This workshop will help you see your writing from a new perspective, whether you’re a novelist, short story writer, or comic book writer. It will also help you understand what it takes to break into the games industry and to be successful once in it.

The video game industry as a whole pulled in 24.75 billion dollars in 2011 (nearly matching publishing revenue estimated at $27.2 billion that year), and games need writers too! Horror is especially alive and well in the games industry with games such as Dead Space 2, F.3.A.R, Silent Hill: Downpour, and Rage being just a few of those that came out in 2011. And look here for an awesome (video-blinged) list of horror games coming out in 2012 and early 2013.

Narrative design jobs are opening up as game design studios recognize the need for higher quality in their dialogue and story—and they’re looking to pools of traditionally published writers for their recruiting.

I’m going to be presenting a 4-hour workshop on narrative design at the World Horror Convention in New Orleans (June 13-16, 2013). Come join me and let’s have some fun making worlds and stories!

Narrative Design for Computer Games (and other large projects, like novels)

Delivered by Angel Leigh McCoy

Angel Leigh McCoy is a 20-year veteran writer in the games industry. She works as a narrative designer at NCSoft/ArenaNet, in charge of the ongoing story for Guild Wars 2, an award-winning, AAA online roleplaying game. Her focus in her job is world-building, character-driven story, and dialogue.

Timing: 9am-1pm Sunday 16 June – Queen Anne Parlor

In this workshop:

• We will cover these topics, among others:
• What is the current status of the games industry?
• How does thinking like a tech writer help you write better creative content?
• What makes good dialogue?
• We will have guided practice in:
• World-building
• Characterization
• Storytelling

Once you’re registered for the workshop, you’ll be invited to send your resume (or that of a loved one who wants to work in the games industry) to Angel. She’ll look it over and give you tips for how to make it more game-industry attractive, plus the final hour of the workshop will include a discussion of how to approach applying for a job in the games industry.

“Video games sit at the confluence of history, technology, and art in such a way that’s found in no other medium, a place where influences from every creative field meet, mix, and recombine.” —Daniel D. Synder, the Atlantic

Bookings

To book and make payment, please email Angel directly at angel.leigh.mccoy@gmail.com.

The cost is $50.00 per person, and this is entirely separate from your Convention Registration. Payments will be made directly to Angel, in advance. No refunds, though you can give/sell your spot to someone else.

Space is very limited (we are operating in a Boardroom style, with plenty of time for individual discussion), so book early to avoid disappointment. Room will fill up on a first-come, first-served basis.

Be sure to bring your laptop or other writing device (pen and paper still work fine).

Angel’s adjectives: intriguing and intellectual

As far as vampire books go, this one ranks among the best I’ve ever read. It takes a historic/literary approach, giving a detailed look into the world of Vlad the Impaler and the peoples of his time through the eyes of a historian researching the historic character and visiting many of the places he visited. It follows a family marked by the vampire who unwittingly become hunted through an academic search for the final resting place of Dracula. It takes you across Eastern Europe of the 20th century.

It can be slow in the beginning, but as the story unfolds, the characters draw you in and I came to care for them deeply. I cried several times during the reading of this book. The author uses gorgeous, rich language to describe the exotic locations in the book, as well as the thoughts of the characters regarding their circumstances.

This is not a book about Dracula’s sexual conquests, vampire politics, or vampires in love. Rather, it’s an intellectual study of the myth from the point of view of innocent human historians drawn into the path of Dracula’s ancestors by their research into his past. The information surrounding Dracula’s life, Bram Stoker’s contribution to the mythology, and the world of Dracula’s living time is fascinating. I hope it’s well-researched and true, though I acknowledge that it straddles the line between history and mythology.

Genre: horror
Year edited: 2012
Year first published: 2013, Evil Jester Press

Where You Can Find It

Order the paperback edition online.
Get the Kindle edition.

If you read it, please do take a moment to give it a star-rating or review at either Amazon.com or at Goodreads.com (you can find reviews in both places as well.

History

Over the course of several horror conventions, E.S. Magill, Chris Marrs, and I engaged in a discussion about doing a horror anthology that honored female horror writers. This discussion gained momentum, and before long, at Killercon in Las Vegas, we’d mapped out a plan. We knew from early on that we didn’t want this to be a “chick’s horror anthology.” We wanted it to be dark, intense, horrifice and for men and woman, but we were also adamant about bringing amazing female horror writers into the light. So, we found a work-around.

We asked all submitters (male and female) to write a 150-word recommendation for a short horror story written by a woman. We got some amazing recommendations, and my own to-read list tripled! We chose 16 of the stories from the slush pile, along with their accompanying recommendations, but we also printed the best of the other recommendations we received as an addendum in the book.

In addition, each of us editors invited one woman writer whose writing we admire to submit a story to us. E.S. chose Nancy Holder’s “Crash Cart,” a beautiful and horrifying story that won’t ever leave you once you’ve read it. Chris chose Yvonne Navarro’s “Santa Alma,” a haunting story with amazing characterization and description that evokes another era and will give you shivers as you read it. I chose Mehitobel Wilson’s “The Remains,” a creeping story that evolves into much more than you expect as you read it and that will leave you thinking through all its ramifications long after you put the book down. All three of these stories are in the book, along with 16 others that will surprise, shock, and shiver you up.

The introduction to the book was written by well-known Halloween scholar and horror writer, Lisa Morton. She pulls no punches in it, taking a strong feminist stance and giving plenty of intelligent reasons to think hard about what she’s saying about the challenges women horror writers have and still do overcome.

The ever wonderful Folly Blaine asked me if I’d be interested in joining this blog series, and I said yes. Then, my work week swamped me, and I am now 3 days late! Ack! Here are my answers:

1) What is the working title of your next book?

The Widow Gray

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

It started with a scene that came to me one morning as I was waking up. I saw a woman with a slashed face and neck being carried into a foyer by a band of children. She is near death, and the residents of the home don’t want her there because she’s known as a witch. Still, their decency wins out, and they take her in. The story unfolds from there.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Post-Apocalyptic Paranormal Mythpunk Mystery — or whatever else the publisher and bookstore deem it as.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

The Widow Gray could be played by badass Gina Torres. She’s a woman with brains and bravery.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

It’s fifty years after the Apocalypse, and the Widow Gray uses her special gifts to help others while a supernatural serial killer stalks her.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

If it’s good enough, it will be represented by an agency. If not, then I’ll write another one that is.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I have yet to finish a first draft. I plan to have the first draft done in 2013.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I’d say “The City and the City” by China Mieville or “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman, but set in a Post-Apoc world.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I’ve followed a twisty path to this novel. I love the characters in it, and originally, it was going to be a Victorian novel, set in Boston in the 1890s, but I decided that was too limiting. So, instead, I moved it to the future, to fifty years after an apocalyptic event, when the world has a greatly reduced population, and people are working hard to get by, rebuild, and survive.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

This book has definite Mythpunk qualities to it, with mythical beings and concepts central to the plot. These beings are allies and enemies, and they affect the Widow’s world, choices, and outcomes. It’s kind of epic.

Visit Phil Brucato’s blog too for an update on his Next Big Thing!

We’ve reached another couple milestones in our DEEP CUTS project. We chose the stories, performed the edits, and put the manuscript together for the publisher. AND the cover has been designed as well.

This anthology has been my pet project for the past 7-8 months, and it’s great to see it moving into the final stages of development. We have 19 stories in the book, 19 wonderful and haunting stories. We’re so proud of the line-up.

We’re not done yet, though. We’ve begun planning to get together sometime in mid- to late-february, after the book’s been released, to package up and send out the reward copies we promised all those who donated to our Kickstarter. We haven’t decided yet where we’ll go, but it will have to be somewhere central to the three of us. I’m very much looking forward to this weekend though, because I know it will be one of celebration and joy.

My co-editors have been so great to work with, and we’ve had so much fun. We’ve also worked our asses off! We’ll have earned our celebration!

Here’s the table of contents for DEEP CUTS.

Introduction by Lisa Morton

MAYHEM
E.S. Magill on Nancy’s Holder’s “Crash Cart”
“Crash Cart” by Nancy Holder
“The Poison Eater” by Sandra Odell
“The Ditch” by Samael Gyre
“Practical Necromancy” by Sara Taylor
“Awaiting the Captain’s Ghost” by Michael Haynes
“Hollow Moments” by R.S. Belcher
“Mr. Casey is in the House” by Stephen Woodworth

MENACE
Chris Marrs on Yvonne Navarro’s “Santa Alma”
“Santa Alma” by Yvonne Navarro
“Sanctity” by C.W. Smith
“Red is the Color of my True Love’s Blood” by Colleen Anderson
“Lost Daughters” by James Chambers
“Mules” by Ed Kurtz

MISERY
Angel Leigh McCoy on Mehitobel Wilson’s “The Remains”
“The Remains” by Mehitobel Wilson
“Beavers” by Rachel Karyo
“Lucky Clover” by Kelly A. Harmon
“Pinprick” by Scathe meic Beorh
“Abby” by Patricia Lillie
“Clown Balloons” by Satyros Phil Brucato
“I am Victim” by Rob M. Miller

Hey, amigos. ArenaNet is hiring a junior content editor. If you have good grammar and spelling, know Chicago Manual of Style, and want to get into the games industry, this is your chance. You’ll have to take an editing test, so make sure you know your stuff.

It’s a junior position, but it’s a foot in the door of the games industry.

It’s in-house, so you have to be in the Seattle area or willing to quickly relocate. Also, it’s a contract position.

If you’re interested, send your resume to me at angel.leigh.mccoy at Gmail. This offer ends tonight at midnight.

Best,
Angel…

Two Authors, One Night
Thurs., August 23 ~ 8pm – 10pm ~ Wayward Coffeehouse
www.waywardcoffee.com

I’m doing a reading on Thursday, getting up in front of onlookers and sharing one of my tenderly nurtured stories. Please come by and cheer me on, so I don’t feel do nervous! It would be great to see lots of smiling, friendly faces in the audience. And, the Wayward is a haven for Firefly and Whedon fans.

I will read “Miss Winterdove and the Erupting Eulogist.”

I have many voices in my head, ranging from dark to light. Occasionally, there’s an adventuress named Josephine Winterdove who rises to the surface and whispers me a tale of time travel, terror, and contraptions. —Angel Leigh McCoy (www.angelmccoy.com)

Miss Josephine Winterdove gazed down at Ernesto Aperador in his coffin. He looked peaceful, and that did nothing to assuage her wish that he burn in Hell.

She dabbed her handkerchief at the corner of her eye, as did several of the women in the church. Señor Aperador had left behind many broken hearts, including Josephine’s.

Unlike the others, she hadn’t craved his romantic attentions. Rather, she coveted the cravat pin positioned in the middle of his chest. It broke her heart that the powerful carnelian cameo would be buried with him, despite her unrequited efforts to purchase it.

She couldn’t stand by the coffin for long, or she would draw attention, but she had to find out how the cameo was attached. Already, she had spotted a strange joint on the base of the pin. She assumed it was connected to a tripwire. Leave it to ol’ Ernesto to booby trap it, out of spite. He had to have known she would make an attempt.

Mark Tullius will read from his latest novel BRIGHTSIDE.

Writing is my heavy bag, the sparring partner that doesn’t punch back. It’s where I shed my armor and cast off the blindfold, take a look at myself and the world around me. The writing takes me wherever it wants. Dark alley or dinner table, classroom or morgue—I go along for the ride and try to capture the moment, show life like it is.—Mark Tullius (www.marktullius.com)

They call us Thought Thieves, but it’s not like we have a choice. All the sick, twisted things rolling around in people’s heads, we can’t help but hear. God knows I’ve tried to turn it off. The sexual perversions, the violent fantasies about your boss, that annoying neighbor you want dead, even those unfortunate thoughts about your kids. I’ve had to stand there and listen.

I’d never wish this upon anyone, not even my mom, the woman who’s been over-sharing since I slid from her womb.

You wouldn’t believe the awful shit I’ve heard.

Technology in the publishing industry has changed dramatically in the past twenty years, and yet, I see many submission guidelines out there that haven’t changed with it. Old-fashioned typesetting is extinct for all practical purposes, and digital publishing (for the Kindle, for example) imposes requirements that publishing in paper doesn’t.

To compete and be at the top of your game, you need to understand how the advent of the computer and digital publishing has impacted publishing. Forget typesetting. Forget typewriters. It’s 2012.

Many submission guidelines (such as those at the SFWA site) are written for the novelist submitting a paper manuscript to a publisher that employs a typesetter. They do not serve the short story writer. Short stories have their own requirements, especially in today’s publishing environment.

No More Typesetting!

And thank goodness too. I pause to think with fondness of my old typewriter; but the fact is, they’ve gone the way of the dodo. Many of the old manuscript formatting rules came about because of typewriters and the typesetting tools publishers used. We can let them go now. Typesetting these days is all automated. Shoot, we don’t even call it “typesetting” anymore. And most publishers just import your Word doc into software programs like Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress.

Digital Publishing

Many publishers are formatting for multiple media that can be read on mobile devices (phones & iPads) and hand-held readers like the Kindle, the Sony Reader, etc. These devices require publishers to reformat your story for the different media.

Keeping that in mind, there are things you can do to make it easier on them, and things that will have them tearing their hair out.

Eight Tips

To preface, I’ll remind you to always, always read and follow the submission guidelines of the market to which you’re submitting. However, you can put a few best practices into your formatting habits that will endear you to editors and publishers.

If you’re a serious writer, then it’s in your best interest to learn how to use Word or some other word-processing software like a pro. Get someone to teach you, or use an online tutorial, such as this one for Word 7.

Here’s a checklist of eight formatting habits you can cultivate to make the job of the publisher/editor so much easier (and have them praising your name more often):

1. If the publisher requests a particular font, do as they say. But, if not, then use either Courier or Times New Roman, 12-point. Maintain the same size font throughout the manuscript (with the exception of the title). Don’t put in headers that are larger. If you have headers between sections, keep them the same size and bold them. “Simple” and “functional” are your two keywords.
2. Use italics for italics. Don’t use underscores for italics. That’s as old-fashioned as putting two spaces between sentences (and has its roots in when our grandparents used typewriters and white-out).
3. Do not put two spaces between sentences. Publishers have to strip it out, so do them the favor of stripping it for them. If you really can’t break the habit of hitting that space bar twice after a period, then make it your habit to do a Search-and-Replace once you’re done. Swap out double spaces for single spaces. It’s fast and easy.

   My hero, Grammar Girl, gives an excellent explanation on why we no longer put in two spaces after a sentence.

4. Do not manually insert page numbers. Your word processor has an automatic page numbering system that can go in the footer or header. Use that. It’s easier on you and easier on your publisher. When you put in a hard page return and a manually inserted number, the publisher has to find and strip all that out.
5. Do not manually insert tabs. Use your paragraph settings to indent that first line. Otherwise, your editor has to go in and delete all those tabs and set the paragraph settings for you.
6. Use emdashes, and use them properly. I see so many variations on the emdash and endash. The emdash is the longer one. The endash shorter. The rules are fairly simple once you take the time to learn them, and using them correctly in your manuscript will make you editor’s pet.
   • To insert an emdash, all you have to do is hold down the ALT key while you type 0151 on the number pad (not the numbers at the top, but those on the side or in the middle). The endash is your regular ol’ buddy, the dash that’s on your keyboard.
   • If you can’t use a real emdash, two endashes are a lamer substitute, but won’t get you mocked.
   • All style guides, except AP Style, recommend NO space before and after the emdash. This means that, unless you’re writing a journalistic piece, you shouldn’t be putting those spaces in there. For example:
     • Correct: The sky was blue that morning—with hints of silver—on the lake.

     • Incorrect: The sky was blue that morning — with hints of silver — on the lake.
     • Okay, but amateur: The sky was blue that morning- -with hints of silver- -on the lake.

    
   With the last example there, your publisher is going to have to replace them all, but at least you’ve given them something consistent to Search-and-Replace.

7. Learn how to properly use ellipses. We have all gotten into some very bad habits with ellipses because of email, texting, and online chat. Ellipses, however, serve a different role in literary text than they do in casual discussion text.
    

   Grammar Girl gives a great overview of ellipsis use. With short stories (or novels), however, there are a couple things to especially keep in mind. In fiction, evaluate the voice of what you’re writing. Unless you’re writing in first person, you’ll rarely use an ellipsis outside dialogue because the purpose of the ellipsis is to show hesitating or faltering speech, or skipped words.

   Furthermore, it is not a valid substitution for a period. We see this often in email and chat windows, but you’ll rarely use it in literary text except with dialogue, where the speaker trails off and drops words (thus, fitting the skipped word requirement above.) For example:

   • Incorrect: John said, “Honey, I’d like to get ice cream before the shop closes…” He stared as an alien burst from his wife’s chest. (The sentence finishes, thus it should be a period, not an ellipsis.)

   • Correct: John said, “Honey, I’d like to get ice cream before the…” He stared as an alien burst from his wife’s chest. (Dropped words make the ellipsis appropriate.)
8. Consistent formatting is critical. Even if you don’t do it right, do it the same way all the time. It’s those erratic formatting elements that kill your editor/publisher. If you choose to put a blank line between paragraphs (not recommended), then do so exactly the same way each time. Anything you do that makes it easier for your editor/publisher to Search-and-Replace earns you more good karma.

How you format your manuscript isn’t just about making it look good and making it legible. It’s also about preparing it for the transition to a publishable state. If your manuscript requires a ton of work to get it ready, the editor/publisher may pass it up for an equally good story that’s going to be less painful to format.

If you’re submitting, then you want to get published, and you need to do everything you can to improve your chances of:

1. Being seen as a professional.
2. Being seen as someone who is up-to-date with current word-processing technology.
3. Being seen as someone who makes the editor’s/publisher’s job easier.

Good luck and good writing!
Angel… (Ellipsis indicates words are missing, like the rest of my name.)

This How-To article is in response to Molly Templeton’s call to pen, protesting the sexist slant of the New York Times Book Review’s How-To issue.

Editors Cassie Hart and Anna Carro put together a short fiction anthology whose proceeds went to the Red Cross fund to assist victims of the earthquake that caused so much death and destruction in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2011.

So amazing was this project that it won a 2012 Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Collection!

Try to imagine the ground shaking beneath your feet and the buildings falling down around you. Imagine having to cook on a camp stove in your back yard for weeks, boiling your water, and running out of things to entertain and distract your children because school has been out. Imagine being afraid that you won’t have enough gas to get to the nearest open grocery store to buy food for your family.

This was the situation in Christchurch, New Zealand. The initial 7.1 earthquake hit the city on September 4, 2010, and the aftershocks continued for a year after that. The largest was a 6.3 that occurred on February 22, 2011. This aftershock killed at least 166 people and did incredible property damage. Utilities went down, and PTSD was widespread.

Now, imagine how much money and work it will take to get this shaken city back to a working state. People lost jobs. People lost family members. The infrastructure was damaged. And months of aftershocks continued to bully those who stayed behind to rebuild. The New Zealand Red Cross worked directly with the people, the mothers, fathers, and children who were affected, making sure they had food, water, medical care, and emotional support.

Contributing Authors

I think that was the longest month of my life! No one warned us when we got on the Kickstarter train that we would be working constantly, thinking constantly, discussing constantly. So many things to do, so many emails to write, so many blog posts, so many thank yous, and so many reminders to send. Phew!!

But, we made it. And now, we can pay our writers a full 6 cents a word, which makes us very happy! We are hoping this will attract a wide variety of awesome writers to submit, and thus, we’ll have an even more wonderful anthology in the end. So polish your stories up to their prettiest shine, and check out our submission guidelines.

I want to take a moment to thank the family and friends who supported us with such great enthusiasm. We certainly have felt loved throughout this process. We’d also like to thank those strangers who thought enough of our idea to want to help. You are all awesome and hopefully won’t be strangers for long. Smooches to all our pledges!

I also want to send two very big hugs out to my partners (E.S. Magill and Chris Marrs), who kept it together and kept me together throughout this whole whirlwind June. Love to you both!

The next stage of the process, is this: we find a publisher. Now that we have the Kickstarter out of the way, we can hunker down and begin the proposal process for finding a publisher. We feel confident that we’ll find just the right partner for this anthology.

In addition, we’ll begin the first stage of preparing to send out the rewards, which will involve gathering needed information from all those who pledged. We’ll send out a survey soon, so keep your eyes open for that!

Did you read the interviews with our Spotlight Writers? If not, then you’d better! We are so proud to have them in our anthology. Just you wait. You’re going to be blown away by their stories.