A New Venture -- Near and Dear

For a long time I have lingered over the idea of starting a literary magazine. After serving as a Slush Editor then moving up to Copy Editor for the Oddville Press (since shut down I'm sad to say) I felt a literary magazine would really give me an opportunity to immerse myself in the craft I hold so near and dear to my heart -- and help others get the exposure they need!

And thus -- with my fellow friends and writers -- we have birthed The Abstract Quill!

Thus far I have been surprised, supported, humbled, and invigorated by reading the submissions we've received so far as well as the community support demonstrated by local businesses. I have been posting fliers in "writerly" places, including the University of Montana campus, and the response has been good. There is still work to be done, pages to be edited, rejections to be sent -- my, how it feels to be on the other end of the writing process! But I can honestly say I look to each submission with renewed interest and contemplation. I know how it feels when you feel your work hasn't gotten a fair shake. So I try to give that attention and respect to each writer and artist. We all do and our strength is in our dedication to the craft.

My fellow editors include Nick Walsh, Matt Funston, and my beautiful wife, Whitney Espeseth.

I hope you will all take a moment to visit our site, poke around, and see what we have to offer.

See you on the pages!

New Magazine!

So it's official.

The Abstract Quill has launched! Super excited about this venture. So far so good.

Check it out at:
http://theabstractquill.com

Now Write! Exercise

As part of my lovely writing group "Writing for Your Life" we have agreed to do some writing exercises from the writing prompt book "Now Write! Fiction Writing Exercises From Today's Best Writers & Teachers."

Since we've had some writers stuck in dry spells I thought it only appropriate we start with the "Overcoming Dry Spells" prompt by Leslie Schwartz. Choose one or better still, do them all!

Exercise 1:
Here are a few of my favorite exercises to jump-start a flagging writing session:

• Write about what you would write about if you weren't stuck.
• Take one or two of your characters and put them in a stuck elevator with:

1. Your mother
2. The devil
3. God
4. Yourself... and let the action roll without censure.

• Before you sit down to write, take a long walk alone in a quiet place and envision the next scene of your story. Don't ever come to the computer empty-headed. Don't ever call up your story without first knowing where you want to take it next. 

Exercise 2

The "Wedding Cake Assignment" by Debra Spark is a great starter for anyone lacking ideas. 

Write a short story using one of the following images:

1. The fish falling from the sky.
2. A lawn sign that reads, "Wife Wanted: Inquire Within."

Good luck and I want to see your responses people!

An update

So a lot has happened since I last updated with my writing adventures. Graduate school ultimately got put on the back burner as my partner and I moved to Montana so she can finish her BA at the University of Montana. I also got a financial reality check with the moving costs and getting her set up for school so for the time being I have put off my graduate school applications. I have also clarified my goals. I will apply to UM's MFA program for the academic year of 2013 so I can stay close to home and maintain some semblance of married living. Online or distance programs may also be of interest but I need to do more research on how those programs are structured. Working online I already feel largely tethered to my computer so the thought of completing a MFA online seems fairly daunting.

In other news I have made a significant (I hope) breakthrough on my current manuscript. My work has been largely stalled because of a lack of scientific knowledge about infectious diseases and the like. Fortunately, picking up "The Devil in the Freezer" has given me new information and ideas on how to continue finishing up my manuscript. Hopefully this will lead to the ACTUAL COMPLETION of my manuscript as one of my 2012 resolutions is to finish, revise, and submit my manuscript for representation. Whew! ... it is almost done though so it is completely possible for me to get my buttocks in gear and do this.

Wish me (and my buttocks) luck!