Improbable Press Blog

By Atlin Merrick Just…just go around me. I'm going to be here awhile, stretched out on this grass, staring at the fluffy clouds while I tell youngsters to get off my lawn. Which is to say I am a tiny bit exhausted. O so weary of others doing what I used to do, and now I just want to squirt everyone with this hose I'm not holding and holler "Learn from my mistakes for heaven's sake! I also didn't follow submission guidelines! And do you know what it got me? Don't you walk away while I'm yelling at you!" Submission...

Back with prompts in time for holiday time! Let this inspire you to write, should inspiration you wish! As ever this is for Anarion because she takes such a delight in these and gives delight with the stories she tells. Let your story find voice by sharing what's in that beribboned box. Or what you see at the corner of your eye when you look at those dots. Maybe the tale you'll tell is about what shadows see in the dark, or how Hades feels about the color black. Perhaps you'll start there and veer to a story about rain...

By Atlin Merrick First: I hope you have a fantastic writing career, full of exciting challenges, wondrous peers, and the respect of a dozen editors and publishers. Now let me tell you how not to have any of those things. How to be Sure Your Writing Career is Short Be rude. That's it. That's the whole post. Be rude to your editor or publisher and it's the best way I know to make sure you have a really short writing career. I'll refine what I mean by 'rude' by saying first that no your editor isn't out to get you....

By Tamara M Bailey Are the rejections piling up? Are you dreading the ding of another email? Do you know by heart the form rejection template? Are you this close to quitting? Too many of us have been there, and honestly, there’s not much you can do to change the responses of agents and publishers. What you can do is change your mindset. Here are five steps to find joy in your writing again. Step 1: Clean up your writing space Enjoy the process. Turn on some music, daydream as you dust, open the windows. Put away the sticky notes,...

A tense sneak peek into The Other Olivia, the just-published thriller from Tamara M Bailey: She fell into Matt's chair and watched his email account update. A dozen new work messages, along with one from Sarina, received eight minutes ago. It had a lot of silly gushing and heart emojis. Olivia scrolled down to see what Matt had sent earlier this morning. She's still acting weird, it said. I really think she knows. Part of me hopes she does, because every time I'm with her, I think of the next time I can be with you. I love you, my...