why to write short stories #2

For pure writing training, nothing, I mean nothing, hones skills like writing short stories. Write one. Write fifty. They're damn hard to write. But you can take characters and plot through a complete arc in a matter of hours, rather than the weeks, months, or years it takes to complete a novel. The end of a short story is nearly always in sight. You'll see ideas through and get practice nailing your themes and concepts to the page. You'll learn about the shape of storytelling in a manageable form.

I've tried to think of a generous, kind way to say this, but the biggest issue young novelists face is knowing when to shut the hell up. Writing short stories teaches economy of words. In this climate of e-presses, of Twitter and flash- and micro-fiction, of stylistic showing over telling, of parsing out POV in sound bites, this is a valuable skill to have. We all aren't gonna be George RR Martin--even the masters among us. Most novelists can't hold their readers' interests for that long.

More importantly, does what you have to say deserve 120K words worth of importance? Take a step back and look at it. What you have to say as a writer is more difficult to develop than learning how to say it. I think sometimes writers start backwards. They focus too much on theme rather than craft, and end up leaving theme dead from poor writing. Think of craft as a way to illuminate theme. Writing short stories forces focus and narrowing of your thought processes. It gets you to practice theme in a safe environment, allowing you to build up to those difficult issues, those Hugo-winning premises that sell books and lock down careers. It's also a great place to test drive ideas without putting out a lot of hours in, because, frankly, you can get your ideas to market a hell of a lot faster in the short form than going over the transom with a novel.

But where to send the damn thing when it's done? Tomorrow, grasshopper, we're going to talk about submissions.

why to write short stories #1

A note on this series: I'm syndicating this from my personal blog. Over here, I realize I'm preaching the the choir, but there may be benefits from writing short stories that you've not considered before. Hopefully I can be of help and inspiration. This is a 5-part series that will run all week long concurrently on both blogs. --Betsy


This will be a five part post because I started writing out all the reasons why I think writing short stories is good for writers, and it got huge.

The short form teaches you to write. I'll get into this more in another post, but for now: creative writing and masters programs all around the world focus exclusively on the short story. They can't all be wrong. Many weeks-long workshops hone short story writing skills, too... what is it you all think they do at Clarion anyway?

Many, many authors, I'm talking about the people whose names you know, and other people know, because they're on best seller lists, your Gaimans and your Scalzis and your Vaughns--and who's that guy?-- oh yeah, Stephen King, started out with the lowly short form. Speculative fiction in particular has a tradition of building careers through short story credits. I also have a good friend, a thriller writer, whose agent discovered him via a short story in an online magazine that pays its writers with a t-shirt. So even the little markets (like Electric Spec!) can be worthwhile.

So it's not only speculative fiction and it's not only SFWA-recognized markets that build careers. Any writer who says the markets have shrunk, who claims there is no place for short fiction, is not paying attention. Just go to Ralan.com and you'll find a dozen places to send any given short story. Literary markets are hanging in there. Even erotica and romance are selling tons of short fiction online.

And it pays. It may not pay a lot, but since when did we get into writing fiction to get rich? I don't know about you, but I write because I have something to say. So tomorrow, we'll focus on exploring what you have to say and learning how to say it, via the short form.

Epilogues

I'm trying to get through my subs as quickly as possible. If there's been a delay, it's probably my fault, as my partners read their stories quicker than I do.

If there's no show-stopper on the front page -- major word misuse or grammar issues and I'm still interested -- I'll read on another page or so. Often this happens without my even realizing it. The voice or the world or the character just carries me along...until I've read a few more pages, and, like as not, I realize I have no idea what this story is about. Got a character. Got a cool setting. Got no idea what the story problem is.

Or, and this is worse, I've already figured out the story problem (sometimes without the character acknowledging there's a problem) and how it's going to climax.

If this is the case, I'll check the last page or so to find out what happens. Mostly it climaxes how I think it will. Sometimes though, and again, this is worser, the last page is a sort of epilogue rather than quick resolution. I have to scroll up to see if there even is a climax. It always makes me grimace. There's not really much room for epilogues in short stories. If I'm reading a story and already thinking of cutting entire scenes, it doesn't bode well.

And here's why. We're an online magazine. A distraction from your story is a click away. Someone emails and your reader flits away, maybe never to return. Unfortunately, the writer who includes a lengthy epilogue in a short story often is the writer who hasn't learned what's important (and what's not!) to the body of the story.

Every scene must compel the reader and reinforce the main problem.

I'm reminded of a recent episode of the Tudors. There's a little boy who is in line for the throne and has the unfortunate bloodline also relating him to an errant bishop whom the king wants to punish. Two birds, you know. The king throws him in the Tower.

Lots of things happen in the episode that have nothing to do with the little boy, but we get periodic reminders (the king's son appears; the boy's father loses his head; a discussion between the king and his friend, both of whom have lost infant sons), so in the back of your mind, though you're hip to see who Lord Such-and-Such is going to sleep with next, you're wondering, pleading, you're mad to know...What about the little boy? Could the king be that cruel?

You don't find out until the last scene.

Suffice it to say, there was no epilogue in that episode.

Writing on Reading: Thirteen Reasons Why

I recently read the YA novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. It's my understanding the author has been trying to get published for twelve (!) years. Kudos to Mr. Asher for sticking with it! This is not a speculative fiction book so you might be wondering why I read it. My critique group recently had had a discussion about dead narrators and I'd heard this was an example. And it is. There are two pov characters: Clay and his dead crush Hannah. The author handles the dead pov character's narrative in a very interesting way.

The official synopsis is: Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

This book was well-written and very powerful. The author does a great job capturing teen angst and insecurities. I was initially concerned the author was blatantly trying to emotionally manipulate his YA readers, and ultimately $$profit$$ from their angst. However, the final message is one of hope and empowerment so I guess manipulation isn't necessarily a bad thing.

In fact, while this is a YA book about suicide and two rapes and a death in a traffic accident, the author does have the bad stuff happen "off screen". Phew! More importantly, the author is encouraging students to talk about their thoughts in book discussion groups with counselors, etc. Kudos again, Mr. Asher.

We should all write so powerfully.

Submission Deadline: May 15

Just a friendly reminder...The submission deadline for our next Electric Spec issue is this Friday May 15, midnight U.S. M.D.T. Get those stories in folks!

Microfiction

Has anyone tried his or her hand at microfiction? The idea is to create a story in 140 characters or less, which amounts to about two or three sentences. A number of new magazines are supporting this format, including Tweet the Meat (horror) and Thaumatrope (spec fic).  I sent off a few microfiction subs over the weekend, so we'll see how that goes. Kind of a fun experiment.

HugFest Over

Go read this and then come on back for my thoughts.

1. Fair Consideration.

I guess it's what you consider fair consideration. If you think that means every story gets read to the end, then no. I give it a page or two, and like Jeremiah, I skip to the last page to see if it answers the questions raised on the first. No questions raised? I hit the big red button.

2. Rejecting good work.

That one's easy. I reject cool stories all the time. I've read brilliant literary stuff in my slush with slight speculative elements. But unless the story revolves around speculative ideas, then it's a reject for Electric Spec. Let me say that again cuz it's important: we want stories that revolve around speculative ideas.

And really, when it gets down to it, we have to reject 20+ good stories from our hold file every issue.

3. Fostering new writers.

I think we do this to some extent, for instance, our first page game. I also participate on Critters.org. A lot of the talks I get are aimed at newer writers. And, if I know you via the web, a professional organization, or the bar at a conference, I might give you a personal rejection and suggestions for improvement. This is a personal choice, though, and my fellow editors tend to err on the side of NOT giving help because every editor on the planet has gotten back nasty replies to their helpful suggestions.

4. Editors are people, too...

In public, I try to act like rose petals fall from the sky and unicorns are hopping over rainbows in the distance, but I'm jaded. When I sit down to my slush, I go in knowing I'm going to reject 15-40 stories at a time. And I'm not one of those who forgets there's a person behind every story. It's a bummer, dude. And I know as the years have gone by, I've gotten harsher and less patient with my slush. Yup. It's a bummer, dude.

5. Editors are failed writers.

We're all published here, have novels under our belts, and have gone through submission processes countless times. Sometimes it's paid off, sometimes it hasn't. Kind of like a lot of writers you might know. Why are we editors? I can only speak for myself. I got into this gig to make me a better writer. And it's worked. Now I do it because, like writing, I can't stand not doing it.


As for the "well-known truth":

Free beer just tastes better.

Continuing our recent hug-fest...

Agent Nathan Bransford (a darn nice guy, btw) commented on the danger of writers committing themselves so fully to their art that "WRITER" becomes the watchword of who they are.

Point taken. But (you knew there was going to be one), as I responded to him in part:

Creatives own a sensibility that doesn't apply to other people. It's just different, and it doesn't matter whether you're in music or computer programming or graphic arts or writing. I'm a mom, wife, friend, writer, etc. But if you want to get at the essence of what I AM, the best word is "artist."

I used to be an interior designer. Even now, I suffer from withdrawal when I could not build rooms. I'm constantly tablescaping and restyling walls of pictures (mostly when I can't think what to write next). It's the same when I'm not able to write stories. Ask my husband. If I go a few days without writing I get crabby with a capital K. My husband knows this to be true, but I don't know that he could articulate why it is true. He doesn't own the same sensibility, the same drive to create, to share who he is via media like words and paint and rooms.

A bookkeeper may excel (no pun intended) at what s/he does, but s/he probably does not get irritable when they don't get to keep books for awhile. They might not like the work piling up, but I doubt they feel much of a physical need to put numbers in boxes. Those numbers in boxes do not tap into the essence of who they are. S/he doesn't pour out the Self into their spreadsheets. *

Artists--or my preferred term: creatives--tend to do just that. Like Dave said, every page, every painting, every room, every computer program (yeah, you heard me) has a part of its creator's soul locked in it. But rather than losing pieces of ourselves, that's how Creatives rebuild ourselves, by building things outside the self. To me, it's almost as if there's a finite amount of space inside me, and the untold stories start to crowd me out. I actually feel a bit dead inside when I go a certain amount of time without creative expression. I highly doubt I'm the only one around here who feels that way.

I can say that here. You probably get it. But most people are never going to understand that artists are not whole without the act of creating. They don't understand the compulsion, the drive. Let that go and always accept it about yourself. Shoot, embrace that about yourself. We certainly do.



* this is not to downplay or degrade bookkeepers in any way.

Writing on Reading: The Thousandfold Thought

R. Scott Bakker's The Thousandfold Thought is the third and "final" book in the Prince of Nothing series, which begins with The Darkness that Comes Before. As I indicated in my review of The Darkness . . . Bakker created an original and interesting world for this series. However, The Thousandfold Thought makes we wonder if the world is too complex or if, perhaps, I'm not bright enough to grasp it on first reading. One clue about the complexity of the book is that the glossary at the end is almost 100 pages long! Forgive me for not wanting to remember or look up all that information simply to follow the story.

For me, The Thousandfold Thought was disappointing. I became so lost about who was doing what that the motives of the various characters--especially the main character--became unclear. Also, my expectations about what the end of the series would be like were not met. The "payoff" at the end of the 1,500 page series was not big enough. Apparently, I need to read the next series to get the payoff I thought I'd get in this one. The first book in the new series just came out. Maybe I'll get to it someday . . .

You've got soul!

Is there a gap between who you are deep inside and the self you present to the world in your day- to-day routine? For most people, there is. We can't help it. So many things around us pull us toward the mundane. We're bombarded with messages about how important it is to make more money, have a better car, live in a bigger house, live the "good" life. It is very easy to get caught on that treadmill, focused on things we "have to" do that make the self we present to the world "better" while doing nothing for that deeper self.

These mundane messages can be even worse for writers--if we let them. The message from society is that writing is not a worthy endeavor unless you can prove you are successful in the mundane world: have you been published? lately? how much $ have you made? do people know who you are? do you have fans? have you pleased the critics?

Sometimes I have to remind myself that those are the wrong measurements. Sure, they'd be nice to achieve, but a better measure of success in writing (and in life, for that matter) is what you have done for your soul. Every time we put words to paper (or pixels), we writers are letting our deep inner self shine through. We are stepping off  treadmill of the mundane and refusing to listen to those negative messages that try to keep us running after that surface success.

Everyone who writes puts a little bit of their soul into it. Ironically, those who are most successful at letting their soul shine through in their writing tend to find commercial success as well. I think that's what Betsy was talking about in her earlier post about her "nasty little short story." She wasn't afraid to pour her true self into it, and she ended up getting rewarded on a personal and professional level.   

Creative Thinking

You all, if you read this blog, if you submit to our ezine, if you are writing at all, you're engaging in your own creative process. Not only that, if you're reading this blog and submitting to the magazine, or just even reading the magazine, you're on the leading edge of the creative process. (Incidentally, readers engage in that too. Reading is a very creative endeavor.)

Within the laser-focus of speculative short fiction, I still view e-zines as the leading edge vehicle to get our short stories into the hands of readers. Most of our readers are as comfortable with computers as they are with fireflies the size of dragons and spaceship galleys that split atoms and come up with coffee. Reading online has almost become a security blanket thing. To me, it means there's something always there, always new, always changing. Inertia unnerves me.

Story is among the world's oldest art forms. Some even say there are no new stories. But there are a lot of ways to think and be creative within in the confines of story. We rewrite history and old tales. We spin ancient themes and apply them to today. Some stories are based on bald-face curiosity, and some on tangled intrigue. But at it's best, speculative fiction has always led the herd down unknown paths.

Go here for all the forms of creative thought.

Point is, there's no wrong way to go about making a story.There is no right way to come up with an idea. Not only that, there are no wrong ideas. Some have been used before, of course, which sometimes makes people think they're wrong. But, referring back to my last post, if you infuse your work with you and your own worldview, it'll be new and creative. Easier said than done. But all you have to do is take a look at our slush to realize it's so worth it.

Keep 'em coming!

Nebula Award Winners 2009

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention SFWA's Nebula Awards were given out last weekend in L.A. The short story winner was "Trophy Wives" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Fellowship Fantastic, ed. Martin H. Greenburg and Kerrie Hughes, DAW Books Jan08). Also of interest: Joss Whedon won the Ray Bradbury Award. Read all about the Nebulas.

Congrats to all the winners!

Sawyer's Flash Forward on TV

If any of you watched Lost on TV last night, you saw the weird flashes with "What did you see?" during the commercial breaks. What the heck was that? I found out they were teasers for the new series based on Robert Sawyer's novel Flash Forward. Read about the teasers: here. Read my interview of Robert Sawyer for Electric Spec in the Volume 3, Issue 1, February 28, 2008 issue.

Every Dr. Who is Different

Every year, the character undergoes a metamorphasis and another actor gets to bring their own quirks to the role. And I think there's a lesson in that.

There's a framework around the character Dr. Who. Let's call that the craft of writing. And then there's the person playing the part. Let's call that the writer.

Like Dr. Who actors, as a writer there are things to that only YOU can bring to the writing table. It sounds simple enough, but I think in the midst of what I call Writer's Boot Camp--you know, when all the "rules" start slapping you in the face--it's easy to lose sight of the fact that no one can write about something exactly the way you can.

Do follow the basic tenants of your craft. But DON'T forget that most important bit of every story--your particular slant. No one else can own that.

See if this sounds familiar. Early on my road to publication, I wrote some weird stories. They weren't very good. Creative, yes, but craft-wise they sucked. Then I stumbled into boot camp (AKA my critique group) and realized I needed to hone my skills. So I did, and I got pretty fair at my craft. But, I let learning craft intimidate me to the point of letting the market, the readership, and my own ideas intimidate my creative process. Craft became reins rather than a framework.

I wrote some picture-perfect stories that didn't have anything to do with me and what I wanted to say, and everything to do with craft and what I thought other people wanted to hear me say, and I didn't sell them, and I didn't have fun, and one day I decided Screw it, I'm going to write what I want to write. Even if it's bad and weird and no one likes it.

So I wrote a little piece about a homosexual shape-changer couple who preyed on humans for food. The antagonist decided to eradicate their kind for the betterment of the world. The protag, though he felt a load of guilt over it, actually liked being what he was. He began to subtly undermine his lover. It was twisty and ironic and weird. I finished it and even I thought it was weird. I knew it was never going to sell.

But sending things out is what writers do. I sent it out.

The fifth market that looked at it bought it. Since, I've found that the stories that most reflect me and my world view are the easiest for me to sell. My latest story is an ugly little piece about ugly, broken, little people. A couple of betas who read it turned up their lips and asked me flat out Where do you ever get your ideas? alongside the unspoken Why would you write that?

I hold that if you don't hear those questions at least a couple of times a year then maybe you're not quite tapped into your own writer's psyche. First lesson, grasshopper: not everyone will be comfortable with what you write.

Well. That ugly little story about ugly little people sold to the first market I sent it to.

Never, never be afraid to let you shine through your writing.

Writing on Reading: Just After Sunset Stories

Although Stephen King is better known for his novels, he is also a short-story writer. In the prologue to Just After Sunset, he explains that short story writing is a talent different than writing novels. In fact, although King started his writing career by making some extra $$ writing short stories for men's magazines, he says he lost some of those skills when he started writing novels. So, is Just After Sunset a sucessful revival of King's lost art?

For the most part, yes. I liked many of the stories in the collection, but not all. I must admit I've never read a single-author short story collection where I liked all the stories. (If you know of one, tell me in the blog comments). King has several stories where the tension is great, the characters strong, and the resolution is satisfying. The book is worth the read just for those.

I felt several of his stories could have been tighter. I'm not sure if it is because of his "bad" novelist habits or because he's Stephen King and he don't have to worry about not skinkin' word limits.

On Originality...write fresh

Recently literary agent Nathan Bransford hosted a 'Be an Agent for a Day' contest which was very interesting. He's been analyzing the results and said Tuesday "it's very nearly impossible to be wholly original". This reminds me of Robert Silverberg's excellent column in Asimov's: Reflections: Toward a Theory of Story II which said the basis of all successful and narratives is: A sympathetic and engaging character (or an unsympathetic one who is engaging nevertheless), faced with some immensely difficult problem that it is necessary for him to solve, makes a series of attempts to overcome that problem, frequently encountering challenging sub-problems and undergoing considerable hardship and anguish, and eventually, at the darkest moment of all, calls on some insight that was not accessible to him at the beginning of the story and either succeeds in his efforts or fails in a dramatically interesting and revelatory way, thereby arriving at new knowledge of some significant kind.

So there you have it: there's only one story. What's a poor author to do?

Write something original anyway. By far the most likely stories to make it out of our slush are original in some way. As Agent Nathan says "It really does need to feel fresh, but that's not the same as being completely original. The originality is all about how it's done, not what it's about." I agree.

So, how can you make your work fresh? Your story can go deep with world-building or characterization or theme or your-idea-here. You could combine two or more genres: fantasy, science fiction, macabre, your-choice-here. You could write with a unique voice. (I'm reminded of Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower.) Or, your-idea-here. What you think? What makes a story fresh?

Send Electric Spec your original a.k.a. fresh stories!

Wizards with Pointy Hats

A few posts back, Lesley challenged me to explain how to make a short story "deep." It is often harder to go deep in a short story than a novel, but it's possible. A fantasy novel should have many different "deep" elements to it; whereas a short story might have one or two. 

What's an example of deep? Well, let's take a look at magic. First of all, you've gotta go beyond the trope of wizards in pointy hats with a mysterious source of power. (Or, for that matter, wands with magic words--no more Harry Potter magic, please!). R. Scott Baker's The Prince of Nothing series goes deep with magic. Those who perform magic are called "Schoolmen" because they belong to different "schools" of magic. One school bases its magic on "the analogies," meaning that all their magic looks like something else. (A dragon, a bird, etc). That school is jealous of the closely guarded method of magic of another school, which does not have to use analogies but can get to the "essence" of the magic. Unfortunately, those folks must suffer a disturbing side-effect: every night they dream about the end of the world, as experienced by their founder a thousand years ago. All schoolmen can recognize the "mark" of magic on others, except for one group of enemies. To practice their magic, this group gouges out their own eyes and wraps trained snakes around their neck to see.

It gets more complicated, but you get the idea. Pretty cool, huh? This is so far from wands and crystal balls that any comparison is laughable. Bakker has thought out his world of magic and, by doing do, made it deep. A short story, of course, can't have all of that, but even one piece like that can make it stand out. 

Handicapping Devices and Structures

I'm a bit of a traditionalist. I like stories with narrative arcs, I like dialogue and showing, stuff like that. Call me boring; that's my taste. And of course there are exceptions, but these are structures and devices I don't generally prefer:

Phone calls. Lots of writers consider a phone call just more dialogue, but consider how handicapped one is in a conversation via telephone in real life and apply that to a story. We're missing out on an entire array of senses, relying only on hearing. Can we really get to know your characters well by listening to them talk on the phone? This could work if it's a multi-pov story, but...

Multiple Points of View. Even in a longer story, we barely get time to connect with a character. Switching can make it tough to know who to root for. This is more about scope than anything else.

Letters , Diary Entries, Captains' Logs, etc. When reading these stories I always wonder why the writer didn't just choose narrative structure. Sometimes a note or memo at the beginning of a story can act as a sort of prologue, but I usually pass on stories told entirely through these devices, even if there's a good arc. They usually lack action and dialogue and rely on a lot of telling. This device simply doesn't provide for showing very well. Unfortunately these stories often contain clever ideas that would have stood their own within traditional narrative.

Flashbacks. There are definitely exceptions to this rule. I have one story in my hold file right now that switches between past and present. It can be done effectively. But it takes a steady hand on the tiller not to steer the boat into boring seas. So ask yourself, is this flashback really necessary?

Violence/torture to shock and awe. Consider carefully whether the threat of violence is scarier than the actual thing. And unfortunately, flat antagonists usually go hand-in-hand with violence. If a baddie chasing teenagers/torturing somebody (even the deserving)/resulting blood baths is the bent of your story, Electric Spec isn't the best market. Think DEXTER rather than SAW I-IV.

There you have it. Anyone have any ideas for more, or arguments for/against my preferences here?

More on Maass

I need to wrap up my comments of Donald Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel, specifically, let's talk about plot. Of course, plot is the events and sequence in the story. What are the five basic plot elements?

1. a sympathetic character
   
2. a problem arises, ideally a complicated conflict
   
3. the conflict escalates/gets more complicated
   
4. climax
   
5. resolution

Short stories should have these 5 elements.

And how about some random tips to finish up? In no particular order:

• write what you're passionate about and let your characters show your passion
  
• infuse yourself in the story using voice
  
• protagonists should be larger than life, not fearful,
  have an inner conflict(s) and be transformed by events of the story
  
• include subplot(s) that affect the overall story outcome/come together in the end
  
• make all non-protagonists do double-duty by playing multiple roles in the protagonist's life
  
• and finally, speaking of plot: torture your protagonist: figure out what's the worst thing that can happen to him/her and then make it happen.

Again, short stories would benefit from all these tips.

So, there you have it, what I gleaned from Mr. Maass. I must admit I did not agree with everything he said. What did you glean from him? What did you agree with? Or disagree with?

Do you have any other writing books you recommend?

June Submissions Deadline: May 15

As we posted on Electric Spec Latest News last night, the submission deadline for the next issue (June 2009) is May 15, 2009 midnight U.S. MDT. Of course, after that we'll consider your story for the next issue (Oct 2009).

Learning from the King Part II

In the liner notes for "The Gingerbread Girl," Stephen King writes: "I like suspense stories that turn on crucial little details. This one has a lot of them." I like those kind of stories, too! In fact, that's another key to keeping your horror story out of the slush pile. The protagonist, Em, in "The Gingerbread Girl" needs every asset she has--and a bit of luck--to survive the psycho killer. As a result, details become important. The wooden chair Em is taped to is starting to rot. When Em bangs into the refrigerator, some ice from the dispenser spills on to the floor. The man she hopes will save her doesn't speak English. Em's father spent a day teaching her how to properly fall from heights. The beach is mostly deserted because of the season. The waves are high because of the earlier rainstorm. Etc. etc. 

King uses details in two ways. First, they bring life to the story and make it feel real. Second, they pile on top of one another and end up playing a role in the action. Details are another way to transform the mundane into a sparkling original.

Learning from the King Part I

Much of the horror submissions we get at Electric Spec don't make it past the slush pile. A major reason why they don't get very far is that they are simplistic and, well, boring. Psycho killer chasing the protagonist? Yawn. Date turns out to be a vampire? Pass the No-doze. A horrible monster is on the loose and killing innocent people? Nap time. Although none of these by themselves make good stories, they can be a part of a good story. It goes back to what I and my fellow editors have written about before: making the story about more than one thing.

Let's take a look at how Stephen King transforms ho-um into wow by examining "The Gingerbread Girl" (found in the collection Just After Sunset--review forthcoming). First, start with the ho-hum: psycho killer chases woman. By itself, it is reject pile material. But he adds on. The woman is a runner. The woman is a runner because she's running away from something. The woman is running literally and figuratively. She runs as a coping mechanism to try to get over the crib death of her daughter. Despite all her training, it turns out she can't outrun her past--or the killer. She has to face both, and when she does she is transformed.

Now that's a horror story. Sure there's trope stuff--pain, blood, knives, people breaking through doors and jumping through windows--but it the story isn't about the trope stuff. 

More on this tomorrow . . .

Fantasy--With a Side of Philosophy

One of the unfair criticisms of the fantasy genre is that it is not as deep, intellectual, or as practical as other fiction. Admittedly, there are some simple and superficial fantasies, but there are simple and superficial books in all fiction genres. Personally, I love fantasies that make me think about our world--the real world--in different ways by examining a different world and then  asking the big questions. What makes life worth living? What is the true measure of a person (if any)? What is the nature of God or gods? What are the limits of love? How do you define justice? Does absolute power corrupt absolutely? Is war ever justifiable? What about assassination? What makes us human (or elf, or something else)? How much are we shaped by culture? By circumstance?

Give me fantasies that go beyond the bright lines of good and evil and instead delve into the shadows, the twisted turns of morality and meaning. In short, my advice for writing great fantasy is: go deep!

Avoid phone calls

A very quick tip: avoid phone calls in your fiction. As you know, I've been rereading Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. He recommends authors have "tension on every page". Phone calls are rarely filled with tension, and even if dramatic news is imparted, how do you show/describe it in a dramatic way?
And starting a story with a phone call is the worst! Can you say cliche?

I've been having trouble with a particular piece of fiction... I just realized it's because the scene is a phone call. Ugh. Can you say deadly dull?

Send us your phone-call-free stories!

Make My Job Tough

I obviously am privy to A LOT of short stories, besides the ones I read for fun. My perspective has changed over the years in regards to what constitutes a short-listed story and how to create such stories myself. For instance, I've been mulling over a new short story lately. I do a lot of thinking before ever laying fingers to keyboard. First up, I need to have an ending. For me, it's the rabbit that draws the dog. I'm also getting to be more of a boring plotter in my old age. I find it easiest to lay out character traits and a basic plot, usually on a story line drawn crossways on a piece of paper, with hash marks indicating plot points, obstacles, and reversals. Below the line I tend to jot out the internal arc of the character--tweaking plotpoints and character traits so that they weave together tightly. (Incidentally, I did that for my novel, a WIP, as well. On posterboard, though.) If I'm successful, I end up with a story that could only happen to that character.

All that sounds manufactured, right? Well, whether it springs unbidden from the depths of unconsciousness or is a neatly plotted out story line that took a year to detail, stories are manufactured. I think sometimes writers believe if an idea isn't simply inspired--it just came to me, like I was channeling it, dude--they think they're faking it or something.

We're writers. We're faking it. That's. Our. Job.

Despite my leanings, I don't particularly advocate one method over another. I'm friends with extremely successful non-plotters. Their brains just don't work in outline form. That's cool. But I do think they're more a rarity than struggling writers like to admit, and frankly, a short story doesn't give an author much time for discovery.

I can often pick out the pantser short stories, mostly because they fail to cut authorial discovery. For instance, I just read a story which spent five pages describing a character. I finally caught the threads of a plot on page seven. The writing was decent and the character interesting, but character description does not a story make (to go all Yoda on you.) This was a clear example of authorial discovery--the writer told himself all about the character and forgot to cut it out later.

By the time I see a story, the writer should have a clear idea of the resolution from page one. Give me a plot with stacked odds and dire consequences. Make sure every plot point digs at terrors and weaknesses specific to that character. While you're at it, weave in a subplot that twists the knife even deeper.

Do yourself a favor and make my job tougher.

What's Wrong with Literary Agents?

Last week, lots publicity arose from a post by literary agent Janet Reid. Not only did I find her post interesting, but also the massive number of comments from writers to her post and similar posts on other agent blogs. It was as if authors all over the country were just waiting for an opportunity to vent about agents. We're not talking about the fraudulent agents here--they're fair game on the 'net.  No, we're talking about agents with clout that seem to be in charge of deciding who gets to be a "published" author rather than "just" an author. (Sometimes an unfair distinction, I know).

As for me, I think that there are a lot of legitimate complaints about how some agents do business. For example, I agree with the many authors who do not like the agents who have a "I reply only if I'm interested" policy. My other gripe is agents who demand "exclusive" queries and then ever respond. Obviously, authors can't follow those agents "rules" or they'd loose all chance of selling their manuscript.

On the other hand, I also think that these types of gripes will do little good. Unlike some authors, I don't fear that a post like this will get me blackballed by some agents. However, authors have to face the fact that agents occupy the ultimate buyer's market. And the more successful the agent, the better market they occupy. So, it is only human nature for agents to arrange the submission process in a manner that works best for them.  Unless a massive change in the publishing process occurs, authors are simply going to have to live with that reality.  

Know When to Say When

I've been reading slush--more slowly than I'd like--trying to get caught up. Recently I read a piece in which the voice bogged the prose. It was an interesting voice and intriguing story line. The dialect and even the subject matter put me in place immediately. But, dialect and word choice is like setting--select details can go a long way to put the reader in place without interfering with the story.

Weighing a story with too much of anything can manifest itself in all sorts of ways, of course: the fantasy that describes rooms and clothes in pages of great detail or historical accounts of why a military science fiction character can't pull the trigger (right in the middle of a battle--yup, I've seen it). Sometimes it's just the author not recognizing the difference between what they needed to discover about the story and characters in early drafts verses what a reader needs to know in a final draft. (I call that authorial discovery, and it's often the stuff that must be cut later.) Knowing "when to say when" comes with experience, I think, and all of us throw the dice on which details to include or take out. However, employing a distinctive dialect in narrative is perhaps one of the biggest gambles a writer can take.

This is not to say that the next editor won't love that voice, but this editor didn't, for a variety of reasons. As an editor, I can look at back story and description and determine easily what serves the story and what can be cut. But voice and dialect in narrative are different--they infuse every sentence to the degree that paring it down becomes a major undertaking. And, remember, all I see is your story. From your prose, it's my job to determine how easy you'll be to work with and how readily you'll accept my editing. Every time I hit send on my editorial notes I wonder vaguely if the author will be offended. We've been fortunate to work with professionals in that regard, but it is one of the reasons we don't go to the trouble to ask for rewrites from our slush.

But, when a voice overpowers the prose, I have to assume the writer is too in-love with it to see it taken down a notch. Knowing what must be cut is a sign of moving forward in writing. Sometimes I think, like in marriage, successful storytelling is more about what you DON'T say.

More on Characters

From Donald Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel (read it!), I've gleaned some info on characters. Maass says "..all stories are character driven." Thinking about that, I agree. He further says, "...identify...what is extraordinary in people who are otherwise ordinary." I agree with that also. Later, Maass says, "Actions speak louder than words... What is the most outrageous thing your protagonist could do?" I would have to add: an important aspect of character is understanding motivation(s), so the reader can have empathy with said character. Thus, your stories (whatever length) should be driven by well-motivated extraordinary actions of characters. This means the protagonist in your story should not be an everyman; he/she/it should be the person most uniquely suited to drive the story.

So, send us your character-driven stories!

A final character-related quote: "Are not objective narration, first-person and close third-person pov the nearly universal choices for novels today?" Yes. And I would add they are the nearly universal choice for short speculative fiction, too. :)

A truth more interesting than fiction

The science magazine Nature has a really interesting article "Neuroscience: One hundred years of Rita" that I can't resist mentioning. From a home lab to the Italian Senate, by way of nerve growth factor — Rita Levi-Montalcini is a scientist like no other. Alison Abbott meets the first Nobel prizewinner set to reach her hundredth birthday.

Our fictional characters should be so interesting! More about characters tomorrow...

Writing on Reading: The Darkness that Comes Before

I consider myself fairly knowledgeable when it comes to epic fantasy authors, but, for some reason, Canadian author R. Scott Bakker (pictured here) has been off my radar. I picked up a used copy of The Darkness that Comes Before because I wanted a nice, think fantasy to take with me on a long plane trip. Since I was not familiar with Bakker, it felt like a bit of a risk trying a new author while trapped in a cigar box, but hey--I can be an adventurous guy sometimes.

I'm happy to report that The Darkness that Comes Before did not disappoint. I loved the detailed and original fantasy world, the interesting variety of characters, and the intelligent bits of philosophy strewn throughout. The prose was well-written, and the plot multifaceted. My only real criticism of the book was the ending. I did not feel that Bakker had resolved enough plot threads when I reached the "end" of the book. Still, I'm interested enough to go on to the next book in the series when I get a chance.

What is "Young Adult" Fiction?

I recently read the first half of popular Young Adult fantasy released last year. I was surprised to discover that the first several chapters contained sex, incest, infanticide, and gang rape. It was hard for me to take, even as a not-so-young-adult. I don't want to sound like a prude, but should a book like that really be marketed as YA? I realize that young people have to learn about the harsh realities of the world, but do those realities have to be dumped on them with such harshness and insensitivity? 

The "Whys" of Epic Fantasy

I love well-written epic fantasy novels. For me, one element that makes a good fantasy novel is a world that is so real I want to know the "whys" of it. I feel rewarded when a get a tidbit of juicy information that explains or puts a new twist on the unique aspects of the world. I want to get to the end of the novel to find out answers to the big questions about the world that have been plaguing the characters (and the reader) from the outset of the story. And, importantly, I like the world so much that I want to come back and visit after I've finished the book.

Creating this sense of world is one of the most important--and challenging--aspects of a fantasy writer's craft. (Perhaps less so for some types of urban fantasy, but that's for another post someday). How do authors do it? I don't know all of the tricks, but here's a few things I noticed:

1) Characters care about the world they live in and want to understand it better;

2) The history of the world plays a role in the present and is revealed in a gradual, logical manner;

3) The world is multi-dimensional, rather than divided into "good" and "evil";

4) Distinct cultures, classes, nationalities, races, religions, and/or loyalties are presented and the intersection of these presents conflict; and

5) Many aspects of the world are not as simple as they first seem.

I'm sure there are others that I'm missing . . . please post them in the comments.

More on Setting

Editor Dave has inspired me to reread Donald Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel. This is quite good and I recommend it if you haven't read it. I may blog a bit about it, starting with setting. Setting is particularly important in speculative fiction, because basically anything goes! A couple things Maass said about setting struck me as interesting: For a setting to feel broadly representative, it must be highly specific. And ...the breakout novel ...creates its own complete, detailed, logical, and unique world. A little later, Place presented from an objective or omniscient point of view runs the risk of feeling like boring description... Try evoking the description the way it is experience by a character.

I strongly agree that settings need to be specific, but I disagree that they are or should be "broadly representative". I think we need settings to be specific so we, the readers, can put ourselves there. That's part of the goal with fiction, right? To experience being someone else. So, instead of going to 'the store', your character should go to the Truhr family's bodega down on 39th Street, where they have pictures of their five kids taped on the old-fashioned cash register. etc. etc. Okay, that's silly, but you get the idea.

I really liked the second quote above. Omniscient description does often feel boring, but when you filter it through 1st-person or 3rd-person characters, it gets interesting. For example, is it ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit outside, or are rivulets of sweat sluicing down Tamara's back, making her want to rip off her wool-blend interview suit? And does she go into the bodega for a frosty beverage... Now I'm rambling. :) But, I think you get the idea.

So, keep sending Electric Spec your setting-laden stories.

BSG--the end

I try not to blog about media spec fic, but... I can't seem to resist saying something about the series finale of Battlestar Galactica. And what I have to say is: while neat, it was a little confusing. (Apparently, we are all half Cylon!) I did find a very helpful Ronald D. Moore finale Q&A on the "What's Alan Watching" blog which answered most of my questions. There's a lot of other helpful links there, too. So, check it out if you have questions. :)

Hugo Nominations 2009

As you may have heard, the Hugo nominations were announced Thursday, March 19. For best short story they are:

• “26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss” by Kij Johnson (Asimov’s Jul 2008)
  
• “Article of Faith” by Mike Resnick (Baen’s Universe Oct 2008)
  
• “Evil Robot Monkey” by Mary Robinette Kowal (The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, Volume Two)
  
• “Exhalation” by Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)
  
• “From Babel’s Fall’n Glory We Fled” by Michael Swanwick (Asimov’s Feb 2008)
  

Read all about it.
Congrats to all the nominees!

Conflict and Obstacles

Due to some deadlines and an upcoming vacation, I'm a bit behind on my slush. It will probably be a week or two for me to get caught up. We try hard here to keep our response times low, but life does run away from us at times. We really appreciate your patience.

Nathan Bransford has a great post on conflict right now. Go on and read it--now if you like. We'll wait.

Nathan makes some great points, especially that bit about rooting for Duke. But we here at Electric Spec think of conflict slightly differently, though it might be more our vernacular than actual meaning. We tend to label conflict internal and external. Nathan also failed to discuss obstacles, and how they play in.

External conflicts, of course, are the forces (hopefully sentient!--more on that in a minute) that keep characters from their goal. Internal conflicts are more the thoughts and wants and needs and guilt and past that often get between characters and their goals. I tend to think of internal conflict as "characters getting in their own way." I tend to think of external conflict more as "plot". No question we see a lot of external conflict and less internal conflict in our slushpile, but internal is what rounds out strories and characters, making them become fully realized and, well, real.

Sometimes I see stories in which the writer confuses "obstacles" for conflict. I think it's easiest to think of it this way. The difference lays in the goals: a storm's goal is not to stop the Company from getting the ring to Mordor. But the Ringwraiths' goal is just that. The storm creates an obstacle. The Ringwraiths create conflict.

In the opening scene of one of my novels, two brothers are arguing about how to go about searching for their missing mother. That's external conflict, and a bit of internal, as well, because past hurts, doubt, and guilt play into their exchange. Then they realize someone is following them. That's conflict, too. She's an antagonist, and antagonists always fall into the conflict camp. But as one of the characters tries to get away from her, he runs into friends who want to chat, a love interest, bad weather, and finally a gate which traps him in an alley. Those are examples of obstacles, even though some of them are clearly sentient.

I would argue every good story needs internal conflict, external conflict, and obstacles, but sometimes I notice one or another missing in stories in our slush. Maybe people don't think short stories need all this. But each are important in their own way. External conflict drives a story, it's the blood pumping through the heart. Internal conflict provides valuable insight into character. Obstacles can often serve double duty as world building tools.

Characters

Not sure if anyone out there has ever converted prose to film. I've done it. A feature length film is actually, in prose, roughly the plot length of a short story. It's why folks complain about novel conversions so much.

I think it was Neil Gaiman who said he could only write really dark main characters in short stories. He just couldn't stand spending an entire novel with someone like that. So, if you think of the crazy, unforgettable characters we've met in film, some we love (the kids from Narnia, Aragorn as Strider) and the ones we don't love so much (Hannibal Lector) think of them in terms of a short story.

I find myself reeling back into calmer waters, character-wise, for novels. In short stories, I tend to let myself go. Great short stories (arguably, great stories, period) have memorable characters. But I think short stories have extra leeway. Sometimes I find in my slushpile that the characters just aren't enough, somehow. Some of this rests on motivation: strong motivation makes for strong actions which leads to strong characters. But I look for quirky characters, too; characters that push the boundaries of who they are.

I recently watched Transformers, which made for great character study. The writers took stock characters -- the out-of-touch cop, the pretty girl with a secret past, the mother trying to connect with her teenaged son, the "secret agent" who means well but isn't above throwing his weight around, the heroic soldiers -- and they pushed the boundaries of what it meant to be that character. To steal a cliched line from the film, at which the writers poke fun via dialogue, there was "more than meets the eye" to every character. They shoved the boundaries, down to the car salesman played by Bernie Mac. ("Gentlemen, Bobby Bolivia. Like the country except without the runs." ) Bobby was a typical used car salesman, but so obviously more, shouting at his deaf Mammy and making snide comments about cheap-ass fathers. When Bobby left the screen I was sorry to see him go.

Make your readers sorry to see your character go, and you'll find your story in our pages.

The goal is empathy

Warning: I'm on my soapbox...
Recently, on one of my writers loops there has been some discussion of narration. There seems to be some confusion on the topic. Let's back up a bit...

The goal for authors is: empathy for characters, especially for the protagonist.
Why? Because we want the reader to BECOME the character. The wonder and beauty of written fiction is it is the only medium in which a human being can become someone else. But it can't happen without empathy. Empathy is the identification, understanding and often sharing of, someone else's feelings and/or motives.

Of course, authors have many TOOLS at their disposal to tell their stories and engender empathy. These include description of setting and action, dialogue, and narrative. Narrative is when the author communicates directly with the reader. One could say narrative includes everything that isn't setting description, action, or dialogue.

Please note these tools are used to create fiction and should not be confused with the elements of fiction. Fiction itself has several parts or elements, which include character/characterization, plot, setting, theme (a conceptual distillation of the story), and style (how it is written). The effect created by the author's style is often referred to as voice.

It has been said that the ability to create fiction and other artistic works is a fundamental aspect of human culture and one of the defining characteristics of humanity.
So, why not use all the tools at your disposal to create fiction that engenders empathy and hence insights into the human condition?

Send us your stories!

Writing on Reading; The Robe

Lloyd C. Douglas wrote The Robe in 1942, but I was still able to find a copy a my local library. I think it is pretty impressive that a novel that was very popular when it was released more than 60 years ago is still in enough demand to be kept on the library shelf.

The Robe is about the son of a Roman Senator who takes part in the crucification of Jesus and later converts to Christianity. The novel has some flaws: it has some strange POV shifts, its a bit slow at points, it has historical inaccuracies, and at times it comes off as a bit preachy. Even so, it held my interest. The protagonist and especially the protagonist's slave are interesting, compelling characters. In addition, Douglas has a way with words. In fact, the book made me wonder if we've lost something in 2009 that we had way back in 1942. Some of the sentences and phrases in the novel had a different tone and feel than what we see today. A bit more formal, but also more precise and elegant. 

Critique Group is King, er, Queen!

I've been participating in a creative writing workshop lately, and I'm amazed at how talented the people in it are. I'm also amazed that none of the other people are in or have ever been in a critique group.

I would say critique group is king, but I prefer strong female protagonists, so Critique Group is Queen! :) I know/am acquainted with many working authors with contracts and they all have critique groups of some type. I don't care how much raw talent you have, 99% of writers need a critique group. Writers are too close to their own work and it takes fresh eyes to see what is really on the page.

This is true for novelists and for short story writers. Often at editorial meetings, we editors sit around and say things like: 'If only the author had developed the character arc of the protagonist; the setup was there but they didn't follow through. Doesn't this guy have a critique group?'

Dave said it yesterday. I've said it before and I'll probably say it again: critique groups are helpful!

Please keep sending us those (critiqued) stories!
An editorial note: we no longer have an autoresponse on the submissions email.

How to Keep Motivated to Write

I have this theory that most writers believe that writing is easier for other writers. Those other writers are filled with plot ideas, great characters, and lush settings that they pour on to the page with the same ease that they brush their teeth. In contrast, you just spent a frustrating two hours on one horrible paragraph that sucks and you're pretty sure you'll delete tomorrow. Not only that, but you are out of good ideas and may soon before forced to fall back on your crappy ones that people will laugh at.

Sound familiar to anyone? Those of you who are one of those "other writers," you can skip reading this blog entry. For that matter, you "other writers" can go eat some bad sushi--my treat. For the rest of us, I've found that one of the things that keeps me writing is my critique group. I have a deadline. I have readers. I have friends who bug me if I'm not writing.

Sometimes, writing for the "love" of it just wont hack it. It's nice to have another motivator to keep you going. 

Job Loss Propels Writer to Stardom . . . Not! (Part II)

Yesterday I shared my theory about "not enough time" being a (poor) excuse for not writing. The other part of this enduring belief  is the idea that we will have "more time to write when . . . (fill in the blank)." Occasionally, this is true: "I'll have more time to write when the wedding is over." "I'll have more time to write when I'm not taking care of my sick child." But, I've found from personal experience that most of the "whens" don't turn out to be true. When one time-consuming things ends, another ends up taking its place--or even being piled on. We feel like we have less and less time because it's true! As much as we try to say "no" to volunteer opportunities, social engagements, new work assignments, and other time hogs, we still end up with too much on our plate.

So, how do we keep writing despite all these demands on our time? First, you need to keep writing a priority--don't get so distracted that you stop writing altogether. Second, you need to figure out times that you can write--even if they are just small blocks of time. And third, you need to keep motivated. How to keep motivated will be the topic of a future blog.

Job Loss Propels Writer to Stardom . . . Not! (Part I)

Somebody told me the other day that agents were getting flooded with manuscripts by people forced out of their day jobs by the economy. At first I thought it seemed plausible. After all, I sometimes have fantasies about not having a day job and being able to write all day.

But then I thought--naw!

If people didn't have time to write when they had their day job, will they really find time to write when they don't? Usually, "not enough time" is just one of those excuses for not writing. It goes in the same category as "I'm waiting for my muse" or "writer's block." 

My theory is that people who really want to write, find time to write. Now, they might not have as much time as they'd like, but they use whatever time they are given to put butt in chair and hands on keyboard. They produce stories and/or novels. They submit. They get rejections. They join critique groups. They attend conferences. They try to get better. And, all this time, they secretly wish they had more time to do all of these.

More on this topic tomorrow . . .

And We're Live . . .

The new issue of Electric Spec is out. The all-new web design has already been getting rave reviews, and, as always, we have a great group of stories, an interview, and a movie column for your entertainment. We'd love to hear your comments on the new designs or the new stories.

And for those who follow our blog, we promise to be more faithful about posting now that our new issue is out and our redesign is done. (Whew!)

New Issue!

The next week may be a bit hectic on-site, replete with outages, as we switch websites and wrap up final details on this issue. Apologies for any irregularities. Additionally, we're going to start accepting submissions again as quickly as we can, as well as regaining our usual standard for turn-around. Thanks for your patience. We assure you, it'll be well worth it. The new issue and website are looking fabulous!

Specfic World Interview

Dolyle Wilmoth, editor of SpecFic Word, was kind enough to stop by and ask us a few questions about our Editorial Process. I thought I'd share our responses with our blog readers. For those of you who have been following us for a while, some of this will look familiar.

1) Name some of the most common reasons why you send a story packing back home to its owner?  

-- A weak opening with no immediately apparent conflict
-- Lack of a clearly defined, sympathetic protagonist
-- A story setting that is vague or too generic
-- Too much world-building at the outset of the story
-- The story is longer than it needs to be (i.e. lack of focus)
-- An ending that fails to bring the story together or resolve the central conflict in some way

2) And what automatically tips you off that a story isn't ready for publication, besides bad writing?

If an author isn’t able to grab us within the first paragraph, or at least the first few pages, then in all likelihood the story isn’t ready for publication. In a few instances, we’ve been able to work with the author to fix problem beginnings, but that is the exception rather than the rule. Authors need to polish their whole story, but particularly the opening.

Another common tip-off that the story isn’t ready for publication is flat or unnecessary character description. For example, we see far too many characters who are running their hands through their blonde hair or staring at x with their green eyes.

3) And what continually aggravates you to no end about submissions from new writers?  Things like: No SASE.  No return address. Phone calls asking about submissions, etc.

We like to see cover e-mails with at least the bare minimum of information, such title and word count. An e-mail with nothing but “please consider the attached” leaves us with guess work we don’t like to do. We could also do without information about pets (number of cats or dogs) or relationships (married, children) in the cover letter. Angry responses to rejections are also a frustration but fortunately not that common.

4) What kind of stories do you see way too often and don't care to ever see again in your slush-pile?

I don’t think there are any stories that we don’t ever want to see. Many times we have been surprised by fresh takes on well-worn topics. However, the following are tough sells:

Aliens land on earth.
Aliens land on earth and attack humans.
Aliens land on earth and have sex with humans.
A person is changed into a vampire.
A person is killed by a vampire.
A person has sex with a vampire.
A robot is built.
A robot attacks one or more people.
A robot has sex with one or more people.
Someone kills his or her spouse, girlfriend, mother, etc.
Light speed travel (or cryogenic sleep) has caused the protagonist to return to earth after some sort of space mission to find the world changed
Lots of fighting (e.g. sword fighting, space duels, laser battles) and not much else

5) What do you look for in a story--the things that make you sit up and say wow!

1. Unique protagonists with unique problems
2. Unique settings (either on our world or others);
3. Writing that is smooth and tight, without extra words or plot developments 

New Story

Please excuse the blatant self-promotion, but I thought I'd let people know I have a new story out at Fusion Fragment. I hope you take the time to check it out.

temporarily closed to subs as of Feb 11

Due to our website redesign, Electric Spec needs to close temporarily for story submissions. We're going to do it as of Feb. 11, 2009. Sorry for the short notice. However, we will reopen for story submissions for the next issue (June 2009) as of March 1, 2009.

New Website

Lesley hinted at it, but I'm now announcing our upcoming

!!!NEW WEBSITE!!!

Lesley has done a fantabulous job with the design and operation of our current
website for the past three years.
(Let's hear it for Lesley!!!)
But, when we got offered a brand-new professional site, we just couldn't turn it down.
(More specific accolades to come.)

Besides making publication super-easy for us, it features hi-res graphics and leading-edge navigation technology to best highlight the lifeblood of our magazine: our stories. We still plan on offering downloading options, but I think most readers will prefer to read
our stories online in our new, easy-on-the-eye format.

The new website will debut with our Third Anniversary issue at the end of this month. Unfortunately, we anticipate a few delays, a brief submission stoppage,
and a shut-down prior to publication.
As soon as we nail down those dates, we'll let you know here and on the current site.

Okay...back to editing those upcoming stories!!

More on Wiggle Room

Editor Betsy's recent post about "wiggle room" was interesting. I'm not sure I agree with her about unintentional themes, but I do agree that different readers take away different things. And this is a good thing. For example, I recently workshopped a story with a new group and got some very diverse feedback. A little wiggling may be inevitable. :)

Recently, I reread Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and in the "Author's Definitive" Introduction, he wrote:
This is the essence of the transaction between storyteller and audience. The "true" story is not the one that exists in my mind; it is certainly not the written words on the bound paper that you hold in your hands. The story in my mind is nothing but a hope; the text of the story is the tool I created in order to try to make that hope a reality. The story itself, the true story, is the one that the audience members create in their minds, guided and shaped by my text, but then transformed, elucidated, expanded, edited, and clarified by their own experience, their desires, their own hopes and fears.

Wiggle Room.

Issue Update

Here's a very quick update on the upcoming February 28 issue of Electric Spec. The editors had their production meeting over the weekend and selected stories for publication. Early this week all authors should hear if their 'hold for voting' story made it into the issue.

Kudos to all the authors. We had a heck of a time deciding on stories! There were many very, very good stories to choose from. If your story did not make it into this issue, please try us again. Several stories had to be declined because of concerns such as issue balance.

We also have some exciting changes in store with the next issue. Stay tuned for more info!

Perhaps the other editors would like to chime in about the production meeting or the exciting new changes? :)

Reader's Wiggle Room

Two days ago, Neil Gaiman won the Newberry for THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. I bought this middle grade book early on and read through it quickly. I love Gaiman's work and thought my 10 year old son would enjoy it, too. As soon as I can pry him away DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 3, he'll read it. And love it, no doubt. (I do love how I had to bribe him to read it with STAR WARS comics. Bwahahaha. He's succumbing to my evil plan of complete speculative fiction infiltration.)

I was excited as a fan of speculative fiction to see a fantasy win the award this year. The book starts grim, with a wet knife and a dead family, but ends on quite the note of hope. Its hero is a little boy who keeps his head through all sorts of weird adventures. I like to think it reflects the current times: measured thought and action + a little luck and help from people who love us = hope. It's well worth a read.

My favorite thing about Gaiman is the way he never, ever speaks down to the reader, whether they're 10 or 100. It's not that he never employs telling, but he leaves lots of room for a reader's personal interpretation. I try to think of my own work that way--less in terms of what I'm trying to say but more in terms of what will different readers take away? When different readers mention unintentional themes in my work, I know I've done my job as a writer.

And therein may lay the key to beating this subjective editing business. If I find something in your story that resonates with me personally, I'm likely to want to buy it. You have no idea, as a writer, what that may be. But if you leave me some wiggling room, you've got a lot better chance.

Writing on Reading: The Time Traveler's Wife

I recently reread The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger from 2003. What an interesting book on several levels! The author writes in present tense and the prose is very stream-of-consciousness. Approximately 95% of the book is narrative or the protagonists thoughts--beautifully done. Clearly, this author is a gifted writer and the book is easy to devour. However, as a writer, I do have a nitpick: the minds of the two protagonists (a man and a woman!) are indistinguishable.

The book also raises some issues such as, what is genre? This book was considered "mainstream" rather than science fiction, despite the time travel. I think this is because of the writer's style (see above) and because of the sad and disturbing ending.

Upon further consideration, this story is really only a love story. The author does an excellent job showing the ups and downs of relationships between a romantic couple and among family members. The time travel is just the problem the couple deals with; any disease would do. In particular, I did not like that the time-traveling protagonist never tries to alter "fate"--at least we never see him try. His mother dies in a car accident and he visits the accident scene many times, but does he ever time-travel to an hour before and tell her not to get into the car? He knows about the 9/11 terrorist attacks in advance and doesn't try anything. Why not go to the towers and pull the fire alarms before the planes come at least?
Thus as a love story, this novel was lovely, but as time-travel, it left something to be desired.

What did you think?

Ooh, and they made a movie of it, starring Eric Bana as Henry and Rachel McAdams as Clare, with Robert Schwentke directing. This appears to be in post-production oblivion however? Possibly being released this year? Does anyone know anything about this?

Leggo my Hugo

If you attended Denvention in 2008 or you are planning to attend Anticipation (i.e. Worldcon) 2009, now is the time to get your Hugo nomination ballots in. Although Electric Spec does not meet the requirements for a "semipro zine" (we don't advertise--you'd think that would be a good thing), we do qualify for "best fanzine." I don't really consider us a "fanzine" (I consider us semipro despite what the Hugo folks say). However, if somebody wants to give us a Hugo, I will not complain.

If you read (or wrote) a story in Electric Spec that you think deserves a nod for Best Short Story, be sure and include that on your ballot. (I know I did).

Writing on Reading: The Alchemy of Stone

The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia is a steam punk fantasy that explores an issue usually left to sci-fi--and it does a great job. Matti is an "emancipated" automaton who has a love/hate relationship with her creator (with some strange sexual overtones). Matti's creator refuses to give Matti the key necessary to wind her up, thereby forcing her to maintain a bond with her creator that she resents.

Sedia does a nice job looking at this relationship from a "female" automaton's perspective. She also builds an interesting world filled with machines, magic, and gargoyles. 

The Alchemy of Stone was printed by a small speculative fiction press called Prime Books. Given the quality and uniqueness of this novel, I'll look forward to reading more of Prime's offerings.

finally a Foundation movie?

Variety reported Friday Jan 16 that "Columbia won an auction late Thursday for screen rights to 'Foundation,' Isaac Asimov's ground-breaking sci-fi trilogy. The project will be developed as a directing vehicle for Roland Emmerich.

Emmerich and his Centropolis partner Michael Wimer will produce the film. The deal was for mid-six against low-seven figures."

Apparently it has been rather a rocky road getting Foundation to the screen...
Read more about it. I've got my fingers crossed that this time it happens.

How about you? What classic SF or fantasy novels would you like to see on the big screen?

Writing on Reading: The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Junot Diaz's debut novel, The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics award for Best Novel in 2007. Based on this, you might think Diaz is quite an impressive writing talent, and you'd be right. Don't be misled--Oscar Wao is not speculative fiction, but it pays tribute to science fiction and fantasy throughout. Oscar, the central character of the novel, is (for lack of a better phrase) a genre geek. This lets him make references to fantasy and sci-fi culture that only fellow geeks can truly appreciate. 

While the many genre references certainly add to the reading experience, they are not central to it. Diaz combines a fresh writing style, cultural/historical insights on the the Dominican Republic, and exquisitely drawn characters to create a novel that is bound to be considered a classic. But don't worry. This is not the case were "classic" equates with "boring." The plot is engaging, and the language is accessible (although familiarity with Spanish is a plus). It will appeal to a wide variety of literary tastes and is worth the read.

Nebula Award Changes

Yesterday, the Board of Directors of SFWA passed a new set of rules for the Nebula Awards. Some highlights include:

• changing eligibility from a one-year rolling basis to calendar year of publication
  
• changing the recommendation window from "any time" to a three-month nominations period (15 November to 15 February)
  
• limiting members to five nominations per category
  
• removing the preliminary ballot from the process
  
• abolishing the Nebula Award juries, which had had the ability to add one work in each category to the final ballot
  
• replacing the script award with a "Ray Bradbury Award for Best Dramatic Presentation" (specifically including motion pictures, television, Internet, radio, audio, and stage productions)
  
• explicitly defining the Ray Bradbury script and Andre Norton Young Adult awards as not Nebulas
  

Read the complete revised and updated Nebula Awards Rules

First Page Entry

After too many years to actually count, I finally found you! Slim build, long, dark hair, pouting, ruby lips, cerulean-blue eyes, face like a porcelain doll. Best of all, I KNEW we would dance, at every opportunity.

I took you in my arms, just as the music started. Initially, you were as limp as a rag doll, and clumsily followed my lead through the waltz. You were a mannequin, after all.

Then, to my surprise and utter delight, an amazing thing happened. Slowly and seeming deliberately, your limbs and joints lost their stiffness and fused together, your face became animated - your eyes, super expressive, behind those long, dark lashes. They studied me closely, as we now glided effortlessly over the old wooden floor... then, almost imperceptibly, became pitch black, with blazing reds where the irises should have been. Your arm began to tighten around my neck, your dainty hand in my callused one.

Fingernails sprouted into sharp, tapered claws, pearly white teeth morphed into cutting incisors and needle-like canines, flashing in the candlelight as those red, luscious lips parted in glee.

Despite my best efforts to resist, you practically willed my face down to where your fleshy rasp of a tongue could teasingly taunt my earlobe.

I'm going to start with yet another disclaimer. I really don't like second person, not even a little bit. I've thought about why and I decided it's because it really doesn't include the reader in any way. This writer is talking to someone who is not me, as if I'm reading a stolen letter. I have no real way, as a reader, to identify with the narrator or anyone else in the story. Another editor may feel differently, but I don't see a lot of second person in fiction these days.

Though there may be a great story in here, a mannequin (robot, droid, love doll, old doll, etc) coming to life has been done before. This might have a different angle, but I don't see it in this first page. This writer obviously has a firm hand with descriptives, and even the adverbs didn't bug me as much as usual. Plus, I love me a shallow narrator who gets his (or hers)! But the second person is such a strike, I doubt I'd read on.

Aaaand, on that happy note, I am out of candidates for the First Page Game, so it's obviously suspended until we get more. Tell all your friends and we'll hopefully play again soon. Thanks so much to everyone who has submitted their first pages so far. In fact, thanks to everyone who submits to Electric Spec! Obviously, there wouldn't be a magazine without you, and our slush seems to grow and improve with every issue.

Why are you reading this?

If you're a writer, I have a question for you: how did you decide to read this blog post rather than work on your novel or story? By asking this question, I'm not not trying to turn away blog readers. (We love you, blog readers!) Instead, I'm trying to encourage balance in your writing life. Cory Doctorow, in his most recent article in Locus, discusses how he deals with "Writing in the Age of Distraction." His simple answer may surprise you. (Hint: it's perfectly fine to read this blog post, just make sure you've set aside time for writing as well!)

Issue Balance

In the past few days, we've touched on the topic: stories might be very good but just not right for Electric Spec. Alas, there is yet another topic editors must consider for 'zines: issue balance.
This is yet another hurdle to publication that authors have no control over. :(
As editors, we want to have a well-balanced issue with a variety of types of stories. So, if we have six awesome vampire stories in the hold-for-voting pile, sadly, only one is going to make it into the issue.

What does this mean for authors? This means if your story is about something unusual, something others aren't writing about, you'll have a better chance at publication.

I look forward to seeing those unusual stories in the future!

Electric Spec Submission Status

Here's where we are in the submission process for Electric Spec. We've reviewed all submissions sent to Electric Spec before January 5. (I didn't keep an exact count this time, but it was somewhere around 300). If you submitted before then and have not received a "no thanks" or "hold for voting" e-mail, it means that our "no thanks" got lost in the transmission process. Go ahead and submit your story elsewhere.

If your story is one of the thirty stories being held for voting, the wait will be just a little longer. The editors need to review those stories and then decide on the (approximately) six stories that will be published in the next issue. You can expect to hear from us either way sometime around the first week of February.

For those of you who submitted stories after January 5, please be patient. We generally don't have time to read new submissions while we're working on the new issue. So, you probably will not hear from us until March.

Thanks again for all of your submissions. Looks like we're going to have another great issue!

whew!

I am finished with my slush for this issue and in the spirit of Lesley's previous post, I'm writing a round-up as well.

People. PEOPLE! Stop writing so many great stories. It makes my job so difficult.

I had to write several rejections for good stories that really just weren't right for me or Electric Spec. These are stories that will sell to some magazine, somewhere; we're just not the right market.

That's a line you hear editors spout all the time. Not right for me. That might beg the question: what is right for this editor?

Climbing over unusual odds to save important people.

Dark hatred expressed with good reason. (Hatred can drive a character, but shouldn't define them. Give me a way to identify with them, too--just a tidge of humanity. I see a lot of flat characters defined by one past event.)

Noir atmosphere in an unusual world.

Tragic or thoughtful hilarity. (Ok, that one takes some explaining. Make me laugh, but also make me think. The world only needs one Chevy Chase.)

Science fiction with well-executed contextual jargon and culture, and characters natural to that culture.

Happy endings. (Ok, that one take some explaining, too. I don't need wine and roses and self-congratulatory pats on the back, but I want a change. Let me see the characters grow. A bad ending is fine if at least one of the characters is better for it.)

Seeing a story from someone I know! That's a particular joy.

Not right for me:

Angst--especially the teen-aged variety.

Voice over content. Make something happen.

Unreasonable, unexplained violence. (I like me some violence. Not so much the psychopaths.)

Doing bad stuff to kids.

Weird mother-daughter relationships.

Humorous takes on horror.

Tired tropes and devices like Someone Who Knows Things But Doesn't Tell, POV Characters Keeping Secrets, People Waking Up At The Start of the Story, Magical Items Ruling The Day, to name a few.

Stories that start too late. That's a biggie. Some stories have too much set-up, rather than introducing the characters and the problem in the first 250 words. I find myself getting quite rigid on that as the years go by. Voice and atmosphere and cool backstory only pulls me along so far when I'm in the midst of a fifty-story slush pile. But it's not just me. Many folks read a ton of short fiction, and there are a lot of great options out there. Choosing to not finish a story is only a click away. Let's keep their hands off their mouses, eh?

Thanks for all the great stories! I think we set a new record with our "hold for voting" file, so my reading ain't done yet. I'm going to get real busy with the upcoming issue (and hopefully a few surprises) so after the next First Page, I have to suspend the first page game for awhile.

Do's & Do's

We Editors have all been through quite a bit of slush lately. Thank you, authors, for sending your stories in! We appreciate it! Without you authors, Electric Spec couldn't exist.

In the face of so much slush, I must admit, I do have some advice for folks...

In the interests of being positive, I'm calling it

Do's & Do's:

• Do send us your short stories, rather than your novels. We don't publish novels.
  
• Do include your story as an rtf attachment.
  
• Do send us spec fiction. This includes science fiction, fantasy, horror and any combination thereof. In fact, I'd love to see more SF/Fantasy and/or horror combos. :)
  
• Do send us one story at a time.
  
• Do send us a unique original story. The following plots will be a tough sell:
  
  • Aliens land on earth.
    
  • Aliens land on earth and attack humans.
    
  • Aliens land on earth and have sex with humans.
    
  • A person is changed into a vampire.
    
  • A person is killed by a vampire.
    
  • A person has sex with a vampire.
    
  • A robot is built.
    
  • A robot attacks one or more people.
    
  • A robot has sex with one or more people.
  
  Actually, this robot stuff reminds me of a really funny story I saw in The Onion: Roomba Violates All Three Laws Of Roombotics. You know I'm an Asimov fan, right? :)
  
• Do use correct grammar and spelling.
  • Do note MSWord Spell Autocheck (or whatever it's called) is not always your friend, e.g. from/form, etc.
    
  • Do use first-person pov OR third-person pov consistently (2nd-person is a tough sell).
    
  • Do use past tense (present tense might be okay).
  
  
• Do have your critique group critique your story. You know I'm a big advocate of critique groups, right? In the absence of a critique group, do have your buddy/mom/spouse/alien?/vampire?/robot? read over your story and make sure there are no glaring errors.
  
• Do include a cover letter with your name, pen name, email address, story title, story word count, previous pub credits. You can tell us about your hobbies, your kids, your insert-whatever-here, but we don't really care about that stuff.
  
• If you feel you MUST reply to our rejection/hold-for-voting email, do be polite and professional.
  
• When your story is accepted do be professional with your editor. :)
  

Thanks!

Deadline Today!

The deadline for our first 2009 issue is today midnight U.S. MST! Any submissions we receive after that will be considered for our June 30, 2009 issue.