Thoughts from a first-time slush reader
June 20, 2011 6 Comments
Over the past couple of months I’ve had the opportunity to read submissions for Loconeal’s upcoming science fiction/fantasy anthology. Our submitters displayed a lot of talent, and I enjoyed reading such a wide variety of stories.
However, I noticed a number of problems that seem to be common, as they crept up in multiple works. These problems, all surmountable, kept otherwise intriguing stories from publication. In sharing them, I hope to make our potential writers aware of what turns off editors. If you’re about to send to a magazine or anthology, read it over one last time. Ask yourself, does the story suffer from any of the following?
Grammatical errors
I was shocked at the number of writers who didn’t even use spell check on their last pass. Misspelled words pop out at editors, underlined with a red zigzag. If I see ‘hwen’ on the first page of a manuscript, I suspect that the author took little care with the story. That doesn’t make me pass on it automatically, but now the writer has my heightened level of skepticism to overcome.
Also, spell check can’t catch everything. Beware of homophones: ‘passed’ vs. ‘past’, or ‘whine’ vs. ‘wine’. Nitpick.
Does not meet publication’s guidelines
Our anthology is for science fiction, fantasy, or a combination. I was surprised to see straight horror stories in the mix. One story did not contain any speculative element, and at least one violated our profanity guidelines. Make sure your story matches the market before hitting send.
Sentence structure problems
These include confusing phrases, missing words, misplaced modifiers; any use of language that makes the editor scratch her head and wonder what you’re trying to say. Poetic prose is fine, as long as it’s readable and it works. Watch for mixed metaphors. To quote Mr. Furious in Mystery Men, “I don’t need a compass to see which way the wind shines.”
Well trammeled traveled ground
If you’re starting with a common premise, take a sharp turn from expectations immediately. That dog with Hitler’s brain in it had better be awfully special. When I read page one of your story, I should not be able to predict the ending, particularly if it’s supposed to be a twist.
Understand your character’s profession
This doesn’t mean you need an MD if your primary character is a doctor. But if it plays a role in the story, you should at least know generally what a doctor does. In one story, a professional was amazed that a colleague displayed a rudimentary grasp of the subject (I, a layperson, knew it was basic knowledge in the field). A minor point, but it distracted me and made the story and character ring false.
In several cases, borderline stories could have moved into the ‘yes’ category with a more careful final draft. My advice? Read your story closely. Does each sentence make sense, bring life to the page, and move the story forward? Clean up awkward phrasing, words that don’t work. Comb each line.
Get outside opinions. If you’re a member of a writing group, get feedback from several members. If you’re not, consider joining one (the topic of finding a writing group merits its own article). Or at least have a few friends, hopefully picky English major types, tear it to shreds. When your tears dry, rewrite.
Also, know the genre. This will help you avoid cliches and turn tropes to fresh uses. Plus, reading with a writer’s eye improves your own writing.
Most importantly: once you’ve completed the other steps, submit. Most of us write because we want to share our words with others. Don’t let your fear of rejection keep you from sending along a good story. Yes, you will face rejection. A lot of it. But a well-written tale to the right editor’s eyes is a work of beauty.
I get excited when I read stories that engage me, make points of connection, and I get to pass along that excitement along to other readers. That connection is magical. Take the chance to share it with us.
[Edited to fix a word usage error; thanks to Sylvia Kelso for the catch. I'm violating my own advice!]
About fvanhorne
Ah, the joys of reading slush. It can be frustrating. But it can be balanced out by finding those stories that really hit it on the mark.
Terry, have you had some experience reading slush?
I was actually impressed with a lot of the stories we received. To be fair, some of what I got had already gone through a first pass (though some was ‘raw slush’). I can’t wait for the anthology to come out!
ummm I’ve only published a few short steoris ‘ but they’d have no bar of it. I think I prefaced my short talk with the fact that this was how I’d come to writing, and this was what worked for me. Everyone had to find what worked for them.But I guess that’s what it is. Everyone likes to hear how writers do what they do. It’s partly the whole thing that published writers obviously have the secret’ and we might be able to glean hints at that secret. The truth, however, is rather more mundane.It might feel strange, but bask in it all the same! It’s well deserved attention, despite what you might think
You go to the movies and there’s this guy who quits his job as a reporter. He goes up into the woods, and of course there’s a monster or a murderer or some other entanglement, but in the end, the guy rips the last page out of his typewriter and tosses it into the box.
The screen fades. Just before the credits, the guys at a book signing, tossing back a glass of wine.
The heroine of the story of the story walks up, puts her hand on his shoulder and leans in for a kiss. “Big success. They love it.”
He smiles, hands her the royalty check for $200,000 and says, “That ought to tide us over until the next book.”
“Well, just do your writing in the city, where it’s safe,” she says. Credits come up. Music swells. The cop who’d had it all wrong for so long, dogging the writer unjustly, nods and leaves the book store.
So, of course, everybody thinks that’s how it’s done. Rrrrrrriiiiight.
These are some great points. Like I mentioned in the blog post you commented on, Faith, I have run into those types of things with various submissions. Now I am more careful when I edit. I will even edit 3 or 4 times before I consider SELF publishing a story. And that’s because I learned how to do it to submit for traditional publication.
fvanhorne,
Yes, I edit/read slush for a small ezine.