tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post1579513196278858383..comments2024-03-19T03:21:49.937-04:00Comments on SleuthSayers: Stranded AgainLeigh Lundinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-20136195254351133332014-07-27T14:08:53.291-04:002014-07-27T14:08:53.291-04:00Thanks, Stephen! Good luck with the current proje...Thanks, Stephen! Good luck with the current project.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-57763436845432808762014-07-27T11:55:46.503-04:002014-07-27T11:55:46.503-04:00Great article! I use personal experiences all the ...Great article! I use personal experiences all the time and have done just that with my current WIP. These were a couple of scary moments I used to outline a dark comedy turned just plain dark<br /><br />I haven't read the Strand, but will sign up to receive issues moving forward.Stephen Tremphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10387553613827257304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-29743133808579694802014-07-27T09:21:06.883-04:002014-07-27T09:21:06.883-04:00Good for you, Jeff. You have one of those jobs th...Good for you, Jeff. You have one of those jobs that sends you to a lot of different places and puts you in contact with all kinds of different folks--and all are opportunities for story ideas. Keep doing what you're doing!John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-10383994607259370302014-07-27T00:29:46.666-04:002014-07-27T00:29:46.666-04:00I take a leaf or two from Rod Serling and Stephen ...I take a leaf or two from Rod Serling and Stephen King's books and I write down ideas from dreams (and nightmares!) I've driven delivery trucks to small Kansas towns for years, settings as unusual and fantastic to this suburban-bred city-dweller as Atlantis, so of course I've written about them!Jeff Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00316081079528920123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-54364764360035811982014-07-27T00:05:19.286-04:002014-07-27T00:05:19.286-04:00Rob, if I remember correctly, that Strand story of...Rob, if I remember correctly, that <i>Strand</i> story of yours also won the Derringer Award in its category. Good work! And thinking back on it, I agree with you--I believe the only responses I have received from them were for those stories that were accepted. <br /><br />Melodie, I posted my response to Ben before seeing your comment. As I sort-of mentioned there, imagination is something we HAVE to use, when we write about things like time travel, alien spacecraft, werewolves, etc. I like the old saying, "You don't have to write what you know; you have to write what you feel comfortable writing."John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-9185753770156747942014-07-26T23:54:34.808-04:002014-07-26T23:54:34.808-04:00Thank you, Ben. I rely on imagination a lot also-...Thank you, Ben. I rely on imagination a lot also--my life has probably been too routine for me to come up with all these crazy adventures otherwise. I guess I'd have to say my characters and settings are often based, at least loosely, on people or places I've known, but the plots are mostly a pack of lies.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-41598724725573646172014-07-26T23:12:56.474-04:002014-07-26T23:12:56.474-04:00POV - I'm a first person gal, for novels. I n...POV - I'm a first person gal, for novels. I need to be in the skin of the protagonist to write for 80,000 words and 1000 hours. For short stories, I am half and half.<br /><br />Re write from experience - ahem. Can never admit to that, John. After all, I write about a)the mob and b) sexy time travel. 'Nuff said.Melodie Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870938103759179132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-71374068079875810502014-07-26T23:05:54.176-04:002014-07-26T23:05:54.176-04:00Congrats, John. That is quite an accomplishment. ...Congrats, John. That is quite an accomplishment. I have sent five stories to Strand and the only reply I have ever received was a purchase - 11 months after I sent it. FWIW, that sale came two months after I won the Black Orchid Award.Robert Loprestihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08844889305615182897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-48459249650881745012014-07-26T22:59:57.686-04:002014-07-26T22:59:57.686-04:00John, thanks for the hands-on POV on both publishi...John, thanks for the hands-on POV on both publishing and writing. I'm particularly fascinated by the nuts and bolts of the creative process...and sometimes its rust.<br />Regarding POVs, for me you answered the question yourself: whatever makes it play best. If you can't imagine a story told any other way, you know the author nailed it: "The Tell-Tale Heart," Philip Marlowe yarns, "Lolita," etc.<br />As for where the "stuff" comes from, mine's almost entirely imagination. And where does my imagination come from? It can't create out of a vacuum.<br />Now about POVs and blogs...Ben Solomonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06459746396061028435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-14717472817535976472014-07-26T22:25:34.140-04:002014-07-26T22:25:34.140-04:00Thanks, Bobbi--good to hear from you! I wish you ...Thanks, Bobbi--good to hear from you! I wish you the very best, and if you read my story I hope you'll enjoy it. <br /><br />There will always be times when writers (of both novels and shorts) get discouraged by rejections and by a failure to respond to submissions. But I think the old adage applies, here: I can't promise you'll be published if you submit, but I can promise you won't be published if you don't. John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-25068864986496072732014-07-26T20:09:31.461-04:002014-07-26T20:09:31.461-04:00Loved the story behind the story, John! Congratula...Loved the story behind the story, John! Congratulations on so many Strand stories. I've heard so many stories about people not hearing back that I've never subbed to them, but will remedy that. I subscribed to the magazine last Christmas, and am due an issue. Hope to be able to read your story there. And my mind works the same way--especially when I'm in banks and such. LOLBobbi A. Chukran, Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16678371925926783260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-1320970215532715832014-07-26T18:22:07.083-04:002014-07-26T18:22:07.083-04:00Leigh -- Like you, I have completely reworked stor...Leigh -- Like you, I have completely reworked stories because I decided in mid-stream to change the POV. (The risk you run, in doing that--especially if you're changing from, say, first person to third-person-limited--is not to leave in an "I' that shouldn't be there.)<br /><br />Good ole Billy. I'll tell him you said hello, Leigh--he's doing well, just gettin' old like the rest of us.<br /><br />The bad guys, by the way, were probably afraid of the snakes . . .John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-21714273930977712922014-07-26T18:09:20.116-04:002014-07-26T18:09:20.116-04:00Your article took me back to the Bank of Mississip...Your article took me back to the Bank of Mississippi on the Pearl River and Billy Fenwick. One of the funniest stories Billy told me was his entering the bank by rowboat during the floods surrounded by snakes. If bad guys could have got their act together, I could picture a burglary attempt by boat during one of the many great floods.<br /><br />To answer your question, my PoV has to fit the plot. I've dismantled stories and started over because I felt a different PoV would be better.Leigh Lundinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-718319136116199552014-07-26T17:39:21.165-04:002014-07-26T17:39:21.165-04:00Herschel, I think we'd all agree that first pe...Herschel, I think we'd all agree that first person is the most limited and intimate POV a writer can use, and offers the closest possible connection between the writer and reader. Several of my reader (not writer) friends have even told me they always prefer first-person stories and novels. I actually think I read more fiction written in third person than first, but again, it's probably because I love suspense and sometimes it's easier to generate certain kinds of suspense with third. I've heard it said that strictly-mystery mysteries should be written in first person so the reader never knows anything before the protagonist does, but that thrillers should be written in third so the reader CAN know things before the protagonist does, and thus heighten the tension the reader feels.<br /><br />I too think the best way to separate these third-person-multiple POVs is via a scene break. I've seen some top authors ignore that to good effect (Larry McMurtry, Carl Hiaasen, and many others) but in general I think a too-abrupt "switch" between POVs can be disruptive and sometimes even confusing.<br /><br />As for your comment about detached POV, Herschel, I think you're correct. It becomes the reader's (viewer's) POV. Nothing can be revealed about a character's thoughts except what can be seen or heard via actions or dialogue. John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-35413087695167938412014-07-26T17:03:48.781-04:002014-07-26T17:03:48.781-04:00I prefer first person POV as it allows me certain ...I prefer first person POV as it allows me certain freedoms that 3rd person does not. This, of course, precludes the use of multiple POV. And there are times when it won't work at all. I find it difficult to use multiple POV and on the rare occasions when I have, it has to be a separate scene or a complete break.<br /><br />As for detached POVs like those in the movies, I would say that the POV becomes that of the reader or (in movies) the viewer.Herschel Cozinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06097703750150309319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-53420010281636851392014-07-26T16:13:44.815-04:002014-07-26T16:13:44.815-04:00Hi Pat -- welcome to SleuthSayers!
I think anyone...Hi Pat -- welcome to SleuthSayers!<br /><br />I think anyone who limits himself/herself to using one kind of POV for all stories is missing out on much of the fun of writing, as well as limiting the range of stories he/she could tell. I remain intrigued by the fact that some writers, like the late Robert B. Parker, used only first person for an entire series (his Spenser novels) and used only third person for another (the Jesse Stone novels). I think I would find myself constantly--and accidentally--lapsing from one POV into the other.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-88193155065146754952014-07-26T16:01:41.071-04:002014-07-26T16:01:41.071-04:00Thanks, Jan! It's good to hear I'm not th...Thanks, Jan! It's good to hear I'm not the only person who uses all kinds of POV depending on the kind of story I'm writing.<br /><br />I've even used the detached POV at times, which means never getting into the heads of ANY of the characters. Screenplays are of course written using that POV, and it can sometimes be handy in the case of a twist ending, since the ending wouldn't be a surprise if you'd been allowed to see the characters' thoughts beforehand. (Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is the best example I can think of, at the moment.)John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-38348367764048258822014-07-26T15:59:34.523-04:002014-07-26T15:59:34.523-04:00Congratulations on the sale, John.
Regarding POV,...Congratulations on the sale, John.<br /><br />Regarding POV, I write in what ever POV the character tells me to. I've used first and third depending on genre for my short stories and I've used two POVs depending on length. I've got to get a copy of your story because the multi-POV intrigues me.<br /><br />I usually make up my characters but have been know to use real settings if it enhances my story.<br /><br />Haven't submitted to The Strand as yet.Pat Marinellinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-24613553767385835642014-07-26T15:59:00.810-04:002014-07-26T15:59:00.810-04:00I do the same and always wait for awhile after the...I do the same and always wait for awhile after the stated response time. I have also linked this piece to my blog. Congrats on the sale.Kevin R. Tipplehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04170714419133752724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-38037155738050336652014-07-26T15:54:44.032-04:002014-07-26T15:54:44.032-04:00Andrew and Kevin -- Thanks to both of you for stop...Andrew and Kevin -- Thanks to both of you for stopping by.<br /><br />Andrew, my policy on inquiries has always been to send them the same way you sent the submission. If you submitted via email, inquire via email, and if via snailmail (which is the case with <i>The Strand</i>), inquire via snailmail. Whether either kind of inquiry will always get a response, I can't say. <br /><br />Kevin, as I mentioned in my comment to Jacqueline, I often just resubmit my manuscripts someplace else if I don't hear back from the first market within a certain period of time. I agree that that can be frustrating. (As if writing isn't already frustrating enough . . .)John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-77933963942015582222014-07-26T15:35:03.173-04:002014-07-26T15:35:03.173-04:00Loved the story behind the story, John. Thanks for...Loved the story behind the story, John. Thanks for writing it. As for the Strand, I have submitted there a couple of times, but never heard back. And as for POV, I do it all, first, third, multiple, depending entirely on the story. Usually stick to single for short stories, but not always. Much more apt to have multiple in novels, but not always. As always, LOL, it depends.Jan Christensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02027877440748580764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-56602483807185580532014-07-26T15:31:32.532-04:002014-07-26T15:31:32.532-04:00Thanks, Jacqueline -- it's good to see you her...Thanks, Jacqueline -- it's good to see you here.<br /><br />A quick note about response times (and the failure to respond at all): What I usually do, with any market, is wait a bit longer than the response time stated in the guidelines, then send a note inquiring about the status of the manuscript, and then (if I get no response from the inquiry) send that submission someplace else, with no guilt feelings whatsoever. I did that once, after never hearing back from a submission to <i>The Strand</i>, and wound up selling that story to another market. Almost exactly two years after I had first submitted it, editor Andrew Gulli contacted me and said they'd like to buy the story, and asked if it was still available. I of course had to say no. But I then sent them a second story, and this one was accepted. The lesson I learned here was that, as we writers have agreed, there's often no rhyme nor reason to all this--we just have to keep writing and keep trying.<br /><br />I must point out, though, that I have found Andrew Gulli to be as kind and competent and professional as any editor I've worked with. No matter what you might think about their response policy, I believe it's worthwhile to give <i>The Strand</i> a try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-66907708341401537092014-07-26T15:24:59.400-04:002014-07-26T15:24:59.400-04:00It has been a very long time since I have submitte...It has been a very long time since I have submitted anything to anyone, but The Strand also did not reply to my submissions. I don't have access to my records right now to detail how many years and months it has been on each one. I can say say there were three over about a decade submitted at various times. They never used the SASE enclosed at time of submission nor did they use the SASE sent later when I followed up on each one. <br /><br />KevinKevin R. Tipplehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04170714419133752724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-31919086337716835142014-07-26T15:24:04.010-04:002014-07-26T15:24:04.010-04:00Nice article and it's good to hear that someon...Nice article and it's good to hear that someone is actually in communication with the Strand. Until I read the comments, I thought I held a record of 700+ days without an answer. (Nor an answer to any of the inquiring emails sent asking about the status of the story.)<br /><br />Do you suppose sending a physical letter to the address you provided might cause a reply? If not, I suppose I should just give up on them.<br /><br />Again, thank you for sharing your experiences and congratulations on placing stories with them!<br /><br />Andrew MacRaeAndrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05367811920645917911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-90913637020725373862014-07-26T14:02:46.748-04:002014-07-26T14:02:46.748-04:00Hi, John,
The Strand is obviously a fine publicat...Hi, John,<br /><br />The Strand is obviously a fine publication, but not very responsive. Congrats on your success.Jacqueline Seewaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com