entry #2

Thanks for all the great entries and keep 'em coming! And now, for our second victim brave participant.

KEEPER

Confidently spinning a massive, double-bladed broadaxe along its hardwood handle axis, the Stradix warrior strode toward its quarry, a seeming rotund, little man squatting beside a shallow brook in the rocky terrain, filling his water flask. Moving surprisingly quickly and quietly for one of such incredible bulk, it swiftly swung the weapon over its head and delivered the blow with so much force the blade cleaved through the small man's skull and all the way down his body, to lodge itself in the hip bone.

Expecting a gushing torrent of blood and guts, the warrior could only stare, stupefied, as the parts of the man it had just struck a dead blow on fused back together, in a flash of emerald light, killing the self-satisfied smirk on its hideous face.

Its fingers let go of the axe, and the victim was whole again before the strike was completed.

The crouching man turned slowly to face his attacker, calmly picked up the would-be killer's axe where it had clattered to the ground, and quickly sliced through his enemy's knees with a fore swing, and as the creature rocked on the bleeding stubs where its feet had been, the last thing it saw was the arcing swing of the blade just before the back swing sliced through its neck, killing it instantly.

First, a word on genre. If you'll notice, our sword & sorcery tends to have some overarching theme. It makes a statement -- something well illustrated by the S&S genre. Now I like me some magic and swords (as Lesley will no doubt point out, I like them wielded by hot, bare-chested guys). However, Electric Spec might not be the best market for your basic, all-action, no theme S&S. (It's too early to judge theme is in this piece, so that's a statement on genre, not on this story.) There's that nasty "subjective" issue rearing its ugly head again, but what's an editor to do?

Now onto the page itself.

I did a quick count of 10 adverbs--about 5% of the words. In fact, the story even starts with an adverb. I'm not sure why this writer is so dependent upon adverbs, because the verb usage is strong in this piece

Adverbs do two things: they tell and they clutter. My advice is to write with no adverbs at all and then go back and add them if you really can't think of a better way to express it. (I actually removed the adverbs from this piece as an experiment and it felt much stronger.) Granted, some people may lurve them some adverbs. This editor is not one of those people.

Also, writing-wise, we got some long sentences. The last sentence on this page is a whopping 72 words. Break those puppies up! I also see some word echo and choreography issues, but those are minor fixes.


Dude. I have no idea where I am! Assuming your world is unlike any other--and it had better be if you want to sell the story--consider me lost. The first page can be a roadmap into your world. Setting details are like landmarks. Give us the name of the place, maybe, and some distinct, unusual details. Re: the brook in rocky terrain. I live near the mountains in Colorado. I see brooks in rocky terrain all the time. Shoot. That could be my neighbor's back yard water feature. Give me the most important setting detail(s) about your world as soon as you can.

I like that the guy is cleaved in half and comes back to life. That's an interesting take in a violent scene. But I need to care, and to do that, I need to know who the players are. So, along with putting your reader in place, tell me who the story is about. I don't know these folks like you do. Take the earliest opportunity to personalize your characters so your reader has a reason to care about them. For instance, this piece started with the Stradix Warrior, with a brief foray into his POV--the last thing it saw was the arcing swing of the blade--and then he promptly dies. Oh no! I'm lost, and now my tour guide is dead!

Pet peeves aside (POV characters dying onscreen), I'm wondering who this story is about. The little rotund man? If so, then we should be in his head, or at least in the head of some other lug who's hanging around.

Finally, what's the story problem? The best advice I ever got about the short form is that the story problem can appear on page one and can be wrapped up on the last page. Deceptively simple, eh? Consider that short stories (and especially first pages) should rest on a three-legged stool of plot, character, and setting. You'll notice I had concerns with all three in this piece.

Unfortunately, based on these issues, I doubt I'd keep reading.

Thanks so much for having the courage to put your stuff out there! I hope this helps you and other writers. Part of Electric Spec's mission is to give a voice, make a place, for unpublished and newly published writers. This game is part of realizing that mission, but just like how the magazine can't work without our slush, the game can't work without you. Keep 'em coming!

addendum: I agree with Lesley in comments. I think I am harsh in this critique. I want to explain my method because I do A LOT of critique through various places and I don't usually hurt feelings. Hopefully I didn't do that here. But in this game I'm also trying to think it through as an editor, as well as show our authors and participants what is going through editors' heads as they read slush. I also am always happy within the game to take a look at rewrites, if anyone's interested.

Game Entry #1

My comments in red.

Plasma rifle at the ready, Private Ralf Bein stalked down the center of the potholed road, taking his turn on point and not liking it one bit. The street was empty of civilians, which was a bad sign, making Ralf wonder if they knew something his patrolling ranger squad had not, as yet, discovered. That the rangers had also started taking random rifle fire in the last few minutes added to this genius assumption. So far it was nothing his armor couldn't handle--because little short of depleted uranium slugs or plasma could penetrate imperial battle armor with a single shot, and the outmanned and outgunned rebels weren't that well supplied. But the deserted streets and the steady pling and whine of bullets zinging off Ralf's gear was unnerving, to say the least, especially how the sound echoed between the buildings like angry insects.

"I feel like I've got a big glowing target on my helmet," he muttered on his team's sideband.

"You do," his team leader, Private Lassanog, replied on the same channel. "I jiggered your camofield myself, newbie." Gallows humor blossomed with the right fertilizer.

"'Whatever It Takes'." He murmured the Imperial Ranger motto instead of rising to the bait.


Love the first line. Think about all the things we learn from it: Plasma rifle (sci-fi) at the ready, Private (ah, military sci fi) Ralf Bein (character name--preferably the protag) stalked (tough guy, are you?) down the center of the potholed road (setting detail indicating age and decay to their surroundings), taking his turn on point and not liking it one bit.(We're in his POV--confirming he's likely the protag. It also adds a bit of foreshadowing and tension.) All in all, very deftly done.

And if this writer can do all that in the space of so few words, it gives me hope that I'm in the hands of a competent storyteller. We do have a few unneeded words in the next sentence: as yet. Some folks might call this "voice" but it's actually repeating information we can glean from the verb. This is a perfect example of how and where to cut. Two words might not seem like much, but if you cut two words from every sentence in a 4000 words story, it adds up. I see unneeded words like this a lot.

The rest of the graph is set-up rather than forwarding the plot. But I'm thinking it works ok, I'm willing to keep reading and see what happens next, because the set-up acts as foreshadowing. You want to be careful about going too far with set-up. If a story needs a few pages of set-up then either the story is too big for the form or you didn't start it in the right place. Or you're just pleased as punch with your world and don't know when to say when. :)

On a personal note, which enters every editor's head, I'm thinking: Cool. Military Sci Fi. I love that! I never see enough of it either.

Gallows humor blossomed with the right fertilizer. While that's a nice line, I'd probably cut it. It overshadows the dialogue, which to my mind overshadows the story--the action. It's not a deal-breaker though, unless the authorial intrusion continues. You could kill on the same channel as well. We're in Bein's head so obviously he wouldn't hear it unless they were speaking on the same channel. (At this point you might be thinking I'm inflicting my style on the author's. Well, yeah, a little bit. That's part of an editor's job.)

I'd switch the tag to the front of the last line of dialogue so the reader knows what this means, and insert Bein's name. We've got two male speakers and presumably more will chime in at some point.

I'm not sure what the story is about quite yet beyond a basic "army" vs "rebels", but hopefully the next page will enlighten me further, and I'm expecting that this mission is directly related to the main problem in the story.

Overall, this one earns a Keep Reading.

Please feel free to chime in on comments, but be kind and diplomatic. Thanks for playing!!!

Mini-slush game

Long time no blog! We've all had a busy fall dealing with day jobs, wrapping up the conference season, and causing general mayhem. (Okay, well that might just be me.)

To reward your patience and alleviate your boredom, I'd like to offer the First Page Critique Game, here on the blog. So far, it's mostly me doing this. The other editors may chime in as time and interest permit. If you're lucky, they'll disagree with me and you'll get to see us FIGHT, right here in our comments threads! (Hear that Gremlin? I can take you. Just try me.)

To keep things from getting overwhelming or confusing (for me, I mean) here are the Rules (subject to change at any time by me or any other editor, game lasts only as long as we have entries and interest on both parties', er, parts. We reserve the right to decline any entry.):

1. Send FIRST PAGE only. Yes, you may finish your sentence, up to 200 words. (Per our guidelines, that's generous.) A title might be nice, too.

2. Speculative Fiction only. More on this later.

2. Send your First Page Only labeled RE: First Page Game to betsy (at) electricspec.com. Feel free to include your entry in the body of the email. I have problems with spam in that account, so you MUST label your entry.

Please note: this address is not a shortcut around our slush. Regular submissions to this address will be deleted unread.

3. While you may submit a previously rejected story for an opinion, do not submit stories currently in the ElectricSpec slush pile thinking you can get a quicker turnaround. Trust me, we'll figure it out at some point and get really really irritated with you, and your name shall be forever inscribed upon our Wall of Shame. On that note, obviously we can't control whether or not it's on submission somewhere else. Use your best judgment.

4. The entries will appear anonymously, unless you identify yourself in the comments. However, please use your real name in the email.

5. By submitting to our little game, you're agreeing to allow us to publish your first page on this blog alongside our comments so that others may learn from all our foibles and fantastica. Certainly if the story is accepted elsewhere for publication and you want us to remove the post, we can do that.

6. By submitting to The Game, you're confirming the work is yours and that you own full rights. Previously unpublished is best.

7. Even if I like your page really really lots and lots, it doesn't guarantee publication in ElectricSpec. But if I like your page lots and lots, feel free to submit the whole story to us pronto. If I like it not so much, feel free to revise and submit the whole story to us pronto.

8.+ [Space reserved for any other rules I can think up when the caffeine kicks in.]

I'm doing this out of what little goodness is left in my sour, blackened editorial heart. Please don't harass us if we don't fall in love with your page. Also, no toadies or sycophants, please. I get enough of that from Gremlin.

Writing on Reading: KOP

Recently I read KOP, Warren Hammond's first novel. From the title you might guess the author is a really bad speller, but it turns out KOP stands for Koba's Office of Police, where Koba is a city on a far away planet, Lagarto. (Interestingly, in the U.K. this summer I found out that the word "cop" is itself an acronym for Constable On Patrol.) I found KOP to be very well plotted; I had to read it in one sitting! The author also does an amazing job with characterization. His protagonist, Juno Mozambe, is a worn-out crooked cop, but the reader really empathizes with him. Why? I'll give you a couple tidbits from the official blurb: "despite his past sins and his present problems, some small part of Juno has not given up hope." He gets "a chance to blow the lid of a huge scandal—an offworld plot to crush the slim hope Lagarto has to regain its economic independence. If he can break the case it would mean a new beginning for him and his world...if the conspirators don't break him first." For a first novel, KOP is impressive; I highly recommend this book.

What good books have you read lately?

NaNoWriMo--lots of info in forums

We have been remiss on the blogging lately, sorry. I know one editor has a huge important project with his day job, but I'm not sure what's up with the others. Personally, WorldCon and MileHiCon really pumped me up and I have been writing a ton! (All Electric Spec editors are also writers.) All this writing makes me think of Nanowrimo...

I'm sure you all know about NaNoWriMo and how it's going on right now and how it rocks! I think this year is the tenth anniversary year. I did it once and it was an excellent experience. I did write a lot of words but it also taught me to silence my inner editor. This was very helpful and even more valuable than the pages I finished. (You wouldn't want to see those pages!) :) You don't have to participate in NaNoWriMo to get some benefits of it. For example, the Forums have tons of info. I found an interesting link to Wil Wheaton's NaNoWriMo tips for example.

IMHO, it's not too late to start NaNoWriMo or your own Short-Story-Writing-Month, ShoStoWriMo?, if you feel inspired. How about it? Any of our readers/writers doing NaNoWriMo or variations on same?

2008 World Fantasy Winners

The 2008 World Fantasy Award winners were announced during the 2008 World Fantasy Convention in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on Sunday, November 2. Best short story went to Theodora Goss for "Singing of Mount Abora" (Logorrhea, Bantam Spectra). Read more about it at World Fantasy. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

We're Live!

We're live with a new issue of Electric Spec! Check out our selection of excellent stories by Tyree Campbell, S. Hutson Blount, Jason K. Chapman, Lyle Skains, and Bob Burnett! We also have some excellent features including our movie column by Marty Mapes and an article "Irony in Fiction" by our own Editor Betsy. And of course, I already blogged about my interview with author M.M. Buckner. Check them all out!

Thank you to all our editors, authors, and artists! You guys rock!

Whew

And the conference season has come to a close, at least for this editor, at least until spring. Mile Hi Con is a small regional convention, but we had a decent writers track and top-notch authors like Carrie Vaughn, Connie Willis, Jim Butcher, vampire writers Jeanne Stein, Mario Acevedo, and David Dvorkin, Hugo Nominee Paulo Bagigalupi, Warren Hammond, author of the gritty KOP series...and the list goes on. It's inexpensive (something like $40 for three days) and they do a great job at making it easy for participants--panels don't require as much prep for a busy author.

I attended a great panel, Short Story 101, more fondly known as "Clarion in Five Minutes." When the authors were asked what is the best lesson they can impart to the audience in just a few minutes, they unilaterally agreed:

Ask the story question on the first page; answer the story question on the last page.

Sounds simple, right?

Well, you'd be surprised how many stories I read that have me wondering at page three, Writing's nice, but what's the story about?

One other thing struck me. Lesley and I in particular have always believed short stories should be about more than one thing. This panel disagreed, stating emphatically that the short form only has room for one question at a time. So I thought about that and I decided that maybe what Lesley and I are driving at is that multiple devices should support one story question. Backpedaling? Maybe. It is election season. :)

She can chime in here on this topic as well, later, but I believe character, setting, and plot should all drive the story question to its logical conclusion (ironic twists notwithstanding). As well, stories are often more interesting if unlikely, conflicting elements combine to support the story question.

Thoughts on this, anyone?

Interview with M.M. Buckner

Our new issue of Electric Spec, out October 31, 2008 will feature an interview with award-winning author M.M. Buckner. M.M. burst onto the scene in 2003 and has already racked up some awards including the Philip K. Dick Award for her 2006 novel War Surf. Her new book Watermind is coming out in November, 2008 and she told me it's about a liquid artificial intelligence... Wow! Sounds intriguing! The Electric Spec editors met M.M. at WorldCon 2008 and thought she was so interesting she'd give a good interview. We were right! Check out what she has to say about eco-fiction, "post-cyberpunk", classic literature, mental whiplash and more in the next issue of Electric Spec!

In other Electric Spec news...
The new issue is coming along nicely, and looks like it will be one of our best ever. (Yes, I do say that every time.)

We're working on some big changes for 2009.

Come meet Editor Betsy and me at MileHiCon this weekend in Denver. I'll be on ecology, women's fiction, post-Harry-Potter science, and cartoon physics panels.

And keep sending us those stories!

Writing on Reading: Grimspace

My favorite thing happened last week: I discovered a new author! While perusing the new books section at the library, I came across Grimspace by Ann Aguirre. From the official blurb: "By all accounts, Sirantha Jax should have burned out years ago…
As the carrier of a rare gene, Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a talent which cuts into her life expectancy, but makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. But then the ship she’s navigating crash-lands, and she’s accused of killing everyone on board." etc. etc. Needless to say, when she busts out of prison hijinks ensue... I won't ruin it for you.

This book was excellent for many reasons: the protagonist is flawed and sympathetic, it starts in the middle of the action and the plot moves at a brisk pace, the big-idea (grimspace and the protag's special ability) is intriguing, and the prose is very smooth. I heard this was Ms. Aguirre's first novel. I'm not sure if that's true, but we should all write so well.
I have nothing negative to say about this book. Wait, I thought of something: it was too short. :) Check it out. Or maybe you already read it? If so, what did YOU think?

In other Electric Spec news...

Sorry I haven't been blogging much, putting together the new issue is a lot of work. The new issue will be out on October 31! It looks really good, too.

Early next week I will blog about a very interesting interview...

Keep sending us stories for our first 2009 issue! (Hey, Editors, we need to finalize the publication dates for 2009.)

E-Spec Editor in Locus

Boy am I mad! I've been trying to get my picture into Locus for years, but who did I see in the latest issue? Electric Spec editor Betsy Dornbusch! It's a picture from Worldcon with her standing next to Carol Berg and Brenda Carre. Okay, I admit she looks fab, but I was really hoping they'd publish the pic of me hanging from the chandelier and dipping my ears in the chocolate fondue. Or maybe the one of me reaching into the stripper's bra strap. 

I guess Charles Brown is still angry at me for that little incident where I accidently bit his ankle. I told him I was drunk on axel grease and Bacardi 151, but he won't listen. Man, can that guy hold a grudge!

Countdown to Issue III

I'm very excited about our next issue of Electric Spec, coming out on October 31. Not only do we have some great stories, but we have an exciting author interview, our movie column, and something interesting in the Editor's Corner.

It is hard to believe that this will be our ninth issue of the magazine, and we're still going strong. In fact, we're planning some new surprises for 2009. We always welcome feedback and ideas about how to make the magazine even better. Feel free to post a comment about it or e-mails us at our "editors" address, which is on our website.

Production Overload

You may have noticed that our posts have not been as frequent lately. That's because things get pretty frenzied here at Electric Spec about a month before our publication date. All three of us have a pile of tasks to perform to get the magazine ready. We get author contracts signed, we edit and format stories (and send authors the galleys), we convert the magazine into PDF and PRC formats, we find and choose art, we write a Message from the Editors, we put together author bios and links, and we try not to tear our hair out in the process.

Come to think of it, I can see why some many fledgling e-zines fail. Putting out a quality product on a regular basis is much harder that you might think. Generally, you need more than one person on board and you all need to work together, trusting each other to get all the jobs done. I, for one, feel lucky to have such terrific partners in this endeavor who are willing to work for such low pay (okay, free) and will still drink beer with me on occasion.

David's Comments On the Selection Process

By now our finalists have gotten the good or bad news about their stories. Since Bets and Lesley have given their take on all this, I thought I'd better chime in as well. It's fairly easy to make generalizations about how bad or mediocre stories can be improved (see Bet's and Gremlin's prior posts), but it's harder for higher quality stories. Lesley is right that plot has a lot to do with it; many stories are very well written but the plot is too common or predictable. In other cases, the world is well crafted, but just does not feel original enough. (This is especially true in fantasy. We've been having a harder time finding fantasy stories that we are truly taken with, mostly because the worlds seem too trope.) Some stories just don't hold together on the second or third read. If a story has a plot element or a character action that does not make sense, that's usually something we can't (or don't want to) fix in the editorial process.

So what do all three of us editors like most? Character-driven stories that pull you with with an interesting word and proceed in a sensible, but perhaps not predictable, way with an ending that is satisfying. If you have one of those, please send it our way!

more comments on our selection process

Here's another editor's opinion...
I agree with Betsy: Wow! We had a lot of great stories this time. In fact, we had a record number of 'hold for voting' stories this issue. Kudos to you authors! Thank you to everyone that submitted.
It's a given that all the stories that made it to hold-for-voting were written by competent writers with a firm grasp of spelling and the rules of grammar.

I also agree with Betsy that "Just the right amount of information" is good. IMHO about 99% of the stories we get are too long. I freely admit early drafts of stories I write are also too long, but I've learned to go through at the end and cut, cut, cut.

I have deciphered the number one reason I pick a story for Electric Spec is originality. I want to read about an idea I've never heard of, or even imagined, before.
What does this mean for you, the author?
It means a mean man/monster/alien/ghost/vampire/werewolf that kills his wife/girlfriend/etc. is a tough sell unless it has an original twist.
It means a story with the big reveal that the protagonist is a monster/alien/ghost/vampire/werewolf is a tough sell unless it has an original twist.
It means the prince/knight/soldier/etc. that saves a maiden/princess/plucky thief/etc. and defeats the demon/monster/dragon/evil warlock/etc. on a quest is a tough sell unless it has an original twist.
I think you get the idea.
It doesn't mean that unoriginal stories are bad, it just means they aren't for me. Of course I don't pick the stories by myself. All the editors get together and hash it out, so we all have a say.

We hope to have our selections for the Oct. 31 issue by the end of this week and we will inform authors soon after.
Thanks again for submitting!

Making the Cut

Wow. Just wow. So many great stories, such a small budget. Y'all made this round really tough for your editorial staff here at ESpec. My eyes are spinning from sheer volume; my head is reeling from the quality. Tomorrow night the Electric Spec staff meets to drink discuss the new issue, coming to your monitors on HALLOWEEN.

What are some qualities of the stories in our Hold File? Here are some comments culled from my own notes:

Creative world. Creative doesn't necessarily mean funny-named critters and odd-looking foliage. Creative, when I think about world-building, means fleshed-out, that I have a sense of wholeness, of more than I can see in your story. Truly excellent world-building even spurs plot and characterization. Customs should make sense within the larger framework. Politics, economics, and culture, down to slang and phrasing, should affect and inform your characters' actions. You can even use similes to give me more information about your world. Closely linked is deftly-handled world building. This means no telling, no explaining. The characters behave as they do because it's what they know. They are so much a part of their world that I can't picture them anywhere else.

Just the right amount of information. Whew! Did we ever get some loooong stories for this issue. The short form is a "bite," not the whole pie.
Great tension. Nothing holds me rapt like tension. Every sentence should deepen it, draw the reader further in, locking them into the character's inevitable choices and fate. A reader (me) should ask with every scene: will he or won't he? Tension stems from a good story question and proper pacing. (No waxing poetic during sword fights!)

Intriguing, well developed foe. Let's hear it for bad guys--the most neglected character in poorly written fiction. But hey! Antagonists are people, too. They aren't just a rock to climb over; they're the whole reason your protag got into this mess in the first place. The better the antagonist, the better the conflict.

Writing is very clean. Clear, strong language. Solid word choice and sentence structure. (When in doubt: subject, verb, object.) No passive voice, no misused words, few grammar and punctuation flaws. No adverbs when a strong verb would do. No POV glitches. Don't tell it when you could show it just as well.

Voice matched plot and characters perfectly. Dave said something to me last night that stuck with me all the way until today. Sophisticated writers think about how to match voice to plot and characters. If your character is a sheepherder from the Shire who can't read, don't use big words in his POV.

Atmospheric. This is the most difficult to explain, but the most fun to read. If it's a story that takes us into the dark places of someone's soul, then keep the lights low. Suggest atmosphere with props and metaphor and voice.

It's a lot, I know, but if they can do it, so can you!

Writing on Reading: A Princess of Roumania

Paul Park's A Princess of Roumania got a lot of critical acclaim when it came out a couple years ago, and I can see why. It's certainly different that most fantasy novels out there, taking lots of tropes and turning them on their head. Park creates a unique world with memorable characters. I really enjoyed the way he spent time developing one of antagonists. When "evil" POV characters try to justify their own actions in believable and non-traditional ways--and even experience regret, denial, and self-doubt--that's good stuff. Park also does some interesting things with magic. The scope and nature of magic is never completely explained, but it works in this case. An aura of mystery and confusion that surrounds magic seems realistic, leaving us with the feeling that we might have if we directly experienced magic ourselves. One other positive is that the book contains a twist I never saw coming, which is always fun.

All of the above makes Princess worth reading, but I don't think I put it my list of top fantasy novels. Although I enjoyed and was interested in the characters, I never connected with them enough to feel truly absorbed in the book. I think this was in part because of Park's use of multiple POVs throughout the book. Just as I felt myself pulling more for one character, Park would switch POV on me, drawing me away. The other flaw for me was that the plot didn't move quite quickly enough. It seemed like Park kept giving the reader a promise that great things were about to happen, but then he under-delivered. The book ended with a definable climax, but not enough of one for my taste.

Personal Rejections

I'd like to address the idea of personalized rejections. Anything to put off writing a synopsis, right? Which leads me to my point.

The editorial staff are all working writers, as well as holding down other jobs, attending professional events, managing families, etc. Boo hoo, everyone's busy. But limited time isn't the only reason we don't offer many comments on stories from our slush. (OK, it might be Dave's because he really is busy, man.)

ElectricSpec is a business, not a school. Yes, I often know exactly what the problems are in a story, and I could jot suggestions back to the writer. Yes, it might only take five minutes per story. But we don't accept redux on stories. In three years, we've learned it just doesn't work for us. So, this being a business, and a competitive one at that, why should I spend ElectricSpec's time critiquing a bunch of stories which are going to end up at another magazine? ElectricSpec not going to benefit, and my magazine must be my primary concern.

But isn't part of our mission to support beginning writers? It is. And we do. We seek out writers who really need that interview. We write this blog so we can address lots of folks at once. We love to buy first sales from writers, and I think you'll notice we have, a lot. And once upon a time, we did offer more suggestions via rejections. Unfortunately...

Our advice is often not well-recieved. There really is nothing like offering advice and having a writer shoot a hostile email back. There are a thousand writers out there who aren't ready to recieve critique, unfortunately. Sure, a few bad dudes ruined it for everyone. But not really, because...

I help writers in other capacities. Having been on the recieving end, to me being a writer is as much about paying it forward as it is writing. So, I speak at conferences, targeting beginning writers. Just this past weekend, I offered a 30 page critique as a conference prize. I've critiqued at critters and crapmeter. I write two blogs and do my best to leave helpful comments around the Web. I'm a member of two professional organizations, a full-time critique group, and have offered countless free critiques online and in person. I truly believe in the value of critique. But, I choose not to do this through ElectricSpec because here...

I'm an editor, not a critique partner. When I get your story, I assume it's finished. That's a fair assumption because the stories we buy certainly are.

If you look around hard enough, you'll find my presence on the web. If you engage me, I think you'll find I'll come out from behind my editor's desk, quite friendly and ready to help. And within the confines of the blog, we're always happy to answer questions, even specific questions. So just try us. And do your best to ignore Gremlin. He's a pain, but he gives us candy, so we keep him around.

Story Problems that Make Me Want to Smear Gooey Stuff All Over My Face

We gremlins tend to smear green, gooey stuff all over ourselves when we are pissed off. We also bite, so it's wise to steer clear of us when we're having a bad day. I've had a few goo-worthy moments lately reading stories in the Electric Spec slush. It makes me mad when a story with a strong plot or interesting characters ends up in the reject pile. If only those authors knew how close they were. If only they'd fix a few problems. On the off chance someone's willing to take the Grem's advice, here a handy list.

Editorial Gremlin's Seven Green Goo Rules 

1. Figure out who your protagonist is and make me care about him/her/it.
2. Make sure there is conflict. Bonus points if you make things really horrible for the person in #1 above.
3. Cut the crap. Write three drafts of your story, making it shorter each time. Send me the short one.
4. If there's no dialogue on the first page of the story, you better have a good reason.
5. Lengthy descriptions of a fantasy world make me yawn. I fall dead asleep when they are in the first two or more paragraphs of the story. (The same rule applies to backstory).
6. If you are going to choose only 1 physical trait to describe a character, don't choose hair or eye color. 
7. Get paid for a payoff. Give me an ending that brings the story together or rams the point home, and I'll try to get those idiot Electric Spec editors to buy it. 

Fall Issue Submission Deadline Today!

Today at midnight is the deadline for Electric Spec to consider stories for our Fall issue, which comes out on Halloween. Stories submitted after that will be considered for our winter issue.

From what I've seen so far, the competition for the 6-7 spots in our Fall issue will be tough. We've already held 27 stories for voting, which is above average. I have not been though all those stories yet, but I know I put in a few that looked very promising. 

I didn't specifically keep track of the total number of submissions for this issue, but a fair guess would be 250 to 300 stories. So remember authors, don't get discouraged by rejections. Getting a story published in a quality magazine is really, really tough. Not only do you have to write a great story, but you also need beat out all the other great stories that other authors have submitted. Ultimately it will boil down to editors' subjective tastes and what the magazine needs for a particular issue.

The Art of the Slow Reveal

Check out Elizabeth Bear's new story over at Tor. It's a great story for a number of reasons, one of which is how she handles the slow reveal. I love fantasy stories where the fantasy (or science fiction element) isn't immediately obvious, but then you realize it was there from almost the very beginning. This story, in fact, has two reveals that work together really well. Bear also captures the voice and vocabulary of the music industry, making the story ring true. It's so different from her Nebula award-winning Tideline, proving she's one of the most versatile authors in genre fiction right now. What do you think of the story? I'd love to see your comments.

p.s. One more plug for Bear. I know from personal experience that she's very down to earth. She was kind enough to provide encouragement and constructive criticism on a story I submitted to Ideomancer.

Slamming F & SF

Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine is popular with genre writers for a lot of reasons: it has a good circulation, pays pro rates for stories, and has the fastest slush turn-around time in the biz. I admire F & SF for all of those reasons. I confess that I'm a frequent submitter (aka recipient of rejections) from the magazine, but I'm a former subscriber. Why? Although I found many high quality stories in the magazine, very few of them truly grabbed me. I found issues piling up in my in-box because I wasn't quite willing to put down whatever it was I was reading that did grab me. Also, I found many more stories in free web-based magazines that were, IMHO, better.

I'm not the only one who thinks this way. Recently, F & SF has been slammed in the blogosphere. Check it out at Wet Asphalt  and Asking the Wrong Questions.

What say again?

I'm caught up with my slush. For now. It's a fleeting thing.

I had an odd run of submissions in which I had trouble figuring out what the story was about. Ambiguity is not something we see too much of around here. In fact, we see plots more along the lines of the adopted teenaged shepard boy (aka: long lost prince/mage/warrior of the realm) sent on a quest by a mysterious magician. Ok, not that bad, but you get my meaning.

Often the set-up was all there, but then the story took a left turn at Albuquerque. I tried to think about why this was and some points came to mind:

The author fell in love with his own voice.
I see this most often in first person, though I've seen a few thirds lately. When your critique group says Great line, but what does it mean? it's not a rhetorical question.

The author didn't know what s/he was trying to say.
What is the point? A note: some stories are meant to be lighthearted fare, but I don't think you'll see much fluff in ElectricSpec. Even our humor stories make a point. Every story should have at least one theme, no matter how simple or cliche. Interwoven themes, we like even better.

The story wasn't fleshed out. (And it wasn't even about zombies.)
Push your plot and characters for all their worth. Find ways to connect every dot, and make sure there's more than two.

Tread only the paths that lead to the point you're trying to make.
All aspects of the story should be laser-focused on your theme (see above).

Even what you don't say should make a point.
The best way I can illustrate this is with an example from real life. Picture a husband and wife. The husband wants to have a nap. The wife wants him to clean the garage. ** But she says nothing. The husband has the nap. Even an non-action can lend meaning to your theme and plot. Does she love him, knows how he loves his naps, so she tolerates it happily? Is he crabby enough to beat her for saying something? Or is her silence a statement--usually she complains, but now she's given up on him?

All this takes some doing, I realize. But most stories are not written in a day--most saleable stories, anyway. Most stories take some thought and agony and blood. Almost every writer I know with sales under their belts have stories that took months or even years to perfect. Give yourself the time to realize what you're trying to say, and let your characters show us.

**thanks, honey, for cleaning the garage on Sunday. : )

How to Write Horrible Horror

I've managed to hack into the Electric Spec slush pile, and I've seen a lot of horror stories in there. Being a Gremlin, I love horror stories, and even those wussy Electric Spec editors usually include at least one horror/macabre story in each issue. They claim they may put even more in the next issue, which comes out on Halloween.

I'm not impressed with some of the slush horror I've seen. Maybe 'cause it's e-z to write bad horror. Just write a story with lots of people getting killed by someone or something bad. Yawn. If the story really sucks, I end up looking forward to the protagonist getting put out of his/her misery. 

So, what are the keys to good horror? Well, ya gotta establish an interesting protagonist. The story can't be about horror; it has to be about an interesting character experiencing horror.  A well-developed character can make even the most trope horror plots (i.e. murderer on the loose, monster attacking stranded group, angry ghost seeking revenge, etc) interesting. Even better, avoid trope horror plots altogether. Erase all those bad horror movies you saw as a teenager while trying to round the bases with your date and start from scratch. 

If you submit a story that manages to do both of these, I'll make those Electric Spec editors publish it by biting their noses until they agree.

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! :)

Writing on Reading: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

It's been a while since I've read a novel that's had me hooked from beginning to end, but Little Brother by Cory Doctorow did just that. Little Brother is being marketed as a "young adult" or "teen" book. I suppose I can see why. The protagonist is a high school techno-geek, the book is shorter than standard genre fare, and the message of the book is--well--less than subtle. Even so, the book is worth a read even if you're an old geezer nearing 40 like me. Doctorow does a great job using a first person POV to build sympathy for the protagonist, and he creates a believable near-future world that overreacts to the threat of terrorism. He very deftly covers all the hot button issues of today: the Patriot Act, biased journalism, Guantanamo Bay, even waterboarding. As you might expect from Doctorow if you've read his columns in Locus, he has lots of interesting information and ideas about about technology and the web. 

I image this book will end up pissing a few people off; Doctorow sure doesn't pull any punches about where he thinks the United States is going if it stays on its current path. On the other hand, as Doctorow points out in Little Brother, Allen Ginsberg pissed lots of people off when he published Howl.  

Writing on Reading: The Yiddish Policemen's Union

Since Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union won this year's Hugo for best novel, I figured I'd better check it out. After all, lots of WorldCon members voted for it, and if they liked it, then I'd probably like it.

It's easy to find good things to say about the novel. Chabon is a talented wordsmith. He fits more brilliant similes on one page than I can manage in a whole novel. His world is really creative: an alternative world where a Jewish settlement was established in Alaska. He fills the book with all kinds of unique and detailed characters. And thematically, he deals with important issues related to prejudice, isolation, and addiction.

Even with all that, I have to confess I didn't finish the book. I just did not get pulled in emotionally, nor did I care about the "whodunit" aspect of the plot. In some ways, the reading experience was a flashback to my college days, where I'd be reading a classic that I was "supposed" to enjoy, but the most I could manage was a grudging respect for the author. 

So, maybe one of you WorldCon members who voted for the novel can post a comment about why you voted for it. Am I just a doofus who can't appreciate a classic when its right under my nose?

Dying as a cop-out

Today I'm broaching POV characters dying. Bernita piqued today's interest in the topic. My feelings? I don't like it. For one, it ruins my suspension of disbelief.

As a fantasy editor and avid reader, I'll buy (figuratively, of course) just about anything. But unless your world includes storytelling ghosts, and it's established early on so that it doesn't reek of deus ex machina, death is the end of the road. For example, I happen to have talking ghosts figure widely in a series I'm shopping, and on about the second page, when Aidan is trying to figure something out, he muses that it can't be a ghost, he'd seen them before and they weren't like that.

Mainly, though, there are fates worse than death, and if you, as the devil of your particular little world (hogwash that writers are gods--good writers are SATAN) don't come up with one, then you're not doing your job. In short, death = cop-out.

It bears repeating, er, repeatedly: figure out what makes a character tick, and then put the screws to them, taking away all that they love and desire. GRR Martin is an undisputed master of this, and millions of books sold can't be wrong. In his SONG OF ICE AND FIRE series, one anti-hero, arguably the best swordsman of the realm, loses a hand. A romantic, silly beauty hopes to be married to a handsome prince, but ends up with a deformed dwarf. In these situations, the characters very nearly do want to die, but Martin, in his brilliant demonesque fashion, withholds that, too.

There's no excuse to not tackle this in short form, as well. I see stories all the time in which the stakes are loved ones, death and destruction, or loss of power. Yawn. EVERYONE wants their loved ones safe, they want to stay whole and healthy. Kings want to remain kings. That's every-man, and while such stories have their place, the really unique, interesting stories are the ones in which the character has a really unique, interesting desire. If that desire, and the achievement of it, stands at odds with his world and even his own character, so much the better.

Circulation page

I made a new Circulation page over at Electric Spec. We'll update it at the beginning of every month. Check it out! :)

Hard SF according to the experts

We are starting to get busy putting the new Electric Spec issue together. One of the things I'm working on is an exciting new author interview (which I'll blog about more later). It has been said that the author in question writes hard SF, which prompted me to ask: What exactly is hard SF?.

SF readers might say, "You know, stuff in Analog." But editor Stanley Schmidt himself said, "I'd like the term 'Hard SF' to go away. ...My definition of science fiction is simply fiction in which some element of speculation plays such an essential and integral role that it can't be removed without making the story collapse, and in which the author has made a reasonable effort to make the speculative element as plausible as possible. Anything that doesn't meet those requirements is not science fiction at all, as far as I'm concerned, so there's no need for a separate term like 'Hard SF' to distinguish it from 'other' kinds of SF." Read more. Now, I'm more confused. :)

David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer edited an important book called The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard Science Fiction and have some opinions on the topic. Among other things, Mr. Hartwell said, "Hard sf is about the beauty of truth. It is a metaphorical or symbolic representation of the wonder at the perception of truth that is experienced at the moment of scientific discovery. ...Hard sf is, then, about the emotional experience of describing and confronting what is scientifically true." And additionally, hard SF involves 'scientific plausibility', 'expository prose', 'scientific knowledge external to the story', and 'didacticism'. Read more.

Ms. Cramer agreed with Mr. Hartwell's wonder of science/ensuing emotions, and even contended that "science and hard sf are very similar". Furthermore, "hard sf has an identifiable feel, a particular kind of narrative voice, the right attitude. This attitude is respectful of the principles underlying the practice of science... the literal facts of a situation are more important than any interpretation. The anti-mysticism of hard sf is a point of pride for sf writers ... who see science as a replacement for religion and superstition." In the end, she says, "Writing stories within the rules of the universe as we know it and yet discovering fantastic possibilities of new ways of life is the central endeavor of the hard sf writer. ...Sf represents what the future could be like, although we know that the actual future will look nothing like it and when we meet it we may not recognize it." Read more.

They're the experts, so I guess we have to go with what they think. What do you think?

Are Online Magazines a Better Option for Authors and Readers than Print?

Fantasy and Science Fiction has a really interesting post about fee online spec fiction. Actually, the best part is the comments to the post, which should be of particular interest to authors trying to promote their work.

Just glancing through the comments, one theme becomes very apparent: if you want to sell your work, give it away for free. Huh? you may say. But just look at all the readers who say, in essence "If I read a short story by an author I like, then I will go out any buy that author's novel(s), anthology, etc." Further, the vast majority of the people would not have discovered this author if they had to pay for his or her work initially. In other words, free online fiction is probably a better source for promoting an author than print mags or subscription based e-zines. Believe it or not, you may get more bang for your buck if you get a story published in Electric Spec than if you get publish in a print magazine.

One sour note--most of the readers admitted that while they were happy to support the authors, they were unlikely to support the publishers (donations, payments, etc). What many readers miss is that one is directly related to the other, at least in the case of free online zines. For example, any support given to Electric Spec would go to things that would benefit the authors, like higher author payments and the nuts and blots of keeping the magazine alive. If the free online venues go away, that's one less avenue for author promotion.

The bottom line is that free online zines like Electric Spec are beneficial to readers and authors alike. The missing piece seems to be supporting editors and publishers.

Best "Semi-Pro Zine" a Forgone Conclusion?

John Kilma, editor of Electric Velocipede wrote an interesting entry on the Tor.com website yesterday about eliminating the "best semi-pro magazine" category from the Hugos. In a nutshell, he indicated that he supported the idea of eliminating the category because Locus wins the award every year. I'm a Locus reader who is constantly impressed with the quantity of genre information Charles Brown puts together for each issue. However, is does seem like the Hugos need some revamping when the same zine wins repeatedly.

According to the Hugos, Electric Spec, would, at most, be a fanzine. Nothing against fanzines, but, heck, if our magazine ever wins a Hugo, I'd much rather see it categorized for what it is--semi-pro (or maybe pro some day). To motivate editors like us to reach that point, Worldcon should look at changing things up a bit. After all, isn't part of the purpose of the Hugos to inspire great work?

Vonnegut's Rules

A fine writer I know recently expounded on Vonnegut's rules for writing. He's a novelist, so I thought I'd aim them at the short form.

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

Make sure you actually have something important to say. Recently I waxed poetic, badly, about what Story means to me. Nicola Griffith, another fine writer, said something about the writer's goal and process. I think it applies here:

When I write, dear reader, I don't want to build a careful tale for you to discuss with a smile in a sunny place, I want to own you. I don't want to be The New TV Series, I want to be pornography: to thrill you so hard you're ashamed but can't help yourself crawling back for more.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

Some people call this sympathy; I call it empathy. I don't have to like your characters, but I should want them to get everything they deserve.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

Every character should want something, not just the protag and antag. This does two things: it layers and enriches a story, and it forces you to cut any characters that aren't tied into the main action by their goals. I write and read upwards of 10 hours per day (and night). I'm all for cutting.

If achieving the goal contains an ironic twist, all the better. Robert McKee says about irony:

...in story, irony plays between actions and results--the primary source of story energy, between appearance and reality--the primary source of truth and emotion.

I would expand upon that to include: irony plays between character and goal--the primary source of growth and development.

4. Every sentence must do one of two things -- reveal character or advance the action.

The delete key is your friend.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

I'd guess there's room for about a paragraph of backstory in the short form. The best way around excessive backstory is to employ characters and situations that your reader will instantly recognize and identify with emotionally.

6. Be a sadist. Now matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

Your story is boot camp, your characters are pale new recruits, and you're the drill seargant. After all, a good story basically asks its readers to go to war with its characters.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

You can't please everyone all the time.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

This ties in with backstory, too. I just read a story last night in which the big reveal causes the characters to engage in a distinct "as you know, Bob" conversation. This was because the reveal was actually the premise, and an intriguing one. Had I known the "secret" that motivated the characters, I would have understood why they were doing what they were doing. As it was I floundered and gave up. Well, actually, I went and read the ending, realized it was structured poorly, and sent my Dear John letter.

This flawed structure of using the premise as the reveal is common. It also ties right back into the first rule: Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

Resist using your premise for suspense. A good story relies on action and reaction to the premise for suspense. The premise should drive the characters; the reveal, the suspense, should most often be what the characters will do about it. (I say most often, of course, because writers break this rule with great success all the time. Just not very often in my slush pile.) I'm a simple editor with simple needs. If you give me an intriguing premise that drives interesting characters to react in interesting, kick-ass ways, then you'll likely sell me a story.

Have faith in your premise. Trust that it will not waste the reader's time. Let it shine in the first paragraph; don't hide it behind a veil of vague dialogue, unmotivated action, and inconclusive narrative. In fact, often the best place for the premise is the first paragraph, or at least the first page. This is all about structuring, but it also may be about quality. If you feel you must hide your premise from the reader, then it may not be as strong a premise as you thought.

cover letter

More answers to some questions about Dave's post...

Here's your basic cover letter:

Dear Editors,

Please consider my story, ___, for Electric Spec. The story runs XX words and is/isn't a simultaneous submission.

Sincerely, thanks, cheers, whatever,
Betsy Dornbusch

(contact info)

Now for some notes on this and Dave's post:

Dave's really a super nice guy. That was written by an alter-ego editorial gremlin. :D

You can use our names instead of editor, but we assign stories randomly, so it really doesn't matter. It might at other magazines, so check with them.

Unless you tell us differently, we'll assume first rights are available. Incidently, we're not crazy about stories already published on blogs and websites.

Copyrighting a story is amatuerish. You actually own the story as soon as you write it, and I assume you have dated files on your hard drive to prove it. Stories really aren't getting stolen, so don't worry.

Um, synopses of stories--well, heck, if you tell me what the story is about, why should I read the story? It encourages us to be lazy, which is our nature anyway, so don't be an enabler!!

Title pages are for novels. I'm aware that our format link on our sub page isn't working and I need to make a new one. My bad. Basics:

Betsy Dornbusch 4100 words
address
phone
email

Lightning Strike

Most people who met Lucas McElroy would say “godlike” was a perfect way to describe him. But those same people would laugh out loud if he suggested he was a real god.

The joke would be on them.


Headers at the top of each page are nice, too, with cool stuff like your name, the story title, and page numbers.

I have credits to list, but sometimes I don't bother to put them in my cover letters. This is because, as an editor, I know other editors could really care less about my credits. They care about the story: this story. I mean, I'd always mention if I'd won a Hugo--that's good cover fodder and some names sell. But even at the top magazines, you'll hear the editors say that it's all about this particular story, not your past ones. Kudos if you've got a bunch of credits, but no worries here if you don't.

I love my dog. She's cute. Her name is Hannah. She keeps me company when I work. Her bed is right by my desk and she bugs me for walks every day. I walk her when I'm trying to sort out something about a story... Do you care? Didn't think so.

I'd add: use your real name and give us your first and last name. We're casual around the office, first name basis with our authors and sometimes "nicknames" with each other. But it's tough to do with initials or no name.

Don't snort like that. Sometimes I get stories with no name at all.

Most of all, keep 'em coming!

Advice Worth Repeating . . .

It surprises me how many stories we get that have a few strikes against them before I even get past the first page. The feeling you want to give an editor when you submit a story is that he or she is in good hands. With that in mind, here are a few "don'ts" (that I may have mentioned before):

1. Don't skip the cover letter completely. Writing nothing but "2000 words" says to me you don't much care about the submission.

2. Don't include details about any pets in the cover letter. I don't want to know about your cats, dogs, chickens, etc--even if sounds funny when you write it.

3. Don't include a synopsis of the story.

4. Don't include a title page.

5. Don't lie about the word count or "forget" about it when it is too long.

6. Don't include a "copyright" notice in your story. 

7. Don't use some huge font for your story title.

8. Don't waste your first few paragraphs. Show me it is a story I want to read right away. 

 

Writing on Reading: When the Wind Blows by James Patterson

James Patterson writes thrillers--at least that's what the book marketers say. However, When the Wind Blows is about a present-day world where children have been genetically engineered to have wings and fly. In fact, one of the POV characters is a winged girl.

So, my oft-asked question arises again: how do we draw the line between a thriller and speculative fiction? The fact is, When the Wind Blows IS science fiction--it has simply been marketed as a thriller. Apparently, this was an effective strategy, because the book make a number of best seller lists. 

When the Wind Blows is a mildly entertaining beach read. However, it does not meet the quality, thoughtfulness, or suspense that can be found in science fiction novels that explore the same or similar subjects. I encourage speculative fiction fans to read out of genre, but in this case, it probably isn't worth crossing over.

Why submit to Electric Spec?

As an author, it is hard to know where to submit your work, especially if you've already tried the pro-rate markets.  At Electric Spec, we encourage authors to do their market research before submitting work. Lots of great magazines are out there, but there are also lots of, well, not so great magazines. Electric Spec stands out from other markets because:

--We pay for stories and artwork
--We don't have slush readers. At least one of our editors looks at every story that comes in
--We've been around for over three years--and we've never missed an issue, deadline, or author payment
--We actually edit the stories we publish. Our experienced editors work with authors to make their stories the best they can possibly be. Many magazines out there don't do that--and it shows
--We have a quick turn around time. We turn send out rejections in 30-40 days. Acceptances take longer, but we will let you know if your story is in the running (i.e. held for voting) in that same 30-40 day time frame.

-- We have a very respectable circulation: around 11,000 views per issue
--We love authors because we're authors, too. All of the editors are published speculative fiction authors.

Obviously, we're not the right market for every story, but we might be the right market for you! 

Why?

Something Lesley said in our recent editor's meeting struck me. She spoke of our mission being to support up-and-coming authors. Thinking in terms of mission begs the deeper question: Why do we do what we do?

Much of an editor's job is thankless and focused on the negative. We send out far more alas-ograms* than hold-for-voting notes. We read some less than stellar stories. Each editor reads slush here at ElectricSpec, the equivalent of a few books worth over the course of a reading period, so it consumes time. We spend three hairy weeks a year in production. And we don't get paid. So why? Why stay on?

ElectricSpec was not my idea. I'm not a founding editor. I was invited on staff for V1I2, tried it as an experiment, and I've haunted these virtual hallowed halls ever since. We're deep into our third year and after our promotion efforts at WorldCon, we've spent some time thinking about where we'd like to go with the magazine. Our subs are up. We've got momentum. We're getting our name out there. I mean, even Sheila Williams of Asimovs approached a couple of us to find out what ElectricSpec is, and by the end of WorldCon, people were at least pretending they'd heard of us.

But, vague fame and recognition notwithstanding, why do I stay on? What part of our mission calls to me?

It's the STORY itself, humankind's time-honored method of making sense of the universe and our place in it, recognizing the heroes in our midst, seeking reassurance that despite every odd, all will come right in the end. Story brings us together in a way nothing else can. Story creates a beneficial tension between author and reader, a contract that says: we both bring all of ourselves to a Table and there we will meet and understand and empathize. Enduring that tension involves trust of the deepest sort, a sort of negotiation of the soul. All this from a few words of prose. And I have the honor of maintaining one of those tables. Editing is like laying out candles and a cloth, and maybe a glass of fine wine, to enlighten the experience for both reader and writer.

And that, friends, is why I do it.


*Shamelessly stolen from some author at WorldCon--she has brilliant red hair and is tall--that's the most credit I can give at the moment. One of my collegues might recall her name.

Issue deadline and visit stats posted

The October 31, 2008 issue story submission deadline is: September 15, 2008 midnight MDT. I also posted statistics on the number of visitors we've had in the past eleven months at www.electricspec.com. We decided to remove the hit counters; they weren't really giving us or our authors valuable statistics. Authors spoke, and we listened! What other changes/improvements would like to see us make? :)

World Fantasy Awards Nominations 2008

The World Fantasy Award Nominations are in.
For Short Story they are:

• "The Cambist and Lord Iron: A Fairy Tale of Economics" by Daniel Abraham [Logorrhea, Bantam Spectra]
  
• "Singing of Mount Abora" by Theodora Goss [Logorrhea, Bantam Spectra]
  
• "The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change" by Kij Johnson [The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales, Viking]
  
• "Damned if you Don't" by Robert Shearman [Tiny Deaths, Comma Press]
  
• "The Church on the Island" Simon Kurt Unsworth [At Ease with the Dead, Ash-Tree Press]

Read more about it (including the other nominees) at: World Fantasy Awards. Congrats to all the nominees!

WorldCon subjective wrapup

I've finally recovered somewhat from WorldCon and am feeling human again. :)

I've been trying to be positive in my daily posts, but to be honest, I was underwhelmed by WorldCon. It was just too big. The focus was all on the super-stars, such as Lois McMaster Bujold, Connie Willis and George RR Martin. If you wanted to go worship at their feet, it was a perfect opportunity, but that's not my scene. We were surrounded by other interesting authors, but there was no bio information about anyone--so how did you know? It was basically chaos.

My other main problem was the level of scientific expertise on the science panels was surprisingly low. I went to several where some of the panel "experts" knew virtually nothing about the scientific topic in question. At a world-class event, this type of thing should not be happening. To be clear, there were a few scientists, but they were outnumbered. :(

I could complain more but that wouldn't accomplish anything. I'm glad I went once to see what's what. And I found out about "siff-wah". :) Personally, I think regional Cons are much better for fans and authors/artists/media folk. See you at MileHiCon in October!

Hugos

I can't believe I forgot to post the Hugo winners! Jeesh! They were announced Saturday night, Aug. 9, in the Wells Fargo Theatre in the Denver Convention Center.

• Best Novel: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins; Fourth Estate)
  
• Best Novella: “All Seated on the Ground” by Connie Willis (Asimov’s Dec. 2007; Subterranean Press)
  
• Best Novelette: “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” by Ted Chiang (Subterranean Press; F&SF Sept. 2007)
  
• Best Short Story: “Tideline” by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s June 2007)

Read more about it at: thehugoawards.org. Big congrats to all the winners!

WorldCon Day 5

I had a bit of a tough time settling on a panel first thing Sunday morning, but ended up at the Flying Pen Press Presentation. They had a whole slew of writers and books they were promoting. From what I can tell this publisher is fairly new and hungry for authors. Most of the authors met the publisher at MileHiCon and several gave the publisher pages at the Con (totally against accepted wisdom!). I do NOT think this publisher is for everyone, but it might be for you--consider checking them out.

The Making a Living Telling Lies panel with Bill Mayhew, Connie Willis, Jake Lake, and Jo Walton was quite intriguing. They got into a whole discussion of the SF big picture. Consensus seemed to be that literature in general is a simplification/concentration of real life. We like stories because the nonessential elements have been discarded. SF is unique though in that it lets you think about things in a flexible way beyond your ideologies. It can build artificial constructs to closely examine real-life issues. SF readers and writers are constantly taking in new data and thinking about it.

The Coming Thing--What's Next and Newest in SF featuring Lou Anders and Walter Jon Williams was also interesting. Short stories are at the forefront of new trends. SF is a dialog between authors. But by the time anthologies are in bookstores usually the trend is over. SF also suffers from reality catching up to it. The panelists were hoping the Urban Fantasy trend was over. Some core SF sub-genres will always be around such as military SF and space opera. A new trend seems to be remixing multiple old trends. Feel free to send Electric Spec any of this stuff. :)

Phew! WorldCon wore me out. I may post some more subjective observations later in the week.

Interesting People I Met at Denvention

The panels, readings, speeches, and other "official" events at WorldCon were certainly interesting and, for the most part, rewarding. However, maybe the best part of this year's Denvention was the many interesting people I met. I'm not talking about the big name "stars" (I met my share of those, too) but rather the dedicated people who help make up the backbone of the speculative fiction community. (And who may one day be the "stars"). I can't list all of the people like that I met, but I thought I'd mention a few:

• M.M. (Mary) Buckner -- I met Mary while we were both getting our morning caffeine fix. Little did I know what an accomplished sci-fi author she was! 
• Brenda Cooper -- Brenda is an up-and-coming sci-fi author who I met at the "Rising Stars" reception.  She has several books out from Tor, including one she wrote with Larry Niven. (one of the "stars" I met at the con).
• I also met Ken Scholes, who was sitting next to Branda at the Rising Stars reception. Ken has a new novel called Lamentation coming out soon, which lots of folks are talking about.
• Corie Ralston was kind enough tell me more about the Speculative Literature Foundation. They do great work with aspiring spec fic writers and small publications. Corie said they may also look into helping out online publications like Electric Spec.
• Mike Brotherton is not only a hard sf writer but also an astronomy professor. He's working on an interesting project using sf to educate kids about space.
• I ran into Holly McDowell who is a former member of my critique group and a talented fantasy writer. (She also claims to read this blog--how about a comment, Holly!) Holly introduced me to another writer named Kelly Swails. She writes mostly YA fantasy, but says she has some stories for us. 
• I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my excellent Kaffeeklatschs with Geoffry Landis and David Levine. Both of these authors made great company for an hour and were very approachable despite their many accomplishments. 

WorldCon Day 4

I started off day 4 at What SF Editors Are Looking for featuring David Summers, Ginjer Buchanan, and Stanley Schmidt. In terms of what specific markets are looking for, the editors strongly suggested authors do their market research. For example, Electric Spec Submissions.
In terms of quality, editors are looking for what you'd expect...strong beginnings, good story, strong voice, don't follow fads, do use new ideas, correct grammar/spelling, etc. I couldn't disagree with their comments, but based on what they said, suspect they are more quick to reject stories than we are. An interesting point: you don't need an agent to sell novel-length genre fiction; agents just get it in front of editors quicker.

Another highlight of the day was the SFWA Business Meeting. Probably the most important thing I've learned at WorldCon is SFWA is pronounced: "siff-wah". Anyway, the good folks of SFWA are working hard on behalf of spec fic authors. Please consider joining if you are elgible.

Probably the most interesting WorldCon panel that I went to was The Bad Guy in the White Hat: Changing Images of Heroes and Villains, with James Morrow, John Moore, Mario Acevedo, and Rob Gates. This one was interesting because there was a lot of audience participation. We talked about all kinds of images of villains and heroes in literature and media throughout history, from Shakespeare to Frankenstein to Casablanca to Godzilla to Dexter. For some reason we had more fun talking about villains. ;) Personally, I think the whole concept of heroes and villains is interesting. Heroes and Villains are artificial constructs; in real-life we are all mixtures of heroes and villains. Why do we enjoy them so much in literature/media?

WorldCon Day 3

I started day 3 with SF Magazine Publication and Market Share with Bradford Lyau, Scott Edelman, Sheila Williams, and Stanley Schmidt. They assured us SF p-zines are alive and well, with loyal subscribers. Also, the p-zines have a larger market share than the average novel. Interesting!

Then I went to Quantum Mechanics, Future Technologies, and Parallel Worlds with Kay Kenyon, Todd Brun, and Will McCarthy. This was a free-ranging discussion of some cutting-edge physics. The audience was very enthusiastic about the topic.

Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch claim The Secret of Being a Published Fiction Writer is: write, finish, don't rewrite, submit, repeat. They said you should write a short story or novel chapter every week! Based on their advice, I anticipate a slew of submissions. :)

Fabulous fantasy author Carol Berg gave a very nice Reading of her new project Unholy Alliance.

The Electric Spec happy hour party went very well. Thank you very much to everyone that came! We met lots of new prospective writers and readers. And then, the partying continued...

The Analog/Asimov's party in the SFWA suite was particularly nice, with fancy cakes featuring cover art!

Late Night at WorldCon

You aren't actually "doing" WorldCon, apparently, unless you're doing the parties. So, in the interest of research, I headed over alone. A bit awkward, to say the least, but the DAW party at the SFWA suite was worth the price of admission (a 3 block walk from my hotel). Once there, I met quite a few agents and editors, lots of writers, and lots of fans. I ended up talking to, and getting adopted by, being alone as I was, an author called John Moore. John writes funny romps through fairy tale fantasy and is well-connected in the WorldCon, er, world. I also met Joshua Bilmes, his agent, who writes an interesting film blog over here. I chatted with WorldCon's Toastmaster, Wil McCarthy, who is as funny in person as he is on stage, and much taller.

Almost the highlight of my night (eclipsed only by getting to tell David) I had a short chat with George RR Martin late in the evening. The most accessible of the Big Names in Fantasy, he was standing in the hall, looking a little lonely and a very much hot, just like the rest of us. (The party hotel is apparently not thrilled with being the party hotel, so they're trying to sweat us out, I guess.) I'd heard his reading earlier in the day, and if a man was ever meant to read his own writing aloud, it's Mr. Martin.

The folks from the local sci fi groups (sheesh, can't recall the name. I suck) were partying it up in our own suite, and I met the woman in charge of programming at MileHiCon. Nice to finally put faces to email addresses.

Okay, tomorrow's another day (and night). Tuning out.

Denvention Day 2 -- David's Additions

I wanted piggyback on Lesley's post regarding the short fiction panel. One author on the panel said that she feels more people read her stories that are published in (free) ezines than in big circulation print mags like Asimov's. Why? She said it is much easier for people to access web stories than those in print mags. The hits on her website go way up the day she publishes a story in an electronic mag, but not much change for print.

Also, the panel seemed to agree that two or three great stories--wherever they are published--can really launch an author's career. A great story on a small webzine can create a huge buzz on the web and in the blogosphere.

Finally, Sheila Williams, Asimov's editor, said that publication credits at a respected e-zine do make her more optimistic about a story that comes her way. Obviously, the story itself matters the most, but sales to an e-zine indicate that the author knows what he or she is doing.

So, get those stories in to Electric Spec! It could be a launching pad for your career. (Just remember us when your famous).

Party Update Friday

For those of you at Denvention... This just in: the Electric Spec party will be in the Sheraton Room 2237 from 5:00-7:00pm Friday (tomorrow!). We hope to see you there! (Betsy feel free to add more if you like.)

WorldCon Day 2

Day 2 started with a bang; the Short Fiction: On Its Way Out or a Way to Break into the Market? with David Levine, Ellen Datlow, James Patrick Kelly, Lisa Mantchev, and Sheila Williams was very interesting. These folks include famous editors and up-and-coming writers. The panel agreed that short fiction is a way to break into the market. Moreover, short fiction is an opportunity for experimentation for writers and readers. The editors said they are always looking for new authors but beginning/newer authors tend to write stories that are too long. The published authors said even though they have track records, they still get rejected sometimes. So, prospective Electric Spec authors, take heart and keep on trying!

The other really interesting panel I went to was Trends in New SF: Where are We Going and Why? with Ken Scholes, Sheila Willimas, Jim Minz, Charles Brown, and Gary Wolfe (sp?). They said cross-genre stuff is hot, YA stuff is hot, and adding more layers to classic/traditional SF is hot. Additionally, the focus is on more female protags, multicultural characters and cultures, alternative sexuality, environmental issues, and also more literate writing. I would love to see all that stuff in our Electric Spec inbox!

Reporting from WorldCon...

As so often happens, we ElectricSpec editors found each other almost by accident within the giant swell of humanity that is WorldCon. The earlybird line for pre-registration was 35 minutes long. The Colorado Convention Center is, in a word, HUGE. Crazy big. It suits WorldCon, as there are no less than ten things to do at any hour of the day and night, especially if you're counting parties.

We saw Connie Willis and George RR Martin discuss books they liked. Yes, as in past tense. We would have preferred to hear more about current books they like, but we heard about that from some editors/writers at Locus later--irritating in that there was obvious bias against ezines. They did make the valid point that few online magazines actually edit their writers; we at ElectricSpec couldn't think of even a very good story that we hadn't tweaked in some way. And our authors are remarkably accepting and even happy with our edits. Intriguing enough, one of our editors' stories for Analog was printed as is. It would have been a good counter-point, if only we'd thought of it earlier. :D

We tried the writing track panel for "Rising Stars" to drum up business for the magazine and maybe promote our own work; it was all "This is an agent. This is a query letter." so two of us bailed and went to a small press panel. Interesting in that we heard two varied concepts. Red Jack press has print runs of 1000; Flying Pen does POD. Both seem to be going along at a decent clip.

As for parties, it was a quiet night tonight, hanging in the SFWA suite. Everyone seems a bit tired. Maybe tomorrow might be more exciting, and Friday we are booked up, including throwing one of our own.

WorldCon Day 1

My first day of WorldCon is over. Phew! It was busy, starting with the ginormous crowd at check-in, end ending with the SFWA pizza & beer party. Too much went on to really do it justice here. But, some brief highlights follow.

The Writers as Readers panel featuring Connie Willis, George RR Martin, Lois McMaster Bujold and moderator Mary Morman. Suffice to say, writers ARE readers.

2008 The Year in SF panel, featuring Charles Brown, David Hartwell, and Jonathan Strahan gave us lots of reading suggestions. All the editors seemed to think a strong voice is terrific. (Haven't I been saying that all along?) They also mentioned that an editor's job is important and involves more than just selecting. Here at Electric Spec we totally agree, as our authors know! Something the editors said that surprised me was: editors want more short novels. Who knew?

Survival Tips for Beginning Writers featuring authors Darlene Marshall, David Coe, and Mary Robinette Kowal had a lot of good basic advice. This group let the audience ask questions, which was nice. The gist of this panel was authors should keep at it and don't give up. I couldn't agree more. :)

That's it for now. I have to rest up for tomorrow...

partypartypartypartypartyparty

Party with ElectricSpec at WorldCon

Friday August 8

5-7 pm

MileHiCon Suite*

22nd floor

Sheraton Hotel

1550 Court Place

Denver

Rejection Letters

Apparently, a debate exists in the blogosphere about whether it is appropriate for a writer to post a rejection letter he or she received from a magazine. From my prospective, once a writer gets a rejection letter, it is his property. He can post it, use it as wallpaper, file it away, use it for kindling, whatever.  

Here at Electric Spec, we do use a "form" rejection letter, which we modify in certain circumstances. From time to time, I also include specific comments about the submission. If an author wants to share my comments with the world, fine with me. 

The issue of additional comments an author might make about the rejection gets a bit trickier. If an author has a legitimate commentary, fine. I'm a big boy--I can take it. On the other hand, if an author uses it to take unwarranted cheap shots . . . well, lets just say I probably won't be very interested in anything else the author submits in the future. 

SF editors and history

Interesting posts and comments lately. Thanks for kicking off the conversation, Dave. I think SF is unique in that its editors and publishers have played a significant role in the evolution of the field. As everyone knows, WorldCon starts this week and we will be awarding the Hugos. But does everyone know these most-celebrated awards are named after editor and published Hugo Gernsback? Among other things, Hugo Gernsback established the first notion of SF, i.e. adventurous science lessons. IMHO, Stanley Schmidt over at Analog very much continues this tradition; he wants complicated hard SF stories.

I've been a subscriber of both Analog and Asimov's for over a quarter century, so I must admit I'm part of their 'graying' audience. The quality of these p-zines remains excellent, but frankly I prefer Electric Spec. I think our stuff is fresher, more original, and more diverse. I guess the p-zines have a lot of inertia linked with all that history. To be honest, I also suspect the editors and authors of the p-zines, including Locus, are not really part of the computer generation even though we've been imagining it since way back when. The e-zines are the wave of the future, especially if we can utilize more emerging technologies. Hhm... Electric Spec on Twitter/IM/Facebook/MySpace? We may have some work to do. :)

Electronic v. Print

Warren Ellis recently posted a blog entry on the ongoing debate about print v. electronic speculative fiction mags. His premise is that the circulation of print mags are declining because the print mags are not delivering what readers these days want. Instead, he believes, these mags continue to publish stories that appeal to a greying, diminishing readership.

He also asks a very interesting question about why electronic mags continue to get a bad wrap:

 

"That’s why so many people still look askance at the online scene as "not proper magazines." . . .  [There is a] bias, unspoken or otherwise, that a print magazine is a job of work and an online magazine can be thrown up by any drooling lunatic with access to the net and a credit card. A fanzine by any other name."

My take on this falls somewhere in the middle. Admittedly, lots of fly-by-night online spec fic mags come and go, leading to a broad brush negative image of all electronic zines. Whenever I talk to authors about this subject, I ask them to look at the zine's track record before submitting. Has the mag been around for a while? Has it consistently posted issues on deadline? Are the stories printed in the issues professionally presented and well edited, free of (most) typos and other errors? In short, it only takes a little digging to determine if a online mag is of the "drooling lunatic" variety or something that can fairly be compared to pro zines.

Still, I do find it frustrating that quality ezines get ignored while some print mags that publish infrequently and sporadically get recognized. As a personal example, I can't get the two reviewers at Locus to look at issue of Electric Spec even though they frequently review print mags that are difficult to find anywhere and few have heard of. If fact, those reviewers will not even respond to my e-mail requests. At Electric Spec, we respond to every e-mail we get, not just those we deem worthy. 

At Wordcon this week, we are going to be promoting Electric Spec, trying to get the word out about our great little zine. It will be interesting to see what kind of reaction we get. I'll let you know . . .