Posted inInstigation Weblog Exclusive

Twisted Prompts for NaNoWriMo Writers

NaNoWriMo -- aka National Novel Writing Month -- launched today (and I have a suspicion that Starbucks' stock will, too)! Since I know that a lot of writers follow this blog, I thought it might be cool if I shared some "Instigation" prompts just for novelists who are speeding through a caffeinated session of binge writing but hitting roadblocks along the way. These prompts are intended to help you get over those hurdles more than just help you get started -- but whatever they do, I hope they instigate you to take your book in a weirder direction than you…
November 1, 2009Posted inInstigation, Weblog Exclusive
Posted inWeblog Exclusive

Clips from My Halloween Reading at SHU 2009

Last week the English Club at Seton Hill University invited me to read at a Halloween event they sponsored, and I had a lot of fun reading some new story sketches and poems with them. I recorded it, so I could share a few audio clips here in celebration. Click the play button below to hear "Endless Shrimp" (2:10), "Silence" (3:17) and "The Christmas Doll" (0:46). Happy Halloween (...and Christmas, too!) [audio:Michael Arnzen_Endless Shrimp-Live 2009.mp3,Michael Arnzen_Silence-Live 2009.mp3,Michael Arnzen_The Christmas Doll-Live 2009.mp3|titles=Endless Shrimp-Live 2009,Silence-Live 2009,The Christmas Doll-Live 2009|artists=Michael Arnzen,Michael Arnzen,Michael Arnzen] If you like it, investigate my produced CD -- Audiovile!…
October 25, 2009Posted inWeblog Exclusive
Posted inWeblog Exclusive

Zombie CSU: The Lost Arnzen Interview

In August 2008, Kensington Books released a great nonfiction title called ZOMBIE CSU: The Forensics of the Undead, written by Stoker Award-winning author Jonathan Maberry, that is definitely worth a look-see if you're a fan of this subgenre of the undead. Reminiscent of -- but far richer in scope than -- Max Brooks' classic Zombie Survival Manual, Zombie CSU covers far more than just "Crime Scene Unit" material. It is, in fact, a thick cultural guide to virtually everything associated with these brain-eating maniacs, with chapters devoted to every possible subgenre within this huge subgenre, alongside original art by many…
March 14, 2009Posted inWeblog Exclusive
Posted inWeblog Exclusive

Write Horror at Seton Hill University

How cool is my University? The above image is a sneak preview of an ad campaign they'll be releasing soon for our graduate program in Writing Popular Fiction, where students can earn a Master's degree for writing a horror novel. Instructors include luminaries in the horror/fantasy genre you might be familiar with, like Tim Waggoner, Gary Braunbeck, Timons Esaias and Lawrence C. Connolly and many others. We're currently brainstorming "taglines" to go with the above image (like: "Don't fear commercial success.") so if you want to recommend any (before my meeting with the powers that be on 1/28), go right…
January 26, 2009Posted inWeblog Exclusive
Posted inWeblog Exclusive

Stephen King’s THE STAND Turns 30!

Lorne Dixon has put together an awesome 30 year anniversary tribute to Stephen King's masterpiece of dark fantasy, The Stand -- called "What a Long, Strange Captain Trips: The Stand Turns Thirty" -- which you should go read over at the new November issue of the online magazine, Nossa Morte.  There's some great reflections and anecdotes about the book from a bevvy of writers:  find out about Kathe Koja's early fan letter to King, Jeff Strand's relationship to long-long stories, and Rick Hautala's theft (and subsequent return) of the original manuscript...on ugly orange paper! Here's part of what I had…
November 2, 2008Posted inWeblog Exclusive