Thanks and Good Luck Nikki!

We are working hard behind-the-scenes at Electric Spec! We're almost done with slush for the wonderful November 2022 issue! We have the Production Meeting coming up this weekend. Stay tuned for more info about the new issue next week!

In other news, one of our editors of many years, Nikki Baird, is moving on. Nikki started out as a slush reader and associate editor many years ago and was promoted to Editor years ago. We are sorry to see her go.
Thanks so much for all your years of hard work, Nikki! You rock! Good luck with all your exciting new challenges! We look forward to seeing all you accomplish! Woo hoo, Nikki!

Tips from an Editor

The submission deadline has passed so we are working fast and furious now on the fabulous November 2022 issue of Electric Spec. We get a lot of slush--which is great. But it also means we have a lot of work to get through it all. Here are some tips for publication that other editors might not admit. Sadly, when push comes to shove, we may be looking for reasons to reject you.

• Follow instructions.
  • Do submit your file in the format we request.
  • Do include some kind of cover letter.
  • Do obey word-length rules.
  • Don't include weird formatting.
• speaking of Word-length...
  • Submitting the maximum number of words will make success more difficult, because editors don't really want to edit such long stories.
  • Conversely, submitting less than 1000 words will also make success more difficult, because it's difficult to tell a full story in so few words.
• Genre.
  • We get a lot of dark, depressing stories. I guess it's because we accept 'macabre.' Personally, I'm tired of murder stories. If you submit a more positive story you might be more successful.
  • other genres we don't get as much include: steampunk (basically, any kind of punk), alternative history, cli-fi, magical realism, and any kind of genre mashup. Less common genres will be more successful because they seem more fresh and fun.

I guess that's enough for now. I better get back to work!
If you submitted: Good Luck!

Deadline Looming!

Phew! Where does the time go? The Fall season is well underway which means the submission deadline for the notorious November 2022 issue of Electric Spec is looming! It is October 15, 2022.
In particular, we're looking for genre mashups, alternative history, steampunk, cli-fi. magical realism and other fun stuff! Get those stories in!

Thank you!

Writing Race

Another potential conundrum for authors is writing race. In Craft in the Real World Matthew Salesses also addresses this issue. Check it out if you can.

I've pondered writing race quite a bit. Some writers specify the races of all characters. Some writers specify the races of no characters. Some writers give descriptive details and let the reader decipher races for themselves. I must admit I've tried all methods with varying success. What do you prefer?
I think the takeaway should be to treat all the characters consistently re. race descriptions (unless there's a conscious choice not to).

The deadline for the awesome November 2022 issue of Electric Spec is fast approaching: midnight U.S. mountain time October 15, 2022!