tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-335994412012-01-31T20:34:50.602-07:00From the editors of Electric Spec, an e-zine featuring shockingly good short works of science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre.Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.comBlogger7611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-84318464511006263842012-01-31T15:31:00.003-07:002012-01-31T15:59:01.430-07:00

There seems to be a little confusion about our production process so I thought I'd remind you how we do things, in perhaps too much detail. :)You send us your fabulous stories.Our distribution editor randomly assigns stories to an editor.Said editor reads this "slush" and decides to reject or to hold for voting and sends you an email with this decision.When the submission period ends all the

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-77021550680869931922012-01-24T05:47:00.002-07:002012-01-24T05:47:00.219-07:00

I recently had a short story critiqued in a writers' workshop. This was a good experience because it reminded me of some things I needed to be reminded of, namely, a short story should be as dramatic as possible. I'm a bit embarrassed to say my rough draft could have grabbed the reader more. It could have had a bigger impact. In revisions I found maximum impact came from knowing my protagonist

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-55038992034112498592012-01-17T09:58:00.004-07:002012-01-17T10:04:20.449-07:00

I had the opportunity to critique some less experienced writers in workshop recently. Writers who have not partaken in many workshops tend to do many of the same not-recommended things. If you would like to appear to be an experienced workshopper, here's my cheat sheet for writers: Dialogue Tags:Know how to punctuate these, e.g. "You rock," Joe said.Only use "said" or "asked" in your dialogue

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-4746886805781915212012-01-10T05:55:00.002-07:002012-01-10T05:55:00.638-07:00

No doubt some of you marvelous writers out there are wondering 'Why should I submit to Electric Spec when I can just e-publish my work myself?' Well, I'll tell you: For one thing, Electric Spec is a great little ezine with a very good reputation and plenty of hits (yes, we're talking many thousands). Authors in our issues don't have to worry about self-promotion; promotion is all taken care of

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-75810200507805358222012-01-03T16:11:00.003-07:002012-01-03T16:37:46.134-07:00

Here's another insight I've gleaned from slush: in short speculative fiction, twists are good. Here at Electric Spec we seem to publish stories with plot twists somewhat frequently. For example, "The Little Voice" by Neil James Hudson in our most recent issue has a nice twist near the end. (Check it out if you haven't already.) The reason this works, however, is the author set up the plot

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-86982635560168247952011-12-21T11:31:00.002-07:002011-12-21T11:31:29.717-07:00

Chiseled in Rock is re-running an interview with me today.  It's mostly about editing. I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-65862850324831283282011-12-20T05:40:00.001-07:002011-12-20T05:40:00.291-07:00

At the risk of being discouraging, I've got some more notes from the slush pile to pass along...Be careful with physical descriptions. The current modern style in short speculative fiction is NOT to give readers the physical hair, eye, skin color, height, weight, etc. of your characters. When I read "Joe was six feet, two inches tall, with red hair and blue eyes." this sets off an alarm bell.

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-54080530828502687322011-12-13T11:58:00.002-07:002011-12-13T12:13:35.931-07:00

We are starting to get through the stories you all have been kind enough to submit for our consideration for the next issue. (Thanks, by the way!) My recent readings have prompted me to pass along some advice...Make sure your story makes sense. All of us writers have trouble sometimes putting our visions on the page. It's crucial that you have a critique group or a beta reader or someone you

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-51506552631058908872011-12-06T05:34:00.000-07:002011-12-06T05:34:00.316-07:00

Over at Locus Online, there's been an interesting Roundtable on Genre Accessibility, which asks if contemporary science fiction has the capacity to cross over to a mass audience. I disagree with the implicit premise here which seems to be contemporary speculative fiction is not appealing to a mass audience. Have these people been to a bookstore, the movies, or turned on the TV lately? Have they

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-74569660487658869412011-12-01T09:17:00.001-07:002011-12-01T09:17:00.347-07:00

Six stories, an interview and a movie column. Enjoy!

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-61692533394932803262011-11-30T09:17:00.000-07:002011-11-30T09:17:02.204-07:00

I found this map of the future explorations of science fascinating. The Institute for the Future just had their conference and created a map from their discussions: The map focuses on six big stories of science that will play out over the next decade: Decrypting the Brain, Hacking Space, Massively Multiplayer Data, Sea the Future, Strange Matter, and Engineered Evolution. Those stories are

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-57666594885099354502011-11-29T09:50:00.004-07:002011-11-29T10:10:45.894-07:00

It's down to the wire... A brand-new exciting issue of Electric Spec is coming November 30, 2011! We have five fabulous stories from authors Neil James Hudson, Sam Kepfield, Sharon Dodge, Simon Kewin, and Steven Young. We have an intriguing interview with up-and-coming novelist Rob Ziegler. And our film critic takes a look at the work of Pedro Almodovar. Of course, we also have a piece of

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-16372856008107112942011-11-22T07:32:00.002-07:002011-11-22T07:32:00.164-07:00

One of our favorite authors, Carol Berg, has a new interview over at sffworld.com: Interview with Carol Berg. Go check it out to learn more about why she writes fantasy, enjoys torturing men, er, male characters, and more. :) Of course, back in 2007, our own David E. Hughes did an excellent interview of Ms. Berg: Interview with Multiple-Award-Winning Author Carol Berg. Amongst lots of other

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-9546069206854115422011-11-15T09:36:00.003-07:002011-11-15T09:44:40.632-07:00

We owe you guys a post, so here goes. Behind the scenes, we continue to labor on the upcoming excellent November 30, 2011 Issue of Electric Spec. Mostly we're editing stories right now. Everything's coming along well. We are excited to share the issue with you at the end of the month.But somewhere in there I got to wondering, why do people write stories? George Orwell in his famous essay "

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-4783372505503212562011-11-10T12:39:00.003-07:002011-11-10T12:55:14.350-07:00

Greetings, dear readers! We, the Editors, successfully completed our production meeting for the fabulous new November 30 2011 Electric Spec Issue. There was lots of food and drink (beer!) consumed and imbibed. Spirited discussions ensued...but no one got bloody. Huzzah! One of us even had a chocolate volcano (okay, it was me). The point is, we did select five very good stories for our next

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-36130586901584686922011-11-08T06:25:00.001-07:002011-11-08T06:25:00.298-07:00

Hi, folks. This is just a quick post to tell you we'll post on Thursday Nov 10 with some more behind the scenes Electric Spec info.Good luck to everyone participating in NaNoWriMo! Hang in there. :)

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-50013172957464891232011-11-01T11:26:00.005-07:002011-11-07T10:36:13.856-07:00

Greetings, ElectricSpec writers and readers! We trust you survived Halloween okay, and hope those slammed by that freaky snow storm on the east coast are keeping warm. Here at Electric Spec we are between snow storms and working on the upcoming November 30, 2011 issue. We have gotten through the pre-October 16 slush--so you should have heard from us if you submitted a story before then. We've

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-50699981885515549692011-10-31T12:38:00.002-07:002011-10-31T12:40:56.170-07:00

Happy Halloween!

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-59258741380622223672011-10-25T08:38:00.002-07:002011-10-25T08:56:12.964-07:00

The November 30,2011 issue of Electric Spec is coming along nicely. We're close to getting through slush for the issue and are working on art and articles; the production meeting is set.Two of us Electric Spec editors just spent the weekend at MileHi Con, the annual Denver Science Fiction/Fantasy con. We had a blast! For example, Editor Betsy was on a panel about "Exploding Writing Myths" and

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-31426635011070335302011-10-18T08:42:00.003-07:002011-10-18T09:00:14.884-07:00

We editors are hard at work finishing up the slush for our upcoming November issue of Electric Spec. Everyone who submitted before October 16 will hear back from us by the beginning of November. Thanks for submitting! And I hope you all will come back and read and enjoy the excellent new issue. :)So...slush.I've seen some stories which...how shall I say it? Don't have much story to them. That

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-37073665393493169832011-10-11T08:33:00.002-07:002011-10-11T08:52:45.531-07:00

Wow. It's getting to be production time for a new issue of Electric Spec. This means we will be closing to submissions for the November 30, 2011 issue on midnight October 15 (U.S.A. Mountain time). I'll tell you a secret: we editors have not been keeping up with the slush as well as we should since the last issue. (Apologies!) I guess time got away from us. Never fear, however, we will

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-80043830897824991502011-10-04T08:56:00.004-07:002011-10-04T09:11:18.326-07:00

As writers it can be tempting to incorporate the neatest hottest trend or idea into our fiction. This might be zombies or vampires or werewolves or werewolf-vampires or zombie-werewolf-vampires, or you get the idea. (Actually, some of those sound pretty fun.) Or, in the SF arena, this might be faster-than-light or potentially habitable planet discoveries.As an editor, I'm here to say: caveat

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-86034919529188369722011-09-27T08:43:00.002-07:002011-09-27T08:58:12.195-07:00

An author should be able to state the premise of every story he/she submits. By premise I mean the hypothesis or argument or assertion or insert-your-term here of the story. You should be able to summarize your story's essence in one sentence. For example, right now I'm working on a story which has the premise: a man has to travel to another planet to learn the true nature of love.If you can't

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-37365186875948262322011-09-23T12:39:00.005-07:002011-09-27T09:28:56.283-07:00

I can't resist a another little science tidbit. The scientific world has been in an uproar lately because it appears a European experiment called OPERA has measured a neutrino travelling faster than the speed of light (186,282 miles per second)! The OPERA experiment observes a neutrino beam shot through the earth from CERN to Italy’s INFN Gran Sasso Laboratory 730 km away. See, for example,

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-21888971196161222082011-09-20T08:50:00.003-07:002011-09-20T09:06:54.174-07:00

Now that the excitement of the August 31 ElectricSpec Issue is abating, we editors are valiantly going through the slush pile. I came across a piece that was trying to be funny, I think. Sadly, it didn't quite work. Humor is tricky. I've blogged about it before, but the point is: humor is based on surprise. It's tricky because suprise is based on one's background and expectations--and these

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-44929656198923141322011-09-14T09:25:00.004-07:002011-09-14T09:30:36.138-07:00

Okay. I can't resist passing this article along from io9.com: Potentially habitable "Super-Earth" is among 50 newly discovered exoplanets. "HD 85512 b is a rocky planet about 3.6 times the mass of Earth, located right at the edge of its star's habitable zone. That means it's capable of supporting life... and the early results suggest it's a very real possibility." Read more about the La Silla

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-21489953147375212552011-09-13T08:41:00.005-07:002011-09-13T09:09:49.352-07:00

We trust you have been reading and enjoying the new issue of Electric Spec (now that we resolved the technical issues)!We, the editors, all attended the fabulous annual Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers conference in Denver this past weekend. As editors, we hosted some events including the intensive short story workshop on Friday afternoon and "Literature and Liquor" in the bar Friday night. For

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-52018148745512103722011-09-07T08:45:00.002-07:002011-09-07T08:45:49.336-07:00

I think we're okay. The site is back up.Thanks for your patience! :)

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-20687040877685920702011-09-06T09:43:00.003-07:002011-09-06T09:50:46.113-07:00

Greetings, readers! I hope you're having an easier time of things lately than we are. As you probably noticed, we're still having technical difficulties. Bummer! Obviously, the timing is very bad as we just published the fabulous new issue. Please bear with us as we get this sorted out. We will sort it as fast as humanly possible. Interesting Electric Spec trivia: our website is hosted in

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-40193929939420328532011-09-01T09:34:00.003-07:002011-09-01T09:39:40.519-07:00

As promised, the new issue of Electric Spec is out! Thank you very much to everyone who contributed! We appreciate you!

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-76415398527486962862011-08-30T06:15:00.002-07:002011-09-07T18:55:31.631-07:00

The editors are thrilled to present a brand new issue of ElectricSpec tomorrow August 31, 2011! For your reading pleasure we have 6 excellent short speculative fiction stories:T. Lucas Earle's "Monkey Talk""Justice Like a Mighty River" by Alter S. Reiss"Tooth and Claw" by Erin and Rina GonzalesRich Matrunick's "Stranded (with Pork Chop)""The Coincidence Factory" by Fredrick Obermeyerand in

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-80366164518869178832011-08-23T09:30:00.003-07:002011-08-23T09:42:15.976-07:00

We are just about a week away from the exciting new issue! W00t! Things are pretty hectic here behind the scenes at ElectricSpec. The editors are finishing up editting the stories and starting to post them--after getting approval from the authors, of course! We're drafting our fabulous Message From the Editors, and if you don't think some fist fights or arm wrestling breaks out over that...

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-9810679996342086582011-08-16T05:51:00.002-07:002011-08-16T05:51:00.187-07:00

As you gentle readers may or may not have guessed, all of us Electric Spec editors are also speculative fiction writers. One of the things I've been studying lately is what distinguishes a great story from a good story? Of course, sometimes it takes the lens of history to tell what's great. I hypothesize, however, that one significant factor is a good first sentence. Let's look at some

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-52683376402429346532011-08-09T06:54:00.002-07:002011-08-09T06:54:00.076-07:00

We had an unusual event at our production meeting last week, namely we didn't end up publishing a story that we all liked a lot. The world was neat, the protagonist was active and empathetic, there was a cool plot twist and the ending was satisfying. So why didn't we publish it? One of us asked the question: "But what was the protagonist's original plan? Why did he do what he did?" And none

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-70698114522235731542011-08-04T11:02:00.000-07:002011-08-04T11:02:03.187-07:00

Wow, hi. Been awhile for me over here at this blog. I'm just emerging from what is fondly becoming known around my house as the "Busy Summer From Hell" replete with book releases and deadlines. But I haven't forgotten you, or Electric Spec! I just read some slush recently and I noted a few things. Quite a few present tense stories. One I even saved for voting. Wanna know why? I didn't realize

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-89753060274304458362011-08-02T09:56:00.003-07:002011-08-02T09:56:00.667-07:00

I just finished the final book in Kim Stanley Robinson's so-called Science in the Capital series: Forty Signs of Rain (2004), Fifty Degrees Below (2005), and Sixty Days and Counting (2007). Most of this work occurs in Washington D.C. at the N.S.F headquarters and features scientists. With its long lyrical descriptions of things ranging from nature to buddism to climate change, this series is

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-60211777706066973512011-07-29T06:24:00.002-07:002011-07-29T06:35:26.155-07:00

Peter Brown Hoffmeister has a post today saying you have to hook an agent or magazine editor with the first sentence . . . of you cover letter. Yup, he says that, because of the numbers involved, most agents don't even get to the beautifully crafted first sentence of your manuscript.But fear not! Unless you say something really stupid* in your cover letter to us Electric Spec editors, we promise

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-61154326709020968042011-07-27T06:21:00.000-07:002011-07-27T06:21:00.532-07:00

My five year wait for the next book in George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series is finally over. The question I ask now: was it worth the wait?IMHO, the first and third books in the series are some of the finest fantasy books ever written. The second book is right up there, but the forth (A Feast for Crows) was a bit disappointing. Why? It concentrated on new characters who I didn't care

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-66828600292315468732011-07-26T08:23:00.003-07:002011-07-26T08:38:27.258-07:00

Maybe rookie mistakes is too harsh? How about rookie room-for-improvements? :)Generally, the slush at ElectricSpec is very good. However, we editors can tell when we get a story from someone new to writing. There are a number of common room-for-improvements we see: Possibly the most obvious is using non-said or non-asked dialogue tags. Don't ask me why only "said" and "asked" are allowed in

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-23472768216631374492011-07-24T19:17:00.003-07:002011-07-24T19:21:20.833-07:00

A great article in the Charlotte Observer this week about my cousin Sally's book store. Authors--note the section about how indie books stores are the key to creating bestsellers.

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-25903050346209334752011-07-19T06:05:00.000-07:002011-07-19T06:05:00.388-07:00

Many of you may already know about this, but I recently discovered something neat:Writer's Knowledge Base, The Search Engine for Writers. The Writer's Knowledge Base (WKB) is a searchable collection of articles that are highly relevant to writers. The articles are diverse and cover such topics as the craft of writing, getting published, promotion, etc. Notice the search engine only covers topics

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-53260522256457084552011-07-14T09:11:00.002-07:002011-07-14T09:16:08.559-07:00

This may be a bit outside our usual discussions, but I was excited to hear from SFScope that Robert J. Sawyer's WWW trilogy was recently optioned for television! As faithful readers know, he gave an awesome interview in our last issue primarily about his WWW trilogy. Read more about the deal. Congratulations, Mr. Sawyer!

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-84347417034098361792011-07-12T11:09:00.001-07:002011-07-12T11:10:40.826-07:00

FYI: The submission deadline for the August 2011 issue is July 15.One of the best teachers I've ever had has a thing about grimaces. He says you should never use the word grimace in your writing because it doesn't mean anything. I would say a grimace is a frown caused by disgust. I looked it up in various dictionaries and they say a grimace is a facial expression, often ugly or contorted, that

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-73629547826586042672011-07-05T08:46:00.001-07:002011-07-05T08:46:17.191-07:00

We all know dialogue is an important part of fiction. As such, it's worth taking a look at when doing revisions. First things first: dialogue tags should ONLY use said or asked. Don't get creative. In fact, the prevailing wisdom is it's better not to use dialogue tags; use body language, facial expressions, or other information to let the reader know who's talking. However, don't make your

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-75699276547753842752011-06-28T08:49:00.001-07:002011-06-28T08:49:24.898-07:00

I got some good advice about revision recently: create a watch list. What is a watch list in this context, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. :) A watch list is where an author examines his/her work and makes a note of their own common mistakes or repeats, writes them down, and then corrects them during the revision process. For example, my characters seem to smile or grin several times a page.

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-67325320696626025712011-06-21T06:53:00.001-07:002011-06-21T06:53:00.136-07:00

In Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell, he says in the introduction that the "Big Lie" is Writing can't be taught. I agree with Bell that writing can be taught. And yet...As you read this I am at Residency for my MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction. There's no question the faculty and mentors in my program give the students a lot of good information about writing. We also have sessions

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-78804735945749185842011-06-14T14:16:00.002-07:002011-06-14T14:31:45.396-07:00

I recently had an odd experience. I submitted a short story to a speculative fiction magazine and the editor wrote back and told me my formatting was all messed up. I opened up my copy of the file; it looked fine. I couldn't quite figure out what the editor meant. Of course, by the time the editor received the file it had been reformatted according to their rules and emailed. So I'm guessing

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-4241402658446561292011-06-03T06:12:00.000-07:002011-06-03T06:12:01.059-07:00

I hope you're still enjoying the new issue of ElectricSpec!We editors have started going through the slush for the next issue, and I must admit I've seen some odd things. This brought up the whole art versus entertainment dichotomy for me. Certainly short stories should be art, but ... they need to be entertaining as well, IMHO. (The other editors may weigh in if they disagree.) Perhaps it is

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-24564016723374089042011-05-31T08:40:00.004-07:002011-05-31T08:45:09.323-07:00

And we're live! The May 31, 2011 ElectricSpec issue is out! Huzzah!In particular, check out the awesome short fiction: Invasive Species by Ryan Kinkor Frazee by Patricia Russo Remodel with Swan Parts by Michael Griffin The Turtle Wore Mascara by E. Bundy Inside the Walls of East Lombard Street by Anthony J. RapinoWe've also got three-count-'em-three special features: Special Feature: Author

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-42004887855952177072011-05-27T06:39:00.001-07:002011-05-27T06:39:00.437-07:00

Next week, on May 31, 2011, my interview with award-winning Science Fiction author Robert J. Sawyer comes out in our own ElectricSpec. He discusses a multitude of fascinating topics, including:his hardest writing task everhow he does research for his novelshumanity's best chance for meeting a non-human intelligencehis favorite character out of the hundreds he's created over the yearshow to keep

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-25755368264426832532011-05-25T06:33:00.000-07:002011-05-25T08:54:56.313-07:00

Robert J. Sawyer's WWW trilogy, consisting of WWW:Wake, WWW:Watch, and WWW:Wonder, is his best work to date (and that's saying something). Of course, Sawyer is best known for his novel FlashForward which was the basis for the ABC TV series. About WWW:Wake, Sawyer says, Caitlin Decter is young, pretty, feisty, a genius at math — and blind. ...When a Japanese researcher develops a new

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-8893614975624413502011-05-24T06:37:00.001-07:002011-05-24T06:37:00.487-07:00

Perhaps by now you've heard the results of SFWA's Nebula Awards. There was a tie for best short story: "Ponies" by Kij Johnson and "How Interesting: A Tiny Man" by Harlan Ellison. Congratulations! Interestingly, this is Johnson's second Nebula and Ellison's fourth. Of course, Harlan Ellison is a famous name to SF fans; he's been in the writing 'biz for a long time. Previously, he won for

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-54453618954478909552011-05-23T06:23:00.001-07:002011-05-23T06:23:00.182-07:00

Making characters really pop is a challenge every writer faces. Many new writers try to do this with description, but that's really tough. Even if a character description is more unique that simple hair and eye color (yawn!) or laundry list of characteristics (age, height, clothing, etc), description only touches the surface. But you can introduce the essence of the character through his or her

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-10809326009917307592011-05-18T08:37:00.002-07:002011-05-18T08:47:13.503-07:00

Of course, this weekend (May 19-22) is Nebula weekend, and this year it's at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. It will feature such excitement as "Using Science in Science Fiction","Warfare for Writers", "Short Story Plotting", and of course lots of "Cash Bar" and the main event: the Nebula Awards Banquet and Presentation. :) Looks fun! Short story nominees include:‘‘Arvies’’,

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-83651473137554945222011-05-17T06:10:00.000-07:002011-05-17T06:10:00.284-07:00

Just a shout out to Kevin over at Adventures Fantastic, who reviewed the two fantasy stories in our last issue. It is nice to hear some feedback once in awhile--especially when it is good feedback!

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-10339012761365562862011-05-12T10:16:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:48:41.454-07:00

I read a book recently that was almost all telling. The book in question was a literary novel, as you might surmise. The show-don't-tell mantra has an interesting saga in a writer's life. Initially, we are all tellers; recall, for example, ghost stories told around the campfire. But then, beginning writers are consistently warned to "show, don't tell" once they start to get educated. As

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-35952525188612598552011-05-04T08:40:00.002-07:002011-05-04T08:54:58.290-07:00

I said earlier we were in production mode over here at Electric Spec. I thought I'd pass along an update of what's happening behind the scenes...We had our production meeting this week. As usual, there was lots of liquor, drugs, fried foods, fist-fights, and arm-wrestling. :) We decided on the stories for the May 2011 issue, and they look great! All authors in hold-for-voting should hear back

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-90796097896950382892011-04-28T20:47:00.002-07:002011-04-28T21:01:08.891-07:00

In anticipation of the release of A Dance with Dragons in July, I decided to start rereading A Game of Thrones with the idea I might be able to reread the whole series so far to make sure I remember what the heck was going on. I'm not much of a re-reader, to be honest. My brain has this ability to remember nearly every twist and turn of a novel I've read, so rereads can be boring for me. (This

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-33390429964691423492011-04-26T06:19:00.001-07:002011-04-26T06:19:00.496-07:00

One of the trickiest things to get a handle on as a writer is literary or writer's voice. It's also one of the most crucial because readers and editors love distinctive voices. Writer's voice is the literary term used to describe the individual writing style of an author. Voice can be considered to be a combination of a writer's use of syntax, diction, punctuation, character development,

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-47983884721827356742011-04-19T09:51:00.002-07:002011-04-19T10:02:17.882-07:00

Behind the scenes here at Electric Spec we are gearing up into Production Mode. What does that mean? It means we're working on putting out the next issue. We've imposed the issue cut-off for the May 31, 2011 deadline. (Don't worry, we're still accepting submissions, they'll just be considered for our next issue, August 31, 2011.) We've been going through slush with a vengeance. Hhm...that

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-31021810665101105102011-04-14T11:44:00.000-07:002011-04-14T11:44:00.064-07:00

Hi all, please note the next issue's cut off is April 15. So don't forget to send your stories and your taxes by then!

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-70446574327321247882011-04-13T06:00:00.000-07:002011-04-13T06:00:16.609-07:00

Today I'm  interviewed over at Six Questions about editing, story writing, and Electric Spec.  Enjoy!

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-87548850747612374582011-04-12T06:35:00.000-07:002011-04-12T06:35:00.211-07:00

As folks may or may not know, April is the month for the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Today's letter is "J". I know we're not doing the challenge here, but based on posts and comments here in recent days, I thought maybe we needed a reminder of how great writing can be. Writers--especially speculative fiction writers--create whole people, worlds, and cultures complete with their relationships

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-7004249797876944452011-04-06T06:58:00.000-07:002011-04-06T06:58:00.801-07:00

As aspiring authors, many of us are focused on getting that first agent or picking up that first sale. We're sure that once we can "break through" then the fiction game will be so much easier. Not so, according to author Karen Dionne in a recent blog post. "[A]fter an author is published, they [sic] face an even greater challenge: getting published again," writes Dionne. Sales are not a matter of

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-70879021691937064192011-04-05T06:34:00.002-07:002011-04-05T06:34:00.169-07:00

There have some good movies out recently in the speculative fiction genre. I must admit, I'm a bit of a movie geek and can tell you more than you want to know about movies like Blade Runner. One thing I loved about Blade Runner, and another Philip-K.-Dick-inspired movie Total Recall, was the ambiguity at the end. What really happened? My friends and I enjoyed debating the issue at length. We

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-14090623460535990552011-03-30T07:00:00.000-07:002011-03-30T07:00:01.522-07:00

There are a few types of stories that I nearly always reject--even if they are otherwise well written. If your story fits one of the categories, it might be a tough sell:Stories that do not introduce the protagonist quickly. I'm willing to wait a paragraph, maybe two, but if the protag does not make his/her/its appearance by then, the story is not what I'm looking for.Stories that are almost all

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-87734311652555887442011-03-29T06:25:00.003-07:002011-03-29T08:30:59.375-07:00

Happy Spring, all! We ElectricSpec Editors continue to make slow but sure headway on the slushpile. I thought I'd give another pointer inspired by what I've been reading...Probably the A-number-one thing an author can do to stand out is be original. I've likely blogged about this in the past, but it bears repeating. It has been said there have been very few story plots throughout human history

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-14519401732417907812011-03-22T08:33:00.004-07:002011-03-22T08:59:09.060-07:00

We've been busy going through our slushpile over at ElectricSpec. Recently, I was pondering a story that was so close to being really good...but it wasn't quite there yet. So, I had to reject it. In that situation, I wish I could sit down with the author and talk about their story. Alas, the few times we editors have tried that via email it hasn't worked. :( So, I thought I'd try to discuss

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-48658944494796273752011-03-17T18:00:00.002-07:002011-03-17T18:23:21.227-07:00

Recently, one of our blog readers noted that E-spec's submission guidelines begin with the following statement:A note on our editorial policy: before publication we may edit the story for length or readability. However, we always remain true to the spirit of the story.Why do we say that? First, we want to make it clear that, unlike many other online 'zines, we edit stories. Everyone one of them.

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-62744341681980352992011-03-16T11:21:00.001-07:002011-03-16T11:22:58.829-07:00

When I read slush, I read to a certain date. Granted, that's affected by how many stories run me up to a particular date. I read to Feb 1 last session. So, our slush is caught up to February 1 (and there are really just a few stories left between Feb1-15), so you should have heard from us on any slush sent to us prior to February. If not, feel free to resubmit. We like to keep our response time

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-48382331730833135202011-03-13T21:38:00.001-07:002011-03-13T21:44:11.753-07:00

Okay, we'll launch this puppy with the standard "If your story is late getting back to you from our slush pile it's likely me." My bad. Now onto George RR Martin. I've read a lot of his stuff, but of course GAME OF THRONES is all the rage right now with the HBO show coming up (and it looks to be brilliant!) But I'm hardly the expert. Dave is. Dave LOVES him some GRRM! But maybe I'm more

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-10679708022691421372011-03-10T10:00:00.004-07:002011-03-10T10:30:22.863-07:00

I mentioned at end of Februarythat we had a "repeat offender" in the new issue of Electric Spec. It turns out we had two repeat offenders in the current issue. In a story I described as emotionally poweful (i.e. creepy) we have End User by A.L. Sirois in the February 2011 issue. We also had Original Position by A.L. Sirois in our February 2010 issue. My apologies to A.L. for not mentioning

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-79557388145347224262011-03-06T10:21:00.002-07:002011-03-06T13:55:02.627-07:00

I'm doing a workshop in May in which I'll critique first pages of novels (well, 2 pages) and dispensing publishing advice (that one cracks me up). I am fairly capable at critting and judging a work by the first page or two though, from my time here reading slush and also playing The Game, plus just reading 5 years worth of critiques for my partners, too. I've been asked what I can find out

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-51376013658881099272011-03-03T18:02:00.002-07:002011-03-03T18:06:30.983-07:00

Tor just released a reader's poll of the top ten SF&F novels of the last decade. Here are the results:Old Man’s War by John Scalzi - 295 votesAmerican Gods by Neil Gaiman - 270 votesThe Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - 231 votesBlindsight by Peter Watts - 221 votesKushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey - 194 votesA Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin - 179 votesJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-17271236624875969712011-03-01T10:56:00.002-07:002011-03-01T10:57:33.029-07:00

When asked about writing short fiction, an award-winning author said something recently I've been pondering a lot "if you're a novelist, don't lose focus on writing your next book." Hhm. It's possible I should focus less on writing short fiction. But it's not possible I should read less short fiction. I love short fiction. It rocks! I've said before short fiction can be like a perfect jewel

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-18165748149023938242011-02-28T16:52:00.001-07:002011-02-28T16:54:21.513-07:00

Editor Betsy tells me we just went live with the new issue of Electric Spec! Hurray! Thanks, everyone who helped make this happen. :)

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-2715854882371095202011-02-22T07:38:00.005-07:002011-02-22T09:53:34.298-07:00

We editors are busy wrapping up production for our February 28, 2011 Electric Spec issue! It's fabulous! We can't wait for you to read it. We'll be featuring short fiction by up-and-coming authors Dawn Lloyd, A.L. Sirois, Sara Kate Ellis, Jaelithe Ingold, and "repeat-offender" Fredrick Obermeyer. We try to give you a variety of stories within the speculative fiction genre. All of the stories

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-3479876063121568602011-02-20T10:35:00.000-07:002011-02-20T10:35:49.257-07:00

 Sometimes I feel like I'm just casting around for topics. I write on stuff that interests me, but whether it interests you I've no idea. So I'm inviting questions. Any and all are welcome. I'll answer in posts. Maybe if we're lucky, my esteemed partners will chime in as well! I'm also inviting first page submissions for critique. That's an open invitation, but I forget to mention it. I'll

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-81116403997453948032011-02-15T09:37:00.002-07:002011-02-15T09:56:12.364-07:00

I gave myself a little homework assignment over the holidays. I tried to find out what makes a short speculative fiction story great. I probably read over a hundred stories from those "Best of" anthologies. What did I conclude? Every great story is different, there are no hard and fast rules. Okay, in hindsight, this may be obvious. :) Another obvious thing: opinions about stories are

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-66462001897748795602011-02-14T07:15:00.000-07:002011-02-14T07:15:26.574-07:00

Plotting vs Character is often in hot debate among writers, as if, incidentally, one can survive without the other. Lots of folks love PLOT PLOT PLOT, especially mystery and thriller writers, I think, because really, what is the detective without a complicated murder to solve? But character...characters make the fictional world go 'round. If we don't love our character, why write about them? Then

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-49417648952377754342011-02-10T08:42:00.002-07:002011-02-10T08:42:00.571-07:00

I've written on this before, but I always hope I can improve on my explanation. I like Darkness of the Soul stories, characters pushed to their bottom limits and still climbing out on top. Not horror, not necessarily suspense. Gore in print doesn't thrill me either, not like it does on the screen. Often contrasting this, I dislike a great deal of internal narrative. To me it's often like a

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-66145858758714218692011-02-08T07:22:00.001-07:002011-02-08T07:22:00.475-07:00

I'm hip-deep in revisions for my WIP. I thought I resolved some problems, so I did a quick reread. And, of course, I found another glaring problem, namely, a large dramatic event happens early in the book and no explanation is ever given. Nor do the characters ever wonder 'Why/how did this event occur?'. Ugh. So, I rolled up my sleeves, put on my thinking cap, mixed some metaphors and ...

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-8193025045387928472011-02-01T09:56:00.003-07:002011-02-01T10:01:56.397-07:00

Hi guys,We are finalizing the stories in our Feb 2011 issue. (We ran into some logistical problems due to a pesky sub-zero blizzard.) Authors should hear back from us by the end of the week one way or another. We appreciate every story that is submitted. Thanks a lot! Closer to the end of the month, I'll tease you with tidbits about our exciting issue interview. :)In the meantime, check out

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-8183559444098850862011-01-31T19:19:00.004-07:002011-01-31T19:46:44.324-07:00

I recently read Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings. It is a monster of a book--over 1000 pages, and it is only "Book I" of the series. (But a good read nonetheless). I noticed that I read epic fantasies in a particular way. I find it next to impossible to keep track of all the character and place names. I remember the major characters and a few who are unique or exceptionally well drawn, but I

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-46333849272765351992011-01-30T14:47:00.003-07:002011-01-30T18:56:30.992-07:00

I realize I'm a bit late weighing in on this book---it seems like most people I know have read it by now. As a result, I approached it with the question"what made this book so popular?" Even before starting the book, several people warned me that it didn't "get good" until a more than a hundred pages into the book. The start was slow; lots of backstory and narrative with very little present day

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-60209296913933371332011-01-26T06:46:00.004-07:002011-01-26T06:46:00.759-07:00

I just finished reading Connie Willis' 2010 science fiction novel in two parts Blackout, and All Clear. As Willis fans know, she is one of the most award-winning SF authors of all time, having won at least ten Hugo Awards and six Nebula Awards. In Blackout/All Clear she returns to her future Oxford University time-traveling world, also featured in Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog.

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-38678594125660265532011-01-23T15:04:00.009-07:002011-01-23T19:16:31.415-07:00

Balian of Ibelin We all have personal themes. Often enough we don't think they're original. But think, really think, about how you apply your themes to your stories. Think about the combination of your themes, the things that make your muse sing. Alone, themes are rarely original. But combined with your own sensibility, they suddenly take on a new flavor. And embracing your themes and personal

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-10661153048860609682011-01-20T09:32:00.002-07:002011-01-20T09:32:00.327-07:00

Something I've been struggling with lately, amid many projects and reading slush, is getting a chance to draft. I've hit the climax of a novella, but I just haven't had time, with revising another book and submitting yet another, to finish it.That makes me itchy. Something about drafting... I have a clear addiction to words and drafting is the only thing that satisfies it. I don't hate revising,

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-67683793180836495362011-01-18T09:31:00.004-07:002011-01-18T09:46:21.130-07:00

We are deep into production mode for the next Electric Spec issue: February 28, 2011. So, I thought you all might want some info about what's going on...We are preparing for our big production meeting that is coming up. There are a few stories still in the slush pile that we're getting through. (Don't worry, authors, you should hear back soon if we're holding you for voting or if your story is

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-90044980402591896012011-01-14T06:38:00.000-07:002011-01-14T06:38:00.948-07:00

I've read a lot of slush in the past few days, trying to get caught up. Most of it's really fun. It's awesome to see the cool ideas out there! But, and here it comes, there's the constant downside of having to reject most of what I read. Out of about 40 stories I saved 2 to vote on.Why'd they make the cut? They had the full package: interesting story idea, things I hadn't seen before, clever

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-42470409700208929252011-01-13T00:32:00.002-07:002011-01-13T08:20:23.038-07:00

Neil Gaiman, arguably one of the great speculative fiction writers of our time, claims he's struggling with one of his stories lately.Gaiman says: And also, please wish me luck with this short story I'm writing. I'm up to page 19 and nothing's happened yet. Right now, they're eating porridge. In my head, by this point in the story everyone was going to be terrified, and strange oogly things

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-78320924062413599752011-01-11T07:50:00.001-07:002011-01-13T10:09:03.844-07:00

I just finished reading Nicole Peeler's 2011 urban fantasy novel Tempest's Legacy, book three in the Jane True series. As readers know Jane is half selkie, and this series is chock-full of unique Scottish-based (?) mythology including kelpies and the Baobhan Sith. As Dr. Peeler says of the book, After a peaceful hiatus at home in Rockabill, Jane True thinks that her worst problem is that she

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-14247747059493800262011-01-09T17:55:00.002-07:002011-01-09T17:57:04.616-07:00

There's an interview with me over at Chiseled in Rock if you're interested to know a bit more about what makes this editor tick. Feel free to ask questions either here or there. Or neither here nor there. Whichever takes your fancy.

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-29509884944283109122011-01-06T06:20:00.001-07:002011-01-06T06:20:00.534-07:00

Of course every writer's resolution is to write more, right?(Say that out loud. See what I did there? Yeah...)Anyway, people structure these goals differently and according to project. When I look at 2011, I'd like to reasonably sell one of my novels, finish revisions on my latest novel and get representation for it, finish and sell 3 of my "inappropriate" books (usually roughly novella length),

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-4476327722164991292011-01-04T07:20:00.001-07:002011-01-04T07:20:00.658-07:00

I've been reading a lot of stories in the ElectricSpec slush, for my regular critique group and also for a workshop I'm going to soon, all of which prompt me to ask: "What's your story about?"Can you answer that question in one sentence? If not, you may have a problem.I find with my own writing even when I think I know what a story's about when I start writing, this doesn't always agree with

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-64791383893657951432010-12-28T07:24:00.003-07:002010-12-28T07:24:00.185-07:00

Over my Christmas vacation I read John Irving's 2009 novel Last Night in Twisted River. It shows the development of a novelist and the writing process in that it is a story within a story. Interestingly, the career of the novelist in the book is similar to Irving's career. As a writer myself I found Irving's Afterward particularly fascinating. He admits he's gotten some flack over the years,

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-90846058793161300912010-12-26T16:53:00.003-07:002010-12-27T18:03:58.318-07:00

In past posts, we have emphasized that it is important to try to get our attention on the first page of a story, preferably the first paragraph. Sometimes I get the impression that authors are trying too hard to grab a reader's (or editor's) attention. For lack of a better term, I will call this an "over-hook." One example is a story that starts in mid-action. For example, the first few lines of

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-48964163569036063222010-12-21T07:39:00.002-07:002010-12-21T07:39:00.766-07:00

In November 2009 I blogged about Robert J. Sawyer's novel WWW:WAKE in Spec Fic Tools VI: Plot. I analyzed some aspects of plot and concluded he did an excellent job with the novel.Recently, I read the 2nd novel in the trilogy, WWW:Watch, (2010) and I have to say it continues to be very good. As faithful Electric Spec readers and writers know, Sawyer was kind enough to let us interview him in

lesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-76702531911764961582010-12-19T20:54:00.002-07:002010-12-19T21:22:49.155-07:00

Authors have invented all kinds of hero-protagonists for their books, but I've noticed the "humble" hero is quite popular, especially in YA. In the Harry Potter series, Harry is often sure in his own mind that he is not quite up to the task before him. Even when he accomplishes a task, he usually attributes his success to a combination of luck and help from friends rather than his own quickness,

David E. Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-8328070393767093462010-12-17T09:59:00.001-07:002010-12-17T09:59:00.908-07:00

I just wanted to say, those of you who are querying stories, or most of you, that I'm the hold up. Not Dave. Not Lesley. Me. Bets.Sorry. I'm crashing through the first draft of a book and by the time I can sit down to read, well, let's just say I wouldn't show as much lenience as you'd like out of your slush reader. So I've been waiting for things to quiet a bit.I know, I know, they never get

Betsy Dornbuschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10980243336873019233noreply@blogger.com0