Wednesday, January 7, 2015

IWSG and the Sarcasm, Snark, and Sass Blogfest

IWSG Introduction Day!

IWSG, brought to us by Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh, the IWSG Website Team and Facebook Team, invites us to share and encourage! 
For our New Year of 2015, we have all been invited to re-introduce ourselves in 100 words or less. So, what to say?

I can be a wordy worrier, but I would rather be a word warrior.
I hit rock bottom with some health issues in the summer of 2014, and I'm struggling with some of the aftermath of that. Fitness and health are two of my primary goals this year (other than my crazy writing goals).
I have an amazing family, and I can't help but include them in some of my posts because they inspire me to move, grow, and live life fully.
I love Jesus as my Savior.

I write novels, short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and journal entries.


And this is my battle cry for 2015:

Watch out insecurities past, present, and future of 2015! 

I have castle-sized dreams, and I plan to build solid foundations under them, one brick at a time! 



To see how I keep building the foundation, check the news section and link list for story submissions at the end of this post. 



The Sarcasm, Snark, and Sass Blogfest to celebrate LG Keltner's blogaversary!!!. I needed it when I heard of it. Enough said. Pictures say all (and all found on pinterest):

This is me . . . not! It takes me days to come up with comebacks, but I still like this quote.






BTW, I'll just be posting Wednesdays this year . . . at least for now.

News flashes from my writing life: I finished a crazy, back-seat project over break - not what I planned to do, but what I did do. It's up for pre-sale. See the page for Jumble for more information. Plus, the e-book draft of Ashes Burn: Season 1 Ashes Away is on pre-sale. And, my hint fiction story, "Big Money" made it into the Nail Polish Stories Best of 2014 edition. (Madeline Mora-Summonte, amazing micro-fiction author and fellow blogger, made into the 2014 edition, too!) I had a story accepted for the January Brilliant Flash Fiction (coming later this month). Currently, I'm working on a top secret project that has Champion's Destiny and Captain Wrath on hold.

As part of Write 1 Sub 1 (awesome organization, follow the link), I try to write one new story and submit it for publication each month. As I've been submitted, I've discovered that it's hard to find places to submit work to, so I'll be giving out link lists of ongoing or one time submission windows for my fellow writers.

Submission Idea Links:

One-time Contest Due January 15th! Brilliant Flash Fiction has a "Life is Good" contest for stories of 300 words or less. Check it out!

Brilliant Flash Fiction also takes ongoing flash fiction submissions. Non-paying market with a kind and helpful editorial staff.

Every Day Fiction. I had a story rejected by them last month and it felt like I won a prize: five editors gave me specific, detailed and kindly written feedback. Small paying, professional market with an awesome editorial staff.

Nail Polish Stories. A non-paying quarterly market for hint fiction stories of 25 words or less based on the names of nail polish colors. It's fun, it has depth, and the editor is highly professional.

Electric Spec. A paying market for fantasy, scifi, and macabre stories between 250-7,000 words. Has specific submission windows. Seems professional. (submitted to them for the first time last month)

7x20: a journal of twitter literature. A non-paying market for twitter length micro-fiction. (submitted to them for the first time in December)

Babybug Magazine. A paying, professional market for children's literature for babies and toddlers ages 0-3 years old. Stories of six sentences of less. (submitted to them for the first time in December)


Ever feel a little sassy, snarky, or sarcastic? Ever want to tell off your insecurities with a message that has meaning to you? 

And are you ready to build the foundations for your dream castles this year? 

85 comments:

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Great battle cry!

Thanks for the links. I'm a fan of a number of those publications already. :)

And congrats on your Best of Nailpolish story! I mentioned you in the blog post I wrote about it awhile back. Yeh, us! :)

Joss said...

I love your submission idea's and links, it can be so hard to find good places to submit too. It sounds like you keep very busy. I have just started trying to blog everyday and it's a real challenge but I needed to get more serious about my blogging. I hope you are having a good year so far and that the rest of 2015 is happy and healthy for you :)

Rachna Chhabria said...

Building solid foundations, one brick at a time is something I plan to do this year. Good luck with your writing goals in 2015!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Madeline! Yay!!! I'll go back and link you into this post. :)

Tyrean Martinson said...

I have my life busy moments and my writing busy moments, but it all works out somehow. Blogging every day is a huge challenge!
Best wishes with all your writing and blogging!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Sounds great, Rachna! And, Thanks!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Wow, you are off to a great start!
I have no doubt you have a rock solid foundation.
Those images for the Snarkfest are awesome!!

Christine Rains said...

Yay! What a great start to 2015. Your stories are fantastic. I've submitted to a few of those places, and I do love the feedback Every Day Fiction gives you. I'm currently rewriting a story for them. Hopefully they like my rewrite!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Alex!!!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks Christine! Thank you. :) (Blushing)
Best wishes with your Every Day Fiction rewrite!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Health and exercise are big goals for me this year too. Hope your health issues improve completely.

And awesome that you're providing the links for those who can use them. Happy New Year!

Julie Flanders said...

Castle-sized dreams - perfect! I love your battle cry.

Have always loved that battle of wits quote LOL.

ELAdams said...

Love that Shakespeare quote. Good luck with all your goals this year! :)

Tyrean Martinson said...

Best wishes with your health, exercise, and writing, Natalie!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Julie!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Emma!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Shakespeare was pretty snarky, wasn't he? Building castles are a lot of work but they're worth it in the end.

Cherie Reich said...

What a great Shakespeare quote! Good luck with your goals! I think you're already a word warrior.

Cathrina Constantine said...

Happy New Year, Tyrean! Much success in 2015!!!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Two books up for presale - congrats!

J.L. Campbell said...

Glad you're back on track after your health issues. Fitness should be one of my goals too. Wishing you luck with all your projects.

emaginette said...

LOL Love it and glad you have plan to stay healthy. It's a personal goal of mine too. :-)

Here's my link if you'd like to drop by :-)

Anna from Shout with Emaginette

Anonymous said...

I love your battle cry and photo and the snarky quotes, particularly the first Shakespeare one. Congrats on your successes, and I wish you more of the same in 2015!

Anonymous said...

You have an awesomely full plate! Best of luck to you!

Murees Dupè said...

I'm sorry you had some health issues. I hope 2015 will be an extraordinary year for you. I should probably take better care of my health this year too. Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting.

Chrys Fey said...

I'm sorry you had health issue last year. I sure hope things change for you this year. And the images you chose for the blogfest are great!

Chemist Ken said...

Ooh, great castle pic! You're right. You have to make sure you have a good foundation before you get too far ahead of yourself. Have a great 2015!

M Pax said...

You go for that castle! I submit more. I wish I could write a new short every month, but am juggling 3 projects as it is. One is a short...

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

I love the quotes!

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, Tyrean,

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Well, you are certainly off to an AMAZING start! Thanks for the links. I NEED to start writing and submitting again. I have so wonderful Flash pieces that I can submit. Hopefully one will be accepted. This is my year to SUBMIT... and get accepted. NO more Mr. "It will happen when it happens." Time to get aggressive. LOL.

All the best in 2015! I know you'll do great!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Yes, the Bard had some snark. :)

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Cherie!!! (Blushing and smiling)

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Cathrina! You, too!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Diane!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, J.L.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks for stopping by, Anna!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Lori! Happy 2015!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Megan!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thank you!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Glad you liked the castle, Ken!

Tyrean Martinson said...

It's tough to write something new every month, but it actually helps me keep momentum going for different projects.
Best wishes with all of your writing, M!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thank you, Michael! Best wishes with you flash pieces and yes, it's time to keep submitting your work!

Sarah Foster said...

Thanks for sharing those links! Definitely going to check them out.

Huntress said...

I was LOL from start to end of your blog post. Thx for providing! And also, thanks for the links. Way cool.

Suzanne Furness said...

I love your castle quote! Best of luck with all your writing and personal goals this year, Tyrean.

cleemckenzie said...

Your top secret project sound very intriguing. Will wait for more news with that breath that's bated.

dolorah said...

Love those snarky quotes, and the castles premise. Always nice to dream with a goal.

Suzanne said...

Sounds like you've lots of good things happening - but like you said, make sure your health comes first, can take a lot longer than you think it would to get back to full strength xx

Lisa said...

I'm like you, can't think of a snarky comeback until three the next morning. I like that you're focused on your goals and ready to take them on. Good way to begin the new year. I'm sorry to hear of your challenges during the summer last year, but hope everything is getting back on track for you. Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog! Happy New Year!

Maurice Mitchell said...

Shakespeare was master of put downs.

Diane Burton said...

Glad to hear your health issues didn't get you totally down. Best wishes for a great 2015.

Tonja said...

I have health issues too - bad injury 5 years ago that was a life changer. On the up side, it gave me the time to write.

Tyrean Martinson said...

You're welcome! Happy 2015!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Happy Writing!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, C. Lee! :)

Tyrean Martinson said...

That's very true about how long it seems to take, but I'm finally getting back up. :)

Tyrean Martinson said...

I'm not sure it's a good thing, but sometimes it helps to tell off the insecurities.

Tyrean Martinson said...

He definitely was . . . and I'm not sure I would want to be known for that, but he makes me laugh.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Diane!

Tyrean Martinson said...

There is always an upside! We just have to keep focusing on that.

SK Anthony said...

Shakespeare's quote . . . hee hee hee . . .

Best of luck with 2015, Tyrean! May your health improve and you reach your writing and fitness goals. And great links, thank you!!! :)

Shannon Lawrence said...

I think it's Freeze Frame Fiction that gave me the same kind of rejection you got from Every Day Fiction. Just in case you haven't checked them out yet. Good luck to you on everything this year! I hope your health continues to improve.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, S.K.! Happy 2015!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks for the tip, Shannon!

Emily R. King said...

I love this post! I have a castle of dreams too---Here's to 2015!

Michelle Wallace said...

Tyrean you are rocking!
I love your positivity and drive!
Top secret project? Sounds exciting!

Caryn Caldwell said...

Ha ha! I love those Pinterest images! Like you, though, I sometimes take way too long to come up with a good comeback. *sigh* I think that's what I like about writing; I have time to craft dialogue the way I can't in person.

Happy 2015! May it be a wonderful year for you!

Jeff Chapman said...

Love those quotes about castles in the air and battle of wits.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Emily! Let's build those castles!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Michelle! The T.S. project is exciting . . .and challenging . . . more on that someday.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Yes, writing gives me time to think. :)
Happy 2015!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Jeff!

L.G. Keltner said...

There's nothing better than a Shakespearean comeback! Thanks for participating in my blogfest!

Unknown said...

I love your battle cry - yay and good luck to all us brick layers! Congrats on your writing accomplishments and getting published! I loved the Star Wars comic.

BTW, I’ve taken over hosting the Celebrate the Small Things hop, and we have a new linky for 2015. Please drop by my blog and sign up, so hop members can see your link and continue visiting you.
http://lexacain.blogspot.com/2015/01/celebrate-small-things.html

Tanya Miranda said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE your battle cry for 2015!

Congrats on your submission successes. I write shorts all the time but don't really submit much. I think I might steal/borrow your once-a-month goal of submitting a short/flash piece to a publication. Who knows, right?

Kim Van Sickler said...

Shakespeare was such a snark! Congrats on all of your short story publishing success. "May the force stay with you!" (No snark!)

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Lexa!

Tyrean Martinson said...

It's amazing what submitting once a month does - both for your confidence and your success rate - I highly suggest going for it!

Tyrean Martinson said...

The Bard knew his insults, that's for sure. :)
Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Keep dreaming big, Tyrean! So glad to have you aboard the W1S1 train.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, Milo!

Trisha said...

I so need a battle cry for this year. I need to get invigorated about my projects again!