Zena Shapter's Blog, page 44

How Ticonderoga Publications Selects Short Stories

Welcome to the second 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 Ticonderoga editor-extraordinaire Russell B Farr told me about his process…

Firstly, some stats:

[image error]

“Dreaming of Djinn”

The title of your latest project: “Dreaming of Djinn” is Ticonderoga’s most recent anthology. However, I’ve also been working on Juliet Marillier’s collection “Prickle Moon” and Cat Sparks’ collection “The Bride Price”.

Its release date: all April 2013

Published: print and (later) ebook

One-sentence description: “Dreaming of Djinn” is a collection of 18 incredible tales of romantic Orientalism.

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?

The least fun bits. Often it can be finalising the contents, deciding which out of a handful of maybes is going to make the cut. But generally putting together a book is an enjoyable experience that I look forward to. For me the hard part is then getting people to buy the book – the frustration of knowing that readers will love the book if I can just convince them to buy; the challenge of getting the message out when there are so many books out there.

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

Probably the layout. I’ve been putting together books and professional publications for a good few years, so most things fall into place with minimum fuss. Once I’m in the zone I can format the inside of a book in a matter of hours.

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

It varies based on the project. Being able to put a finished copy of a collection into the author’s hands is truly one of the joys that makes this whole thing worthwhile. When a writer passes away before they see the finished book hits me hard – this has happened to me twice and I wouldn’t wish this experience on any editor.

Holding a copy of any finished book in my hands brings a big feeling of relief, joy and satisfaction that lasts until someone finds a typo.

“The Bride Price” by Cat Sparks

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’m paraphrasing Joe Strummer here, but there’ll always be readers that will get the vision, and those who won’t. There’s no point worrying about the latter – in some ways their views validate the vision, as I’m not convinced that any strong vision will be grasped by everyone. And I’ve been doing things unconventionally for some time. Once I know that all the stories are good, I’m satisfied.

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

I don’t read blind – simply it would be too hard to set that up, and not worth the effort. Sometimes it’s neat to know who the writer is, if I’m familiar with their work and can see how it represents their writing journey. But if the story is good, really good, it’s easy to not care about who the writer is until I’ve finished the last word. And then I want to know who they are straight away so I can contact them.

“Prickle Moon” by Juliet Marillier

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

There’s a lot to building the right order, it’s in many ways based on an implicit understanding of the work. I like to start strong, something that grabs the reader and at the same time provides an introduction to the theme: the story has to have a great opening. I like to finish strongly, with a story that is also gripping but has a sense of resonance, the sort of story that lingers with the reader once the book is closed. Something generally hopeful at the conclusion, with maybe a smile. Author doesn’t come into the equation, it’s all about the story.

Some themes work well if the stories are grouped into similar subcategories, while others don’t. Word count is important, I like to keep a good rhythm going, mix long and short. Point of view and voice matter, I try to mix these up so the reader gets a very clear change between stories to make each stand on its own. Some stories just complement each other, while others benefit from being kept apart. Sometimes when the whole picture is in sight, a really good story just won’t play well with the others and needs to be dropped.

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?

Angela Slatter and I considered her first collaboration with Lisa L. Hannett, “The February Dragon”, for her The Girl With No Hands and other tales collection. Excellent, fantastic, wonderful story. Won the Aurealis Award. Would not have worked in the collection at all. Fortunately my fabulous partner Liz Grzyb was across the table, working the Scary Kisses anthology. I passed it to her, she loved it too and put it in that book.

Hindsight is great. I don’t think it’s always possible to know how a story will be received or awarded. I know every story is really good. It’s more of a concern when I publish an absolutely amazing story and it doesn’t get the props it deserves. That’s what I lose sleep over.

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

Sometimes, all the time, and never. I know that all of our books are first rate, worthy of being bought and read and treasured. They don’t get printed until they are. I never wonder if we’ve published the best book we possibly can. I know that our writers are among the best. I constantly wonder if starting a small press was the best decision I’ve ever made, and I have no answer for this.

Russell B Farr & I
Speculative Fiction Festival 2013

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

Give me characters that live and breathe and feel and dream. I’m a sucker for powerful character-driven stories. Give me wonderful characters and treat them right.

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

Turning in the manuscript shouldn’t be the end of your work. If your name is on the cover, tell everyone about the book, promote it, be passionate about the work. Take pride in what you’ve done and let that show.

Thank you Russell!

Just one thought, Zena… You ask about the easiest, hardest and most emotional aspects of editing… what about the “best”? Mind if I write an answer to that, too?

*Rolls eyes* Why not? Go for it Russell… What’s the best part?

Working with writers, editors, artists, all manner of creatively driven folk. There are moments where it can feel like herding cats, but it is worth it to get so many magical glimpses of strange and fantastic worlds. I’m incredibly lucky to be able to work with so many talented people. That these crazy creative people let me share their visions regularly feels me with awe.

Second best is being able to spend a chunk of my time talking about books. I love books and reading, the whole experience, and it’s great to be able to share this passion.

Exactly right, Russell – it’s all about books and reading and passion – which is why starting your small press was absolutely the best decision!! Thank you for sharing with us

How Fablecroft Publishing Selects Short Stories

My children asked Hubbie and I the other day, what we’d like to be when we ‘grow up’. After clarification, they rephrased their question to mean ‘more grown up’. For Hubbie, his goal was to focus on his photography. (It is awesome.) For me, it was to put together an anthology where I got to choose which short stories to include. Or so I thought…

Recently an editor-friend shared his editorial selection process on Facebook. Now I’m not so sure! It looked… really hard. So I thought I’d find out more, by asking some short story editors how they put together collections – be it for an anthology or a magazine edition. In the following weeks, I’ll be interviewing the editors of Fablecroft, Ticonderoga, CSFG, Aurealis and Midnight Echo.

First up, here’s what Fablecroft editor-extraordinaire Tehani Wessely told me about her process…

Firstly, some stats:

[image error]

“The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories” by Joanne Anderton

The title of your latest project: “The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories” by Joanne Anderton, and “One Small Step, an anthology of discoveries”.

Its release date: both books are released on April 26, 2013

Published: print and ebook

One-sentence description: the best of Joanne’s horror and science fiction stories in one great collection (plus two new ones!); and 16 stories exploring discovery and what can come from the smallest of steps.

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?

The rejections. I know how hard authors work writing the stories, and I hate having to say no, especially when I do like the story but it’s not quite right for some reason.

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

Being the very first person to have the opportunity to read the awesome stories!

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

Getting an excited reply from an accepted author is always lovely, and sending it off to the printer is a wonderful feeling of relief and anticipation.

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?

It’s honestly never crossed my mind!

[image error]

“One Small Step, an anthology of discoveries”
edited by Tehani Wessely

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

As I control my own slush, I do know which authors write each story. When I was with Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine though, we read slush blind, and I think that was a really interesting exercise in putting aside your expectations. That said, the best authors are those who surprise you with every story!

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 don’t really have a hard and fast rule – I do try to mix up shorter and longer pieces, and I try to separate stories with similar settings or themes, but it’s a little bit random at times.

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?

I know I’ve seen stories I’ve rejected in other publications, but that’s good for the author! Usually those are stories I’ve rejected not on quality but because it hasn’t fit with the anthology theme, or because I already had a similar story, or reasons to do with the anthology itself, rather than the story at hand.

FableCroft Publishing is a boutique press dedicated to the future of speculative fiction in Australia.

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

I’m not sure I do, really. A couple of times I’ve bowed to author preference on an editorial suggestion only to have reviewers and readers specifically note they would have preferred it another way (ie: the way I wanted!) and I wished I’d tried harder for the change. But that’s rare, and a difficult call to make.

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

Please read some of what I’ve already published – it will help you know if the sort of story you write is generally the sort of thing I publish!

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

Complete your slush reading before you accept your table of contents. Ask to hold on to stories if you like them, but don’t accept them until you have a complete book, because sometimes you need to make tough choices on selections which are made harder if you accept too many too early.

Tehani Wessely

Thank you Tehani! What a great start to this series. I wonder how other editors will respond to the same set of questions…!

What about you readers – any questions for Tehani about how she chooses short stories for her collections?

How Writers Use Social Media

Action shot:
me teaching social media to writers.

Lots of people have been talking with me lately about social media. Probably something to do with all the courses I’m running here and there on the subject (see Event Schedule above)! I love social media, it nullifies the existential loneliness I’d otherwise feel sitting alone at my computer all day. Whether I’m writing my own stories or editing others, the silence can get a bit much sometimes.

But how much time on social media is too much? I have an image on my desktop of Ironman and Thor from the Avengers pointing at me saying “You Should Be Writing!”. It’s a reminder of priorities. Generally, though, I believe I have my balance in check. I spend about 10% of what could feasibly be writing time on social media, and that includes this blog. Given all I get back from social media in return, I’m happy with that.

What about you?

After wondering whether others were similar to me, I asked you on my Facebook page. Here are the results:

Results as at 9 April 2013
Incorporates results from Facebook & Twitter.

Thanks to my writer-buddies who answered my poll or commented on it: Jason Fischer, Martin Livings, Alan Baxter, Geoff Brown, Andrew J McKiernan, Bruce Lyman, Alex Adsett, Kylie Scott, Patty Jansen, Nicky Cavalchini Strickland, Devin Watson, Robert Michael Easterbrook, Susan Steggall, Elizabeth Ottosson, Gabriela Valentova, Zoya Nojin, David Roach, Rebecca Dobbie, David Wenham, Kate Warren, Carlos Javier, Rick Keuning, Barbara J Holten, Simon Dewar

When I put polls such as this one up on Facebook, I sometimes (not always!) leave the options open so people can add their own answers. On this occasion, one of the additional answers ended up being the poll’s most popular:

“Too much, as evidenced by the fact that I’m here now answering this question!”

Why was this option so popular? Guilt. That’s why. The wording “too much” reflects, I believe, the guilt we writers all feel when popping onto Twitter or Facebook, reading blogs, answering polls…

Publishers need all the help they can get these days marketing our stories. There’s a lot of ‘noise’ out there. Readers crave two-way dialogues with their favourite authors too. It helps generate hype. Yet, at the same time, I have Thor and Ironman pointing their fingers as me from my desktop… YOU SHOULD BE WRITING!

As writers, we need to be good jugglers. One of my most interesting Facebook poll results was from a question I posed earlier this year: “What is your writing focus for 2013”. It was surprising how many writers responded that they wanted to perfect their work/life/writing balance. This concern even ranked higher than finding a publisher or agent! Read that full post here.

How much time is too much for you?

Unless you’re an international bestseller, most writers have to make a living through non-writing means. This means they’re constantly cramming writing into those heavy hours after work, when dinner and household chores make way for bed. For those with young families, the hours can get even tighter. Only passion keeps us going – that and guilt. Our passion can drive us into ignoring those closest to us, into giving up on real live social events and forgetting the dishes. We do all this and more because we love writing. We siphon off writing time from every hour of every day – so much so it becomes ingrained in us that: ‘if I could be writing, I should be writing’.

At the same time, writers sneak online because we believe we ought to be, because we want to get our writing ‘out there’ and mingle with fans. If it’s for the benefit of our writing, then what point is there in feeling guilty?

Every point. Social media is here to stay. I enjoy being on it. If you do as well, then enjoy being on it too. It can only help to ensure our stories reach those who love them. But we shouldn’t stay on it for too long – otherwise little will get written. So let your guilt be an alarm clock and get back to writing… after a while.

Speaking of which, my time is up! What about you? How long have you been flicking through blog posts and tweeting today? Let me know in the comments below…

When Is A Story ‘Done’?

This month, I’m interviewing editors of short story collections – both in anthology and magazine format – about the process of selecting and publishing short stories. Those interviews will feature here shortly. In the meantime, I wanted to ask you about your writing process. In particular… when do you feel a story is ‘done’? How do you decide when it’s time to send your writing out into the world?

For me, there are two main stages:

knowing when a story is ready to send out to beta-readers
knowing when a story is ready to send out to publishers

Stage One

When do you decide it’s time to let go?

The first stage comes after I’ve:

finished the story (obviously)
put it aside for a while (at least a month), gotten on with other things
re-read and edited it, deleting everything I can (usually 10% – 15%)
if it’s for an anthology or competition, checked the word count (I’m always over), then deleted again until I’m under
read it aloud to myself
printed it out and read it in a different part of the house
read it aloud to someone
put it aside again, this time for a few days
edited again, until I can’t see any flaws in the story – yet know there must be some (because there always are)

That’s when I know it’s time to enlist the help of a beta-reader (or few).

Beta-Reading

A friend asked me recently how I decide whom to trust with my writing. I thought that was an interesting question because, without knowing it, that’s exactly what we do when we ask someone to beta-read for us. It can’t be just anyone! We have to trust them.

For me, a good beta-reader is someone who:

writes or reads in a similar genre to my story
if they write, writes in a way I like
can use Word’s reviewing tools
lets me help them in return

Oh, and of course they must be available! There’s no use sending your writing to someone who can’t get to it for months. I’m lucky enough to have beta-readers who can generally get any story I send them back to me within a week or so. I do the same for them, just because it lessens the agony of waiting. We agonise enough when we send our work to publishers, editors and agents (oh soooo much!!). But between us writers, we can cut out some of that worry!

Stage Two

It’s exciting when I get my beta-read back. Because I trust my writery friends, I can’t wait to see what plot holes they’ve picked up, what typos they’ve found and what they didn’t understand at all. I know they’ll rip my story into fine shreds for me – because that’s what I do for them – and I’m excited to receive the information that’s going to build me a better, stronger story.

So, beta-read in hand, I:

read through all the comments
immediately change anything easy to fix, without reading the story through from its beginning
brainstorm the harder changes, fix them, again without reading the story through from its beginning
if it’s for an anthology or competition, check the word count again (I’m always over)
finally I read through from the beginning, deleting everything I can
put it aside again, this time for a few days
print it out and read it in a different part of the house
edit again, until my eyes are bleeding

Sometimes, although I’ve already had the help of several beta-readers, I’ll repeat the entire process again – especially when I’ve created a highly imaginative world, or I’ve a nagging doubt I simply can’t identify.

How do I know when to stop the beta-reading process?

I guess when the suggestions I get back from my beta-readers are relatively fine points, points that should be changed (because they’ve been spotted) but which in all likelihood wouldn’t have caused an editor to reject the story had those points been left. Sometimes I get to that stage after the first round of beta-reading, sometimes later. Either way, when the suggestions are that minor, it’s time to let go.

Letting Go!

I still wait an extra day or so, in case I wake in the middle of the night with inspiration or doubt, but that’s more or less the end.

Now, looking back over this post, my process sounds somewhat laborious. I wasn’t always so particular about refining my work before sending it out – but, do you know what, that was back when I didn’t get published or win any competitions!

Different processes work for different writers and this is the way that works best for me. Yes, it can be hard work… but then isn’t anything that’s worthwhile? What do you think – is your process similar, or very very different? Please let me know in the comments below!

Oh, and if you enjoy my blog, do consider voting for me in 2013′s Best Australian Blogs competition. (Just scroll down to ‘Zena’ to vote) Thank you!

Swearing In Fiction … is it realistic without?

Do you swear?

Last month, I shared a photo on my Facebook stream about the universe. It had stars and mountains and a lot of swearing in it. As soon as she saw it, my mother called. She was surprised I would swear on Facebook. Wasn’t I worried what other people would think?

Well, after debating with her the differences between swearing on Facebook, and sharing a photo on Facebook that someone else had created with swearing in it, I said I thought it was okay because the swearing was meant in reverence and awe.

In my head, I also thought ‘wow, she really does not read much of my writing’ – because a lot of my characters swear. It makes reading my work aloud to groups of eager listeners tricky for me because, well, I don’t really swear myself. In fact, I get embarrassed when I have to read the words aloud (come and watch me squirm sometime, I go red in the face!).

Is it realistic fiction without?

So why do my characters swear? Simple – most of the people in my life swear. People swear on television, in movies, on the street too… I prefer it if friends and family don’t swear in front of my children, but that’s because their world is so different to that of adults and I want to keep it that way as long as possible. I also don’t like Hubbie to swear in arguments. But then I am gifted with the ability to rile him more than most… (he he).

For the majority of adults, however, swearing is a normal part of everyday life. If they don’t swear themselves, like me (unless I stub a toe), then they know someone who does. So I wanted to know… how do writers handle swearing in their fiction? Are they happy to create characters who swear, or does it depend on their own use of profanity?

Along came one of my famous Facebook polls and, after a couple of weeks voting, here are the results:

Results as at 22 March 2013
Incorporates results from Facebook & Twitter.

Thanks to my writer-buddies who answered the poll or who commented on it: Margo Lanagan, Catriona Sparks, Jason Fischer, Mary Victoria, Laura E. Goodin, Geoff Brown, Gillian Polack, Graham Storrs, Kylie Scott, Andrew J McKiernan, Bruce Lyman, Martin Livings, Alan Baxter, Nansi Kunze, Leife Shallcross, Leigh Blackmore, Tom Dullemond, David McDonald, Imelda Evans, Jodi Cleghorn, Ross Hamilton, Zoya Nojin, Anne Swan, Füzzy Mijmark, Josh Whiteman, Matthew Morrison, Wade Bowmer, Devin Watson, Laura Miller, Carol Neal Thomas, Author Katherine Vucicevic, Barry Allen Gibbons II, Jo McClelland, Dorothy-Jane Daniels, Jacqueline Cross, Amanda Jayne, Kate Shapter, Simon Dillon, Pippa Jay, Simon Robertson, Simon Dewar

This was my most commented-on poll to date, with a lot of writers debating the when and how of their characters swearing. A couple of writers were keen to establish that they have never used and would never use swearing just for shock value. For me, that’s a given though. I don’t know any writers like that

I had lots of humorous comments too, on both Facebook and Twitter, declaring that characters who don’t swear are barely worth writing about (thanks old copywriting buddy Josh – ha ha).

But all joking aside, it seems I have a clear answer to my question. While some writers create characters who swear and some don’t, most create them ‘sometimes’ (irrespective of whether they swear themselves). Given that ‘sometimes’ could be said to be a qualification of ‘yes’, then the results reconfigured more simply give:

Results as at 22 March 2013

Phew! I’m relieved you all think swearing is a common enough human characteristic to represent it in your writing, to various degrees. It is a realistic approach to fiction, I feel.

Why we humans swear… well that’s another matter. On episode 142 of the 2010 season of MythBusters, the hosts devised an experiment that proved swearing aloud aids pain tolerance by 30%. Perhaps that’s why a lot of my characters swear – I do like to push their physical and emotional boundaries, he he.

As for that Facebook post of mine that sparked this discussion… it’s here: “The Universe is ?#@*&%! rad”.

Now… what about you? Do you swear yourself and does that influence whether your characters swear in your stories? Let me know in the comments below!

A Weekend So Spec-fic-tacular I Could Faint! #NSWWC

Okay, so for those who don’t know me, I’m not the fainting type. I have a sturdy constitution, I never throw up. I’m rarely sick. I have a high pain threshold too – I break bones and don’t know it; I needed no drugs to give birth to either of my children (no, not even gas&air). I’ve never fainted before in my life. No, it took Kate Forsyth to do that!

Standing at the back of Kate Forsyth’s launch of “The Wild Girl”. See the railing on the left? That’s where I fainted!

Kate Forsyth is the internationally bestselling author of more than twenty books for adults & children, including Bitter Greens, The Gypsy Crown, The Puzzle Ring and the Witches of Eileanan series. She’s also a lovely person who always has time for fans and fellow writers. So I was very happy to support her back by attending the launch of her latest novel The Wild Girl on Friday evening. I was excited too because that afternoon I had typed the final words to my next novel Quiet Blue. Possibly that had something to do with what happened an hour or so into the launch… I fainted!

NSW Writers’ Centre Speculative Fiction Festival 2013: Kate Forsyth & Garth Nix

Nausea, shortness-of-breath in a stuffy room and blurred vision preceded a brief faint on the stairs (luckily I fell backwards!). Of course the first thing I did when I got home was to write about the experience (you never know when a future character might faint). It was all highly disorientating but also kinda interesting.

Needless to say I got an early night, ready for the next day and my highlight of the month: the NSW Writers’ Centre’s sold-out Speculative Fiction Festival, organised by the lovely Kate Forsyth herself.

Clockwise from my empty chair: Robert Hood, Cat Sparks, Lisa Hannett, Liz Grzyb, Angela Slatter, Jen Breukelaar, Alan Baxter, Russel B Farr, Joanne Anderton, Thoraiya Dyer, Kirstyn McDermott & Jason Nahrung
Chatting about: ghost stories, small press publisher challenges, recent projects & Monty Python.

 

 

 

Talk about talent… the festival was so brimming with it I should really have been overcome and fainted again!

 

 

 

 

[image error]

“The International Speculative Fiction Scene” with Dirk Strasser, Ian Irvine & Juliet Marillier

The first panel of the day had Dirk Strasser (Aurealis Magazine) chatting to internationally bestselling Aussie authors Ian Irvine and Juliet Marillier. Ian talked about how much the speculative fiction landscape has changed since he started writing. Twenty years ago, Australia imported most of its speculative fiction from overseas and rarely took a chance on Australian authors. Now both Juliet and Ian sell all over the world.

 

Liz Grzyb, Russell B Farr, me & Ian Irvine

Juliet and Ian were both concerned about the ‘noise’ in the publishing these days, given that anyone can publish an ebook. “Authors don’t have an independent view of the quality of their books,” said Ian, whose publisher provides him with approximately 100hours of editorial support per book.

When it came to offering unpublished authors some advice, Juliet said to be original, work hard, concentrate on polishing your manuscript and write from the heart. Ian said to write a great story with characters you know.

[image error]

“Publishing Into The Future” with Russell B Farr, Joel Naoum, Zoe Walton & Dionne Lister

The second panel of the day was also about the changing publishing landscape, but from a publishers’ perspective with Russell B Farr (Ticonderoga Press), Zoe Walton (Random House), Joel Naoum (Momentum) and Dionne Lister (self-published). While everyone agreed it was difficult to predict the next five years, both Dionne and Joel said it would most likely feature a combination of traditional publishing and ebooks.

 

Zoe Walton, Russell B Farr & Dirk Strasser

Zoe and Joel agreed with Russell that publishing is in an experimental stage right now, with the Momentum imprint itself being an experiment aimed at publishing established mid-listers and new authors likely to do well in the digital market. Dionne said that one of the advantages to being self-published is that she can react immediately to what’s working in the digital market and what’s not. She can look at statistics and change prices, whereas bigger publishers might not have time to do that.

Richard Harland & me.

 

Panels followed on epic fantasy, gothic tales for teens, the horror of ‘weird’ fiction, fairy tales, short stories and more – all full of bestselling and award-winning authors of speculative fiction.

 

 

Between panels at the NSW Writers Centre.

 

In every panel, there was something for everyone. For example, no one likes change or stuff they can’t control, and that’s the crux of horror writing said Robert Hood in the weird fiction panel. “Horror is about change and mortality,” he said, “and our fear of that change.”

 

 

[image error]

“Oh The Horror! The Future Of Weird Fiction” with Jason Nahrung, Robert Hood, Deborah Biancotti & Kirstyn McDermitt

 

“Horror is nebulous,” added Kirstyn McDermott, “because it can leak into every genre.” Jason Nahrung suggested that may be because horror is such a good vehicle for examining society.

 

 

 

[image error]

“Short & Not-So-Sweet: Writing & Publishing Short Fiction” with Dirk Strasser, Cat Sparks, Lisa Hannett & Angela Slatter

There was good news for writers in the short stories panel. According to Dirk Strasser (Aurealis Magazine) and Cat Sparks (Cosmos Magazine), we’re on the verge of a short story boom, mainly because short stories are such a good fit with epublication, as well as our busy modern age.

Angela Slatter and Lisa Hannett parted with the following tips for short story writers:

Read broadly (Angela)
Your first draft should never be your last (Angela)
Go straight into your action – the key is crisis choice and consequence (Angela)
Don’t rush when polishing your writing (Lisa)
Flense your story of extra words and infodumps (Lisa)
Keep it short – few characters, focus on them (Lisa)
Use beta readers (Angela & Lisa)

Cat Sparks, Lisa Hannett, Liz Grzyb & Angela Slatter

Dirk said that when buying stories he looked for drama and focus: “every scene should be focussed on moving the character forward … Also, what’s at stake? If nothing’s at stake, there’s no drama.” Cat said she looked for stories that didn’t bore her: “people going somewhere and doing some stuff is not a short story … Short stories should be more than the sum of their parts.”

 

Sophie Masson & Dawn Meredith

Almost every author at the festival encouraged writers to keep going. One of Angela’s short stories was rejected fifteen times before being published. One of Lisa’s stories was rejected multiple times before being accepted at Clarkesworld. Ian Irvine did twenty-one drafts of his first novel before it was published! The overall focus of the festival was on producing quality, and promoting only that.

 

[image error]

Russell B Farr at the launch of Juliet Mariliier’s “Prickle Moon” saying thank you to NSW Writers’ Centre Rose Powell & Jane McCredie, being photographed by Cat Sparks, being photographed by me!

For anyone after advice on how to promote yourself as an author online, don’t forget the awesome seminar coming up at the NSW Writers’ Centre this May… Social Media for Writers is an evening session (6.30pm-9.30pm) on Wednesday 1st May and I can recommend the seminar wholeheartedly because I’m teaching it! Book here – only, please don’t be disappointed if I don’t faint!

F0r more photos of the 2013 Speculative Fiction Festival, see Cat Sparks’ Flickr photostream here.

What’s it like publishing a short story collection? Part 3: Joanne Anderton

Welcome to the final part in my blog series on short story collections.

I’ve been interviewing the following three authors of short story collections – one in the UK, one in the US and one in Australia – about what it’s like to publish a short story collection…

US author: David D Levine

UK author: Tim Lebbon

AU author: Joanne Anderton

If you’re a short story writer, as I am, I’m sure you’d love to publish a collection of your stories. A volume of brilliant words containing nothing but your creative genius? Sounds fantastic. Well these three lucky writers are getting to do just that. Congratulations David, Tim and Joanne! David and Tim have already told us about their experience in the US and the UK here and here. Now’s it’s Joanne Anderton‘s turn.

Joanne Anderton

Hello, Joanne. Firstly, some stats. Please could you tell us:

The title of your collection: The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories

Its release date: April 2013

Published through: FableCroft Publishing

One-sentence description: The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories, with an introduction by Australian horror luminary Kaaron Warren, collates Joanne Anderton’s best horror and science fiction themed stories, showcasing her career to date, and includes new stories original to the collection.

Great! Now let’s get stuck in…

1. Congratulations! It’s quite an honour to be asked to put together a short story collection. How did the opportunity arise for you?

Thank you! Well, it kind of came out of the blue for me. It’s something I’ve always thought I’d like to do, you know, some time in the future. When I’m a real author. So I was a little surprised (but really thrilled!) when Tehani contacted me and asked if I’d like to publish a collection through FableCroft.

2. How many reprints and how many originals will be included in your collection, and do you have a favourite story?

It’s looking like eleven reprints and two originals – not quite finalised but almost there. Favourite story? Oh come on now, there’s no way I can choose (and anyway, I don’t like to play favourites, or all my other characters might get wind of it and refuse to cooperate…)

3. Do you have an overall theme or message for the collection?

This collection’s got a horror and science fiction theme to it. I like playing with genre, and lot of the stories are a mixture of the two.

4. To give us an idea of how long this collection has been in the making: which of the stories did you write first, and in which year did you write that story’s first draft?

Oh hello, you’re testing my memory here. I had to look it up, but the oldest story will be Trail of Dead which was written and published in Altair’s Zombie anthology back in 2007. It was the first story I ever wrote with a particular anthology in mind (and the title comes from …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead if anyone cares).

5. You’ve been writing short stories for a long time now. How many years into your writing career did you write that first collection-worthy story?

I’ve been writing stories since I was a kid, and I’ve always wanted to see them published. To me, stories are written to be shared, otherwise they might as well just stay in my head. So, if that’s how long I’ve been working on my writing career… I don’t want to add all those years up! Let’s just say, a few!

6. There are lots of writers out there who would love to publish a short story collection. Do you have any advice for them about (a) the writing of their stories, and (b) publishing them?

It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again: write, rewrite, submit. Rinse and repeat.

Make connections with other writers, share stories, and listen to feedback. You don’t have to do this all on your own.

[image error]

“The Bone Chime Song”
by Joanne Anderton

7. What do you anticipate will be or has been the hardest part of getting your collection ready for release? What will be/has been the easiest part of the process?

For me, it’s always letting go. Doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a single story, a novel, or a collection of stories, I’m always so nervous about letting a story out of my hot little hands. Is it good enough? Is it ready? Just one more pass through, just let me make one more change! But eventually, you just gotta set them all free.

8. Which short story writer do you admire most and why? How have they influenced your own short story writing?

This is a hard one, there are so many. Can I have two? Margo Lanagan – any one of her short stories is a masterclass in writing. I love her use of language and the way every story has it’s own, unique voice. Kaaron Warren – her stories and her characters are so dark, but you can’t help but be drawn in. These are what I aspire to: beautiful words, strong voice, and dark, dark places.

9. What promotional activities do you have planned for your collection?

We’ll be launching at Conflux in April, so that’s pretty exciting. Come join us if you can!

10. What’s next? Please tell us about your next writing project.

It’s almost time to plunge back into the novel I’m working on, and I’m very much looking forward to that. It’s a (possibly) YA science fantasy, a little bit steampunk, with deserts and giant mecha, genetic modification, and ancient secrets. Currently titled The Bone Gardens (yes, I have a bone thing going) it’s actually based on Flowers in the Shadow of the Garden a short story of mine that was shortlisted for the Aurealis Award for best SF short story in 2011, and will be in this collection! It’s been heaps of fun to write. I hope it’ll fun to read, too!

I’m sure it will be, Joanne. Thank you for joining us here today!

Thank you for having me!

If you’d like to read the other interviews, just click on the links above. If you’ve read all three – what did you think? Were the authors’ experiences similar in the US, the UK and Australia?

Change is only ever a breath away #CSFG

Cover art by Shauna O’Meara

Winds of Change is an anthology of short stories published by the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild and it’s awesome – and not just because it’s got one of my sci-fi stories in it!!

For the first time since its publication in 2011, it’s now available online (in most formats from Smashwords, Kobo Books, iTunes and Barnes & Noble). At the bargain price of US$4.99, it’s easy to purchase and offers you a superb opportunity to support both writers and small press publishers.

It’s worth it too! I’ve read many short story anthologies over the last few years and, so far, this has been my favourite. I love short stories that chronicle change, whether it’s personal change or shifts in global or galactic balance. Starting with the lyrical writing of Jason Nahrung in his restless story “Wraiths”, Winds of Change took me on a journey through time and space to visit diverse worlds, experience the universe through very different eyes, and shudder at the changes these twenty-four amazing authors envisaged.

My favourite stories were:

“Time Capsule” by Tsana Dolichva, about an historian with nothing to loose
“Babel” by Robin Shortt, which hummed a unspoken truth to me
“Time Spent” by David Coleman, whose incarcerated utility android has one last card to play
“Children of the Ashes” by Greg Mellor, whose love story reached supernova proportions

I hope that readers will enjoy reading “Trigger” too, on page 39, written by me… One captain’s love obsession leads to intergalactic changes that endanger more than just his reputation… if only he knew what he was doing. Ooooo!

You’re just a few clicks away of discovering these twenty-four incredible tales: start here. Good luck!

What’s it like publishing a short story collection? Part 2: Tim Lebbon

Welcome to the second part in my blog series on short story collections.

I’ve been interviewing three authors of short story collections – one in the UK, one in the US and one in Australia – about what it’s like to publish a short story collection.

US author: David D Levine

UK author: Tim Lebbon

AU author: Joanne Anderton

Congratulations on having your collections published David, Tim and Joanne!

If you’re a short story writer, as I am, I’m sure you’d love to publish a collection of your stories. A volume of brilliant words containing nothing but your creative genius inside? Sounds fantastic. But how does the experience measure up, and will it differ country to country? David has already told us about his US experience here. Now it’s Tim Lebbon‘s turn.

Tim Lebbon

Hello, Tim. Firstly, some stats. Please could you tell us:

The title of your collection: Nothing As it Seems

Its release date: October 2012

Published through: PS Publishing

One-sentence description: A huge collection of new and reprint short stories and novellas.

Great! Now let’s get stuck in…

1. Congratulations! It’s quite an honour to be asked to put together a short story collection. How did the opportunity arise for you?

This is actually my seventh collection. Every two or three years I look to collect together some of my work from the preceding years, and this time I was lucky enough to hook up with the exceptional PS Publishing, who have done a fantastic job with the book.

2. How many reprints and how many originals will be included in your collection, and do you have a favourite story?

There are three original stories here. It’s difficult to choose a favourite, but perhaps the two most personal stories are Discovering Ghosts and The Reach of Children, both of which are influenced by my mother’s death. The latter won a British Fantasy Award and, until now, has been very hard to find.

3. Do you have an overall theme or message for the collection?

Not by design. I do write a lot about grief and loss, as that’s what scares me the most. And with the two stories I mentioned above, for the first time I felt that I was truly, painfully qualified to write about these themes.

4. To give us an idea of how long this collection has been in the making: which of the stories did you write first, and in which year did you write that story’s first draft?

Including the originals written specifically for the collection, the stories span maybe 4 or 5 years.

5. You’ve been writing short stories for a long time now. How many years into your writing career did you write that first collection-worthy story?

I guess I had maybe 30 short stories published in the indie press before I started having acceptances from larger anthologies and magazines.  My first couple of collections (one of novellas, one of short stories) started around this time.  I could still put my hands on those very early stories, but I’m not sure I’d want anyone else to!  They were a learning process, though, and I’m proud of all of them.

6. There are lots of writers out there who would love to publish a short story collection. Do you have any advice for them about (a) the writing of their stories, and (b) publishing them?

Keep writing, keep reading, keep submitting your work. Aim for the professional markets first (don’t sell yourself short). Pay attention to rejection letters, take the knocks, don’t get downhearted. Write about what inspires you, your passions, your fears. I still get rejections now. Failing that, write Twilight fan-fic and make a billion.

“Nothing As It Seems” by Tim Lebbon

7. What do you anticipate will be or has been the hardest part of getting your collection ready for release? What will be/has been the easiest part of the process?

Thing is with a short story collection, it’s a well-oiled process. Once I’d sold it to PS Publishing, I wrote the originals and then they took over. We talked about cover artist (the incredible Caniglia), and design, and other aspects. But there were no especially difficult aspects to it.

8. Which short story writer do you admire most and why? How have they influenced your own short story writing?

Hmm, difficult question. There are so many, but if forced to choose I’d probably say Michael Marshall Smith. His work just seems to chime with me. His short fiction especially is always touching, soulful, affecting, and if you can move your reader you’re doing things right. I’m delighted to have just written a story with Mike, actually.

9. What promotional activities do you have planned for your collection?

The usual … website, FB, Twitter announcements, and it was launched at the British Fantasy Convention last year.

10. What’s next? Please tell us about your next writing project.

There’s a lot on deck right now! A spooky animated kids’ movie called My Haunted House; a new Star Wars novel Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void due in May; the second volume of my Toxic City trilogy Reaper’s Legacy; a new novella for PS (Shifting of Veils); a novella for Spectral (Still Life); a new novel called The Silence; and a tie-in project that I’m itching to announce but can’t yet. As well as that, a new collaboration with Christopher Golden, as well as several novel and movie proposals. Busy busy. Which is good. Oh, and I’m competing in my first Ironman race in August, too!

Wow – you are busy, Ironman-Tim! Thank you for joining us here today.

Next time it will be Joanne Anderton’s turn to tell us about publishing her collection in Australia. In the meantime, how do you think Tim’s UK experience compared to David’s in the US? Let me know in the comments below.

What’s it like publishing a short story collection? Part 1: David D Levine

I have decided to ask three short story writers – one in the UK, one in the US and one in Australia – what it’s like to publish a short story collection.

If you’re a short story writer, as I am, I’m sure you’d love to publish a collection of your stories. A volume of brilliant words containing nothing but your creative genius? Sounds fantastic. Well these three lucky writers are getting to do or have done just that:

US author: David D Levine

UK author: Tim Lebbon

AU author: Joanne Anderton

Congratulations David, Tim and Joanne! I can’t wait to read all about it. I wonder in particular if your experiences will differ country to country…

David D Levine

Let’s start with David D Levine. Hello, David. Firstly, some stats. Please could you tell us:

The title of your collection: Space Magic

Its release date: 25 January 2013

Published through: Book View Café

One-sentence description: This Endeavour Award-winning collection pulls together 15 critically acclaimed science fiction and fantasy stories that take readers from a technicolor cartoon realm to an ancient China that never was, and from an America gone wrong to the very ends of the universe.

Great! Now let’s get stuck in…

1. Congratulations! It’s quite an honour to be asked to put together a short story collection. How did the opportunity arise for you?

After selling about 25 short stories, I thought it was time for a collection. I asked a friend who was a small-press publisher if she’d be interested, she requested a proposal with a certain word count, I selected the stories and sent them in, and she bought it!

2. How many reprints and how many originals will be included in your collection, and do you have a favourite story?

14 reprints and one original, “Falling Off the Unicorn.” My favorite of them all is “The Tale of the Golden Eagle,” the only story I’ve ever written that made me cry.

3. Do you have an overall theme or message for the collection?

I selected these stories to show off my range: fantasy and science fiction, comedy and drama, and a variety of voices. The name Space Magic hints that it’s a mix of SF and Fantasy (and is also a tip of the hat to The Jetsons).

4. To give us an idea of how long this collection has been in the making: which of the stories did you write first, and in which year did you write that story’s first draft?

The oldest story in the book is Nucleon, which I wrote in January of 2000. Despite the fact that I wrote it before I went to Clarion West, it won the James White Award and is one of my most reprinted stories. It will soon be translated into Hungarian!

5. You’ve been writing short stories for a long time now. How many years into your writing career did you write that first collection-worthy story?

Depends on how you define “writing career.” I was a prolific writer in high school and college, but then I took 15 years off because my day job was technical writing and writing fiction was too much like work. I started writing fiction again, after a career change, in 1998, and wrote Nucleon two years later.

6. There are lots of writers out there who would love to publish a short story collection. Do you have any advice for them about (a) the writing of their stories, and (b) publishing them?

The best advice I can give about writing short (or long!) fiction is to be true to yourself. Don’t try to write what you think other people will want to read, write what you want to read! Then seek out a publisher who has published something similar.

[image error]

“Space Magic” by David D Levine

 

7. What do you anticipate will be or has been the hardest part of getting your collection ready for release? What will be/has been the easiest part of the process?

Formatting the collection from Word files into EPUB and MOBI was surprisingly easy (I used Scrivener) but producing the 15 separate short story files was much more work than I’d anticipated. Dealing with all the ebook stores, especially Apple, has also been terribly time-consuming. And publicity is very hard for me!

 

8. Which short story writer do you admire most and why? How have they influenced your own short story writing?

For years, my favorite writer was Larry Niven, who combined clear prose, interesting plots based on physics and astronomy, and fascinating aliens. I’m also a big fan of writers such as Poul Anderson, Fritz Leiber, and George R. R. Martin, who flitted back and forth between SF and Fantasy.

9. What promotional activities do you have planned for your collection?

It will be promoted via the Book View Café website and blog, by the members of the Book View Café collective individually, and I’ve been doing a number of blog interviews like this one. I’ve also made a promotional video for the upcoming anthology The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination, which I hope to piggyback on for some Space Magic sales: “Letter to the Editor”.

10. What’s next? Please tell us about your next writing project.

I’m working on a novel set in an alternate English Regency with airship travel to Mars and Venus. Arabella, born on Mars, was recently hauled back to Earth by her mother and finds England stifling. When she learns her evil cousin plans to travel to Mars, kill her brother, and inherit the family fortune, she disguises herself as a boy and joins the crew of a fast merchant ship in hopes of stopping him. But pirates, mutiny, and rebellion intervene. Will she reach her brother in time?

Wow – sounds amazing. Good luck for that, and thank you for joining us here today!

What about you, dear reader? Do you have a short story collection you’d like to publish and, if so, what interested you most about David’s answers? Let me know in the comments below. Next time, we’ll ask the same questions of our UK author Tim Lebbon.