Writings

Welcome!

I am a writer.  I dream of stories in fiction, and daylight often gives non-fiction ideas.

In fiction my current work, Salvage, is in the science fiction genre, while other works planned are in mainstream and children’s fiction.

In nonfiction, I have authored articles on a variety of subjects and blog posts related to the craft and business of writing.

Short Clips from the Novel

by Cindy Rae

I had to cherry-pick some of these clips to avoid spoilers.  Enjoy!

She breathed in the crisp air of fall as she craned her head up. The vibrant light shone through the leaves. Overhead in a blue sky a V of ducks headed southwest, honking faintly in the distance. Autumn was one of her favorite seasons.

They sat, mother and daughter, in silence together in the dull beige waiting room. They watched the hospital staff walking back and forth. Sunlight streamed in a small window nearby, dimmed more and more by clouds passing. The wind was picking up and tossing the tops of the trees back and forth.

Friday night came, and the crew were hard at work. Just outside town an accident sprawled across two lanes of interstate. Cars slowly edged by in the farthermost lane, traffic already heavy for tomorrow’s festival made heavier by the accident. The sky darkened, and the wind picked up speed.

Facebook Vs. Website: Some Personal Notes

by Cindy Rae

My Facebook page has more frequent posts than this website. But, Facebook lends itself well to short posts.

So, here you’ll see longer posts.  You won’t see as many, but hopefully ones with more information you find interesting or useful.

I originally had a plan to post 1-3 posts a week here on this website, but I have since revised that plan.

At this point, I’d rather spend my writing time on my novel, with occasional excerpts captured in my writing journal.  Maybe even kick out another short story, although I’m a bit disappointed not to hear what happened to the last one.

Nanite Short Story in Black Hole?

by Cindy Rae

No news from the competition out of Glasgow. I have no idea whether they’ve accepted my short story into the anthology. Is no news bad news?

I suppose I need to sit on the story for a year, then assume they’ve foregone the rights to it? Er, I’d better go back and read the submission rules on rights.

It’s hard not to let this burn me on writing more short stories.

10 Things You Can Do to Support an Unpublished Writer Online

by Cindy Rae

So, if you’ve ever wondered how to support a writer not yet published? After all, there are tons of ways to support a published author, even beyond buying his or her books.

But for us struggling, not-yet-published writers, what can you do? Turns out, there’s much you can easily do online.
Continue reading →

Writing Progress: Past the Baby Steps

by Cindy Rae

I’ve been taking baby steps in this writing business for the past few months. Now that the following are accomplished, I finally feel like I’m stretching out from baby steps and am now, well, toddling along.

Thanks for your support, and I’d love to hear feedback from you.

If you want to know what have I achieved in terms of baby steps:

Continue reading →

Character Notes: Laura Havenaugh

by Cindy Rae

Here are more notes from my novel in work, this time in connection with Sifa’s mother, Laura Havenaugh. Want to know more? Have a suggestion? Feel free to comment below.

A somewhat short, somewhat thin, not-fat woman with long dark hair, slightly curly. Light olive skin. Suffers from inherited genetic problems including excessive blood clotting that caused her miscarriages. The genetic problems were probably due from ancestral inbreeding in a small rural community in the hills.

Sifa and Peter: A Note about Sifa

by Cindy Rae

My upcoming novel has a full cast of characters. The Havenaugh family includes our protagonist, Sifa: her mother, Laura, and her father, Mac.

Sifa is blonde, twenty-three, thin, of medium height. She is a little shallow in terms of her relationships and is too easy to please. She rationalizes these faults in terms of her faith, but it really is due to selfishness and fear.

Circumstances force her to mature.

Back to Sifa and Peter

by Cindy Rae

Now that my short story is submitted, I’m back to development on my novel about Sifa and Peter. I had already written the core scenes, so my next pass through will be adding more of the settings for each scene. I also need to develop some secondary characters in the story. Sifa’s mother may have a story more predominant than I thought.

Nanite Story Completed and Submitted

by Cindy Rae

I’ve submitted “Out of the Blue” to a competition out of Glasgow. It’s a science fiction short story with an emphasis on medical technology. I should know by the end of next month if the story has won or has been selected for the anthology.

Here’s a small excerpt:

He inched his way over uneven terrain. The ground continued to shake as the incoming shells worked their way westward, away from the rising blood-red sun. The filters on his helm were failing; he could taste the bitter sulfur of dust on his tongue.