Well, That's Wicked: Shock Totem - Issue #2: Electric Boogaloo

A sequel to my last post. New artwork!

I should have just waited a day, huh? Anyway, the Shock Totem font has been changed to white, the yellows in the artwork have been deepened and brightened, and some barely noticeable shadow has been added to the author names.

And in my opinion, it's now done. Dig it!

Well, That's Wicked: Shock Totem - Issue #2

And now a break from our regularly scheduled program—which was absolutely nothing, so quit yer whining!

This one is important. And awesome! Here is the Table of Contents and cover art for issue #2 of Shock Totem:

* To Be Titled: An editorial, by K. Allen Wood
* The Rat Burner, by Ricardo Bare
* Sole Survivor, by Kurt Newton
* The Spooky Stuff: A conversation with James Newman, by John Boden
* Sweepers, by Leslianne Wilder
* Rainbow Serpent, by Vincent Pendergast
* Strange Goods and Other Oddities (Reviews)
* Abominations: Hide the Sickness: An article by Mercedes M. Yardley
* Pretty Little Ghouls, by Cate Gardner
* Messages From Valerie Polichar, by Grá Linnaea & Sarah Dunn
* Return From Dust, by Nick Bronson
* Leave Me the Way I was Found, by Christian A. Dumais
* Upon My Return, by David Jack Bell
* Howling Through the Keyhole (Author Notes)

This TOC is a bit shorter than issue #1, and that is because we've bumped up the font size for this issue so we were left with less space. The word count on fiction remains the same, though (approx. 30,000 words).

You'll notice that Kurt is once again in this issue. The reason for this is explained in the editorial. We don't intend to feature authors in back-to-back issues ever again, unless we have a serialized story.

And Mercedes is now on our team, so that's why her name is there. I saw someone recently write that it was "a bit cheeky" that we featured "an editor" in issue #1. We did not, of course. We got to know Mercedes after we had accepted her story for issue #1, and we asked her to join us well after the issue came out. And if you've ever had the pleasure of getting to know her, you know why.

How about the cover art?

Wicked, huh? I'm not sure I like the yellow Shock Totem font yet, so that may change before the layout is complete. The artwork was done by Hicham Haddaji. You can check out his work here.

Once the layout is complete, and the book block is checked for missed typos a few more times, we go to print.

Soon. Very soon!

Getting Beyond the Door

Ever heard an editor say a story needs to grab him—or her—by the second page? Have you ever thought about what that means for you, as a writer? What it really means?

In the business of reading slush, where hundreds of stories pour in weekly, those first few pages can mean the difference between rejection and acceptance. Some say a story needs to grab hold from the opening line, and while some authors pull this off with ease, others take a slower approach. Some authors start with an explosion, while some light a small flame that grows and grows. Is there a wrong way here? Not at all. Some stories need a slow build...

But how often is a great story overlooked because of this?

I recently finished a 5,300-word story. In standard submission format—12pt Courier font, double-spaced—it's 29 pages long. Now let's discuss exactly what that translates to. Changing the format to Times New Roman, single-spaced, the story shrinks from 29 pages down to 11. What was once the first three pages an editor sees is now barely a quarter of the way down page two, and the story starts halfway down page one! So we're talking a mere 483 words.

Frightening. But it's worth thinking about.

We, the writers, must impress within the first few pages, right? We're told this over and over again. But that likely seems much longer than it really is. In truth, we have but a handful of words just to keep the door from closing, let alone get us across the threshold. And beyond that there's a whole new set of obstacles.

Less than 500 words...

Scary.

Because It's Funny: Thank You, Dead Animals

A while back I saw a billboard that made me do a double-take. Once past it, I thought, Did I just see what I think I saw? I saw it again the other day. And yup, I saw what I think I saw. So I had to take a photo. Because it's ridiculous.

[ click photo to enlarge ]
Sure, it's true, but no less absurd to see on a giant billboard—in the ghetto.