The Mystery of Editing and Writing

I've received my first cluster of fantasy and horror stories from Aberrant Dreams to read and reject or pass on to the editor in chief. First I'm amazed at the caliber. I guess I expected a range of skill levels but so far they're all quite high. High that is in execution: grammar, structure, etc. So then now comes the hard part.

I must discern from these only the best, the new twists and tales. And yet, there really are only so many pastiches in fiction. There is the descent into madness horror tale: am I mad, is some supernatural force make me mad, will anyone believe me, who will triumph? I even have one myself and it takes a very new twist or style to make this sell.

There is the ghost story: I don't know I'm a ghost, I know and will get revenge, I'm hanging on to make things right/wrong/bettah.The vengeful ghost, the remorseful ghost, the lovestruck ghost, the downright evil-Satan-is-my-slave ghost.

That's just two examples. As a writer myself who still gets enough rejections I have several ulterior motives for being an editor. One is that it might help me pinpoint what doesn't work/sell in my stories. And already, after one week of reading (about 15 stories) I'm beginning to see what it is.

A story must sing. It must stand on a pedestal, shining above all the rest. An editor once told me my story could have been written by a cipher. I always remembered that intriguing comment. What did he mean? He meant that technically all the elements were there. It's the same as ten people being shown all the technical aspects of paint and blending colours and brushstrokes. They may all have the technique down but maybe only one will blend his paints and subjects to make a truly stunning picture. It's the same with writing. Almost all of the stories are sound, but they need a new twist.

The voice must be unique. It is why, I believe (though I've only read 1.5 of his books) that China Mieville caught on. Perdido St. Station is a completely unique, never before envisioned world. Iron Council I'm still trying to finish. It not as technically sound, has all sorts of grammatical and structural errors, which probably were a bit harder to discern because of Mieville's writing style. It's also a bit of a trudge but his voice is so very unique you want to know where it's going.

And of course the story must be new. You can get away with a slight slant on a story if it bubbles with new life and that fey touched voice. I'm sure other wisdoms will fall into place as I read more but I'm already receiving an education and getting a true sense of the caliber of competition out there.