The 2020 RMFW Anthology, featuring my short story The Re-creation of Sahmik Ghee, moves ever-closer to publication. We now have a title – Wild: Uncivilized Tales, a September 11 publication date, and a cover! I’ll let you know when and where to order your copy. Watch this website!
Writing
Writing Under Lockdown
I hope this update finds my half-dozen loyal readers healthy and free of COVID-19. In my previous update dated February 27, I thought COVID-19 was something distant and intangible. But for the past three months our lives have turned into a dystopian apocalypse. The Pandemic as Science Fiction For more than a century, stories like … Read more
Winter Writing Update – The Pop-top Beer Can and Jimmy’s Hat
I’m taking this blog in a slightly different direction and providing two writing samples for you to enjoy or pan. The Pop-top Beer Can The Pop-top Beer Can grew out of a short message to a friend. I’ve expanded it here to almost flash-fiction length. It hasn’t been edited and is still pretty rough. But … Read more
RMFW Blog: Writing Blind
https://rmfw.org/writing-blind-by-paul-martz/
Publication News!
After writing creatively for two years, I’m happy to have my first blog with the title Publication News. My short story, The Re-creation of Sahmik Ghee, will appear in the 2020 RMFW Wild Anthology. If you just can’t wait a year for the fall 2020 publication date, read through to the end of this blog … Read more
A Summer of Space, Brains, and Writing
I’ve been writing! In The Re-creation of Sahmik Ghee, a future arctic hunter on a distant planet meets an untimely death. His partner must find a way to bring him back and hold him to his contract. This short story is based on the classic poem The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service. … Read more
DNA, Facial Recognition, and Notre Dame
I’ve been a writer for 18 months. Where’s my novel? You faithful blog followers deserve an explanation! While my novels are still a future dream, that doesn’t mean I’m idle. Read on to hear about my short stories, poetry, and topics I monitor for future story ideas. Rogan’s Drone and Sam McGee I’ve been creating … Read more
Short Story: The Timesmith
New writers (and even experienced ones) sometimes stare at a blank page or empty text window waiting for inspiration to strike. Many techniques exist to help overcome writers’ block. Today, I’m using something called a writing prompt. According to ThoughtCo.com, a “writing prompt is a brief passage of text (or sometimes an image) that provides … Read more
A Poem: The Thompson River Flows
After retiring from the software industry, I decided to boot a second career as a creative writer. This didn’t seem that difficult. I had extensive technical writing experience, and I took college-level creative writing classes while at University of Michigan. How hard could it be? Turns out, I’ve forgotten everything I’ve learned about writing stories … Read more