I hate when people start their blog posts with I’m gonna let you in on a little secret, but… I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. Experienced freelancers can tell when a prospective client doesn’t understand how the market works. I’ve had a couple of nightmare clients in the decade I’ve been doing this, and they all had one thing in common: they thought they understood what hiring a freelancer meant, and they really, really didn’t. Whether you’re looking to hire someone for the very first time, or having a hard time retaining experienced contractors, let me tell you how to be a client freelancers want to work with.
Continue readingAuthor: K.W. Colyard
Writing Fiction Critiques: 9 Tips to Become a Great Story-Swapping Partner
So you’ve joined a writing group and now you’re ready to workshop a story with your peers. You read your story-swapping partner’s piece and… now what? Never fear. I have nine tips for writing fiction critiques that will make other authors love workshopping with you.
Continue readingShort Story of the Day #10: “The Devil in America” by Kai Ashante Wilson
One family’s magical legacy intertwines with the ongoing trauma of slavery in this Reconstruction-set short from the author of The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps. Blades line every moment of “The Devil in America,” so sharp that you don’t realize you’re bleeding until it’s far too late.
Continue readingShort Story of the Day #9: “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu
I’ve got another oldie-but-goodie for you today. E. Lily Yu’s “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” took the 2012 awards season by storm, racking up nominations for the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards. This Short Story of the Day pick is just as captivating in 2023, nearly twelve years after it originally appeared in Clarkesworld.
Continue readingShort Story of the Day #8: “Folding Beijing” by Hao Jingfang, trans. Ken Liu
A lot of these early Short Stories of the Day are Hugo and Nebula winners, and Hao Jingfang’s “Folding Beijing” is no exception. Ken Liu’s 2015 translation won the Best Novelette Hugo, and the story is so enthralling that non-Chinese speakers will wish they could read the original.
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