Yog's Notebook, blog edition
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Things I don't want to read (and a few things I do)
I just caught up on all of the stories we've received through the end of April. We'll be sending out responses as soon as I can get Lucas to review the things he hasn't read yet. We tend to do rejections first (some stories pretty clearly won't work for us), and then start evaluating which of the stories that pass the first round will actually make it into the magazine.
Every time I read a batch of new submissions, I notice certain patterns in stories that are really an automatic no for me. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to send us their work, but some things aren't going to make the cut. Here's a few elements to avoid:
* Completely gratuitous violence. I want a balance of science fiction and horror, but we receive a lot of things that are gross without being scary or thought-provoking. Especially when the story is about raping or torturing women. Sorry, no.
* Stories that have more sex than plot. I'm not saying no sex at all (Bill Kte'pi's story "Everything Life Carries on Without" certainly includes it), but if the whole point of the story is the sex, there are other publications that would be better choices for your work.
* All action, no plot. Tell me about zombies, monsters, aliens from another galaxy. Go ahead and blow things up. This is great. But ultimately we want stories about people, not GI Joe adventures.
That said, here's what I wish we'd receive more of:
* Stories about strange technology and its implications. The Singularity. Nanotech. Read the "Lobsters" story in Charles Stross' Accelerando for a great example.
* Space exploration. I'd even go for retro Moon colonies if it had a good setting and characters. Get out into the unknown.
* Humor. Being funny can be hard, but you can develop a sense for what works and what doesn't over time. Have a friend read it if you're not sure.
In general, the thing that would most help the stories we reject is having someone else to review it before it's submitted. An outside reader can help spot problems while you still have a chance to fix it. Ultimately, Lucas and I want to select stories that readers of Yog's Notebook will be excited to see, and the best thing you can do to get your work there is to have other people read through it, and tell you what they think.
Every time I read a batch of new submissions, I notice certain patterns in stories that are really an automatic no for me. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to send us their work, but some things aren't going to make the cut. Here's a few elements to avoid:
* Completely gratuitous violence. I want a balance of science fiction and horror, but we receive a lot of things that are gross without being scary or thought-provoking. Especially when the story is about raping or torturing women. Sorry, no.
* Stories that have more sex than plot. I'm not saying no sex at all (Bill Kte'pi's story "Everything Life Carries on Without" certainly includes it), but if the whole point of the story is the sex, there are other publications that would be better choices for your work.
* All action, no plot. Tell me about zombies, monsters, aliens from another galaxy. Go ahead and blow things up. This is great. But ultimately we want stories about people, not GI Joe adventures.
That said, here's what I wish we'd receive more of:
* Stories about strange technology and its implications. The Singularity. Nanotech. Read the "Lobsters" story in Charles Stross' Accelerando for a great example.
* Space exploration. I'd even go for retro Moon colonies if it had a good setting and characters. Get out into the unknown.
* Humor. Being funny can be hard, but you can develop a sense for what works and what doesn't over time. Have a friend read it if you're not sure.
In general, the thing that would most help the stories we reject is having someone else to review it before it's submitted. An outside reader can help spot problems while you still have a chance to fix it. Ultimately, Lucas and I want to select stories that readers of Yog's Notebook will be excited to see, and the best thing you can do to get your work there is to have other people read through it, and tell you what they think.
Labels: reading, science fiction, sf, stories, things to avoid, things to do
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