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Author Archives: Dennis Langley

Lakefly 2025

22 Apr

It’s that time of year again. I will head to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for the Lakefly Writers Conference in a week and a half. I need to decide what I will read during the open mic event on Friday. It was so much fun last year. I also submitted a flash piece to the annual writing competition. They have notified the finalists, and I was not among the lucky few. So, I’ll try again next year.

Work on my second novel hit a few bumps, and it appears I will need to rethink the chapter sequence to include threads from the first book that are necessary for plot continuity. Thankfully, the new chapters should fit nicely, interspersed with the existing ones. Writing with multiple POVs is new for me. I hope I can do right by the characters.

In addition to the rework on my second novel, I’ve written a short story focusing on a Highwayman. It was a project inspired by the song, Highwayman, by the country supergroup the Highwaymen. The response I received from my writers group to it was positive. It is now ready for submission. Just for giggles, I started a sequel to it.

So, there you have it. A quick update on my writing endeavors and a preview of the upcoming trip to LakeFly. I’ll keep you all updated on my progress, slow that it may be.

 
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Posted by on April 22, 2025 in Thoughts on Writing

 

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Writing space

14 Apr

My writing/reading room is officially complete. The new color fits my inspiration pieces better and is brighter than the dark blue/gray it started out with. So far, it is working as planned.

 
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Posted by on April 14, 2025 in Musings and Odd Thoughts

 

Short Flashes of Inspiration

04 Apr

Now that the trauma of a home sale, home purchase, and big move is behind me, I can find time to write again. But, writing a novel can be a slog. Ask anyone who has tried it. Sometimes the mind just shuts down. The muse flies back to her mountaintop.

In an effort to trick the muse into returning, I decided to try my hand at some short and short-short fiction. Flash, if you will. I didn’t really realize how difficult short works can be until I applied strict word counts to each attempt. 7,000 to 12,000-word short stories are not too difficult. An engaging beginning, an interesting middle that moves the story along, and a snappy ending are all possible, and for me, quite doable at this length. However, once you enter the realm of 2,000 words or less, the difficulty factor ramps up a bit.

In flash fiction, the flowery descriptions of scenes, the finite details of combat, the lengthy monologues, and internalizations once used to enhance a storyline are too large to include and leave room for the shortened plotline. Every word must count for more than one thing. Every sentence must perform multiple functions.

My first attempts received mixed reviews. A friend from my writer’s group suggested I try poetry. She is quite accomplished, and I take her advice seriously. However, poetry and I do not seem to mix well. After a few pitiful attempts, I returned to editing with a microscope and a scalpel. It was a brutal process. I truly learned what the phrase, kill your darlings means. Any word that was not multi-tasking or absolutely necessary to create comprehensive sentences was quickly deleted.

One project was a 2,000-word short story to submit to a competition at the Lakefly Writer’s Conference in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this spring. It took much longer than planned, and I missed the submission date. The original story was around 3750 words. I made the cuts to get it to 1,998 words!!! The good news is that I was able to submit a flash piece of around 700 words. We’ll see how that fares.

The bottom line is that this process taught me that word choice and thoughtful editing significantly impact the final piece. Additionally, I can successfully write shorter works. The good news is that the muse has returned, and work on the second novel has resumed.

 
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Posted by on April 4, 2025 in Other Strangeness

 

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Reading Space

16 Nov

Every writer needs a good space to read.

 
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Posted by on November 16, 2024 in Other Strangeness

 

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Lakefly 2024

26 May
Logo for Lakefly Writers Conference located in the Fox Cities, Oshkosh, Wisconsin

A few weeks back I made the two hour pilgrimage to Oshkosh, Wisconsin and attended the Lakefly Writers Conference. What Lakefly lacks in sheer size it makes up for in friendliness, variety of content, and networking capabilities. Each year the conference is bigger and better.

This year the conference included a book fair that was open to the public. Authors representing every possible genre offered their books for sale and were eager to discuss their road to publication or topics relating to the writing craft. It was impossible to walk through the rows of tables and not come home with an armload of new reading material.

In addition to the many presentations on craft, an attendee can reserve a spot for any of the one-on-one events. Pitching your new manuscript to an agent, having a professional photographer provide you with headshots, meeting with a writing coach to discuss your current project, and obtaining advice on setting up your online marketing strategy were just a few of the options available.

My entire writers group decided to attend this year so much of the “down” time was spent trading information from the sessions that someone was not able to attend. As usual, comments and viewpoints varied, but everyone agreed that the quality of information presented was top-notch.

The highlight for me this year was the Friday night open mic night held at the town library. I normally do not shy away from public speaking. My years as a corporate trainer and Red Cross volunteer provided ample experience for this event. Or so I thought. There is something very different about standing in front of complete strangers and reading a section from your own manuscript for five minutes. My hands shook and trying to keep my voice from cracking while I shared my “baby” was terrifying. I vaguely remember hearing the audience laugh when I thought they should, gasp at the appropriate times, and react with surprise at the twist. However, looking back, it was only a blur. Members from my group confirmed that other people’s reactions were spot on and that I “had” them from the opening paragraph.

I am grateful that I decided to do it. Hearing your story read out loud is something that I truly believe is a must when finalizing your manuscript edits. There are some passages that don’t feel right until they pass the “listened to” test.

For anyone that interested in attending next years event, you can follow the conference at, lakefly.org.

I hope to see some of you there next year. And, maybe I will read an excerpt from my second book, Snake Coils. It is coming along nicely.

 
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Posted by on May 26, 2024 in Thoughts on Writing

 

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Snake Rises

31 Mar

For those of you who have followed me for the past tens years, you know that I wrote a novel manuscript, was trying to edit the first one without losing inertia on writing a sequel. Unfortunately the cost of this was neglecting this blog. Then in November last year the unthinkable happened. My computer was accessed by a group of <insert your favorite explicative here> ‘s. They succeeded in corrupting every MS document on the system. While trying to recover the computer, the Geek Squad technicians succeeded in losing 437 files. This included my manuscript and all edits made in the past year. Now some of you will say, “Well just recover the files from your OneDrive account. There backed up automatically.”

“Not so fast,” says I. I thought that as well. However, a month of making this attempt and working with MS proved to be a complete waste of time. The official response is they have no idea what happened to my files. To those of you who are relying on OneDrive, my advice is to bite the bullet and purchase an external hard drive and perform your own backups every day or at least once per week. I’m talking about your working files, not your system apps.

The good news is that after 3 months of head down computer work and some luck with flash drives. I was able to recreate my manuscript including all edits. Needless to say I now have it backed up in five different secure and separate locations. Live and learn.

The next point is that I am looking for a few beta readers. Though not required, an interest in fantasy and/or western genre’s would be beneficial. If you are interested, please contact me through the link on this site for more details.

Now my question to all of you published writers of fiction. What are your thoughts on writing shorts based in your world with your primary characters to use as “bait” or to submit to competitions in an effort to crate interest in the larger work? What potholes may appear when heading down this road?

I’m looking forward to seeing your thoughts.

 
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Posted by on March 31, 2024 in Thoughts on Writing

 

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A Taste to Honor Them

29 May

A taste of the good stuff. To remember and honor, Dad, Grandpa, and the 450,000 men and women who loved this country so much, that they gave their lives in defense of the ideals that the United States of America was founded on. Every year, I take a taste and thank them. I pray for them and their families. And, for my friends who served and lost comrades in arms. I thank you for the pain you have endured with that loss. It is the very least that I can do for strangers that paid for my freedom with their own blood. Rest in peace. I will be eternally grateful for your sacrifice.

Cheers!

“American flag” by U.S. Army/ CC0 1.0
 
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Posted by on May 29, 2023 in Other Strangeness

 
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