Joshua Orr

Writer, Co-Editor of the Vanishing Point

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

I'm happy to announce my short story, the Dark Turn will be published in The Fifth Di.. by @HiraethSF!

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@AddisonCSmith I guess it depends on the city!

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@tweetsbynidhi @thevanishpoint I'll let a story gestate for a few days or sometimes many weeks. After a while, the ideas will peter out and I'll know I've squeezed out enough to start actually writing.

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@tweetsbynidhi @thevanishpoint I use Evernote and I have a "notebook" for each story. Each notebook has a "note" for each topic I mentioned before. I fill each note with tons of bullet points, anything I think of while I'm out and about. Sometimes I'll jot full conversations down.

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@tweetsbynidhi @thevanishpoint I tend to be someone who takes a TON of notes prior to writing anything: timeline, characters arcs, themes, time travel mechanics (as an example), etc. Then I evaluate the mass of info I've accumulated. Lots to explore = novel. Less = short story.

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

Writing a short story. I'm stuck in my least favorite phase between enthusiasm for a new project and grinding out those last couple pages. Does anyone else lose a bunch of steam once they know how they plan to wrap things up?

#amwriting #WritingCommunity

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@Highspeed0516 @BookishDuck Wait, are prologues not okay?

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@TaylorLGrothe That's simply amazing

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@rileyisyelling 1 almost ready for submission. 1 nearly done with first draft. 5 or 6 in outline or brainstorm phase

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@Gabino_Iglesias This isn't to say revision isn't important - it's crucial. Revision is when the story comes together. I meant, don't get stuck rewriting the same story again and again. If you don't have it after, like, version 8, you'll never have it. Just move on.

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@Gabino_Iglesias Don't start with a novel. 🙄 Write lots and lots of different stories. When you finish one, move on to another. Don't get caught in the revision cycle. You'll learn more from writing a new one than constantly improving old work.

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@rileyisyelling I set the water boiler it to boil, then forget about it for a few minutes. I restart it when I pass through the kitchen again. And again. And again. If I'm not standing right there when it finishes, I assume it's cold. This cycle goes on for an hour sometimes.

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

A hot cup of black coffee, dull rumbles of construction from the neighboring lot, sun streaming through the windows, a relatively clean house, a fully charged laptop. Time to write. #amwriting #writingcommunity #writersoftwitter

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

Just found out not one, but two of my shorts have been accepted by @ScareStreet! "The Creek" and "Calling All Children" will be appearing in an upcoming "Night Terrors" anthology. Thanks guys!

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@TaylorLGrothe One, but it's my whole forearm

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@hreynolds4 I like to make a list of everything that section needs to accomplish- character beats, plot points, an advanced theme- then just move on to the next section and let this one marinate some more.

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@dear_dalfnor Massively overwrite, then pare back significantly when editing. This comes from my film background, where you film WAY more than you need and the story really comes together in editing.

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

@love_walk_life I feel like I came to terms with that arrangement years ago....

[Joshua Orr @VanishPointJosh]

Wake up. Go to brush teeth. Time for a new toothbrush! Throw old toothbrush in trashcan. Open drawer. Out of new toothbrushes. Sigh. Get old toothbrush out of trashcan. Brush teeth.