How not What

I don't think it's a secret that many of the Electric Spec editors are members of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW). Some of us are also members of The Inklings, a Speculative Fiction Critique Group. We had an interesting discussion the other day about ideal critiquing. I think it applies to editing, as well.

Critiquers should be concerned about how authors execute their vision, not about what they're writing about. When focusing on how, we can focus on the effectiveness of writing. Does the reader get engrossed, get carried away? That's what authors want. That's what readers want, too. :)

Furthermore, each author should write about what they are passionate about. Each author should follow their muse. Each author has their own unique path, experiences, and imagination--make use of them! As an editor, I've often found a story written about something I'd never before considered. Editors love that! I think readers love it, as well.

Good luck creating what you want effectively!

August First Lines

Some pundits say short story first lines are crucial. I say they're fun to look at. Here are the first lines from our awesome August Electric Spec stories:

• The last of my buy-out pay got me as far as Utross IV.
• Gary and I fight, and afterward, I go shopping.
• A giant eyeball opens in Michelle's living room floor.
• I am walking in the city at night.
• Of all the apothecaries in all the neighborhoods in San Francisco, he has to walk into mine.
• They dropped anchor just after dawn.

Can you identify the story from the first sentence? Do you think first sentences are crucial? Talk amongst yourselves...

Basking in the August glow...

Yes! Less than a week ago, we published the awesome August 2023 issue of Electric Spec! We are still basking in the glow of

• "The Last Deal" by Sophia Alapati-- The best witch in San Francisco is a man with a big debt in his past, and he has only one chance to clear it... or pay the price.
• "Amber" by Clarissa Grunwald--What if you could make your worries, sadness, and fears disappear? What would be left of you?
• "Eye Contact" by A. C. Spahn--It's hard enough to be a painfully introverted artist. Then, a big eyeball appears in the studio...
• "Necropolis Waltz" by Glynn Owen Barrass--Even after an ancient god's moon-wrecking apocalypse, an unlikely band of survivors fights to preserve what's left.
• "King for a Day" by Ray Daley--A down-and-out spacer sets down on a planet with a unique tradition that might be the answer to his bad luck blues.
• "The Ring of Contradictions" by Allison Wall--In a strange little pub with a fighting ring where philosophies clash, truth is the grand prize.

Which was your favorite story? So many to choose from!
Savvy readers will realize this is one of our biggest issues ever--especially when you consider we also had two entries in Editor's Corner.

Thank you to all who helped make this a great issue! You are very appreciated!