Start Fresh

First, thank you to all the authors and other folks involved with our recent awesome issue of Electric Spec. If you haven't already, check it out. :)

And now we begin work on the next issue...
Recall we've changed our schedule and the next issue will be out May 31, 2010. (Send your stories in.)

Generally, I am surprised at the high quality of the stories in our slush pile. But, we do see repeats of certain things, lately it's been vampires--go figure. Nathan Bransford's blog had a nice post this week on starting fresh which he called "Archetype vs. Cliche". He said, "The way you use archetype is by telling the familiar arc in an entirely new world with its own rules, with unique characters, and in a unique style." Make sure you answer the questions "What's different about this world and this character?"

Take a hard look at your story (or novel): what's unique about it?