Confabulator Cafe

The Evolution of an Idea: Murph’s Law is up at The Confabulator Cafe

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One of the most common questions for writers is where they get their ideas and how they develop them. I think every writer does it a bit differently. The way I write isn’t the way my local colleagues write. I improvise a lot at the keyboard. Other writers outline vigorously and essentially know the story before they write it. This week, I decided to explain the process I used to write “Murph’s Law,” which appeared at The Confabulator Cafe a month ago. If you liked the story or just want to know how I work, head on over and check it out. There is also a note about Fairfax, the fictional rural setting for several of my stories, which turned out not to be as fictional as I thought.

http://www.confabulatorcafe.com/2014/01/evolution-idea-murphs-law/

A Confabulator Cafe Review of Fortunately, the Milk

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My latest Confabulator Cafe book review is available. This week, I step away from my standard dark fiction to review Neil Gaiman’s recent children’s story Fortunately, the Milk. My son gave me the book for Christmas (with my girlfriend’s help), so that I could read it to him. The review is less about the book and more about what it meant to me. You can read it at http://www.confabulatorcafe.com/2014/01/neil-gaimans-fortunately-milk-book-review/

A Cafe Review of McCarthy’s The Sunset Limited and “Flute of the Dead” News

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In case you missed it, my latest book review is up at The Confabulator Cafe, featuring Cormac McCarthy’s The Sunset Limited: a Novel in Dramatic Form, and experimental scripting of a discussion between White, an atheist professor, and Black, a devout ex-con. You can find my review here: http://www.confabulatorcafe.com/2013/12/cormac-mccarthys-sunset-limited-book-review/

The latest issue of Bete Noire, containing my story “Flute of the Dead” is now available on Amazon. Check it out here: Bete Noire Issue #13

Thanks for reading. There are plans for a Lawrence NaNoWriMo next month. I’m planning on using it to finish the first draft of Heaven’s Edge before the spring semester begins. It looks like I will have a lot of work waiting for me when I graduate in July. Three novels and a host of short stories.

Thanks for reading,

Jack

NaNoWriMo Week 3 at The Confabulator Cafe

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As NaNoWriMo has escalated, so to has my Fall semester at grad school. A busy week studying didn’t leave much time for the novel. I talk about it in my latest post at The Confabulator Cafe.  Check it out.

http://www.confabulatorcafe.com/2013/11/nanowrimo-week-3-ugh/

Confabulator Cafe Book Review: Alan Ryker’s Nightmare Man

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I have a new book review up at The Confabulator Cafe. Head on over and check out my thoughts about Alan Ryker’s latest novella from Darkfuse, Nightmare Man.

http://www.confabulatorcafe.com/2013/10/alan-rykers-nightmare-man-book-review/

The Red Tree by Caitlin Kiernan (Book Review)

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The Red Tree by Caitlin Kiernan (Book Review)

We are trying something new at The Confabulator Cafe, sharing reviews of books, films, and games. We’ve spent the last two years discussing various aspects of writing as they affect our own lives. Stop by and check out what we think about the writing of other artists.

This week, I review the horror novel The Red Tree by Caitlin Kiernan, the story of a writer, a found manuscript, ancient evils, and insanity.

http://www.confabulatorcafe.com/2013/08/the-red-tree-by-caitlin-kiernan-book-review/

My Mistakes (Free Flash Fiction)

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My Mistakes (Free Flash Fiction)

It’s a few hours late due to traveling, but I’ve got a brand new piece of flash fiction titled “My Mistakes” over at The Confabulator Cafe. One of our challenges was to write something outside of our normal genre. As such, this story is totally mainstream. Not a single violent death. Make sure to check it out. 

http://www.confabulatorcafe.com/2013/08/my-mistakes-flash-fiction/

Quote Me on That

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Quote Me on That

It wasn’t that long ago that I was sort of the quote guy. I used quotes at the beginning of every post, both here and on The Confabulator Cafe. This week, the Cafe asked me to write about quotes and whether or not I keep a log of interesting ones for inspiration. Considering how often I used them, you might be surprised about my true feelings for them.

Check out “Quote Me on That” at http://www.confabulatorcafe.com/2013/07/quote-me-on-that/

“TAG” is up at The Confabulator Cafe

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“TAG” is up at The Confabulator Cafe

My latest Confabulator Cafe story is available at http://www.confabulatorcafe.com/2013/07/tag-flash-fiction/

“TAG” is based on the prompt of creating a story around a series of letters. My story involves a series of Post-It notes and police reports, which are essentially letters themselves.

Honestly, writing this story wasn’t much fun for me. The format kept me from losing myself in the writing, because I had to tell the story as much through structure as words. I walked away feeling unsure about the story. I’ve thought about writing longer work in a letter format, which was so common in Victorian Gothic writing with such examples as Dracula, The Beetle, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but in this case, I challenged myself to keep all my prose Post-It-like.

Check it out at The Confabulator Cafe.

Thanks for reading.

Jack

“Last Dance” – Free Confabulator Cafe Fiction

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I have a new story available at The Confabulator Cafe. I wrote the original version of “Last Dance” for the Story-In-A-Bag contest at ConQuest 44. The idea of Story-In-A-Bag is that you have one hour to write a story based on five cards you pull out of bags for your plot, a character, a prop, a setting, and an opening line. Con attendees vote for their favorite stories. I won the Professional Horror division. Of course, I was the only entrant in that division, as far as I am aware, but hey, a win is a win. Regardless, I had fun with it. You can find the story here:

http://www.confabulatorcafe.com/2013/06/last-dance-flash-fiction/

I hope you enjoy my story of a Ouja board and a high school dance gone wrong.