Writing on Reading: The Yiddish Policemen's Union

Since Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union won this year's Hugo for best novel, I figured I'd better check it out. After all, lots of WorldCon members voted for it, and if they liked it, then I'd probably like it.

It's easy to find good things to say about the novel. Chabon is a talented wordsmith. He fits more brilliant similes on one page than I can manage in a whole novel. His world is really creative: an alternative world where a Jewish settlement was established in Alaska. He fills the book with all kinds of unique and detailed characters. And thematically, he deals with important issues related to prejudice, isolation, and addiction.

Even with all that, I have to confess I didn't finish the book. I just did not get pulled in emotionally, nor did I care about the "whodunit" aspect of the plot. In some ways, the reading experience was a flashback to my college days, where I'd be reading a classic that I was "supposed" to enjoy, but the most I could manage was a grudging respect for the author. 

So, maybe one of you WorldCon members who voted for the novel can post a comment about why you voted for it. Am I just a doofus who can't appreciate a classic when its right under my nose?

Dying as a cop-out

Today I'm broaching POV characters dying. Bernita piqued today's interest in the topic. My feelings? I don't like it. For one, it ruins my suspension of disbelief.

As a fantasy editor and avid reader, I'll buy (figuratively, of course) just about anything. But unless your world includes storytelling ghosts, and it's established early on so that it doesn't reek of deus ex machina, death is the end of the road. For example, I happen to have talking ghosts figure widely in a series I'm shopping, and on about the second page, when Aidan is trying to figure something out, he muses that it can't be a ghost, he'd seen them before and they weren't like that.

Mainly, though, there are fates worse than death, and if you, as the devil of your particular little world (hogwash that writers are gods--good writers are SATAN) don't come up with one, then you're not doing your job. In short, death = cop-out.

It bears repeating, er, repeatedly: figure out what makes a character tick, and then put the screws to them, taking away all that they love and desire. GRR Martin is an undisputed master of this, and millions of books sold can't be wrong. In his SONG OF ICE AND FIRE series, one anti-hero, arguably the best swordsman of the realm, loses a hand. A romantic, silly beauty hopes to be married to a handsome prince, but ends up with a deformed dwarf. In these situations, the characters very nearly do want to die, but Martin, in his brilliant demonesque fashion, withholds that, too.

There's no excuse to not tackle this in short form, as well. I see stories all the time in which the stakes are loved ones, death and destruction, or loss of power. Yawn. EVERYONE wants their loved ones safe, they want to stay whole and healthy. Kings want to remain kings. That's every-man, and while such stories have their place, the really unique, interesting stories are the ones in which the character has a really unique, interesting desire. If that desire, and the achievement of it, stands at odds with his world and even his own character, so much the better.

Circulation page

I made a new Circulation page over at Electric Spec. We'll update it at the beginning of every month. Check it out! :)

Hard SF according to the experts

We are starting to get busy putting the new Electric Spec issue together. One of the things I'm working on is an exciting new author interview (which I'll blog about more later). It has been said that the author in question writes hard SF, which prompted me to ask: What exactly is hard SF?.

SF readers might say, "You know, stuff in Analog." But editor Stanley Schmidt himself said, "I'd like the term 'Hard SF' to go away. ...My definition of science fiction is simply fiction in which some element of speculation plays such an essential and integral role that it can't be removed without making the story collapse, and in which the author has made a reasonable effort to make the speculative element as plausible as possible. Anything that doesn't meet those requirements is not science fiction at all, as far as I'm concerned, so there's no need for a separate term like 'Hard SF' to distinguish it from 'other' kinds of SF." Read more. Now, I'm more confused. :)

David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer edited an important book called The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard Science Fiction and have some opinions on the topic. Among other things, Mr. Hartwell said, "Hard sf is about the beauty of truth. It is a metaphorical or symbolic representation of the wonder at the perception of truth that is experienced at the moment of scientific discovery. ...Hard sf is, then, about the emotional experience of describing and confronting what is scientifically true." And additionally, hard SF involves 'scientific plausibility', 'expository prose', 'scientific knowledge external to the story', and 'didacticism'. Read more.

Ms. Cramer agreed with Mr. Hartwell's wonder of science/ensuing emotions, and even contended that "science and hard sf are very similar". Furthermore, "hard sf has an identifiable feel, a particular kind of narrative voice, the right attitude. This attitude is respectful of the principles underlying the practice of science... the literal facts of a situation are more important than any interpretation. The anti-mysticism of hard sf is a point of pride for sf writers ... who see science as a replacement for religion and superstition." In the end, she says, "Writing stories within the rules of the universe as we know it and yet discovering fantastic possibilities of new ways of life is the central endeavor of the hard sf writer. ...Sf represents what the future could be like, although we know that the actual future will look nothing like it and when we meet it we may not recognize it." Read more.

They're the experts, so I guess we have to go with what they think. What do you think?

Are Online Magazines a Better Option for Authors and Readers than Print?

Fantasy and Science Fiction has a really interesting post about fee online spec fiction. Actually, the best part is the comments to the post, which should be of particular interest to authors trying to promote their work.

Just glancing through the comments, one theme becomes very apparent: if you want to sell your work, give it away for free. Huh? you may say. But just look at all the readers who say, in essence "If I read a short story by an author I like, then I will go out any buy that author's novel(s), anthology, etc." Further, the vast majority of the people would not have discovered this author if they had to pay for his or her work initially. In other words, free online fiction is probably a better source for promoting an author than print mags or subscription based e-zines. Believe it or not, you may get more bang for your buck if you get a story published in Electric Spec than if you get publish in a print magazine.

One sour note--most of the readers admitted that while they were happy to support the authors, they were unlikely to support the publishers (donations, payments, etc). What many readers miss is that one is directly related to the other, at least in the case of free online zines. For example, any support given to Electric Spec would go to things that would benefit the authors, like higher author payments and the nuts and blots of keeping the magazine alive. If the free online venues go away, that's one less avenue for author promotion.

The bottom line is that free online zines like Electric Spec are beneficial to readers and authors alike. The missing piece seems to be supporting editors and publishers.

Best "Semi-Pro Zine" a Forgone Conclusion?

John Kilma, editor of Electric Velocipede wrote an interesting entry on the Tor.com website yesterday about eliminating the "best semi-pro magazine" category from the Hugos. In a nutshell, he indicated that he supported the idea of eliminating the category because Locus wins the award every year. I'm a Locus reader who is constantly impressed with the quantity of genre information Charles Brown puts together for each issue. However, is does seem like the Hugos need some revamping when the same zine wins repeatedly.

According to the Hugos, Electric Spec, would, at most, be a fanzine. Nothing against fanzines, but, heck, if our magazine ever wins a Hugo, I'd much rather see it categorized for what it is--semi-pro (or maybe pro some day). To motivate editors like us to reach that point, Worldcon should look at changing things up a bit. After all, isn't part of the purpose of the Hugos to inspire great work?

Vonnegut's Rules

A fine writer I know recently expounded on Vonnegut's rules for writing. He's a novelist, so I thought I'd aim them at the short form.

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

Make sure you actually have something important to say. Recently I waxed poetic, badly, about what Story means to me. Nicola Griffith, another fine writer, said something about the writer's goal and process. I think it applies here:

When I write, dear reader, I don't want to build a careful tale for you to discuss with a smile in a sunny place, I want to own you. I don't want to be The New TV Series, I want to be pornography: to thrill you so hard you're ashamed but can't help yourself crawling back for more.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

Some people call this sympathy; I call it empathy. I don't have to like your characters, but I should want them to get everything they deserve.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

Every character should want something, not just the protag and antag. This does two things: it layers and enriches a story, and it forces you to cut any characters that aren't tied into the main action by their goals. I write and read upwards of 10 hours per day (and night). I'm all for cutting.

If achieving the goal contains an ironic twist, all the better. Robert McKee says about irony:

...in story, irony plays between actions and results--the primary source of story energy, between appearance and reality--the primary source of truth and emotion.

I would expand upon that to include: irony plays between character and goal--the primary source of growth and development.

4. Every sentence must do one of two things -- reveal character or advance the action.

The delete key is your friend.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

I'd guess there's room for about a paragraph of backstory in the short form. The best way around excessive backstory is to employ characters and situations that your reader will instantly recognize and identify with emotionally.

6. Be a sadist. Now matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

Your story is boot camp, your characters are pale new recruits, and you're the drill seargant. After all, a good story basically asks its readers to go to war with its characters.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

You can't please everyone all the time.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

This ties in with backstory, too. I just read a story last night in which the big reveal causes the characters to engage in a distinct "as you know, Bob" conversation. This was because the reveal was actually the premise, and an intriguing one. Had I known the "secret" that motivated the characters, I would have understood why they were doing what they were doing. As it was I floundered and gave up. Well, actually, I went and read the ending, realized it was structured poorly, and sent my Dear John letter.

This flawed structure of using the premise as the reveal is common. It also ties right back into the first rule: Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

Resist using your premise for suspense. A good story relies on action and reaction to the premise for suspense. The premise should drive the characters; the reveal, the suspense, should most often be what the characters will do about it. (I say most often, of course, because writers break this rule with great success all the time. Just not very often in my slush pile.) I'm a simple editor with simple needs. If you give me an intriguing premise that drives interesting characters to react in interesting, kick-ass ways, then you'll likely sell me a story.

Have faith in your premise. Trust that it will not waste the reader's time. Let it shine in the first paragraph; don't hide it behind a veil of vague dialogue, unmotivated action, and inconclusive narrative. In fact, often the best place for the premise is the first paragraph, or at least the first page. This is all about structuring, but it also may be about quality. If you feel you must hide your premise from the reader, then it may not be as strong a premise as you thought.

cover letter

More answers to some questions about Dave's post...

Here's your basic cover letter:

Dear Editors,

Please consider my story, ___, for Electric Spec. The story runs XX words and is/isn't a simultaneous submission.

Sincerely, thanks, cheers, whatever,
Betsy Dornbusch

(contact info)

Now for some notes on this and Dave's post:

Dave's really a super nice guy. That was written by an alter-ego editorial gremlin. :D

You can use our names instead of editor, but we assign stories randomly, so it really doesn't matter. It might at other magazines, so check with them.

Unless you tell us differently, we'll assume first rights are available. Incidently, we're not crazy about stories already published on blogs and websites.

Copyrighting a story is amatuerish. You actually own the story as soon as you write it, and I assume you have dated files on your hard drive to prove it. Stories really aren't getting stolen, so don't worry.

Um, synopses of stories--well, heck, if you tell me what the story is about, why should I read the story? It encourages us to be lazy, which is our nature anyway, so don't be an enabler!!

Title pages are for novels. I'm aware that our format link on our sub page isn't working and I need to make a new one. My bad. Basics:

Betsy Dornbusch 4100 words
address
phone
email

Lightning Strike

Most people who met Lucas McElroy would say “godlike” was a perfect way to describe him. But those same people would laugh out loud if he suggested he was a real god.

The joke would be on them.


Headers at the top of each page are nice, too, with cool stuff like your name, the story title, and page numbers.

I have credits to list, but sometimes I don't bother to put them in my cover letters. This is because, as an editor, I know other editors could really care less about my credits. They care about the story: this story. I mean, I'd always mention if I'd won a Hugo--that's good cover fodder and some names sell. But even at the top magazines, you'll hear the editors say that it's all about this particular story, not your past ones. Kudos if you've got a bunch of credits, but no worries here if you don't.

I love my dog. She's cute. Her name is Hannah. She keeps me company when I work. Her bed is right by my desk and she bugs me for walks every day. I walk her when I'm trying to sort out something about a story... Do you care? Didn't think so.

I'd add: use your real name and give us your first and last name. We're casual around the office, first name basis with our authors and sometimes "nicknames" with each other. But it's tough to do with initials or no name.

Don't snort like that. Sometimes I get stories with no name at all.

Most of all, keep 'em coming!

Advice Worth Repeating . . .

It surprises me how many stories we get that have a few strikes against them before I even get past the first page. The feeling you want to give an editor when you submit a story is that he or she is in good hands. With that in mind, here are a few "don'ts" (that I may have mentioned before):

1. Don't skip the cover letter completely. Writing nothing but "2000 words" says to me you don't much care about the submission.

2. Don't include details about any pets in the cover letter. I don't want to know about your cats, dogs, chickens, etc--even if sounds funny when you write it.

3. Don't include a synopsis of the story.

4. Don't include a title page.

5. Don't lie about the word count or "forget" about it when it is too long.

6. Don't include a "copyright" notice in your story. 

7. Don't use some huge font for your story title.

8. Don't waste your first few paragraphs. Show me it is a story I want to read right away. 

 

Writing on Reading: When the Wind Blows by James Patterson

James Patterson writes thrillers--at least that's what the book marketers say. However, When the Wind Blows is about a present-day world where children have been genetically engineered to have wings and fly. In fact, one of the POV characters is a winged girl.

So, my oft-asked question arises again: how do we draw the line between a thriller and speculative fiction? The fact is, When the Wind Blows IS science fiction--it has simply been marketed as a thriller. Apparently, this was an effective strategy, because the book make a number of best seller lists. 

When the Wind Blows is a mildly entertaining beach read. However, it does not meet the quality, thoughtfulness, or suspense that can be found in science fiction novels that explore the same or similar subjects. I encourage speculative fiction fans to read out of genre, but in this case, it probably isn't worth crossing over.

Why submit to Electric Spec?

As an author, it is hard to know where to submit your work, especially if you've already tried the pro-rate markets.  At Electric Spec, we encourage authors to do their market research before submitting work. Lots of great magazines are out there, but there are also lots of, well, not so great magazines. Electric Spec stands out from other markets because:

--We pay for stories and artwork
--We don't have slush readers. At least one of our editors looks at every story that comes in
--We've been around for over three years--and we've never missed an issue, deadline, or author payment
--We actually edit the stories we publish. Our experienced editors work with authors to make their stories the best they can possibly be. Many magazines out there don't do that--and it shows
--We have a quick turn around time. We turn send out rejections in 30-40 days. Acceptances take longer, but we will let you know if your story is in the running (i.e. held for voting) in that same 30-40 day time frame.

-- We have a very respectable circulation: around 11,000 views per issue
--We love authors because we're authors, too. All of the editors are published speculative fiction authors.

Obviously, we're not the right market for every story, but we might be the right market for you! 

Why?

Something Lesley said in our recent editor's meeting struck me. She spoke of our mission being to support up-and-coming authors. Thinking in terms of mission begs the deeper question: Why do we do what we do?

Much of an editor's job is thankless and focused on the negative. We send out far more alas-ograms* than hold-for-voting notes. We read some less than stellar stories. Each editor reads slush here at ElectricSpec, the equivalent of a few books worth over the course of a reading period, so it consumes time. We spend three hairy weeks a year in production. And we don't get paid. So why? Why stay on?

ElectricSpec was not my idea. I'm not a founding editor. I was invited on staff for V1I2, tried it as an experiment, and I've haunted these virtual hallowed halls ever since. We're deep into our third year and after our promotion efforts at WorldCon, we've spent some time thinking about where we'd like to go with the magazine. Our subs are up. We've got momentum. We're getting our name out there. I mean, even Sheila Williams of Asimovs approached a couple of us to find out what ElectricSpec is, and by the end of WorldCon, people were at least pretending they'd heard of us.

But, vague fame and recognition notwithstanding, why do I stay on? What part of our mission calls to me?

It's the STORY itself, humankind's time-honored method of making sense of the universe and our place in it, recognizing the heroes in our midst, seeking reassurance that despite every odd, all will come right in the end. Story brings us together in a way nothing else can. Story creates a beneficial tension between author and reader, a contract that says: we both bring all of ourselves to a Table and there we will meet and understand and empathize. Enduring that tension involves trust of the deepest sort, a sort of negotiation of the soul. All this from a few words of prose. And I have the honor of maintaining one of those tables. Editing is like laying out candles and a cloth, and maybe a glass of fine wine, to enlighten the experience for both reader and writer.

And that, friends, is why I do it.


*Shamelessly stolen from some author at WorldCon--she has brilliant red hair and is tall--that's the most credit I can give at the moment. One of my collegues might recall her name.

Issue deadline and visit stats posted

The October 31, 2008 issue story submission deadline is: September 15, 2008 midnight MDT. I also posted statistics on the number of visitors we've had in the past eleven months at www.electricspec.com. We decided to remove the hit counters; they weren't really giving us or our authors valuable statistics. Authors spoke, and we listened! What other changes/improvements would like to see us make? :)

World Fantasy Awards Nominations 2008

The World Fantasy Award Nominations are in.
For Short Story they are:

• "The Cambist and Lord Iron: A Fairy Tale of Economics" by Daniel Abraham [Logorrhea, Bantam Spectra]
  
• "Singing of Mount Abora" by Theodora Goss [Logorrhea, Bantam Spectra]
  
• "The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change" by Kij Johnson [The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales, Viking]
  
• "Damned if you Don't" by Robert Shearman [Tiny Deaths, Comma Press]
  
• "The Church on the Island" Simon Kurt Unsworth [At Ease with the Dead, Ash-Tree Press]

Read more about it (including the other nominees) at: World Fantasy Awards. Congrats to all the nominees!

WorldCon subjective wrapup

I've finally recovered somewhat from WorldCon and am feeling human again. :)

I've been trying to be positive in my daily posts, but to be honest, I was underwhelmed by WorldCon. It was just too big. The focus was all on the super-stars, such as Lois McMaster Bujold, Connie Willis and George RR Martin. If you wanted to go worship at their feet, it was a perfect opportunity, but that's not my scene. We were surrounded by other interesting authors, but there was no bio information about anyone--so how did you know? It was basically chaos.

My other main problem was the level of scientific expertise on the science panels was surprisingly low. I went to several where some of the panel "experts" knew virtually nothing about the scientific topic in question. At a world-class event, this type of thing should not be happening. To be clear, there were a few scientists, but they were outnumbered. :(

I could complain more but that wouldn't accomplish anything. I'm glad I went once to see what's what. And I found out about "siff-wah". :) Personally, I think regional Cons are much better for fans and authors/artists/media folk. See you at MileHiCon in October!

Hugos

I can't believe I forgot to post the Hugo winners! Jeesh! They were announced Saturday night, Aug. 9, in the Wells Fargo Theatre in the Denver Convention Center.

• Best Novel: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins; Fourth Estate)
  
• Best Novella: “All Seated on the Ground” by Connie Willis (Asimov’s Dec. 2007; Subterranean Press)
  
• Best Novelette: “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” by Ted Chiang (Subterranean Press; F&SF Sept. 2007)
  
• Best Short Story: “Tideline” by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s June 2007)

Read more about it at: thehugoawards.org. Big congrats to all the winners!

WorldCon Day 5

I had a bit of a tough time settling on a panel first thing Sunday morning, but ended up at the Flying Pen Press Presentation. They had a whole slew of writers and books they were promoting. From what I can tell this publisher is fairly new and hungry for authors. Most of the authors met the publisher at MileHiCon and several gave the publisher pages at the Con (totally against accepted wisdom!). I do NOT think this publisher is for everyone, but it might be for you--consider checking them out.

The Making a Living Telling Lies panel with Bill Mayhew, Connie Willis, Jake Lake, and Jo Walton was quite intriguing. They got into a whole discussion of the SF big picture. Consensus seemed to be that literature in general is a simplification/concentration of real life. We like stories because the nonessential elements have been discarded. SF is unique though in that it lets you think about things in a flexible way beyond your ideologies. It can build artificial constructs to closely examine real-life issues. SF readers and writers are constantly taking in new data and thinking about it.

The Coming Thing--What's Next and Newest in SF featuring Lou Anders and Walter Jon Williams was also interesting. Short stories are at the forefront of new trends. SF is a dialog between authors. But by the time anthologies are in bookstores usually the trend is over. SF also suffers from reality catching up to it. The panelists were hoping the Urban Fantasy trend was over. Some core SF sub-genres will always be around such as military SF and space opera. A new trend seems to be remixing multiple old trends. Feel free to send Electric Spec any of this stuff. :)

Phew! WorldCon wore me out. I may post some more subjective observations later in the week.

Interesting People I Met at Denvention

The panels, readings, speeches, and other "official" events at WorldCon were certainly interesting and, for the most part, rewarding. However, maybe the best part of this year's Denvention was the many interesting people I met. I'm not talking about the big name "stars" (I met my share of those, too) but rather the dedicated people who help make up the backbone of the speculative fiction community. (And who may one day be the "stars"). I can't list all of the people like that I met, but I thought I'd mention a few:

• M.M. (Mary) Buckner -- I met Mary while we were both getting our morning caffeine fix. Little did I know what an accomplished sci-fi author she was! 
• Brenda Cooper -- Brenda is an up-and-coming sci-fi author who I met at the "Rising Stars" reception.  She has several books out from Tor, including one she wrote with Larry Niven. (one of the "stars" I met at the con).
• I also met Ken Scholes, who was sitting next to Branda at the Rising Stars reception. Ken has a new novel called Lamentation coming out soon, which lots of folks are talking about.
• Corie Ralston was kind enough tell me more about the Speculative Literature Foundation. They do great work with aspiring spec fic writers and small publications. Corie said they may also look into helping out online publications like Electric Spec.
• Mike Brotherton is not only a hard sf writer but also an astronomy professor. He's working on an interesting project using sf to educate kids about space.
• I ran into Holly McDowell who is a former member of my critique group and a talented fantasy writer. (She also claims to read this blog--how about a comment, Holly!) Holly introduced me to another writer named Kelly Swails. She writes mostly YA fantasy, but says she has some stories for us. 
• I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my excellent Kaffeeklatschs with Geoffry Landis and David Levine. Both of these authors made great company for an hour and were very approachable despite their many accomplishments. 

WorldCon Day 4

I started off day 4 at What SF Editors Are Looking for featuring David Summers, Ginjer Buchanan, and Stanley Schmidt. In terms of what specific markets are looking for, the editors strongly suggested authors do their market research. For example, Electric Spec Submissions.
In terms of quality, editors are looking for what you'd expect...strong beginnings, good story, strong voice, don't follow fads, do use new ideas, correct grammar/spelling, etc. I couldn't disagree with their comments, but based on what they said, suspect they are more quick to reject stories than we are. An interesting point: you don't need an agent to sell novel-length genre fiction; agents just get it in front of editors quicker.

Another highlight of the day was the SFWA Business Meeting. Probably the most important thing I've learned at WorldCon is SFWA is pronounced: "siff-wah". Anyway, the good folks of SFWA are working hard on behalf of spec fic authors. Please consider joining if you are elgible.

Probably the most interesting WorldCon panel that I went to was The Bad Guy in the White Hat: Changing Images of Heroes and Villains, with James Morrow, John Moore, Mario Acevedo, and Rob Gates. This one was interesting because there was a lot of audience participation. We talked about all kinds of images of villains and heroes in literature and media throughout history, from Shakespeare to Frankenstein to Casablanca to Godzilla to Dexter. For some reason we had more fun talking about villains. ;) Personally, I think the whole concept of heroes and villains is interesting. Heroes and Villains are artificial constructs; in real-life we are all mixtures of heroes and villains. Why do we enjoy them so much in literature/media?

WorldCon Day 3

I started day 3 with SF Magazine Publication and Market Share with Bradford Lyau, Scott Edelman, Sheila Williams, and Stanley Schmidt. They assured us SF p-zines are alive and well, with loyal subscribers. Also, the p-zines have a larger market share than the average novel. Interesting!

Then I went to Quantum Mechanics, Future Technologies, and Parallel Worlds with Kay Kenyon, Todd Brun, and Will McCarthy. This was a free-ranging discussion of some cutting-edge physics. The audience was very enthusiastic about the topic.

Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch claim The Secret of Being a Published Fiction Writer is: write, finish, don't rewrite, submit, repeat. They said you should write a short story or novel chapter every week! Based on their advice, I anticipate a slew of submissions. :)

Fabulous fantasy author Carol Berg gave a very nice Reading of her new project Unholy Alliance.

The Electric Spec happy hour party went very well. Thank you very much to everyone that came! We met lots of new prospective writers and readers. And then, the partying continued...

The Analog/Asimov's party in the SFWA suite was particularly nice, with fancy cakes featuring cover art!

Late Night at WorldCon

You aren't actually "doing" WorldCon, apparently, unless you're doing the parties. So, in the interest of research, I headed over alone. A bit awkward, to say the least, but the DAW party at the SFWA suite was worth the price of admission (a 3 block walk from my hotel). Once there, I met quite a few agents and editors, lots of writers, and lots of fans. I ended up talking to, and getting adopted by, being alone as I was, an author called John Moore. John writes funny romps through fairy tale fantasy and is well-connected in the WorldCon, er, world. I also met Joshua Bilmes, his agent, who writes an interesting film blog over here. I chatted with WorldCon's Toastmaster, Wil McCarthy, who is as funny in person as he is on stage, and much taller.

Almost the highlight of my night (eclipsed only by getting to tell David) I had a short chat with George RR Martin late in the evening. The most accessible of the Big Names in Fantasy, he was standing in the hall, looking a little lonely and a very much hot, just like the rest of us. (The party hotel is apparently not thrilled with being the party hotel, so they're trying to sweat us out, I guess.) I'd heard his reading earlier in the day, and if a man was ever meant to read his own writing aloud, it's Mr. Martin.

The folks from the local sci fi groups (sheesh, can't recall the name. I suck) were partying it up in our own suite, and I met the woman in charge of programming at MileHiCon. Nice to finally put faces to email addresses.

Okay, tomorrow's another day (and night). Tuning out.

Denvention Day 2 -- David's Additions

I wanted piggyback on Lesley's post regarding the short fiction panel. One author on the panel said that she feels more people read her stories that are published in (free) ezines than in big circulation print mags like Asimov's. Why? She said it is much easier for people to access web stories than those in print mags. The hits on her website go way up the day she publishes a story in an electronic mag, but not much change for print.

Also, the panel seemed to agree that two or three great stories--wherever they are published--can really launch an author's career. A great story on a small webzine can create a huge buzz on the web and in the blogosphere.

Finally, Sheila Williams, Asimov's editor, said that publication credits at a respected e-zine do make her more optimistic about a story that comes her way. Obviously, the story itself matters the most, but sales to an e-zine indicate that the author knows what he or she is doing.

So, get those stories in to Electric Spec! It could be a launching pad for your career. (Just remember us when your famous).

Party Update Friday

For those of you at Denvention... This just in: the Electric Spec party will be in the Sheraton Room 2237 from 5:00-7:00pm Friday (tomorrow!). We hope to see you there! (Betsy feel free to add more if you like.)

WorldCon Day 2

Day 2 started with a bang; the Short Fiction: On Its Way Out or a Way to Break into the Market? with David Levine, Ellen Datlow, James Patrick Kelly, Lisa Mantchev, and Sheila Williams was very interesting. These folks include famous editors and up-and-coming writers. The panel agreed that short fiction is a way to break into the market. Moreover, short fiction is an opportunity for experimentation for writers and readers. The editors said they are always looking for new authors but beginning/newer authors tend to write stories that are too long. The published authors said even though they have track records, they still get rejected sometimes. So, prospective Electric Spec authors, take heart and keep on trying!

The other really interesting panel I went to was Trends in New SF: Where are We Going and Why? with Ken Scholes, Sheila Willimas, Jim Minz, Charles Brown, and Gary Wolfe (sp?). They said cross-genre stuff is hot, YA stuff is hot, and adding more layers to classic/traditional SF is hot. Additionally, the focus is on more female protags, multicultural characters and cultures, alternative sexuality, environmental issues, and also more literate writing. I would love to see all that stuff in our Electric Spec inbox!

Reporting from WorldCon...

As so often happens, we ElectricSpec editors found each other almost by accident within the giant swell of humanity that is WorldCon. The earlybird line for pre-registration was 35 minutes long. The Colorado Convention Center is, in a word, HUGE. Crazy big. It suits WorldCon, as there are no less than ten things to do at any hour of the day and night, especially if you're counting parties.

We saw Connie Willis and George RR Martin discuss books they liked. Yes, as in past tense. We would have preferred to hear more about current books they like, but we heard about that from some editors/writers at Locus later--irritating in that there was obvious bias against ezines. They did make the valid point that few online magazines actually edit their writers; we at ElectricSpec couldn't think of even a very good story that we hadn't tweaked in some way. And our authors are remarkably accepting and even happy with our edits. Intriguing enough, one of our editors' stories for Analog was printed as is. It would have been a good counter-point, if only we'd thought of it earlier. :D

We tried the writing track panel for "Rising Stars" to drum up business for the magazine and maybe promote our own work; it was all "This is an agent. This is a query letter." so two of us bailed and went to a small press panel. Interesting in that we heard two varied concepts. Red Jack press has print runs of 1000; Flying Pen does POD. Both seem to be going along at a decent clip.

As for parties, it was a quiet night tonight, hanging in the SFWA suite. Everyone seems a bit tired. Maybe tomorrow might be more exciting, and Friday we are booked up, including throwing one of our own.

WorldCon Day 1

My first day of WorldCon is over. Phew! It was busy, starting with the ginormous crowd at check-in, end ending with the SFWA pizza & beer party. Too much went on to really do it justice here. But, some brief highlights follow.

The Writers as Readers panel featuring Connie Willis, George RR Martin, Lois McMaster Bujold and moderator Mary Morman. Suffice to say, writers ARE readers.

2008 The Year in SF panel, featuring Charles Brown, David Hartwell, and Jonathan Strahan gave us lots of reading suggestions. All the editors seemed to think a strong voice is terrific. (Haven't I been saying that all along?) They also mentioned that an editor's job is important and involves more than just selecting. Here at Electric Spec we totally agree, as our authors know! Something the editors said that surprised me was: editors want more short novels. Who knew?

Survival Tips for Beginning Writers featuring authors Darlene Marshall, David Coe, and Mary Robinette Kowal had a lot of good basic advice. This group let the audience ask questions, which was nice. The gist of this panel was authors should keep at it and don't give up. I couldn't agree more. :)

That's it for now. I have to rest up for tomorrow...

partypartypartypartypartyparty

Party with ElectricSpec at WorldCon

Friday August 8

5-7 pm

MileHiCon Suite*

22nd floor

Sheraton Hotel

1550 Court Place

Denver

Rejection Letters

Apparently, a debate exists in the blogosphere about whether it is appropriate for a writer to post a rejection letter he or she received from a magazine. From my prospective, once a writer gets a rejection letter, it is his property. He can post it, use it as wallpaper, file it away, use it for kindling, whatever.  

Here at Electric Spec, we do use a "form" rejection letter, which we modify in certain circumstances. From time to time, I also include specific comments about the submission. If an author wants to share my comments with the world, fine with me. 

The issue of additional comments an author might make about the rejection gets a bit trickier. If an author has a legitimate commentary, fine. I'm a big boy--I can take it. On the other hand, if an author uses it to take unwarranted cheap shots . . . well, lets just say I probably won't be very interested in anything else the author submits in the future. 

SF editors and history

Interesting posts and comments lately. Thanks for kicking off the conversation, Dave. I think SF is unique in that its editors and publishers have played a significant role in the evolution of the field. As everyone knows, WorldCon starts this week and we will be awarding the Hugos. But does everyone know these most-celebrated awards are named after editor and published Hugo Gernsback? Among other things, Hugo Gernsback established the first notion of SF, i.e. adventurous science lessons. IMHO, Stanley Schmidt over at Analog very much continues this tradition; he wants complicated hard SF stories.

I've been a subscriber of both Analog and Asimov's for over a quarter century, so I must admit I'm part of their 'graying' audience. The quality of these p-zines remains excellent, but frankly I prefer Electric Spec. I think our stuff is fresher, more original, and more diverse. I guess the p-zines have a lot of inertia linked with all that history. To be honest, I also suspect the editors and authors of the p-zines, including Locus, are not really part of the computer generation even though we've been imagining it since way back when. The e-zines are the wave of the future, especially if we can utilize more emerging technologies. Hhm... Electric Spec on Twitter/IM/Facebook/MySpace? We may have some work to do. :)

Electronic v. Print

Warren Ellis recently posted a blog entry on the ongoing debate about print v. electronic speculative fiction mags. His premise is that the circulation of print mags are declining because the print mags are not delivering what readers these days want. Instead, he believes, these mags continue to publish stories that appeal to a greying, diminishing readership.

He also asks a very interesting question about why electronic mags continue to get a bad wrap:

 

"That’s why so many people still look askance at the online scene as "not proper magazines." . . .  [There is a] bias, unspoken or otherwise, that a print magazine is a job of work and an online magazine can be thrown up by any drooling lunatic with access to the net and a credit card. A fanzine by any other name."

My take on this falls somewhere in the middle. Admittedly, lots of fly-by-night online spec fic mags come and go, leading to a broad brush negative image of all electronic zines. Whenever I talk to authors about this subject, I ask them to look at the zine's track record before submitting. Has the mag been around for a while? Has it consistently posted issues on deadline? Are the stories printed in the issues professionally presented and well edited, free of (most) typos and other errors? In short, it only takes a little digging to determine if a online mag is of the "drooling lunatic" variety or something that can fairly be compared to pro zines.

Still, I do find it frustrating that quality ezines get ignored while some print mags that publish infrequently and sporadically get recognized. As a personal example, I can't get the two reviewers at Locus to look at issue of Electric Spec even though they frequently review print mags that are difficult to find anywhere and few have heard of. If fact, those reviewers will not even respond to my e-mail requests. At Electric Spec, we respond to every e-mail we get, not just those we deem worthy. 

At Wordcon this week, we are going to be promoting Electric Spec, trying to get the word out about our great little zine. It will be interesting to see what kind of reaction we get. I'll let you know . . .