The Writer

A flash fiction piece I did. Please give your opinions.

MichaelSRomano — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:26:00 GMT

The Ship Captain's Tale.

The scantily clad wench drops off another tankard of ale and the sound of the wood vessel striking the table has a calming influence on the grungy captain. His snarl turns to a smirk of somewhat resembling joy. With a quick jerk the captain throws back the container and quaffs down the beverage then wipes his lips clean with his sullied shirt sleeve. Sitting across the table is a much more fashionable gent in a tailored suit sipping at a glass of wine his manicured hand gently supports the decorative stemware.

They have met according to agreement; it is the thirteenth day of the month thirteen years since their first and only other meeting. The captain's fate rests on the outcome of this seemingly mundane get-together. To those looking in, they are merely two men, oddly paired as it was, sharing drinks, but to the players it is far more significant than that. The captain's life, nay, his very soul rests in the balance and he fears as to which way the balance is tipping.

Over the next hour and half the elegant gentleman recounts callous tales of murder, rape and theft. He spins a yarn about a ship captain so vile and unwholesome, the very souls of his victims tremble even at the idea of haunting the captain's vessel. The disheveled captain continues to throw back ale after ale, occasionally peering around the room for some sign of hope, all the while he remains fixed on every word spoken by his companion.

When after the gentleman spoke his last syllable he reaches down and takes hold of a case at his feet. Slipping the clasp open he pulls out a copy of Liber Urbani, or otherwise known as The Book of the Civilized Man and begins to now read quietly to the slightly inebriated seaman, though the sailor's aloof demeanor begins to fade along with the remainder of his sobriety.

The once mighty sea captain begins to sob and beg for pity but the gentleman has none and reminds the captain of the accord they made this day thirteen years prior. The captain did not heed the warning and in his mind now sees the scales come crashing down. He jolts to a stance and heaves the table to the side as he throws himself to the feet of his besieger. Weeping uncontrollably he is told for his insurrections the watery depths of the underworld have not yet fantasized about what damnation will befall him.

The distinguished gentleman takes hold of the captain's shirt sleeve and drags him towards the door, the gentleman turns and remarks, "You were given do and timely notice that I was to return. I warned you my good man, but you decided not to heed those words. It is too late for apologize and tears, that time has long since come to pass. Do not cry Captain Jones, for you are about to get what you have always wanted."

I'm new, too.

Wag-a-Muffin — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:35:23 GMT

Hello. I decided to write for two hours a day. This counts, right?

Hi and Good Morning:

SweetSue — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:19:36 GMT

I haven't tried this sort of thing before, but I like to write. I belong to a writer's group at The Woodie Fite Senior Center in Douglasville, Georgia and appreciate that I have been invited to join this group. I have, recently, been helping at the Pine Mountain Gold Museum's community garden. I dug the first potatoes out of the dirt yesterday. The little black bugs that are biting the greens are probably thrips (thysanoptera), but I'll have to work on ways to control them. Sorry, I thought all on-line dictionaries could spell!

need help on this poem. please and thank you

garciagenXX — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:37:55 GMT

As the night grew darker,

The moon rose from the clouds.

The knight riding his horse,

looking somewhere to stay.

Abandoned by the castle he,

once protected and held dearly.

The knight had fallen for her,

the princess of the castle.

A forbiden love,

never to have happened.

At times it seemed,

that it would work out.

It never did,

she loved someone else.

He loved her with a passion,

until his heart was broken.

He was banished by the person,

he really loved and cared for.

Leaving on his way,

to find his own reason.

Yet it hurts more,

than any battle he's been in.

Nothing brings him more pain,

that to know what she did.

Slowly he looked for a place,

to call his own.

Under the light of the moon,

he died lonely and broken.

i need some help with this poem, suggestions or advice would be nice.

garciagenXX — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:48:23 GMT

the moment we split up,

that very second.

i gave up in life,

you were my life.

i still see you,

but im my dreams.

i wish that would of,

never happened to us.

i fell for you hard,

more than you can see.

i sometimes wish,

i could hold you again.

to hear you laugh,

and to see you smile.

your the reason,

i woke up in the mornings.

now life without you ,

is a punishment for me.

i regret having to hurt you,

i hurt the rose i loved the most.

i cant live with myself,

for what i've done to you.

every time i shed a tear,

its not because im hurt,

its because i know your hurt.

i live in regret everyday,

everyday is a painful day.

i've lived with this burden till now.

now that you forgave me,

i can finally rest in peace.

thank you is my last words to you.

Sticky label

Vaio — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:54:06 GMT

Anyone know how to remove the address label without taking part of the front page with it? I guess it's supposed to be removed easy but more times it doesn't. To much glue over the past few months.? If we all write in maybe the writer will print our address labels as part of the front page like most mag's I receive. This magazine is to good to deface, mar, injure or obliterate anything.

Thank you for your time.

The first singing.

Sinibaldi — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:12:45 GMT

Somewhere

the soft wind

becomes an

experience

that calls

the desire of

an inner

intention.

Francesco Sinibaldi

And here I thought I was alone...Who knew? :))

DawnMarie — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:26:37 GMT

Hello my new friends, I hope. I am a total newb at this so please excuse my ignorance. My name is Dawn, as I'm sure you could have guessed, and I've been writing, well most of my life. Mostly for my own amusement of course, but I am looking to maybe turn my love for writing into something a bit more. I am currently working on a project I hope will do that for me and would welcome any advice. My project falls into the Science fiction/ Horror genre and most of my personal interest falls there as well. So any SciFi/ Horror buffs feel free to hit me up. :D

Chickened out ...

Morning — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:55:12 GMT

... and didn't know how to delete my post. Oops.

Bright Greetings everyone

Anne-Marie — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:46:47 GMT

My name is Anne-Marie and I live in the UK.. I have been writing for many years as a hobby, but have now decided its time to take it serious .. I write poerty, and have had a few published over the years..

Looking forward to speaking with you..

Anne-Marie

The Memory Eater Anthology

Casper Pearl — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:42:50 GMT

Hello everyone,

I'm excited to share with you The Memory Eater: Stories that Erase the Past to Save the Future. This science fiction-inspired anthology consists of 27 uniquely written and illustrated stories based on a futuristic device with the ability to locate and destroy any memory in the human mind. Each of the 24 authors wrote an original story around the concept, and 27 artists contributed a companion original piece of art for the stories.

The anthology was pitched to select publishers with positive feedback, but ultimately, I decided to take advantage of the evolving book publishing landscape and retain control over the book publication and distribution by raising the funds to self-publish. Today marks the launch of the Kickstarter.com fundraising campaign to raise funds to publish The Memory Eater, which is ready to print right now!

Kickstarter is a unique Internet funding platform for creative projects by writers, musicians, artists, designers, filmmakers and visionaries of all kinds. Artists post an in-depth profile of their creative work and ask interested people to pledge a donation over a short period to reach a funding goal. If the goal is reached, the pledges are funded, and the artist can help bring their creative project to life.

Please visit The Memory Eater fundraising campaign at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/875080901/the-memory-eater-anthology and support the project. The page includes a project introduction video, story and art samples and links to several contributor web sites. The platform offers several pledge levels ranging from $1-$300 with rewards attached to each donation. Rewards run the gamut from written acknowledgement in the anthology, to free books, to bookmarks and T-shirts, to custom created, artist-signed The Memory Eater artwork on canvas. Pledges are not collected (via PayPal or credit card) unless and until the project goal of $4,250 is reached in the 40-day campaign period.

The Memory Eater's Kickstarter campaign runs through May 12, 2012. For further information about The Memory Eater anthology, visit my blog at www.anthologies2011.blogspot.com; http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Memory-Eater-Anthology; and Twitter at @TheMemoryEater.

Thank you for checking out the campaign and for your support of my work!

Best,

C. P.

Emotobooks?

JackieTheKid — Thu, 03 May 2012 23:27:44 GMT

Anyone heard of emotobooks yet? I just found this new medium of fiction last week and it peeked my interest a bit. I was skeptical at first, but I started to read there website and learn a bit more. So I bit the bullet and picked up their sci-fi title called "Swing Zone" I was impressed. The writing style was great and the abstract art was placed in the story at the right time. The art was also very beautiful. I enjoyed the first issue so much that I just picked up the second issue tonight. Discuss?

Hello

William Pike — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:47:15 GMT

Hello, My name is William Pike I'm 36 and from San Diego, California. I just recently published my first book GOD FORGIVES, DADDIES DON'T. I would love for all of you to read it, and give me any tips for marketing.

Forum changes

Jeff Reich — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:06:52 GMT

As of Monday, April 30, you'll notice that we've reduced the number of forums. With some 30 different topic areas, and hundreds of discussion threads, the old forum configuration got too complicated for its own good--and many users were missing out on useful interactions with others.

So, what you find now is a greatly simplified version of the forum section. Some forums have disappeared entirely; others have been folded into other forums. Here's a list of the new forums (underlined), and the old forums they contain in their entirety:

About the forums: Forum policy and Announcements from The Writer

Fiction critiques: Short fiction and Novel excerpts

Other critiques: Poetry and Miscellaneous genres

Writing and publishing: Writiers' information booth, Unpublished writers, Self-publishing/POD/e-publishing, Pet peeves, Announcements

Introduce yourself!: Introduce yourself!

Other forums not included here did not have enough traffic to justify keeping them. But, say you want to start a thread on genres, or grammar, or contracts ... All of those topics will fit under "Writing and publishing"--and now you'll bump into others discussing self-publishing, queries and agents.

We hope you'll find this streamlined forum section a better, easier way to connect with other writers.

The Positive Effects of Insomnia on the Human Mind is now available on Amazon!

mwr6348 — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:53:04 GMT

The Positive Effects of Insomnia on the Human Mind

Ray Killick, a laid off tech support desk jockey, turned cab driver and aspiring writer struggles to figure out what’s next for him as he travels cross country living and working on the fringe of civilized society.

After getting laid off, Ray takes a job driving a cab, which was supposed to be a catalyst for literary inspiration, but instead it quickly turns into a foray of life underground. In an attempt to capitalize on the parade of unsavory cab patrons, Ray strikes up a deal with Sarah, a stripper/call girl at a local club. Their arrangement allows them both to survive, at least financially, before he finds a way to exploit their friendship in a way that will get him out of small town life and send him on the run.

After running out of land to run from in Los Angeles, Ray finds a basement apartment in Little Armenia, and gets to work on starting a life that’s honest. In a late night drunken escapade he meets Zoe, a girl who, as best as Ray can tell has life in Los Angeles figured out. Zoe helps him get settled into his new life and sets him up with a job delivering liquor for her brother’s store. Ray’s honest existence soon becomes jeopardized when a street gang turns him into an errand boy after a liquor delivery gone wrong. Once again, Ray is faced with the choice of staying in the meager life he has carved out for himself, or hitting the road again for a chance at survival and the diminishing hope of finding something better. His choice would have been easy prior to getting involved with Zoe.

The Positive Effects of Insomnia on the Human mind is a sardonic tale of escapism set on the road across modern America. It follows Ray Killick and a revolving cast of women and miscreants, as they do their best to exist in an unwelcoming world.

Hey There

kseeker — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:16:56 GMT

Hello everybody, My name is Susan and I live in NSW Australia. I have had a few small articles published and I think that joining this forum will provide me with a great way to interact with other writers and give me a great opportunity to both learn and share.

Have a great new year all, catch up soon

Susan

Hi All!

purple.white — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:51:47 GMT

I'm new, I'm a writer. I guess that's all I have to say. Well, except for the fact that the avatar thing won't work. Does anybody have any advice?

I write a little bit of everything: prose, poetry, articles, dialogue. I recently started blogging, and have been enjoying it. I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing and this is my latest attempt.

Newbie!

sugarcrisp53 — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:38:39 GMT

Hello, I subscribed to Writer e-newsletter a week ago and love it. I seriously needed some inspiration and ideas to kick this dreaded writer's block/burnout that's plagued me for almost two years. I love to write for the joy of it, not necessarily for monetary reasons, though I haven't ruled out selling a short story or essay. Years ago I started writing fan fiction then tried my hand at original fantasy and speculative fiction, but now the joy seems to have disappeared. My dad passed away four years ago, and I'm still not out of the grieving process. We were very close, and the rest of the family hasn't been very supportive of my creative efforts to deal the loss. I'm assuming Dad was my muse and as long as I had him around the words flowed from my brain onto paper. I sought out writing forums like this to help get the groove back. The stories are still locked in my head and need to get out.

Greetings new friends ... and that other guy too.

Bilfin — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:03:51 GMT

I've been writing all of my life but have been living the life of a reclusive writer for the past year. Prior to this I worked in TV/Film production for over thirty years. My first job as a teenager was working on the back lots at Universal before it was cool and my last was working in production on national commericals and the occasional film project. The economy took my job and a health challenge left me weak so I retreated with a pen and paper to my big old house in the city. Here, I've picked up old written projects and reworked them and started new ones. I did send out one before it was ready so that I could at least have some sort or correspondence with the industry. I didn;t get a rejections letter, just a rejection postcard.....dissapointed to say the least. Someday I hope to get an actual letter.

My idea is to build myself a library of work before I get serious about submitting. My main interests are in supernatural adventure and angel lore I have 5 novels written that still need work and several short stories so I'm at the point of really concentratin on the final stages of re writing one of them.

Hope to hear back from some of you and where you are in the process also.

thanks for the read.

A Story I wrote called A Question of Ethics

LKO41 — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:28:18 GMT

Here is a short story I wrote quite awhile ago that I thought I would share and maybe get some feedback on. Enjoy.

A Question of Ethics

Stanley bounded up the steps leading to the little stucco house and rang the bell. It was only

a few moments before he heard the familiar shuffle of feet and a muffled voice saying “I’m coming.” The door opened to reveal an elderly gentleman in his 80‘s. He was about 5’7 with short white hair and piercing blue eyes. He was of German descent so he spoke with an accent that took Stanley a few weeks to get used to.

“Please, come in, Stanley. I’ve been vaiting for you. Oh I have much to tell you.” The old man said as he ushered the younger man in.

Stanley was a 23 year old college student who acted more grown up than what he was. He didn’t enjoy the party life his roommates had so he opted to volunteer in a program where he was matched up with an elderly person, and then he would visit him once or twice a month. He felt lucky to be matched up with Gregor. When he first started out a year ago, he only visited once every 2 or 3 weeks but their friendship grew quickly and soon Stanley was visiting every week. He enjoyed listening to Gregor’s stories of his home in Germany. They shared a lot about each other over the past year. Stanley was there for Gregor when one of his dear friends had passed away and Gregor had been there when Stanley and his girlfriend of 4 years had broken up.

“Hello, Gregor, how are you doing today?” He asked as they walked to the small library where they usually sat and had tea. Sometimes they would play chess or listen to his phonograph records that he still had or look at his photo albums.

“Oh, I am fine. Sit, sit, I vill get the tea ready.” His excitement was overwhelming. Stanley had not seen him this way before. He sat down and listened to Gregor bang around in the kitchen as he set the kettle on the stove.

“Do you want me to help you?” He called out to him.

“No, just stay there, I am quite alright. I will only be a minute.” Was the reply.

Stanley noticed a small red leather book sitting next to Gregor’s chair. It was the one that he had seen Gregor writing in and reading from time to time. He always carried it with him. Stanley looked toward the kitchen as curiosity got the better of him. He quietly got up, and casually began to leaf through the pages. It was a bit disappointing for everything was written in German. There were a few equations that Stanley didn’t understand. He closed the book and sat down. His excitement deflated. There was a clinking of dishes as Gregor appeared holding two steaming mugs.

“Here you go, I hope I made it the vay you like it.” The old man smiled at him then sat down.

Stanley returned the smile as he took the cup. “Ok, so, what is all the excitement about?” He asked, forgetting all about the book.

Gregor sat for a moment just looking at him. It made Stanley a little nervous. “Well?” he asked breaking the silence.

“I never told you this but I am a doctor.” He started.

Stanley looked surprised. “Oh, well, ok, that’s interesting but why all the seriousness about that?”

Gregor studied him briefly before continuing, “Vhat I am going to tell you may shock you, but I ask that you please do not interrupt until I am completely finished.”

Stanley nodded “ok, go on.”

“Vhen I was a young man of 17 or so, a new power vas coming in to play. A man named Adolf Hitler had become our leader. Shortly aftervards there was an arson attack on the Reichstag Building in Berlin. It vas believed that the communists were plotting against the German government. Oh, it was all very terrifying at the time. There were mass arrests of communists including all the parliamentary delegates. Hitler had no choice but to take control. Once the Enabling Act passed, Hitler became the dictator of Germany. He started to make alliances vith surrounding countries vhich eventually led to the attack on Poland in 1939. I am sure you have studied all this in your history books, right, Stanley?”

“Yes, I have but what has this got to do with….”

“Let me continue.” Gregor interrupted. “I became fascinated vith the var stories I heard. So vhen I became 18, I joined the military. I vas a bright man and had already had some studies in the medical field so I became a member of the elite SS group. I studied hard, showed my allegiance and was rewarded vith an opportunity to study under the great Dr. Josef Mengele at Auschwitz. He did many experiments involving genetics. He would try to change eye color and study the genetic relationship of twins. I myself never did the hands on but took notes. Yes, it vas horrible to vetch but it vas science. A few months before Auschwitz vas abandoned, Dr, Mengele gave me loads of files to deliver to Dr. Otmar Von Verschuer of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute. It was there that I was relieved of duty, given a

passport with a new name, a plane ticket to the United States and this book.” Gregor explained as he reached out for the little leather book.

Stanley held out his hand to take it but Gregor continued to hold it. He paused a moment, studying Stanley’s face. It was blank. Stanley had been listening intently. He really didn’t

know how to take any of this. At first it seemed like just another ordinary memory of his past but then the mention of the Nazi SS and Auschwitz turned it all into a horrible dream. He sat looking at this tired old man as he had described his involvement with the

Medical experiments. The shock had worn away and now he just sat very still listening. That was all he could do.

“Are you ok, Stanley?”

“Yes, I am fine. I’m…..just trying to process this all....really.” Stanley sat back in his chair and took a sip of his tea trying to appear casual.

Gregor offered him a smile before starting in again. “I vas instructed to meet a man in New Jersey. From there I was taken to Princeton and I attended the University there. My studies vere in the molecular biology field. It vasn’t until late that I found out that Dr Mengele had been vatching me and recognized my interest and talent for the subject. He had arranged all this for me. I started out learning all I could about biotechnology vhich has been around since the 19^th century. The Germans used it for brewing. My interest then turned to genetic engineering and vell…..let me just say, I excelled in that area. I found it fascinating vhat you can do with a person‘s DNA.”

Stanley put his empty teacup down and just looked at the old man. All the articles he had read about the war and the pictures he had seen depicting the Holocaust came into his head. Here was a dear friend who participated in something so horrible. He didn’t quite know what to say. Gregor once again gave him an encouraging smile and waited for him to speak. All He could do was give a quick smile back and a little nod of acknowledgement.

After a moment Stanley asked, “Did you murder anyone personally?”

Gregor’s eyes got big, “No, Stanley, I did vhat I vas ordered to do. I only took notes. I don‘t vant you to dwell on the past. I admit they were horrible crimes but ve did learn a lot about different chemicals and how they affected the human body.”

Stanley nodded once again but he wasn’t very satisfied with the answer. Then he asked, “Why did you tell me this now? What is so important about me knowing this?”

Quickly the excitement returned into the old man’s eyes. He jumped up. “I have something for you. You have been such a dear friend to me these past 2 years. You are like the son I never had. Come vit me, Stanley. ”

“Oh, Gregor…..really…you didn’t have to get me anything.“ Stanley protested.

“No, I had to do this for you, knowing how you felt about her.“

The two men headed towards the door which led to the basement.

“What “her”, Gregor? What do you mean by “her”?” Stanley asked as they began the

descent downstairs. There was a small hint of panic in his voice as he was trying to make some kind of connection between what was said to him earlier to the events now.

“Oh I hope you vill enjoy this. Remember a few months back, you told me that the voman you loved had left you?” Gregor stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Stanley stopped quickly.

“Yes.” He replied slowly “Why?” He could feel a small spark of dread slowly spreading through his body.

Gregor flicked on a light. The room lit up quickly and it made Stanley jump. He hadn’t realized he was tense.

“You vere so sad. I hated seeing you that vay. Vhat did you call her? Oh yes, she vas your angel, right?

Once again he asked, “Gregor, what has she got to do with this? I don’t understand.”

Gregor gave his arm a pat. “You vill, my friend, you vill. Come on.” He then led the way through the main room to a small wooden door on the back wall. He pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked it. He paused a moment, turned to Stanley and said, “I vant you to remember, I did this for you. I vant nothing more than for you to be happy.”

This made Stanley even more nervous. The dread he had started to feel once again came back, stronger than before. He didn’t want to go into the room. He wanted to leave. But he couldn’t. His curiosity pushed him on.

Gregor had opened the door and was inside the darkened room. The only light that shown was from the other room so they both stood there several minutes waiting for their eyes to adjust.

“Gregor,” Stanley whispered, “I really have to be going.”

Gregor grabbed his arm, “No vait, please. I really need to show you this and…..” His voice trailed off as the slight movement from the darkened corner drew their attention. Stanley started to tremble slightly. He could only make out a form so far.

“That’s it, my dear, come out, come over here.” Gregor spoke softly to the form. He held out his hands. Out of the shadows came a petite woman with long brown hair and the

brightest blue eyes. Her skin was whiter than the long gown she wore.

Stanley let out a gasp. He shook his head as if he were in a dream. It was Lydia. His beautiful angel whom he had lost. She smiled as she saw him and tears began to well up in her eyes as she continued towards them.

It was only when the light fell on her fully that Stanley was able to make the horrifying connection. For there, stretched out a bit behind her, were a set of large white wings.

Hi Y'all.

Tommy D. — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:06:10 GMT

I've been thinking about creating some lasting fiction in my declining years; I think now is the time to start.

I believe I can get some good tips and ideas here, and further college is not out of the question.

In the meantime, I would also like to keep bread & butter on the table with a proofreading or reviewing position.

Any thoughts?

Tommy D.

Book Trailer Voice Over

JasonNoxon — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:28:21 GMT

As a fellow writer, I wanted to offer my Voice Over services to the group. If you're thinking of creating a trailer for your project, please do not hesitate to contact me. We can discuss a full production or simply just a voice over.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Jason Noxon

www.jasonnoxon.com

The Coparazzi

thecoparazzi — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:16:50 GMT

I would like to introduce my book, a memoir. The Coparazzi is the story of three years in my professional life(1989-1992) when I worked for the NYPD's Movie Unit. Our job was to secure both personnel and traffic during the filming of production in NYC. It is also a story of celebrity obsession-the highs and lows.

The Coparazzi

thecoparazzi — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:16:55 GMT

self publishing and being published

Nevertooold — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:06:14 GMT

I have done both, being published through a well-known publishing house and now having done my own ebook. There is so much publishing houses put into marketing and advertising that the average writer cannot afford. I had a lot of exposure on TV, radio and personal appearances across the country. The book is more than 25years old and still being bought over the internet even though it is no longer published by the company. The book is non-fiction. I am now retired and decided to try my hand at fiction.

It is a new world in the publishing business. I decided to try ebook instead of even attempting to go traditional. Money is tight with everyone, but the key is still advertising. My ebook is in Barnes and Noble and still does not have the press it needs. My next move must be to go back at my company and work out a marketing deal I can afford. My book, "GIFTS" is also sold on Amazon and ebookit, but who knows? I do this for fun and to feel useful at age 71. If you are trying to make a living at writing you need to do a lot of homework and use available help. The Writers Mag has a lot of good leads to pursue. Work all your options without putting a value on them. Some things work, some things don't. It is individual.