Ask An Editor: Long-Form Writing
What makes a good novel? How do you know it’s ready? Where should you send it and how should you respond to comments? This is your chance to ask burning questions to a panel of respected agents and editors.
George Jreije: writer
Katherine Crighton: slush reader for Tor Books
Narah Wolfe: anthology editor, Simon and Schuster, Saga Press, Subterranean Press
Trevor Quachri: Analog (!!!!!)
Joshua Bilmes: (Mod), agent Jabberwocky
I’ll confess my main reason for attending this one was because Trevor Quachri, editor of ANALOG Science Fiction and Fact (where I’ll have placed nine stories in the past quarter century!) was one of the panelists. I’ll arrange this session the way I arranged the last one – I’m going to gather all the comments of each participant into a whole so that we, as writers, can maybe get a sense of how the editors work and how we can work with them when we deal with the long form – novel, novelette, and novella (in the magazines).
Katherine Crighton, slush reader for Tor Books and also writes review of SF/F for Publisher’s Weekly had this to say about writing for her: One thing she looks for in the long form is that there’s an IDEA she wants to follow; an idea that would make it worth her time to pursue. In that story, she has ONE book to give them, so he needs to know immediately, “What is the question I NEED TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO?” She also wants to know what else is the writing saying? She’s trusting the author to really explore the problem. She wants to have a sense of “Tune in NEXT time…” when she stops reading. Then [with mock dismay] says, “Well, there goes another two hours!” She wants to be left THINKING about the piece. When asked, “How do editors read for fun?”, she quipped, “They don’t!” If she reads it all the way through, then she’s enjoying it; so that she can say, “I like this and here’s why.” How does an author even get to the slush pile? “Just send it. Everyone can do that. It’s hard, but if you have something amazing, send it! However, DON’T carry your manuscript with you to something like this.” Last bit of advice: “It’s PEOPLE all the way down. [Editors] know it could be US…”
Narah Wolfe, anthology editor, Simon and Schuster, Saga Press, Subterranean Press had this to say about writing for her: “More than anything, I need a character I want to follow. [When I read a manuscript, I need to feel] “This is incredible! Wonderful! But [as an editor], how can I make it BETTER. Every book has to have a vision. [When working with an author], “They need to be easy to work with. Buying a SERIES is a risk. A stand-alone I can take beyond.” She IS interested in our book, “I WANT to work with you, but the writer needs to be willing to have a frank conversation. The author can’t be adamant about not making changes! Know what you CAN change and what you WANT to change.” She believes that an author needs an agent because hey take the “emotion” out of making a deal. She also suggests that writers read outside of their genre. When she can’t read, she goes back and re-reads books she loves.
What makes a good novel? How do you know it’s ready? Where should you send it and how should you respond to comments? This is your chance to ask burning questions to a panel of respected agents and editors.
George Jreije: writer
Katherine Crighton: slush reader for Tor Books
Narah Wolfe: anthology editor, Simon and Schuster, Saga Press, Subterranean Press
Trevor Quachri: Analog (!!!!!)
Joshua Bilmes: (Mod), agent Jabberwocky
I’ll confess my main reason for attending this one was because Trevor Quachri, editor of ANALOG Science Fiction and Fact (where I’ll have placed nine stories in the past quarter century!) was one of the panelists. I’ll arrange this session the way I arranged the last one – I’m going to gather all the comments of each participant into a whole so that we, as writers, can maybe get a sense of how the editors work and how we can work with them when we deal with the long form – novel, novelette, and novella (in the magazines).
Katherine Crighton, slush reader for Tor Books and also writes review of SF/F for Publisher’s Weekly had this to say about writing for her: One thing she looks for in the long form is that there’s an IDEA she wants to follow; an idea that would make it worth her time to pursue. In that story, she has ONE book to give them, so he needs to know immediately, “What is the question I NEED TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO?” She also wants to know what else is the writing saying? She’s trusting the author to really explore the problem. She wants to have a sense of “Tune in NEXT time…” when she stops reading. Then [with mock dismay] says, “Well, there goes another two hours!” She wants to be left THINKING about the piece. When asked, “How do editors read for fun?”, she quipped, “They don’t!” If she reads it all the way through, then she’s enjoying it; so that she can say, “I like this and here’s why.” How does an author even get to the slush pile? “Just send it. Everyone can do that. It’s hard, but if you have something amazing, send it! However, DON’T carry your manuscript with you to something like this.” Last bit of advice: “It’s PEOPLE all the way down. [Editors] know it could be US…”
Narah Wolfe, anthology editor, Simon and Schuster, Saga Press, Subterranean Press had this to say about writing for her: “More than anything, I need a character I want to follow. [When I read a manuscript, I need to feel] “This is incredible! Wonderful! But [as an editor], how can I make it BETTER. Every book has to have a vision. [When working with an author], “They need to be easy to work with. Buying a SERIES is a risk. A stand-alone I can take beyond.” She IS interested in our book, “I WANT to work with you, but the writer needs to be willing to have a frank conversation. The author can’t be adamant about not making changes! Know what you CAN change and what you WANT to change.” She believes that an author needs an agent because hey take the “emotion” out of making a deal. She also suggests that writers read outside of their genre. When she can’t read, she goes back and re-reads books she loves.
Trevor Quachri, editor at the magazine, ANALOG Science Fiction and Fact had this to say about writing for him: “Does the story deliver an idea and then gets out of there?” A stand-alone novel you CAN expand on is the sweet spot of a story. It leans toward being self-contained, but is the “book in the back of their head” or a “Back Door Serial”. A series is different from the “secret novel”. The series has to be self-contained, each part has to be a complete story in itself. Such a serial novel has to have a high readability level, [and at ANALOG] has to have a hard science core, with science appearing on each page. Make sure your novel KEEPS UP THE PACE.
George Jreije, writer had this to say about writing: “Character and voice go hand-in-hand with their internal world-view and how they react.” Also, he believes the cast of characters is important – not just your main character. How do they round him – and each other – out. When looking for an agent, find someone who likes YOUR vision, and if you’re looking to write a series, make sure that each novel IS AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE AS A NOVEL!
Joshua Bilmes, moderator and agent Jabberwocky had this to say about writing: The story needs to be the best you can make it! [I expect] great magic in a story, but plot can be fixed. It’s never the best it can be – but the author should know, once they hear the problem, exactly how to fix it. The editor “…will be a pro and we’ll just work together.” “Agent vs Editor are two different kinds of opinions.
George Jreije, writer had this to say about writing: “Character and voice go hand-in-hand with their internal world-view and how they react.” Also, he believes the cast of characters is important – not just your main character. How do they round him – and each other – out. When looking for an agent, find someone who likes YOUR vision, and if you’re looking to write a series, make sure that each novel IS AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE AS A NOVEL!
Joshua Bilmes, moderator and agent Jabberwocky had this to say about writing: The story needs to be the best you can make it! [I expect] great magic in a story, but plot can be fixed. It’s never the best it can be – but the author should know, once they hear the problem, exactly how to fix it. The editor “…will be a pro and we’ll just work together.” “Agent vs Editor are two different kinds of opinions.
So, there we go -- more grist for the mill in order to better target our writing when we send them out into the world!
Program Schedule: https://discon3.org/schedule/
Image: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQY860vAI2izm2g2mUgxzT14fGVmoGh66B51g&usqp=CAU
Program Schedule: https://discon3.org/schedule/
Image: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQY860vAI2izm2g2mUgxzT14fGVmoGh66B51g&usqp=CAU
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