Tyree's Tuppence
by Tyree Campbell
What Editors Really Want
Show of hands, please. How many of you find inspiration for your writing in contemporary sf/f/h television shows?
Wow! So many . . . oh, dear . . .
Okay, next question: how many of you are having a lot of trouble selling your stories?
Hmm . . .
Okay, last question: how many of you see the connection between your responses to the first two questions?
A couple . . . ah, a couple more . . . and you, you, and you . . . you and you . . . a few more . . . yessss . . . ah, the break of dawn is almost audible. Right, then: let's see if we can fix this.
Let's go back to the beginning. If you're already aware of the history, consider this a review. James B. Baker, our founder and mentor, established ProMart Publishing back in the 1980s. His self-appointed mission was to publish beginning writers, those who were having trouble making their voices heard. His dream was to go to the stars [where he is now, having lifted off in September, 2002], and, more generally, for humanity to seek its destiny in the stars. He loved stories about that.
As time went on, Jim Baker came to accept that there were other types of stories--fantasy and, later, horror--that people wanted to read and to write. Fantasy came first, in the zines The Sixth Sense and The Fifth Di..., and the horror came around in the year before lift-off, in Champagne Shivers.
Then came lift-off, and those of us who were around at the time decided to keep the dream alive, keep on truckin', as it were. The dream, however--the mission--remained and still remains the same: to help beginning and new writers and to publish them when their work warrants publication. We did expand that mission somewhat: we also publish more . . . experienced writers, including some Stoker Award and Nebula winners and Hugo nominees. We get around, at Sam's Dot.
But we have not nor will we ever forget where we came from or what we set out to do.
Permit me a brief digression.
Writing an essay such as this one often feels futile. The very people I want to reach with it, who most need to read this, are the least likely to read it. It's like . . . well, it's like writing a letter to the newspaper when someone in traffic cuts you off or otherwise drives poorly and dangerously. That driver is among the least likely to read your letter to the editor, yet he/she is the one who most needs to. But no, that driver will go on and on, endangering people, totally oblivious to the blaring horns of indignation.
In the same manner, unpublished writers who continue to be unpublished don't bother reading the many, many essays out there about what editors and publishers are looking for, and complain that no one gives them a fair reading.
Still, we editors try. Why? Because no one wants you the writer to succeed more than we do--except, perhaps, you yourselves. Because if you can write well enough, we can sell your story and make us both a bit of dosh. We can sell adventures, characters, thrills, poignancy, wistfulness, heartbreak, heroism, exploration . . . Sigh. But we cannot sell abominable shash.
End digression.
Back around the year 778 there occurred a relatively minor military action south of the Pyrenees, after which the invading forces withdrew to the land of the Franks. To secure the withdrawal of the main body of the army as it passed over the mountains, a contingent of troops pulled rear-guard duty. As this rear guard passed through a gorge in the area of Roncesvaux, the defilade made it vulnerable to attack, and the locals did exactly that, slaughtering the rear guard to a man.
[History repeats. In "The Charge of the Light Brigade," the British made virtually the same tactical mistake 1076 years later at Balaklava. But wait! It gets worse. In one of life's magnificent ironies, the French repeated their own mistake 1176 years later at Dien Bien Phu in Indochina].
Getting back to the Pyrenees . . . about 200 years later an epic poet whose name is unknown to us composed a poem in which this minor rear-guard action became a stand of epic proportions led by a national hero. The poem, as you may have guessed by now, is Chanson de Roland. In it, Roland and his men have been betrayed, and are forced to fight off a treacherous attack by murderous Saracens. The overall battle is depicted as representative of the fundamental war between Christianity, represented by Charlemagne [and by extension Roland], and Islam, represented by the Saracens. Insert appropriate political comment here.
So basically the unknown author of the Song of Roland made a mountain out of a molehill. Which is what writers sometimes do. But he did more than that. It is said that art imitates life; the reverse may instead be true. That argument is for another time and, perhaps, for another writer. But the purpose of Art is to hold up to us what is possible for us as individuals and as humanity to become.
Art consists of representation. It may take the form of a sculpture, a painting, an architectural design . . . or a story. That is what the author of the Roland epic accomplished. He held up to the people of his time an example of the ideals toward which they might strive. Note that it matters not whether those people actually achieved those ideals--and in point of fact it is almost impossible to achieve those ideals, we being hardwired, it seems, for some of our flaws. The point here is that Art, which is to say stories and poems and illustrations as these pertain to us here at Sam's dot, holds up to us and to our readership the Possible. That Possible may take many forms in science fiction, fantasy, and horror . . .
Have I made my point? I hope so.
Now, about that story you submitted . . .
I am going to assume--I have to assume--that you know how to use words, how to assemble them into coherent phrases and sentences, how to assemble those sentences into paragraphs that convey what you want them to convey. If you are the sort of writer who simply splashes words onto a page and hopes for the best . . . you may want to consider ralphing on the sidewalk as a form of expression.
And now . . . the answers to the following do not guarantee that yours is a good story. Nor are the questions the only ones you should ask. They provide a guide--a powerful guide, to be sure--but they are not the sole indicators of quality. On that note . . . proceed.
1. What is your story about? What is the plotline of your story? Are there subplots? If so, what are they? What are the explicit or implicit possibilities in your story?
2. What is the fundamental conflict in the story? What secondary conflicts are in the story? How are these conflicts resolved?
3. Describe your major characters:
a. What motivates them to do what they do in the story.
b. What are their strengths?
c. What are their weaknesses?
d. What are their flaws?
e. How do you see these characters? What do you like about them? What do you dislike about them?
f. How do your characters change as a result of having experienced the events of the story? Note that death is a change, yes, but is usually too simple a response. Usually; in horror stories sometimes it works.
4. If you had not written this story, is this a story that you would want to read? Would you buy a publication that contained this story? Is this story the best that you can do? Really?
Well, there you are. No, don't send me your answers. But you should be able to write out [yes! actually write out!] the answers to the first three questions. The answer to the fourth question will depend on your self-honesty.
I'll conclude with this thought: if you cannot write out solid, substantive answers to the first three questions, your story probably is not ready for submission.
But wait! There's more! [You didn't really think you were going to be let off that easily, did you?]
I really recommend that you read a lot of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. See how other writers approach plots, character development, themes, descriptions, dialogue. Here, try this: go get a book by Jack Vance, or find a short story by Tanith Lee or Robert Heinlein, and read it. I don't care which one [although my personal selection would be something by Vance]. Read the book or short story. Then read your story. Then ask yourself this question: Can I do better with my story?
If you can, then do so. Then send the story to us. We'd like to see it.
And turn off your razza-frackin TV sets! You're better than that . . .
Past Tuppence:
December 2008
September 2008
June 2008
March 2008
December 2007
September 2007
June 2007
March 2007
December 2006
September 2006
June 2006
March 2006
December 2005
September 2005
June 2005
March 2005
December 2004
September 2004
June 2004
March 2004
December 2003
September 2003
June 2003
March 2003
December 2002
October 2002
August 2002
June 2002
April 2002
February 2002
December 2001
October 2001
August 2001
Read more from Tyree Campbell in any of the following:
The Dog at the Foot of the Bed
by Tyree Campbell
Wondrouse Web Worlds Vol. 6
Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 5
Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 4
Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 3
Sex and the Single Alien
An anthology
Nyx
A novel by Tyree Campbell
Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 2