CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

At the end of April 2012, when I started publishing my stories on-line, I only had a vague idea of what I was doing. I had done my research, reading as widely as I could for the preceding six months and discovering a number of blog authors whose advice and opinions I found invaluable as I made up my mind on what I wanted to do next. I decided to start with anthologies for three reasons: 1.       I had a lot of short stories that I had written over the years and putting them into themed anthologies was an idea I’d been toying with for a while. 2.       All the blogs I had read on the subject said an author with one book was very difficult to find, and by publishing the short stories and poems individually, I was able to have a number of titles to catch the eye. Also, by releasing each individual piece separately, I provided my readers with the option of buying a sample that was cheaper than the anthology, kept myself to a deadline, and built anticipation to an anthology’s re

Today I got to attend a full day of workshops and learn more about the writing craft. Speakers included Nicole Murphy , Rik Lagarto and Alan Baxter and Ian McHugh , whose sessions I attended, and Gillian Polack , Jack Dann and Dawn Meredith whose sessions I couldn't make. The day was not the spring day I could have hoped for, being grey and rainy, but at least I had no regrets for spending the day inside... although with these workshops, that would have been hard to do. Session 1: Writing Backstory The day started with Nicole Murphy's workshop on Writing Backstory , which ran from 0900 to 1100. I have to admit, I didn't really know what to expect when I went into this workshop. I had half an idea that it would be about how to write backstory that I could then draw from for my stories, but it was so much more than that. Backstory might include everything you know about your characters (major and minor), your world, and the history of it all, but everyone knows t

I subscribe to a lot of blogs and I’m always behind in my reading, but I try. These are the blogs that made me stop this week: C. Hope Clarke on writer expectations and making a living from independent publishing: http://hopeclark.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/i-have-to-make-money-from-my-book-he.html Charles Stross suggests a writing activity for honing craft and finding ideas: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2012/08/on-the-impossibility-of-fictio.html The Alliance of Independent Authors on getting reviews honestly: http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/get-your-self-published-book-reviewed/ ; on how to self-publish on a budget: http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/self-publish-an-ebook-on-a-budget/ ; on questions to ask agents by Orna Ross: http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/questions-indie-authors-ask-literary-agents/ ; and on self-publishing in Australia by Steven Lewis: http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/self-publishing-in-australia/ J.A. Marlow on creating a

The first four Simpson Anthologies are now available in print via Amazon. An Anthology of Dragons                                                               An Anthology of Battle An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Us                               An Anthology of Worlds

I subscribe to a lot of blogs and that means I don’t get through them every day (or even every week). When I do get time to read them, I tend to skim unless there’s an entry that pulls me in. Since last time, those blog entries are linked below:  ThePassive Voice : because he always does, more than once. Terribleminds : http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2012/09/11/25-writing-rules-i-presently-live-by/ : I love this. Terribleminds : http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2012/09/14/flash-fiction-challenge-a-second-game-of-aspects/ : Yes, I got suckered again... and then backed out. Terribleminds : http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2012/09/13/matt-ruff-the-terribleminds-interview/ : an interesting interview with Matt Ruff. DeanWesley Smith : http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=7891: This one on pricing. Zombiebible: Stan Litore on Why Amazon: http://zombiebible.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/why-amazon-publishing.html Writers in the Storm: Laura Drake on reviving the dustbunny book at

Screams for the Dying has been released on Amazon and Smashwords . Screams for the Dying is a short science fiction story that blends myth, fantasy and science fiction. In the time in which this short story is set, banshees and star ships are real, and so are a lot of other things. It is approximately 2,500 words long and is the fifth and final story in the fourth Simpson Anthology - An Anthology of Worlds - which released mid-September 2012. An Anthology of Worlds has also been released on Amazon and Smashwords . An Anthology of Worlds is just under 20,000 words long and contains 5 short stories and 2 poems to playing with the idea of exploring different worlds, each of which is available individually. Some of these worlds are parallel to our own and others are literally on other planets, but all deal with a reality that's not the same as we know it now.