- [i] Today's topic is "publishing and editing things." [[Scott H. Andrews]] of [[Beneath Ceaseless Skies]] is an older white guy with a greying beard. [[Cat Rambo]], the "hostess" of the class, is an older white woman, greying hair. Looks like about 20 people signed up for the class. ## Introductions - name - pronoun preferences - geographical location - one reason you're taking this class. - I publish microfiction and flash fiction on a weekly basis to paying subscribers, so I'm trying to get some tips on how to more quickly iterate through the self-editing process so quality doesn't dip as I burn through my backlog. With regards to openings, I particularly struggle with clarity. ## Lecture - color-coded according to how they get assigned, whether they got submitted by someone they trust to "jump the queue." * ~25% are tired/common ideas (d&d adventures, teen vampires, etc) * fantasy tavern * zombies * ~33% are "amateur level writing" * ~50% are "competent" * no new insight or new take on things, no unique personal or emotional investment from the author. * _shows_ character, conflict, emotion, but not doesn't make the reader _feel_ it (not personal, digging deep, no emotional investment, no resonance). ==My stories often start this way.== ### Editor preferences - Neil Clarke: "something that makes him think or feel" [[Clarkesworld]] - Shiela Williams [[Asimov's]]: "stories that integrate intriguing characters and clever plotting with well-developed science." ### Opening Paragraphs - seize the reader ("hook") with... * a thing to empathize with or engage with, for example: * interesting person * detail * observation interaction. * sense of voice, bonus for humor. * a sense of character with a personality / attitude or drive / or goal. * a sense of setting or world (some detail or view or vibe of an interesting place or setting) — i.e. "the clock struck thirteen." * sense of conflict / stakes / threat. * a sense of tension (curiosity, jeopard, contradiction, mystery) — keep them reading so they can figure out the reference. * you can absolutely do bold statements like "The door has three locks, and I am their key." - ...because you have to keep the reader reading. It's not a checklist. - you can open _in media res_ with an ongoing or nascent something that's important or significant. He likes first person point of view. He likes "the feel of a physical thing being built; vivid details of things being created." ### Bad Elements - problems can be "low stakes" "not enough details" "big infodump" - "gratuitous hook in the first line" i.e. something that you find out isn't "real" - _in media res_ in the middle of physical action when you don't know the stakes for the character yet. "If I don't know why they're in a swordfight I don't care that they're in a sword fight." - too little context that is _gratuitously_ hiding information "to create mystery or suspense." ### Expectations - subgenre impacts how a reader approaches a piece. - make sure the payoff is correctly telegraphed — don't give the reader a reason to stop reading. ## Common Structural Strategies - start on a day that's "different" because there's a change happening in the world, character, or plot. - a person, in a place, with a problem. I do this with [[2022.01.05 The Magic of Marsh Protection (FF)]]. - inciting incident, "event that thrusts the protagonist into the main action of the story." ![[short-story-writing-tips.png]] - What to focus on? * get to the inciting incident (main action / plot / arc right away) * focus on an aspect of the world. * briefly on an aspect of the unique or startling character * "bridging conflict" — something temporary to keep things engaging until the inciting incident. Dresden Files does this a lot, and it usually ties into a subplot. This is better for novels than short stories. - Consider: * what is most _important_ * what is easiest to _understand_ * ==what best sets up the _throughline_ for the story.== ![[throughline-matters.png]] - Make sure to balance exposition — don't do it for too long, live action is important... but live action can be harder for readers to understand, so also don't do _that_ for too long. ![[balance-the-opening.png]] - Character is very important; he wants a reader surrogate, that's easier in first person. - - -