BHSCWB

Beaverton High School Creative Writing Blog Wednesdays, 2:30-3:30, Rm. 211

[letslihingmui]

oh, so very big

Here our chests are like shield volcanoes. Lava spilling from earth wrenched, we build up on every catastrophe. A million years of splitting my breasts, and I will be oh, so very big.

[thoughtsintorhymes]

it is cold and dark in here. i don’t know how to think without thinking too much and my mind has become a home for a certain kind of darkness that cannot be fought just by shining a torch or lighting a match. this is what a real mess looks like; i am clutching my stomach on a hardwood floor. the door has been locked for hours. it is cold and dark and my fingers are turning white, and my head is overflowing. there is no way to get rid of it. there is no way to get rid of it. there is no way to get rid of it. it is cold and dark in here.

it is cold and dark in my head // r.e.s (via thoughtsintorhymes)

[focsle]

I hate tumblr’s idea of ‘problematic’ characters so much.

An example of a problematic character would be a stock character of a marginalized group that’s reduced to a conglomeration of stereotypes that have a harmful effect on people from that group in the real world.

A problematic character is not a developed character with developed flaws and belief systems that people irl happen to be at odds with. It is not a character that interacts with other characters in ways that hurt them within the narrative. That’s what a story is. That’s what creating characters means. Developing a fleshed-out fictional person to serve a function within one’s narrative.

And characters that are solely mouthpieces for the creator’s own moral views and belief systems, regardless of what those views are, are bad characters, and make bad stories.

[thewritershandbook]

7 Deadly Sins of World building

World building is an essential part of any work of fiction. But especially for science fiction or fantasy, it's the lifeblood of storytelling. But when world building fails, it can wreck your whole story, and leave your characters feeling pointless. Here are seven deadly sins of world building.

[yeahwrite]

It’s like OkCupid for matching writers with editors  ♥

Need a high schooler to edit your dystopian flash fanfic?

Or a published poet to review your queer epic?

How about an English major to review the syntax in your personal essay?

On Yeah Write’s Workshoppers page, you’ll find hundreds of Tumblr users who have volunteered to peer edit other people’s writing. But what you may not have noticed is that each post is excessively tagged with everything that particular workshopper likes to read and edit. Click on a tag to see more workshoppers who, for example, like to edit screenplays, or scifi, or for characterization, or who are in college.

[vazakinada]

Waves crash through her mind, a violent stream of madness and confusion, and falls back and flows to her throat, only to turn to foam in her mouth. And her words get lost, and she feels lost. But she finds some comfort in that, in the familiarity of being lost. For it’s what she always felt her self being, wonderful, lost and ready to perish.

VàZaki Nada (via vazakinada)

[everythingindierp-blog]

10 Underused Character Questions ~

Introduction -

Name:

Age:

Your favorite picture of your muse’s fc:

Questions -

What would be their twitter name? What sorts of tweets would they tweet?

What’s their favorite genre of movies? Of music?

What’s on their top queue on Netflix?

What’s their favorite scent? Do they smell like that?

Apple or Android? 

Favorite Season? Least favorite season?

Are they a bottom or top or versatile? 

Describe their morning routine. Do they wake up early or sleep in? Do they press the snooze button a bunch of times or do they immediately get up?

If they were to be compared to a canon character, who would that be? (Spirit animal)

Finish this sentence, muse: What would ___ do?

tag five people so they can get to know their muse too!

[thepoeticunderground]

The Dark. February 7th 2016.

[bhscwb]

The deafening words of yesterday Are nothing more than a blur Of scratches pulsing in my chest That flare up when you’re with her But golden fields lie before me Far off, green leaves quietly stir Today could pass for a perfect heaven If beauty had not become so hard to endure

Ame

[bhscwb]

America the fruitful, For amber waves of grain, (which isn’t fruit) For purple mountain majesties, Above the fruited plains! America! America! God shed pollen on thee! And crown thy goods with certification stamps From peas to shining trees!

Rachel

[breannacarroll-blog]

Publishing for Fun and Profit

So there was a list going around tumblr for a while that made it to my dash of literary journals that accept open submissions (and will pay!), but upon inspection about half of them were closed indefinitely, and I found quite a few other places that looked interesting through further research, so I wanted to post my own list. 

I tried to focus on things that paid professional grade (at least 6 cents per word), were friendly to speculative fiction, and specifically encouraged diversity and writing about marginalized groups.

(Please note that as of right now I have never submitted or been published with any of these, so if anyone has experience with them, good or bad, please feel free to message or reblog this with your experiences.)

Speculative Fiction

Strange Horizons — Speculative fiction (broadly defined) with an emphasis on diversity, unusual styles, and stories that address politics in nuanced ways. 8c per word. Up to 10,000 words, under 5,000 preferred. Responds within 40 days. LGBT+ positive.

Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine — Sci-fi, fantasy, horror, etc. 7-12c per word. Up to 25,000 words. No response times listed.

Asimov’s Science Fiction — Primarily sci-fi but accepts fantasy and surreal fiction, but no high fantasy/sword and sorcery. Prefers writing that is character driven. 8-10c per word. 1,000-20,000 words. Responds in about five weeks.

Evil Girlfriend Media — Horror and urban fantasy centered on female empowerment and defying gender stereotypes. $100 flat payment. 4,000-7,000 words. No response times given. LGBT+ friendly.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies — Fantasy with a focus on secondary worlds and characters. 6c per word. Up to 10,000 words. Average response time 2-4 weeks.

Fantastic Stories — Speculative fiction with an emphasis on diversity and literary style. 15c per word. Up to 3,000 words. Responds within two weeks. LGBT+ positive.

Fiction Vortex — Serialized fantasy and speculative fiction. $300 for featured stories, $50 otherwise. 3,500 words or less. No response times given.

Shimmer — Speculative fiction with an emphasis on diversity, strong plots, vivid characters, and beautiful writing. 5c per word. 7,500 words or less (will consider longer words with query letter). Usually responds within two weeks. LGBT+ positive.

Clarkesworld Magazine — Sci-fi, fantasy, and other speculative fiction. 10c per word up to 5,000 words, 8c per word after. 1,000-16,000 words. Responds within days usually, gives a tracking number.

Apex Magazine — Speculative fiction of all kinds. 6c per word, +1c per word for podcast stories. Up to 7,500 words, all submissions over will be auto-rejected. Responds within 30 days.

Heliotrope Magazine — Speculative fiction of all kinds. 10c per word. Up to 5,000 words. Responds within 30 days.

Lightspeed Magazine — Speculative fiction of all kinds, with creativity and originality in terms of style and format encouraged. 8c per word. 1,500-10,000 words, under 5,000 preferred. LGBT+ positive. Submissions temporarily closed for their main magazine but is accepting for their People of Color Destroy Science Fiction special.

General Fiction

The Sun Magazine — General fiction, likes personal writing or writing of a cultural/political significance. $300-$1500 flat payment  and a one year subscription to the magazine for fiction (also accepts essays and poetry). No minimum or maximum lengths but over 7,000 words discouraged. Responds in 3-6 months. Physical submissions only.

One Story — Any and all varieties of fiction, “unique and interesting” stories encouraged. $500 payment plus 25 contributor copies. 3,000-8,000 words. Usually responds in 2-3 months.

Camera Obscura — General fiction. $1000 for featured story, $50 for “Bridge the Gap” award, no payment for other contributors. 250-8,000 words. Response time vary, running just over two months as of now.

Flash Fiction 

Daily Science Fiction — Speculative flash fiction (including sci-fi, fantasy, slipstream, etc.). 8c per word. Up to 1,500 words, but shorter stories given priority. Response times not listed.

Vestral Review — General flash fiction. 3-10c per word depending on length to a max of $25. Up to 500 words. Response within four months.

Flash Fiction Online — General flash fiction. $60 flat payment. 500-1,000 words. Response times not listed.

Novels/Novella

Riptide Publishing — Any LGBTQ manuscripts between 15,000 and 150,000 words. Currently especially interested in lesbian romances, trans stories, asexual/aromantic stories, romances with a happy ending, and genre fiction such as urban fantasy. Also has a YA branch.  LGBT+ positive.

Crimson Romance — Romance stories of all kinds, currently seeking LGBT+ stories with a focus on emotional connections and relationships, especially m/m romance. Novel (55,000-90,000 words) or novella (20,000-50,000 words) length.  LGBT+ positive.

Kindle Direct Publishing 

Kindle Direct Publishing — Allows you to set your own prices, create your own cover art, and make royalties off of each sell. Any and all genres are welcome and if you’re prolific and smart about how you’re publishing you can make pretty good money.

General Guide to Kindle Publishing — Gives a good rundown of the publishing process on Kindle.

101 Guide to Kindle Erotica — Great guide with lots of resources about how to make money publishing erotica on Kindle.   

Publishing Comics/Graphic Novels

Here is a list of potential comic companies and what kind of open submissions they accept.  

Here is a list of literary agents who accept graphic novels. 

[bhscwb]

Childhood You laugh even though you don’t know why The ghosts of the past have no effect Somewhere, the magic was lost It shouldn’t matter that I will never remember I will always look back to see a fool Run, little one, danger lies ahead The purest you will ever be The innocence of childhood gives way to blood and roses Does it end?

bhscwc

[bhscwb]

Our end approaches I can see it in the hands Of clocks rushing when We’re together, yet Strangling us When left Alone I can hear it in the silence When we sit by side Death is relative We already Act like Ghosts I can feel it in the weight Of the raindrops, Those deafening Bullets I can taste it in the empty Endless space that’s Left as it takes My breath Between Sobs This is how the world kills us

Ame

[writingwithcolor]

Biracial Chinese/Latinx Girl

Beauty Standards: I grew up with a Chinese mother, so my culture valued pale skin, petite bodies (short and skinny), and shiny, straight black hair. However, on my Latinx (El Salvadorean/Spanish) side, we mainly value traditional Mestizo features: fair or bronze skin tone, black or brown curls, wide bright eyes, and a curvier figure.)

Things I’d like to see less of: having no mixed race characters in the media/excluding mixed girls from races

Things I’d like to see more of: mixed girls who are proud of their heritage

Tropes/stereotypes I’m tired of seeing: Latina seductress, Asian geisha/dragon lady/sex kitten, and the lack of multiracial, biracial, and Central American characters.

[thepoeticunderground]

Dream On

[thewritershandbook]

What Each Myers-Briggs Type is Like As An Enemy No matter how likable you are, everyone is bound to make an enemy in life. Each person has a different approach to dealing with someone that they do not get along with. Here

[thewritershandbook]

The Moral Villain - Helping Writers Become Authors

It is this kind of bad guy I strive to create in my stories: a moral villain who religiously adheres to his twisted moral codes.