Welcome to a Very Exciting 2013!

Well! There have been some amazing changes around here, all within the last month, and I'm really just trying to get a hang of it all. Here's to 2013 starting out with a bang!

First of all, I left my job at YourTango, more or less in a leap of faith out into the unknown. Through a series of amazingly fortunate events (largely inspired by my hectic scheduling of networking events since moving to New York), I wound up as an "Internbusinessdataanalyst Person" at an awesome startup called Knodes. I'm happy that my first foray into Silicon Alley turned out to be so successful!

And that's not all. I've got a hugely exciting announcement to make (which will be of special interest to authors, bloggers, editors, artists, creatives, and anyone who likes speculative fiction/science fiction). I'm not quite ready to spill the beans yet, but stay tuned here for more good news.

As part of my upcoming project, I'll be looking for people of the above types (and more) to partner with. If you're interested, go to my About Me page to find my contact info and send me a message. Or wait to get more juicy details in a post soon to come!

Advice From Editors: Conflicted?

Just wanted to let people know that my new post is up over at the editor co-op blog, The Blood-Red Pencil. Conflicting Advice: Emerging Authors Want To Know! is about what to do when an editor's advice conflicts with your own ideas about how a story should go, or what to do when different editors disagree about a story's construction.

And don't forget to check out Mayra Calvani's interview from yesterday. A great travel story, suggestions for writing book reviews, and advice on how to juggle several genres all rolled into one!

Interview with Edmund Schubert on Community Fridays

Welcome to Community Fridays!

During Community Fridays, I interview authors, editors, publishers, and pretty much anyone else who I can get my hands on from the writing and publishing community. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to suggest new participants. Check out current and past interviews here. Only have a minute? Click here for interviews at a glance.

Today's guest is Edmund Schubert, an editor of Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show and author of the recently released Dreaming Creek.

You recently had your first novel, Dreaming Creek, published. Could you tell us a little about it? If I were to ask you for one reason that I should buy this book over any other, what would you say?

Dreaming Creekis a bit of a mutt. I would say it’s primarily a mystery/suspense novel, where solving the current mystery also results in solving an older one. But the action is driven by a Twilight Zone kind of twist, without which none of the present-day action would have occurred. There is also humor (I think humor and drama are the perfect foils for each other), as well as some relationship issues. My two main protagonists are a couple, and they are tested both individually and as a couple.

The main reason I would cite as to why you should read this book is that I have a great pair of legs. I’m talking traffic-stopping legs here. Seriously, if you ever saw me in a miniskirt, you would say, Oh my God, I have to buy his book!

Before your first novel was published, you sold more than thirty short stories. What are the similarities and differences between writing short stories and writing books? Is it difficult switching between them? Or do you only write one style at a time?

I think the biggest difference between writing short stories and writing a novel is their scope. A true short story (under 7,000 words) has to be really focused -- almost laser-like, if I may coin a new and clever way to describe it -- and I think it’s best to stick with one (or two at the most) point-of-view characters, and deal with one or two central events. A novel, on the other hand, has a lot more room for exploring a world and several of the characters who inhabit it. It ought to have multiple plot threads that eventually tie back together, and the author can show more of the backstory.

As to their similarities, I think the most obvious similarity is the need that both have for strong characters. Whether you are writing short or long, having interesting, believable, motivated characters is vital the success of the story.

While I was writing Dreaming Creek I would often get an idea for a story and set the novel aside to write the short story. Once the short was done, it sometimes took me a little while to get back into ‘novel mode,’ but generally speaking, switching back forth was not a problem for me.

What inspires you about the genres of science fiction and fantasy? The existing stories, the creative potential, the community? Something else?

I think the creative potential is definitely the primary thing that draws me to speculative fiction. I read a lot outside of the genre, but when it comes time to write I can’t seem to help incorporating some fantastical element into my stories. Part of the reason is simply because there are enough mysteries and romances and thrillers and whatever other genre of stories you want to cite to be found in real life that making another one up isn’t usually as appealing to me (I say ‘usually’ because I have published about a half dozen of mystery short stories). But with spec fic, there are no limits and no boundaries, and I find that immensely appealing.

I generally don’t write fantasy stories about elves or dragons, nor do I generally write about far-flung futures filled with space ships and ray guns -- and even when I do, the point of the story is still to get at the heart of an individual character. To what degree I succeed or fail at that I will leave to the reader to decide, but as the writer that is always my goal.

The kinds of stories I find myself most interested in writing are stories that remind some folks of the old Twilight Zone episodes. Take ordinary people, put them in an extraordinary situation, shake vigorously, and see what happens. To me that’s just more fun, and the stories that have received the best are usually the ones I had the most fun writing.

What catches your eye first when you're looking for a new author to publish in InterGalactic Medicine Show? An unusual character, an interesting plot, or perhaps a new way of using language? Or none of the above?

In the end I’m looking for two main things. The first is readability; there are a lot of people who have interesting ideas and interesting characters, but not all of them have the writing skills to make their prose so smooth that I forget I’m reading. I want to get lost in a story, and anything that jars me out of the world they’ve created is a problem. The other thing I’m looking for is the same thing you hear from editors all the time: that perfect combination of compelling characters doing compelling things in compelling situations and settings. Blah blah blah…

Frankly, the more work I do on the editing side of the equation, the more convinced I become that good stories are not about any one, big ‘ah-ha-this-is it’ kind of moment; they’re about a million little things all coming together just right. That’s why it’s so hard to quantify. The problem is that while the big picture is not that hard to see –great writing, great characters, and compelling situations -- the big picture is actually a jigsaw puzzle, made up of hundreds of unique but interlocking pieces that all have to fit together. That’s hard to describe, and even harder to do well.

Do you have any tips for an emerging author just starting on the path to publication? Either things you've learned from the editor side, or things you've learned from the author side?

1) Write, write, write
2) Read, read, read.
3) Write, write, write.
4) Lather, rinse, repeat.

I read an excellent story by you, called “Fourth and Goal From The Forty-Eight” I only have one question: is the 48 yard line the one close to the goal, or the one far away? (I admit, I'm a bit of a dunce when it comes to football!)

Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the story.

I’m hardly an expert on football myself; when Fourth and Goal From The Forty-Eight was first published I got an email form a reader who pointed out that under current NFL rules, the scenario I portrayed at the end of the game in the story isn't possible. He suggested I change the team from an NFL team to a college team, because it was possible under college rules. I didn't change the team (the Washington Redskins), mainly because I am a Giants fan and don't like the Redskins; I wanted to make the ‘Skins the losing team in this story and what's the point in being a writer if you can indiscriminately punish teams you don't like...?

However, to answer your actual question (what a novel concept), there are two 48-yard lines. There are two versions of every yard line except the 50, which is right smack in the middle of the field. The yard lines are usually referred to as the Giants’ 48 or the Redskins’ 48 (or whichever teams are playing) depending on which goal the ball is closer to -- the Giants’ ‘goal’ being the one they are defending, and vice versa.

For the record, I had to re-read the story because it’s been a very long time since I wrote it, but it turns out that the 48-yard line referred to in this story is the Redskins 48, because there is a line in the story that mentions the ‘Skins having to go 52 yards to get the touchdown.

I picked “Fourth and Goal From The Forty-Eight" as the title because, 1) while it is technically possible that a team could find themselves in that situation, it is just about the most improbable scenario you’ll encounter on a football field, and 2) I liked the sound of the alliteration; it just rolled nicely off the tongue.

Lastly, because this feature is about establishing bonds within the writing and publishing industries, can you name one author, editor, publisher etc. who's doing great things right now, and why?

Two writers who I would say are worth watching are James Maxey and Eric James Stone.

James’ name may be familiar to some folks because he’s got three novels out now (Nobody Gets the Girl, Bitterwood, and Dragonforge: A Novel of the Dragon Age), as well as having multiple short stories in anthologies, Asimov’s and InterGalactic Medicine Show. In fact, I would say that James’ story in issue 7 of IGMS (“Silent As Dust”) may be one of the best stories we’ve ever published and deserves to be in several of the Year’s Best anthologies for 2008. He’s got a great writing style and a great sense of ‘story.’ Those two things are not commonly found in one package, but James has them both in spades.

The other writer I would be negligent in not pointing out is Eric James Stone. Eric is a Writer’s of the Future winner, has sold several short stories to Analog, several anthologies, and has sold so many stories to IGMS that some people half-jokingly say we should change the full name of the magazine from Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show to Eric James Stone’s InterGalactic Medicine Show. Eric is working on a novel right now that sounds so interesting that I told him back at DragonCon (last August) that if he needed an early reader to make comments that I would gladly do so, and to be completely honest I primarily made that offer so I wouldn’t have to wait until it was published before I could read it.

About the Author

Visit Edmund Schubert's website and his blog for more information. And don't forget to stop by InterGalactic Medicine Show, where Issue 10 has just been released!



© Emma Larkins and Edmund Schubert

Interview with Maryann Miller on Community Fridays

Welcome to Community Fridays!

During Community Fridays, I interview authors, editors, publishers, and pretty much anyone else who I can get my hands on from the writing and publishing community. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to suggest new participants. Check out current and past interviews here. Only have a minute? Click here for interviews at a glance.

Today's guest is Maryann Miller, author, scriptwriter, reviewer, and editorial consultant.

You recently took your book, One Small Victory, on a 'blog book tour.' How is this different from a 'real-life book tour?' Would you suggest a blog book tour to other authors? What were the pros and cons of going on one?

The virtual tour doesn't involve driving or showing up in your best duds. :-) From that perspective it was very convenient and didn't cost nearly as much as a real book tour. A virtual tour is a good way to meet a lot of people via the Internet, but it does lack the immediacy of actually seeing folks and talking one on one. The chats and messages back and forth online are close, but nothing like that ability to make eye-contact and know that the person is really interested in your book and what you have to say at a presentation. At the last signing I did in a Border's store, I met a young man - maybe about sixteen - who was very focused and asked some really good questions about the writing process and about my book. He then asked if he could have my autograph, so I signed one of my bookmarks and gave it to him. He thanked me, shook my hand, and left. A little while later he came back and said he wanted to buy one of my books for his mother for a gift. That can't happen on a virtual book tour, but I think that is the only downside of a virtual tour. The benefits are many, including the fact that the blogs are live for a long time, and I would really recommend it as a tool for promoting.

You write screenplays in addition to novels. Are these two things very different to write? Many people read novels, but fewer people read screenplays. How do you get into writing them? What is a "logline?" (I picked this up from reading the descriptions of screenplays on your website, never heard of it before!)

Screenplays and novels are very different in terms of structure and format, but they both do demand the ability to tell a good story. In one, you are just going to do it visually as opposed to having someone read your story. Screenplays are not generally marketed for casual reading as people would find the format very difficult to follow. There are brief narrative descriptions of people and place, then dialogue centered in the middle of the page. Not an easy read. :-) I started writing screenplays when I won a contest for one of my short stories and the contest judge said the story was very visual and suggested that I turn the story into a screenplay. I did, and submitted the screenplay the following year in the same contest at the University of Houston. I won first place and discovered that I have a knack for writing scripts. I have written several, and two of them have placed high in major script contests. The best way to explain what a logline is, is to say that it is the short one or two sentence description of the story like you see in the TV guide. It has to tell what the story is about, as well as peak some interest. Those are incredibly hard to write because they have to be so concise. People ask what our stories are about and we can tell them in lots of sentences. But for a logline we have two sentences max to get the concept of the story across.

When people want you to review a novel, do they send you a copy of that novel? Do you write a review if you don't like the novel? Do you ever tell someone that you can't write a review for the book?

For review requests, I like authors to send me a press release with all the information about the book. If I think it is something I might want to read, I will then ask for the book or an advance review copy. Most of the time I do not write negative reviews. If I don't like the book, I will just pass. But for Blogger News Network, where the editorial guidelines are not as strict as ForeWord Magazine, I will occasionally pan a book, especially if it is one that has been getting a lot of buzz for being a really good book, and it actually has some weak writing. I think readers deserve the best that a writer can do. Most of the time I do not tell the writer if I am not going to review the book. Most writers know that we send our work out and take the chance that it won't get reviewed, or it will get a lukewarm review. That's part of the business. I sent copies of One Small Victory and Play it Again, Sam to reviewers and never heard from them one way or another.

Among your many duties, you are a member of the co-op editor blog The Blood-Red Pencil. Do you think that editing has improved your writing? Do you ever run across a piece of writing that you refuse to edit?

Editing has absolutely improved my writing. After you tell a client about passive writing, you can sure spot that in your own when you get back to a work in progress. I have declined to edit projects that were obviously written as a catharsis for some trauma and were so poorly written that the writer needed to take a basic creative writing class to start a rewrite. I can do some mentoring and teaching as I edit. I'm doing that right now for a client, but it has to be a project that has some potential of getting published. Unless the writer just wants to write a cohesive autobiography. Then I will take on the project, but the fees will be much higher than for editing work that just needs a little bit of help.

On your website, you offer writers a chance to experience a 'writer's retreat' of your own creation. What a terrific idea! What gave you the idea to provide a retreat for writers? Do you find that it helps to inspire writers when they 'get away from it all?'

The writer's retreat idea came from a good friend, Laura Castoro, who often will rent a cabin in the Ozarks for a few weeks to finish a book. She came to visit me several years ago and said my little ranch reminded her of that cabin -- very pretty setting, quiet, and conducive to writing. She also suggested I offer the editorial services because she considers me a good editor. I do know that this place really feeds my creativity. We need to nurture that in ourselves, and a little time outdoors just marveling at the beauty really gives me a boost. I'm sure it is the same for many other writers.

What is your one super secret tip for aspiring authors hoping to get published?

I don't know that there is one super secret tip for aspiring writers. Writing and getting published all involves a lot of hard work. We have to work as hard on the marketing as we do on the creating, and through it all, we have to be professional.

Lastly, because this feature is about establishing bonds within the writing and publishing industries, can you name one author, editor, publisher, etc. who's doing great things right now, and why?

I'm not sure if the folks at the Blood-Red Pencil are doing great things, but I think the blog certainly is a great resource for writers and I commend Dani for coming up with the idea. As far as publishers go, university presses are now publishing more fiction and trying to be a publishing outlet for writers who are finding it harder and harder to get into the NY houses. As are independent small presses.

About the Author

To learn more, visit Maryann's website. Maryann has written One Small Victory (Five Star/Gale) and Play It Again, Sam (Uncial Press). She's also part of an upcoming anthology, One Touch, One Glance Anthology (Freya's Bower).



© Emma Larkins and Maryann Miller

One More Thing You Might Not Know About Me

I have a regular guest feature over on The Blood Red Pencil, a blog for writers all about various aspects of editing. The feature is called Emerging Authors Want To Know, and the second installment about grammar is available here. Does anyone care whether or not you know what a passive past participle is? Does such a thing even exist? Find out today on the Blood Red Pencil blog!

New Feature on The Blood-Red Pencil Blog

Have you checked out The Blood-Red Pencil blog yet? If you're a writer looking for advice on editing (and writing in general), you should definitely take a look. The Blood-Red Pencil is a group blog on which professional editors discuss everything from the character creation to grammar to the ins and outs of modern-day writing tools.

Now, I'm not a professional editor, but I am an emerging author with a whole lot of questions. I could just pester these editors individually, but I guess they figured some of my questions might be applicable to a general audience. And so, they've invited me to host a regular feature called Emerging Authors Want To Know!

In the first installment of Emerging Authors Want To Know!, I ask the Exalted Editors about manuscript formatting. I recently submitted my first short story to an online literary magazine, and I regularly went into cold sweats waiting for a response, wondering whether or not I'd formatted the story correctly.

Is proper formatting still as important in the Digital Age as it used to be? Does bad formatting lead to automatic rejection? Find the answers to these questions and more today at The Blood-Red Pencil.

Interview with Jason Sanford on Community Fridays

Welcome to Community Fridays!

During Community Fridays, I interview authors, editors, publishers, and pretty much anyone else who I can get my hands on from the writing and publishing communities. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to suggest new interviewees for upcoming Community Fridays. Check out current and past interviews here. Only have a minute? Click here for interviews at a glance.

Today's guest is Jason Sanford, editor of storySouth and author.

What made you decide to start working towards getting your writing published?

I've always enjoyed reading stories and as a child I used to write my own stories and comic books. So as I grew older, it was a natural thing to both continue my writing and try to get my stories published.

What was the most major roadblock you encountered along the way, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest roadblock was one I created. I've always loved science fiction and fantasy. But when I was in college one of my English teachers told me that serious writers did not write SF/F. Like an idiot, I listened to her and stopped writing SF/F for a few years. That's my biggest writing regret.

You are an author and an editor. What do you like about each of these professions? Why did you decide to do both?

I began working as an editor because I wanted to learn more about that side of the publishing industry. I think my background as an editor has been very helpful to my work as a writer because I learned early on that all great stories go through revision after revision. As a result of my experiences as an editor, I can be quite ruthless while revising my own writings.

I see from your website that you've received many awards and honors. Did you submit your work for these, or did someone knock on your door and hand them to you?

Unless I'm mistaken, I submitted my work for most of the awards I've won. The Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship had a lengthy application process, while others like the Loft Mentor Series Award simply require you to submit a sample of your work and a short application. One of my stories was also recently selected as an honorable mention in The Year's Best Science Fiction Stories, 25th Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois. I didn't submit my story for this honor--like most editors, Dozois makes his own choices--so this was a complete surprise.

I think many aspiring authors worry that their writing isn't ‘good enough' to be published. From an editor's point of view, what are a couple of things that make a good writer? Is it possible to become a better writer over time?

There's a famous anecdote about the famous science fiction editor John Campbell meeting a fan of his magazine. When the fan mentioned that he'd written some stories, Campbell remarked that he didn't recall seeing any submissions under this fan's name. "Oh, no," the fan remarked. "I haven't submitted them to you because they're nowhere near good enough for that." That's when Campbell exploded and said, "How dare you reject stories for my magazine! You submit the stories to me and I'll decide whether they're good or not."

Whether or not that story is true, it points to a simple truth: If a writer doesn't submit their work, they'll never be published. Now that doesn't mean a writer's early stories will get published. But by continually writing and revising and submitting then revising even more, you will improve your writing skills. I also strongly suggest writers connect with writers groups for feedback as they go through this process.

What are your thoughts on authors promoting themselves and their work?

Writers should always promote themselves. Don't wait for someone else to promote your stories because you may have a long wait. After all, if you thought a story was good enough to write and good enough to submit, why wouldn't you also promote that story?

What is your one super secret tip for aspiring authors hoping to get published?

Don't be a jerk. The stereotype of arrogant, nasty writers who succeed despite their personality flaws is a dangerous myth for new writers to believe in. Be nice to editors, readers, and fellow writers. That will go a long way in helping you succeed with your own writing.

Lastly, because this feature is about establishing bonds within the writing and publishing industries, can you name one author, editor or publisher who's doing great things right now, and why?

In the speculative fiction field, there are many editors who are doing amazing work, such as Sheila Williams (editor of Asimov's) and Gordon Van Gelder (editor of Fantasy and Science Fiction). However, two editors who are doing quiet but amazing work--meaning people may not have noticed all their achievements--are Andy Cox of TTA Press and Edmund R. Schubert of Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show. Andy and his fellow TTA Press editors have not only taken Interzone to a new period of glorious SF/F publishing, they've also created an amazing new horror magazine called Black Static and continue to publish one of the best mystery magazines around, Crimewave. Edmund has taken IGMS and turned it into one of the best online magazines around, attracting both top-notch stories and authors. I enjoy reading each issue of IGMS because the stories feel like the type of science fiction and fantasy which first attracted me to the genre as a child.

About the Author

Jason Sanford is the author of a number of short stories, essays, and articles. He also edits the literary journal storySouth, through which he runs the annual Million Writers Award for best online fiction, which has been highlighted by USA Today, the Utne Reader, and discussed in a feature interview in Novel and Short Story Writer's Market.

Jason has published his fiction in Analog: Science Fiction and Fact (forthcoming), Interzone, Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show, Tales of the Unanticipated, the Beloit Fiction Journal, The Mississippi Review, Fiction Warehouse, Diagram, Pindeldyboz, and other places. He's also published critical essays, book reviews, and news articles in places like The New York Review of Science Fiction, The Pedestal Magazine, The Fix Short Fiction Review, and Monsters and Critics. Read more about Jason on his website.

© Emma Larkins and Jason Sanford

Writer's Market and Writing More

More on Novel & Short Story Writer's Market: I received the book a few days ago, and it's a great resource. It has articles on writing and getting published, tips and tricks, and lots of information on markets for short stories and novels (as the name would imply). I especially liked the symbols in the literary magazine section: they indicated at a glance whether the journal mostly accepts new or established writers, whether the journal pays, and where it's located (US or other), among other things. At first it made me wonder if creating my own literary journal spreadsheet from internet searches was a waste of time, but not all journals are included in the Writer's Market. According to the publication, the included magazines are highly likely to be seeking submissions. To top it off, the entries displayed many EDITOR NAMES. It always made sense to me that an editor would consider a submission addressed to him or her before one addressed simply to "Editor," but I wasn't sure how this information could be found. (Bribery? Top-secret spy missions? Sad puppy-dog eyes?) Still, I'd suggest calling the magazine before submission and asking something like "Is so-and-so still the fiction editor?"

I can't say, however, that having this book has necessarily increased my confidence in my chances of publishing success. I'm reading The Granta Book of the American Short Story in conjunction with the Writer's Market, and it's made me feel somewhat overwhelmed. I'm still working on my novel, up to 31,000 words now, and luckily I haven't had any major writer's block (yet). But I've always been somewhat daunted by the short story. I know that I can manipulate the individual elements with moderate skill, at least upon occasion. I can turn a pretty phrase, build an interesting plot, and even write convincing dialogue. The one thing I'm lacking is that mysterious closure, the ribbon that ties it up into a complete package worthy of consideration for public enlightenment and entertainment. I think what I need is more practice, and more critiques. More on that soon.