My friend Judy Penz Sheluk has twice been a guest columnist here at SleuthSayers--once in 2021 and once in 2023. Today, at our regular two-year interval, I'm pleased to have her here for another guest post, this one to celebrate the latest book in her Superior Shores Anthology series. Please join me in welcoming her once again.
--John Floyd
Creating a Cohesive Collection
by Judy Penz Sheluk
I've acquired a few skills during my corporate life as a credit manager (among other finance-related jobs) and as a magazine editor for multiple publications, but one of the most important was a good working knowledge of Excel, spreadsheets being a good way to number crunch and manage budgets. Even so, I never thought I'd use it as a tool to help me determine the order of the stories in my Superior Shores Anthologies. But that's exactly what I've done, each and every time.
Let's take my most recent multi-author anthology, Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense, released on June 18th. Admittedly, much of the heavy lifting lies in culling down the 80 submissions to a manageable number, but turning the selected stories into a cohesive collection isn't quite as simple as it might seem on the surface. That's where my handy-dandy spreadsheet comes in. Here's a step-by-step look at how it works:
1. Set up five columns: Order (1-22), author name, title, word count, and comments.
2. Select which story will be first and mark that as number 1 under the column titled 'Order.' I spend a lot of time deciding what story will be first, because that sets the stage for the rest of the collection. In the case of Midnight Schemers, I chose Charlie Kondek's 'Secretly Keith,' the tale of a cover band guitarist who decides the time is right to rob barroom bookie Big John Warmer. At just under 3,500 words, it's middle of the pack in length, and as you've probably guessed, things don't go according to plan for our scheming, daydreaming, and very misguided musician.
3. Mark 'A Foolproof Plan,' my story of a woman desperate for a new life, as number 22, the last entry--it just doesn't feel right to put my own story ahead of any of the other authors. At just over 1,800 words, it's the shortest in the collection, which brings me to...
4. Select #21: the lead-in to the final story. Preferably long, and completely different in every way. In this case, I selected C. W. Blackwell's 'Making Up for Lost Time,' which clocks in at about 5,000 words, a poignant tale of a down-on-his-luck divorced dad and his daughter.
5. Sort the remainder of the stories by word count. In this way, I can begin to vary the order by story length, i.e., long, medium, short, long, medium, short, and so on.
6. Of course, just sorting by length isn't enough. That's where my Comments column, a one-sentence reminder about the content, comes in. It wouldn't do, for example, to have Pam Barnsley's homeless man in 'The Underground,' compete with C.W. Blackwell's down-on-his-luck dad. That said, at roughly 2,500 words, it's not long enough to follow Charlie Kondek's mid-length opener. The balance? Inserting Susan Daly's 5,000 word 'A Talent for Fame' between the two.
7. The heavy lifting done, I tinker with the order until it's right. Sort, re-sort. Re-read the intro of each story until I'm finally satisfied it's as good as it's going to get. After all, even the most devoted tinkerers have to let go sometime.
READERS: Do you pay attention to the order of stories? Or do you read them based on author name recognition, story title, and/or length?
About Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense:
Desire or desperation, revenge or retribution--how far would you go to realize a dream? The twenty-two authors in this collection explore the possibilities, with predictably unpredictable results.
Featuring stories by Pam Barnsley, Linda Bennett, Clark Boyd, C. W. Blackwell, Amanda Capper, Susan Daly, James Patrick Focarile, Rand Gaynor, Gina X. Grant, Julie Hastrup, Beth Irish, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Jim McDonald, donalee Moulton, Michael Penncavage, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Debra Bliss Saenger, and Joseph S. Walker.
Find it at www.books2read.com/midnight-schemers
About Judy: The Past Chair of Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) and a former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk (author/editor) is the multiple award-winning author of seven bestselling mystery novels, two books on publishing, and several short stories. She is also the editor/publisher of five Superior Shores Anthologies. In addition to CWC, Judy is a member of International Thriller Writers and the Short Mystery Fiction Society.
Find her at www.judypenzsheluk.com
Thanks for hosting me today John!
ReplyDeleteGood to have you here, Judy!! Thanks for all the good info, and congrats again on the book.
DeleteJohn, has an ex-IBM guy you must love spreadsheets! Besides how else would you keep track of your multiple stories?
DeleteNope, no spreadsheets for me. That sounds too much like work . . .
DeleteVery interesting, Judy! As usual, there is more to organizing an anthology than I would have thought, and you present it really well. I admit to seeking out my favourite authors first (you know I am partial to humorous stories - smile). But I also enjoy meeting new writers in anthologies. This one looks like a winner!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mel. This collection has more humour and lightness in the stories than any of the past. Even the darker stories for the most part are hopeful thanks for stopping by and commenting
DeleteOh to be so organized. I know spreadsheets so I have no excuse not to be using them. I'll start small. Great post Judy.
ReplyDeleteYou know me, Amanda if I’m not organized I worry!
DeleteAh, another spreadsheet devotee. I live and breathe spreadsheets and tables to keep my lives (both real and bookish) nailed in place.
ReplyDeleteThanks Judy, for once again including me in your latest array of mystery and suspense.
Susan, it wouldn’t be a Superior Shores Anthology without you, but I can’t begin to imagine keeping a spreadsheet for writing a story or novel!
DeleteInteresting, Judy, the way you plot out the order. I tend to read anthologies in the order the stories appear, but since I don't read the stories back-to-back, but often days or more apart, the length and theme and feel of the stories doesn't matter that much to me. I'd like to know whether and how the order affects other readers.
ReplyDeleteWell, I’m glad my hard work in organizing the order of stories is appreciated by you. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
DeleteJudy, I too use Excel spreadsheets for many things (including my deductible expenses, making it a lot easier to do my taxes when the time comes), and they've been crucial to organizing the two anthologies I've edited. Yes, order is crucial. The key factor you've left out is quality of the stories. Yes, yes, we love our children all the same. But in both cases, I had less than an overwhelming number of truly publishable stories to choose from, and even after a rigorous editing process, a few in each anthology were, as George Orwell put it, more equal than others. Those got the opening slot and second and third place, subject to all the other considerations you mentioned, and I saved a one or two good ones for the end, the final one with some kind of punch line or zinger at the end. The idea is to keep the reader reading once they open the book and have them finish it in a state of satisfaction. That said, I read my own story first if I'm a contributor, then those by my friends and other favorite authors. I rarely (won't say never) read an anthology straight through. Once in a great while, every story is so good it's worth it.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, you’re right that I like other Editors will there towards including the best stories first however, I don’t think there’s a weak story in this batch. As well what I have discovered over five anthologies is that my favourites or seldom the favourite of every reader - some stories resonate some not as much. Thank you for your comments and checking in. Much appreciated.
DeletePS, sorry for any typos, using voice software
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ReplyDeleteI have to confess that I usually read an anthology back to front last story first, second to last next, etc.) It's my bedtime reading. One short story a night.
ReplyDeleteBack to front?? Why ? Curious Kathleen
ReplyDeleteAnother great use for Excel spreadsheets! For me, it is a tool to organize the (sometimes) chaotic process of writing and submitting. I used it as a journalist to track my stories and compensation. In your usage, it seems to be an overview to lend a cadence to the anthology.
ReplyDeleteTrue, Debra, and as the Editor of a few magazines (in charge of the freelance budget) Excel was my best friend. A great example of how our skills transfer to things we don't expect.
DeleteI want to thank Judy for her guest blog and you for having her. She rejected me from one of her anthologies, but also was very thorough and gave me feedback on what needed.
ReplyDeleteThis set me on my current path of taking grammar lessons.
Thanks again to both of you,
Justin
Thanks so much Justin and I’m glad that the rejection didn’t sting as much as it could’ve. You’re going to have tremendous success because of your attitude.
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