Tag: short stories

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Reedsy

When I began my writing journey I often wondered where was the best place to start. I remember sending in the library of the community college I was going to at the time in my home town of Meridian, MS world building this incredible fantasy world that I have yet to do anything with. As I filled this notebook up with some of the most detailed crafted world I’ve ever developed, I started to become worried that I’ve bitten off more than I could chew, and I was right. I was under the false assumption that the best thing for new authors to do go balls to the wall, and knock out that debut novel from day one. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but I can say that it was the wrong idea for someone so new to the world of writing literary fiction. This quite obviously led to extreme burn out before I even started to pen my first work, and as you could assume, this was quite discouraging for someone just starting out.

There was a time when I was really considering that a potential career in writing simply wasn’t for me. I dabbled with screen writing for quite a while, until I was introduced to something that completely changed my writing life forever. This little community of dedicated professionals helped me propel my career in writing to a place I’ve always wanted to be, but always struggled to get a firm grasp on. I’m talking about Reedsy.

As me and my wife were bouncing around to different places, as a result of our nomadic lifestyle at the time, I really struggled to actually sit down and put pen to paper. The original part of Reedsy that I was introduced to was their awesome short story writing contest. They provide authors with five prompts that they can submit to, and a panel of decorated judges come to a winner who is awarded $250! Now, to be fair I’ve yet to win this competition, but every week the competition restarts allowing myself and hundreds of other authors to step into the arena of literary combat to become the champion for the week.

Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I would be encouraging new authors to join competitions. The answer is that it’s not about the competitions at all. It gives new authors an organized, structured environment to hone their skill, and make a few friends along the way. The content requirement is very simple with a max word count of 3,000 words, and a minimum of 1,000 which is absolutely perfect for beginner writers. With the overarching theme changing from week to week, writers are able to really stretch their muscles of creativity. I tend to steer more to the dark and mysterious in my writings (it’s literally more slogan), so I can take any of those prompts and turn it into something quite epic! However, the downside is that I’m pretty sure Reedsy doesn’t necessarily like dark story telling, because I’ve never seen one win, but who knows!

Reedsy will always hold a special place in my heart. All of the stories in my first published book was an anthology of short stories all written for those competitions! It really helped me become such a better writer, and become more comfortable with people reading my work. For anyone even slightly interested in writing as a hobby, please consider giving it a look over. You will be quite surprised with the fascinating worlds you can create.

– John McCool

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Are Chapters Getting Shorter?

Has anyone noticed an interesting trend in literary fiction lately, or am I going crazy? On a routine supply run to a local chain grocery store for the coffee shops I manage, I usually take a few moments to browse the latest books. They have one of the better book sections compared to other chain department stores, so it always feels like a treat when I can take a looksie.

One of the greatest things to do when browsing books is, of course, flipping through the pages, and taking in the wonderful world the author has created. However, there seems to be a trend that I noticed a few months ago, and has persisted with every new release that I’ve flipped through

Are chapters getting shorter?

Now, hear me out. I am actually a fan of this structure for reasons I’ll get into later. I feel like it’s more manageable from a writing perspective, because instead of cramming so much information and progression within one single chapter, the author is able to keep the story moving at a more organized pace. I could argue that a lot of the times an author will use scene breaks to allow the reader to take a pause at the story’s progress, but in my opinion it feels so much more natural to end the chapter, and start a new one at a new scene. Don’t take that as I’m and anti scene break author, because I’m not. I use scene breaks all the time, I just feel in a contemporary sense that starting a new chapter is far more efficient.

So, what do I mean by being more efficient? In the outlining phase of any story, the author does a few things to keep organized well before fingers start clacking away on the keyboard. Some authors make plot points, some make a flow map, some just keep sticky notes everywhere, and some make a description for every single chapter. I am the latter. With this in mind, my chapters are already broken down into scenes. The exception being a change in perspective within the scene which I do several times in my current work in progress. The same events are happening within said scene, but the point of view switches to a different character.

I’m privileged to have the mind of a writer, so as I flip through the pages of new releases, I’m quite confident I know the reason why. I’ve had some of my fellow authors during discussions complain it is because the attention span of readers are shortening with the rise of Tiktok and other quick hit fiction. This is certainly true. However, it also makes the workflow of the author so much easier, so it’s a trend I’ve gladly accepted.

Compared to the fantasy novels of the 80s and 90s that hosted like 7,000+ word chapters, we are now seeing this trend take over modern fantasy authors churning out 1,500-3000 word chapters. This is completely fine and welcomed to not only the author in me, but the reader in me as well. I no longer have the time to sit on a late afternoon and consume an entire novella length chapter like I could in my younger years. Having these shorter chapters makes it easier to feel like, as a reader, you are making good progress, and are able to have multiple stopping points during your limited reading session. Nobody likes to stop reading in the middle of a chapter, so giving the reader the opportunity to frequently stop is perfect for the modern book world.

Next time you find yourself in the book aisle of your nearest department store, check out the chapter lengths of the newest releases, and you’ll see what I mean. Shorter chapters are a great trend that I hope hangs around for a long time.

– John McCool

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Writing With Limited Time

One thing that seems to turn off would be authors is a lack of time, or at least a perception that they have no time to write. This couldn’t be farther from the truth in my opinion. There is always time to write, but it’s up to the writer to find where that time is hidden.

Now, I understand that it gets difficult sometimes to carve out the time to put those stories on paper. Trust me, I get that. I have two young kids, work a full time job at a prominent coffee company in my area, and own my own house with the issue that comes with that. I find the time to write. It’s not a lot of time, but I do have it.

I have a very brief moment of peace in between the kid’s bed times, and headed off to the land of dreams myself. This is only about a 30 minute window, but the way I see it is that a little time to write is better than no time at all. With such a small time for daily writing, I’ve set a daily goal for myself that is achievable for this limited availability. I set out to write 500 words a day on my focused work which, in theory, will see me having a finished first draft in about three months. If I write 500 words minimum a day, that’s 3,500 words a week, and 15,000 a month. My target for the first draft is between 40,000-50,000 words, so as long as I keep to my commitment that manuscript will be done in no time. Of course, this doesn’t include multiple drafts and edits, but the point is to just knock out that first draft which is, in my opinion, the hardest part of the process. Beyond the act of sitting down at my laptop to write, I also have to find the time to do one of the most important tools in a writer’s utility belt.

Write an outline.

Outlining is the greatest tool I use, as well as what I recommend to most aspiring authors out there. I’ve found that keeping my outlining time and writing time separate. This ensures I can have continuous progress on my work in progress, as well as progress on the next project I have lined up. It’s actually kind of funny as I type this out, because my current project I’m also STILL writing the outline as I’m currently writing it. The outline goes a few chapters ahead of the actual work which keeps me on track, but my outlining time is spent on the same WIP I’m in the process of writing. Don’t reccomend this method…Finish that outline first.

Anyway, so separating your outlining time from your writing time will ensure progress is being made on multiple fronts. For me, as most of you know, I manage a coffee company, so I have the luxury of a little bit of downtime during some more time consuming, and methodical tasks. My biggest task I do while outlining is making Cold Brew. For anyone in the coffee industry, you know it can be quite tedious just standing around waiting to pour over your next gallon of water on the grounds. Lucky, I use and awesome app called Writer Plus. It’s a neat little app that allows me to keep all my chapter outlines organized, and various story notes together in It’s own folder. It’s pretty neat.

Life can be difficult sometimes. Trust me, I’ve been there. However, we are writers. We have to write. Making the excuse that you don’t have the time is just that. It’s an excuse. You can take the 15 minutes you would normally take to mindlessly scroll social media to write 100 words or maybe more! You just need to have faith that you can get this done, and tell that story that’s been consuming your thoughts for so long.

Tell the story!

– John McCool

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What makes horror so intriguing?



Horror is a genre that has been around for centuries, and it continues to be one of the most popular genres of entertainment. But what makes horror so interesting? Why do people flock to horror films, books, and video games?

One of the main reasons why horror is so interesting is because it allows us to explore our fears in a safe way. Horror films and books allow us to confront our fears in a fictional setting, and video games give us the opportunity to test our courage in a virtual world. Horror can also be used to explore deeper psychological issues, such as the fear of death or the unknown.

Another reason why horror is so popular is because it provides an adrenaline rush. Many horror films and books are designed to make us jump, scream, and feel a rush of excitement. This sense of adrenaline can be addictive, and it is one of the main draws of the horror genre.

Horror also can contain a sense of humor as well. Most lovers of horror come with a slightly darker sense of humor that can be explored a little more within the confines of the page and screen. One of my current works in progress is just such a thing. I’m not quite read to talk too much on it right now, but adding a sense of humor to traditional darker themes is a good way to brighten up stories that most of the time would turn away an audience.

Think of Scream. It’s one of my favorite slasher movies of all time. The writers chose to add a veil of humor over a story that’s actually quite tragic when analyzed. This made the film more approachable and attractive to new comers to the slasher genre that had been previously driven by gore. Now, not saying Scream doesn’t have its fair share of gore, but with the added humor, it diffused the senseless violence.

Finally, horror can be used to explore themes and ideas that are often difficult to discuss in other genres. Horror can be used to explore taboo subjects such as death, violence, and the supernatural. It can also be used to explore the darker side of humanity, such as greed, power, and revenge.

Horror is a genre that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. It allows us to explore our fears in a safe way, provides an adrenaline rush, and can be used to explore complex themes and ideas. It is no wonder why horror continues to be one of the most popular genres of entertainment.

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The Dark and Mysterious

Welcome to the endless worlds of the Dark and Mysterious!

Hello there reader. Since you’re here reading this, I assume you have a distinct interest in the writings of the Dark and Mysterious. But, what alot of people tend to ask me is: what exactly is the dark and mysterious?

It’s something that can difficult to define. Writings of this nature can be any genre, but hold darker than usual tones in its story telling. Its contains gloomy atmosphere and a sense of dread for the characters interacting with their world. It can be categorized as a sub genre as well. Most notably grim dark for fantasy and science fiction, as well as gothic for dark Victorian inspired works. However, it can also be hidden within other genres, lurking in the shadows of each page. Genres like dystopian, thriller, and even romance. Next time you read a good love story, pay attention to the world and events happening around the character. You might be surprised.

The dark and mysterious is hidden everywhere within your favorite literary fiction. I’ve been really into political thrillers lately, and as you could guess, things get pretty gloomy. I was reading Murphy’s Rangers by Eric Meyer recently, which follows a US Army Ranger during the opening of World War Two, and I quickly picked up on the dark tones presented, not only in Meyer’s work, but other authors in the military thriller genre. It made me a believer that dark writing isn’t a genre by itself, but a loving addition to any genre of work. It was an amazing realization for someone like me who tends to bend genres to the darker side by default.

As a writer, adding darker tones to genres have always come naturally to me. Even as a kid writing my silly stories during most lectures in class tended to dip towards the brutal reality of things. My protagonist would accomplish their goals, there would ALWAYS be a negative consequence that would change their lives forever. Pretty macabre for a kid’s writing, but that’s just who I was, and still am to this day.

Now, being a darker writer doesn’t mean everyone dies all the time, and there’s death lurking around every corner. It is as simple as the atmosphere in most cases. Stories that take place over the back drop of severe thunderstorms, mostly at night, or during some kind of low light situation. However, writing on this way could also be more forthcoming such as putting your poor characters in the catacombs beneath the ancient streets of Paris, or lock them in a dilapidated mansion while being hunted by something unseen. The possibilities are endless.

As a writer of the Dark, it’s considered a tool to me. How to best use it is situational, but like all tools, it has its specific use. It’s a tool that I’ve worked hard to master, and now that I have the tool of darkness can now be used to create some of the most delightfully dreadful little worlds.

So, for all my dark and mysterious friends out there, let’s embrace these epic gloomy tales. Writings of the Dark and Mysterious are so much fun to read, and even more fun to pen.

Please, enjoy these beautiful dark worlds of mine friends.