01 April 2008

Guidelines for Authors

I read a very good blog entry yesterday "10 Guidelines for Aspiring Speculative Fiction Authors by Robert Rhodes" on storycrafters.blogspot.com. A summary follows:
  1. Read read quality spec and non-spec fiction
  2. Pay attention and take notes you never know when an idea might strike
  3. Master the basics
  4. Create a complete, vivid story good stories integrate (1) a compelling character (2) in a fascinating setting (3) overcoming vast difficulties (4) by his or her own efforts and (5) achieving a worthwhile goal.
  5. Reach for the stars write your best story
  6. Beware of infatuation gain emotional distance so you can revise
  7. Be open to criticism
  8. Be--or pretend to be--a professional identify markets, follow submission guidelines, proofread, etc.
  9. Reward yourself
  10. Never, never, never quit

I couldn't have said it better myself! :)
Keep sending Electric Spec your stories!

1 comment:

ssas said...

I like number ten. We get stories from authors after repeated rejections and it's heartening to see them still in the game! With that kind of attitude, you'll hit it sooner or later!