Guest Post: Freeing the Lizard Brain: WERE-
Phyllis Irene Radford (aka Irene Radford, AKA Phyllis Ames) wrote up a short little essay on what it was like to work with me and Patricia Bray as an author for one of Zombies Need Brains' anthologies. In this case, she wrote a story for the WERE- anthology, out now in trade paperback [https://smile.amazon.com/Were--Seanan-McGuire/dp/1940709105] and ebook (Kindle [https://smile.amazon.com/Were-Seanan-McGuire-ebook/dp/B01JK2QIJK], Nook[http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/were-joshua-palmatier/1124600405?ean=2940156925445], Kobo, etc.). Here's what she had to say:
Freeing The Lizard Brain: WERE-
Short fiction is not my primary writing style. The first time I tried to come up with a short story I ended up with a four book series. But every once in a while an idea will hit me and develop into something readable.
When Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray asked me to contribute to their anthology WERE-, the idea for “Sniff For Your Life” had already been percolating for a few months. No trouble at all to write that story.
Writing a story is not the end of the work. It had to pass muster with the editors.
Over the years I have accumulated a fair number of pieces of short fiction—enough to fill three short collections. Very few of those stories were edited by the same person, or the same team. Each anthology theme requires a different attitude and style.
I knew that “Sniff” wasn’t perfect even after several drafts. I knew that the editors would request revisions, not only to strengthen the story but to fit their attitude and style. It happens every time. Sometimes more work, sometimes less.
What surprised me most was that Josh and Pat looked at the story and saw my vision for what it needed to be. They did not ask me to edit out passages just because they needed work. They saw how to make them work because my lizard brain knew what the story needed, just not the best way to present it.
Staying true to an author’s vision for the story is a rare commodity in fiction, even more special in short fiction because you only have a few thousand words to develop it. In a novel you have the word count to develop that vision, that character, that plot thread, etc. over time, planting tiny details in layer after layer.
Thank you Josh and Pat for believing that my lizard brain is smarter than me and finding ways to let it loose with the proper way of presenting my story, not change my story to fit your vision of the anthology.
Phyllis Irene Radford
a.k.a. Phyllis Ames
Newsletter: http://www.ireneradford.net/
*******************
And don't forget Zombies Need Brains' other recent anthology release, ALIEN ARTIFACTS! Trade paperback [https://smile.amazon.com/Alien-Artifacts-Seanan-McGuire/dp/1940709083], Kindle [https://smile.amazon.com/Alien-Artifacts-Seanan-McGuire-ebook/dp/B01JK5WB34], Nook [http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alien-artifacts-joshua-palmatier/1124600406?ean=2940156925452].
Freeing The Lizard Brain: WERE-
Short fiction is not my primary writing style. The first time I tried to come up with a short story I ended up with a four book series. But every once in a while an idea will hit me and develop into something readable.
When Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray asked me to contribute to their anthology WERE-, the idea for “Sniff For Your Life” had already been percolating for a few months. No trouble at all to write that story.
Writing a story is not the end of the work. It had to pass muster with the editors.
Over the years I have accumulated a fair number of pieces of short fiction—enough to fill three short collections. Very few of those stories were edited by the same person, or the same team. Each anthology theme requires a different attitude and style.
I knew that “Sniff” wasn’t perfect even after several drafts. I knew that the editors would request revisions, not only to strengthen the story but to fit their attitude and style. It happens every time. Sometimes more work, sometimes less.
What surprised me most was that Josh and Pat looked at the story and saw my vision for what it needed to be. They did not ask me to edit out passages just because they needed work. They saw how to make them work because my lizard brain knew what the story needed, just not the best way to present it.
Staying true to an author’s vision for the story is a rare commodity in fiction, even more special in short fiction because you only have a few thousand words to develop it. In a novel you have the word count to develop that vision, that character, that plot thread, etc. over time, planting tiny details in layer after layer.
Thank you Josh and Pat for believing that my lizard brain is smarter than me and finding ways to let it loose with the proper way of presenting my story, not change my story to fit your vision of the anthology.
Phyllis Irene Radford
a.k.a. Phyllis Ames
Newsletter: http://www.ireneradford.net/
*******************
And don't forget Zombies Need Brains' other recent anthology release, ALIEN ARTIFACTS! Trade paperback [https://smile.amazon.com/Alien-Artifacts-Seanan-McGuire/dp/1940709083], Kindle [https://smile.amazon.com/Alien-Artifacts-Seanan-McGuire-ebook/dp/B01JK5WB34], Nook [http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alien-artifacts-joshua-palmatier/1124600406?ean=2940156925452].
No comments have been added yet.
