I thought I would take a stab at writing a column here, as I have had many years of legal writing practice and even produced some fiction and poetry but have no experience in commentary-related writing. If this develops into something of interest to me, I will include it in Lone Star Stories in lieu of or as part of an editorial piece for each issue of the webzine.

Without further ado, my attempt at a column:

A Call for More Writing Markets

As an attorney trying to make my way in a tight legal market here in Austin, Texas, I understand the challenging (okay, depressing) nature of competition for services and products. As a writer of short speculative fiction and the occasional poem, I have found and heard from others that the market for such work is even worse than it is for my professional services.

I find that ridiculous.

With web hosting and web site design so cheap and easy nowadays, I do not understand why more paying markets do not exist. I just started Lone Star Stories, a (low) paying webzine with a very specific theme, and I have already purchased the rights to two excellent stories for the first issue. Just like that, two short stories have found a market that exists because I opened it to them. If more speculative fiction devotees with basic organizational skills and a bit of spending money were to open webzines, more unpublished, entertaining, and even meaningful speculative fiction would find homes as well. Sure, lots of stories floating around out there should remain in the darkness, but many such invisible works deserve to be seen.

So, if anyone reading this, whether writer or reader or both, has an idea for a paying webzine, go open it. You never know what tales by new or established writers will cross your bow if you do not launch the boat. Good luck and happy publishing.