In 1632, Jebediah P. Milford, Earl of Worster Shire, became famous for eviscerating any poet whose work he found displeasing. Thus began the Milford critique method.
Okay, that’s not true. What is true is that both giving and receiving good critique can be one of the best ways to improve as a writer (other than writing lots of words). I could go into the real history and facts about the Milford workshop, or similar workshops like Clarion West, but you probably don’t care too much about that (and it is easy enough to lookup on the web). What is important, and what you should care very deeply about, is how to get the most out of this critique method for the betterment of your writing, and indeed, the betterment of all humankind.
I recently answered a question about finding spec fic markets responsive to stories with a “green message”. Here’s my answer, and it applies to stories with any kind of message — political, social, religious, sexual, even a rant against whoever canceled the latest Joss Whedon show.
Second, generally speaking, all magazines are open to stories that have a green message (who doesn’t enjoy Kermit’s musings?), with the caveat that what magazines really care about is the story, not the message. You can have the most important message in the world, but if your story is a thinly veiled excuse just to deliver that message, or if you deliver it in a “As you know Bob, all the reefs died due to global warming and pollution.” “That’s right Ed, if only we had done X we would not now have to try to repopulate the oceans to prevent a catastrophic collapse of the food chain” manner, nobody is going to hear your message over their own groans.
But if you tell a gripping and moving story about your character, who just happens to be affected and their world shaped by whatever issue you are concerned with, if you let us experience first-hand the negatives you worry about rather than pointing them out to us, etcetera – in short, if you tell a dramatic story about a character we care about and sneak your message in like a message ninja – then really what you should be looking at is not magazines that support a green (or whatever) message, but rather the magazines that support stories of whatever sub-genre and length yours is.
Moreover, if you focus on magazines that are known for supporting green (or whatever) messages, well, you’ll be preaching to the choir anyway. So really, you should be looking for ways to get your message out to readers who don’t already know and agree with everything you’re likely to be wanting to share.
At least, that’s my experience/ impression/ knowledge bestowed upon me by the aliens who live in my sock drawer/ best advice.
I wrote this story during Clarion West, partly as a response to a doom and gloom speech I heard on the future of the publishing industry. But folks like Mary Robinette Kowal and Cory Doctorow reaffirm my belief that we who create or consume the fiction, we have power to affect the course of things. eBooks are really not so different from paperbacks if we push for the right to truly own what we purchase. Books as objects can return to being lovingly crafted pieces of art, to be collected and displayed proudly in order to impress your date/guests. Er, I mean, to show your love of the written word. And in the end, all of us time-conscious readers will still want someone to filter out the good from the ocean of crap for us and will pay a little extra for that service. Sparkly vampires aside. So I believe the future of the written word remains bright. And if I’m wrong, I will happily accept patronage offers.
Interesting note: the recorded pod cast is actually from an earlier version of the story, and the online text is from the updated version, which I see as a happy accident because A) I went back and forth over the beginning and am still not sure which I like better (though the printed version is tighter), and B) it is a record I think of how my writing (or at least editing) improved over the time between versions. Although the very beginning of the story is the main difference, there are also a number of small differences that demonstrate opportunities to eliminate unneeded words and poor sentence structures. The story synchs up pretty quickly (once Andre enters the library) so if you listen and follow along with the text, you’ll spot the differences.
Thank you to Roberto Suarez for his podcast reading.
I’m looking between my computer screen with the shiny first chapters of my new book, and out the window at the shiny snow-covered yard, and smiling big.
I love the way snow makes everything look pristine and magical, hiding the ugliness of pavement and blemishes in the scenery, just waiting for me to come out and play, and be creative. Yeah, later my fingers may freeze and ache, and I might run into problems with driving, or worry about power outages, but right now it is all pure awesome.
And likewise, I love when I start a new writing project. The blank white page, pristine and perfect, waiting for me to play and be creative, and then that magical feeling as I fill the page with words, and those words start to shape into a story. Yeah, later, my fingers may freeze on the keys as I will struggle with the middle bit, and I’ll agonize a million times over that beginning, and might run into problems driving all the way through to the ending, or worry about losing my muse.
I chatted a bit with Ken Scholes, and experienced his interpretation of U2’s “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” as performed by the Queen of England and Bob Dylan.
David Levine revealed that he is in fact as wealthy as Bill Gates (not the Microsoft guy, but some guy named Bill Gates who is, coincidentally, as wealthy as David Levine). He wouldn’t tell us his secret, but I got the impression it had something to do with putting all his money into Asian stocks, freezing himself in carbonite to remove any need for expenditures, thawing himself out once time travel becomes real and affordable, trading his stocks for unobtanium (the most valuable element in the universe), and then travelling back to the present with it. Or he invested in a 401k. One of the two, I’m pretty certain. Oh, and he also shared how his character stories get layered onto his idea stories late in his rewriting process, which you’d never guess.
Tor editor Beth Meacham gave me some excellent feedback on the opening of my YA fantasy novel (as did the other wonderful writers in her group). We also chatted about other topics writerly and not, and she was very generous with her time and feedback in general. She managed a perfect balance of blunt and gracious. However, while she is indeed bionic, the rumors of her extendable fingernails that bleed red ink as they shred your manuscript are greatly exaggerated.
I learned that Spencer Ellsworth wants to be just like me, right down to writing a Persian fantasy with poetry, and the weekend was only slightly marred by my need to get and apply a restraining order, and the daily inventory of my clothing to make sure nothing had gone missing. But boy, could he play guitar.
Spencer Dreams he is Randy
Bob Mayer gave a series of presentations over the weekend from which I gleaned a few pearls of “huh, maybe I’ll try that.”
I also gave a presentation (kicking off the workshop) on the Evolution of a Genre Writer in Six Stages that seemed very well-received.
Writing, chatting, wine, chatting, live music, chatting, dodging idiots driving their cars on the beach, chatting, playing “Once Upon a Time”, chatting. All in all, a great time. Thanks to Karen Junker and family, our upstairs neighbors and party hostesses Shannon Page and Elizabeth Colemen, and to everyone else who helped make it so.
2012 will be held in Vancouver, Washington. You can register now.
The anthology 2020 Visions, in which my story “A Shelter for Living Things” appears, is now
Color Proof of Cover by artist Jonathon Fowler
available for pre-order at a special price (in the US).
Plus if you pre-order, you get a year’s subscription to M-Brane SF Magazine.
The Anthology is edited by Rick Novy and features stories by Mary Robinette Kowal, Sheila Finch, Jason Ridler, Ernest Hogan, David Lee Summers, Jeff Spock, Emily Devenport, Cat Rambo, Jack Mangan, David Boop, Spencer German Ellsworth, Gareth L Powell, Alethea Kontis, Alex Wilson, and David Gerrold.
Also wrote a non-fiction piece for Fantasy Magazine and made some really good progress on my YA novel at the same time, so bonus!
Short Story 2 is a fantasy story that was inspired by a dream in which I was describing a story — in the dream, I described a female centaur that wakes up next to a dwarf, and sees a step ladder next to the bed, and says, “Oh gods, what did I do last night?” Suffice to say, I did not go in the obvious direction that suggested, but when I started asking why she was in that situation it did inspire a centaur story.
I’ll post an excerpt once I have one worth posting.
I made good progress on short story numero uno, a near-future scifi story “Shall I Die, Oh My Daughter, Shall I Die?”
Words so far: 3,359. I’m happy with that. keeping in mind that I am also working on my YA novel at the same time and this was the Locus Awards/ workshop weekend.
In this sequel to Randy Henderson's acclaimed debut novel, Finn Fancy Necromancy, Randy Henderson spins another tale full of adventure, magic, and laughs, exploring in more depth the magical world and characters introduced in the first book.
“… it’s an urban fantasy, one that takes place in and around present-day Seattle. But even though it deals with sinister magic and family tragedy, it counterbalances that darkness with something that’s become increasingly rare in fantasy fiction: laughs, laughs, and more laughs.” -- NPR
