CALLIHOO Newsletter ----------------------------------------------------------------- Vol. 6 No. 22 Editor: Julia West October 20, 1998 ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS Greg Vose has decided to take a break from CALLIHOO for awhile. Good luck in your endeavors, Greg! * * * Bruce Thatcher, one of our neighbors to the south (Utah valley), just took First Place in the Writers of the Future Contest for the 3rd quarter, 1998. Major congratulations to you, Bruce! * * * Bill Shunn, Utahn now working in New York City for Children's Television Workshop, has been having a productive time as a writer lately. He has a story in the September issue of =SF Age=, sold a story called "Stalin's Candy" to =Realms of Fantasy= (which should appear in the February or April 1999 issue), and has a story in the premier issue of a new online horror magazine, Blood Rose. Check out the latter (called "Synchronicity and the Single Girl") at http://members.tripod.com/~night_wanderer/ synchron.html. You've been busy, Bill! Congratulations. * * * Catherine Asaro, one of our "E-CALLIHOOts," has more good news. Her Skolian Empire novella "Aurora in Four Voices" is the cover story for the December issue of =Analog=. An excerpt and copy of the cover is up at http://www.sff.net/people/asaro/. For more information, email analogsf@analogsf.com. She also is having a serial in =Analog=: =The Quantum Rose= coming out in May next year. Her novel =The Radiant Seas= should be out in November (it's a December release), and the paperback of =The Last Hawk= should also be out in November. Way to go, Catherine! * * * Remember, CALLIHOO members, that the Halloween Challenge stories will be read next week, October 27th, at the CALLIHOO meeting. Get those puppies finished! Also, please bring a hard copy on November 3rd to give to the people who have to miss the meeting on the 27th (Beverly and Holly I know--anyone else?) * * * We've decided to start a quarterly challenge, like the one we just did for Halloween. The deadlines will be Halloween, Ground Hog's Day, May Day, and Lammas (early August). Once the Halloween challenge is over, the Ground Hog's Day challenge will be to write a story where *weather* plays a major role in the story. It could be weather =causing= or =beginning= the action (like the tornado in =The Wizard of Oz=) or used in any other way you wish, as long as it's vital to the story. Carol Paton will be overseeing these challenges, so we may get more information from her later. * * * IMPORTANT! At the last meeting we decided that CALLIHOO, after muddling along with a few ups and a few downs for over five years, could use some guidelines. So we'll be hashing them out here. Dave brainstormed for the original list, and Beverly came up with the rough draft as you'll see it here momentarily. We'll discuss these points and come to a consensus over the next few meetings (so we can be sure every currently active member has a say). So take a look at the following guidelines: It's time to tighten up the group again. We've gotten quite lax, in the last few months, about several points of etiquette and propriety. The effect has been to decrease the quality of the group. If we want to stay a serious writer's group, we need to agree to some guidelines. Here are some proposals. 1. Attendance: a. If you are not going to make it to the group, let someone who will be there know, preferably as soon as possible. b. If you find yourself not attending consistently, let us know why. 2. Meeting Time: a. The group gathers at 7:00 p.m. It takes time to settle for critiquing; the 7:00 gathering time is for that purpose. Respect each other's time investment. b. Critiquing will begin at 7:30. If the author of the piece is not there and ready by 7:30, that piece will be pushed to the next week. c. We need to be done by 10:00 p.m. at the latest. Respect people's bedtimes. 3. Courtesy: a. If you are going to be late, let someone know who will be there, if at all possible. If you come in after the critiquing has begun, slip in quietly, settle yourself, and make any necessary apologies later. Don't interrupt critiquing in progress. b. Save news and discussions for after the formal critiquing is over. c. If someone comes in during your critique, ignore the slight disruption, and continue with your critique. 4. Critiques: a. Each person gets a turn to critique. b. During critiquing, if it's not your turn, be quiet and attentive. Listen to each other's critiques. Save comments on the critique for later. [We're thinking about passing out three-by-five cards so you can write down your ideas and not forget them.] c. If it has been covered, and you substantially agree, report that, and move on. If you disagree, report that, and why you disagree if you have reasons, and move on. We are not here to convince each other that OUR reading of the text is the One True(TM) reading. Every person's opinion is valid for him/herself. d. Don't give a synopsis of the story in your critique. Everyone present is presumed to have read it. e. Mark on the manuscript. It is most valuable to the author if the comments are at least place-marked, if not written, on the page. f. Reserve discussions for after the formal critique is done. [Here's where your notes on the 3x5 cards come in handy.] g. If it's your turn to be critiqued, listen (take notes, etc.). It's not your job to explain anything, even when asked directly. It's your job to write as clearly as you can, and answer the questions (or not) in the manuscript. To do otherwise is a disservice to the group (and to yourself). 5. Manuscripts: a. Hand out new stuff AFTER the critiques. b. Do each other the courtesy of reading the assignments. Anyone who consistently doesn't read the pieces is hurting the whole group's investment in the process. If you haven't read it, consider not attending. c. Don't lose the manuscript. Once in a blue moon is okay; more often than that is wasting the author's resources. No one in the group can afford this. If you can't keep track of a manuscript, don't take one. 6. Writing: a. This group is for serious writers, and people seriously interested in being part of the writing experience. Good critiquing can be part of that experience. If you're not being a writer this quarter, be scrupulous about preparing critiques. b. Each writer shall produce 3000 words per quarter in order to maintain writer status. This is a very low level of output for a serious writer. Quarters shall end February 2 (groundhog day), May 1st (May day), August 2 (Lammas day), and October 31 (Halloween). 7. Children: a. If you bring your offspring, and they are disrupting, leave the meeting to deal with them. If it's your turn to critique or be critiqued, have a designated other adult take them out. Children can learn appropriate behavior, if we all create an expectation of quiet attentive mindfulness. I think we should have a time after the first round of formal critiquing for comments generated by listening to each person, before the whole critique is over. If there isn't a time set aside for earlier people to disagree with later people, we'll find ourselves doing it during the critique. Beverly (with minor editorial comments by Julia) DEADLINES Let me know if you need more information on the contests, anthologies or magazines listed below. Eighteenth Annual Science Fiction/fantasy Short Story Contest Sponsored by Science Fiction Writers of Earth, deadline 30 October 1998. [SF/F 2,000 - 7,500 wds, $5.00 entry fee 1st subm, $2.00 thereafter, unpublished writers. $200 1st prize, $100 2nd, $50 3rd. SFWoE, P.O. Box 121293, Fort Worth, Texas 76121. (GLs in Vol. 5 No. 34)] =Dark Annie= issue #2 deadline 31 October 1998. [Genre E-zine, to 5,000 wds, 1/2 to 1 cent/wd. on accept. Reprints okay, snailmail or E-mail submissions. E-mail darkannie@aol.com Editors: Eva Harstein and Elizabeth Watts, P.O. Box 566, East Brunswick, New Jersey 08816. (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 17)] =Altair= Issue #3 competition, deadline 1 Nov 1998. [SF/F 2,000 to 10,000 wds, entry fee $5.00 U.S./each, mult. subm. okay, 1st $400, 2nd $200, 3rd $100. E-mail subm. okay to altair@ senet.com.au (pay entry fee by credit card) or mail to Altair Publishing, PO Box 475, Blackwood 5051, South Australia, Australia. (GLs in Vol. 5 No. 32)] =Out of the Shadows & Into the Night= anthology, deadline 15 November 1998. [Horror: weird tales of the modern age, pays 6-1/2 cents/wd., half on accept, half on pub. 3000-10,000 wds. Prefer E-mail subm. to HorrorAnth@aol.com; snailmail to Pamela Keesey 3024 14th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55407. (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 18)] =The Goblin Market= electronic chapbook, deadline 1 December 1998. [F to 5,000 wds, pays 3 cents/wd. on accept., E-mail subm. only, to goblinmarket@eggplant-productions.com (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 20) ] The =Amelia= Science Fiction/Fantasy Award deadline is 15 December 1998. [SF/F to 3000 wds, $100 prize. Entry Fee: $5 each. Amelia Contests, Frederick A. Raborg, Jr., Editor, 329 "E" Street, Bakersfield, CA 93304-2031. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 17)] Best of the Soft SF Contest deadline 15 December 1998. [Soft SF to 7000 wds, enter as many mss. as you wish, 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25, no entry fee, The Soft SF Writer's Association, 1277 Joan Dr., Merritt Island FL 32952. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 21)] =Scaremongers 3=, British horror anthology, deadline 31 Dec 1998. [non-trad. H to 6,000 wds, œ15/1000 words on pub., E-mail subs fine. Anthony Barker, Editor, 1st Floor, Alpha House, Countesthorpe Road, South Wigston, Leicester LE18 2PJ ENGLAND, E-mail jennie@tanjen.demon.co.uk, Web site: http://www.tanjen. demon.co.uk. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 12)] =Writers of the Future=, 1st quarter 1999, deadline 31 December 1998. [$1000 first, $750 2nd, $500 3rd place. No entry fee. L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest, P.O. Box 1630-JBW, Los Angeles, CA 90078. (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 10)] =Pulp Eternity= Volume 4: The Price of Magic, deadline 1/15/99. [SF/science fantasy, etc. (not traditional fantasy) to 3500 wds, pays 3 cents/wd. on pub. Steve Algieri, Senior Editor, PO Box 930068, Norcross, GA 30003, E-mail: eternityol@aol.com; http://www.pulpeternity.com. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 18)] =Romance and Beyond Magazine= contest, deadline 1 February 1999. [SF/F/H romance to 10,000 wds., awards $50, $20, $15, $10, deadline 1 Feb 99, $10 entry fee, only accepts 1st 30 entries in each category (4 different categories), Briada Press, Inc., 3527 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, Suite 9; Lafayette, LA 70503-5130. {GLs in Vol. 6 No. 20)] =Pulp Eternity= Volume 5: Unthemed issue, reading time: 1/1/99 - 4/1/99. [Any genre, to 10,000 wds, but most under 5000, pays 3 cents/wd. on pub. Steve Algieri, Senior Editor, PO Box 930068, Norcross, GA 30003, E-mail: eternityol@aol.com; http://www.pulpeternity.com. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 18)] =Pulp Eternity= Volume 6: Women of Empowerment. Reading time 4/1/99 - 7/1/99. [Female viewpoint to 10,000 wds, but most under 5000, pays 3 cents/wd. on pub. Steve Algieri, Senior Editor, PO Box 930068, Norcross, GA 30003, E-mail: eternityol@aol.com; http://www.pulpeternity.com. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 18)] =Pulp Eternity= Volume 7: Alternatives II/Cyberpunk. Reading time 7/1/99 - 9/1/99. [Alt. sexuality and cyberculture, to 10,000 wds, but most under 5000, pays 3 cents/wd. on pub. Steve Algieri, Senior Editor, PO Box 930068, Norcross, GA 30003, E-mail: eternityol@aol.com; http://www.pulpeternity.com. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 18)] =Pulp Eternity= Volume 8: I Am Cat. Reading time 9/1/99 - 12/15/99. [Cat stories, to 5000 wds, pays 3 cents/wd. on pub. Steve Algieri, Senior Editor, PO Box 930068, Norcross, GA 30003, E-mail: eternityol@aol.com; http://www. pulpeternity.com. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 18)] MARKET GUIDELINES =LORE: The Digest of Maddening Fiction= [Print magazine, dark fantasy to 5,000 words, no sim or multiple subs or E-mail subm.] Rod Heather: Managing Editor Joe Martucci, Ricardo Santagata: Associate Editors Sean O'Leary: Assoc. Ed./Graphic Designer P.O. Box 381 Matawan, NJ 07747-0381 Please note: We do not normally distribute submission guidelines via e-mail. The announcement in DarkEcho was an unfortunate misprint. However, due to the overwhelming demand for guidelines, we have decided to honor these requests until the error is corrected in the next issue of DarkEcho. Thank you for your professional interest in LORE. Query first for reprints (where was the tale previously published and when?). No simultaneous submissions, multiple submissions, non-fiction or electronic submissions. WHAT DO WE LIKE? FICTION: Up to 5,000 words--query for longer. Interesting, well-told tales that work on many different levels. We like to see convincing tales steeped in atmosphere. Our emphasis is on traditional dark fantasy, but we're open to stories that challenge established conventions. If we're afraid to peek out of the window or left wide-eyed as we realize your tale's implications, you're on the right track. POETRY: Approximately 30 lines--query for longer. We will consider both rhyme and free verse. We like chilling pieces with plenty of atmosphere that don't so much say it as insinuate it. Please send no more than three poems per submission package. ARTWORK: Send camera-ready, disposable b/w copies. We need capable artists to work on assignment. Some artists whose work we admire: Richard Corben, Helmut Wenske, Gustav Dore', Wayne Barlowe, Edward Gorey, H.R. Giger--but hey, broaden our horizons. WHAT DON'T WE LIKE? Topics that were beaten to death long ago with nothing new to offer. Tales that are too abstruse for their own good. Vamipiric, gothic romances. Rigid, unblinking chains of events. Gore or sex-driven tales. Virtual reality. Sing-song rhymes. GENERAL INFORMATION Your submission will be much more favorably read if it is well formatted and smooth. Always include a cover letter and a SASE with proper postage affixed (or, appropriate # of IRCs and SAE if outside U.S.). Make sure your name and address appear on your submission. Let us know if your submission is disposable or should be returned and whether or not we can write comments on it. Response time: up to two months. Do not send the only copy of any work for consideration. LORE is not responsible for unsolicited submissions. We buy First World Serial Rights. See Contributor Pay Scale sheet for detailed payment information. ORDERING INFORMATION It is always wise to check out a copy of the publication to which you intend to submit. Single copy: $4 ($5.25 outside the U.S.) ppd. 2-Year Subscription (4 issues): $15 ($20 outside the U.S.) ppd. Please make checks/money orders payable to ROD HEATHER, not LORE. U.S. funds only. [E-mail from Lore magazine dated 18 October 1998] MARKET INFORMATION =Analog= A writer on Genie notes, "[Editor] Stan Schmidt is much interested in breaking out of the =Analog= stereotypes and giving the magazine an even wider appeal. My guess is that to some extent, where the magazine goes depends on how readers react. . . . So if you like the new things Stan is trying to do with the magazine, I urge you to drop a note to =Analog= and let them know." [SFRT4, Cat 26, Top 1, 16 Oct 98] =Lacunae= =Lacunae= is now called =Mayhem.= They still have the same guidelines and want thriller and mystery stories. Email: mayhem@mediasi.com Web site: http://www.mediasi.com/ chantingmonks/mayhem. If you've sent submissions to =Lacunae=, they will still be considered. [DarkEcho, 15 Oct 98] =Peeping Tom= Stuart Hughes, editor of =Peeping Tom=, is now Stuart@ peepingtom.freeserve.co.uk [DarkEcho, 15 Oct 1998] =TSR/Wizards of the Coast= A writer on SFF.NET says that TSR/WotC reportedly intend to sell a CD Rom with issues #1-#250 of =Dragon= magazine on it, "and are not intending to pay anyone for reprints (a TSR employee on line noted that this was justified because the magazine was being reprinted in total, ads and all, so this isn't legally considered a "reprint"). "If anyone has published articles in the magazine, you'll want to pull out your contracts and take a look. This seems to be in complete violation of the 1st Rights contract I have for an essay I sold 'em back in '94. This product is going to be released in March of next year, so it must already be pretty far along in production." There was a goodly amount of discussion of this on Genie, and even after reading the contract, it wasn't certain whether TSR had the rights to reprint the stories and articles this way without further reimbursing the authors. One opinion was that they don't have to pay the authors again because this is an edition of the magazine, the same as if it were on microfilm. However, it was pointed out that if enough authors squawked, TSR/WotC might rethink, since this CD =is= different than a microfilm in the library. CDs are accessible to many more people than microfilms are. Later information came that TSR is claiming that it's a facsimile, not a reprint, so they aren't paying anyone anything. However, if the contracts did not mention facsimile rights, the authors may still have a point to contend with. NOVEL WORKSHOP Writing Seminar: Writing a Best-Seller When: Saturdays 8 a.m.-noon on Nov. 7, 14, 21, and Dec. 5. Where: The Quality Inn, 712 S. Utah Valley Drive, American Fork (Take I-15 to Exit 279. Next to Walmart) Instructor: Dave Wolverton has been an author and editor* for ten years. Under his own name, Dave is an award-winning science fiction author and has been a New York Times bestseller. Under a pseudonym, he recently became a #1 international bestseller in fantasy, and currently he is working on his first mystery-thriller. Course: "Novel Writing Part 1: Developing a Novel." This four-week course will teach you how to: * Research your potential market * Tailor your novel toward becoming a bestseller * Develop your plot and subplots * Create a strong cast of characters * Use advanced techniques for description, dialog, and building suspense In short, this course covers topics vital to helping you create a best-selling novel in any genre: whether thriller, romance, science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, western, religious, and so on. This seminar will require participants to develop a novel outline and write the first chapter(s). A second seminar on revising and selling your novel will be offered early next year. Seating may be limited. * Note: For the past seven years, Dave has served as Coordinating Judge for the International Writers of The Future Contest, and in that capacity has taught several workshops in this area. This is not a Writers of The Future Seminar. Cost: $165.00 Contact: Dave Wolverton, 1000 N. 950 E., Orem, Utah 84097 Phone (801) 225-5135 E-mail: dwolvert@itsnet.com (Further information about the workshop, from Dave Wolverton) This class is intended for people who are serious about writing novels--anyone who has written at least one novel would be my primary audience. I suspect that it would be of most help to the person who has written a couple of novels and been unable to place them, or who has been on the midlist and can't figure out how to move up. People who are only mildly curious about writing novels are welcome, but will most likely find themselves in way too deep. Basically, what I've done is look over the past ten years of my writing career and said, "Wow, if I only knew then what I know now." I keep seeing new authors make the same mistakes that I made (or worse yet, make mistakes that I was lucky enough to avoid), and I'd like to help them out as best I can. So, what this course is designed to do is to help an author recognize what facets make a bestseller in any genre, learn to tailor the work to take advantage of this knowledge, and then to write a novel more rigorously so that he or she can break into the writing field on the A-list rather than the midlist. Best, Dave ==End of CALLIHOO newsletter for 20 October 1998==