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Understanding Flash Fiction to Novels: A Writer's Guide -- Slattery's Tao of Writing, Part 7

If you have been reading my blog regularly, you know that I believe that a work should be as short as possible, because, like a bullet, the smaller it is, the more powerful it is.  I try not to have a preconceived notion of how long a story should be.  I try to just write the story, keeping it as short as possible, and let the story decide its own length. To market my works I use duotrope.com,…

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Writing for Decision Makers: Key Strategies Unveiled

From 1989 to 1991 I worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Washington, DC. Part of my duties included writing short briefing papers for high-level Pentagon and State Department officials. As part of my training, I took a DIA course called Writing for Decisionmakers. Its aim was to teach analysts to write short briefing papers for users who would be under daunting workloads and…

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Rohwer Relocation Center: A Hidden History

These photos were taken by Phil Slattery at Rohwer on July 5, 2020. These are not full resolution. The full resolution photos are downloadable from Wikimedia Commons. For several months, a lot of people were visiting my article on returning to Rohwer War Relocation Camp. I am not complaining. I am simply mystified that there is so much interest in it, much more than my other articles. I do not…

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Slattery's Tao of Writing, Part 2: the Allegory of the Stream

ThaliaMuse of Comedy and Bucolic PoetryIllustration by Arash   This is a reprint of a previous post from several years ago. Once in a while, I come across some gem of the writer’s art that almost strikes me breathless with its beauty.  The poems of John Donne are one example.  The poignant first chapter of A Farewell to Arms is another.   Recently, I began reading Ray Bradbury’s The Martian…

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RFM's Rising Popularity Among Sri Lankan Readers

RFM has had a significant uptick in the number of views it has been receiving from Sri Lanka. I don’t know what is driving this, but I appreciate it very much and I hope that our Sri Lankan readers find and enjoy whatever they are seeking in RFM. If you are not familiar with Sri Lankan literature, here is a link to the Wikipedia page on Sri Lankan literature. Also, here is a link to the list of…

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RFM Call for Submissions: Stories Set in Coffee and Tea Farming Regions Around the World

Rural Fiction Magazine is (RFM) seeking short fiction and poetry that involve coffee and tea farming or are set in coffee and tea farming areas. Please see RFM’s Submissions page for details on how to submit stories and poetry for publication. Of course, as always, there is no pay for any stories or poems except exposure to the English-speaking, especially American and British, markets. RFM…

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Slattery's Tao of Writing, Part 1

Several years ago, I wrote a seven-part series on my own Tao of the art of writing and published it on my then nascent version of this website. Over the next several days I will be republishing it. I will probably end up adding at least a part 8. In addition, I intend to convert this series into a series of YouTube videos, once I work out some production details, to play on the website’s YouTube…

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Dark but interesting thoughts

I was watching the video above earlier because I love the native American flute and this is a particularly beautiful visual. But then my darker nature took over and I thought “what if the bear suddenly bit off the girl’s head?” Then my dark humor took over and I thought “what if the girl suddenly bit off the bear’s head?” Then the literary side of my nature stepped up and noted, “if the bear…

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Update December 16, 2024: RFM on YouTube

Yesterday, I took a YouTube channel I experimented with years ago, which went nowhere, and changed it into a YouTube channel for Rural Fiction Magazine. I have only one of my older videos for it now, but I have altered the playlists considerably into ones that should interest RFM readers. I hope to add more videos soon. I am considering using this channel for interviews primarily and other topics…

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Updates to YouTube Channel, Dec. 15, 2024

Today, I changed several of my playlists (Classical Music, Books, Fleur-de-Lis, Dark Ambience, Poetry, General Relaxing Ambience, Authors, and Plays) from private to public. The subjects of each are obvious, with the exception of Fleur-de-Lis, which is a soundtrack I am developing for inspiration as I finish up a novella set in February 1986.

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Update for December 14, 2024

A lot has transpired for me personally in many ways since my last post and my disappearance from the Internet. I apologize sincerely for mine and The Chamber’s and RFM’s sudden departure from the Internet so long ago, but it could not be helped. Life intrudes sometimes. I do not know if I will bring The Chamber back. I loved doing it, but it required a lot of time, and I was not making enough…

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Stories vs. Story Lines

An idea occurred to me just now. I was scheduling the story “A Finger in the Stream of Time” by Mike Lee to appear later today in The Chamber. In one phase of the story, the main character and others are shooting pool. I used a photo of a pool player lining up a shot of the eight-ball into a corner pocket as the usual illustration. I was thinking about stories and time and how the balls bounce…

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New Issue of The Chamber Coming April 7

With a minimum of 40,000 words of prose (Prose alone! Poetry is a bonus!) in each issue, every month you receive the equivalent of a small novel. Visit The Chamber Magazine now and subscribe so you don’t miss out. SEARCH NOW: by title by author

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New Issue of The Chamber Coming April 7

With a minimum of 40,000 words of prose (Prose alone! Poetry is a bonus!) in each issue, every month you receive the equivalent of a small novel. Visit The Chamber Magazine now and subscribe so you don’t miss out. SEARCH NOW: by title by author

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New Issue of The Chamber Coming April 7

With a minimum of 40,000 words of prose (Prose alone! Poetry is a bonus!) in each issue, every month you receive the equivalent of a small novel. Visit The Chamber Magazine now and subscribe so you don’t miss out. SEARCH NOW: by title by author

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New Issue of The Chamber Coming April 7

With a minimum of 40,000 words of prose (Prose alone! Poetry is a bonus!) in each issue, every month you receive the equivalent of a small novel. Visit The Chamber Magazine now and subscribe so you don’t miss out. SEARCH NOW: by title by author

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The March Issue of The Chamber Magazine is Out!

Contents Short Fiction “The Armoires” Horror by Dylan Nicholson “The Devil in the Pear Tree” Flash Horror by Joanna Theiss “HMO” Social-Realist-Horror by Billy Stanton “Sleigh Bed” Psychological Horror by Heather Webb “Frozen in Time” Horror by Alec Glisson “Fragile Guts” Dark Science-Fiction/ Fantasy by Caleb Coomer “Void with Teeth” Dark Science Fiction by Dan Dellechiaie “The Frisk…