What I like about outlining is that I can use it to time-shift my creativity.
Take today. It’s chilly, a grey, depressing Auckland overcast. The cats have deactivated themselves until the sun comes back out, or until dinner, whichever is the sooner. Creativity is at a low ebb.
But I have stuff outlined that I can work on, and I know if I do I’ll be able to make some progress.
Anthologies I would like to see
(And will probably have to end up editing myself, God forbid.)
1. Runyonesque. Stories in the distinctive style of Damon Runyon. There was a lovely one from Maria Dahvana Headley in, I think, The Very Best of Tor.com last year, “The Tallest Doll in New York City,” and Mike Resnik has one that I just saw reprinted in Funny Fantasy. I’m sure I’ve seen at least one other. Also, I’ve written one.
2. Unevenly Distributed. Stories that pick up on William Gibson’s observation about the science-fictionality of today. (His recent novels also use current technology in a science-fictional way.) Maybe Robin Sloane could be persuaded to contribute?
What unusual themed anthologies would you like to see? Go large.
A few people have asked me, after I’ve read their books and pointed out issues that their editors missed, whether I take editing clients myself.
Up until now, the answer has been “no”, but that’s just changed. At least for the month of May, my wife and I are taking on a few select clients. If you’re interested in being one of them, take a look at what we offer.
(Signal boost appreciated, especially if you can personally attest to my skill at spotting punctuation errors, homonym issues and the like.)
A third of the year has gone, and I’m halfway to my target number of short story submissions (30/60).