One Sentence to Hook an Agent?

Peter Brown Hoffmeister has a post today saying you have to hook an agent or magazine editor with the first sentence . . . of you cover letter. Yup, he says that, because of the numbers involved, most agents don't even get to the beautifully crafted first sentence of your manuscript.

But fear not! Unless you say something really stupid* in your cover letter to us Electric Spec editors, we promise we'll read the first sentence of your story before making a decision. In fact, I'll go so far as to say we almost always read the entire first paragraph. Sadly, if you have not hooked us at least by the first page, we're unlikely to read the rest. Based on the numbers, we just don't have time to read the entire story if it does not look promising.

*one example would be, "I'll let you publish my story so long as you agree to publish as is, without any editing"

Writing on Reading: A Dance with Dragons

My five year wait for the next book in George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series is finally over. The question I ask now: was it worth the wait?

IMHO, the first and third books in the series are some of the finest fantasy books ever written. The second book is right up there, but the forth (A Feast for Crows) was a bit disappointing. Why? It concentrated on new characters who I didn't care about as much and the plot moved too slowly. A Dance with Dragons suffers from some of the same problems as the fourth book. A few new characters are introduced, and portions of the plot move pretty slowly. However, it does develop the journeys of some of the characters that we've known from the beginning, which is really nice to see, and, eventually, some major plot developments occur.

A have one other criticism of Dance: its too dark. You'll rarely hear that from me when talking about fantasy. I'd rather have me some dark stuff than trope fairy tale unicorns and rainbows . But, at the end of Dance I felt beaten down. How depraved can a world and everyone in that world be? Is there any hope that Westeros will survive? Do I even want it too survive? Please, George, I'm begging you! Give me some ray of hope!

So, bottom line, it is worth the read, especially if you're already a fan of the series, but don't go in expecting to be blown away like you might have been with the earlier books. And lets hope we don't have to wait another five years for the next one!

rookie mistakes

Maybe rookie mistakes is too harsh? How about rookie room-for-improvements? :)
Generally, the slush at ElectricSpec is very good. However, we editors can tell when we get a story from someone new to writing. There are a number of common room-for-improvements we see:

• Possibly the most obvious is using non-said or non-asked dialogue tags. Don't ask me why only "said" and "asked" are allowed in dialogue tags, but that's the way it is. (If anyone knows, please share.)
  
• Another common issue is all telling and no showing. I know like a hundred years ago this was the fashion, but when was the last time you read something published that did this? Telling is summarizing a story and we still do this in our everyday lives. But the current fashion in fiction is to write immediate, have the reader experience the story as it happens (a bit weird when you consider the another current fashion is past tense.)
  
• Finally, a common room-for-improvement we see is nothing happens, usually because the protagonist doesn't act. As an editor, this one is particularly disappointing. You get all excited about the big idea or the world-building and the problem set-up and then ...nothing. Often this is linked to a mild or missing conflict: who or what is stopping the protagonist? Generally speaking in stories we publish the protagonist has to do something to try to solve the problem. The protagonist doesn't have to succeed, but they have to try.

So, double-check your stories. You don't have any of these issues, do you?

A Plug for Indie Bookstores

A great article in the Charlotte Observer this week about my cousin Sally's book store. Authors--note the section about how indie books stores are the key to creating bestsellers.

Writers Search Engine

Many of you may already know about this, but I recently discovered something neat:
Writer's Knowledge Base, The Search Engine for Writers. The Writer's Knowledge Base (WKB) is a searchable collection of articles that are highly relevant to writers. The articles are diverse and cover such topics as the craft of writing, getting published, promotion, etc. Notice the search engine only covers topics related to writing. If you do a search you won't accidentally get anything weird--like porn. (Why do so many innocent searches lead to porn?)

A little backstory...Elizabeth Craig supplies the links for the WKB. Elizabeth is a published author who monitors over 1500 websites for great articles on writing and then posts the links on Twitter. The WKB then archives the links for us writers to access to our heart's desire.

Does anyone else know of any neat writers websites? Please share!

Congrats Mr. Sawyer!

This may be a bit outside our usual discussions, but I was excited to hear from SFScope that Robert J. Sawyer's WWW trilogy was recently optioned for television! As faithful readers know, he gave an awesome interview in our last issue primarily about his WWW trilogy. Read more about the deal.
Congratulations, Mr. Sawyer!

to grimace or not to grimace?

FYI: The submission deadline for the August 2011 issue is July 15.

One of the best teachers I've ever had has a thing about grimaces. He says you should never use the word grimace in your writing because it doesn't mean anything. I would say a grimace is a frown caused by disgust. I looked it up in various dictionaries and they say a grimace is a facial expression, often ugly or contorted, that indicates disapproval, pain, etc. or a sharp facial contortion expressing pain, contempt, or disgust., etc. So, regarding grimaces, I guess: Caveat scriptor.

However, I think this points to a larger issue: the evolution of the english language. There's no question our language has evolved and is evolving over time. How much of this should we use in our writing? For example, in my work I would use "five finger discount", but not "index finger discount". Most people know the former but only a certain subset of folks know the latter (although we could probably figure it out!). Certainly, there are genre considerations here. YA should use a lot of slang. Techno- or geek-thrillers should also use a lot of jargon.

But, IMHO, we can go too far. 2MI can be 2M2H. IKR?

I think we should avoid text-messaging "words" in fiction.

What do you think?

B4N. :)

revision: unique dialogue

We all know dialogue is an important part of fiction. As such, it's worth taking a look at when doing revisions. First things first: dialogue tags should ONLY use said or asked. Don't get creative. In fact, the prevailing wisdom is it's better not to use dialogue tags; use body language, facial expressions, or other information to let the reader know who's talking. However, don't make your characters "bobble-heads". This is an expression from one of my writing professors and indicates too much head nodding or similar actions. Watch out for this. :) A tip: many published works put the dialogue tag or action between two sentences of dialogue rather than at the beginning or end.

Another important point is every character should have unique dialogue. If I'm honest, many of my characters talk like I do in my first drafts. So, when I revise, I have to get rid of this. Ideally, each character's dialogue is so unique you wouldn't even need a dialogue tag. In a long work, I keep a cheat-sheet of slang or special unique words for each character. For example, one character might use a lot of single-syllable words, another might not use contractions. Good luck with your dialogue!

How about you? How do you deal with dialogue?

revision: a watch list

I got some good advice about revision recently: create a watch list. What is a watch list in this context, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. :) A watch list is where an author examines his/her work and makes a note of their own common mistakes or repeats, writes them down, and then corrects them during the revision process. For example, my characters seem to smile or grin several times a page. Logically I know it's a bad idea to repeat actions on the same page, but when I go back and look: there they are. During revision, then, I need to get rid of most of those. As another example, I have a critique partner who always uses waive instead of wave. (Of course, spell-check doesn't catch this!)

How about you? Do you have anything you need to watch out for?

Do you have any revision tips?

education and writing

In Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell, he says in the introduction that the "Big Lie" is Writing can't be taught. I agree with Bell that writing can be taught. And yet...

As you read this I am at Residency for my MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction. There's no question the faculty and mentors in my program give the students a lot of good information about writing. We also have sessions where we critique others work and have our work critiqued in turn. Therefore, there's also no question some of the students have learned a lot and some of the students' writing have vastly improved.

I tell you a secret though: I am not one of those students. I think this is because I've been working very hard for over a decade to be a better writer. I read lots of non-fiction writing books. I analyze lots of novels, trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. A huge turning point for me was joining a local writers group: Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. I've been going to their free (with membership) classes and workshops for years. I have a great critique group that helps me a lot. I've also been going to the annual conference for years, first attending workshops, and now teaching them. Thus, I've learned more working independently and with my local writers group than I've learned in my MFA program. So, I have mixed feelings about formal writing programs at colleges and universities. I'm not sure they're effective for everyone.

What do you think? What's the best way to learn to be a better writer?

formatting

I recently had an odd experience. I submitted a short story to a speculative fiction magazine and the editor wrote back and told me my formatting was all messed up. I opened up my copy of the file; it looked fine. I couldn't quite figure out what the editor meant. Of course, by the time the editor received the file it had been reformatted according to their rules and emailed. So I'm guessing somewhere in there something went awry. (Gee, go figure.)

I was quite embarrassed and a little angry that the editor took me to task for sending in a file with the 'wrong format.' :( I do admit it was my responsibility as the author to ensure the format was okay. But... I thought the editor went a little overboard. What do you think? Is the 'wrong format' an rejectionable offense?

Here at ElectricSpec I've read some stories that had some odd formatting. I, personally, have not rejected anything because of formatting. Maybe I'm too lenient? :) I have no immediate plans to change my ways. Curious about our desired ElectricSpec format? Check out: Fiction Submission Guidelines.

art vs. entertainment

I hope you're still enjoying the new issue of ElectricSpec!

We editors have started going through the slush for the next issue, and I must admit I've seen some odd things. This brought up the whole art versus entertainment dichotomy for me. Certainly short stories should be art, but ... they need to be entertaining as well, IMHO. (The other editors may weigh in if they disagree.) Perhaps it is a market thing? Perhaps our market is not the most experimental?

Anyway, if you want to publish a story in our 'zine, ignore short story conventions at your peril. For example, most short stories utilize simple past verb tense. Sure, you could use simple present, present perfect, past perfect, future, or future perfect, but will they convey the story to the reader in the most entertaining way? Generally, you don't want your "art" to interfere with your story. As another example, most short stories have a protagonist. Is it really a story if there's no protagonist? I'm a bit skeptical. For a final example, most short stories have a plot, i.e. something happens. Again, if nothing happens, is it really a story? Some things to ponder...

Can anyone think of any other good short story conventions?

We're Live!

And we're live! The May 31, 2011 ElectricSpec issue is out! Huzzah!

In particular, check out the awesome short fiction:

• Invasive Species by Ryan Kinkor
  
• Frazee by Patricia Russo
  
• Remodel with Swan Parts by Michael Griffin
  
• The Turtle Wore Mascara by E. Bundy
  
• Inside the Walls of East Lombard Street by Anthony J. Rapino

We've also got three-count-'em-three special features:

• Special Feature: Author Interview with Robert J. Sawyer
  
• Editors Corner: Race to Redemption by Betsy Dornbusch
  
• Column: Spec Fic in Flix by Marty Mapes

Thanks, everyone, who contributed! We appreciate you. :)

And now on to working on the next issue...

Robert J. Sawyer Interview

Next week, on May 31, 2011, my interview with award-winning Science Fiction author Robert J. Sawyer comes out in our own ElectricSpec. He discusses a multitude of fascinating topics, including:

• his hardest writing task ever
  
• how he does research for his novels
  
• humanity's best chance for meeting a non-human intelligence
  
• his favorite character out of the hundreds he's created over the years
  
• how to keep track of and interweave multiple plots/subplots
  
• what science fiction should really be called
  
• an impending paradigm shift in human society
  
• an easy and effective way to ground a story in our here and now
  
• what he learned from the world of television
  
• how humanity can outlive the sun
  
• his next project

Check it out!
~

Writing on Reading: The WWW Trilogy

Robert J. Sawyer's WWW trilogy, consisting of WWW:Wake, WWW:Watch, and WWW:Wonder, is his best work to date (and that's saying something). Of course, Sawyer is best known for his novel FlashForward which was the basis for the ABC TV series.

About WWW:Wake, Sawyer says, Caitlin Decter is young, pretty, feisty, a genius at math — and blind. ...When a Japanese researcher develops a new signal-processing implant that might give her sight, she jumps at the chance, flying to Tokyo for the operation. ...Once the implant is activated, instead of seeing reality, the landscape of the World Wide Web explodes into her consciousness, spreading out all around her in a riot of colors and shapes. While exploring this amazing realm, she discovers something — some other — lurking in the background. And it's getting smarter ...

As you can see, the plotting here is very compelling. Sawyer also does an amazing job with characterization. In addition to the lovable protagonist Caitlin, there's a cast of empathetic and unique characters including the A.I. Webmind, Caitlin's autistic father Malcolm Decter, a chimpanzee bonobo hybrid Hobo, and many others.

Besides, excellent plotting and characterization, Sawyer fills the trilogy with fascinating "big ideas", such as the nature of consciousness, a 'flight versus sight' paradigm shift in human culture, the moral arrow through time and many others. To make a long review short: I strongly recommend this trilogy.

I'm also excited to announce I recently interviewed Mr. Sawyer for the May 31, 2011 issue of ElectricSpec and he was fascinating. Stay tuned for more information!

Nebula winners

Perhaps by now you've heard the results of SFWA's Nebula Awards. There was a tie for best short story: "Ponies" by Kij Johnson and "How Interesting: A Tiny Man" by Harlan Ellison. Congratulations! Interestingly, this is Johnson's second Nebula and Ellison's fourth.

Of course, Harlan Ellison is a famous name to SF fans; he's been in the writing 'biz for a long time. Previously, he won for short stories "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" (1965) and "Jeffty Is Five" (1978) and for novella "A Boy and His Dog" (1970). He was also the recipient of the Grand Master Award in 2006. Impressive career! We should all be so lucky.

I'm motivated to get back to work...

Building Character Through Dialogue

Making characters really pop is a challenge every writer faces. Many new writers try to do this with description, but that's really tough. Even if a character description is more unique that simple hair and eye color (yawn!) or laundry list of characteristics (age, height, clothing, etc), description only touches the surface. But you can introduce the essence of the character through his or her words. Dialogue allows you to introduce character through word choice (eg. hello v. 'sup), topic of conversation (the weather v. philosophy), and reaction (shocked stuttering v. witty barb). Even better, you can advance your plot, create conflict, or layer in backstory using the same dialogue.

So, if your critique partner or editor tells you a character seems flat, look to his or her dialogue first. A few key bits of conversation can make a big difference.

Nebula Weekend!

Of course, this weekend (May 19-22) is Nebula weekend, and this year it's at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. It will feature such excitement as "Using Science in Science Fiction","Warfare for Writers", "Short Story Plotting", and of course lots of "Cash Bar" and the main event: the Nebula Awards Banquet and Presentation. :) Looks fun!

Short story nominees include:

• ‘‘Arvies’’, Adam-Troy Castro (Lightspeed Magazine)
  
• ‘‘How Interesting: A Tiny Man’’, Harlan Ellison® (Realms of Fantasy)
  
• ‘‘Ponies’’, Kij Johnson (Tor.com)
  
• ‘‘I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno’’, Vylar Kaftan (Lightspeed Magazine)
  
• ‘‘The Green Book’’, Amal El-Mohtar (Apex Magazine)
  
• ‘‘Ghosts of New York’’, Jennifer Pelland (Dark Faith)
  
• ‘‘Conditional Love’’, Felicity Shoulders (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine)
  

Read about the other nominees here. Congratulations to all!

Great Review!

Just a shout out to Kevin over at Adventures Fantastic, who reviewed the two fantasy stories in our last issue. It is nice to hear some feedback once in awhile--especially when it is good feedback!

Telling

I read a book recently that was almost all telling. The book in question was a literary novel, as you might surmise.

The show-don't-tell mantra has an interesting saga in a writer's life. Initially, we are all tellers; recall, for example, ghost stories told around the campfire. But then, beginning writers are consistently warned to "show, don't tell" once they start to get educated. As writers progress, however, they learn that some telling is a good thing; it can summarize boring bits, for example. Some writers then complete the circle and return to almost all telling.

I'm here to tell you as genre writers: do not do this. The tradition of genre writing such as fantasy, science fiction, and horror is mostly showing. This means dialogue. This means describe action. When you show, you let the reader experience things as if he/she was the character. When you tell, you impose an additional layer (author) between the character and the reader. The beauty of fiction is it is the only medium is which the reader gets to be someone (something?) else. Don't take that away from the reader!
Telling is less dramatic. Showing is more dramatic.

If I haven't convinced you with my logic, let me say this: we've never had an all telling story make it into the hold-for-voting file here at Electric Spec.

Stay tuned for an exciting new issue at the end of the month!

Behind the Scenes

I said earlier we were in production mode over here at Electric Spec. I thought I'd pass along an update of what's happening behind the scenes...

We had our production meeting this week. As usual, there was lots of liquor, drugs, fried foods, fist-fights, and arm-wrestling. :) We decided on the stories for the May 2011 issue, and they look great! All authors in hold-for-voting should hear back from us very soon if they haven't already. We picked our cover artist, and the art will also be great. We have a lead on a very exciting interview, which I'll blog about closer to the issue. One of us (okay, it's Editor Betsy) is working on something for Editor's Corner.

We're in the process of sending contracts out (One of us--okay, it's Gremlin Editor--is a lawyer in real-life). Once we hear back from authors we will begin edits. Personally, this is not my favorite part of the job; it's hard for me to supersede the author's artistic vision. One of us is nicknamed the slasher and is awesome about cutting stories down to perfect jewels (okay, it's Editor Dave). So, soon we will be editing, and then all that's left is creating the web pages.

Suffice to say, this issue looks like it will be great! Thanks, to all the authors who submitted. We sincerely appreciate it. There'd be no issue without authors!

And we also started reading slush for the August 2011 issue. An editor's job is never done...

A Song of Ice and Fire Reread

In anticipation of the release of A Dance with Dragons in July, I decided to start rereading A Game of Thrones with the idea I might be able to reread the whole series so far to make sure I remember what the heck was going on. I'm not much of a re-reader, to be honest. My brain has this ability to remember nearly every twist and turn of a novel I've read, so rereads can be boring for me. (This probably also explains why my brain can't retain other so-called "important" things like real-life names and phone numbers.) Anyhow, I must confess that I'm really enjoying the DWD reread. Sure, I remember all the plot twists--but I am catching lots of symbolism and foreshadowing that I missed the last time around. And I notice the mentions of what appear to be minor characters who eventually become POV characters later on. GRRM never ceases to amaze me.

I also stumbled across Leigh Butlers read of DOD. She's reading it for the first time, and its fun seeing her react to each of the chapters. She has good instincts about what's going on, and her gut reactions further show how good GRRM is setting up his story: her reactions are nearly identical to those I had. I sense GRRM wanted us to have those reactions.

V is for Voice

One of the trickiest things to get a handle on as a writer is literary or writer's voice. It's also one of the most crucial because readers and editors love distinctive voices. Writer's voice is the literary term used to describe the individual writing style of an author. Voice can be considered to be a combination of a writer's use of syntax, diction, punctuation, character development, dialogue, etc. Of course, technically, every author has a voice.

All my favorite authors have very strong and distinctive voices, how about yours? Let's look at some specific examples to help us get a handle on this topic. From Blackout by Connie Willis:

       I knew I didn't like Eddritch, Colin thought.

       "He did, however, mention your repeated absences. And the failing mark you got on your last essay."

       "That's because Beson made me write it on this book, The Impending Threat of Time Travel, and it was total rubbish. It said time travel theory's rot, and historians do affect events, that they've been affecting them all along, but wehaven't been able to see it yet because the space-tiem continuum's been able to cancel out the changes. But it won't be able to forever, so we need to stop sending historians to the past immediately and--"

       "I am fully acquinted with Dr. Ishiwaka's theories."

I can identify Willis' writing with only a few sentences because her voice is so distictive. It's very in media res, almost stream-of-consciousness, with lots of gerunds.

From One for the Money by Janet Evanovich:

       ...Joe Morelli came into the bakery where I worked every day after school, Tasty Pastry, on Hamilton. He bought a chocolate-chip cannoli, told me he'd joined the navy, and charmed the pants off me four minutes after closing, on the floor of Tasty Pastry, behind the case filled with chocolate eclairs.

       The next time I saw him, I was three years older. I was on my way to mall, driving my father's Buick when I spotted Morelli standing in front of Giovichinni's Meat Market. I gunned the big V-8 engine, jumped the curb, and clipped Morelli from behind, bouncing him off the front right fender. I stopped the car and got out to assess the damage.
'Anything broken?'

       He was sprawled on the pavement, looking up my skirt. 'My leg.'

       'Good,' I said. Then I turned on my heel, got into the Buick, and drove to the mall."

Evanovich is also easy to identify. In her case, she uses simple language, specific details, funny names e.g. Tasty Pastry, and lots of humor. Note, too, even with such short excerpts we can differentiate these voices from one another.

For another example, a while back I discussed Kelly Link's distinctive voice: Spec Fic Tools II: Voice.

So, the question is: how do we cultivate our literary voice? I think free-writing is effective. Try writing without your internal editor and see what comes out. :) Good luck!

P is for Production Mode

Behind the scenes here at Electric Spec we are gearing up into Production Mode. What does that mean? It means we're working on putting out the next issue. We've imposed the issue cut-off for the May 31, 2011 deadline. (Don't worry, we're still accepting submissions, they'll just be considered for our next issue, August 31, 2011.)

We've been going through slush with a vengeance. Hhm...that came out wrong. Rest assured, no vengeance is directed at writers. We direct gratitude at writers: thanks for submitting! So, uh, we've been working hard at finishing slush and notifying writers if they made it to hold-for-voting.

We scheduled our Production Meeting (which, with this bunch is tricky). We've bought the drugs and booze. Oops! No, we didn't do that. We would never do that! (Gremlin Editor wrote that.)

We're working on cover art and our special features. Oh dear, I need to finish my assignment... Maybe I better get back to work on that.

The bottom line is hold-for-voting authors will hear back from us with "yeah" or "nea" at the beginning of May.
And a new fabulous issue of Electric Spec will hit the streets(?), electrons(?) on May 31!

Issue Cut Off

Hi all, please note the next issue's cut off is April 15. So don't forget to send your stories and your taxes by then!

Six Questions

Today I'm  interviewed over at Six Questions about editing, story writing, and Electric Spec.  Enjoy!

J is for Joy

As folks may or may not know, April is the month for the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Today's letter is "J". I know we're not doing the challenge here, but based on posts and comments here in recent days, I thought maybe we needed a reminder of how great writing can be.

Writers--especially speculative fiction writers--create whole people, worlds, and cultures complete with their relationships and problems, out of nothing. That's power! Making something out of nothing! Okay... nothing but imagination, research, blood, sweat, tears, and lots of hard work. :)

But it is significant. And there's something so inherently human about telling stories, we've been doing it since there've been humans. Can't you just picture the cavemen and women sitting around the campfire, telling the story of 'the one that got away'? :)

When words are flowing onto the page, when one is possessed by The Muse, it's like a writer goes to another place, a world or zone of creativity. Of course that doesn't happen all the time, but that's one of the goals of a writer--getting lost in the zone.

When it happens, ...Joy.

So, how about you? Do you ever make it to The Zone? :) Any tips for getting there?

Your letters look good, but how 'bout your numbers

As aspiring authors, many of us are focused on getting that first agent or picking up that first sale. We're sure that once we can "break through" then the fiction game will be so much easier. Not so, according to author Karen Dionne in a recent blog post. "[A]fter an author is published, they [sic] face an even greater challenge: getting published again," writes Dionne. Sales are not a matter of the quality of your next book, but the quantity of sales. Editors look up your numbers on a data provider called BookScan, a service of Neilsen (you know, the same company that rates TV shows). If your numbers are poor, you can probably kiss your next sale goodbye.

So, what is an aspiring author to do? IMHO, just keep writing. Most authors realize that becoming a professional writer is rarely a ticket to fame and riches. Writing despite knowing the odds against getting published (and getting a published again) means that you are writing for the right reasons.

Internal Consistency

There have some good movies out recently in the speculative fiction genre. I must admit, I'm a bit of a movie geek and can tell you more than you want to know about movies like Blade Runner. One thing I loved about Blade Runner, and another Philip-K.-Dick-inspired movie Total Recall, was the ambiguity at the end. What really happened? My friends and I enjoyed debating the issue at length. We had similar debates about Inception. (What do you think happened at the end?) When I saw Limitless I was really struck by how much it reminded me of the classic science fiction story "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes. This, in turn made me ponder the similarities and differences of short fiction and movies...

Ambiguity at the end of movies can be very good. Ambiguity at the end of short stories I am more ambivalent about; I would have to take that on a case-by-case basis. One thing that absolutely does not work in movies or short fiction is lack of internal inconsistency. Sadly, some recent movies may not be internally consistent. While enjoyable, The Adjustment Bureau (also influenced by Philip K. Dick's 1954 "Adjustment Team"!) doesn't seem entirely consistent. Do people have free will or are they controlled by The Adjustment Bureau's plan? I don't want to give anything away but if this plot was submitted to ElectricSpec, I'm not sure it would succeed.

A more serious consistency issue may be associated with The Source Code. Again, I don't want to give anything away because this apocalyptic Groundhog Day is enjoyable. But it's unclear if activating the source code brings the protagonist in the past to an alterate reality and/or an alternate timeline and what reality/timeline the source code affects. If there are different timelines/realities how can they interact and affect one another? As you may guess from my remarks, this one's a real mind-bender. I would have to say I would've rejected this plot if we'd gotten it in the slush. (If anyone understood the movie, I welcome your comments.)

My advice to ElectricSpec writers is: Make sure your stories are internally-consistent!

Top Five Tough Sells

There are a few types of stories that I nearly always reject--even if they are otherwise well written. If your story fits one of the categories, it might be a tough sell:

1. Stories that do not introduce the protagonist quickly. I'm willing to wait a paragraph, maybe two, but if the protag does not make his/her/its appearance by then, the story is not what I'm looking for.
2. Stories that are almost all dialogue. These are often very witty, but wit isn't enough for me. I want a story, not a skit.
3. Stories with more than (say) five world-specific idioms in the first few sentences. After reading slush for an hour, my brain just can't handle all that new vocabulary.
4. False suspense. (I didn't an earlier post on this). This is the author using a non-specific pronoun to try to create suspense where there isn't any. E.g. "It happened one night." Or "Everything was fine until he came along."
5. Stories that begin with the protagonist waking up (bad) in bed (worse) from a horrible nightmare (worst). It shocks me how many stories I read that begin this way.

Also, for me, the longer the story is, the more important it is to pull me in right away. This is a matter of efficiency. If I'm going to read a full story at the upper end our our word limit, I need to be convinced it will be worth my time. On the other hand, I'll usually read a whole flash piece even if the beginning does not grab me. I know this sounds a little harsh, but the reality is that Electirc Spec keeps getting more and more submissions. We don't have slush readers, and we try to keep the turn-around time reasonable. That means we have to find ways to get through slush efficiently.

Be original

Happy Spring, all! We ElectricSpec Editors continue to make slow but sure headway on the slushpile. I thought I'd give another pointer inspired by what I've been reading...

Probably the A-number-one thing an author can do to stand out is be original. I've likely blogged about this in the past, but it bears repeating. It has been said there have been very few story plots throughout human history. These might include:

• sentient being versus sentient being (romance is included here)
  
• sentient being versus nature (or the supernatural for us spec fic writers!)
  
• sentient being versus self

This is one reason writing is so challenging!
Obviously, in speculative fiction we see a lot of the same things, we call them tropes, such monsters or aliens attacking, epic quests, etc. I highly recommend authors use one of the three story plots above and I highly recommend authors use monsters, aliens, fairies or other speculative fiction elements. But authors must put a unique spin on things! This means authors need to know what has come before ==> so do your homework. You have to know enough to know what's different.

For example, I just read a quest story with a unique twist at the end. This story ended up in hold-for-voting because it was original. Kudos, author!

As for the rest of you, keep sending us your original stories. Thanks!

setups and payoffs

We've been busy going through our slushpile over at ElectricSpec. Recently, I was pondering a story that was so close to being really good...but it wasn't quite there yet. So, I had to reject it. In that situation, I wish I could sit down with the author and talk about their story. Alas, the few times we editors have tried that via email it hasn't worked. :( So, I thought I'd try to discuss some aspects of this story which didn't work--while keeping it as general and anonymous as possible. Many stories we see do not have satifying setups and payoffs. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but readers expect setups and payoffs. Editors also expect setups and payoffs. (I must admit I have trouble with these in my own writing.)

In the story in question, the opening paragraph was cute but it wasn't really related to anything else in the story. Most readers expect the beginning of the story to set up, or get the reader ready for, the rest of the story. As an example of what not-to-do, I have a story that starts with the protag's rant against her ex-husband. But as my critique partners pointed out, the relationship with the ex is not what the story is about--so it shouldn't start there. This is related to the common problem that stories usually start later than authors think they do. So, in your story: look at where it ends up. What is this story about? Now go look at the opening: is the setup there? My bad story is actually about the protag's relationship with her daughter, thus I need to edit the opening to set it up for the reader that it's about the daughter. As it stands, a page or two later, I do get to the daughter, so I probably need to cut that first page or two. Should you cut your existing opening?

The main problem with the story in question was it fizzled out at the end. I read faithfully for over four thousand words and ...blah. The protag basically achieved her heart's desire (good!) but it was by accident AND there was no satisfying character reaction. One definition of payoff is it is the climax of a story, the scene that satisfies the reader's emotions and/or intellect as it wraps up the story plot(s). It often falls at the very end of the story. Take a look at the last page of your story: is it satisfying for the reader? If not, how can you make it sastifying?

Good luck with your setups and payoffs! And keep sending us your stories.

On Editing Stories . . .

Recently, one of our blog readers noted that E-spec's submission guidelines begin with the following statement:

A note on our editorial policy: before publication we may edit the story for length or readability. However, we always remain true to the spirit of the story.

Why do we say that? First, we want to make it clear that, unlike many other online 'zines, we edit stories. Everyone one of them. Sometimes this means cleaning up a few typos, but many times it means a heavier edit (e.g. cutting unnecessary parts, clean up awkward sentences, resolving minor inconsistencies, etc). We do this because we want to make stories the best that they can be, and very few authors write a perfect story start to finish.

Do we review these changes with the authors before the stories go to print? Absolutely. The authors are usually pleased with the edits and recognize that they make the story stronger. If an author disagrees with an edit or two we're usually willing to change it back or make further modifications to address the issue. The important part for us is that the author is professional about the editorial process. But we do take the position that we have the final say on what we publish. If the author is really unhappy with how the edited story looks, he or she is free to withdraw it at that point, but that has never happened.

I will share one example of what I view as an unprofessional approach. In a recent slush submission, one author stated in the cover letter that he would "let" us publish his story "on the condition" that we published it "as is." I sent it back unread stating that we'd never publish a story on that condition. (Okay, maybe if you're George RR Martin). In my opinion, the world needs authors AND editors to create the best possible product and make the reading public happy.

Update

When I read slush, I read to a certain date. Granted, that's affected by how many stories run me up to a particular date. I read to Feb 1 last session. So, our slush is caught up to February 1 (and there are really just a few stories left between Feb1-15), so you should have heard from us on any slush sent to us prior to February. If not, feel free to resubmit.

We like to keep our response time at about a month ideally, but our slush pile is growing by the issue. Not a bad thing--great for us, actually! It makes our job tougher, but the magazine is better for it. I think we're running, realistically, 6-8 weeks right now. (Again, I'm usually the slow one.)

If you end up in Hold For Voting, you can be happy with that as an accomplishment in and of itself. Competition is very stiff. And if you don't, well, please know competition is stiff. =)  And try, try again. I'm a huge proponent of that. Don't give up on yourself or your stories.

Happy storytelling...

George RR Martin, reviewed

Okay, we'll launch this puppy with the standard "If your story is late getting back to you from our slush pile it's likely me." My bad.

Now onto George RR Martin. I've read a lot of his stuff, but of course GAME OF THRONES is all the rage right now with the HBO show coming up (and it looks to be brilliant!)

But I'm hardly the expert. Dave is. Dave LOVES him some GRRM! But maybe I'm more qualified to talk about him cuz I've actually met the man and shared some party conversation with him. I texted Dave, if I recall, from Worldcon that night after he ditched out early: I'm sitting on George RR Martin's lap.

No, I didn't sit on his lap. And I think Dave met him at a signing, too. So my specialness didn't last long. But I'll segue back to that in a moment.

GRRM has sizeable real estate on my bookshelves because his books are so fat, and I loves them, I loves them all. But the thing is, plot-wise, they (and I'm speaking of THRONES and the other three) all make a horrible lot of sense, too. All I can tell you is what I think he does so well, what I learned from Mr Martin, the stuff young Jedi should look to.

First up, Characters.

He draws memorable characters. For such big books, he doesn't waste a ton of time actually describing them. Each one might get a line or two, and then hang on for the ride. Each of his characters is their own personal trainwreck. Neuroses, violence, Flowers in the Attic action, weirdo dragon ladies...they are all nuts six ways from Sunday. And you can remember who they are because they each have their own personal neurosis.This is not to say you have to make all your characters neurotic. But make them unique, memorable. We read speculative fiction because we like our people different. So give us wonderful, awful, different people to meet in your stories.

He gives each character some grand quality...and then proceeds to batter them about their psyches with it. The greatest swordsman in the land gets crippled in a no-more-tourneys-for-you sort of way, the most beautiful woman in the world gets married off to a horrible, hard-hearted ugly dude. Oh, and don't get too attached cuz the minute you do: Off with their heads! This is pretty basic: Don't forget to torture your characters, and your readers along with them.

His characters change. The ugly ones' hearts grow three sizes (okay, maybe half a size, but the series isn't finished yet). The naive learn. The good ones get forced into doing bad things. The wimps grow a pair. Seriously, and this is a biggie, make your characters change.

World Building.

He works with a cast of thousands. His world feels rich and huge because it is. This epic fantasy and Mr. Martin wisely does not skimp on peopling it. This isn't what I advise for short fiction, but it works in epic fantasy, of course. And you never once question whether a character has to be there. So write the correct number of characters for your genre and give each a distinct role to play.

He also picks a cultural reference and sticks with it. We get what Ser means cuz we get the whole Knight gig. We get the tribes living in the tents; we've all seen National Geographic stories on Bedouins with their horses. It gives us a foundation, a shelf to stand on as he draws his new world tight around us. So help your readers out and build your world on a framework of familiarity. 

On writing and style:

Mr Martin doesn't cheat on his own voice. He writes the number of words required to tell the story the way he needs to tell it. More words than I would, but still, each word serves the story. He has a distinctive voice, all his own. So whether you write short stories or door-stoppers, make each word count, and make them all yours.

On Being a Famous Writer:

You can learn well from The Man, Himself, too. As I said before, I met him at a fan party. He was making unhurried rounds of the party floor, people kept him stocked with libations, and he had no problem stopping to talk to me, a nobody. We leaned in the hallway and sucked our drinks and chatted for several minutes. Of course, I have no idea how the conversation went because as I recall I had this constant voice in my head shouting things like: YOU'RE TALKING TO GEORGE RR MARTIN. DON'T SAY ANYTHING STUPID. OH NO YOU JUST SAID SOMETHING STUPID, DIDN'T YOU? and TEXT DAVE, RIGHT NOW!!

My point is, he was there at the fan parties, chatting up fans. He wasn't hiding in the SFWA suite, he wasn't in some dark corner of a hotel bar where no one but his agent and editor could get at him. So when you get readers and fans, go and greet them. Heck, go and greet them before they belong to you. After all, they will someday! These are the folks who buy our books.

Oh, and he's nice. Like, just extraordinarily nice. So be nice.


He is hands-down the best reader I've ever heard. His voice was made for his own stuff. Well, it stands to reason, right? So is yours. So learn to read your own words as if you love them, (c'mon, don't pretend you don't!) read like you hear it in your head, read with inflection, chin up, from the diaphragm, and all that.

Yeah. I'm sure Dave could add a lot, so I'll hand it off to him...

repeat offenders

I mentioned at end of Februarythat we had a "repeat offender" in the new issue of Electric Spec. It turns out we had two repeat offenders in the current issue. In a story I described as emotionally poweful (i.e. creepy) we have End User by A.L. Sirois in the February 2011 issue. We also had Original Position by A.L. Sirois in our February 2010 issue. My apologies to A.L. for not mentioning this earlier. Interesingly, there's a bit of creepiness in this story, too. (Read it and find out for yourself.)

This prompted me to wonder just how many repeat offenders we've had over the years in Electric Spec. There are a few more:

• David Redd gave us "Doctor Sam" in January 2006 and "Galactic Undesirables No. 3231: The Con Artist" in May 2006
  
• Hank Quense gave us "The Impressario" in May 2006 and "The Rainbow Bridge" in January 2007
  
• Stephen L. Antczak gave us "Pure Luck" in May 2006 and "Fade to Black" in September 2006
  
• TW Williams gave us "The One-Legged Assassin" in September 2006 and "Possession is Nine Parts" in January 2007
  
• Matthew Howe gave us "All Kinds of Monsters" in June 2008 and "Pusher" in August 2010
  

I think this proves we judge solely on story.

Please keep sending us your stories.
Enjoy the current issue! And feel free to check out the older issues, too. :)

First Pages

I'm doing a workshop in May in which I'll critique first pages of novels (well, 2 pages) and dispensing publishing advice (that one cracks me up). I am fairly capable at critting and judging a work by the first page or two though, from my time here reading slush and also playing The Game, plus just reading 5 years worth of critiques for my partners, too.

I've been asked what I can find out about a story from the first page. For the purposes of our game here I call that 250 words (granted, longer than a first page but generally about how long I can be guaranteed to read before giving up). I actually expect a LOT out of that first page.

I expect these items, in order of importance though not necessarily appearance:

• Who is my hero/ine?  For short stories, I really want to know who I'm banking on. Think of it this way: I'm new to your world and I need a guide to show me around. I'm not much for a prologue featuring the antagonist in short fiction, though of course it can work. (Generally I prefer single POVs in short fiction, and no prologues or epilogues.) No need to be coy, Roy, use actual names for your characters. And I daresay you won't see a story in Electric Spec that starts with the word "It." (Now of course someone will run out and find one that did!) A safe bet is to get your character doing something in the first lines, or at least the first paragraph. Not a rule by any means, but a reliable technique. Bonus points for showing me it's a protag I will care about or am happy to depend on, either cuz s/he's sympathetic, empathetic, or too cool for school.

• Where am I? I don't need a travelogue, but gimme a hint. 

Am I in  a fantasy world? (LOTR)
One like the Renaissance? (THE SPIRIT LENS)
Dystopic Jersey Shore? (I think there's a show or something.) 
Alternate historical Alaska? (THE YIDDISH POLICEMAN'S UNION) 
Space? Maybe a long, long time ago? (Duh)

We're doing speculative fiction here, folks. Take me where I've never been before.

• Is there a problem here, officer?  C'mon, at least a hint at a story problem and conflict. What's this guy or girl or multi-gendered alien up against?

And, yeah. That's really about it. See? Put like that, it really doesn't seem like too much to ask from 250 words.

Tor Poll's Top Ten

Tor just released a reader's poll of the top ten SF&F novels of the last decade. Here are the results:

1. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi - 295 votes
2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman - 270 votes
3. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - 231 votes
4. Blindsight by Peter Watts - 221 votes
5. Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey - 194 votes
6. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin - 179 votes
7. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - 167 votes
8. Anathem by Neal Stephenson - 141 votes
9. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson - 125 votes
10. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville - 124 votes

Would you have voted for these? I think its a pretty good list. I have to confess there's two books on the list I have not read. Bonus points if you can guess which two.

gotta love short fiction

When asked about writing short fiction, an award-winning author said something recently I've been pondering a lot "if you're a novelist, don't lose focus on writing your next book." Hhm. It's possible I should focus less on writing short fiction. But it's not possible I should read less short fiction. I love short fiction. It rocks! I've said before short fiction can be like a perfect jewel--a story encapsulated in a world that exists for a short while only in space, time and imagination. To prove my point, let's look at some good short fiction...

The Untold Tale of an Executioner by Dawn Lloyd is a chilling tale set in a very dark world. Dawn does an excellent job starting her story: I waited until the pulse ceased and left the body lying on the ground. Wow! Aren't you just dying (sorry) to find out what happens next? In this story--like most good stories--the protagonist is profoundly affected by the events that transpire.

End User by A.L. Sirois is a horrific story with a character that definitely doesn't follow Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. I must admit, this story really creeped me out. A short exerpt will show you what I mean: The head of a pretty young Japanese girl was pillowed on the couch, a slender torso below it, with wires and tubes feeding in from various canisters and IVs. Draped across the drobe, clasped in its smooth, strong arms, was the body of a man. Dried blood had pooled under him, across the drobe's thighs and legs, soaking the couch. Flies feasted there, and on the corpse. And the head-thing was still alive! It just gets creepier from there. That's a mark of a good story, when it provokes a strong emotional reaction in the reader.

Birth of a New Day by Fredrick Obermeyer is a unique fantasy in which daybreak requires a special kind of midwife. I loved the new original idea of this piece. Here's an intriguing exerpt: Evanar collapsed on the sand, pain ripping through his side. He reached under his beige robes and tried to pull the sides of the dayslit open wider, so he could push it all out. WTF is going on here? Better read it and find out.

What Eats You by Sara Kate Ellis is a near-future adventure involving role-playing and political correctness taken to the extreme. This story has a great opening: It was an ordinary Friday night when Mollie Barker exploded in the snacks aisle of Pirate Pat's. Her head popped off with the quicksilver efficiency of an action figure, trailing a graceful arc into a sampler bowl of Waldorf salad. I love the drama and the humor.

A Touch of Poison by Jaelithe Ingold is a traditional fantasy in which a power struggle has a very unexpected outcome. There's something lovely, dramatic and maybe naive about traditional fantasies. The moment she'd been tested, everything had changed. The Catevari had claimed her. Don't you want to know what or who the Catevari are? Exactly what trouble is the protagonist in? And how will she get out of it?

Gotta love that short fiction!

Keep sending us your stories.

We're Live!

Editor Betsy tells me we just went live with the new issue of Electric Spec! Hurray! Thanks, everyone who helped make this happen. :)

New Issue Coming

We editors are busy wrapping up production for our February 28, 2011 Electric Spec issue! It's fabulous! We can't wait for you to read it. We'll be featuring short fiction by up-and-coming authors Dawn Lloyd, A.L. Sirois, Sara Kate Ellis, Jaelithe Ingold, and "repeat-offender" Fredrick Obermeyer. We try to give you a variety of stories within the speculative fiction genre. All of the stories are excellent, so be sure to check them out. :)

Another neat project I've been working on for the issue is an interview of popular Urban Fantasy author Mario Acevedo. Mario writes the Felix Gomez vampire detective series, and as anyone who's ever seen Mario at a book signing knows, the author is very funny. He doesn't disappoint in our interview and addresses such questions as: Was The Nymphos of Rocky Flats based on a true story? Do men and women look for different things ...in literature? Incidentally, our interview prompted an interesting blog post by Mario Why do we like to play God? on Feb 6 (scroll down).

If you can't wait until February 28, the Electric Spec Archives have many, many excellent stories still available on line. You could even check out Fredrick Obermeyer's old story The Ambiguity Broker.

What Do You Want to Know?

 Sometimes I feel like I'm just casting around for topics. I write on stuff that interests me, but whether it interests you I've no idea. So I'm inviting questions. Any and all are welcome. I'll answer in posts. Maybe if we're lucky, my esteemed partners will chime in as well!

I'm also inviting first page submissions for critique. That's an open invitation, but I forget to mention it. I'll critique your first page here on the blog. I'm happy to keep it anonymous; just let me know in the cover letter. Rules are here. 

New issue NEXT MONDAY!!! waaahoooo!

a great story?

I gave myself a little homework assignment over the holidays. I tried to find out what makes a short speculative fiction story great. I probably read over a hundred stories from those "Best of" anthologies. What did I conclude? Every great story is different, there are no hard and fast rules. Okay, in hindsight, this may be obvious. :) Another obvious thing: opinions about stories are subjective.

Here's what I took away from the exercise...

• an excellent story engages the reader's emotions. Note, too, serious emotions such as poignancy, sorrow, or joy are more effective than humor.
  
• an excellent story really tortures (figuratively, not necessarily literally) the protagonist. Often the protagonist is an underdog, starting the story behind the 8-ball (or whatever metaphor you prefer).
  
• many great stories have empathetic, and even sympathetic, protagonists. Interestingly, this is one of Donald Maass' instructions in Writing the Breakout Novel.
  
• many very good stories have unique voices
  
• most excellent spec fic stories have fully fleshed-out worlds. The reader feels like they are actually in another place and/or time
  
• most excellent stories follow the standard plot arc: the protag has a problem and acts to solve it
  
• most great/excellent stories are about more than one thing and these things are interrelated. Often this involves an external and internal plot arc.
  
• most great stories involve some kind of originality--a new twist on an old idea, or ideally, a totally new idea

I will continue to study the issue...

Anyone out there have any insights? What do you think makes a story great?

Chicken or the Egg

Plotting vs Character is often in hot debate among writers, as if, incidentally, one can survive without the other. Lots of folks love PLOT PLOT PLOT, especially mystery and thriller writers, I think, because really, what is the detective without a complicated murder to solve? But character...characters make the fictional world go 'round. If we don't love our character, why write about them? Then there are the Centrists, who advocate vague organic approaches, none of which ever make sense to me because obviously, one has to come first, a plot concept or a character, even if by miliseconds. 

I've worked both ways and I lean more toward starting with concept and plot now. This is not to say I don't dream up characters constantly. They assault my psyche day and night. But they are plotless, unformed creatures. So before I start writing I make myself do the grueling task of plotting, at least in synopsis form. Dinner before dessert, after all. Characters must prove themselves to me. Also, I think as I delve deeper into the speculative aspects of fiction, I find myself wanting to explore concepts rather than characters, at least at the outset.

However, I'm not advocating one or the other. We all have our processes. I know successful writers who start with just a name and a face and go on to sell thousands of books. So which do you start with first and why?

What I'm Looking For

I've written on this before, but I always hope I can improve on my explanation.

I like Darkness of the Soul stories, characters pushed to their bottom limits and still climbing out on top. Not horror, not necessarily suspense. Gore in print doesn't thrill me either, not like it does on the screen.

Often contrasting this, I dislike a great deal of internal narrative. To me it's often like a voiceover in film, telling what the story's about rather than showing it unfold.  But how do you show Darkness of the Soul?

Character Motivation.


I've been watching Spartacus: Blood and Sand lately. It's oftentimes bad, and yet good, because it's gotten me thinking about character and plot structure. Spartacus is a Thracian slave turned gladiator. He doesn't want to be there, and no one else wants him either, but he won the crowd's favor with a great fight. He could give up and die. He's a gladiator slave in the ludis, after all, with no hope of freedom. He faces a future of only death and violence. And yet one thing drives him: seeing his enslaved wife found and safe. (I don't think it's the cleverest motivation, but it's better than him wanting to live just for the sake of living, and it's fairly noble, anyway, allowing our character to do horrible things and yet still keep us in his corner.)

Anyway, the effect is plain. Spartacus is enslaved, but not only to his Dominus. He's enslaved to his desire.  And that gives the character strong motivation around which entire plots are built. Spartacus will do the craziest things, win the worst fights, and the audience believes it all, because of his motivation to save and protect his wife. He strikes a deal to fight and survive and make his Dominus a rich man, if only he'll find Spartacus' wife. The Dominus, incidentally, is absurdly in love with his own wife and has some pretty bad money troubles. Not a good man, but all that gives him some gray areas, and money and status motivates him to help Spartacus succeed. There are, incidentally, worse people on the show than Dominus.

Of course Spartacus fails in the arena almost immediately and is sent to the pits. This is cage fighting at its goriest. (As an aside, I wondered why they haven't managed to make the other episodes' blood effects look this good.) He is going to die there. It's only a matter of time. But while getting the living hell beaten out of him, he scrapes his way up to favorite there, too. He just can't give up, even when he wants to, because of his wife. If he dies, who will save her? Who will hold Dominus to his promise to find her? But the success in the pits frustrates Dominus, who hoped this would be a short term measure to earn some money off betting. His reputation starts to suffer, and he's not earning quite enough money to hold off the debtors.

So Spartacus finds a way to earn his Dominus more money and seal Dominus to the bargain of finding his wife. He swears to throw a fight and die, letting Dominus put all his money on the other guy, if he'll swear to the gods to find his wife.(Religion and the gods is another heavy motivator for all the characters, except Spartacus in this episode. He uses the Roman's beliefs against him.) Dominus, who loves his own wife, sees some nobility in that and agrees to the bargain. And when the fight comes along it doesn't look like Spartacus will actually have to throw the fight.

But then, one of Dominus' creditors send an assassin to kill him during the fight. So Spartacus kills his opponent and saves Dominus' life. He costs Dominus a lot of money, but Dominus now owes him a blood debt.

And that leads me to another point. In motivation driven story,  there's no voice over required (or internal narration, etc). We understand Spartacus lives for his wife's safety, not because he ever says it, but because he remembers her by flashback, he talks to the other gladiators of it, and he's even willing to throw a fight to save her. Her safety resides in Dominus' vow to save her. So when Dominus is threatened, Spartacus saves him in order to save his wife. We also understand the two men are more tightly tied than ever.

The lesson here is clear. Use strong character motivation to drive your plot and story. That applies to all stories, not just Darkness of the Soul stories. Even though those are my favorites. :)

subconscious writing?

I'm hip-deep in revisions for my WIP. I thought I resolved some problems, so I did a quick reread. And, of course, I found another glaring problem, namely, a large dramatic event happens early in the book and no explanation is ever given. Nor do the characters ever wonder 'Why/how did this event occur?'. Ugh. So, I rolled up my sleeves, put on my thinking cap, mixed some metaphors and ...couldn't think of anything plausible to explain why/how. Double-ugh. I pondered and pondered and still nothing.

Thus, imagine my surprise the other day when I woke up with a great solution to the problem. Apparently, my subconscious had been working on the problem. Hurray, subconscious! If I could feed it some chocolate, I would. :)

The creative subconscious isn't a new idea. In Dr. Richard W. Hamming's classic seminar You and Your Research, he says,
If you are deeply immersed and committed to a topic, day after day after day, your subconscious has nothing to do but work on your problem. And so you wake up onemorning, or on some afternoon, and there's the answer.

More specifically, for writing, Joel Fagin says in his writing tutorial The Subconscious,
[S]ubconscious knowledge.. can add depth and flaws to characters, become themes for a story and also covers the premises for a bunch of useful story concepts ... In a way, this is also pure character development. Those key moments when a character in a story changes from what he was and into what he will be are very often based on this.

And The subconscious works in the background and drops feelings, instincts and impressions into the conscious mind. ...The subconscious also does a massive amount of background processing in support of the conscious mind and is incredibly powerful. ...And the more you do [a] task ... the more refined the program becomes.

So there you have it, subconscious writing! I think I'll go take a nap, er, do some creative writing/thinking. :)

Has this ever worked for you?

Editor's report

Hi guys,
We are finalizing the stories in our Feb 2011 issue. (We ran into some logistical problems due to a pesky sub-zero blizzard.) Authors should hear back from us by the end of the week one way or another. We appreciate every story that is submitted. Thanks a lot! Closer to the end of the month, I'll tease you with tidbits about our exciting issue interview. :)
In the meantime, check out Editor Dave's post from yesterday about The Art of Reading Epic Fantasy.

How do you do it?

The Art(?) of Reading Epic Fantasy

I recently read Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings. It is a monster of a book--over 1000 pages, and it is only "Book I" of the series. (But a good read nonetheless). I noticed that I read epic fantasies in a particular way. I find it next to impossible to keep track of all the character and place names. I remember the major characters and a few who are unique or exceptionally well drawn, but I don't try to place all of them. I also don't keep track of all the place names, various religious (unless important to the plot), and backstory about the world in any great detail. I almost never refer to a map or the glossary, if included. It just takes too much time. In places, (the better written the fantasy, the less I do this) I skim. If a character is brooding about a decision, I skim over that. If the book goes on at length about a minor plot tangent, a non-major character, or worldbuilding, I tend to skim that as well. Even blow-by-blow battle scenes may become tedious and I'll just look to the end of duel to see who dies.

If the fantasy author has done his or her job, however, by the time I get to the end of the book, I'll be reading every word carefully. I'm torn between savoring it and wanting to rush to the end to see what happens. Some scenes may be so well done or exciting that I'll read them twice in a row.

What about you? How do you read fantasies? Other genres?

Writing on Reading: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I realize I'm a bit late weighing in on this book---it seems like most people I know have read it by now. As a result, I approached it with the question"what made this book so popular?" Even before starting the book, several people warned me that it didn't "get good" until a more than a hundred pages into the book. The start was slow; lots of backstory and narrative with very little present day action. So, obviously, the key to this book wasn't the "hook" at the beginning of the novel. Nor was it the premise made it popular. I watched a few trailers for the movie and even those had a hard time capturing the plot in a few catchy sentences.

I've heard a few people say that the "girl" in the book, Lisbeth, is one of the most fascinating new characters in literature. I'm not sure I buy into the hyperbole about Lisbeth. She is an excellently drawn character, but I'm not sure is solely responsible for making the book popular. (A side note--the original title for the book was Men Who Hate Women.)

In the end, I concluded that several factors have let to its popularity:

• A generous amount of sex and violence
• A likable (though ultimately forgettable) protagonist
• A compelling and somewhat complex mystery
• And, of course, an extremely well-drawn secondary protagonist (Lisbeth)

I agree with the masses who say Dragon Tattoo is a good read. On the other hand, I felt it could have been better. It had several of the shortcomings of a first time novelist. The pacing was off in places, it had sections of unnecessary or excessive narrative, and even a few POV/ head-hopping issues. (The version I had was also poorly translated in some places, but that's not the author's fault)

What do you think? What make this book work? Could it have been better?

p.s. Did you all know that Larsson was a huge sci-fi fan and even wrote a few sci-fi stories?

Writing on Reading: Blackout & All Clear

I just finished reading Connie Willis' 2010 science fiction novel in two parts Blackout, and All Clear. As Willis fans know, she is one of the most award-winning SF authors of all time, having won at least ten Hugo Awards and six Nebula Awards. In Blackout/All Clear she returns to her future Oxford University time-traveling world, also featured in Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog. I've said before it's a brilliant idea to create a world and utilize it more than once. Editor Betsy blogged recently about themes; in Blackout/All Clear Willis does address her ubiquitous theme of coming to terms with death/loss/grief.

Blackout/All Clear features more of Willis' unique voice, which I enjoy very much. Willis has a gift for making readers care about her characters; she does this by showing her characters care about others. This book has a strong message which is badly needed in today's culture. Additionally, there are some lovely plot twists/reveals at the end of the novel. Nonetheless, in my opinion, at 1132 (!) pages this novel would have been better if it had been shorter. The multiple time-lines and multiple protagonists with multiple names can also get a bit confusing.

There are some lessons here for writers of short fiction as they consider the following questions: Is your story too long? Is your story too complicated? Do you have too many characters?

Knowing Ms. Willis, however, Blackout/All Clear will probably be nominated for several awards. Good luck to her. :) I look forward to her next work.

More on Themes

Balian of Ibelin

We all have personal themes. Often enough we don't think they're original. But think, really think, about how you apply your themes to your stories. Think about the combination of your themes, the things that make your muse sing. Alone, themes are rarely original. But combined with your own sensibility, they suddenly take on a new flavor. And embracing your themes and personal sensibility lends a ton of confidence to your writing. Because how you apply theme(s) to story--that's the original bit. That's all you, something no one can steal or copy.

Make a list of your themes. You can do it in comments or on your own. Don't know them? Or can't quite articulate them? Alexandra Solokoff recommends making a list of films (or books or stories or TV shows, even music, whatever floats you) that appeal to you. Think archetypes, too, even music.

My list would look something like this, in no particular order:

Robin Hood

• Sons of Anarchy (TV)
• Rome (TV)
• THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton
• Boondock Saints
• Kingdom of Heaven
• The Bourne Trilogy
• Robin Hood, in all its various forms
• THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST by Stuart Neville
• JOE PITT series by Charlie Huston
• Most anything written by Richard Kadrey
• LOTR films--but really only certain sequences
• HOUSE TO HOUSE by David Bellavia
• OFF ARMAGEDDON REEF by David Weber
• Most punk rock music, particularly Green Day, Cage the Elephant, Sum 41, My Chemical Romance...Okay, there's more. Loads more. Those are off the top of my head. But it's plenty to work with.

Next, we analyze the list. First thing: I like me some MALE PROTAGONISTS, and cute ones at that. I suspect it's because I have two brothers. (My forthcoming book features two brothers and one sister.) Beyond that: VIOLENCE, lots of it. Most of these stories have antagonists who perpetrate a lot of violence. They certainly suffer it. Even punk rock sounds violent. And with violence comes meaningful DEATH.

I like soldiers and WARRIORS dealing out death, and often they're self-appointed, like in Boondock Saints. Occasionally, though, they're stuck in a world they don't really understand, like in OFF ARMAGEDDON REEF and The Bourne Identity. Which leads me to another personal theme: the OUTSIDER. Hell, it's even one of the titles.

Outsiders generally have one or more people they'd die for though, or at least friends. Think Jax in Sons of Anarchy. He'd die for the Sons, even when he disagrees with them. So LOYALTY is one of my themes. Plus, Jax has major father issues, along with Ponyboy, Joe Pitt, and Balian. So PARENTAL ISSUES is another. And several of the stories (Kingdom of Heaven, Saints, LOTR, Kadrey's work, and Robin Hood) have MYSTICAL ELEMENTS AND RELIGION, particularly as an impetus to act. That's a big one for me.
So there you have it: my personal themes. Not very original: Male Protags, Violence, Death, Warriors, Outsiders, Loyalty, Parental issues, Religion, all played with background tracks from American Idiot and Danger Days.

But how I apply it, now there's where I find my originality. That's where it's all me. I've developed characters like rock star assassins, disgruntled mystics, martyr princes, twin demon warriors, Wiccan eco-terrorists, changelings who are determined to wipe out their own kind... I think a lot of those stories are pretty original, and they all stem from my quite unoriginal personal themes.

We have to write to our themes, otherwise we're just not really interested, right? So you may as well know what they are and put them to work for you. So how about you? What are your personal themes and how do they manifest themselves in your work?

To Draft or To Revise

Something I've been struggling with lately, amid many projects and reading slush, is getting a chance to draft. I've hit the climax of a novella, but I just haven't had time, with revising another book and submitting yet another, to finish it.

That makes me itchy. Something about drafting... I have a clear addiction to words and drafting is the only thing that satisfies it. I don't hate revising, but it gets tedious. Hence, I try to draft fairly competently (and I could go into my habits that help that some other time) to cut down on revision time.

But I know some writers loathe drafting and the only reason they write anything at all is to get the opportunity to revise.

So. Which are you? A drafter or a reviser? And why?

Notes from an editor...

We are deep into production mode for the next Electric Spec issue: February 28, 2011. So, I thought you all might want some info about what's going on...

We are preparing for our big production meeting that is coming up. There are a few stories still in the slush pile that we're getting through. (Don't worry, authors, you should hear back soon if we're holding you for voting or if your story is rejected.) It is very sad that we have to reject the majority of our submissions.Editor Betsy said "I want to know what the story's about quickly." This is a good tip and particularly true for on-line stories. It's just too easy to click away.However, I don't agree 100%. (Darn Editors!) I want to be intrigued quickly.This can be with a great plot right out of the gate, but it can also be with a unique character, an unusual voice, an amazing original world, or even a very provocative sentence. There is one thing Betsy and I totally agree on and that's the importance of originality. We publish stories at Electric Spec that have some kind of originality.

At the production meeting, we decide what stories to publish and it is a bit of a knock-down drag-out. (That's why we need the beer...) Invariably different editors will favor different stories. So, as I've said before, if you make it to hold-for-voting you are publishable. At the production meeting we also have to consider things like issue balance; we don't want 5 werewolf stories, for example. We decide on things like columns or interviews. We also decide on cover art at the production meeting. (Send us some art!)

After the production meeting, we contact all the authors and send contracts to the acceptances. When they get back to us with their contracts, we edit the stories. We send the editted stories back to the authors for a final check, and we make the webpages. Actually, I usually ask my authors to check their story on the webpage. Final versions of stories and columns are created as the month progresses and then on the last day of the month ...viola! We unveil the new issue.

Be sure and check out our next issue of Electric Spec! And keep sending us your stories.

Tales from the Slushpile

I've read a lot of slush in the past few days, trying to get caught up. Most of it's really fun. It's awesome to see the cool ideas out there! But, and here it comes, there's the constant downside of having to reject most of what I read. Out of about 40 stories I saved 2 to vote on.

Why'd they make the cut? They had the full package: interesting story idea, things I hadn't seen before, clever protagonists, and the foundation of decent writing. There's also some other aspect, a sort of confident passion. More on that in a moment.

But as I do reject most of what I read, here's some notes on why:

I want to know what the story's about quickly. I know, I know. I harp on this all the time.

For instance, I don't like idle discussions between characters and being left just hoping they play into the story eventually. I don't like a fight scene without knowing why the protagonist is fighting. I don't like punchlines too well either.

I really really like when stories start on the first page and end on the last page, and when beginnings and endings frame the story in a way that makes sense. Beginnings are meant to take your reader by the hand and lead them deeper into the story, not skirt around it.

I like meeting the cast fairly quickly and being shown their importance to the story. Also not crazy about important, influential characters remaining off screen. I'll put it this way: antagonists were meant to be seen and heard.

I don't have to feel sorry for your protagonist, or even like 'em. But I damn well need to be interested in him or her. Everyman protags don't appeal to this editor.

Our word limits are firm. Stories outside the limits are not read. I had a few of these. I have to say, it annoys me a bit because we have pretty generous word limits. And yeah, if a story claims something close to 7K words, I usually do a word count to double-check.

This one's fuzzier to explain, but the writing has to be solid. I've got to feel like some skill, craft, and thought went into telling your story. I know Electric Spec can't pay a lot, but on the flipside, we don't keep rights for very long, and only electronic rights at that. It's still a business relationship, one in which we expect to deal with professionals.

Strive for originality. A lot of what I reject, I've seen before. Not the actual story, of course, but the idea. There's a few ways to rectify this.

• Read short fiction, a ton of it. Read novels. Read your genre and others. Read great stuff and bad. See what's lately and what's old news. It's not that tough to keep up on. The short story market moves quicker than the novel markets.

• Skip TV for research. TV and film stories, incidentally, are pretty far behind the written word when it comes to speculative fiction story trends. Case in point: graphic novels have had a tremendous upsurge in the past decade. Film is just now catching up in the past few years with its superhero blockbusters.

• Put your personal stamp on your work. All writers have personal themes, things they return to again and again for exploration. I see a lot of stories that have the vague feeling of ignoring the writer's personal themes. They lack passion. Sometimes it's immaturity; sometimes it's outright denial. But at some point good writers embrace their personal themes, readers and editors be damned. You have something to say; say it in a way that's as true to yourself as possible.

Hopefully this helps some writer out there know what's going through my little editor's head. Now...tell me what's going through yours...

Porridge!

Neil Gaiman, arguably one of the great speculative fiction writers of our time, claims he's struggling with one of his stories lately.

Gaiman says: And also, please wish me luck with this short story I'm writing. I'm up to page 19 and nothing's happened yet. Right now, they're eating porridge. In my head, by this point in the story everyone was going to be terrified, and strange oogly things would be happening to all the villagers. Porridge!

Nice to know I'm not the only one!!

I'd guess Gaiman is still learning about his characters and story, doing what I call "Authorial Discovery." I'd also guess he'll be smart enough to edit it out when it comes time to sell the thing. Alas, I see authorial discovery in our slush pile from time to time.

I've said it before here: I've learned over the past few years that I simply MUST plot to finish a short story. (I do my authorial discovery on a piece of paper in my big moleskin rather than in drafting.) Otherwise I will write reams to find out what's going on, and before I know it I'm knee-deep in a novel that's going no where. Those stories usually languish on my hard drive. I don't advise plotting for everyone; do whatever gets the job done.

Because even with a detailed plot, short stories are a struggle for me. Probably my biggest challenge is to come up with ideas concise enough for the short form. And for some reason, writing them feels more like drudgery than novel writing, even with the end always in sight. I've never figured out why. But write them I do, and I'm always glad (and more than a little relieved!) when I've got a finished product to send out.

What's your biggest challenge with writing short stories?

Writing on Reading: Tempest's Legacy

I just finished reading Nicole Peeler's 2011 urban fantasy novel Tempest's Legacy, book three in the Jane True series. As readers know Jane is half selkie, and this series is chock-full of unique Scottish-based (?) mythology including kelpies and the Baobhan Sith.

As Dr. Peeler says of the book, After a peaceful hiatus at home in Rockabill, Jane True thinks that her worst problem is that she still throws like a girl – at least while throwing fireballs. Her peace of mind ends, however, when Anyan arrives one night with terrible news . . . news that will rock Jane’s world to its very core.

After demanding to help investigate a series of gruesome attacks on females — supernatural, halfling, and human — Jane quickly finds herself forced to confront her darkest nightmares as well as her deepest desires.

And she’s not sure which she finds more frightening.

I have to say this is the best Jane True book yet. Jane has finally fully developed her kick-ass skills and is now a force to be reckoned with. Huzzah! :) Generally, Peeler does a very nice job with characterization. Additionally, the plot here is very dramatic and effective. {I don't want to give anything away.) If you're interested in urban fantasy with a more unusual mythology, I highly recommend this series.

Have you read it? What do you think?

Interview

There's an interview with me over at Chiseled in Rock if you're interested to know a bit more about what makes this editor tick. Feel free to ask questions either here or there. Or neither here nor there. Whichever takes your fancy.

Resolutions

Of course every writer's resolution is to write more, right?
(Say that out loud. See what I did there? Yeah...)

Anyway, people structure these goals differently and according to project. When I look at 2011, I'd like to reasonably sell one of my novels, finish revisions on my latest novel and get representation for it, finish and sell 3 of my "inappropriate" books (usually roughly novella length), and do some blogging/promotions/technical writing gigs, probably through my husband's company. IF I'm lucky, I'll slip a couple of short stories in there, but right now my ideas seem to be longer. We'll see. I realize this sounds like a lot, but I'm basically a full-time writer. It is my day job, albeit not the best paying one I've ever had. :)

Breaking this down, though, you have to think project wise, right? Big goals are useless without thinking over the steps to achieve them. And that takes us down to daily goals, something like NANO or a New Year's Resolution. I'm going to get XX wordcount a day or XX minutes a day. John Scalzi claims he's only doing paid work until noon or 2000 words, whichever comes first. At any rate, there's all kinds of tricks to keep us going for the next day, like stopping a writing session mid-sentence or plotting or writing to plot points or landmarks in the story... Or sometimes it's just not stopping until it's finished, right?

So, my question is for you: what are your resolutions and tricks to keep them?

What's your story about?

I've been reading a lot of stories in the ElectricSpec slush, for my regular critique group and also for a workshop I'm going to soon, all of which prompt me to ask:
"What's your story about?"

Can you answer that question in one sentence? If not, you may have a problem.

I find with my own writing even when I think I know what a story's about when I start writing, this doesn't always agree with what's on the page at the end.
Usually, after I finish a story I have to revisit what it's really about.

Has anyone else ever had this experience? :)

Two writers who appear not have this problem are our own editors Dave and Betsy. Check out their stories posted now at Short-Story Me! . Betsy wrote one called "The Oath of Brutus" and Dave wrote one called "Spinner". Congrats, guys! :)

In ElectricSpec news, we are trying to get through the current slush. Please recall our next issue comes out February 28, 2011. This means we will close to submissions for the issue on January 15, 2011. Authors in hold-for-voting will hear back from us during the first week of February.

Good luck with your writing goals in 2011!