Author: Kerry Lipp

First off, thanks for the great response to the glossary post last week. I hope it helps a lot of you. We’ll be adding to it in the future. Let us know what you want to see at [email protected] or [email protected]

So it’s finally time to reveal my surprise. It’s not like huge, I didn’t sell a novel or anything, but I still think it’s pretty damn cool.

Let me preface this surprise by saying that in my almost year and a half of serious writing, I have never, EVER, not even once, read any of my own work in public. And it’s not because I chickened out, I’ve never even had the opportunity.

We can shoot that lack of opportunity in the head at Killercon 2013. I don’t know how and I don’t know why and I don’t care but I got offered a reading in Las Vegas. And I’m thankful as all hell. That’s right folks, the first time I, Kerry G.S. Lipp, will ever read my work aloud is going to (hopefully) be in front of some of the best in the business.

I’ve got a very interesting time slot. I think it’s 11:30am on Sunday, which is the last day of the convention and unless something changes, I also believe it’s the last reading of the convention. Talk about saving the best for last!

I joke.

I don’t know what to make of that time slot. I’m guessing a lot of people will be gone by then, but I also bet a lot of people will still be there. That’s my audience. And the best part is that I get three days before my reading to make friends, make an impression and try and convince everyone who’s left over to come give me a spin. Or beg. Or knock them out cold with a club and tie them to chairs in the reading room. I sure hope I can trick a few into supporting my first reading gig. Time will tell.

I’ll read to an empty room, I don’t care. I’m just thrilled that I’ve earned/been given this opportunity. Hopefully I can convince at least one person to come sit in and record my first reading. I’d love to have it on youtube. Man that’d be something.

So now, on top of everything else I’m preparing for Killercon, which includes reading books by several of the attendees, writing more of my own stuff to take with me, preparing for pitch sessions etc., I get to add selecting a story to read and practicing reading aloud.

After teaching public speaking at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio for a few years and freshman composition at Clark State for several more, I don’t really get nervous, but my audience is usually young college kids praying for a teacher that makes the material interesting. I’m pretty good at doing that and if my quarterly evaluations are any measure, I’ve borderline mastered catering toward that audience.

But, now, I’m relying on my own work to sell itself. I usually just wing it in the classroom and see what direction the material goes. I don’t like planning things. I like to think on my feet. But that’s teaching. This is reading.

This is a completely different audience and completely different material with zero opportunity to riff on something else if I stumble. I don’t think I will, I really do think the story is solid. Even if I do fall on my face, I’ll remember that the best comedians got booed off the stage when they started and Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school basketball team.

Screw it, I’ll probably be so hungover by Sunday morning that the tiny bit of shame I still clutch to will be long gone anyway. And even if I totally screw the pooch, there’s booze everywhere and we’re screening Edward Lee’s The Bighead later that afternoon. I think I’ll survive.

I get either 20 or 30 minutes. I’m not sure yet. I’m 99% sure I’m reading a story called “Attention Whore” that will be coming out in the Monster issue over at Siren’s Call Publications sometime this month. I wish it was live at the time of posting this. I’d love to get some feedback from y’all. When it does go live I’ll post a link and you can let me know if you think it’d be a good story to read.

I’ve got the blessing from the fantastic staff at Siren’s Call. I told them I was going to Killercon and that I had a reading and that I was considering reading “Attention Whore.” Gloria and Julie both told me that they thought it would speak greatly to the audience in attendance and would be the perfect story to read to a room full of writers.

I agree.

The story is short, about 1,700 words. If I get a half an hour, I’ll probably have a little time to read something else. Therein lies my dilemma. I’d really like to read some non-fiction, read: a HorrorTree blog post.

I think it would be powerful to read my response to getting accepted to DOA2 in front of the Blood Bound Books staff, and several writers with stories in that anthology, assuming they stick around and choose to attend my reading. Even if they aren’t there, I think it’d be a great way to promote myself as a person and not just a writer. A great way to showcase my passion for writing, my sense of humor and the thankfulness I have to BBB for giving me a shot. Seriously, I don’t think luck or not, I don’t think a better thing could’ve happened to me in those early stages. I owe a great deal to BBB and Kevin Bufton at Cruentus Libri.

We’ll see…. And I’ve never been more excited to SEE anything.

And what better way to end the reveal of this surprise than to tease another one. Something else crazy and stupid is coming up in September. I’m taking on another writing challenge. But this time I ain’t going it alone. Stop by next week to see who my partner in crime is, what the challenge is, and what sad and awful fate awaits the loser. Although if things go the way we want, there won’t really be a “loser.” It’s gonna be fun and I hope some of you will be inspired to join in this psychotic ride.

See ya next week.

Keep reading, keep writing, and keep it real,
KGSL

Editor’s Note: In the future we are adding a resource section to the website and part of this post will show up there as well.

So I teased a big surprise last week. You’ll get it in time. Probably during my next Killercon post. But I can’t write for 6 weeks straight about Killercon without either boring the hell out of you or sounding like a full on self-obsessed ego-driven maniac so I’ve got something different.

I started this writing journey about a year ago. I still don’t know anything, but I know a hell of a lot more now than I did then. There are some industry specific terms that I’ve been slowly picking up along the way. Here’s a cheat sheet (slanted of course with my own views and/or commentary) but I’ll try and keep it short and mostly informative.

Learn these and if you have more, or think I’ve got it wrong, get at me. So in no particular order, here a bunch of crap(terms) you should know.
(more…)

Please excuse me as I’m recovering from the chills up my spine and the sting of happy tears that hit my eyes as I write the title to this post. About a year ago (9/22/12) I tweeted this: “All the tweets about Killercon are making my amateur self all kinds of jealous. New goal set. To be there in the next few years.”

Well guess what? I’M GOING THIS YEAR. I don’t know that I’ve ever been more excited for something in my entire life. Oh and I’m still an amateur, don’t get it twisted, but a passionate amateur, and hopefully that’s worth something.

Killercon is held at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas every September. Check out it’s website here: www.killercon.com.

The biggest and the baddest and a few newbies (like me) in the horror writing business go to eat and drink and gamble and a few of them probably screw. But more importantly, they go there because writing is a lonely job and it’s a lot of fun to get together with other writers who share your passion and ideology. They learn from each other, but they also just hang out because they’re friends. And what better place to hang out with friends than Las Vegas, Nevada?

The con is about 6 weeks away, and I’m going to blog about my preparation for the convention, what I’m doing and what I’m expecting. And then of course I’ll keep y’all updated when I get there.

In addition to just attending, I’m also registered for a workshop led by John Skipp titled “The Choreography of Violence.” If that doesn’t get you to at least half-boner (dick joke #1) I don’t know what will. Also, I’m attending writing bootcamp with Tom Monteleone. I’ve heard his workshops are the best of the best. I cannot wait.

On top of that there are nearly constant readings and panels on all things writing and horror with guests like Ellen Datlow, John Shirley, Ray Garton, Wrath James White and a ton more.

I’ve been to Vegas before, done some really stupid things there, but this trip is going to be worth semesters of writing courses and hopefully years of experience. I’m so glad I’m doing this now. I believe in moving before you’re ready. It makes you think on your feet, increases your creativity and I want to be better at both of those. I’m going in as green as the day I was born, but there’s no such thing as the perfect time. So I’m going for it.

Instead of drinking myself to death and trying my best not to dork a legal hooker (dick joke #2) and getting cash advances on my credit cards I’m going with a notebook and a pen. I’m gonna get brand new education.

I’ve got a lot more to say, including one more huge surprise, but I’m going to save that for a future post. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around that one. But it’s a damn good one. And I can’t wait to share it with you. I’m keeping this short because I’ve got writing to do, and it feels so good to be back, to be writing, creating and publishing all on the road to Killercon.

To be honest the funk I went through probably couldn’t have happened at a better time. Because now that I’ve broken through, I’m on the warpath all the way to the biggest event/milestone in my young writing life. And if I’m like this now, I’m gonna be the Incredible Hulk when I recover from the inevitable hangover that will follow me home from Vegas. (Yeah I said I’m going to learn, but c’mon, it’s Vegas) I’m fine with a Vegas hangover, and even losing money, I just hope it doesn’t burn when I pee too badly (dick joke #3) while I’m contemplating suicide during my 3.5 hour layover on the way home. Stupid for sure, but taking that horrible layover saved me $100. And I’m not going to take that extra $100 to the blackjack table. I’m buying $100 worth of books from the dealer’s room as soon as it opens.

I’d love to end here, because I think that last paragraph was powerful, and true, but I can’t. I got one more thing to say.

I wrote last week about my story “misery” and how the emotional aftermath of that story played a role in keeping me from writing for a few weeks. I won’t lie, it messed me up. And being the loyal gentleman that I am, I’d love for it to mess you up too. Or not, but I’d like for you to read it. It’s in a collection called Barnyard Horror from James Ward Kirk Publishing and it’s FREE for Kindle all weekend. Peep it here http://www.amazon.com/Barnyard-Horror-ebook/dp/B00EEG3ZUI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376122713&sr=8-1&keywords=barnyard+horror+kindle

On top of the story that slayed my emotions, the rest of the collection is rock solid. Some great stuff by some great writers, poets, and artists in Barnyard Horror. I encourage you to check it out. You’ll like it. So go, seize it, share it, review it, hold hostages at gun point and make them get it too. If you want to talk about it, tell me I broke your heart or made you ill, or that I suck, awesome. Here I am. If you want to give me a digital hug, high five or sack tap (dick joke # 4) that’s cool too, come find me on Facebook at New World Horror – Kerry G.S. Lipp or shoot me an email [email protected].

Ps. Sorry if the dick jokes weren’t funny, but a promise is a promise no matter how big or how small. (dick joke #5) You’re welcome.

Keep reading, keep writing, and keep it real,
KGSL

So I took a month off. Couldn’t help it. Personal issues (Fear, doubt, trepidation). But here I am again. Ready to go.

This is what happened.

Most of you know that I wrote my butt off in June. I fell slightly short of my goal, but I worked HARD. I learned a lot about myself in June and I’ve learned a lot more in July and I’m going to give you what I took from July in the next 1,000 words or so.

Let me preface this by saying that I finished June by writing one of the strongest stories I’ve written thus far. It’s called “Misery” and it’s in the collection Barnyard Horror edited by James Ward Kirk. I’ve had a chance to read most of the stories/poetry in the collection and it’s all top notch. I think the paperback is like 8 bucks on Amazon right now. It’s a steal. I promise.

The story I wrote for that collection killed me. Can’t remember if I’ve written about “Misery” here before or not, but it’s awful. It put me through an emotional wringer. Prior to writing “Misery” I’d been writing funny and I wanted to write something really dark, serious, heart-wrenching and emotional. Based on the response I’ve gotten, I succeeded. But that story took a lot out of me. Go read it for yourself and see what you think.

All that brings me to July. As a sort of reward for myself for “kicking so much butt” in June I took a few days off. Just a terrible idea. I’ve learned this about myself a few times, but I still occasionally make the same mistakes. Taking a break or a mini-vacation or whatever from writing is a horrible idea. Even when I’m not writing everyday, and I often don’t, it’s more about the mindset than anything. A few days off turned into 3 weeks in a hurry and suddenly I realized I hadn’t done shit in July.

That’s not okay.

I like to think I salvaged the month. I managed about 10,000 words spread out across three stories, (all finished and submitted) but more importantly, I broke through the funk.

The funk, the rut, whatever you want to call it, I don’t give a shit, but DON’T call it writer’s block. I don’t believe in that. It wasn’t that I didn’t know what to write, I had a billion ideas, it was that I was burned out, and tired, and lazy and the days of lethargy stacked up fast.

A couple things caused this. Going HAM in June for sure. The content of “Misery” for sure. But I know what the biggest thing was…

FEAR.

Some people say that fear stands for F Everything And Run. I ran. And I hid, because I was scared to keep going.

If the next couple paragraphs come off as arrogant you don’t know me at all. I’m just going to be 100% honest here. When I wrote “Misery,” I knew it was good. Usually the shit I write that makes me sick to my stomach or makes me laugh or makes me cry is good. A lot of my stories don’t do that to me, but “Misery” did. Well, not the laugh part, but everything else. I’m not saying it was epic, or legendary or Jack Ketchum, but it was good. And I’ll go as far to say, one of my best. I submitted it to a nearly full anthology, probably took the last spot and the book came out almost immediately.

Mere days after I finished “Misery,” a little EXTREME HORROR ANTHOLOGY called DOA2 from Blood Bound Books came out. I’m sure you’ve heard me mention that before. If not, the story I have in there is called “A Scalene Love Triangle” and though several stories have come out before DOA2, it was my second sale.

The second story I sold was in a collection with my all time favorite writer, Jack Ketchum, and a bunch of other huge names. Mind = blown to the point that barely believed it. It took the physical release of the book to convince me that it wasn’t a dream, but a dream come true. I’ve now held that book in my hands and read it cover to cover and no matter if I sell another story ever again, no one can take that feeling of triumph from me.

You would think that holding that book and reading my own story in there would’ve been a great motivator. The whole look where I am after a year and where will I be in another kind of shit.

However, and I think this happened on a very low, subconscious level, holding the book, and reading the other AAA stories in there, had the complete opposite effect.

It scared the shit out of me. What should’ve been nothing but confidence and validation instead terrified me. Made me wonder if I was for real or if this was nothing but pure, dumb luck.

In music they call it the sophomore slump and I was scared that I peaked with my second sale.

Fear kept me from writing for almost a whole month. I don’t know if that’s cocky or pathetic or both or neither. I don’t know what to make of it, but that’s the truth.

Hell, I even went housesitting for my parents for a 3-day weekend at the beginning of July and literally didn’t write a single word.

And then I learned how vicious the non-writing cycle can get. I planned to shatter through all the shit and write my butt off that weekend.

I didn’t.

Instead I slept, read, and watched documentaries about serial killers on youtube. (The Shawcross and Kuklinski interviews are my “favorites”)

Then, all the sudden it was time to go back home, back to work, and I had nothing. I went from anger at myself for not writing head on into depression at the thought of all that wasted time and it took me two more weeks to recover from that.

I’m not proud of any of this, embarrassed actually, but I’m willing to bet this happens to a lot of writers out there. You’re not alone. I don’t know how to prevent it, and I don’t know how to make it go away faster. All I can tell you is don’t give up and figure out your own way to get through it. Because getting through it is so worth it.

I didn’t even feel like writing posts about writing for HT. I didn’t feel worthy of that. How can someone who can’t string a sentence together give other writers advice?

My mom always says she knows when something’s wrong with me because I fall off the face of the earth. Just disappear. She’s right and I did it here too. I guess that’s just me. Sorry. I hope it doesn’t happen again for a long LOOOOOOOOONG TIME.

I’m through it now and I’m happy with the way the month ended. But I’m ashamed of the way it started. And now I’m ready to grab August and my current works in progress by the throat. And that includes keeping up with you guys here at HorrorTree. I can’t thank you enough for reading.

I’ve got a lot of cool shit coming up and some great stuff I’m working on and I’m so glad I broke through because it would’ve been real easy to just carry on that way. It’s a hell of a lot easier to do nothing than to write, but I don’t find satisfaction in nothing.

And sorry this ain’t funny either, but I needed to purge this shit from my system and I’ll take honesty over forced humor any day. And if any of you are in similar stasis, I’d rather let you know that you’re not alone than make a few cheap dick jokes. Although I really love making dick jokes. I promise at least 3 dick jokes next week. YEAH I said next week because I’m back motherfruiters (not a typo) and I’m ready to rock.

How bout you all? I missed you.

In a funk? Let me know. Wanna make a dick joke? Shoot it at me. Here I am, done hiding and ready to rip faces and eat hearts and keep spilling ink and my guts all over the page. Here’s where you can get at me: [email protected] or New World Horror – Kerry G.S. Lipp on Facebook.

Cool announcement coming next week. For me at least. But maybe one or two of you will give a shit. Hopefully a hell of a lot more. We’ll see. In the meantime, get some words down. Fight through your funk and don’t quit. Even if the light at the end of the tunnel is Cthulu eating your face, it’s probably better than dying slow and alone in the dark.

Keep reading, keep writing, and keep it real,
KGSL

Well, if you see the picture, you can probably guess what happened in June. I’m a good sport with a good sense of humor so laugh it up. BUT as you laugh it up, consider this. In the month of June I wrote over 45,000 words of BRAND NEW FICTION and the vast majority of it is edited and submitted or submission ready. That ain’t bad.

I completely rewrote 2 stories (which I counted) started, finished, revised, polished and submitted 3. I also rewrote the ending to an old story. Of those 6 just in the month of June, I’ve signed contracts for two of them and got shortlisted for a pro-pay market. I’m waiting to hear back on the others. That’s not bad for a month.

Oh, I almost forgot, there’s more. I also started and am at least 1,000 words into 5 other short stories and did over 5,000 on a growing novella.

Had I included blogs, cover letters, correspondence and revision time, let’s say roughly 1,000 words an hour for all the time I spent revising, I would’ve destroyed 75,000 words. But I made the rules and I’m willing to give you all a laugh.

June was probably the most productive month of my writing life so far, even though I lost the bet. I don’t care. I couldn’t be happier. And as a few of you have pointed out, it’s funnier to lose, and I completely agree.

I will say this, I didn’t hit all the deadlines I wanted to make. I was planning on finishing up a story for “The Last Diner” and having it in by midnight on the 30th but I couldn’t do it anymore. The last story I wrote which is called “Misery” killed me. Just took it all out of me. Sunday night I was physically, mentally and emotionally drained. I couldn’t even read. I just drank a couple mojito’s and dorked around on my laptop. I needed to recharge.

I’m writing this Monday afternoon and I’m still not recharged, but I’ll get there, and I need to because I’ve got another big month coming up. I’m going to TRY and take a break from the short stories and focus on finishing some longer pieces. That was my goal for June, but the shorts demanded to be told. I’m fine with that.

I’m co-writing with my partner in crime, the big dog here at HT named Stu and we’ve got a hell of an idea and ambitious goal. We’re gonna give you something to read in the near future. I’ve seen and helped write the prenatal outline and I think horror fans are going to love it.

This is short and sweet post because honestly, I’m still exhausted, but I wanted to blog this and get the public shame over with. So have a good laugh and know that I’m already looking out a couple months and planning another bet and this time I’m bringing at least one friend along for the ride. More details on that in the future. I’ve also got a pretty awesome surprise, but I’m going to wait a few weeks to unleash it. But it’ll be cool, definitely for me and hopefully it can help y’all a little bit too.

Last thing is that I’ve got a freebie to offer up to you. Issue 9 titled “The Bug Issue” over at Siren’s Call Publications went live yesterday. There’s a lot of cool stuff in there and I think you should go check it out. Siren’s Call is one of my favorite publishers and I’ll tell you why and all about them in a future post, but trust me, THEY KICK ASS. Don’t believe me? Check out “The Bug Issue” it’s available for a free PDF download at http://www.sirenscallpublications.com If you have ibooks for your iphone or tablet or whatever, it fits nicely in there. It also features my story “A Hot, Wet End To A Long Dry Spell.” I don’t really know what to say about that story except that it features bugs and sex and it’s a hell of a lot of fun. Go get you a copy!!

Let me know how you did in June. Did you sign any contracts? Meet your goals? Want to tell me how motivating I am? Or how worthless I am for not hitting 50k? I’m a big boy I can take it. Fire away at [email protected] or New World Horror – Kerry G.S. Lipp on Facebook. I deserve whatever I get. Big things are coming in the next few months. I’d love to have y’all onboard. And I hope you enjoy THE BUG ISSUE!

p.s. I realize this one isn’t that funny either. I told you, I’m drained. I’ll be back in full sarcastic smartass form soon enough, until then get your chuckles from my public shaming.

Keep reading, keep writing and keep it real,
KGSL

Where the hell have I been? Writing my ass off that’s where. Where the hell have you been?

I’m dangerously close to wearing a t-shirt that says I can’t hit x words in a month or maintain a satisfactory erection. Such motivational words from my friend Kevin Bufton. Speaking of him, I hope you all got a chance to check out his post on HT about staying focused while writing. That’s a subject almost every writer deals with on a daily basis and he offers some good advice. Give it a read and check out his debut novella “Cake” as well. I’m halfway through and loving it. That’s a major compliment Mr. Bufton as I’m not reading much this month in the hopes to get my productivity up. I’m also reading Tim Waggoner’s new collection “Bone Whispers” and “In Silent Graves” by Gary Braunbeck and “Daddy’s” by Lindsay Hunter. You’re in good company Kevin.

So I’m writing this on Sunday June 23. I currently stand at 28,291 words for June. I’m behind but 50k is in my sights. I gotta keep this short because, well, I got shit to write.

June has been good to me. I’ve signed a few contracts and submitted some brand new stories. I’ve accomplished all I’ve set out to do thus far and considering time spent on revision and correspondence, had that been writing time, I’d be well over 50,000 by now, but my stupid ass made the rules and I’m trying to follow them.

I submitted “When The Weather’s Just Right” to Strange Critters, “Those Giant, Creepy Eyes” to The Sea, and (one of my top 3 favorite titles, up there with “Lizzie Knew What That Tongue Could Do” and “A Hot Wet End To A Long Dry Spell”) ready for this one? Submitted to Luna’s Children my alternate history tale called “What If Jesus Was A Werewolf?” It sounds funny, like Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter, but it’s actually a pretty grim fable. I don’t know if it’ll get picked up or not. Might be fun to rewrite as a tongue in cheek comedy someday.

I realize the paragraph above was a grammatical/structural hurricane, but I’m too busy to clean it up. Hopefully you guys can figure it out.

In addition to those three stories I’m at least 1,500 words into 3 brand new others and I’ve done about 4,000 on what was once a short story that’s now going to be a novella, at least a novella.

I set this goal for June because I wanted to finish a bunch of works in progress. Instead, I’ve just started and occasionally finished a bunch of new shit. Whatever, I’ll take it.

Before June is over I plan on hitting the open calls for The Last Diner and Barnyard Horror. I’ve got ideas for both and maybe a start on a story for The Last Diner, if that is, I decide not to throw away what I already have written. We’ll see.

I’ve decided that for July I’m going to TRY key word here, TRY to stay off of HT (for markets, I’ll still blog and bug Stu) and ignore all of the open markets in the hopes that I can finish a lot of or at least one haha of the longer works that I’ve started. I need to put down the short stories for a while and get something longer finished. A lot of the small presses are open to novels, novellas, and collections right now and I really want to see what kind of results I get from a longer work.

Oh and me and the grand poobah (sp?) of the HorrorTree are going to collaborate on a very cool project. Our goal is to finish in July, don’t know if we’ll finish, but I know we’ll get one hell of a start.

Lastly I want to thank Marta, a HorrorTree minion who emailed me a little motivation. We talked a little and I think we both helped each other out. Very, very cool. That’s what this community is all about. Let me know how you’re doing, I’d love to connect with other writers.

If you wanna jump in, it’s not too late. Fire one away to [email protected] or stop by New World Horror- Kerry G.S. Lipp and say hi.

Oh and I almost forgot, July is camp nanowrimo. Google it if you don’t know what that means. And then register. I’ll post my username and we can be virtual writing retreat buddies, which means we can virtually beat the shit out of each other. I mean that in the sweetest, most motivational of ways.

Sorry this blog wasn’t that funny. I’ll do better next time.

Now please excuse me, cuz I got some stories to write.

The last leg of my June race to 50,000 words begins in 3, 2… BRING IT

Keep reading, keep writing, and keep it real,
KGSL

Before I start, I want to sincerely thank anyone out there who checked out any of the links and stories I posted last week. I hope you enjoyed them.

I’m writing this post Friday afternoon. I’m not sure when it will be posted as I have a feeling the Grand Master of the HorrorTree is going to be a little busy over the next few weeks and probably the rest of his life 😉

So here’s an update: I’m waaaaaaaaaaay behind, but for good reason. Last week I bet that I’d his 50,000 words in the month of June. As it stands, as I write this, I’m at a meager 5,000 words. BUT I did say that I wouldn’t include revision, editing, blogs or correspondence. I owe a couple different places edits and there were a couple polishes that I needed to do to meet guidelines/deadlines. I’ve also been reading like crazy which is great for a writer, but not a writer working full time trying to hit 50k.

Oh and I almost forgot, I just started a brand new job (not writing related #sadface) with more hours and more responsibilities. But have no fear; I’m plan on 50,000 words up and then some.

Here’s what I’ve been working on. Last Saturday I wrote and edited and submitted a flash fiction story of about 1,000 words to a 24 hours flash fiction contest. I didn’t win, probably didn’t even come close, but I did it and now I’ve got a story that I can either expand or rewrite/edit for another market. I’ll take it. Here’s a link to the winner http://horrornovelreviews.com/2013/06/05/and-the-winner-of-the-flash-fiction-contest-is/

I’m also working on a story for “Strange Critters: Unusual Creatures of Appalachia,” edited by one of my first ever writing buddies, Frank Larnerd. Without saying too much, I found a unique, real critter that populates the area and I’m going to make it a real butthole. I’ve got 2,000 words written on that story and just need to finish it, edit it, and send it off.

One of the stories I’ve spent time polishing when I should’ve been writing new stuff is called “Only the Good Die Young.” It’s the only story that I wrote as an undergrad years ago that I still think is any good. It’s been rejected more times than me, drunk at a bar, but I’ve given it a heavy re-write and written a new ending. We’ll see what happens. I’m sending it to Serial Killers Tres Tria. I love this story and I refuse to quit on it.

In addition to that, I’ve also started a werewolf story, I think I’ve got a fresh idea, but I hate werewolves and think they’re stupid. I don’t know much about them and it’s a challenge for me to try and write a werewolf story. That deadline is coming up fast and I’d love to make it. And to show you how cool I think my idea is, I’ll tell you about one I rejected: I hate werewolves and don’t watch movies, so maybe this has already been done and I don’t know. But wouldn’t it be something if terrorists or whoever couldn’t sneak weapons onto an airplane, but they could fly a loyal werewolf to hijack the plane during a full moon? To any TSA agent reading this that wants to flag me, I’m talking about a werewolf. Calm down. I rejected that idea because I think I’ve got a similar, yet better one. We’ll see if I can get it done on time.

I’ve also got an idea for the upcoming anthology “The Sea,” which will be an expansion of a flash fiction story that I wrote for a publisher that is currently DO NOT SUBMIT list. They won’t be there forever, but I think it’s worth mentioning as a heads-up to others, especially novice writers. This kind of stuff does happen. I don’t really hold grudges, and I won’t name names, but suffice it to say for a recent anthology, _________________ didn’t even send out rejections (or at least not to a bunch of people). I think quite a few people found out their stories got rejected when they saw pictures of the finished product posted on Facebook. I’m not whining about getting rejected, happens all the time, but I still think that’s kind of messed up. I haven’t heard their side of the story, and I’ll submit to them again, but I just really hope it’s the exception and not the rule. I understand that occasionally a story or two might slip through the cracks. Given this situation, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the case.

If this continues to happen to happen at ______________ I won’t submit to them again or *gasp* BUY THEIR BOOKS, and I’ll encourage others to do the same. There are too many great magazines and small presses out there to waste time with ones that won’t even take the time to tell you that your story sucked. I’ll take a form rejection over a “here’s the final product and your name isn’t in the table of contents. Screw you” rejection 11 times out of 10.

Hell even blog post, Facebook update or a tweet would’ve worked. “Hey all who submitted, we were swamped and behind and didn’t get to all the stories. If you haven’t heard from us by now, you didn’t make the cut. Sorry for the mistake but we were up against a deadline and to release a quality product we didn’t get to all submissions. Please consider us again in the future and good luck placing your stories elsewhere.” I don’t know, something like that would’ve been easy, quick, and a lot more courteous. And if there was, and I and several other writers missed it, I apologize for us all.

Ok. I’m over it. And like I said, I don’t hate this press or anyone involved with them, things happen, but hopefully things like this doesn’t happen again.

Regardless, I’m going to turn that flash story into a short story for “The Sea.”

On top of all that I’m working on a story about a black cat. I think this is heading to novella territory but we’ll see. This isn’t aimed at any specific market and I think it’s important for all of you reading this to not only write for the markets that you see on HT or anywhere else, but also write the stories that you want to tell. I hate cats, I’m allergic, but a stray black one stole my heart in the middle of the night as I was crushing beers and writing on the front porch this week. It got me thinking and I can’t say anymore that this right now, but I think I’ve got a solid idea for a story. Don’t know where it’s going to end up or if I’ll even finish it, but I’m 1,200 words in and it’s got a little potential. I named the cat Slasher in real life and in my story.

I like writing about stuff that happens to me. Most writers probably do this, but here’s a free tip, take your experiences, conversations, ideas, people in your lives and twist it, make it extreme, amp it up to level 10 and turn that stuff into a story. Don’t write it word for word, that’s a dick move that’ll probably get your butt kicked sooner or later, but if you fictionalize it, it’s cathartic and it’s authentic.

I did that with a story called “Don’t Call Me When He Tries To Kill You” and I’m working on edits from the publisher over the weekend. I desperately want to give a shout out to this publisher, but I don’t know if I’m allowed to at this point. I’ll write a whole post about them when I can because they are awesome. They’ve been great to me and I really want to see them continued to succeed. Gimme a couple weeks and I’ll hook y’all up.

So this is what I’ve been working on for the first part of my 50,000 word goal for June. I’m behind, but I’m behind for good reason. And I’ll hit that mark or wear a t-shirt proposed by my good buddy Kevin Bufton that says “Kerry G.S. Lipp can’t make it past (word count I hit under 50,000) in a month” on the front and “or maintain a satisfactory erection” on the back. I might lose on purpose because that shirt would be hysterical. I’ll wear it to WHC 2014.

But I’m gonna hit 50k and this is why. Here comes another KGSL serious moment. I’m just going to copy and paste from my post on Facebook because I don’t think I can say it any better.

This week I took the toughest rejection of my young writing life thus far. It wasn’t a mean one, just a tough one. And I doubt I’ll be in a position to take such a tough one for a long time. I made the short list for my first professional market, but I learned this week that my story was the worst of the best.

**** before you read the following know that I blanked out the name of my story and the publisher. I don’t need anyone knowing the name of my story or the name of this publisher who I really REALLY like and has been great to me so far. It is NOT the same one that I blanked out before. Underscores are just the best way to leave names out.

Anyway, this is what they sent me, and this was my own personal response/reaction that I posted on Facebook:

Got this today,
“Thank you again for submitting to ________________. We appreciate the
time and effort you put into this piece and are grateful that you trusted
us with your work. Unfortunately, after much review, we have decided that
“_____________________” is not the right fit for this
anthology. You made our shortlist from more than 500 submissions and we
hope you consider subbing to us in the future.”

I haven’t posted about rejection lately because to be honest I haven’t gotten a whole lot of them. But I like the transparency I have on FB, so here’s recent rejection. This one hurts. This acceptance would’ve cracked my first professional market. But not this time.

After the initial hurt subsided, my thoughts weren’t “I quit” or “Screw them” they were: Look how far I’ve come in just 1 year and more importantly:

IT’S TIME TO GET BETTER.

Great fuel for this 50,000 word June goal.
*end Facebook post.

So guess what HT? IT’S TIME TO GET BETTER.

Get better with me. I’ll take all the help I can get. Good luck in your writing, don’t get angry when you get rejected, even when they forget to send that rejection and DON’T QUIT. This is a lot like going to the gym. A motivating group or partner will help you out and take you a long way. Just don’t get caught up in talking too much about what you’re trying to accomplish. That cripples your opportunity for achievement.

Here I am:
[email protected]
New world horror – Kerry G.S. Lipp on Facebook.
Motivate me and I’ll shove you right back. It’s go time

Keep reading, keep writing, and keep it real,
KGSL

Sorry I took the week off last week. I got lost swimming in a sea of cool shit that’s going on with a few different aspects of my life, including something major that I think is really going to help my pursuit of writing, but I can’t take much about it at the moment. There’s a good chance I will in time though.

I got a couple cool things to pimp before I get started. Just in case some of you are still wondering who the hell I am and if I’m any good at mashing a keyboard, I’ve got some freebies to offer you. First off my episode, episode 213 is still up and free at The Wicked Library. I just listened to the episode that followed mine, quality horror from Mandy DeGeit. She brings the nasty.

If audio isn’t your thing, I’ve got a treat for you. My first published story Bloodlust, is part of a professional wrestling horror themed anthology from Cruentus Libri Press called Lucha Gore. It also happens to be free for Kindle all weekend. Check it out, http://www.amazon.com/Lucha-Gore-Scares-Squared-ebook/dp/B009FRSIM6/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1369997250&sr=8-1&keywords=lucha+gore. Myself and several talented authors would greatly appreciate if you did. Thanks!

Hot on the heels of that is my newest publication, a nasty little tale called Cigarettes and Murder. I’m writing this Friday morning, so I don’t know for sure, but I’m told the issue goes live on June 1. That’s today (as you read) but really tomorrow (as I write) and I’m too tired to make any kind joke. Go look for yourself over at http://deaththroes.net. Mine’s a shorty, only about 1,500 words so spend a couple minutes checking out some of the other stories!

I’ll BET that of those three you like at least one though I’d love to you devour all 3. Which brings me to the theme of this post: Betting on Myself. Does that stripper-thigh-smooth transition make up for that chainsaw transition a couple weeks ago?

I bet on myself recently and I bet big. Here’s what I did. Bear in mind that I’m poor as shit. (but my credit is ok haha) I’m writing this on a brand new MacBook Air. Last year, Memorial Day weekend after about a month down this rocky writing road, I bought myself a little joke of a netbook. Anyone friends with me on Facebook knows that I want to recreate the fax machine scene from Office Space with that piece of shit. We had some good times but every time I tried to open an internet search while the word processor was open it would swallow it’s tongue and shit itself. It cost me a lot of time and I lost some work as well. I bought cheap and I got cheap. Fair deal.

Not this time. I’d been wanting to dump that piece of shit for a while and I wasn’t meaning to be dramatic, but it kind of happened that way. That cute lil netbook screwed me for the last time last weekend and I went out and got a Mac. I can’t even begin to explain the difference. It really is incredible. Instead of taking forever to load pages, crashing and just overall constantly giving me the finger, this Mac is light, lightning quick and the battery lasts forever. Hell you can even do some magic wizard voodoo shit on the touch pad to break out your windows and seamlessly jump from word processor to anything else. Instantly. This is great for sending submissions (by the way I sent out 4 stories this week) and making sure everything is in line. Makes research a lot easier too.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I need this to write, not at all, and if I drop it or something and somehow survive the inevitable suicide attempt that will follow, I’m screwed. It’s back to the netbook in the closet, but even if that happened, I dig it out and keep going.

I almost bought cheap when went to the store, but I decided not too. I’m investing in myself. BETTING ON MYSELF. I imagine that if all goes well, and it better because I didn’t buy the extra warranty, I’m hoping that what I’m writing and whatever other business ventures I stumble into, will cover the cost. I’m hoping this laptop lasts me 3-4 years. While I’m hoping to get fed grapes by busty island girls by then as I pen yet another horrific masterpiece; if for some reason that dream doesn’t quite grow its wings, I’m betting on myself that I’ll at least be able to pay my sleek white baby off with the meager royalties and token payments I’m already acquiring.

So this purchase serves two purposes. I’m rewarding myself for staying committed to achieving my writing dreams and I’m using it as an investment. An incentive. And most importantly a BET.

I don’t really believe in fate or destiny being predetermined. I like to think that I’m responsible for all that happens to me (I think that kind of makes me a Satanist, but screw it, whatever) but sometimes things to fall into place. HorrorTree posts my blogs on Saturdays. Saturday happens to be June 1.

Any of y’all up for a bet?

I’m going to bet you all I write AT LEAST 50,000 words in the month of June. And I challenge you to do it with me. And because I’m incredibly stupid I’m also not going to include these blog posts, reviews, or revisions that I do. (Finishing previously started and abandoned stories is acceptable, but only new word count will be counted) 50,000 on top of all that and I will blog about my progress and what’s going on every Saturday in June so don’t think that I’m going to quit on you.

I won’t give too much away about what I’m working on away because I don’t trust you, but I’ll give you updates on at least word count, maybe what I’m working on if it fits, what markets I’m writing for etc. Man that editing stipulation is going to come back to haunt me. I’m planning on subbing a lot of stories in June too and I don’t sub unclean shit. Well, not on purpose. Sometimes you miss stuff and sometimes your stories just plain suck. I hate it when that happens.

Also, let me make it clear that I’m probably not working on a novel. I might if it strikes me, but a novel in a month isn’t the deal. Maybe we’ll do that in November. The deal is 50,000 new fiction words, which could include finishing old stories or starting brand new ones. I won’t cheat, I promise.

I figure this is perfect, I’ve invested and bet with my money, but now I’m going to do it with my heart, my desire, my passion, and my words. I hope some of you come along for the ride.

And I’m betting that I hit 50k words. If I hit that I win. And hopefully anyone who reads those stories will win too. I have no idea what to bet though. What happens if I don’t hit it? Youtube video of me eating a ghost chili pepper? Scan and post an up to date STD test? Re-read the Twilight series? Doesn’t matter because I’m going to win but send suggestions to [email protected] or stop by the pages New World Horror – Kerry G.S. Lipp on Facebook and let me know what you think I should do if I don’t make it. I’ll post the funny ones. I’m interested in creative ideas, but I don’t plan on losing. I hope some of you want to join in this challenge with me.
Any takers?

I’m all in.
Are you?

Keep reading, keep writing and keep it real,
KGSL