Thoughts on Writing

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My Novelette Online: “The Yellow Man”

Published May 29, 2016 by Philip Ivory

IMG_2773 - Yellow Man - Copy (3)

From “The Yellow Man” by Philip Ivory:
“All you have to do is lift up that circle in the middle of the floor. Do you see it? And then go down there, under the floor, and get something. You’ll know it when you see it.”
Indeed, there was a circle in the concrete of the floor, about the size and shape of a manhole, and it seemed to be moving slightly.
That wasn’t right.
“No,” said Allan.
His heart was racing. Something about the circle made him uneasy. All his instincts told him to stay clear of it. When he tried to understand why, it just made the fear worse.
“You have to,” said the Yellow Man. “Or things will never get better.”

My first published novelette, “The Yellow Man,” is now available courtesy of the venerable online journal, “Bewildering Stories.”  CLICK HERE to read it now. (Because of its length, the story’s been broken, like a dark wizard’s soul, into seven horcrux-like parts,  all of which are now available to read.)

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“The Yellow Man” is a puzzle box of a tale, dealing with  childhood loneliness, identity and the shadow world between life and death. You may find it a bit sad and scary — but perhaps also touching and surprising.

For those interested in such distinctions, a novelette  — something  more than a story and something less than a novella — is a piece of fiction landing somewhere between 7,500 words to 17,500 words.

This is by far the longest piece I’ve had published yet. I’ve written one other novelette, yet unpublished, that’s about the same length as this one. And I presently have a novel in the works, but it will be a while before that one’s ready for public consumption.

“The Yellow Man” began last year in my advanced class at Writers Studio Tucson. My thanks to WS teacher Renee Bibby and my fellow class members for their encouragement and feedback, which were essential to this tale’s development.

“Bewildering Stories,” which features quite a dazzling smorgasbord of prose and poetry that you really should check out, has also posted an author profile about me. CLICK HERE to see it.

Please read “The Yellow Man,” and post your reactions here on the blog. Your feedback means everything to me. 

Thanks for reading!

Upon a Time: How Fairy Tale Feeds Fiction

Published May 10, 2016 by Philip Ivory

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Tucson writer friends … unlock the mythic story-telling power of fairy tales, and enrich your own writing. Join our friends at Tucson Writers Studio for this enthralling and illuminating event at Tucson Hop Shop on Saturday, May 14.

Beer and fairy tales, a combination devoutly to be wished!

Follow the link to learn more:

Source: Upon a Time: How Fairy Tale Feeds Fiction

Fiction Publication: “On Hyacinth Mountain”

Published May 1, 2016 by Philip Ivory

devolutionz-magazine

From “On Hyacinth Mountain” by Philip Ivory

He came across a boy, perhaps eight, blondish, crouched, examining ants in the dirt.
“Hello,” said Bradford.
Not looking up, the boy said: “They’re taking it apart.” Bradford leaned in to see a grasshopper, still writhing as ants partitioned chunks off to carry away.
“Are your parents here?”
“You think you’re smart. You shouldn’t have come back,” said the boy in a glum sulky tone. “One time too many.”

[read this story now!]

I’m pleased to announce that my story, “On Hyacinth Mountain,” has been published in the May 2016 issue of “Devolution Z” magazine.

“Devolution Z” is subtitled “The Horror Magazine,” which should give you a clue that “On Hyacinth Mountain” comes from the grimmer, scarier end of the story spectrum.

So yes, the story’s a bit grisly and depraved but, I hope, not bereft of literary quality.

I developed the story last fall while taking the Advanced Class at Tucson Writers Studio, taught by Renee Bibby. Renee and my fellow students provided excellent feedback to help me deepen the story. I only began sending it out in April and, after a rejection or two, “Devolution Z”‘s acceptance came rather quickly.Embed from Getty Images

Sorry, this time you’ll have to buy the magazine to read the story. Follow the link to Devolution Z, which will take you to Amazon where you can order either a digital version for Kindle ($2.99) or a print copy ($6.99 cheap!).

It’s the first time a story of mine will be available on Kindle or in a physical publication, so I couldn’t be more excited. I’m really grateful to the dark, twisted minds at “Devolution Z” for welcoming me into their fearsome fold.

Two of my other fiction pieces continue to be on the schedule for publication in “Bewildering Stories” and “Mystic Illuminations.” I’ll let you know when they go online.

If you get a chance to read “On Hyacinth Mountain,” I’d love to hear your comments, so feel free to share here on the blog. Thanks, and don’t read it with the lights out!

Interviewed by The Writers’ Lens

Published March 16, 2016 by Philip Ivory

I was recently interviewed by The Writers’ Lens, a wonderful web resource that puts the spotlight both on established authors and ones that are up and coming.  I’m lucky enough to have been included in the latter category and my interview appears in a feature called The Writers’ Lens: First Look.

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Philip Ivory photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not only did I get a chance to let more people know about my first published story, “The Dead Outnumber the Living,” but I also was allowed to expand upon my writing process … and even discuss why I write at all.

They also asked me to talk a bit about the more substantial piece (most likely a novel) that I’m working on now, which I was happy to do.

You can read the interview and explore more of this excellent site by clicking here:  Philip Ivory Interview at The Writers’ Lens.

COPD: Highly Illogical … an upcoming film about Leonard Nimoy

Published March 1, 2016 by Philip Ivory

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Click here to see the trailer for COPD: Highly Illogical.

The trailer for the upcoming film “COPD: Highly Illogical” is narrated by  John de Lancie (“Q” of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and features Julie Nimoy, daughter of beloved actor Leonard Nimoy of “Mr. Spock” fame.  Leonard Nimoy died just over a year ago of complications related to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

I’m very excited to be involved in this important project, which will be released later this year, during the 50th anniversary of the debut of the original “Star Trek.” I’m proud to have written the trailer and to be involved in scripting the upcoming film, which is in production now.

It’s the true story of Leonard Nimoy’s personal battle against this disease … and his final mission to speak out and educate others about the dangers of COPD, which affects approximately 30 million Americans but remains little understood by the general public.

As someone who has spent a good part of his career writing about progressive, life-threatening diseases like the muscular dystrophies and ALS, it feels natural for me to be part of Leonard Nimoy’s mission to broaden awareness of COPD. The goal is to help all of us better understand how COPD can be prevented, treated and — one day — cured so that families will no longer lose loved ones to this often fatal but preventable disease.

And as a lifelong Star Trek fan (yes, I’ve been to conventions and I even own my own tribble and set of Klingon battlecruiser blueprints) it’s just very cool to be connected to Leonard Nimoy’s legend and the grand mythos created so long ago by Gene Roddenberry. With the success of the new “Star Trek” films produced by J.J. Abrams, it seems that Roddenberry’s optimistic, operatic vision for the future still has a lot of life in it, even after 50 years of storytelling.

I’ll post more as the film develops. It promises to be a very moving story about Leonard Nimoy and his family, but also about all families fighting COPD. I hope it will be a game-changer in sparking awareness to prevent more lives from being lost to COPD.

Live Long and Prosper!

Two New Fiction Acceptances

Published February 24, 2016 by Philip Ivory

I’m very excited to announce that within the space of about a week, I received word that two fiction pieces of mine have been accepted for publication in two different online journals. That’s in addition to my first published piece, “The Dead Outnumber the Living,” which was published in Dali’s Lovechild last December.

One of the new stories, “The Yellow Man” is quite substantial, officially a novelette. And a spooky, moody one, to boot. It is slated to go online in “Bewildering Stories” on March 15. I understand it may be broken into pieces to accommodate its length.

The second new endeavor is a flash fiction piece titled “Apparition on the Threshold,” only about 600 words. I didn’t know if I would ever find a home for this mysterious, otherworldly piece, an account of an uncanny childhood vision that may or may not have happened … or perhaps never will. I was delighted to find an online journal called “Mystic Illuminations” that said “Apparition on the Threshold” was right up their alley. It should be online soon.

Both stories were developed with the help of the teachers and students at Writers Studio Tucson, where I’m working to further my skills.

I’ll post again on each piece when they are available online, telling a bit more about their genesis and development. Stay tuned. Thanks.

Challenge! | World of Horror

Published December 8, 2015 by Philip Ivory

Recently, the World of Horror blog held a cool challenge:  Write a horror story in only two sentences.  Well, a winner was chosen and it wasn’t me …. but my entry is below, just for the fun of it. After you read my entry, go and check out the others including the winner on World of Horror.

 

After having, in rage, bludgeoned Janie with a hammer until she’d finally staggered and fallen, he had then dragged her sticky, unmoving form to the woods, and was now grimly patting down the rocky soil that covered her in the grave he had dug with the shovel. Reaching for his phone to check the time, he found his pocket empty, and stood as still as death as he heard the eerie beep-beep-beep of a cell being dialed, the sound rising up from below the cold stony ground at his feet.

Source: Challenge! | World of Horror

First Fiction Publication: “The Dead Outnumber the Living”

Published December 4, 2015 by Philip Ivory

I’m happy to announce my first fiction publication.  Early in the year, I set a personal goal of getting something published by the end of this year. To my surprise, I’ve actually achieved that goal. Today.

It’s an ominous, imagistic piece of flash fiction (under 1000 words) titled “The Dead Outnumber the Living.”

It’s being published today in the monthly online magazine, “Dali’s Lovechild,” a very cool literary journal with an oddball, offbeat aesthetic that I enjoy very much.

So click here to read my first published piece of fiction, “The Dead Outnumber the Living,” in Issue 15 of Dali’s Lovechild.

Please leave a comment here or on the Dali’s Lovechild site if you like the story, or even if you don’t! And check out the rest of the issue.

To quote the Dali’s Lovechild editors:  “As Salvador Dali understood, all art is multi-faceted. Even his most surrealistic pieces contained a piece of truth, a piece of humanity. He knew that you could not have the absurd without the truth embedded somewhere inside.”

Related flashback: I remember, when I lived back east, looking at Dali’s famous “soft watches” masterwork, “The Persistence of Memory,” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and being astonished at how small it was. The painting suggests great scope and power. But in real life, it’s tiny!

“The Persistence of Memory” (1931) by Salvador Dali.

My flash fiction piece arose out of an exercise I did back in February during classes at the Writers Studio Tucson with Janelle Drumwright.  My thanks to Janelle for encouraging me with the piece and helping me develop it.  (Please hurry over and read her most excellent essay, “You, Dear Writer, are not the Narrator,” which was a winning entry in the 2015 Carve Magazine blog contest. It explains much of the creative ethos behind the Writers Studio, a system of study which has had a hugely beneficial effect on my writing.)

I’ll keep pushing. I have a number of other stories out for consideration, and a few others I’m polishing now. I hope … hope …. to have more acceptances to report in the months ahead.

I’ll keep you posted. And if you’ve had a recent fiction sale that you’re excited about, go ahead and let us know in the comments below.

 

A Novel Kind of Conformity by Tim Parks | The New York Review of Books

Published December 1, 2015 by Philip Ivory

“Anything great and bold must be brought about in secrecy and silence, or it perishes and falls away, and the fire that was awakened dies.”

That’s a wonderful quote from the New York Times Book Review article I’m linking to below, which makes some trenchant points about the wisdom of thinking less about meeting the needs of a perceived marketplace … and thinking instead about doing something that nobody else is doing.

I’ve been thinking about that, because in the literary fiction book group I belong to, our next discussion book is the extraordinarily successful space survival adventure, “The Martian,” by Andrew Weir.

Since the focus in our group is largely on literary writing, this book is a slight departure for us … and one of the questions asked in advance is:  “How does one go about writing a best-seller?”

I kind of think that’s the wrong question.

I don’t know what Andrew Weir set out to do. I’m going to guess he wasn’t primarily taking a strategic approach to the marketplace, even though his miraculous success might make you think so.  I think instead he allowed himself to write about subjects he loves … technology, survival, space and problem-solving. He found a story with which to play with those ideas, and then he let himself have fun writing it.

Ray Bradbury said: “Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love, and love what you write. The key word is love. You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for.”

Check out the essay below, which is good food for thought about freeing oneself from all the marketing considerations, and instead writing what you love, and letting your enthusiasm for the subject matter infuse your work. Hopefully,  your reader will be infected by your enthusiasm and willingly come along for the ride.

 Is it really possible to be free as a writer? Free from an immediate need for money, free from the need to be praised, free from the concern of how those close to you will respond to what you write, free from the political implications, free from your publisher’s eagerness for a book that looks like the last, or worse still, like whatever the latest fashion might be?

Source: A Novel Kind of Conformity by Tim Parks | The New York Review of Books

Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine

Published November 30, 2015 by Philip Ivory

I subscribe to Fantasy & Science Fiction.  It includes writing by top names in the genre, but it’s also been known to feature up and coming writers.  I’ve submitted to it but haven’t connected yet. It’s well known as one of the hardest markets to hit.  But if you’re interested in high quality genre fiction, and want to know that latest currents and trends in sci-fi and fantasy, check it out.  Maybe you’ll be inspired to submit something.

The award-winning Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, founded in 1949. The original publisher of Stephen King’s Dark Tower, Daniel Keyes’s Flowers for Algernon, and Walter M. Miller’s A Canticle for Leibowitz.

Source: Fantasy and Science Fiction – Writers’ Guidelines