Author Lindz McLeod asked me to be part of a new kind of writing craft book. I was like, YES, she was like, did you want to know what it is? and I was like WHATEVER IT IS YES. I’m an enormous fan of Lindz as a human and as a writer, and whatever she was doing I wanted to be part of it.
And then I found out what the craft book was, and I got even more excited. Lindz said she was going to collaborate with writers she admired and then write a craft essay about HOW they’d collaborated. What an awesome idea — because now people will be able to read the story and then find out exactly how Lindz and the other writer made it happen.
The story Lindz and I wrote together for the book is called “The Darkness System for Young Birds”. I arrived with a long list of story ideas, Lindz told me her idea for the title, and I was like THAT! IS! PERFECT! and the story grew from there. I’ve written with Lindz before, and it’s always a joy. I won’t spoil the story, but like everything we write together, it’s delightfully dark and strange and sad.
The list of writers includes The Handmaid’s Tale screenwriter Lynn Renee Maxcy, Sunday Times bestseller Thomas D. Lee, and Nebula/WFA finalist Eugenia Triantafyllou, and flash fiction legend Sara Hills, whose story with Lindz is so exquisite I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
Intrigued? Click here to grab a copy.
(Image above by Adrien Coquet, CC on The Noun Project.)
finn burnett’s writing prompt
| Author Finn Burnett gave me permission to include this prompt here, and if you like it, why not sign up for their awesome mailing list? The button is on the bottom of this page, click here. |
| In Redshirts Sometimes Survive, I have a list story. The Spock Ten-Step Method to Surviving a Narcissist. List stories are one of my favourite craft cheats because they give you structure while still letting your brain go wild. Something about the act of writing down numbers to turn them into a story feels both rebellious and constrained. The dichotomy gives license to your imagination. If you want to try one, start by brainstorming possible lists that could secretly hold a story. For example: • What I found in my mother’s closet after she died. • Things you bring to a cat’s birthday party. • Top Ten Ways to Piss Off Your Children. • Rules for Surviving a Small Town. Once you’ve picked a list that sparks something in you, don’t overthink it. Just start jotting down items. Let them be funny, strange, specific, vague or detailed. When you have five or ten entries, step back and read them. Consider emotional arc. Where does the list start? Where does it go? Do the objects themselves tell a story? Think about writing down an item, then a paragraph after it to give it that emotional weight. A good list story is more than just a list. It’s also a journey. Think about what you want your reader to feel when it’s over. Click here to find out more about Redshirts Sometimes Survive. |
rainbow shirt
I’ve been eyeing this fabric for over a year and am so happy that it looks just the way I was hoping it would. The collar and sleeves are white, because that way I was able to split the price between an expensive and cheap fabric (and I love color blocking). I’m especially pleased with the rainbow edges on the white sleeves.
memoir as speculative fiction
Discover the extraordinary within your own history. This writing workshop empowers you to merge your true personal narratives with the compelling frameworks of speculative fiction.
Move beyond mere memoir. We’ll explore methods to refract your lived experiences through lenses of the surreal, the alternate, and the imagined futures. The focus is on using speculative elements as powerful tools to illuminate, exaggerate, and interrogate the deepest truths of your authentic story. Your reality provides the anchor; together, we will build the strange and wonderful ship. Click here to register with Reach Your Apex.
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