Happy Halloween!

Slush decisions

The Electric Spec editors are hard at work reading lots and lots of slush stories. (Thank you for submitting!) We have about a week left until our deadline, so let's just say there's been a lot of reading. Perhaps that makes me a little less diplomatic than I might otherwise be. Here's a few behind the scenes insights into some slush decisions...

• I just don't have the stomach right now for stories with brutality and/or terrorism. These are getting a pass. It's unfair, but sometimes real-life interferes with objectivity.
• Loooong stories (more than 6,000) words are a lot of work for editors, so they're more like to get a pass.
• Make sure your story involves something being different at the end. If things are just status quo...did a story really happen?
• We enjoy genre mashups. We also enjoy unusual takes on traditional spec fic tropes. These are more likely to move on to the next level.
• We enjoy stories with a strong authorial voice. This usually involves a protagonist with a strong/unique point-of-view. These are more likely to move on.

I better get back to reading...

We Want You To Succeed

The submission deadline for the awesome November 2023 issue of Electric Spec has passed. (But we are accepting submisisons for the February 2024 issue.) We editors are very busy getting through lots and lots of slush. We appreaciate all your submisisons. Thank you!
All the editors love reading fiction and sincerely want authors to succeed. We want to share lovely stories with readers! If you submitted, good luck to you!

As a consequence of all this, we editors have a lot to read right now. This is both wonderful and challenging.
I have some advice for potential Electric Spec authors...

• Please do submit rtf files. This is safer for our computers.
• Please do utilize standard manuscript formatting. A uniform text helps you. We can judge each story by its merits and not be distracted by weird formatting.
• Please do not inundate us with multiple stories at once. This contradicts our submission policy.
• Please do not utilize artificial intelligence to create your work. We only publish stories for and by humans.
• Please do not send us an unusual cover letter. The longer it is, the greater the possibility of offending an editor. No soap-boxing please. We just need the facts. But, be aware, we do require some kind of cover letter.

I'll leave it there. Stay tuned for more next week!

Don't Be Seasonal

The submission deadline for the November 2023 issue of Electric Spec is fast approaching: October 15! Get those stories in!

For some reason, we seem to get a lot of spooky, horror, and similar stories in October. Okay, I guess it's not a total mystery why we get them: it's Halloween season! Personally, I enjoy a good halloween story very much. :) But since the November issue comes out at the end of November, Halloween season is long gone by the time we publish. Of course, we do accept macabre/horror fiction all year... Make sure it's sufficiently general.
Trying to submit seasonal stories doesn't really work because of our production schedule, although we are quicker than many other markets. If you did want to try a seasonal story--which I don't recommend--try to hit the holiday near, or slightly after the production date.

I better get back to work reading slush! Good luck, authors!

the First Page

The submission deadline for the awesome November 2023 issue of Electric Spec is October 15, 2023. Wow! That's coming up soon. Get those stories in!

We are working hard reading the slush pile already. Psst! I've got a secret to tell you: editors don't always read the whole story. We know authors don't like this idea. It seems unfair, right? It is unfair. Unfortunately, with hundreds of submissions for each issue, we just don't have time to read all of all the stories. :( Of course, some editors are more likely to read more of a story than other editors. And some markets read more than other markets.

This means authors need to make sure their first page is excellent! I can't stress this enough. The first page is very important. Check and double-check to make sure the first page doesn't have a lot of grammar, spelling, formatting or other obvious errors. Make sure the short story starts on page one. (Novels can take longer to start.) This will mean different things for different stories. But, after page one, a reader should at least have a guess of what the story is about. It's fine if this changes during the tale, but a story needs to seem to be about something--even on page one.

Good luck with your first page!

How not What

I don't think it's a secret that many of the Electric Spec editors are members of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW). Some of us are also members of The Inklings, a Speculative Fiction Critique Group. We had an interesting discussion the other day about ideal critiquing. I think it applies to editing, as well.

Critiquers should be concerned about how authors execute their vision, not about what they're writing about. When focusing on how, we can focus on the effectiveness of writing. Does the reader get engrossed, get carried away? That's what authors want. That's what readers want, too. :)

Furthermore, each author should write about what they are passionate about. Each author should follow their muse. Each author has their own unique path, experiences, and imagination--make use of them! As an editor, I've often found a story written about something I'd never before considered. Editors love that! I think readers love it, as well.

Good luck creating what you want effectively!

August First Lines

Some pundits say short story first lines are crucial. I say they're fun to look at. Here are the first lines from our awesome August Electric Spec stories:

• The last of my buy-out pay got me as far as Utross IV.
• Gary and I fight, and afterward, I go shopping.
• A giant eyeball opens in Michelle's living room floor.
• I am walking in the city at night.
• Of all the apothecaries in all the neighborhoods in San Francisco, he has to walk into mine.
• They dropped anchor just after dawn.

Can you identify the story from the first sentence? Do you think first sentences are crucial? Talk amongst yourselves...

Basking in the August glow...

Yes! Less than a week ago, we published the awesome August 2023 issue of Electric Spec! We are still basking in the glow of

• "The Last Deal" by Sophia Alapati-- The best witch in San Francisco is a man with a big debt in his past, and he has only one chance to clear it... or pay the price.
• "Amber" by Clarissa Grunwald--What if you could make your worries, sadness, and fears disappear? What would be left of you?
• "Eye Contact" by A. C. Spahn--It's hard enough to be a painfully introverted artist. Then, a big eyeball appears in the studio...
• "Necropolis Waltz" by Glynn Owen Barrass--Even after an ancient god's moon-wrecking apocalypse, an unlikely band of survivors fights to preserve what's left.
• "King for a Day" by Ray Daley--A down-and-out spacer sets down on a planet with a unique tradition that might be the answer to his bad luck blues.
• "The Ring of Contradictions" by Allison Wall--In a strange little pub with a fighting ring where philosophies clash, truth is the grand prize.

Which was your favorite story? So many to choose from!
Savvy readers will realize this is one of our biggest issues ever--especially when you consider we also had two entries in Editor's Corner.

Thank you to all who helped make this a great issue! You are very appreciated!

Awesome August 2023 Issue Live!

Huzzah! The Awesome August 2023 Electric Spec issue is live!

Thank you to our cover artist! Thank you to all our authors! Woo hoo! We appreciate you!

Thank you so much to the entire Electric Spec editorial team! Woo hoo! We appreciate you!

Thank you especially to the readers! We wouldn't exist without you. :)

From Author Alapati

We are excited to announce one of our featured stories in the awesome August 2023 Electric Spec is "The Last Deal" by Sophia Alapati. Sophia was kind enough to send us some comments about the story:

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The Last Deal was brewed from three ingredients: a queer witch, a powerful ex, and a noir setting. I intended to write this for an anthology of positive queer witch stories, but by the time I finished writing, the submission deadline had passed and I had written something a little too dark and twisty to fit the bill.

As an author who is more pantser than plotter, all I knew when I sat down to write was that protagonist Cas was salvaging his life in the aftermath of a tortured history with a god. I wanted to explore the idea of trying to escape a relationship with something that feels omnipotent--whether that’s a religion, a job, or another person. I also love concocting magic systems, and had fun researching chemical and symbolic properties of potential potion ingredients.

The genre was the final component that made this piece come together. To me, a warlock--etymologically from the Old English wærloga, meaning "oathbreaker"--fits right in with the noir setting, where we often see a morally dubious protagonist haunted by the deeds of their past. Noir also gives me the chance to write lush similes, which I'll never turn down.

My best little piece of writing advice for fiction writers is to read nonfiction. All my best short stories have been sparked or made richer by learning about things from breeding apples to bank heists to immortal mushrooms. So go forth, read, and stay curious!

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Interesting! Thanks, Sophia! Be sure to check out all the new stories on Aug 31, 2023!

From Author Grunwald

We are excited to announce one of our featured stories in the awesome August 2023 Electric Spec is "Amber" by Clarissa Grunwald. Clarissa was kind enough to send us some comments about the story:

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When I was in third grade I was obsessed with Bruce Coville. I read everything I could find by him. And while I've aged out of his core demographic and moved on to other authors, I still have tremendous respect for his ability to write fascinating, challenging stories for early chapter book readers. When I wrote "Amber", I wasn't intentionally writing a tribute to his Magic Shop series, but that's what it turned out to be. It's a little shorter, and a little more cynical, but I can't deny the inspiration.

The boutique itself is inspired by a souvenir shop in my town. I have nothing against the shop and go there for gift cards sometimes, but I have to admit that I have no idea how they stay in business. We are not a tourist destination, so there can't be many people in the market for souvenirs. If they are hawking dangerous magical items on the side, that at least explains how they get the rent paid.

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Interesting! Thanks, Clarissa! Be sure to check out all the new stories on Aug 31, 2023!

From Author Wall

We are excited to announce one of our featured stories in the awesome August 2023 Electric Spec is "The Ring of Contradictions" by Allison Wall. Allison was kind enough to send us some comments about the story:

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Deconstruction is a big theme in my work. I've gone through waves of deconstructing beliefs and values, and consequently, my perceptions of myself and my life. On a larger scale, I think the pandemic stripped people of what we thought the world was. Stability, predictability, disappeared. In the void of post-deconstruction, what do we believe in? Where is the line between faith and subjective reality? Is there any such thing?

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Interesting! Thanks, Allison! Be sure to check out all the new stories on Aug 31, 2023!

From Artist Quinn

We're excited to feature another piece of art from Brian Malachy Quinn, "Dragon Kingdom." Brian was kind enought send along a few words about his piece...

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"Dragon Kingdom" was a piece I did in a recent series of fantasy art. I generally do that in one type of genre when I have some sort of inspiration from a dream or see a striking image. This was inspired by a worker at a grocery store I frequent that had just gotten a dragon tattoo on his forearm that does designs for skateboards and we share our work from images from our phones. The tattoo had very vibrant, contrasting colors and the greens really were beautifully prominent. When I was in high school, I was into the whole Dungeons and Dragons craze and created a lot of fantasy art and it really helped me through those difficult years – all that teenage angst. I would come home from school and paint for hours - barbarians, elves, dragons, wizards - all the wonderful denizens of that world– it soothed my soul. So, fantasy art has a deep and cherished place in my heart.

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Thanks, Brian! Very interesting! Without further ado, here's a tiny sneak peek at our cover art for the August 2023 issue of Electric Spec:

From Author Spahn

We are excited to announce one of our featured stories in the awesome August 2023 Electric Spec is "Eye Contact" by A.C. Spahn. A.C. was kind enough to send us some comments about the story:

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I was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum at the age of thirty. It answered a lot of questions about the way my brain works, and it explained multiple experiences I had growing up, but for years it didn't make it into my writing.

Then, as such ideas generally arrive at random moments, I had the first inkling of "Eye Contact" while brushing my teeth. At first I thought it might be a horror story about a house coming to life with nightmare body parts, but that didn't fire my interest. Then, a few days later, I wondered, "What would I do if an eyeball suddenly opened in my floor right now?" My answer came immediately: "Have a meltdown." I thought, "That's probably pretty relatable." And so, for the first time, one of my characters became neurodiverse.

The rest of the story fell into place over time, from realizing the main character's art preferences to recognizing the need for humor. Thematically, it might hit you as being "about" various things, depending on your own life experiences. I'll keep its exact personal meaning to myself, but in general, I think it's an exploration of the faces we wear when others are looking at us, how we move between them, and whether they can ever integrate into a whole.

It's one of my weirdest pieces to date, and I cherish it immensely. I'm so excited for Electric Spec to share it with you. Thank you for reading, and take good care of your giant eyeballs.

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Interesting! Thanks, A.C.! Be sure to check out all the new stories on Aug 31, 2023!

From Author Daley

We are excited to announce one of our featured stories in the awesome August 2023 Electric Spec is "King For A Day" by Ray Daley. Ray was kind enough to send us some comments about the story:

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This story was written when I was exploring a period of creating stories involving the topic of homelessness. As I'm a veteran myself, I wondered what life would be like for someone who'd left the military and had no money or anywhere to live. How would they survive, or could they? Setting this in the future on the edge of the known universe gave me room to play with a little, and once I had the idea of the loophole, this came together fairly easily. According to my archive copy, this was written on May 29th 2015. It looks like I wrote quite a few stories that month, but oddly enough left no records regarding this one on Facebook.

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Interesting! Thanks, Ray! Be sure to check out all the new stories on Aug 31, 2023!

Propitious Production Meeting!

Writers and readers will be happy to hear we had a propitious Electric Spec production meeting this past weekend! We had a lot of very good stories to choose from and consequently selected six stories! Woo hoo! It's always very exciting when we can give readers an extra story.
Authors are receiving editor emails this week with either a yay or nay. The yays also get a contract. Once those are returned, editors will get to work editing stories! In addition, once those are returned, we can start blogging about the stories and art right here. :) So, stay tuned.

In other news, we wish associate editor Lauren Slawson best wishes as she moves on to new challenges. Thank you for all your contributions to Electric Spec, Lauren! You rock!

Tips from the Slush pile

At Electric Spec we are hard at work on the slush pile. Reading so many stories fills me with some too(?) blunt advice...

• Do follow the rules on the Submissions page, including
  • Do write a cover letter
  • Do submit in the format we request, rtf, double-spaced, etc.
  • Do submit as an attachment
  • Do not use weird formats, colors, fonts, etc
  • Do write within our word limits--and, honestly, you're best chance is between 1000 and 4500-words.
• Do include speculative elements in your story
• Do grab readers on page one
• Do have something change by the end of the story
• Do avoid spelling and punctuation errors--especially on page one

That's it for a advice for now.
Next time, I'll report on the Production Meeting. Thanks for reading!

Thank you, Authors and Editors!

Wow! We have a lot of slush this time! I think we've received several hundred stories for five open slots. That's something like a 1% acceptance rate. Yikes. :(
Bottom line: thank you for sending us your stories, Authors! Huzzah for you!

Wow! The editors have been working hard reading and carefully considering the slush. Thank you, Editors! We couldn't put the issues together without your excellent efforts! You are appreciated!

Awesome August issue in the works!

We are fast approaching the deadline for the awesome August 2023 issue of Electric Spec! Send us your stories by July 15, 2023!
Of course, this means we are deep in the slush pile reading your submitted stories. If you submitted: thank you very much! We couldn't exist without authors! We get a lot of stories submitted for each issue. This means we also get quite a bit of variety in terms of author skill... Unfortunately, we don't have the manpower at Electric Spec to give feedback to prospective authors. We do give feedback to accepted authors. :)

As I allued to here last week, writers' conferences are excellent sources of information. I strongly recommend them. A cheaper option is a local writers' group in your community. (Check you local public library!) There are also a lot of writers' groups online. Often these writers' groups are free. Members volunteer their time to help each other become better writers. I believe every author should be getting some kind of feedback from other authors. Feedback from your friends and family is often too complimentary and/or vague. Good luck finding good feedback!

Good luck with your writing!

A Classic: More About Colorado Gold

Happy 4th of July!

I continue posting blogs that got thousands of hits... (Why? It's a mystery.) Here we have 'More About Colorado Gold.' Although some of below was specific to that conferences, I still think writers conferences can be very valuable for writers. And RMFW is still awesome!

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As Editor Dave mentioned earlier...the Electric Spec Editors will be out in force at RMFW's Annual Conference Colorado Gold. In my M.F.A. program we had a discussion last week about writers conferences and how they are great for your writing career. The consensus was: not-huge conferences, like Colorado Gold, are the best because you can mingle with pro authors, editors, and agents and not get lost in the crowd, and they are relatively inexpensive. There may be a few spaces left if you're interested in attending and haven't signed up yet. Otherwise, I definitely recommend considering it next year. It's always in Denver the weekend around September 11. (Yes, this is a sad anniversary, but Colorado Gold pre-dates the tragedy by many years.)

So, anyway, what are we up to at the conference? Well, I'll tell you...

• Friday afternoon we are all participating in a Short Story Intensive where pre-registered participants receive feedback from editors and other attendees on their 4000-word short stories. (three hours).
  
• Friday evening we have Short Story & a Beer a casual workshop held in the lounge where we can do a short reading of published short story, discuss how it works—and maybe how it doesn't—and let the conversation—and drinks—flow from there. And, yes, I do believe this was Editor Betsy's idea.
  
• Sunday morning we have Focus on Short Fiction We'll focus on crafting short stories, why some stories make the cut and why some don't, short fiction markets, the growing electronic fiction market, and how to build a career by writing short stories. (one hour)

We hope to see you there! If you see us, please feel free to come up and say hi.