Shannon Anthony

Rock On (or, License to Blog)

Shannon Anthony — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:26:26 +0000

My story “License to Rock” appears in the new Issue 13 of Prime Number Magazine, and I couldn’t be happier about that. OK, that’s a lie. I’d be happier if it was Issue 11, because in that case I could’ve titled this post: “My story goes up to 11.” Huh. That seemed so much better when it was still in my head. So I guess I lied about lying. Apparently I really can’t be happier.

Filed under: Numerically Tagged: publication, writing

Gotta go…

Shannon Anthony — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:09:20 +0000

“The Substance in My System” is part of the LIT in the summer issue of LITnIMAGE. I guess I’d have to describe this particular piece of fiction as stream of consciousness…

Filed under: Pissily Tagged: publication

Summer…something

Shannon Anthony — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:38:43 +0000

I’m feeling creative and optimistic, writing-wise. And I’m not sure why that is, since I’m also feeling really antsy about writing. I’ve been jumping between stories, and I feel like I should come up with some kind of fun! summer! project to…well, you name it. More than anything, though, I’d like to take my work in progress and actually make progress (without seeming to put undue emphasis on the work). Because, you know, writing is just such a fun! thing to do in the summer!

Of course it’s not summer! for a few weeks, so it’s okay that I haven’t come up with a project.

And of course another project is the last thing I need. I already have lots of projects. I just need to keep working on them. I just need to finish one of them. And that’s the time to ask myself: Am I having fun! yet?

Write. Yes! Repeat.

Filed under: Seasonally Tagged: work in progress, writing

Short Story Month: just what the novelist ordered

Shannon Anthony — Sun, 15 May 2011 14:28:19 +0000

May is Short Story Month. (Because the Internet says so, that’s why.) I know, I know, that sounds like an excuse to avoid my novel-in-progress. Happy Short Story Month, everyone! My novel? Oh, well, you know, it’s a LONG story.

But a month (or a season, or a lifetime) of writing short stories could just as easily be exactly what my novel writing needs.

Complement rather than competition

Check it out, I’m so serious about this I just used a header. And look: bullet points!

I’ll be working on this novel for a very long time. Showing I can finish any story, whether from scratch or from the in-progress file, can only be good for my novel’s morale.

I’ll be working on this novel for a very long time. Having some stories to submit for publication in the meantime is also good for morale.

My novel sucks. But this story is pretty good. I especially like my way with plot/character development/setting/dialogue/whatever. Which gives me a great idea for the next chapter of the novel…

This story sucks. Especially the plot/character development/setting/dialogue/whatever. I’m just going to set this aside for a while and get back to the novel, where at least I kind of seem to know what I’m doing.

I don’t feel like writing. Well, maybe just that one great/weird/fun story that doesn’t feel like work. Hmm, why isn’t my novel great and fun? (The weird goes without saying.) It could be. It should be. What if I…

I don’t feel like writing. Well, maybe just that one great/weird/fun story that doesn’t feel like work. Yeah? Tough. Write x number of words on the novel. And when you’ve done your chore—and only then—you can go play with your little story.

Competition rather than complement

Interestingly (or not), the one area of my writing routine that has suffered during the first half of Short Story Month is my Twitter-length fiction. Lately when it comes to fiction no longer than 140 characters, I got nothing.

I guess that makes sense. After all, this month my motto is Short stories: expect big things.

Filed under: Novelly, Shortly, Twittishly Tagged: Short Story Month, Twitter, work in progress, writing

Day 65 of 365+

Shannon Anthony — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 21:37:29 +0000

Hmm, maybe I should’ve also resolved to update my blog in 2011. My plan to work on my novel-in-progress every single day in 2011 has been a success… though at my current slow and steady “successful” rate it’s going to take more than the 300 days that remain of 2011 to finish the thing.

Filed under: Novelly Tagged: work in progress, writing

You say you want a resolution

Shannon Anthony — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 23:47:25 +0000

No, really, I mean it this time. In 2011 I’m putting the progress in the novel-in-progress. My resolution is twofold but very simple:

I will work on the novel every day (until the novel stops needing work).
I can work on any part of the novel in any way on any day, but (until I have a complete manuscript draft) I must (also) continue from the point I left off the day before.

You wouldn’t know it by my intermittent updates, but this is actually a very enjoyable project. The thing is, it’s much easier to remember that if it stays fresh in my mind. Today makes day two: so far so fun.

Filed under: Novelly Tagged: work in progress, writing

Accumulation

Shannon Anthony — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:36:41 +0000

I feel like I’ve been writing up a storm for a while now. No, wait, those were actual storms. Good thing I have a lot of fondness for a lot of snow. And, lately, for a lot of writing. See me blog.

Without officially or exactly participating in NaNoWriMo last month, I did dedicate the month of November to producing a craptacular mass of novel manuscript. With anything longer than flash fiction, I make handwritten revisions on printed (and literally cut and pasted and post-it-ed) drafts, repeating as necessary. (I do try to be ecofriendly about it and print these drafts on the back of previously used paper.) So now I’ve got a binder full of crappy pre-novel to lug around with me, and for now at least that makes me very happy. For one thing, I’ve worked on the first several pages enough to feel that they at least are no longer crap.

And for another thing, writing, like life itself, is the journey, and it is a good feeling to have this binder full of paper to haul around. The extra weight really adds to my sense of accomplishment (as well as the degree of difficulty) every time I walk a mile in deep snow.

Filed under: Novelly Tagged: work in progress, writing

Final transmission

Shannon Anthony — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 00:48:16 +0000

My “Programmed Self-destruction” is was the final episode of the first issue of trans lit mag, the new online literary magazine that will change its name with every issue. Isn’t that a cool idea? This issue is transmission.

Edited to add: trans lit mag’s second issue is “transience.” My transient piece has been given shelter here.

Fun fact about this piece: While much mention is made of cable channels, I’ve never actually lived in a home with cable (or satellite). No—not even basic. A TV hooked up to a converter box attached to rabbit ears was good enough for my ancestors, by God, and it’s good enough for me. I know, I know, I’m essentially Amish. Amish with a blog.

Filed under: Self-destructively Tagged: publication, writing

Let Me Not Read You a Story

Shannon Anthony — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:35:15 +0000

I had a story accepted for the Bound Off podcast a while ago, and the editors asked if I wanted to record it myself or to have someone from Bound Off read it. Well, I really like this story, so I thought it would be nice if the podcast sounded, you know, good. In other words, I wanted somebody else to record it. Well, my story is available today as part of Bound Off Issue 59 (available at Bound Off and on iTunes), and there is no doubt that I made the right call. Dave Robinson makes the story sound GREAT.

The best part is that now whenever someone wearing earbuds is obliviously in my way, I can tell myself they are understandably distracted by the oh so entertaining “Crank Combination Radio Flashlight with Flare Capability.”

Filed under: Randomly Tagged: podcast, publication, writing

Invisible View From Here

Shannon Anthony — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 23:47:06 +0000

My short story “Invisible Charisma” appears in the new issue of The View From Here, available in print and digital editions.

Filed under: Charismatically, Invisibly Tagged: publication, writing