Into The Looking Glass…

At the beginning of this year I took on the New Year’s Resolution of writing a short story every week. I made it to week 3 before failing… It was an epic failure that took me a couple months to bounce back from. Along the way, I decided I wanted to write  a Novel. Everyday for the past 2 months I have sat down to write 1,000 new words towards my goal. The Novel has grown into a Trilogy at present. I have tentatively dubbed it The God’s and Children Series. The first book, named The Birth of God, is 75% complete. I’m aiming to have all three books finished by the New Year. Periodically I will post some progress reports, and I’ll be aiming to get back on track with my one short story per week goal. I love any and all kinds of feedback, so don’t be shy about throwing your voice in the ring.Be forewarned, not all my stories will be worth reading.. This is an unavoidable part of the process. If you stick around long enough, though,  I promise you something worthy of  your interest every other blue moon.

I’m excited to write, hopefully you came here excited to read.

-Ant

antvicino@gmail.com

184 comments on “Into The Looking Glass…”

  1. Hi. Thanks for stopping by. Just wanted to say I think your writing’s great, and I look forward to reading more. Especially liked ‘Super Hero Woes’. Nicely paced and great voice. Thanks for writing!

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  3. what I have read of your writing thus far is great–but you seem to be setting yourself quite a goal-a trilogy and a short story every week – even if you do not make your goals, you are going to have a good body of work

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  4. Hi, just wanted to say thanks for the like! And I really like your style of writing, have just read Sun Burn and thought it was fantastic, must say, the background image added to the atmosphere perfectly! I will be keeping an eye out for your Birth of God novel, and good luck with writing it 🙂

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  6. thanks for dropping in. Writing is absolutely consuming. They say yu can write a book in 40 hrs. I tried but I think that only works for business people who are selling something. Emotions take so much more out of one
    Keep well and I am following
    Peace. Your WordPress design is beautiful

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  7. Great job making a resolution and sticking to it! Keep up your great work and never stop doing what you love. I look forward to reading your short stories! I hope you find my blog enjoyable as well-thanks for visiting.

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  9. Thanks for checking out my posts! Good luck in your journey. It looks like we are on a similar trajectory 🙂 I too liked Super Hero Woes 🙂 Take care!

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  12. Very nice site. I understand the issue of writing a short story per week. that is a huge goal and one that I think most would indeed struggle a bit with. I write a 7 chapter/7 day short story normally once a month for hubpages. I have done this long enough that I now have novels that are exactly that. I take 4 of the 7 chapter/28 chapters in all, stories and publish them together as a collection of short stories. I might blog about why tomorrow. It is exciting and breaks the routine of writing in my new novels. Just a thought if you love writing short stories and have enough to do so.

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  14. Sounds like a mighty challenge you’ve got going there. Will prove some handy off-line reading for those of us lacking internet access, though. Keep them coming – I’m working my way through the backlog!

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  15. Thanks for stopping by my site. Really like your site design! Good luck on your goal. I struggle with just handling my blog.

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  16. Keep writing! Goals are great especially the ones that finish a project…I need to make a few of my own. Thanks for dropping by!

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  19. Thanks for the stop by. I look forward to reading your work. Sometimes the best output comes from mot placing any restraints on ourselves like word count. Just hit the ball and let it fly out of the park.

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  22. Hi there, I noticed you stopped by my blog and liked one of my stories… thank you for doing that. You have a great body of work here!! Quite the prolific writer you are. 🙂

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  24. Thank you for stopping and liking a recent post. That is quite a challenge: to write a short story each week. Epic failures can lead to epic successes. I am looking forward following so I can read your novel as it continues to unfold.

    Take care,

    Ivon

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  27. thanks for the like, it gave me a chance to discover your blog. Good luck with the writing, you certainly seem to have the right drive and commitment.

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  30. ugh! sorry I was a bit eager there…
    As I was saying THANK you for giving your like to Word Play For Today. After reading a bit of your writing I know I must take it all in. You write beautifully.

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  33. Pingback: Into The Looking Glass… « The Notepad

  35. Thank you for stopping by my blog. I appreciate it. Writing is the easy part, it’s the rewrites that get you. Stay focused; looking forward to your work.

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  37. Hi there! Thanks for stopping by my blog and for the “like” on my post, “Do You Remember”.

    I am happy to have found your blog. I enjoy your writing very much, and I am looking forward to following your blog and reading more entries.

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  39. All the best with your novel, as I also wanted to write a book and get it out there just not sure of publishing process part. I started my blog as part of my book. I will be interesting in reading some of your work. 🙂

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  41. New Year’s resolution failures are every writers right. I have failed that exact one…twice. Good luck with the writing. I like what I’ve read of yours so far.

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  42. I tend to write short stories in batches, using them as palette cleansers juggling the novel deadlines. I LOVE the short story format.

    I’ve got some questions up on my Goals, Dreams, and Resolutions site that we’re using to plan our writing year for 2013. Feel free to join us with the answers on January 1, and just check in whenever you like during the year:

    Looking Ahead to 2013

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  43. As a fellow writer, I feel your pain. It is definitely hard to stick to a schedule. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I hope to follow you on your art journey, and that you will stop by to see mine.

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  47. I have not read all your stories but I did like Firefly! Am looking forward to reading Gods and Children 🙂

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  50. Thanks for stopping by my site and for the like. I’m looking forward to reading more of your stories. What I have read so far is very well written and interesting. You have a real talent here. Don’t ever stop writing, no matter what!

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  54. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, I look forward to reading more of your posts in the coming days.

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  55. Thanks for visiting my blog and reading what I’ve posted. I write short fiction also, and will look around a little at your stories too. The best to you with your writing.

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  61. Just wanted to say thanks for visiting my blog Picture This Art! I’ve had a quick browse of your writing here and it looks very good. Have bookmarked and I will be back to have a full read very soon, a lot going on at the moment!! 🙂 My main blog is a writers blog, with poetry and short stories, so I’m definitely interested in other writers especially the short story writers. Haven’t been blogging for very long, plenty of brilliant poetry writers, but I seem to be struggling to find really good writers of short stories for some reason, so will be pleased to read yours!
    Suzy 😀

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  64. Thank you so much for visiting my blog, dear Ant which led me to yours ultimately. What an amazing blog you have here! I’m waiting to explore more. So I’ll keep visiting. Keep sharing them, the short stories.

    -Asha

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  66. So glad you liked “Just too good a day” on Paper, Mud and Me. Hope the writing is going well. I know what it is like to set writing goals and have “outside” things derail the best intentions.

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  70. I think that’s a great thing – writing 1000 words a month. It’s a progression to the end of the book. I’m mid a novel and I run into the fact that I find it difficult to finish as I am so busy with studying and everything else in life. It’s a good idea to set a target of a certain amount of words a month – I might try that. Good luck with your novel.

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  72. What an excellent and ambitious goal. I sometimes think that the hardest thing to do is simply getting butt to seat and fingers to keyboard, so many kudos for being so driven (and so prolific!)

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  73. I thank you first for liking my posts and blog and then I wish you luck with your writing. They say a good writer becomes better the more he writes, so keep on writing! I have to make time for more writing but right now is a busy time for me.

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  74. Thanks for stopping by and liking my post: Update; Where I’ve Been. I hope you’ll stop by again and perhaps become a follower someday. Good for you for getting back on the bandwagon of writing every day. I enjoyed reading the first installment of Time Snatch and look forward to reading part 2 later today and the finale on Dec. 25. Good luck with writing your first novel series.

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  75. weekly storytelling is like shooting a TV series. You have to have at least a month’s worth ready in advance before you get started. Yes, it may count as cheating but it gives you somewhat of a buffer when you don’t find enough time for your project.

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  77. Thanks for your comment at The Romance Studio’s release party about Atlantis Vortex! This is a really great blog! Nice to you are here, I’ll drop by often
    Sultry

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  78. Hey Ant. I tried the same thing after I finished writing my novel and before I started book 2. I got 5 done and became inspired to maybe one day get to 10 and try and publish an anthology. Maybe I will but I have to get back to my “Peter Cooper” book 2 before I lose my momentum. GOod luck with your shorts and mine are on my blog if you want to read them. The genre is Gothic Horror. peace

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  80. Thanks for having a gander at my site. I’ve read and enjoyed several of your blog stories; I can definitely hear your voice in them — something I have yet to achieve in my work (my voice, not yours … lol). There’s an edge to your voice; it’s noir’ish and gritty (imo), and it holds my attention.

    Congratulations on having your ‘God’s and Children’ trilogy published; it is always reassuring to see hard work paying off.

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  85. Ah, another writer! Fantastic! I applaud the goal of one short story a week. I have trouble with short stories. It takes a definite talent that I’m not sure I have. I would do better with a goal of 500-1000 words a day, which I might do. Keep in touch. Maybe we can spur each other on!
    Cher

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  89. How can you force yourself to write each day? The only time I can write is when I feel inspired. Whenever I try to force something it always comes out bad.

    I’m also thinking about writing a series of books. As of right now, I’m writing the main book and have the prequel story boarded.

    I love sorry stories though so I’m eager to see what you put out. Best of luck!

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  90. 🙂 I can relate to that failed resolution – of not writing a short story every week. It was one of my resolutions the year before last (2011). Last year (2012), I made it a short story every month instead. And managed to keep it!

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  91. I salute your stick-to-it-tiveness. Not everyone has the stubbornness to be a writer. I don’t know if I could write a short story a week, but adding to my word count of a novel that I can do.

    May your Muse be with you. 🙂

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  92. Dear Ant… On Jan 1st ’11 i wrote on my blog that I was going to write more on my blog. My next post was on Dec 24th. 2011 has been a different story. Some things just take time. Congrats on finding your voice. Good luck with your novel… maybe I’ll be reading it some day. For now, I’ll go check out some of your short stories… thanks for checking out mine.

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  95. Sounds like it was smart of you to revise your goals to where your heart was at the time…thank-you for stopping by and the “like”!

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  97. I enjoyed checking out your blog and will continue to follow it. Keep up the good work. Thanks also for liking my latest installment of the book I’m blogging: “Jake, Little Jimmy and Big Louie.” I hope you will continue to follow this children’s chapter book story. Happy holidays!

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  98. Thanks for checking out and liking my blog. I am a writer as well, working on a novel with a very offbeat plot. It certainly won’t make me millions, but I think it would develop a small, devoted audience. Nothing wrong with having a “cult” following! In any event, I know you are hard at work on your own material, but I think it would be kind of cool to swap stories and give each other guidance for improvement. Let me know if you are interested.

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  100. Thanks for stopping by and liking my most recent blog post. Your blog looks like a good read. I’m looking forward to catching up on old posts and reading your new ones.

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  103. Hi. Thanks for the like on my SFWA acceptance post, and for stopping by. Your blog has a great look and feel to it, and you’re writing shows that you certainly have talent. Keep up the good writing!

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  104. Hmnn…Anybody can write, as many folk tell me, unasked. “After one has written a hundred thousand words or so, the product may (or may not) become worth something.”
    That’s my mother’s (a successful writer) advice.

    Observation suggests writers prefer talking about writing to actually sitting down alone and turning out lots of work. And if my mother was right, turning out lots of work is the only way to become a real-world writer. (Or any other craft, for that matter, right?)

    And all else is ketchup. There is no charge for my mother’s advice, which is worth every penney…

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  105. Pingback: Into The Looking Glass… « ayoskermie

  108. Hi Ant,

    Thanks for coming on to my new blog. I literally just created it just now. Will be working on it in the coming weeks, and look forward to coming back to read some of yours. Exciting…

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  110. Okay, cool.. I am caught up all over and am thinking on reading one of your writings in a bit later on today and/or in the earlier part of the morning. 🙂

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  111. Good luck with your goal! Very ambitious. 🙂 It reminds me of something someone once said, which is often (perhaps correctly) attributed to Hemingway: write one page a day for an entire year, and at the end of the year, you’ll have enough to call it a novel. It may not all be top-shelf quality writing, but at least it’s a whole lot more to write with than what you started with a year ago.

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  112. A very worthy goal! There’s a science fiction/fantasy/horror short story contest that is very popular with writers of that genre: Writers of the Future. They have a deadline four times a year and many people make it their goal to enter every quarter and eventually win that way! I certainly hope you plan to enter some of your stories in various contests or magazines. The only problem is, since they’re online, many places won’t take them because they’re considered “published.” Be wary of that if you plan on posting any of your novels. If you post too much, you might not be able to get it published via a paid, traditional route, if that is your eventual goal. For that reason, I never post more than my first chapter of a book.

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    • Thanks, L.J. I have thought about submitting a story for the Writers of the Future, but I’m not sure my work is good enough for that, yet. It’d have to be a pretty special story, at least. Maybe I’ll do some brain storming and see if I can come up with something for this next deadline. Have you submitted to the competition before? And yeah, I don’t really have any intention on trying to publish any of the stories I’ve posted on here, atleast not through the traditional publishing route. My plan is too self-publish everything myself as an e-book and then do some print on demand to have the actual copies in case anybody is interested.

      Congratulations on your book, by the way. I saw you just published your first!

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      • Yeah, it’s a good contest, but competition is steep! I’ve never won anything above honorable mention, but considering it’s a world-wide competition with hundreds of entries, even that can go on a writing resume.

        Self publishing can be a good route, too. There are a lot of useful sites and how-tos, but I can’t give much advice because I’ve never done it.

        Thanks! Yeah, Treasure Traitor is the first in a trilogy. I’m really excited and hope it does well! By the way, why are you calling it “weakly” short stories? Don’t sell yourself short! You’re following your dreams! So what if you’re new? So was everyone once. It’s always puzzled me why writers (including me) have always felt the need to depreciate the value of their own work. We’re the only profession that does that, and we call it modesty. Be confident! You’re off to a good start.

      • I think I’m going to submit the piece I am working on now to the Writers of the Future contest, so thank you for the push in that direction. Can I ask, what kind of story you’ve submitted in the past?

        When I chose the name, Weaklyshortstories, I didn’t do it with self-deprecation in mind, merely a funny play on words. Sort’ve like “Strong Long Story”, “Weak Short Story”.

        Keep up the work on your Trilogy.

  116. Yep, the way to get anything done is to set daily goals and make sure nothing gets in your way. Jack London used to make himself write 1,500 words a day, and that inspired me. Good luck on your book (and trilogy)!

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  117. I’ve been meaning to get here for a while, you have been such a wonderful reader of my blog. I only had a chance to read one story so far (Sun Burn), but I have such great respect for anyone who writes such wonderful fiction. I just have never been able to do it. I’ll look forward to reading more and wish you the best~ Thank you again~

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  118. I know the feeling! I once had a goal of writing one short story per month. That goal is still on my mind, but I’m afraid to attempt it again. Thank you for the like! d:)

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  120. As for what kind of story I’ve submitted in the past to Writers of the Future, I try to submit hard science fiction, because they always complain about getting too many fantasies or soft sci-fi. Hard science fiction is very science driven, with strong research and facts woven into the story. They like themes with technology, especially technology and ethics, and religion. They often complain that religious and political themes are ignored when they’re actually great themes for stories. My problem is, I’m not very good at science fiction! I read about five of the Writers of the Future anthologies before I submitted. They also prefer character driven stories. That’s the best advice I can give, I guess.

    Sorry I read too much into your blog name! I guess that was me projecting my own insecurities onto other writers. Anyway, keep up the good work!

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  121. Just wanted to say thank you for liking a few of my posts on my two novel writing WordPress accounts. I actually wasn’t sure whether or not to post them, but after doing Nanowrimo successfully for five years and getting into a local writer’s group, I’ve decided to post some of my writing ‘aloud’ to see how I felt about an audience, before going on to publish.

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    • Thanks, Cindy! I haven’t done anything in particular to grow my following. I just keep writing, and that seems to be doing the trick for now. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you come back soon.

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  124. Hi. Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog and click on the Like button to my most recent post. Your blog is smart and interesting; keep up the good work you’re doing here. I hope to hear from you again soon. Cheers!

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  127. you have all the energy of a young writer. When I lived in Belgium I used to write 8 to 10 hours a day. After 2 years I realized I was wasting my time. (I’m a slow learner.) There are only 2 or 3 hours of decent writing in any one in one day. After that you’re just putting in time. Do something else. Go for a run. Plant some tomatoes. Make love. Have a nice meal. And talk. To anyone.

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    • This is very good advice. I could never spend 8-10 hours writing in a day.. At most I can get 3, but that is pushing it. My creative period is usually about 1.5 to 2 hours and then I’m used up for the day.

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  128. Hey weaklyshortstories, thanks for visiting my blog! You’ve got a great blog here, I think I’m going to spend a fair few happy hours on here, you’ve got so much material posted!

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  129. Thanks for the stop by to my post. I wish you everything of the best…it will be great I am sure. It’s hard to sometimes get there, but a manageable goal that you’ve set is great. I’ll certainly keep reading and look forward to more from you!

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  130. Just another writer trying to share, eh? Glad to see. Thanks for checking out my side of the world, as I’ll continue to do yours. It’s always nice to dabble in others’ work. Keep it up.
    Cheers,
    effectivelyblue

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  133. Hi Anthony,

    I think you have set yourself up for success! I commend you for your hard work and dedication to your goal and know that it will turn out great. If you ever need someone to look over your work, a second pair of eyes, I would love to help you with that. I’m an editor by trade and enjoy helping others in their writing. Keep up the fantastic work!!

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  135. Thanks for stopping by The Climax Papers. I have a load of material and will post about every four days. Good luck with your novel. Just read Sun Burn. Feel like I should put on some sun screen. Great to find material like this on the internet. As I work though The Climax Papers I consider it training for writing a novel, since there is some continuity and character development. Hope to start the novel in a couple months. Good luck with your creative endeavors.

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  136. Thankyou for checking out my site and I am pleased you enjoyed FAST – a little experimental but I wanted to achieve “the chase” in words.
    How on earth did you find my site and how do I get a 10000+ followers?
    Cheers,
    Colin

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    • Thanks for stopping by, Colin. I found your site because it happened to be one of the most recently updated ones when I was cruising through the lists. I really enjoyed your story, FAST. I think you did a great job of capturing the panic one would feel in such a situation. As for having 10,000+ followers, I’m not sure cause I don’t have quite that many. At last count I think I had in the neighborhood of 1,500, and I can’t really say for certain how most of them have found me. My best guess is a combination between word of mouth and luck. I’ve been very lucky to attract so many readers despite not having a clue what I’m doing.

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  137. This is sheer magic – all these people writing AND talking to each other! And crafting one story a week does lead to serving an apprenticeship. The house/computer becomes full of stories and that’s when the fun really begins. Then there’s enough material to not be ‘precious’ about and you can sculpt like mad, sandpaper, trim, prune and ..er…polish.
    Still don’t know how you managed to find me, over here in England, snowed in, with not even the buses running…

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  144. Thank you for setting goals and getting to them even if it’s not exactly how you planned. I’m in the same boat. I want to write a book and through this I’m fleshing out stories. I don’t know why something like writing that brings me so much joy, is also sometimes the last thing on the planet I want to do. My writing is raw and takes me through the past and into the fantasy so I guess it’s only fear of the unknown that stops the process. Thanks for being here and leading the way. I look forward to reading more…

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  145. Thanks for the like. I liked yours as well. I also signed up to follow; looking forward to keeping up with your work. Your take on goals is interesting. It’s a common theme in my writing at the moment, and in fact, I am about to renew a 30-day moratorium on taking on new responsibilities, so my goals can be more intentional and not just about fulfilling responsibilities that I took on just because they sounded intereresting or because I had the ability to do them. Interesting journey. Thanks again! 🙂

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  146. Pingback: Thank you « Mountain Dreaming

  147. Thanks for liking “the chase.” A simple play on words, which got more of a response than I figured on, but am grateful for. Your response is much appreciated. All the best to you in all your work.

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  150. Hi–thanks for reading my guest interview on Carolyn Elias’ Charles Henry Editing. If you’re ever interested in reviewing my book, “Jenny Kidd,” I would be delighted (or having me write a guest blog). Hope so! Very best, Laury A. Egan

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  156. best of luck with all your writing projects. inspiration for new ideas is always out there somewhere. some times it falls into your lap easily; other times it takes some searching. but never give up. i’ve just got out of a long dry spell i thought would never end. every day i try to write some new stuff, both for my blog, The National Harold-Gazette, and for other projects.
    most of all, have fun with it. even when writing the serious stuff.

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  158. I adore your writing. If you want indie or other publishing advise, visit me at (same name but on org site; I don’t like leaving links in comments.) I am sick and find it hard to work on the writing I have and the writing communities I am involved with. Maybe if I have an “epic failure” like yours (not), I will have a trilogy just like you do. I applaud you and your work!! Well done!

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  160. That’s so awesome that you wrote short stories every week. I wish I could do that

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  166. Thanks for liking my re-blog of Marie Force’s readers survey. I hope you found it as enlightening as I did. Best of luck with your writing goals!

    Reply

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