Comments on: Sybil’s Garage Guidelines Change http://www.sensesfive.com/2010/01/06/sybils-garage-guidelines-change/ "How do you know but every Bird that cuts the airy way is an immense world of delight, clos’d by your senses five?" - William Blake Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:40:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Matthew Kressel http://www.sensesfive.com/2010/01/06/sybils-garage-guidelines-change/comment-page-1/#comment-75516 Matthew Kressel Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:57:23 +0000 http://www.sensesfive.com/?p=2403#comment-75516 Thank you, Dan. As a story writer myself, I find the best way for me is to simply tell a story, and later search out which market it might be good for. That probably doesn't work for everyone, though. Thank you, Dan. As a story writer myself, I find the best way for me is to simply tell a story, and later search out which market it might be good for. That probably doesn’t work for everyone, though.

]]> By: Daniel Powell http://www.sensesfive.com/2010/01/06/sybils-garage-guidelines-change/comment-page-1/#comment-75515 Daniel Powell Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:50:15 +0000 http://www.sensesfive.com/?p=2403#comment-75515 Good Morning Matt, That definitely makes sense. Thanks for the response, and that link is cool. Lots of good analysis there. I like the advice to read a magazine before submitting, and I do try to read as widely as I can in the genres I write in. I think, if I were editing a magazine, I'd include that sentence advising folks to read the magazine before submitting. That said, I have a hard time writing to an ethos. I can write to a theme, but that's different. I've actually tried to consciously internalize a "feel" or "style" of certain magazines I admire. The results have been frustrating. I suppose I'm more of a grip-it and rip-it fellow, and most of the stuff I've written falls beneath a pretty traditional storytelling banner. I was actually thinking a little about this yesterday. Few writers write truly remarkable books. By remarkable, I mean books that change how people think. Instead, they trade on style and story, which is all well and good. My favorite writers are Ray Carver and Stephen King. King's writen dozens of novels, but only a few are remarkable books (The Dead Zone and Wizard and Glass among them, I think). I keep buying his stuff, though, because I admire his style and he spins a great yarn. The Road, by McCarthy, is my favorite book of all time, though I don't admire his style (the prose is beautiful in spots, but on the whole the nontraditional punctuation can grow thin). I love that book because of its remarkable messages of love and determination and responsibility. At any rate, thanks for the response, and sorry for the long post. I look forward to the next installment of Sybil's Garage! Good Morning Matt,

That definitely makes sense. Thanks for the response, and that link is cool. Lots of good analysis there.

I like the advice to read a magazine before submitting, and I do try to read as widely as I can in the genres I write in. I think, if I were editing a magazine, I’d include that sentence advising folks to read the magazine before submitting.

That said, I have a hard time writing to an ethos. I can write to a theme, but that’s different. I’ve actually tried to consciously internalize a “feel” or “style” of certain magazines I admire. The results have been frustrating.

I suppose I’m more of a grip-it and rip-it fellow, and most of the stuff I’ve written falls beneath a pretty traditional storytelling banner.

I was actually thinking a little about this yesterday. Few writers write truly remarkable books. By remarkable, I mean books that change how people think.

Instead, they trade on style and story, which is all well and good. My favorite writers are Ray Carver and Stephen King. King’s writen dozens of novels, but only a few are remarkable books (The Dead Zone and Wizard and Glass among them, I think). I keep buying his stuff, though, because I admire his style and he spins a great yarn.

The Road, by McCarthy, is my favorite book of all time, though I don’t admire his style (the prose is beautiful in spots, but on the whole the nontraditional punctuation can grow thin). I love that book because of its remarkable messages of love and determination and responsibility.

At any rate, thanks for the response, and sorry for the long post. I look forward to the next installment of Sybil’s Garage!

]]> By: Matthew Kressel http://www.sensesfive.com/2010/01/06/sybils-garage-guidelines-change/comment-page-1/#comment-75513 Matthew Kressel Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:01:53 +0000 http://www.sensesfive.com/?p=2403#comment-75513 Dan, thank you for writing. No, we do not mean tropes or archetypes. Instead, we are looking for more stories with complete arcs. This website explains the elements of a story arc: http://www.musik-therapie.at/PederHill/Structure&Plot.htm. We don't wish to suggest this is the only way, or the best way, to write a story. But it is, perhaps, the one readers are most familiar with, and one method we'd like to see more of in our slush pile. Does that make sense? Dan, thank you for writing. No, we do not mean tropes or archetypes. Instead, we are looking for more stories with complete arcs. This website explains the elements of a story arc: http://www.musik-therapie.at/PederHill/Structure&Plot.htm. We don’t wish to suggest this is the only way, or the best way, to write a story. But it is, perhaps, the one readers are most familiar with, and one method we’d like to see more of in our slush pile. Does that make sense?

]]> By: Daniel Powell http://www.sensesfive.com/2010/01/06/sybils-garage-guidelines-change/comment-page-1/#comment-75510 Daniel Powell Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:45:54 +0000 http://www.sensesfive.com/?p=2403#comment-75510 Hey Matt, Hey Matt, There are five fingers and a pair of thumbs in that picture. That's a HUGE hand! In terms of your stories, I think you guys do a great job. This is an excellent publication. By traditional plotting, what do you mean? Are you talking tropes (premature burial, haunted house, demonic possession) or archetypes (vampire, werewolf, zombie) or both? Just curious. I'm still prety traditional, so my occassional journeys into "slipstream" (not a fan of the word, really) feel forced. Best, Dan Hey Matt,

Hey Matt,

There are five fingers and a pair of thumbs in that picture. That’s a HUGE hand!

In terms of your stories, I think you guys do a great job. This is an excellent publication.

By traditional plotting, what do you mean? Are you talking tropes (premature burial, haunted house, demonic possession) or archetypes (vampire, werewolf, zombie) or both?

Just curious. I’m still prety traditional, so my occassional journeys into “slipstream” (not a fan of the word, really) feel forced.

Best,
Dan

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