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. What makes a good short story? 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 short fiction editors. HERE, I would discover the SECRET of breaking into ASIMOV’S, F&SF, CLARKESWORLD, and countless Anthologies…by hearing the secret advice of these fabulous writers:
José Pablo Iriarte (JI)– lots of stories, several awards!
AT Greenblatt(ATG) – lots of stories!
Michael Swanwick (MS) – numerous stories, novels, and awards!
Rebeca Roanhorse (RR) – numerous stories, novel, and awards!
Kel Coleman (KC) – several stories, they are a new light in the SF sky!
From my notes of the session, I’ll summarize the most salient points each writer made.
Advice from JI:
“Focus on emotional PUNCH”, “I’m a plotter”; “You need SCENES”; “A novel is vignettes with characters”; “Life In Stone Glass and Plastic” – one of the first places I learned to ‘gut punch’ [with] an inevitable surprise ending.”; “Artwork that you really interact with.”; “Analyze the stories of others”; “‘Perfect’ is the ENEMY of good.”
Advice from RR:
“A short story is ONE IDEA I want to communicate. In a novel, I discover what the book is about”; “Write quickly and EXPERIMENT”; “Anthologies make money, sell reprints”; “Option your stories. Be strategic.”; “In ‘Welcome To Your Authentic Indian’, I wondered ‘what if a white person made a better Indian that the character is?’ I wanted to pull the reader into the story, so I used second person to explore ‘what is culpability?’ (read it here: https://apex-magazine.com/short-fiction/welcome-to-your-authentic-indian-experience/); “Write the story only you can write. DON’T copy or write to the market. Let the MARKET decide [if it wants you].”
Advice from ATG:
“Spark an image in your short story, the weirder the idea, the better”; “Check The Grinder and Ralan for anthologies”; “‘__________’ family in a mineshaft. Told by courses of a meal . Tension microaggressions. Visceral.”; “Read other genres – try something new.”
Advice from KC:
“How do you plot?”; “When you’re done, what do you do?”; “Demonstrating is best”; “What about chapters in a short story? JI: “Doesn’t seem to damage. Generally CAN’T stand on itself.”; “I’ve worked years on stories – seven years missing the skill set to TELL the story. Had to trunk it.”; “You need resources.”
Advice from MS:
“A short story should be THE most important incident in a character’s life. In a novel, it should be the most important PERIOD in the character’s life.”; “KNOW something – the story is shaped by your research. It’s a race between what the story and the research.”; “I laid in a parking lot to see what I could see. LOOK at things.”; “Ideas are NOT precious. They should be used!”; “SF writers don’t get paid much. Get the novel FIRST to support your short fiction. Poverty is your choice.”; “SF writers can ask questions – ‘Foresight’ in which consciousness is reversed.”; “Gardner Dozois: ‘Start the story, stick the ending.’”; “Publishing a part of a novel is hard to do. I have published the opening; then cannibalized the novel for a short story.”; “Write a story you HAVE to write; do it; send it.”
In brief:
José Pablo Iriarte: “Focus on emotional PUNCH…one of the first places I learned to ‘gut punch’ [with] an inevitable surprise ending.”
Rebeca Roanhorse: “A short story is ONE IDEA I want to communicate.”; “Write quickly and EXPERIMENT”
AT Greenblatt: “Spark an image in your short story, the weirder the idea, the better”
Michael Swanwick: “A short story should be THE most important incident in a character’s life. In a novel, it should be the most important PERIOD in the character’s life.”, “Write a story you HAVE to write; do it; send it.”
I learned and I’m applying this collection of wisdom. I hope you can use it as well. Good luck!
Program Schedule: https://discon3.org/schedule/
Image: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQY860vAI2izm2g2mUgxzT14fGVmoGh66B51g&usqp=CAU
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