Zena Shapter's Blog, page 43

Dear Zena…

Every now and then writers doubt themselves.

Is this whole writing gig bringing my family enough money?

Am I any good?

I’m doing all the right things – so why aren’t my sales higher / isn’t my novel published yet?

Every now and then, writers get spontaneous unprompted encouragement.

For what it’s worth I’ve never met a writer who is more proactive, enthusiastic, connected and ready to embrace the next step than you. Plus, you write beautifully and have big, exciting ideas. I can’t wait to see your stories on the shelves of Target, Big W and KMart. Hang in there. I’ve never been involved with a process more difficult and frustrating than publishing! For you, it’s only a matter of time.

Published Novelist

Lady, you can write!

Commissioning Editor

Love reading your blog, I am in awe of your ideas and your passion for writing is obvious (not to mention your talent – though don’t get a big head).

Fan

Just stealing a few moments online before everyone else gets up, and wanted to say thanks for all the work you put into NBWG, and for all the encouragement and advice you’ve given me.

NBWG Writer

I hope you’ll be able to tell me one day just how you balance all of the demands upon you of not only caring for your family but also running NBWG.

NBWG Writer

Loved your story, btw. A real highlight for me

Short Story Competition Judge

People – writers need encouragement. It keeps us going through all and any doubt.

So I’d like to send a big thank you to everyone who’s sent me some words of encouragement lately. I really really appreciate it. In fact, consider this blog post dedicated to you. I’m trying really hard to get my novel ‘out there’ so you can all read it. Lots of publishers are loving it – I just need one of them to find the courage to champion it. In the meantime, it’s your encouraging words that keep me going!

Thank YOU children of Manly Vale Public School – it was a pleasure teaching you how to write stories!!

Folks, if there’s an author out there you like – be they internationally published, an award-winning powerhouse, or just a friend – please take a moment and let them know. All writers, no matter what their level of success, have one thing in common: they too doubt. So help them through their doubt and send them some words of encouragement today. You may never know just how much those words are appreciated. But I guarantee you – they will make a difference, as they have done for me!

Don’t Be Afraid Of Robot Wars – It’s Just The Future! #BillGates

A few days ago, I watched Bill Gates on Q&A (a high-brow Aussie talk show). On it, this very witty and down-to-earth man answered questions about wealth, charity, capitalism, the environment and technology. It was the questions about technology that of course got me sitting up in my seat. Here are some of them:

Do you think one day robots doing human tasks, such as fighting wars, will become reality?


Do you ever think that artificial intelligence will ever surpass the human mind, and if so, how would humanity handle it?


Information technology is becoming very integrated deeply into our lives and brings new levels of convenience at the cost of privacy. Does it worry you that this technology will be misused in the future in terms of controlling human activity?

To hear Bill Gates’ full and very intelligent answers, just go to the interview here.

Now, what struck me about these questions was the fear of the future reflected in them. I’m not one to worry about the future – just read my post on what I think will kick-start the apocalypse. So I thought I’d add to Bill Gates’ answers!

In talking about artificial intelligence, he mentioned that computers are far faster than we are today – multiplying, perfect memory… the ability to simulate things. Still, he concluded that:

it’ll be a long time before you’re matching the type of broad judgment that humans exercise in many different areas… Over time, machines are going to get very smart and like all modern things we’ll have to adjust to that.

I agree that our broad judgment isn’t a patch on computer memory, but I disagree that computer memory is perfect. If my computer crashes in the middle of my writing a story, as long as I get back into the document fairly quickly, I’ll remember everything I wrote before the crash. The computer won’t!

Computers ain’t all that!

Crash or no crash, every time I close down a Word document, the software forgets what I edited during that last session. Whereas I won’t.

As I’m writing and saving a story, I’m also remembering to breath, drink water, keep my back straight. My subconscious is pondering how to resolve that tricky plot point I’ve reached in another story I’m writing simultaneously. And I’ll remember to do multiple other tasks too, without writing myself notes. The human memory is far more complex than a computer’s. So don’t worry about those robots or AIs!

When Bill Gates was talking about technology and privacy, he mentioned that in the past we had implicit privacy because people weren’t very good at gathering information. Whereas now the transcript of your divorce trail might be online, and your neighbour or future employer might be able to discover your speeding fine history.

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“And did you hear about that Johnny over in Smith Street? Suppose he fancies himself an author, he does… What is the world coming to?!”

Well, I respectfully have to disagree here. People have always been good at gathering information – just in a slightly different way. Fifty years ago Mrs Jones from two doors down might have gone to your divorce hearing, and she’d happily recount the whole session for you, verbatim, over a cup of tea – and she’d come armed with additional information on emphasis and mood too, not to mention potted histories of the judge and lawyers involved. She probably even knew the officer typing the transcript when they were a kid at school. A saved transcript can’t know or show all that.

As for those speeding fines – well, PC Plod who used to live on the other side of the hill from you fifty years ago knew all about those in his head. He probably told his wife too. And she’s a bit of a gossip. Plus, everyone knows you speed. They see you zipping around town. That’s why they call you Speedy Sue.

No, there’s no hiding yourself from the world, there never has been. Privacy has always been something we’ve had to fight for, and protect. The only reason we don’t have to worry so much about Mrs Jones from down the street anymore is because we don’t know our neighbours as well as we once did. Technology has been evolving since the wheel. But life won’t change as much as you think it will in the future – only the method by which we experience it.

I say the same thing to writers taking my social media courses – social media is just an update.

I also say the same thing to writers worried about the future of publishing. Yes, with book sales down, writers are having a tough time right now. But haven’t we always? Yes, commissioning editors are being told they’re not allowed to acquire first-time novelists anymore, period, because they’re a risk. But haven’t they always been a risk? Heck, even developed authors can be a risk. That’s no reason to give up! With great risk comes great reward!

Readers will always seek out fresh voices.

Readers love their favourite authors. But they also love fresh voices and original ideas. As a first-time novelist, I believe I’ve got both – so I don’t see myself as a risk. I’m an asset! And I’m in this for the long-run. So I refuse to be afraid. You shouldn’t be afraid either.

Change happens all the time. So whether you’re worried about the future of technology or publishing or both, try not to be – it’s only the future

Did anyone else watch the Bill Gates interview? If so, what did you think?

Whether you did or didn’t – are you afraid of the future of technology or publishing? Let me know in the comments below…!

#AurealisAwards – We Were Chuffed & It Grew!

18th Annual Aurealis Awards

Chuffed. Last night, at the 18th annual Aurealis Awards held in North Sydney’s Independent Theatre, the Australian speculative fiction scene was chuffed… and proud. It all started with Scott Westerfeld’s inspiring opening address. He spoke of speculative fiction as the revitalising force of the movie, television and literary industries, and described the audience before him – of writers, editors, agents and publishers – as a creative tribe, full of talent and community spirit. Too right!

As the night continued, our pride only grew. After a short film by Nick Stathopoulos and Ryan Cauchi aptly entitled “It Grows!” (about an alien plant/insect species taking over the planet – maybe the Aussie spec fic community IS that world-dominating alien?!), this year’s awards were announced.

Richard Harland (award presenter), Kaaron Warren (award winner), Me & Nicole R Murphy (future convenor)

 

Each year, the Aurealis Awards gives praise and recognition to the best speculative fiction our country has to offer. What’s amazing is that the reaction of everyone is the same no matter what the result – pride, happiness, chuffed.

 

 

Tehani Wessely (judging co-ordinator), Me, Daniel O’Malley (award winner) & Kate Forsyth (award presenter)

This year, I found two awards particularly encouraging. In the current economic climate, publishers are less inclined than ever before to take on the risk of print-publishing first-time authors. Only the bravest publishers are continuing to champion new talent. But it can pay off. This year, the award for Best Science Fiction novel went to… a debut author. Congratulations, Daniel O’Malley! You’ve shown publishers that debut authors can be a risk worth taking (and I, for one, am grateful for that).

Mark Harding, Nina D’Aleo & Joel Naoum (Momentum)

 

It was also encouraging to see another debut author, Nina D’Aleo, on the finalist shortlist for Best Science Fiction novel. It’s the first time an author published by Momentum, the e-publishing imprint of Pan MacMillan, has featured on any Aurealis Awards shortlist – Congratulations, Nina and Momentum!

 

Scott Westerfeld’s inspiring opening address.

Here’s a full list of the winners:

BEST CHILDREN’S FICTION (TOLD PRIMARILY THROUGH WORDS)

“Brotherband: The Hunters” by John Flanagan (Random House Australia)

BEST CHILDREN’S FICTION (TOLD PRIMARILY THROUGH PICTURES)

“Little Elephants” by Graeme Base (Viking Penguin)

 

Thoraiya Dyer

BEST YOUNG ADULT SHORT STORY

“The Wisdom of the Ants” by Thoraiya Dyer (Clarkesworld)

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

(Joint winners)

“Dead, Actually” by Kaz Delaney (Allen & Unwin)

“Sea Hearts” by Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin)

Joint Winners: Kaz Delaney & Margo Lanagan

 

 

BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK / GRAPHIC NOVEL

“Blue” by Pat Grant (Top Shelf Comix)

BEST COLLECTION

“That Book Your Mad Ancestor Wrote” by K. J. Bishop (self-published)

 

 

Jodi Cleghorn (horror short story finalist), Me & Joanne Anderton (horror short story finalist)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

“The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Six” edited by Jonathan Strahan (Night Shade Books)

BEST HORROR SHORT STORY

“Sky” by Kaaron Warren (Through Splintered Walls, Twelfth Planet Press)

BEST HORROR NOVEL

“Perfections” by Kirstyn McDermott (Xoum)

Margo Lanagan (award winner x 4) & me.

BEST FANTASY SHORT STORY

“Bajazzle” by Margo Lanagan (Cracklescape, Twelfth Planet Press)

BEST FANTASY NOVEL

“Sea Hearts” by Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORY

“Significant Dust” by Margo Lanagan (Cracklescape, Twelfth Planet Press)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

“The Rook” by Daniel O’Malley (Harper Collins)

Kate Eltham & Laura Goodin

PETER MCNAMARA CONVENORS’ AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

Kate Eltham

KRIS HEMBURY ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD

Laura Goodin

 

 

 

Alex Adsett (my FAB agent) & Me.

Next year, the awards will be held in Canberra, as the SpecFaction NSW team hands over organisation of the awards to Conflux Inc. Good luck, Nicole R Murphy! Sydney is sad to see the awards leave, though we know they’ll be in safe hands.

Congratulations again to all the finalists and winners of this year’s awards. Thanks to SpecFaction NSW and sponsors Voyager, Chimaera Publications and the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund. And “Cheers!” to everyone who stayed late into the night at the after party, celebrating and congratulating.

We were all very chuffed to be there… and proud.

After Party at the Mundo Tapas Bar, Rydges Hotel, North Sydney

The Importance of Squeeing #WotF

Balancing Out A Writer’s Life

Squee: (verb) To squeal with glee

Do you squee? Or does it irritate you to the point that you loathe those who do? Believe it or not, but there are some who’d like to remove the word from the world’s vocabulary by decree!

But I still squee. And I believe it’s important to do so too. Let me tell you why…

Pain.

Through great pain comes great art.

It’s a maxim I adhere to in my own writing. It’s also what I teach writers further behind me in their own writing journeys. If you can access the pain of your past (which we all have), and turn it into something beautiful / thrilling / entertaining, then I believe you’ve succeeded as a writer. You’ve vanquished old ghosts. You’ve cut your veins and bled them onto the page. You’ve reached inside and shared what you found there.

Of course, if you want to write great art all the time, this means you’re constantly dealing with sensitivities, insecurities, shame and secrets. It’s not easy! It’s also not balanced.

Life is dark and light. Life is pain and joy. So this is where, as a writer, squeeing can come into play.

I run a writers’ group in Manly, Sydney, and every month I ask my members to tell me about their writing achievements, so I can post them on our website. It takes a lot to coax the information out of them, but not because they’re shy. It’s because they each have an ultimate goal in mind and, in the scheme of that goal, any other achievement seems insignificance. But those achievements most certainly are not insignificant. They are your journey – and your journey matters. This is something I’m still learning myself.

Every writing achievement, whether it’s a runners-up prize or a shortlist, is something to celebrate… and enjoy. It’s true that winning feels mega-good. But coming close is good too – because it means exactly that. Your writing has quality, it has form and flows. It appealed to the judges – they enjoyed your story! Heck, doesn’t that mean that your writing is on target, that you’re up there with the best of them?

Focusing too much on your ultimate goal can mean missing out on enjoying your writing journey as you travel it. Whereas sharing your achievements as you earn them not only feels good, it can also bring you encouragement from others – encouragement that will keep you going through those self-doubt battles all us writers suffer.

So, for the self-doubt that lurks inside us, and to balance out the pain we strive to access and share, it’s important to squee when you can.

Squee, I say, squeeeeeeee!

Squee like no one is watching!

Semi-finalist in the Writers of the Future contest! Squee!

To get you started, here’s something I’d like to squee about…

The internationally prestigious Writers of the Future contest has just made its official announcement about their first quarter standings for 2013. Representing the Southern Hemisphere, I ranked semi-finalist. Hundreds entered. I got up there – the only Aussie this time around.

Squeeeee!!

The Freedom of #Conflux9 Writers (Days 3 & 4)

How can I describe what it’s been like the last few days – being surrounded by 250 friends and like-minded people? The 52nd Natcon / Conflux 9 was just that. The layout of Rydges Capital Hill, Canberra, meant I could walk into any room, linger in any corridor, and be sure of finding someone to chat with soon enough. And you know how I like to chat!

Freedom!
Me, Alex Adsett (my FAB agent) & Jo Clay
Photo by Paul Landymore.

Discussions ranged from critiquing the latest Dr Who to imagining future Star Wars enterprises, from finding your voice as a writer to social media tricks. Secrets were shared with me, and I shared secrets back – the type I usually only set free during workshops! It was liberating, it was beautiful, it was… freedom.

Yes, freedom. I never feel so free as when I’m at conventions such as this. Differences become normal. There’s no judgment or ostracism. Instead, for the last four days I got to feel welcoming sameness. Thank you, Conflux 9!

Thanks too for the continued stream of panels on worldbuilding and historical research, superheroes and crime tropes. There were continued opportunities to socialise with guests of honour in Kaffeeklatchs, with agents and publishers in pitches, artists in the art show and writers in readings. And yes, in amongst it all I managed to squeeze in a 1km swim each day too. It was heaven!

Ditmar award-winner Kaaron Warren & I.

On Saturday evening, we had the 2013 Ditmar awards – complete with bubble-blowing, lego-construction & live Twitter screens #Ditmars2013.

Congratulations to all the winners: Margo Lanagan, Kaaron Warren, Nick Stathopoulos, Kirstyn McDermott, Ian Mond, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Kate Forsyth, Thoraiya Dyer, Kathleen Jennings, Tehani Wessely, David McDonald, and Russell B Farr (more photos on Cat Sparks flickr stream here).

Sean Williams, me & Marc Gascoigne.
Photo by Paul Landymore.

 

Next was the Masquerade-Junkyard Cathedral disco, with DJs Sean Williams, Marc Gascoigne and Dave Cake hitting all the right buttons on their mixing desks.

 

 

 

Trudi Canavan & I.

 

 

There were some fabulous costumes too!

 

 

 

Drinking champagne with Kate Forsyth. Cheers, Kate!

 

 

 

 

That was the night I stayed in the bar chatting until 3am!

(who… me?)

 

 

 

Chatting about books & stuff until 3am!

 

 

Note that the bar shut at midnight – so for three hours we were all just sitting around talking. Who does that?

Convention people do!

 

Elmo & I.

On Sunday we had more book launches and panels including the secret lives of authors and short story writing.

Elmo even graced us with his presence from time to time – just to keep us on our toes!

Donna Maree Hanson & Nicole Murphy

Later we had the closing ceremony, where everyone involved in the convention was thanked for their efforts. As editor of the five PR reports that were sent around for a year prior to the convention, to generate hype and interest, that included me! Yay!

 

 

But the real stars of the ceremony were of course Donna and Nicole, who organised a great convention for us all.

Thanks guys – fantastic job!

 

 

 

As for my personal highlights from the convention’s final two days, they were:

1. Appearing on my panels. The Elegant Promotion panel was especially fun – with the audience live-tweeting our comments until we were trending convention-wide!! #Conflux9

Elegant Promotion panel:
Alex Adsett, BothersomeWords, Alan Baxter, me & Russell B Farr

 Here are some tweet quotes about the panel by @JodiCleghorn:

Pretend you’re face to face when using social media. If you wouldn’t do it in person. Don’t do it online. @zenashapter @alanbaxter #conflux9

Let people come to trust you as a filter for good information. @zenashapter#Conflux9

The more people trust you for the info you provide, the more they will engage with your own stuff. @alanbaxter @zenashapter#Conflux9

Have a focus for what you want to achieve with a fictional twitterfeed. @zenashapter #conflux9

2. Dancing the night away at the Masquerade.

3. Staying at the convention until the last minute – I didn’t want to leave!

Chatting in the corridor:
Jodi Cleghorn, Me & Jason Fischer

Now I’m back home and exhausted – but what better sign of a good convention is there other than exhaustion? I tiptoed into our house late last night to find both my children tucked up snug in bed. My son was deep asleep, but my daughter opened her eyes mid-dream, saw me, reached out and gripped on. Seconds later she was asleep again and I crept back out her room. It was the perfect homecoming.

That said, thank heavens for the Aurealis Awards on 18 May – as it means I only have to wait three weeks to see all my dearest friends again

The Generosity of #Conflux9 Writers (Days 1 & 2)

I never sleep well without Hubbie (ahh…). So what to do when I’m away as I am now and can’t sleep? I know… blog!!

I’ve been at #Conflux9 – Australia’s 52nd Natcon – for two days now and it’s been so fantastic I can’t wait any longer to share it with you. If you haven’t been to a writing convention before – I thoroughly recommend it, irrespective of how far you are along your writing journey. There’s a generosity of spirit at these things that makes me proud to be a writer…

A busy convention full of generous writers.

Sure, the majority of us don’t earn much money. Yes, we’re constantly striving for dreams that vary among us but generally involve having our genius(!) recognised – logically we’re competitors in that. And yet, and yet, we can’t stop sharing.

Cat Sparks & Sean Williams
Congratulations, Cat – you sold out at your book launch!

 

 

It started on Thursday afternoon, with a book launch that sold out. That’s generosity in the obvious sense of the word. Remember – we writers don’t have much money!

 

 

 

 

Me, Keri Arthur & Tracey O’Hara

It continued throughout Thursday evening at a cocktail party where seasoned professionals mingled with newbies, carrying zero egos with them (no hierarchies here!).

 

 

Patty Jansen, Me & Joanne Anderton
Congratulations, Jo – your book launch sold out!

Into the night writers and editors talked on panels until 11pm – I’m usually in bed by that time! But even the last discussion of the day kept me wide-awake: How essential is an editor for authors?

The answer: writers have to balance the expense of editorial advice against the income they can potentially earn from a story that readers may still enjoy despite otherwise imperfect elements. The discussion was respectfully tense – as are all the best panels.

Rochelle Fernandez, Me, Jack Dann & Janeen Webb

Friday saw generosity happening all again with workshops prepared by writers who know what they’re talking about, sharing their expertise.

Me teaching my workshop on Friday morning.

Writers, publishers, agents and editors on panels might not realise it, but simply talking about their experience of a given subject is invaluable to those listening.

 

 

Then there’s the social side to things – linger long in any transitory space (such as a corridor) and you’re sure to encounter a trail of industry professionals happy to share a moment or two to chat about their day, their career, their pearls of wisdom…

 

 

Marc Gascoigne

 

Our Guests of Honour: Marc Gascoigne, Kaaron Warren, Rose Mitchell and Nalo Hopkinson have all been especially warm and welcoming. Thank you!

 

 

Richard Harland, Ian McHugh, Margo Lanagan, Me & Alan Baxter

Friday’s panels ranged from zombies and publishing contracts, to crowdfunding and advice for first-time novelists. One particularly lively panel asked: Is steampunk as a genre inherently racist because it glorifies the imperialist era? Or does focussing on the plight of minorities offset any implied romanticism? Historical, medieval and passionate theories answered that one.

 

The podcast panel itself was an illustration in writer-generosity – with panellists admitting to spending hundreds of dollars on equipment and countless hours recording their podcasts and uploading them – for listeners to enjoy for free.

Throughout the day, writers could pitch to agents and there were more sold-out book launches too.

The banquet in the evening featured an authentic regency menu and elegant dancers who got us out of our seats – literally!

Four personal highlights for me were:

Teaching my social media workshop on Friday morning. I always get a good crowd!
Getting countless compliments on the PR reports I’ve been doing for the convention over the last year and a bit (find them here if you’re curious).
After my ‘Reading’ slot – wherein I read from the beginning of Darker (the short story that recently ranked me semi-finalist in the internationally prestigious Writers of the Future contest) – one listener, whom I respect highly as a writer, couldn’t get the story out of her head. She tracked me down later and asked to read the rest. Well, what do you think I said?
Also, this conversation:

SIMON: “She [he means me] writes the best blog.”

AIDAN: “She does.”

ME (to Aidan): “Oh, do you follow my blog too then?”

AIDAN: “Do I follow your blog? I follow the sh*t out of your blog.”

Gee thanks, guys

Today is going to be another big day, so I’ll leave you now with some photos of the banquet last night, and go grab some breakfast.

Conflux 9 Regency Banquet – music.

Regency ladies.

Regency gentlemen.

Patty Jansen, Me & Jane Virgo

If anyone’s around at 10am this morning (though note, the hotel’s Wi-Fi is playing up and this may not post until later), I’m on a panel discussing virtual and f2f ‘Writing Communities’ and how that alters the old image of writers gazetted in attics (meet me in Forrest Room 1).

The hotel pool, hmm – watery laps

Tomorrow I’ll be taking attendees on a journey through the tips and traps of reaching audiences online in the ‘Elegant Promotion’ panel (3.30pm, Forrest Room 3).

I’ll be milling around in between too, so come and say ‘hi’ if you see me. I’ll be happy to have a chat with you*

*Unless I’m on my way to the pool to do a quick 1km between sessions. That water is irresistible!

How Aurealis Selects Short Stories

Welcome to the final post in my series on short story editors. Thank you for all of your encouraging comments on Twitter and Facebook – I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this series! Thanks too for all the nice comments you’ve made about this blog. Your compliments make it all worthwhile!

Now, back to the series… As you know, an editor-friend of mine recently shared his editorial selection process on Facebook. Watching it was difficult at first because I hadn’t realised how emotionally draining the process of putting together a short story collection can be for editors – whether for an anthology or magazine edition. So, over the last few posts, I’ve been interviewing the editors of Fablecroft, Ticonderoga, CSFG, Aurealis and Midnight Echo to find out more.

Here’s what Aurealis editor-extraordinaire Dirk Strasser told me about his process…

Firstly, some stats:

Aurealis #60

The title of your latest project: Aurealis #60.

Its release date: May 2013

Published: ebook.

One-sentence description: Aurealis is Australia’s longest running and most prestigious fantasy & science fiction magazine.

Great! Now let’s get stuck in…

1. What’s the hardest part of putting together a short story collection, be it for a magazine edition or an anthology?

Putting together a magazine like Aurealis is quite different in some ways to putting together an anthology. Making sure we have enough subscribers to remain viable and keeping them all happy is probably the hardest task. Having subscribers means you have an ongoing relationship with them, so we always try to make sure everything we do is in the best interests of the people who have given us their hard-earned money in advance of up to a year.

2. What’s the easiest part of that process?

Unlike an anthology, we don’t have the issue of “not having enough room”. If we really like a story, we can always accept it for a future issue. So, in a sense, fitting in stories we like is the easy part.

3. What’s the most emotional part (and which emotion)?

The most emotional part is publishing each issue every month. The emotion is excitement. The fact that it happens ten times a year is great.

4. Often editors have a vision for their collection, so select stories that support that vision. Do you ever worry that readers won’t ‘get’ your vision once it’s presented to them and, if so, how do you cope with that worry?

The Aurealis vision is to showcase Australia’s best science fiction, fantasy and horror writers, to give them a reliable steady market to aim for, and to publish the widest range possible within the SF genre. If readers only read a couple of issues, our worry is that they may think we don’t publish their type of SF. If they keep reading, they would discover that we do.

5. Do you read stories blind, or know which author wrote each story as you read? Why do you prefer that method?

We have tried a number of methods over the 23 years we’ve been publishing. The current method involves a submissions manager and a team of readers making the initial decision regarding which stories should go onto the three editors. The initial reading by the readers is blind. A successful story for Aurealis will have been read by up to 6 people by the end of the process.

6. Once you’ve selected your favourite stories, how do you put them in order – by theme, by author, to develop a given theme…?

We try to balance an issue in terms of genre type and length (as much as you can when you only publish 2 stories per issue). So we would have, say, one science fiction story and one fantasy story per issue, not two science fiction stories. We don’t usually put two long stories or two short stories within the same issue.

Dirk Strasser
Speculative Fiction Festival 2013

7. Have you ever rejected a story that then went on to achieve greatness elsewhere? If so, what did you think about that, and did you alter your processes to avoid it happening again?

No, but that would be your greatest fear.

8. How often do you second-guess your judgment?

We don’t “second guess”, but the three editors usually have a vigorous debate about whether to reject or accept various stories. One of us could hate something while one of the others loves it. We wanted to initially only publish stories that all three of us agreed were strong enough, but we soon came to the conclusion that having 3 out of 3 “yes’s” was going to mean we simply wouldn’t accept enough stories to fill the ten issues each year, so we’ve settled for 2 out of 3.

9. If you had just one piece of advice for writers submitting to you, what would it be (apart from to follow your guidelines)?

Write the sort of story you like to read. Don’t think, “Oh they’ll never go for that type of story.”

10. If you had just one piece of advice for editors thinking about putting together a short story collection, what would it be?

Try to keep an open mind and don’t be too narrow in your requirements.

Thank you Dirk! I think it’s fascinating to read about the different priorities magazine and anthology editors have – especially the ongoing relationship magazine editors need to have with subscribers. So thank you for sharing with us

Whether you’re a writer interested in submitting a story to one of the editors I’ve featured, or a reader intrigued to know what happens behind the scenes of a short story collection – I think this has been a fantastic series to organise, and I thank each of my guests for taking part. Thank you, guests! And thank you readers – for stopping by

If you’ve missed one of the previous posts, you can review them here: Fablecroft, Ticonderoga, CSFG & Midnight Echo). I wonder which interview was your favourite?

Writing Journey Update!

As some of you may know, my debut novel Towards White is currently with my literary agent Alex Adsett seeking its best publisher. The waiting is a killer. Every email update from my agent, every time my phone rings… I’m holding my breath and hoping.

Thank you for interviewing me on your blog, Penny!

Of course I’m getting on with other things to keep me occupied and, while we wait together for news, I thought I’d share with you what writing journey news I do have.

Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz has been kind enough to interview me over on her blog. There’s an excerpt of my novel there and the story of how I came to write it. Read that interview here.

I’ve also finished my next novel Quiet Blue. It’s now tucked away in a bottom drawer, busy baking. I can’t wait to pull it out after a few more weeks to start icing and decorating it. I love writing!

Before I get stuck into any editing, though, my event schedule is and has been pretty jam-packed. I’ve just taught a workshop at the Society of Women Writers NSW and attended their monthly luncheon. A crowded room full of clever women promised to intimidate… Luckily the friendly banter and welcome made the atmosphere anything but – thank you SWW!

Society of Women Writers NSW – April Luncheon

Me, surrounded by clever women!

As for this coming weekend, I’m attending the long-awaited 52nd Natcon / Conflux 9 in Canberra. I’m on a couple of panels, doing a reading from my most recent award-winning work, and teaching a workshop. Do come and join me if you have time:

Friday 9am-11am: teaching social media for writers workshop.

Meet me in Executive Boardroom 5!

Friday 11am: readings from my latest award-winning work.

Venue to be confirmed.

Friday 11.30am: author signing.

See you in the Dealers’ Room!

Saturday 10.00am-10.55am: appearing on “Writing Communities” panel:

The old image of the writer gazetted in the attic is being replaced by both virtual and f2f writing families and communities – how is this impacting the process of writing and what is being written?

See you in Forrest Room 1.

Sunday 3.30pm-4.25pm: appearing on “Elegant Promotion” panel:

Promoting yourself with social media. The tips and traps of promoting books, films, events or your sense of humour. Take a journey through good and bad examples. This panel discusses various pros and cons of reaching audiences in this digital age. See you in Forrest Room 3.

Conflux 9 / Natcon
25th-28th April 2013

Back in Sydney, I’m teaching at the NSW Writers’ Centre in Rozelle on Wednesday 1st May, 6.30-9.30pm (book here). Believe it or not, but that’s a week tomorrow! It’s already May – can you believe it? Is time’s flying for you too this year?

How Midnight Echo Selects Short Stories

Welcome to the fourth post in my series on short story editors. Recently an editor-friend of mine shared his editorial selection process on Facebook. Watching it was difficult at first because I hadn’t realised how emotionally draining the process of putting together a short story collection can be for editors – whether for an anthology or magazine edition.

So, over the following posts, I’m going to interview the editors of Fablecroft, Ticonderoga, CSFG, Aurealis and Midnight Echo to find out more.

Here’s what Midnight Echo editor-extraordinaire Geoff Brown told me about his process…

Firstly, some stats:

Midnight Echo #9

The title of your latest project: Midnight Echo #9.

Its release date: May 2013

Published: print and ebook, available from the Australian Horror Writers Association website. The ebook version will also be available from Amazon.

One-sentence description: Myths and legends in horror, and the depths that we can reach while writing them.

Great! Now let’s get stuck in…

1. What’s the hardest part of putting together a short story collection, be it for a magazine edition or an anthology?

Selecting the right tales. Ones that complement each other, yet also have power as a stand-alone.

2. What’s the easiest part of that process?

I don’t think there is an easy part. Maybe putting the table of contents together, once the final selections are made?

3. What’s the most emotional part (and which emotion)?

Frustration from reading the slush-pile and finding out that 80% of writers can’t read and follow basic submission guidelines.

4. Often editors have a vision for their collection, so select stories that support that vision. Do you ever worry that readers won’t ‘get’ your vision once it’s presented to them and, if so, how do you cope with that worry?

I don’t worry if readers see the vision, as I didn’t really have one in mind for my latest edited publication. I want readers to enjoy the stories, and to remember the magazine long after they’ve put it down. I want longevity for the stories I choose.

5. Do you read stories blind, or know which author wrote each story as you read? Why do you prefer that method?

I prefer blind reading, to allow the story truth to come forward without and prejudice. That said, sometimes it’s impossible not to recognise the particular style of a well-known author.

The only stories I read for ME9 while aware of the writer were the solicited authors: Jonathan Maberry, James A Moore and Robin Furth.

Geoff Brown

6. Once you’ve selected your favourite stories, how do you put them in order – by theme, by author, to develop a given theme…?

I try to follow a natural, thematic progression. Which ones carry on from the last, and where do they lead?

7. Have you ever rejected a story that then went on to achieve greatness elsewhere? If so, what did you think about that, and did you alter your processes to avoid it happening again?

Not that I’m aware of. There were a number of stories that didn’t follow layout guidelines, and they were rejected unread, so there may have been some great ones in that pile.  That said, each editor has different tastes, and what is great for one won’t make it with another.

8. How often do you second-guess your judgment?

Always. A good writer and a good editor will always have doubts. The doubt needs to be balanced with self-belief and faith, but must always be there.

9. If you had just one piece of advice for writers submitting to you, what would it be (apart from to follow your guidelines)?

Apart from ‘follow the guidelines’, I’d say to catch the editor’s curiosity in the first line, or paragraph. Don’t ramble on and expect an editor to keep reading with the hope of eventually finding a hook.

10. If you had just one piece of advice for editors thinking about putting together a short story collection, what would it be?

Leave yourself plenty of time after the end of the submission period, as there are usually quite a few last-minute submissions. If you’re not careful, you’ll be buried in stories to read.

Thank you Geoff – I’m sure all of the stories you select have longevity!

Just one thought, Zena… Can I also give you details of my memoir?

Of course you can, Geoff!

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“Hammered: Memoir of an Addict”
by Geoff Brown

Title: Hammered: Memoir of an Addict

Published: Print and ebook by Legumeman Books. Available from Amazon and all good bookshops, both online and bricks-and-mortar.

One sentence description: Drugs, crime and ennui pervaded every part of GN Braun’s life, but he dragged his way out of the pit without resorting to God or alcohol or any of the other crutches people commonly use. Here is his story.

Wow – can’t wait to read it! It’s also interesting to note that a lot of editors are also writers – yourself a case in point. Thank you for sharing with us

How CSFG Selects Short Stories

Welcome to the third post in my series on short story editors. Recently an editor-friend of mine shared his editorial selection process on Facebook. Watching it was difficult at first because I hadn’t realised how emotionally draining the process of putting together a short story collection can be for editors – whether for an anthology or a magazine edition.

So, over the following posts, I’m going to interview the editors of Fablecroft, Ticonderoga, CSFG, Aurealis and Midnight Echo to find out more.

Here’s what the joint editors of this year’s Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild (CSFG) anthology, Next, Rob Porteous and Simon Petrie, told me about their process…

Firstly, some stats:

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“Next”
Edited by Simon Petrie and Rob Porteous

The title of your latest project: Next.

Its release date: April 2013

Published: print and ebook

One-sentence description: Thirty short stories that showcase the vitality and talent of Australia’s speculative fiction community.

Great! Now let’s get stuck in…

1. What’s the hardest part of putting together a short story collection, be it for a magazine edition or an anthology?

(SP) Fitting in the last few stories, from a range of dozens of possible pieces. Some stories are so close to perfection their choice is a no-brainer, but there are plenty of good stories that, with a little tweak or two, could be great. Choosing just a subset of those latter stories can seem arbitrary, even cruel, but I have to go with my instincts.

(RP) The reading. Simon and I read every story and reread the list before each stage of selection. And then read them all again at each stage of editing and polishing. By the end, I found it really hard to slow down and read each word of a story that I’d read maybe half a dozen times before.

2. What’s the easiest part of that process?

(RP) Perhaps not actually easy, but the funnest part is the editing. I love reading a piece analytically, seeing how it is put together, what drives the impact and what isn’t working. In principle, it is possible to read your own work like this, but it is much easier to start out analysing other people’s writing (and, yes, I always drive from the back seat too).

(SP) Writing an acceptance letter.

3. What’s the most emotional part (and which emotion)?

(SP) Envy. It’s great reading a story where I feel ‘Jeez, I wish I could’ve written that’. And the consolation is that I get to help introduce that story to the world. (Basking in reflected glory is one of the perks of the job.)

(RP) The winnowing – the part where you cut the long list down to the final anthology often on a fairly arbitrary basis – like if you have several stories that are too similar. Cutting is, of course, a euphemism for rejecting and I was grimly aware of how each author had laboured to create a great story and was watching their email, waiting to hear if it had been accepted – very distressing.

4. Often editors have a vision for their collection, so select stories that support that vision. Do you ever worry that readers won’t ‘get’ your vision once it’s presented to them and, if so, how do you cope with that worry?

(RP) Not at all. The anthology is first and foremost a set of great stories. If the reader takes them one at a time and doesn’t get the theme, they’ll still get a lot out of it. Actually, if the theme were too obvious (like ‘stories that have to have a shape-changer in them’ or ‘everybody dies’) it would sap some of the pleasure of the unexpected.

(SP) My vision’s generally ‘low-concept’: I prefer broad themes, because I think any anthology should try to be greater than the sum of its parts, and variety is the best way to achieve that. As long as the readers enjoy the experience of exploring the anthology, that’s the main thing.

Rob Porteous

5. Do you read stories blind, or know which author wrote each story as you read? Why do you prefer that method?

(SP) For Next we read blind, but on other editing I’ve done, I’ve frequently known the authors beforehand. What I like about blind reading is that it really focuses my attention on the story, above all other considerations. That doesn’t stop me from trying to guess the author’s identity (and usually getting it wrong).

(RP) Blind. Absolutely. Given the size of the Australian spec-fic community, you will get lots of stories from friends and famous writers. Blind reading lets you focus on the particular story in front of you and how it relates to the theme.

6. Once you’ve selected your favourite stories, how do you put them in order – by theme, by author, to develop a given theme…?

(RP) On the face of it, it was incredibly scientific. We created a spreadsheet with all the stories in order, all colour coded according to sub-genre and word count. In reality, there was a fair amount of art to it – with some stories crying out to be at the beginning and others demanding to be last. So we used both – art finessed with science!

(SP) I don’t know that there’s such a thing as an ideal story order. But I like to arrange stories to heighten the contrast—light versus shade, futuristic SF versus historical fantasy, that sort of thing—so as to give each story a ‘clean break’ from the one before. Putting too many similar stories together invites invidious comparisons.

7. Have you ever rejected a story that then went on to achieve greatness elsewhere? If so, what did you think about that, and did you alter your processes to avoid it happening again?

(SP) That depends on the reason for rejection. If it’s a question of space available, then yes, I regret it, but probably not enough to wish I’d used it in place of some other story I’d liked. But if I’d rejected because the story didn’t work for me: no, subsequent greatness doesn’t override that at all.

(RP) It’s certainly likely, given how many good stories had to be put to one side. But there was nothing about the process that I’d alter – if there turn out to be some that didn’t grab either of us but that go on to earn acclaim, it will be a matter of taste, I guess. It’s no different to reading an anthology of “Year’s Best Stories” and finding a couple of stories that you don’t like as much as the rest.

Simon Petrie

8. How often do you second-guess your judgment?

(RP) All the time. We kept on challenging our assessments all through the editing process. There were certainly a couple of stories that got better with each reading, and others that rated well at first impression but palled a little after a second or third time.

(SP) About once every seventeen seconds. Or more often, when I’m awake.

9. If you had just one piece of advice for writers submitting to you, what would it be (apart from to follow your guidelines)?

(SP) Read as much as you can, then make sure that what you write is different to what you’ve read by other people.

(RP) Get a beta reader. Or three. Many of the stories that didn’t make the long-list had really obvious flaws in story or technique. Beta readers would have helped spot the weaknesses and that might have lifted the stories into the long list. And even great stories can benefit from an independent view.

10. If you had just one piece of advice for editors thinking about putting together a short story collection, what would it be?

(RP) Get a co-editor! Because it can be lonely at the top. No, seriously, it really helped to have a second opinion and a second pair of eyes. And hands.

(SP) Seek professional help.

Thank you Simon & Rob! It sounds like both of you have had a lot of fun putting together this short story anthology – I’m looking forward to enjoying the pleasure of the unexpected when I read it. No invidious comparisons here! Thanks for sharing your experience with us