Mamatas On Writing

From Nick Mamatas:

Here's a secret. This is what creative writers should be interested in doing. Writing their own best material. Not the most popular thing, or the most acclaimed, or that which will be part of some conversation or leave a mark on this or that genre (including bourgeois realism), but that stuff that is unique to yourself and the complex of life experiences and interests and prior readings and environmental factors of which your writing is an emergent property. Writing is orthogonal to publishing and marketing. It's also orthogonal to true mass culture. Mass culture only deals with aspects of writing—those aspects that can be reproduced according to the needs of either artisan creation or industrial manufacture. That, being the mass, is what an individual cannot control.

Story In Review

Tomorrow is the last day to take advantage of the special I'm running on all of my paperbacks. Thanks to everyone who has already ordered; those will ship out Monday, if not tomorrow, and make their way to your door by Christmas. And, of course, the Man of Wax special promotion where you give one ebook, get two ebooks free, takes place all month long. Thanks to everyone who's already participated!

Finally, I usually share reviews of my work that take place at blogs or elsewhere but never reader reviews from, say, Amazon. Not that I don't appreciate reader reviews -- I truly do, even when they're less than stellar -- but usually there isn't much to share. Except there's a review today for Phantom Energy from a reader whose handle is Bartleby that's just too good not to share. It's a story in review, if you will, and whether or not any of it is true, that doesn't matter because it's just so entertaining. Thanks, Bartleby! Enjoy, and make sure you check in Monday, as I hope to present you with something very exciting.

She was making a racket in the bedroom today. Books off the shelves. Stuff out of drawers. Closet a mess. All he wanted to do was sit on the couch and play Halo. But no. She comes over to him with a book, very excitedly, and thrusts it at him. "You have to read this. It's called Phantom Energy, by this guy Robert Swartwood. It's so freaking good." He barely looked at her. "Yeah, um, I'm not a big reader?" he said. That's what he always said when she tried to get him to read. Not a big reader, he'd say. You're the reader in the house. Stuff like that. But she was making those eyes at him, ones she hadn't made in a long, long time. "Is there like something funny in it?" he said. She smiled and said, "The stories are short. They're like little puzzles. You'll be done in no time." Well, she was right. The stories were short, interesting, puzzling but good. Only it didn't take him no time. He. Was. Not. A. Big. Reader. So he was there on the couch for the rest of the afternoon, until darkness closed in around him and he was reading by the light of the stalled video game. "Geez," he said. "That was good. Real good. Honey?" he called. But there was no answer. Her books, her clothes, his wallet and his car were gone. Long gone.

Hint Fiction Film Contest

You still have time to enter the Hint Fiction Film Contest, but hurry -- the deadline is coming up quick. Who knows, maybe your one-minute film will be judged by Kevin Smith.

Nano Fiction Contest

Ben White, editor of Nanoism, is hosting a new contest that runs until the end of the year, with yours truly as the judge. Here are the details:

Dearest Nanofans,

You may have thought 2011 would come and go without an opportunity to participate in yet another great bite-sized creative-writing contest extravaganza. But you’d be wrong, since we’re squeezing our annual contest into the last sliver of the year. For those of you familiar with our charity contest last year, the gist is the same. It’s the holiday season, and what better way to end the year than with stories that fit anywhere and with money flowing to those who need it most.

The Details:

• The contest is open starting now until 11:59pm on January 1st, 2012.
• Everyone and anyone gets one free entry to the contest.
• Every dollar you donate to the charity of your choice (after December 5, 2011) gets you another entry.
• Every dollar you donate also nets you a chance to win one of our randomly-awarded prizes, which are listed below.
• This year’s judge is none other than Robert Swartwood, the father of Hint Fiction (our well-titled sibling in the world of itty bitty stories). Mr. Swartwood has also graciously donated an ebook copy of his new very short fiction collection, Phantom Energy, to all donating contestants.

(If you’re in need of a charitable inspiration, we heartily recommend Partners in Health, an NGO healthcare group that help build hospitals as well as staff, teach, and provide healthcare in some places that need it desperately, including Haiti, where their amazing work continues).

Cash Prizes (+publication/fame):

1st place: $25 2nd place: $15 3rd place: $10 Honorable mentions: A virtual pat on the back.

The prize pool (for those who donate)

Everyone will receive an ebook edition of Phantom Energy, as well as a chance to win prizes from some amazing publications that deserve your support all year long:

• From PANK: PANK 5 and Ethel Rohan’s Hard to Say.
• Artifice Magazine
• From Rose Metal Press: the flash anthology Brevity & Echo and Color Plates by Adam Golaski
• From Robert Swartwood, a copy of the anthology Hint Fiction and Phantom Energy

Can you come up with 140 characters of pure awesomeness? If so, check out the rest of the guidelines here.

Give One, Get Two Free

First, you have four more days to take advantage of the special I'm running on my paperbacks, which make great gifts or, at the very least, wonderful paperweights. Second, wanna help me promote my new thriller Man of Wax? Sure you do. If you go to the Kindle page, you'll see this box:

See where it says "Give as a Gift"? Just click that and send a copy to a family member or friend or even enemy who likes thrillers and then forward me the receipt at robert (at) robertswartwood (dot) com. What this will get you in return are two free ebooks -- The Inner Circle and a new unannounced title coming out early next year (both to be delivered when the books become available, of course).

Nobody you know has a Kindle? No problem! There are several apps for basically every digital platform.

The deadline for this promotion is December 31st.

So what are you waiting for? ’Tis the season.

Since this post, Barnes & Noble has made it possible for readers to gift Nook titles, so check out the B&N Man of Wax page here.