And now for something completely different!
Actually, it's not a man with three buttocks.
Nor is it a man with two noses.
I'm presenting four complete stories today rather than doing my usual Book Beginnings/First Line Friday plus Friday 56.
These stories are the winners of the July 100-word horror contest from Snake Bite Books. If you'd like to learn more about Snake Bite Books, including how to participate in their monthly contest, check out their website.
And now, on to the stories! Click on the images to enlarge them.
This one is mine.
16th-22nd - What are your thoughts on book-to-book comparisons (for example, "It's the next Harry Potter")? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)
I suppose such comparisons can help readers discover new authors. As an author, I would be flattered to have someone say, "She's the next Ambrose Bierce, Christina Rossetti, Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, and Stephen King all rolled into one." Even if the person meant this as an insult, I'd take it as a compliment.
However, even though I was influenced by these people, I am not the next them. King was influenced by Lovecraft, Poe, and possibly Bierce, but his work is unique to him. Lovecraft was influenced by Bierce and Poe, but his work was unique to him. My work is unique to me, and to keep it that way, I have to say, "Fuck all these rules authors are supposed to stick to in order to be commercially viable."
I want to write what I love, not what some soulless algorithm or trend dictates. As Eddie Van Halen once said, "I'd rather fail with my own shit than succeed with someone else's."
Too right, Captain Eddie. This is a hill I will die on. Writing what others said I should write was killing me and my love for the craft that saved me more than once.
If you'd like to find out more about the shit I'm up to these days, visit me at:
No comments:
Post a Comment
I try to get comments published as quickly as possible. I don't always reply to comments on my blog, but I do try to visit as many people as possible when I participate in blog hops and I share links where possible to Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and such so others can discover your work. I do read and appreciate your comments.