Author Archives: D. Thomas Minton
For Writers, “The End” Are Beautiful Words
Writing a novel is hard, so it’s always a relief when I finish one. Earlier this week, I typed my two of my favorite words—THE END—on the first draft of the young adult book I am co-authoring with a good … Continue reading
Posted in Inspiration, Novel, Science Fiction, Writing
Tagged Co-author, Collaboration, Writing Craft
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Inspiration: “Mementos from My Lives (Un)Lived”
Sometimes I can’t clearly explain the origins of a story. The kernel of an idea just seems to come to me, like it was spontaneously generated from the ether. This isn’t the case for my story “Mementos from My Live … Continue reading
Posted in Science Fiction, Short Story, Writing
Tagged Mementos from My Lives (Un)Lived, Nature; Futures
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Page Proofs and a Publication Date
Some publications have fast turnaround times, going from acceptance to print in an eyeblink. This tends to be the smaller and/or semi-pro publications, not the larger, pro-level magazines and certainly not the ones that are primarily print publications, like Asimov’s. … Continue reading
This Story Sale is Special
I sold a story yesterday, but this sale is a bit more special to me than many of my others. It has nothing to do with the story per se—I’m proud of all my stories—it has to do with the … Continue reading
Posted in Inspiration, Science Fiction
Tagged Mementos from My Lives (Un)Lived, Nature; Futures, Sale
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Feels Good to Sell This One
Every acceptance letter is exciting and uplifting, but the one I got last night was particularly gratifying. Apex Magazine, one of the best pro markets for dark speculative fiction, accepted my story “Gift for the Cutter Man.” This one has … Continue reading
Posted in Inspiration, Science Fiction
Tagged Gift for the Cutter Man, Short Story, Submissions
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You Don’t Have Time to Write, You Make it
I may make a living writing, but much to my disappointment, I just don’t do it writing fiction. I hold down a full time job, sometimes more than one, and I have a family. I have a couple of pets, … Continue reading
Where Writers Earn Their Money
I’ve mentioned several times over the past few months that I’m writing a YA novel as part of a collaboration. For my part, I’ve taken on the task of writing the first draft, which will then be joint-edited by my … Continue reading
The Little Story that Couldn’t
I suspect every writer has a story that they really believe in, and try as they might, they can’t seem to sell it to anyone. Mine is a flash story that I wrote about eight years ago, and has had … Continue reading
Posted in Inspiration, Writing
Tagged Rejection, Short Story, Submissions, Writing Craft
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The Writing Doldrums
I write at several lengths, from flash fiction to short stories to novellas and novels. Each length presents its own challenges, but one thing that I find common to all lengths is something I call the “writing doldrums.” In almost … Continue reading
The Challenge of Putting Music into Words
One of my current works in progress is a young adult book about a group of teenagers in a band who need to use their musical prowess to stave off Armageddon. It’s sort of a Percy-Jackson-meets-King-Crimson story, where the plucky … Continue reading
Posted in Inspiration, Writing
Tagged Collaboration, Work in Progress, Writing Craft
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