Category: Writing

Writing

More Writing Updates

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

Two blog posts in one year? What is the world coming to? Seriously though, I just wanted to give an update on all the writing projects I mentioned last time with some newer announcements, as well!

First of all, you can now pre-order a copy of Ab(solutely Normal) and Transmogrify!

Quick reminder, Ab(solutely Normal) is a YA anthology of short stories that smash mental health stereotypes, as the tagline says. My story is called “Peculiar Falls” and is about a socially anxious vampire who has to overcome his fear of people to save his town. It was really fun and cathartic to write. Also, the anthology comes out April 11, which is a pretty great birthday present for this Aries!

Transmogrify! is a YA anthology of fantasy stories featuring trans and nonbinary protagonists. My story is called “The Hallow King” and is about a trans boy who summons the spirit of Halloween to get revenge on his transphobic teachers. It turned out to be more of a horror story than I expected but I guess that’s what happens when you write about angry teenagers and Halloween. The anthology comes out May 16 just in time for Pride Month!

Ok, now for the new announcements! My flash fiction story “The Yellow House” is in the December Issue of On Spec Magazine (#122 VOL 32 NO 4). It’s the story of a little girl, her beloved house, and what happens when her parents try to convince her to leave it. You can order a print or digital copy on their website.

I’m also excited to announce that I’ll have a story in yet another YA anthology, this one coming out in 2024. It’s called Queer Beasties and is edited by the brilliant Rob Costello. Since the theme is queer monsters, my story is a queer retelling of Beauty and the Beast! See below for the official announcement.

Last but not least, my novel is steadily coming along. As of writing this, I’m at 49,234 words and nearly finished with Part 2. I’m hoping to finish Part 3 next year and then clean it up so I can send it out! I’m still not really sure if it’s middle grade or young adult but hopefully that will become clearer once I have the whole thing written.

That’s all for now! I hope everyone is having a good descent into the darkness before the return of the light, otherwise known as the winter holidays.

Writing

Project Updates

jonathanlenore

Okay, so it looks I’m continuing the pattern of only posting every couple of years, lolsob. In my defense, a lot has happened in my life during the past few years and, more obviously, in the world at large. Anyway, I’m overdue for an update, especially since I have lots of exciting writing news to share!

First of all, I had my very first short story publication! When I lost my job at the start of the pandemic I threw myself into working on short stories because it felt like the only thing I could control and I was really struggling with focusing on longer projects. It took me about a year and a half of relentlessly sending out various submissions, but I finally got the “yes, we’ll take this” that I had been hoping for, and now you can read my story “Maggoty Meg Flies Up the Mountain” at Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. They even did a cool witchy illustration for it!

In other exciting news, I’m going to have a story in two really exciting YA anthologies coming out in 2023. (Ab)solutely Normal is an anthology of #OwnVoices mental health fiction and Transmogrify! is an anthology of #OwnVoices trans fantasy stories.

I’m back to working on my novel now, but it’s slow going and I’ve had to step away from it several times to work on these other projects. But I’m still hoping I can finish a draft sometime this year. Fingers crossed! That’s all the updates for now. Hopefully more to come soon!

Writing

My Writing Process Blog Tour

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

My friend and fellow VCFAer (is that even a word?) Megan Hoak invited me to participate in the My Writing Process blog tour so here I am. You can read her post about her own writing process here. Whew! It’s been a long time. So without further ado…

What am I working on?

I’ve been working on a Secret Project for some time now. It took me awhile to realize that I wanted to write something weird and self indulgent and in order to do that I needed to keep it secret, even promise myself I wouldn’t publish it. Once I did that I found it was so much easier to just write without worrying what people would think of it, or if what I was writing was publishable, or even if it made any sense/worked as a story. I could just write for the pleasure of it, so that’s been wonderful. As for the story itself, I’ve been describing it to people as a bit like Alice and Wonderland if Alice was a teenager and Wonderland was an Underworld. It is creepy and weird and magical and probably the most “me” thing I have ever written. Which is also why it is terrifying and secret. For now.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Well, it’s a portal fantasy and as far as I can tell not a lot of portal fantasies are being written for YA audiences. That seems to mostly happen in middle grade books. Why is that? Also, the magic/fantasy elements are less straightforward. I see a lot of fantasy books with vampires or werewolves or ghosts or witches or insert magical creature here________. I wanted to be more subtle about defining the magical creatures. Although, really, there’s nothing subtle about them or the magic.

Why do I write what I do?

You might as well ask someone why they breathe the way they do. I always loved stories with magic best. Fairy tales, ghost stories, fantasy. And especially portal fantasies. I was in love with the Wizard of Oz as a kid even though I wanted the complete opposite of what Dorothy wanted. She wanted to go home. I wanted to go to Oz. But aside from love, my brain thrives on metaphor and symbolism and you’d be hard-pressed to find anything more metaphorical or symbolic than fantasy literature. As for why I write for younger audiences (mostly) I guess it’s because I grew up reading kids books and never stopped. Also, my protagonists always seemed to be teenagers. Go figure.

How does your writing process work?

That’s a bit hard to define because I’ve experimented with so many writing processes over the years, especially in my MFA program. But the process for writing this book has basically been to write about 250 words a day (sometimes more) and try not to fiddle too much. It’s helped to write a lot of the scenes out of order, more or less as the ideas strike me and to occasionally dip into backstory. It also helps to write in small chunks because when I get stuck and don’t know where I’m going I can just spend 250 words describing the scenery 😉 I’m trying to get as much written as I can before I go back and start changing things and filling in gaps. The result is an incomprehensible mess, but I think it’s made writing more fun for me because I can just skip to the parts I’m excited or curious about.

Next week

Next week two more fabulous writers will be posting about their writing process on their own blogs. Go check them out on April 21st!

Laura is a writer, artist, photographer, and world traveler who passionately pursues the full expression and experience of life. She recently received her MA in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University, where she focused on the intersections of tourism and community development.

Helen Kemp Zax. In July 2013 Helen received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, where she won the Critical Thesis prize for “Learning to Feel: Practicing Empathy in Coming-of-Age Novels.” Several of her haiku and poems have been published, and a number of her poems have won awards. She has taught writing at all levels, from elementary to post-graduate. She lives with her husband Leonard and their crazy Australian shepherd, Huckleberry Finn, in Washington, DC, where she spends her days walking Huck in the woods, writing poetry, and working on hernovel—a mystery narrative/verse mash-up called MISSING.

Writing

All Hallows Write Poems

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

Okay, so I meant to write more than three poems, but after the third my brain turned to mush! What can I say? Anyway, here they are! These were all written last night, in candlelight, while listening to eerie music. I hope you enjoy them and that they are creepy enough for you 🙂 (Note: I tried to get these poems single spaced, but WordPress is defying me for some reason. Maybe it does not appreciate poetry? If you have any formatting advice please let me know.)

 

1. Widdershins

Turn counterclock and bury the mushrooms

under your heel. They laced the milkmaid’s

hair with thistle thorns, just for mistaking

an elf for a sparrow. They will break your bones

for whistling twice and if you dance with them

you’ll never grow old, but die

centipede by centipede, until merriment

becomes a foul jaunt and the amanita

begins to speak of deadlier things

than colored lights and fiddles that play themselves.

So walk wisely, friend, and careful

your direction. One misstep, there will be

a cold corpse planted in the fields come sunrise.

 

2. I couldn’t think of a title for this one (help!)

She knows the language of the knucklebone,

the willow switch, the vocabulary

of swampweed and the mud that swallows.

She can bind you with a single black thread,

see the shrouded faces that peer out of mirrors

when your eyes are half shut.

She has pricked her finger for every absent

moon, tasted nightshade and hemlock

and found them wanting.

When she dreams the clouds tremble

and cover the stars.

Give her bread and she’ll boil you

in a stew of your own making.

Spit on her and she’ll cut your shadow

from your skin until you’re stretched

thin as space. Best to leave her to her candied

houses and stay away from crossroads

in the dead of night. Best to let

witches be witches, and think

no more of poisonous delights.

 

3. The Dead

I have seen the faces of the dead in their glass cases,

mouths like tunnels and eyes that could eat planets.

I have heard them begging in the twilit hours,

murmurs like moth wings in the dark,

felt their cold fingers, wet and wandering.

They hollow me out.

If I follow them down to the cellar

will they leave me sleeping with the cobwebs

and the silt? Will they shut my eyes with heavy

coins and cradle me in their muddy beds?

That’s all I have, folks! I hope you were sufficiently creeped out 😉 And be sure to check out the other All Hallows Write stories. Happy Day of the Dead!

 

Writing

All Hallows Write

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

I realize that I have not posted here in a million years, but my life has been pretty chaotic lately and I’ve been trying to save my writing time for more creative pursuits. That said, I wanted to pop back over here to announce that I will be participating in All Hallows Write this year on October 31!

You can find out all the details on the website, but the short version is that I will be staying up all night on Halloween (well, probably not all night. I have a doctor’s appointment the next day) writing terrifying poetry, which I will then post on this, my blog, on November 1st! So stay tuned for witches, ghouls and other startling creatures. And if you wish to participate, as well, be sure to email Jeff at AllHallowsWrite [at] jeff-seymour.com

Writing

In Which I Run Into A Wall And Rethink Some Things

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

Since I started my experiment I’ve managed to get about 50 pages written (remember these are 50 hand-written pages), but I also ran into some trouble. One of my workshop leaders at Vermont College of Fine Arts, A. M. Jenkins, said that a novel is like a picture frame, but you as the author have to know everything that’s going on outside of the frame. Well, after 50 pages I discovered I have no idea what’s going on inside or outside of the frame.

One difficulty is that I have no idea what timeperiod I’m in. Parts of it seem to be in the 16th century, other parts are in the 18th century, and there may even be some earlier time periods stuck in there somewhere. I’m realizing I have a very tenuous grasp of history. I also decided to include some characters of various ethnicities around the Mediterranean, which just made me realize how little I know about the Mediterranean and its various cultures and history in general.

I’ve been reading an enormous tome of Mediterranean history, which is nothing if not daunting, and trying to decide how much research is necessary, whether I should start with research or start with writing and research later, etc. etc. Thankfully, I had a very helpful conversation with fellow Secret Gardener, L. Marie, in which she reminded me that I’m writing fantasy and can make things up.

So this brought about an interesting internal debate. Am I writing historical fantasy? Am I writing about an alternate universe Mediterranean? Or am I writing a Mediterranean-inspired fantasy? After some angsting, I’m leaning towards a Mediterranean-inspired fantasy. I think I will still have to read about the history and culture for inspiration, but I’m going to make things up because that’s what I’m best at.

I wonder if some of my fear and anxiety about this is an unconscious belief that making things up isn’t as legitimate. History seems so much more, well, serious and intellectual. Not like making things up for fun! Of course, I also don’t want to fall into the trap of perpetuating cultural stereotypes and hurting people. I still haven’t decided whether choosing the route of a Mediterranean-inspired fantasy isn’t at its heart an act of cowardice on my part. But it does feel safer.

What about you, readers? Do you write historical fantasy, alternate universes, or culturally-inspired fantasy? Do you do research and how much? And do you start with research or wait till after you’ve written the first draft or write and research in tandem?

Writing

In Which I Reveal My Plans For The Summer

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

I disappeared again! I apologize. I’ve been dealing with some ongoing health issues and I’m still getting used to the logistics of living in a new place. Anyway, I’ve decided to buckle down this summer and write through an entire draft of my new WIP, The Island of the Moon. BUT this is also going to be an experiment for me because I’m going to try to free write the entire draft by hand. I have a binder and a bunch of looseleaf papers so I can move things around. And I’m going to make a collage for the cover because that’s how writers procrastinate.

Why do I want to free write the draft by hand? Partly because typing hurts my hands and arms and partly because I want to stop myself from fussing with language, which usually happens when I type. I want to use the binder instead of a notebook because then I can move scenes around, draft out of order, throw things out if I want to, rewrite scenes. Basically I want to give myself as much flexibility and freedom as I can. Why free writing? Because drafts intimidate me. A draft is serious business. Free writing is exploration. Once I finish the draft I have some voice recognition software I can use to type it out without hurting my hands.

I’ve never tried this before so I have no idea if it will work, but I’m excited about it. I’m also going to focus on research as much as I can. So I’ll be reading books about Spain, the Mediterranean Sea and its history and culture, myths and legends of the ocean, and whatever else comes up. One resource I’m really excited about is the website rvte.es. It’s the website for radio and television in Spain and they have a lot of documentaries and shows you can watch for free. I’m definitely going to take advantage of that.

I’ll try to keep checking in to give you an update on my progress and I might also post any interesting historical or mythological tidbits I come across. My deadline is October 1 so I have about five months. Please feel free to nag me incessantly.

Uncategorized, Writing

The Next Big Thing

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

First of all, a thank you to Lyn Miller-Lachmann for tagging me in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. You can read all about her awesome new book, Rogue, here.

I was originally going to write about my thesis, Triptych, but then this shiny new idea took over my brain so I’m going to write about that instead. You’ll just have to forgive me 🙂

What is the working title of your book?

La isla de la luna or The Island of the Moon.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

This actually started as a story that the protagonist in Triptych was writing. So it was originally a story within a story. Then it kept getting longer and more complicated and eventually became more interesting than the original novel and seduced me away from it, lol.

What genre does your book fall under?

Spanish-flavored fantasy?

What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I have no idea how to answer this. Most of the Spanish actors I know are older than my protagonists. Clearly I need to watch more Spanish films.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A young girl washes up on one of the last floating islands with the power to control the sea and meets the dangerous Crooked Man, a magician who makes her question everything she’s taken for granted: her courtiers and friends, her magic and her past.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Hopefully when I finish this it will be represented by an agent!

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I’ve only written bits and pieces so far. I’m nowhere near done yet.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

This is another hard question. I haven’t seen a whole lot of Spanish-themed fantasy books. I’d say “Pan’s Labyrinth” (even though it’s obviously not a book), but the time period is all wrong.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I’ve been seriously needing to write some self-indulgent fantasy and this story has given me permission to do that. I’ve always been in love with the sea and dreamed of having my own island and being able to do magic. I’m also very fond of tricksy magicians. So this story rose up out of my desire to write about many of the things that excite me as a writer/reader. I actually sat down recently and brainstormed all the exciting things I could put in this book. It made me deliriously happy.

What else about your book might pique the readers interest?

I’m just going to write you a list of awesomeness to entice you. This story contains: the daughter of the sea, a shape shifting magician who collects hearts, a floating island, an Iberian lynx named Fuego, a red fox named Lucifer, a ship wreck, a curse, a troupe of traveling players, masquerade balls, and ships with black sails. Hey, there may even be pirates. We’ll see 😉

And now to tag other writers to share their Next Big Thing…

L. Marie

Sharon Van Zandt

Val Howlett

Writing

Blog Hiatus!

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

So you may have noticed that I have failed in my goal of posting once a week. But I have an excuse! I have been working very hard! I have 30,000 words of my novel now and I’ve been writing a little poetry, too. Hurray! And it is the middle of the semester so life is hectic. That said, I think I’m going to take a break from this blog until after I graduate because there is just too much to do and I have to prioritize!!! I apologize. And I will see you on the other side of my MFA degree 😉

Darrell Kastin, Writing

Writing Away And A Book Cover

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

This is just to say that I’ve been working away on my novel and my lecture and cooking a ton of food from scratch so I don’t have as much time right now to blog about anything particularly interesting. My advisor really loves the new third person I’m playing with, which I’m very pleased about, and she wants me to keep moving forward in the story for now, so that’s what I’m doing. We need to have 75 pages of our creative thesis to graduate and right now I have about 95 pages (I am trying to get through the whole draft for my own sinister purposes). My goal is to get to 30,000 words by the end of the third packet. We’ll see how that goes. It feels really good to move forward at this point because it gives me a glimpse of the bigger picture of the story, the structure, as it were, instead of only writing and revising in smaller chunks. I’m trying to just speed through right now to get the words down (because it is so tempting to stop and edit every single word) and then I’ll go back and to get those same words to suck less, lol.

I really need to spend some time on my lecture, too. I’m toying with the idea of using powerpoint and it’s been ages since I’ve even looked at powerpoint, so I think some brushing up is in order. I have a rough draft/outline of my lecture written out, but I’d really like to get a more final version done. I’m going to be using a lot of exercise examples, too, so I’ve got to write those out and then hope my lecture doesn’t end up being two hours long 😉

Anyway, that’s all for now. But before I go I just wanted to show you all the official cover for my dad’s new short story collection coming out through Tagus Press this fall. Doesn’t it look lovely?