Writing

Tiny Snippet

/ Snippet, Writing

This week has been awful, so here’s a tiny snippet for your Friday afternoon:

Loch snagged my wrist as I walked past him. With him sitting on the barstool, we were the same height. He usually moved so quickly and quietly that it was easy to overlook his size, but standing next to him, he was a solid wall of muscle.

“Will you give me a judgement-free minute?” I asked him softly.

His expression went guarded but finally he nodded. I stepped closer until I was standing between his legs. Desire lit his eyes. I felt it too, but he was about to be disappointed. I needed this more right now.

Slowly I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head against his shoulder. He froze. After a few seconds, I whispered, “You’re supposed to hug me back.”

His arms came around me like I was made of spun glass. I gave him a little squeeze. “I’m not that fragile,” I said. “Give me a real hug.”

A rough draft excerpt from Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik. All rights reserved. Coming early 2019 from Harper Voyager.

Killing My Darlings

/ Writing, Writing Advice

As far as writing advice goes, “kill your darlings” is a phrase that gets slung around more often than pints in a pub. However, unlike some other advice (I’m looking at you, “write every day”), killing your darlings is something every writer has to do sooner or later.

Right now, I’m getting a double-dose of darling killing because I’m revising both Polaris Rising and my XPRIZE short story. And it hurts. The phrases and characters that I have to cut were my darlings for a reason.

For Polaris Rising, it’s starting with some actual darling killing because, based on editorial feedback, I’m simplifying Ada’s family. Some of her sisters and brothers will be axed into the ether. I liked those characters. I had stories planned for them. And now they are unmade. Ouch. …

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XPRIZE Short Story Contest and Free Fiction

/ Writing

The XPRIZE Foundation is running a science fiction short story contest with something for both writers and readers.

Writers can enter short story between 2,000 and 4,000 words about a passenger on a plane that flies through a time wrinkle and comes out twenty years in the future. The deadline is August 25, so check the official rules to see if it’s right for you, then get cracking!

Not a writer? No worries, you can read stories about the plane’s passengers from some of the biggest names in science fiction—for free. Yay! You can get a glimpse at how Margaret Atwood, Bruce Sterling, Hugh Howey, and many others think the world is going to change in the next twenty years.

I’ve written my own little story for the contest. In the exceedingly likely event that it does not win, I’ll put it up for you all to read later this fall. :)

Polaris Rising: Chapter 1, Part 3

/ Snippet, Writing

Dinner rolls

This is a rough draft excerpt from Polaris Rising:

The same kid from before was waiting for me outside of the captain’s door. I wondered if he stood there all the time, and if so, was he looking out for the captain’s interests or the mercenaries’?

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Charles, but everyone calls me Chuck.”

“Chuck, I’m Ada. Pleased to meet you.” He ducked his head but didn’t respond.

We returned to my cell by the same path we’d taken earlier. When we arrived, the display next to the door showed Loch still standing in the back section. He had to have been standing for hours, but he wasn’t slumped or fidgeting. I made a quick decision that I hoped I wouldn’t come to regret. …

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Polaris Rising: Chapter 1, Part 2

/ Snippet, Writing

Fancy place setting

This is a rough draft excerpt from Polaris Rising:

The kid gripped the stunstick like he expected me to jump him at any moment. I guess word of my arrival had already spread to the rest of the crew. And, honestly, if they’d sent anyone else, I probably would’ve made an attempt at escape. If it came down to it, I would go through the kid if he stood between me and freedom, but it wouldn’t be my first choice.

As we walked, I took in my surroundings. The captain had not spent much on interior upgrades. The walls were flat gray metal, the floor was steel grating, and the lights were few and far between. I saw at least three major wiring issues that would get them grounded if a safety officer ever bothered to do an inspection. The ship was holding up well for her age, but it was apparent that either the captain or his crew didn’t truly love her. …

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