W1S1 Interview: Verity Linden of Curiosity Quills

Today, W1S1 is delighted to have an interview with Verity Linden of Curiosity Quills. Verity talks about their upcoming Creature Feature anthology as well as other CQ projects of interest to W1S1ers.


Q. Can you tell us about the Creature Feature anthology and the sort of thing you are looking for?

A. Creature Feature is something a bit unusual, both in the breadth of what we are accepting, and in its purpose. We are looking for a very wide range of submissions; visual, in the form of photography, photomanipulation, art in traditional and digital media, in addition to written submissions of short fiction and poetry in any and all genres. The only restrictions are on tone and theme. As this is an all-ages anthology, we're keeping away from graphic blood, gore, sex and cussing, as well as the darkest of the hopeless ruined dystopias. Thematically, we want the anthology to explore the relationship we have with the myriad of other creatures that inhabit this world – both the ones we know about, and the ones we don’t. These creatures can be real or mythical, allies or predators, so long as they interact with either people or man-made factors.

The purpose of the anthology ties in with the theme - what makes Creature Feature a bit different, is the profits will be donated to an animal charity, nominated by the contributors, voted for by the readers. Every submission will represent an animal shelter or charity, and once the anthology is published, readers will have two months to vote on their favourite written and favourite visual submission, with the profits split between the winner from each.

The usual restrictions on reprints, length, format etc are explained in more detail on the submission page at http://curiosityquills.com/call-for-submissions-creature-feature-anthology/.


Q. There's a lot more to Curiosity Quills than just this anthology: can you tell us more about yourselves? Are there other opportunites open to Write1Sub1ers?

A. Curiosity Quills is a two-pronged site. The community site posts articles about writing technique, social media use, publicising your book and any number of other topics useful to authors, as well as humour feature columns by the likes of CatFoodBreath and Paranormalady, and short stories. We're always open for pitches for quality content for the community site.

The other side is Curiosity Quills Press, which focuses on speculative and paranormal fiction, though with at least one piece of literary fiction in the pipeline the options are always open. Although not announced yet (hush, I told you nothing) there is an anthology of dark short fiction planned for later in the year, so that's one to keep an eye out for.

Submissions for any of these areas should be sent to editor@curiosityquills.com


Q. Do you see any common problems with the submissions you receive? Is there anything in a story you really look out for? Any tips to potential contributors?

A. The most common problems? Not reading the submissions guidelines (too long, too short, sent in PDF format) and missing deadlines (a wonderful submission the day after we've finished putting the anthology together is, frankly, an almost inevitable annoyance). As for tips beyond that? For site submissions, have a good read of the Curiosity Quills site before pitching us, so you know how your idea might fit in. For Creature Feature, submissions that make us stop and think about the relationship / interaction between the human and animal element of the story and what impacts they might have on each other are likely to stick out, bit first and foremost, be creative and give us something we haven't seen before!



Thanks, Linden! If you're interested in submitting to Curiosity Quills, the general guidelines are here.

Write1Sub1 Week #7 Check-In

It's the end of W1S1 Week #7!

How's the week been for you? Have you managed to write your stories or has real life gotten in the way? Here's your chance to tell everybody about it, whether you're a weekly or monthly (or anything in between) W1S1 participant.

If you've managed to write and submit a story/poem, let us know. If you've had something accepted or published, tell us so we can add you to the Write1Sub1 Hall of Fame. But if your muse has gone AWOL and every reply has been a rejection, let us know that too so we can commiserate. We're all in this together.

As a new feature for 2012, remember to note your paid publications ($) for our Published Work$ page. While W1S1 continues to encourage all avenues for publication, we want to especially highlight those stories/markets that put food on a writer's table.

Successes and failures, triumphs and disasters, brilliant ideas and insane dreams: we want to read all about them ...

Bradbury Bytes

...You are, in effect, dropping stones down a well. Every time you hear an echo from your subconscious, you know yourself a little better. A small echo may start an idea. A big echo may result in a story...  (Ray Bradbury, from The Writer's Archive 4/2008)

You just never know, do you? A scrap of dialogue that floats over from the next table in the restaurant where you're eating lunch. A quick glance that catches the sun glistening on the ripples of a lake where a duck just flew away. The sharp chemical scent that assaults you as you walk past the nail salon in the mall.


Two writers, two artists, will catch that same conversation, will see that sunlight, will smell the nail salon but maybe only one of them will hear that echo, will heed it and turn it into a poem. Or maybe they both will hear that echo but where one will turn it into a modern sculpture, the other will write a children's book.

It's about learning to listen for that echo, for what speaks directly to us, and how to give it shape and form and meaning for the rest of the world.

Write1Sub1 Week #6 Check-In

It's the end of W1S1 Week #6!

How's the week been for you? Have you managed to follow your dreams or has real life gotten in the way? Here's your chance to tell everybody about it, whether you're a weekly or monthly (or anything in between) W1S1 participant.

If you've managed to write and submit a story/poem, let us know. If you've had something accepted or published, tell us so we can add you to the Write1Sub1 Hall of Fame. But if your muse has gone AWOL and every reply has been a rejection, let us know that too so we can commiserate. We're all in this together.

As a new feature for 2012, remember to note your paid publications ($) for our Published Work$ page. While W1S1 continues to encourage all avenues for publication, we want to especially highlight those stories/markets that put food on a writer's table.

Successes and failures, triumphs and disasters, brilliant ideas and insane dreams: we want to read all about them ...

Publisher Interview : Electric Spec

 
David E. Hughes, one of the editors of shockingly good speculative magazine Electric Spec kindly agreed to talk to Write1Sub1. Here's what David had to say:



Q. Can you tell us a little about Electric Spec and the sort of thing you aim to publish?

A. Electric Spec is an on-line 'zine that has been around for six years now. We publish quarterly, and pay a flat rate of $20 per story. Each issue also includes original artwork on the cover, for which we also pay artists $20. All of our stories fall into the broad categories of science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre. In addition to stories, we also include interview with established authors, a movie column, and an "editors corner" with fiction or op-ed from one of the editors.


Q. What are the top two or three things you look for in a submission - or do you just know a good story when you see it?

A. We like our stories to be engaging from the very beginning. In the on-line world, distraction is just a click away. If we don't see something that draws us in right away, such a clear conflict, a unique character, an original world, or a stand-out voice, the story is unlikely to make the cut. As for the rest of the story, we like plots with action. Stories that are mostly dialogue or flashback are usually not engaging enough for us. Finally, we like the ending to make sense in the context of the story. It does not have to be brilliant or twist-y, be we like to have a sense that the author has sufficiently tied things up.


Q. What sorts of things put you off the submissions you receive? Are there any common mistakes people should be careful to avoid?

A. In our blog, we have lots of posts where we've tried to capture common mistakes that can result in stories going in the reject pile. I think it is a good resources for newer writers who are just getting into the short story business. Overall, we've been impressed with the high-quality submissions we've been getting lately, very few of which fall neatly into the "common mistakes" category. Writers should keep in mind that the competition out there is really tough. We get several hundred submissions for each issue, including stories from professional, multi-published writers. For stories that make the final round but do not make the final cut, we often find ourselves wishing the author had a critique group or beta readers. While we are willing to work with the author in terms of tightening a story or correcting one or two minor flaws, sometimes good stories have a problem too big to fix through editing. For those, if a good critique group had looked at the story with a critical eye, the problem would likely have been caught and corrected before getting to us.


Q. The Electric Spec blog offers invaluable advice on the the fiction writing process as well as great insight into what's going on behind the scenes at the magazine. How important do you think this sort of community engagement with writers is?

A. We love being part of the writing community. All three of the Electric Spec editors are also writers, so we know what authors are going through. In addition to our blog, we offer workshops and participate in panel discussions at local conferences and cons.


Q. How do you see magazines and publishing generally evolving?

A. It has been interesting to watch the fiction market over the past several years. Very few print magazines have been able to survive, and even on-line zines that pay "professional rates" rarely last. Nevertheless, the demand for speculative fiction venues remains high--among readers and authors alike. Increasingly, the challenge is identifying quality markets. With the exception of a few stand-outs, pay rate no longer correlates to the quality of the magazine. While pay may be one factor, I think longevity is going to become increasingly important. In addition, magazines where the editors truly engage their authors rather that just posting will rise to the top. From the magazine's perspective, the challenge is finding the time and motivation to do all of this. For example, Electric Spec would love to find a way to pay authors more, but we do not have a revenue source that would allow us to do that. These days, the key is marketing and publicity. We'd love to partner with a larger publisher to create a more sustainable model at some point in the future.



Thanks, David! If you're interested in submitting to this fine magazine, detailed guidelines are here.