04 September 2008

some advice for authors...

We've been furiously going through our in-boxes at Electric Spec, getting ready for the next issue. I've read QUITE a few stories lately that were very low on dialog and quite high on 'telling'. I was going to blog that this is generally a bad idea until I read "Bambi Steaks" by Richard A. Lovett (not in our submissions in-box:) ). This story is also low on dialog and high on 'telling', but it works. Why? Its about several things at once including what it means to be a man, technology that enables humans to switch bodies, and an alternate-future filled with U.S. red-states/blue-states civil war(s). It also has a really nice voice. The best thing about it though is the author lets the reader figure out the point of the story; the protagonist doesn't even get it! Very nice!

So, authors, how can you make your stories about more than one thing? Think about it, implement it, and send us your masterpieces! :)

1 comment:

Gremlin Editor said...

Let's face it, for every "Bambi Steaks" there are 1000 bad stories filled with too much telling. A lot of wanna be authors out there don't study their craft and end up writing a story like they are telling it to someone on the phone. If I page though a story and there is little to no dialogue, I suspect the story has problems. Once in a great while, I'm pleasantly surprised, but most of the time the story is clearly a beginner's effort.