Well, I’m still working on posting consistently on a specific day every week. One day I’ll get there, but I keep letting it slip my mind. However, practice makes perfect, and perseverance leads to success. The next couple of weeks will be full of fun stuff as I report on my experiences at the Summer Writer’s Symposium and Fyrcon this month! My goal is to post as soon as each conference is over so that my thoughts and feelings are fresh. Hopefully I remember to take some pictures. I’ll also be working more on my steampunk novel once July arrives. By the time I enter my last semester at Weber State, I want to have a few chapters ready for my novel writing class. A quick update about the short story I’ve been working on: the first draft is finished! Right now, the working title is Strictly Nightlife. Since IRead More
Although graduation from Weber State University is still a little over six months away, I have been thinking about what life will be like once I’m not in class every day with aspiring writers and published instructors. Graduation also means that I need a career to step into. Both of these are more than a little intimidating. After spring semester ended this year, I decided that I wasn’t going to waste my summer sleeping in; I was going to start networking. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I have discovered that there is a lot out there for me to do. I kicked my search off by going to a Fan Expo that was hosted by my former high school at the beginning of last month. While there, I had a chance to talk with a few authors and a couple of editors involved with local publishing companies. ItRead More
“Monsters in the Woods” is now available to read! Since Metaphor doesn’t have a website for their published work you can read it here. Originally, “Monsters in the Woods” was a nonfiction story based on my childhood. This was one of those stories that I struggled to find inspiration for, then it came in a single burst–the first draft anyway. After some mentoring by one of my English professors, I decided to add “the man’s” perspective and upped the tension in the story. Eventually I decided that this story no longer fit into the nonfiction genre, but it’s pretty close. This is also the story that I had the chance to read at the National Undergraduate Literary Conference hosted in Ogden, Utah. I actually liked reading out loud a lot more than I expected. If I ever had to give advice on how to best prepare for a reading, itRead More
Currently, I am working on a steampunk novel, the first in a trilogy. The working title for the series is The Baronessa Chronicles, although that is subject to change should the need arise. I still haven’t hammered down titles for the books (which is unusual for me), but the working title for this first book since NaNoWriMo last year is “Outside of Freedom.” For anyone unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, it’s the shorthand for National Novel Writing Month; a great way to motivate yourself and get those words pumped out! In any event, I will try to update my progress as much as possible. As a treat to those who drop by, I do plan on posting some of my short stories and poems on this website. Some of it will be straight from me, while others will be published and linked to corresponding pages. Since Metaphor doesn’t have a website whereRead More
Madeline M. Marcum is a newly published author. Her short story, “Monsters in the Woods” appeared in the 38th volume of Metaphor (2019). Her short story was also accepted as a presentation at the annual National Undergraduate Literary Conference. Nonconforming to genre rules, Madeline writes all kinds of short and long-form stories (and dabbles in poetry). When she’s not writing, Madeline works toward her goal of becoming a freelance editor for novels. She also occasionally sews costumes that are far out of her league, but only when she’s not doing homework. Madeline is set to graduate with a BA in Creative Writing this December!