My novelette “Restoration” is free to read until 7th January, along with a whole load of other stories from Interzone Digital. Now’s your chance to check out some of what’s on offer, online and in print.
Publishing
The Sculptor
Exciting to see that Australia’s long-running Aurealis magazine has published my story “The Sculptor” in their new issue #154, with a cool illustration by Simon Walpole.
The table of contents can be seen on their website Aurealis.com, with links to purchase the ebook on Smashwords.com and download in your preferred format (epub, mobi, pdf etc). Also available at Kobo.com or Barnesandnoble.com, if you prefer.
A review of the fiction in the issue is available at Tangentonline.com.
News
I’ve been quiet on here, and on social media generally, for some while. The political situation in the UK and worldwide has plummeted to new lows, and in that context it has seemed incongruous to comment on the latest Thor movie.
Nevertheless, I have continued to write, and the first fruits of that labour will be appearing soon, with two new novelettes due to be published in the not-too-distant future. What a treat for me, with one of the stories to be published in Australia’s long-running Aurealis, and the other in the new online incarnation of Interzone (which continues in print as well as online). I also answered some interview questions put to me by Interzone’s new editor, Gareth Jelley. More news on all of this in the near future.
Free story: Like Leaves Falling
Each month there is a featured story available on my website, free to read. One that is currently hard to find elsewhere, or is a particular favourite of mine. The story is available for a limited time, and then will be replaced with another.
The current story is “Like Leaves Falling”, a flash fiction first published in A Dick and Jane Primer for Adults (July 2008).
Recent Activity
Here’s a little insight into my recent activity: During March I submitted five stories to various magazines, all of which I would love to be published by. One of those is now overdue a reply, based on average response times recorded by users of The Grinder market database. The others might be expected to reply during April, although this is never an exact science. Often the response time for an acceptance can be wildly different to the response time for a rejection.
The story I mentioned in blog entries on 21st January and 16th November is still not finished to my satisfaction. It is a long story as short fiction goes, and has required a lot of work. But it’s not far off now. I have, however, written something else from start to finish, and that seemed to me to work perfectly well. Currently, I am mulling a new idea that might work for a publisher who will be open to submissions during May.
The main focus here is on short fiction. I made a conscious decision to focus on short stories in these early months of 2021. I do have hopes for a novel too, but response times from potential publishers are slower and even less predictable when it comes to novels. I’m hopeful, of course, but time will tell.
Free story: Cuckoo
Each month there is a featured story available on my website, free to read. One that is currently hard to find elsewhere, or is a particular favourite of mine. The story is available for a limited time, and then will be replaced with another.
The current story is “Cuckoo”, which was first published in Interzone magazine #191 (September 2003).
Free story
Each month I am sharing one of my stories, free to read. One that is currently hard to find elsewhere, or is a particular favourite of mine. The story is available for a month, and then will be replaced with another.
This month’s story is “Angel Feedback”, which was first published in Scheherazade magazine #30 (March 2008).
Free story
Each month I am sharing one of my stories, free to read. One that is currently hard to find elsewhere, or is a particular favourite of mine. The story is available for a month, and then will be replaced with another.
This month’s story is “The 128th Waveform”, which was first published in The West Pier Gazette and Other Stories (February 2008).
Transparency
One thing I am particularly keen to do with this blog, and social media in general, is to be open and transparent about my writing activity. The job of a writer can go largely unseen, and there are a great many misconceptions about it. I can’t speak for all writers as everyone’s experience is unique and individual, and I can’t claim to be the world’s most successful writer, but I can at least be honest about my own experience.
Over the last ten days I’ve been writing a new short story. It was an idea I’d had for a while before that. An idea isn’t a story, so I would spend time mulling the idea and trying to think of a story that would do it justice. During this thinking activity I had not written anything down. But if anyone asked me what I was doing next, I knew it would be this particular story. It tugged at me more than other ideas.
I started writing on the 6th November and by the 16th I had a complete story at 5,700 words. For a story of this length, that’s pretty fast going for me. I did not have the story all worked out on the 6th, but I had a fairly clear idea of what I wanted to do, who the characters were and where the story was set. Sometimes you have to make a start and see where the writing takes you. Then the finer details start to form.
So I have a whole story now. That doesn’t mean I will immediately send it to publishers. I will run it past one or more friendly writers-I-trust and see what they think of it. I will ask myself if it can be better somehow. You only get one chance per publisher with any particular story. If you send the story to a publisher when it isn’t the best it can be, the most likely outcome is that they will reject it.
I think the story is written at the right length, and the tone is what I want it to be. I will set it aside for a while now, and turn my attention to other things. A blog entry on transparency, for example.
There are a few things that conflict with openness and transparency. A publisher might want to withhold an announcement, for example, until a time that suits them. I need to be professional and treat others in the publishing industry with fairness and with respect. But these are not usually difficult considerations to navigate.
I am more than happy to answer questions here, on twitter and on goodreads, if they are put to me in a polite manner. Direct messages or public ones, as the platform allows. Speed of reply will depend on what else I have going on at the time.
Short Stories
A question I often hear asked is whether it is worthwhile for a fiction writer to write short stories.
Naturally, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this. Usually, there is an underlying assumption that a writer’s true goal is to write novels. Let’s assume for a moment this is true. Certainly it will be for many writers.
There was a time, but I think mainly long ago, when you might reasonably hope to progress to a novel publishing contract by first establishing yourself as a short story writer. Just because you could, didn’t mean you had to, even then. To be fair, I can see a few examples where this is happening right now. But I see no reason why you can’t go direct to publishing novels if you choose to. Assuming you have what it takes to write a great one. Or at least one that has commercial appeal.
So if you’re thinking you need to write short fiction to establish yourself, think again. In fact, publishers often seem enamoured with the writer who is brand new, who hasn’t done anything yet. At least they haven’t got poor sales for a previous book to hold them back. And look at this amazing shiny new writer we’ve found, isn’t this exciting!
As a matter of craft, it is worth studying how stories work at different lengths, and perhaps the best way to learn is by doing. But in the long run there isn’t much point in bending yourself out of shape trying to do something you don’t want to do. Some writers are comfortable writing at any length, but others have a definite preference for writing long or writing short. I think it is obvious that Ray Bradbury, as one example, preferred to write short fiction. Nevertheless, he also wrote very fine novels.
What about that assumption that all writers do really want to write novels? Certainly the desire to see one’s name on the cover of a book is undeniable. And novels generally sell better than anthologies or collections. But if the pull is to “make a living”, know that the chances of this are vanishing small, unless you happen to be a celebrity, get invited onto The One Show, and manage to snag a TV or film deal alongside publication of your debut masterpiece.
If your true love is the masterly short story, I believe crafting a good one is its own reward. It is just as much of a thrill to see your name written boldly at the top of your story within the pages of a well-regarded magazine or anthology. Payment can be enough to pay a bill or buy a round of drinks. And it is worth remembering that with the rise of the e-book, fiction is increasingly being published at any and all lengths.
Regardless of all of the above, there is one major reason why I think it is worthwhile writing short fiction, and it is a reason that eclipses all other arguments. And that is to get experience of being published. Although it is by no means easy to get a short story published, it is much easier for a talented and determined writer to do, than it is to get a novel published. And in doing so you start to learn about publishing, which is a whole other thing than writing.
Where can you send a short story? How long will you wait for a decision on your submission? How does one magazine or anthology compare with another in the way they respond? What reason will you be given for rejection, if any? If your story is accepted, to what extent will it be edited? What specific edits will be made to your story? To what extent will you be consulted, if at all? What will the contract terms be, if you even see a contract? These and a multitude of other questions only arise when you’re published. And this is invaluable knowledge that a writer needs to have. If the first time you encounter any of these questions is with your first novel, you might well be unprepared to deal with them.
So unless you absolutely cannot write a short story to save your life, I recommend that you do, assuming you have the desire to be a published writer. You don’t have to make a career out of it, and the worst that can happen is that you gain experience. You might get noticed, a bit. Reviewed, perhaps. I’ve heard it can even be a stepping stone to writing a novel.
If you’re looking for places to publish your short story, these two free resources provide invaluable information:
https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/
https://ralan.com/
CHRIS BUTLER 