Month: April 2006

I just got some spam with the header “Free quote for a new car.” Okay.

“Think not that thy word and thine alone must be right.” – Sophocles

I’m thinking maybe four-door, convertible, something in green… When can you deliver?

Jane Espenson on character dialogue:

One of the great exchanges in the book has to do with an executive’s surprise that there is no clue in a character’s dialogue that that character is black. The writer replies that this was an intentional choice. The exec’s reply: “Well then, how will the audience know?”

I’m reminded of this exchange sometimes when I read scripts that attempt to capture the voice of a character with a particular background… ethnic, national or even, say, vocational. The spec script versions of Spike or Giles (from Buffy) are sometimes positively stuffed full of “bint”s and “bloke”s. And every word out of a soldier’s mouth is an acronym or a “yessir.” And the Southerner spouts folksy sayings about grits and drops “y’all”s like magnolia leaves. It’s as if the writer is asking “how will the audience know?” Well, they know Giles is English because he sounds English. No matter what he’s saying. That’s how an accent works. You don’t have to try very hard to convince your reader that he sounds English.

I think this applies not only to scripted scenes, in which there’s real-life actor potraying the character and actually speaking the lines. I think it’s good advice for writers of any fiction. You’ll get more freedom with dialogue in short stories or novels, for example — and plenty of writers have made ample use of regional dialect to say something about a character’s education, upbringing, class, or whatever — but it’s tough to do without sounding forced and cliched and fake. A character may very well say “y’all” or drop the g from the end of a word like a bad habit, but actually writing it like that can seem very artificial. It might be more interesting to explore what you’re trying to say with such dialogue tricks in what your characters choose to talk about.

Okay then. Call me crazy, but I’m going to give this zine thing another go.

Kaleidotrope will be (for now) a twice-yearly print zine. What do I want? Strange dreams of distant shores.

I’ll accept fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and black and white art. I like work that tends toward the speculative and/or fantastic, but I’m open to all genres and styles. Cross-genre or slipstream work would be especially welcome. I’m not interested in publishing gore, sword and sorcery, or pornography. I’m sure these are each fine and noble genres, but there are better homes for them elsewhere.

Specifically what I’m looking for…

Fiction: I’ll consider anything up to 5,000 words. (Query first for anything longer.) I want stories that surprise or delight, horrify or amaze, leave readers shocked or laughing aloud. Short-shorts, flash fiction, vignettes or other sundry ephemera are definitely welcome. Above all else, I want to be told good stories. Doesn’t everybody?

Poetry: I’ll consider all forms, although generally I’d prefer poems under 100 lines.

Non-fiction: I want memoirs, essays, creative nonfiction, thoughtful criticism. Again, please query for anything longer than 5,000 words.

Artwork: I’ll consider all mediums — sketches, cartoons, photography, graphic design, et cetera. I only ask that it be in black and white and that it be sent as either *.gif or *.jpg format. (Please send each piece for consideration separately.)

Payment: Not much, presently, but better than a sharp stick in the eye. I’m going to buy first North American rights. Final payment may vary with the length of the submission, but typically I intend to pay $5 per piece, on publication, with a couple of complimentary copies tossed in.

Deadline: I’m aiming for a an October 2006 issue, so I’d like to have enough submissions by June 30.

At this time, I can only accept e-mail submissions. (I’m willing to make an exception to this only with people I know. So if you already have my mailing address and you’d like to send something that way, that’s fine. Otherwise, e-mail is the way to go.)

Please send all correspondence to me, Fred Coppersmith, at kaleidotrope at gmail dot com. Please keep multiple submissions to a reasonable minimum. I’m happy to discuss reprints, to a point, but query first. I won’t accept simultaneous submissions.

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The Friday Random Guess 10:

  1. They’ve just blown around from town to town
  2. There are stars in every city
  3. I just can’t imagine that you’ve ever been gone
  4. Put down paradise as lost
  5. There’s a warmer place for you to go
  6. They say you’re only sad and lonely
  7. If this is paradise, I wish I had a lawnmower
  8. God gave me that girl to lean on
  9. Look her over once or twice
  10. No moment steals away unfound

The remaining ones from last week were #2 (“Family” by Dar Williams) and #5 (“Southern California Wants to Be Western New York” by…Dar Williams). Not a lot of Dar Williams fans out there, I guess.

Anyway, best of luck!