in Blood Trails: Tales Of The Monster Hunter IV (Emby Press)
‘Scrumpy Making In The West Country’ in Shots Of Terror (Angelic Knight Press)
‘Second Chance’ in Tales Of Terror And Mayhem From Inside The Box (Evil Jester Press)
‘Secret Love’ in Fornever After (Jolly Horror, 2021)
‘Sentience’ in Wordland 8: Time We Left (Wordland, 2020)
‘Sibling Rivalry’ in Predators In Petticoats (Black Cat/White Cat, 2020)
‘Siren's Song’ in The Rabbit Hole Volume 2 (Writer's Co-op)
‘Soul Of The Town’ https://thegingercollect.com/issuenine/issueninefiction/soulofthetownsgepp/
‘Southern Sojourn’ in If I Die Before I Wake 6: Tales Of The Dark Deep (Sinister Smile Press, 2021)
‘Spider Worship’ in Bugs! (Pill Hill Press)
‘Stay’ in Come To My Window (Song Story Press)
‘Steel Horse’ in Legends And Lore (Static Movement)
‘Sugar Shack’ in Song Stories: Volume 1 (Song Stories)
‘Surprise Cocktail’ in Under The Stairs (Wicked East Press)
‘The Critic’ in The Monster Behind The Mask (Static Movement Press)
'The Leader Of The Pack' in Vinyl Cuts (Scary Dairy Press, 2024)
‘The Model’ in I’ll Never Go Away (Rainstorm Press)
‘The Oddest Sea’ in Non-Binary Review Issue #22: The Odyssey (https://www.zoeticpress.com/lit-journals?category=NonBinary+Review)
‘The Seeker And The Dark One’ in Tough As Nails (Collaboration Of The Dead)
‘Thomas’ in Mirror, Mirror (Iron Faerie, 2022)
‘'Twilight' Time’ in Dying To Live (Diabolic Publications)
‘Uncovering A Body’ in Crypt Gnats (Jersey Pink Ink)
‘Unseen Success’ in Curses And Cauldrons (Blood Song Books)
‘Waiting For The Beginning’ in Banned Drabbles (Black Hare Press, 2020)
‘Waiting For The End’ in Banned (Black Hare Press, 2020)
‘What's Real?’ http://www.writingraw.com [Nov 1, 2010]
‘World Of Heroes’ https://insidepulse.com/2011/05/23/the-view-from-down-here-fantasy-fantasy-booki...
‘World Of His Own’ in Fire And Brimstone (Specul8 Publishing)
‘Wrestling Gators’ in Lucha Gore (Cruentus Libri Press)
‘Xanadu’ in A To Z: Cities Of Death (Static Movement)
‘Xmas Secrets’ in Ho Ho Horror (Australian Literature Review)

ESSAYS
‘Australian Love Rites’ [3rd Place Best of Times competition Autumn 2010] http://wildthoughts.com.au/comp9.html
‘New Year Realism’ https://www.weekendnotes.com/new-year-realism/
‘Nostradamus The Misunderstood Prophet’ in Grapple Annual No.1 (Grapple Publishing)
‘Primitive Religious Practices’ [Commended Best of Times competition Autumn 2011] http://wildthoughts.com.au/comp11.html
‘Soundtrack’ in One Hundred Memories (Dream Well Writing)

POEMS
‘A Visit From A Vampire’ [parody of the poem by Clement C. Moore] in Trembling With Fear (https://horrortree.com/trembling-with-fear-slaying-christmas-2019-edition/)
‘A Visit From Zombie Nicholas’ [parody of the poem by Clement C. Moore] in The Undead That Saved Christmas (Rainstorm Press)
‘An Australian Visit From St Nicholas’ [parody of the poem by Clement C. Moore] in YP Country Times, Dec 3, 2019
‘Ants’ in NEW Voices (Ginninderra Press)
‘Australia’s Most Dangerous’ in YP Country Times, May 2, 2023
‘Begging’ in NEW Voices (Ginninderra Press)
‘Black Dog’ in YP Country Times, May 14, 2019
‘COVID?’ in YP Country Times, May 25, 2021
‘Fishing Fun’ in YP Country Times, Apr 30, 2019
‘For My Daughter’ in YP Country Times, Apr 23, 2019
‘For My Son’ in YP Country Times, June 12, 2019
‘For The C.F.S.’ in YP Country Times, Nov 27, 2018
‘Garage Sale’ in YP Country Times, Feb 9, 2021
‘Getting Fit’ in YP Country Times, November 26, 2019
‘Green Thumb’ in YP Country Times, April 2, 2019
‘Growing Up Or Old’ in YP Country Times, October 6, 2021
‘Long Drive Woes’ in YP Country Times, August 25, 2020
‘Modern Worries’ in YP Country Times, June 16, 2020
‘Modern Zombies’ in YP Country Times, Feb 26, 2019
‘Needle On Vinyl’ in YP Country Times, Dec 1, 2020
‘New Year Again?’ in YP Country Times, Jan 21, 2020
‘New Year's Poem’ in YP Country Times, Jan 2, 2019
‘Newspeak’ in YP Country Times, September 17, 2019
‘On A Crowded Street’ in YP Country Times, March 17, 2020
‘Online Shopping Woes’ in YP Country Times, July 7, 2020
‘Only At Night’ in Eldritch & Ether (Black Hare Press, 2022)
‘Pandemic Thoughts’ in YP Country Times, April 7, 2020
‘Parched’ in YP Country Times, October 9, 2019
‘Play’ in YP Country Times, August 6, 2019
‘Political, Huh?’ in YP Country Times, Jan 30, 2019
‘Raise The Finger’ in YP Country Times, Sep 11, 2018
‘Real Heroes’ in YP Country Times, February 11, 2020
‘Seeing Santa Claus’ in YP Country Times, Dec 18, 2018
‘Going Shopping’ in YP Country Times, Oct 25, 2022
‘Start At Valentine's’ in YP Country Times, Feb 19, 2019
‘Start With Halloween’ in YP Country Times, Feb 14, 2023
‘That Time Of The Year’ in YP Country Times, October 29, 2019
‘Today’ in YP Country Times, Oct 16, 2018
‘Visit To The City’ in YP Country Times, Sep 11, 2018
‘Watching’ in YP Country Times, March 13, 2019
‘What Is Australia?’ in YP Country Times, Jan 27, 2021
‘Winter’ in YP Country Times, Sep 13, 2022

2 Like • Comment • View 1 comment

January 13, 2024 at 2:13am

#1062320

20230113 Writing Advice

Writing Advice

I am often asked for what advice I would give novice writers. This has not changed in years, and so I will give the advice I always give, and then explain myself.

Advice:
1) Read. Read some more. When you’re done, keep reading.
2) Write. Write some more. When you’re done, keep writing.
3) Get your technical aspects down.

That’s it. Nothing else.

Now… to explain.

1) By read, I mean read a lot, but also a lot of different stuff. If you want to write horror, for example, don’t just read horror. Read science fiction to see how technology can be utilized. Read romance to see how character relationships can be improved. Read non-fiction to give you “what if…?” questions. Read widely and often.

2) The old adage is practice makes perfect. However, there is a caveat – perfect practice makes perfect. You need to make sure what you are writing is as good as it can be. And the only way to do that is to write, and write a lot. Simple.

3) This one is contentious nowadays, as the online narrative is that it is elitist and ableist. The idea is that story is all that matters and the rest is window dressing. My counter to that is if you do not have the basics of spelling, grammar and punctuation down, no-one is going to understand you. This does NOT mean if you do not have these, do not write. Far from it. Write away. But you should be prepared to gain these skills and improve them. It would be like a plumber who doesn’t know how to use a wrench, a basic tool. Sure, he can still do plumbing work, but without that tool at his disposal, he is not going to be effective. So he simple learns to use it. Same with the tools of writing. If you do not know how to use commas, how to spell, fine. Do not let that stop you writing. But also do not accept it as your limit and take the time to learn.

I guess nowadays, I might add little extra things like don’t plagiarise, don’t use AI, Grammarly and the like suck… but they’re not really rules so much as things I have come to realise, and I think everyone needs to realise these things on their own.

And that’s my rules!

Feel free to abuse me.

6 Like • Comment • View 2 comments

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