Slice of PIE: DISCON III – #6: Wisdom From Editors…Williams, Datlow, Thomas, and Clarke

Using the Programme Guide of the 2021 World Science Fiction Convention, DisCON III, which I WOULD have been attending in person if I felt safe enough to do so in person AND it hadn’t been changed to the week before the Christmas Holidays…I will jump off, jump on, rail against, and shamelessly agree with the BRIEF DESCRIPTION given in the Program Guide. I will be using the events to drive me to distraction or revelation – as the case may be. The link is provided below where this appeared!

This was one of the two sessions I awaited with bated breath. They were the sessions where I would discover the SECRET of breaking into ASIMOV’S, F&SF, CLARKESWORLD, and countless Anthologies…by hearing the secret advice of these fabulous editors: Sheila Williams (ASIMOV’S), Ellen Datlow (countless anthologies), Sheree Renée Thomas (F&SF), and Neil Clarke (CLARKESWORLD)

Perhaps the most memorable quote from the session came from Ellen Datlow: “Most stories aren’t terrible – they sit there like dead fish.”

Ouch! I confess that that’s the kind of rejection I get most often these days. I’ve had seven stories in ANALOG Science Fiction and Fact, I’ve been podcast twice on CAST OF WONDERS, I’ve had four stories in CRICKET The Magazine for Children and CICADA, I’m a slush reader and columnist for STUPEFYING STORIES…I KNOW I can write professionally…but I don’t often enough to satisfy myself. So, what’s my problem? [Recent Discovery: Pete Wood wrote, “Characters [come] first. I come up with a germ of an idea, set it aside and then create the characters…[then] throw them into the story and see [where] their personalities…takes me.”] and from F&SF: “[When you get a rejection that says “It didn’t quite work for me]…usually the ending. I know, endings are hard. But the emotional payoff, what you remember most about a story, is how it makes you feel at the end. So you have to be an Olympic gymnast and nail that dismount.”

Some more wisdom from the stars (the editors AND science fiction and fantasy!), grouped by editor.

One odd comment someone said before I start: “An ANALOG story is about solutions. An ASIMOV’S story is about consequences.”

Sheila Williams (ASIMOV’S)

“I read the story first, [looking for something to] catch my attention. I’ll put it aside for a deeper, longer read. I’m looking for new ideas.”
“Themes? There are none; but I like themes for seasons.”
“If the characters are bored or boring, then the reader and editor will be bored.”
“Who CARES if you wrote a novel.”
“Figure out what I HATE.”
“[You need] compassion [in your story.”
“Each story should be NEW, not dependent on another story. It has to stand on itself.”

Neil Clarke (CLARKSWORLD)

“Don’t worry about what you subbed before. We don’t remember them. We’re more interested in the story than you.”
“I buy what I like. [I’m a] period data junkie – where, first time, what’s happening, new, new to the magazine?”
“[I dislike a story] being predictable; or not paying attention to consequences of the technology or magic.”
“Once a novel is published, you’ll never see it as a short story.”
“[I like] a moving target, [the character] changes. Pleasantly surprised [with] different perspectives.”
“The wider your audience, the more successful the story. Where can you find your readers?”
“[If you] get a rejection in a day or two, you were WAY off the mark.”

Sheree Renée Thomas (F&SF)

“[I like] updated ideas. I don’t read your cover letter, I read the story. DON’T STAND OUT IN A NEGATIVE WAY! [You have] a fresh shot every time. [If you] get a rejection in a day or two, you were WAY off the mark.”
“Weird stories, well-written ones, make me read on. [I ask myself] Do I care?”
“NO rape, misogynistic language, objectifying women. The CHARACTER is flawed, not the writer. DON’T PLAGIARIZE! You have to being something NEW!
“Where’s your novel? [Short stories are] a special skill, harder to craft well. [A short story set in your novel’s world] is a respectable tradition. It’s ground for new writers to emerge in mastery.”
“[When I read, I have a rubric in my mind]: Do I care? What about your biggest hater? Is the pacing on point? What are the challenges? NOT BORING! What do I think of feel when I reach the last sentence? You have to make me think or feel, like, “Is this something I want to have a conversation about?”

Ellen Datlow (Anthology editor)

“I read stories as I get them for anthologies.”
“[I dislike] boring language.”
“Why did you write this story?”
“I have no idea what I like [until I read it].”
“When a writer writes, ‘This is the best story I ever wrote!’, it’s the WORST.”

“Compassion is important for me as an editor.”

JUST REMEMBER: “Most stories aren’t terrible – they sit there like dead fish.”

I’m going to have to start writing stories that are like FLOPPING fish!

Program Schedule: https://discon3.org/schedule/
Image: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQY860vAI2izm2g2mUgxzT14fGVmoGh66B51g&usqp=CAU