The Artist Unleashed: MY MOMENT by Theresa Milstein

Thanks for swapping blogs with me, Jessica. I’m happy to be in a second anthology with you. This time, we’re both in, From Stage Door Shadows, which sheds light on the darker side of show business. Scary subject for Halloween…  

My short story “My Moment” is a mix of Victorian and 1950s ideology meets 2313. Part of the story was inspired by the appalling American television show Toddlers and Tiaras, which I wrote about on Chandara Writes blog.

The YA novel XVI by Julia Karr influenced the other part of my short story.  I actually gave Karr’s book one more star on Goodreads because I was impressed by the dystopian premise: when girls turn sixteen, they get a XVI tattoo on their wrist and any man can have sex with them. With women so sexualized in our society and some recent comments regarding “legitimate rape” by American politicians, it’s not a far leap to see women losing compete control over their bodies in the future.

The book made me wonder what women would face in the distant future. Would they be celebrated for beauty or brains? Would they be celebrated at all? 

In “My Moment”, girls attend school for domesticity and deportment. They aren’t allowed to read books, and they learn just enough writing to prepare grocery lists and party invitations. And after school, these girls practice their pageant routines.  Pageants become the only arena for females to succeed in society. “Success” means to marry well. Wives are expected to look polished and use their talents to impress their husband’s guests at dinner parties. The pageant winners will be hand-selected by men seeking arm-candy wives. 

And if women don’t succeed in pageants, the alternatives are anything but pretty. 

Dystopian pieces always stick a lens into our contemporary society and show what the likely outcome if some sinister aspect were able to run amok. I hope “My Moment” will remind us of the danger of fostering inequality between the sexes. 

Links to book:

Goodreads 

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble 

The Book Depository 

eMergent Publishing

Note from Jessica: I'm over at Theresa's blog today talking about my story in FROM STAGE DOOR SHADOWS. Care to drop by?

PS: My novel String Bridge is FREE on Kindle TODAY ONLY. Amazon UK | Amazon US

ALSO: Could you pretty please vote for my poetry book FABRIC in the opening round of the BEST POETRY 2012? You'll have to write it in for it to have a chance at becoming an official nomination in the second round. Would REALLY appreciate it!

The J.K Rowling Of My Time

I watched a TV movie about Enid Blyton this weekend. And I'm crushed.

The Wishing Chair, and The Faraway Tree were the first 'novels' I ever read. And whenever I think of them I get all nostalgic and mushy in my belly. I borrowed every single Enid Blyton book I could find from my local library after reading them. I became obsessed. Because they whisked me away into worlds I'll never ever forget.

But you know why I'm crushed? Because this GENIUS author, who I idolized, and respected, this author who had written over 400 books for children, who was the J.K Rowling of my time, and sold over 500 million copies (and still sells around 4 million every year) ... had children of her own ... and she treated them like dish rags! I'm devastated! 

For example, she'd spend her free time replying to fan mail, and send her kids out to play with their governess. She never spent time with them. Ever. She would invite her fans (little kids) over for indoor picnics and tea parties, and not include her own children. She'd send them upstairs to sit in the nursery until the parties were over. She wouldn't let them see their father when they divorced, despite knowing exactly how horrible it was to be without her own. Basically, she was a selfish cow who spent 24 hours a day glued to her desk and didn't give an inch of her time (nor love) to her kids. And I'm SO SAD!

So today I'm mourning the loss of my childhood idol ... I don't think I can ever think of her in the same royal light again.

Have you ever been crushed by biographies of those you admire?

Literary Magazines Should Not Charge Reading Fees

I have to say, as a literary magazine editor myself, I'm disgusted at the amount of mags and journals that ask for a reading fee, or say that subscribers' work gets priority. And more often than not, these journals that have such stipulations, have sponsors and/or funding from arts foundations which means they don't even need that money! It's ridiculous and greedy. I could never imagine charging a reading fee with Vine Leaves Literary Journal in my life.

I understand that it's hard work. I understand that there are expenses here and there that need to be paid (website, classifieds ads, donations to places like Duotrope.com and PW.org, sponsored listings on places like NewPages.com and The Review Review, if you are a print mag you also have production costs to take care of), but in my opinion, if you want to run a legitimate journal, and be a respected journal, you should NOT be taking money from the writers, you should be PAYING THEM.

If you can't afford to run the mag without sucking these gullible writers dry of their hard-earned cash, then you shouldn't be running a journal at all. I am in this business because I love to give writers the opportunity to see their work published. I love to send that acceptance letter, and imagine the smile on the other end of it, the knowing that they feel appreciated and that their work is worthy. It's validation that every writer needs. If they have paid for you to read that work, how is it a true acceptance?

As a writer, you should not have to pay to have your work read. Would you pay your husband/wife to say they love you? Would you pay a traditional publisher to publish your novel? Would you pay a literary agent to read your query letter and manuscript sample? No way! So how is a literary magazine any different? It's not.

Those of you who are looking for places to submit, please do not be fooled by reading fees. By all means, donate and/or subscribe to magazines you want to donate and/or subscribe to; it's how we stay afloat. But you should not feel obligated to subscribe to every magazine you submit to. If I did that, I would be bankrupt. It's impossible. Please, look for magazines that do not charge you to be read, because the ones that do, are taking advantage of your desire for success.

Disclaimer: I do not feel this way about contest fees. Money usually needs to be raised for the prize money, so it's generally accepted.

How do you feel about reading fees for literary magazines?

The Artist Unleashed: DOING IT FOR MYSELF by Talli Roland

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Innocence Sentenced With Guilt

I had last Friday off so decided to give myself a three-day-do-absolutely-nothing-weekend.

But the problem with long weekends and being used to working so hard all the time, is that I can't seem to overcome the feeling that I'm doing something wrong when I let myself sit around doing nothing.

It feels criminal.

The offence of innocently taking time off is sentenced with guilt.

By the time I got over this feeling, it was Sunday afternoon. What a waste. I spent the whole long weekend feeling like I should be getting stuff done and didn't relax AT ALL.

The biggest thing stopping me from relaxing was that I felt I should be utilizing this time to write. I did write, a bit, but the guilt of not feeling like writing much meant I wasted a lot of time on social media pretending to write. GAH! Why couldn't I just lap up and enjoy the three blissful days of freedom?

Mind you, I did end up watching the entire first season of REVENGE. And now I'm totally hooked. Great. Another TV show to take away from my reading time. Sigh.

Are you generally an always-have-to-do-something kind of person? How do you feel when given rare time to relax?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LENNY LEE!!!

Today is the birthday of Lenny Lee, an absolute light in the lives of many bloggers.

He's 13 today!

I've known Lenny since he was ten, and I can't tell you how much I adore this young man. He is full of wisdom and smiles, and has lots of great stories to tell. I'm sure he'd love it if you dropped by his blog and wished him a happy birthday!

Lenny, keep your eye on the post! I've sent you a little package :-) Happy birthday, sugar!

5 ways NOT to write an author biography for literary magazines

Ever read someone's author bio and find yourself zoning out? This is probably why:

One: It reads like a job application form.

I do not need to know every single little job you have done since you were twelve and sold painted pebbles on the side of the road. Focus on the good stuff. The recent stuff. Also, avoid dates so you don't have to change it too often. If you want people to know more about you, link to your website. Easy. The idea is to make them want to click on your website.

Two: It lists every single literary publication you have ever had.

Yeah, italics are good. It means writing credits. It means other editors have thought your writing good enough to publish. But seriously, don't over-do it. It's boring. And who cares? We want to read about YOU. Just cut it down to the two or three, biggest and best ones you have. Honestly, when I read the bios, I skip over the italics. I want personality, not a resume. And I'm sure readers do too. Most readers out there are not going to know much about the names of literary magazines, so what's the point in focussing on them? Make them want to read your writing.

Three: It sounds arrogant.

If it's in first person, you run the risk sounding like the girl/boy in school who everyone pretended to love. Remember them? Yeah, they were the ones who had their side-kicks shove your head down the toilet and made you feel like a turd. Then. But you, the geek, have now got your shit together. Be humble. Be proud, but don't wave your money around. Best stick to third person. And facts. A little quirky wordplay goes a long way too.

Four: It tells us all about where you live and how handsome your husband/wife is.

Um ... need I say more? Seriously. It's like listening to a new mum tell you about how proud they are of the texture of their baby's poop.

Five:
It's toooooooooooooooo loooooooooooooooooong.

You are not writing a memoir. Stick to 50-100 words. The key to a perfect biography for me is when you utilize the three SSS. (Short, Smart, Sassy). The purpose of a bio, is not to list everything about you. It's to make people want to know more about you. Make them want to click on your blog to find out for themselves.

Here are a few good examples:

Karina Sims is a 26-year-old writer from Beaver Falls, British Columbia, Canada. She is the author of many short stories and an unpublished novel. Her interests include: long walks on the beach, candle lit dinners, world domination and cannibalism.

Alaine Benard’s publishing credits include; Louisiana Literature, The Rose & Thorn Journal, The New York Quarterly, blah, blah, blah. Benard is known as the ‘silent poet,’ writes and paints from dimly lit caves (currently in Baton Rouge), away from snakes and all liars. She loves bacon.

Kevin Ridgeway's work has most recently appeared in Golden Sparrow Literary Review, Quantum Poetry Magazine and Thunderclap! Press. He resides in Southern California in a shady bungalow with his girlfriend and their one-eyed cat. Check out his blog: blah.

Matt Hentschel was once a hired gunman, working in the comic industry, but is now more of a writer and illustrator pursuing his own ideas. His works (both written and illustrated) can be found at [website].

What other no-nos can you think of for writing an author biography?

*For more insider lit mag tips, check out the links HERE