#Longsummer

[nihilnovisubsole]

hercule and aida style experiment to shake the cobwebs off

[versegm]

If you read indie books play indie games listen to indie musik or generally appreciate any form of art by lesser-known people my challenge for you is to comment on this post with at least one recommendation for a work you wish was better-known. The more obscure it is the better.

For now here are some of mine:

Love Letter - 18+ Trans-Gay Zine. It's all in the title, a short zine on being a trans dude who loves other dudes.

Inuit Uppirijatuqangit - ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᑉᐱᕆᔭᑐᖃᖏ���. "A hidden object game in which users explore 4 unique areas in and around an Inuit community." Short game to learn native myths & sayings.

Longsummer Night, an anthology of monster romances. It's got like fifteen stories there's got to be SOMETHING you'll like in here (personally I would have paid full price for "Labris" alone this shit blew my tits off)

Player Two is Unprepared, a one-page satyrical RPG making fun of ya boy Ready Player One. It's fucking hilarious I was giggling the entire time I read this.

The Unicorn's Beard, a short story about a doctor being hired to take care of the queen's unicorn.

Pine Sap, a poetry collection. "That's just the heart talking, you can never trust those. pick a more stable organ to listen to, like the spleen, or the gallbladder” lives rent-free in my head.

A Strip of Velvet, a 18+ monster romance featuring hunters and old gods.

Fire and Wolf, the book I won't shut the fuck up about, YA sci-fi/fantasy about kids accidentally pulling an NPC out of a VR videogame.

Btw if yourself dabble in creative endeavors you can self promote on this post too go wild.

[arthoure]

I’m going through a very weird phase -- which I think is part of my burnout recovery, though I don’t know what purpose it’s serving -- where all I’ve done for the past week or so is go through old writing of mine. TONS of it. Old fanfiction from high school; old RPs; notes from old story ideas I never got around to; my Longsummer Nights novella; even some of my old Lovestruck work, which I haven’t been able to stomach looking at since I left. 

A part of me really wants to go back and play in those stories again, even though I know it’s impossible. The joy and inspiration I got from those days is over even if I try to revisit it, and I don’t know what’ll come next. But I still go to the old haunts like old habits, like my brain is waking up and looking around to try and recall what even is a story, what always moved you, what made you want to do this in the first place before it became the only way to buy your medicine. I’d really like to hope that these are warm-up stretches before my imagination starts to run, but I’m not sure. I’ve never really had ideas of my own that I’ve ever loved, and I’ve always taken writing as a Team Sport, which makes me a particularly good games writer, but often leaves me feeling stranded when I consider making art just to quiet that impatient tightness in my chest that insists on it, for reasons I still can’t discern.

[the960writers]

Longsummer Nights is an LGBTQ+ paranormal romance anthology set in a shared urban fantasy universe. Its wide variety of prose stories explore what it means to be a monster, as well as what happens when you love one.

By purchasing Longsummer Nights, you will receive an ebook in MOBI, EPUB, and PDF formats. It features fifteen paranormal romances of varying lengths, with content that ranges from explicit to fade-to-black chaste. 

The authors, titles, and pairings are listed below in order:

RIEN GRAY · "Seeds of Solace" · F/NB A.K. FEDEAU · "Anniversary" · M/F FISHER STRUNC · "Virgin Cocktail" · M/NB A. HENDRICKS · "Heart of Stone" · M/M FRANCES MAPLES · "A Simply Miraculous Invention" · NB/NB T.K. HIRST · "Indelible and Nocturnal" · M/M AMANDA LOUISE · "Corylus And Stone" · F/F CYRUS ADAMS · "Mending Ribbons" · M/M ALIX COMEAU · "Ancient History for Modern Lovers" · F/F ABIGAIL LAUGHLIN · "Le Chien Noir" · M/F EVE GOLDEN-WOODS · "The Antidote To Memory" · F/F DEVAN SOYKA · "Every Medicine, A Poison" · M/F CHERRY · "Labrys" · M/M MARGOT MADISON · "What Happened At Wisteria House" · F/F ARSON KIDDER · "Toothpick" · F/F

$15.00 USD or more

[fansofvow]

It's here!! ✨🎉🏳️‍🌈🔥

[endemix]

Moving to the sea is always a very good idea ! #holidays #riccione #seaside #mediterraneoriccione #riccionebeach #mediterraneo #fall2022trends #acquafan #funplace #longsummer #romagna #romagnamia #romagnatravel (presso Hotel Mediterraneo Riccione) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkbxSY_srpq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[reneesrockingredesign]

Do they make everything huge here is Missouri? This dude is actual size and was pushing 1.5 inches in length! #woolybear #predictions #longsummer #bigbugs #bigspiders #bigdeer #learningthroughexploration https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb0SJ6lOEWS/?utm_medium=tumblr

[arthoure]

This anthology was such a labor of love: it was so freeing and joyful to write for ourselves without limits, and we're SO EXCITED to share these stories with you. Please keep sharing to help us hit our stretch goals!

For anyone curious about my story, it's a Hawthorne-homage historical with fraught hand-touching, biblical symbolism, and a woman who can kill you with a breath, so...exactly what you expected from me.

AND WE’RE LIVE! The Longsummer Nights Kickstarter is up and running and we are SO SO SO EXCITED!

Thank you all so much for the support you’ve shown us thus far!  Click here to pledge and be sure to message us if you have any questions! 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/longsummernights/longsummer-nights

[mb-myrandomthoughts]

Every setback is a set up for a comeback. But where to find that comeback?  A fresh new challenge? All help is welcome! #jobsearch #inspiration #help #job #summer #longsummer

[nihilnovisubsole]

can you believe it's been a year since @vowtogether released longsummer nights? have some WIP shots of a certain pair of vampires 👀

[whereisnik]

It is time for the long Greek summer to begin #greeksummer18 #lovegreece #wheresnikgotogreece #wheresnik #longsummer #greece #visitgreece #travel #traveller #travelgram (at Aeroporto Marconi di Bologna)

[multiversepapelle28]

Ολα θυμίζουν λίγο φθινόπωρο, πολύ καλοκαίρι κι εκείνη την απέραντη Άνοιξη.🌾🍁🥀 #chaniacrete #homesweethome🏘 #autumn #longsummer #flowers #nature #blooming (στην τοποθεσία ΤΑΥΡΩΝΙΤΗΣ) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHqW1U9Dwj1GcOcJuQ_3ylGh6hJDppXY-d7klI0/?igshid=7yl1i4rx93lu

[roxanapopet]

The long, unendless summers in Timişoara are the best! 🌞✅ #longsummer #beautifultimisoara #sunset #nofilter #privilege (at Timisoara, Romania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CF5oWOMhv2G/?igshid=vas1kw8wttnp

[bunnywunnie8]

Enjoying the last few warm days of september. #goodweather #longsummer #relaxing https://www.instagram.com/p/CFFlIS1pm_x/?igshid=18u0fdp8ex8m8

[fansofvow]

✨Interview with Dayna K. Smith✨

As we eagerly await the release of the Longsummer Nights anthology, I thought it might be interesting to take a peek behind the curtain and talk about one of the aspects of publishing that tends to be a bit of an unsung hero: editing. I reached out to Dayna K. Smith, one of the editors on the anthology, who was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions. What a delight her answers are and incredibly thoughtful and informative! Enjoy!

📖

“The first draft is black and white. Editing gives the story color”. --Emma Hill

Let’s begin with a little bit about you. What would you say are 3 essential pieces of information about yourself.

I'm a queer farm witch with a predilection for werewolves!

I’d like to ask you about your role as editor for Longsummer Nights, @vowtogether’s shared-universe LGBTQ+ paranormal romance anthology. What made you take on the mantle of editing such an ambitious project?

Originally I had a story to include, but I just could not drag it loose from my brain. I came to realize I'd overworked the writing muscle in my creative mind, and was actually eager to flex my editing and story doctoring skills! This was a great opportunity to exploit some organically-occuring, much-needed excitement in myself and still participate in Vow's first big prose project.

During VOW’s 24 hour Q&A, there were a lot of questions asked about writing, but editing is a skill in and of itself. (For anyone who may not be familiar with the field, there are all kinds of editing, with the main four types being proofreading, copy editing, developmental editing and substantive editing.) What kind of editing have you been doing for the anthology?

I've been doing mostly developmental and substantive editing, alongside Continuity Editor Rien Gray and Devan Soyka on copyediting. With permission, I've also gotten to do some story doctoring: a controversial practice where an editor is allowed to venture into more direct sculpting suggestions. ("I would do it like this...") Loads of fun as long as you make sure not to overstep what the writer says would be helpful!

Do you have a specific number of reads per short story or does it vary?

I always read a full draft at least twice through: once quickly to get general impressions, and once where I slow waaaay down and get granular. I also double-check prior notes relating to issues cropping up in multiple spots, or an opportunity to address an earlier question, or pointing out an underutilized (or well-utilized!) motif, etc.

Have you ever done this kind of editorial work before?

Yes and no! I've done tons of kit-bashing and critiquing back in college, with my current novel-writing group, at the CSSF Novel Workshop in Kansas, and at the Clarion UCSD short story workshop. (Kit-bashing is a full-on type of workshop where your trusted peers pry apart every bolt and gear of your outline in ways you couldn't even imagine.) All those times, I was responsible only to my personal reputation (and maybe the muses). This time, cognizant of the honor of having my name on the Longsummer Anthology, I've approached each story with a sharper sense of responsibility--a dedication to pulling the entire sled across the ice side-by-side with my partners.

You are also a professional writer. How do the challenges of editing compare to the challenges of writing?

Editing is basically another way of writing, so it has similarly intense joys and confusions. The good news is you're sharing and solving the confusions as a team; the story is fundamentally not yours, so you can freewheel through tons of possible paths without the same pangs of attachment. There's a playful freedom to approaching someone else's ideas with a deep, thoughtful appreciation and a whole new well of energy that hasn't already been drained by creating the story as it stands.

How would you describe the role of the editor in a project like this?

The role of an editor is always to help the writer guide the story into what the writer wants it to be. There is no platonic "best" version of a story, no way the plot points "should" go, only how the writer wants it to go. Sometimes that takes someone with a clear perspective who can ask the right questions, and offer deeply-considered impressions of what the current draft evokes in a reader, so the writer can compare that to what they want and shape the next draft from there.

How do you balance cooperating with the writer and your own opinion on specific aspects of their story?

Reminding myself that it's not my story is hard! I don't always succeed. I try to face each thorn in a story by relating how the current version makes me feel/wonder and ask if that's what the writer intends; in case it's not--and if something stuck out to me, then it usually isn't intentional--I spitball a couple ideas as to how that reader impression could be reshaped.

Does praise play a role when you are providing feedback or do you keep things as neutral as possible?

Oh heck yeah, praise is vital. I don't use praise to lie--even in a super rough zero draft, I walk in knowing SOMETHING will be interesting or have cool potential. Writing is punishment enough without some jerk banging a drum and screaming "ROW, YOU SCUM." Stress better bring some joy or find other, better stress. Editing is helping. Joy and praise help.

“A good editor doesn't rewrite words, she rewires synapses.” --S. Kelley Harrell. Can you explain what this means to you?

To me, that's about asking questions and not prescribing. Questions are the editor's main job, along with proliferating random options--even a bad or jokey suggestion can help inspire good ideas! There are a million ways every story could be and has been told. The writer's the only one who can FEEL what this particular story wants. Sometimes, the writer's sense of Right Feeling needs to react to something from outside in order to jumpstart useful alchemical change inside--a new connection, a new path over the current hurdle, a new synaptic bridge!