My Gen X Journal

In a world where self is king, how can she overcome the cruelty?  This very short piece about life in the big city starts pretty bleak, but I promise you'll smile by the end. That's kind of my thing. :) Also in this episode, a very quick chat about metaphor and theme.

I came up with this horror short while glancing in a mirror this morning. That doesn't maybe speak well of me... In any case, enjoy this forray into the macabre, plus a quick lesson on whether or not aspiring novelists ought to write short stories. 

Never Abandon the Blissful Value of Saying What Can't Be Said -- make a mixtape for someone you love today. :) This is a short story about a man who can't speak his heart to the person he loves, followed by a quick exposition on the inspiration and purpose of the story.

Giving a mixtape lets a person know you see them, you hear them, and you’re thinking thoughtfully about them. It demonstrates gifting them with your most precious commodity: Time.

#nanowrimo #writingtips #writing  In this episode, award-winning novelist Tom Leveen walks through the importance of writing everything down.   How strong is your plot? Sign up here to find out! https://www.fictionmentor.com/signup/  For more personalized access and help with your writing, join Patreon! http://bit.ly/leveen_patreon  Need help right away? Check out Fiverr: http://bit.ly/leveenfiverr

#writing #nanowrimo #writingtips  Join award-winning author Tom Leveen each day for a look at critical aspects of the first draft of your manuscript--for National Novel Writing Month and beyond!   How strong is your plot? Sign up here to find out! https://www.fictionmentor.com/signup/  For more personalized access and help with your writing, join Patreon! http://bit.ly/leveen_patreon  Need help right away? Check out Fiverr: http://bit.ly/leveenfiverr

Part of my mission at FictionMentor.com is perform audiobooks of different genres and critique them, so that you and I both can not only enjoy the story, but learn aspects of the writing craft as we go. In this episode, we begin with my fantasy novel A Tribe Of Kassia, in which an irreligious desert elf develops crippling panic attacks after his village is destroyed and betrothed kidnapped. Teaming up with a zealous minotaur monk -- himself a reformed mercenary -- is the only chance to save her. For more in-depth help with on the art, business, and craft of your writing (no matter the genre or platform), sign up for just $5 a month at patreon.com/tomleveen and join our growing community there! If you're in a bind and need immediate help with you fiction, check out my services on Fiverr. Don't forget to grab your download on the 7 Things Your Plot Needs at fictionmentor.com.

With nine novels out at traditional publishers like Random House and Simon & Schuster, I've gotten a lot of rejections on stories. What makes the first few pages stand out and land a deal?  Most of it is stuff you have no control over, like maybe it just didn't "click" with the agent or editor. (That is totally valid!) What you *can* control is introducing your main character, Voice, tone, and major conflict in those first ten pages. Many novels do it in the first page.   Grab a PDF download of the 7 Things Your Plot Needs at  https://www.fictionmentor.com  For help ensuring your first page is fantastic and ready to submit, go to https://www.fiver.com/tomleveen

Writer's Block is a myth. If you are writing fiction with the plan of getting paid to do it, there is no such thing as Writer's Block. I don't want to perpetuate the Tortured Artist mythos, but let's be honest...a lot of us creatives bring emotional baggage to our art, business, and craft. For writers, sometimes that gets interpreted as Writer's Block. Sometimes...you have to let it go for a second. I'm Tom Leveen, award-winning author of nine original hardcover novels with imprints of Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Abrams, and Sky Horse, as well as a former writer for the Spawn comic book series.  This is FictionMentor.com. You can learn more about me right here on Linktr.ee.