Desktop Dynamo

I will be posting the latest installments of my "fiction in progress" right here at Dynamo. I don't know how many other writers let their readers see their creative process at work...but I find that by committing to regularly posting at Dynamo, I'm spending more time at the keyboard.

A few notes on these stories...

First, they are not the "submission-ready" final edits. They are generally about one rewrite shy of submission to an editor. Once a complete story is posted, I generally leave it up until I finish the "final" rewrite. In most cases, at that point I submit the work to an editor and pull it from the site.

What do I post?

On occasion I post a complete "very short story" in one post.

Sometimes what was supposed to be a "short story" starts growing into a novel in progress. (This is what happened with No Cognitive Defect).

In most cases, though, what you see here is posted in segments. That generally means I haven't finished the story. It also means that while I may have a general idea where things will end up, I am as much "along for the ride" as you are. I let the stories unfold on their own, within a loose framework. (I find "micromanaging" the plot in advance simply doesn't work for me...though it might for other writers). There is some risk to this approach, and occasionally I get "stuck" on a story. But this is the technique that works for me, imperfect though it may be.

I hope you enjoy what you read here...feel free to drop me a note and tell me what you think about what you've read here.

If, however, you are an agent with a proven track record, or a publisher with more money than God, contact me immediately.

Mr. Spielberg: Let's talk deal. Movie rights for The Eternal Mayor. James Gandolfini as Battling Bob Jones. Danny Devito (must diet) as Fred Appleton. We're talking Oscars here, Steve. I don't need a big piece of the pie. I just need enough cash to pay off my mortgage and keep me in chicken wings for the rest of my life.

I'm waiting right here by the phone (though I might slip out around 9PM for some wings)....