Yog's Notebook, blog edition
Monday, June 4, 2007
Story of the Week
Subterranean Magazine recently switched from print to the web, now offering quarterly content for free online. I've been very impressed with the stories and essays they publish.
My story of the week is from their new Summer issue. It's "Dispersed by the Sun, Melting in the Wind" by Rachel Swirsky, a poignant narrative of the last people on earth. It reminds me a little of one of my long-time favorites, Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains". Slow, subtle, a series of images that stick.
My story of the week is from their new Summer issue. It's "Dispersed by the Sun, Melting in the Wind" by Rachel Swirsky, a poignant narrative of the last people on earth. It reminds me a little of one of my long-time favorites, Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains". Slow, subtle, a series of images that stick.
Labels: rachel swirsky, stories, subterranean magazine
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Hugo Nominees, 2007
The Hugo Awards for science fiction and fantasy take place every year at WorldCon. This year it's happening August 30-September 3 in Japan. Anyone with a WorldCon membership is eligible to vote, and that includes people who purchase a supporting (non-attending) membership. So for $50 you could help decide who wins the awards.
Even if you won't be voting or attending, the Nippon2007 site has a page listing all the nominated works, with links to read all of the short stories and some of the novels for free online. I can attest that Glasshouse is excellent, and I've enjoyed other work by many of the other authors.
Even if you won't be voting or attending, the Nippon2007 site has a page listing all the nominated works, with links to read all of the short stories and some of the novels for free online. I can attest that Glasshouse is excellent, and I've enjoyed other work by many of the other authors.
Labels: awards, books, hugo, science fiction, stories
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
Archives
April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 October 2007
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]