Comments on: Free Science Fiction http://www.spacetimestories.com/commentary/free-science-fiction/ Space and Time Travel Stories. A Science Fiction Blog By Sean O'Brien Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:26:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.5 By: Colum Paget http://www.spacetimestories.com/commentary/free-science-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-288 Colum Paget Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:33:32 +0000 http://www.spacetimestories.com/?p=18#comment-288 Oh, there's a bit missing from the bottom of my last post. I was saying 'go for it, like RK Morgan', but that bit didn't post. Oh, there’s a bit missing from the bottom of my last post. I was saying ‘go for it, like RK Morgan’, but that bit didn’t post.

]]> By: Colum Paget http://www.spacetimestories.com/commentary/free-science-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-287 Colum Paget Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:31:21 +0000 http://www.spacetimestories.com/?p=18#comment-287 > One of the reasons I plan to write science > fiction short stories here on my blog is that I > see little value in trying to get them > published. I think you are right about what you say about the cost/benefits of trying to get short stories published, and I say that as someone who's tried to do so! Financially the short-fiction market is a total loss. Richard K Morgan gave up and just went and did the novel, that tells us something. Unfortunately, much the same is true of the novel markets too, it seems. Very few writers manage to 'give up the day job' even with novels. Mr Morgan was only able to do so because Hollywood got involved. On the other hand, the one thing that you do know if you get a short story published, is that you've achieved a degree of excelence, or at least, you're good enough for someone else to go for it. You can't really trust feedback from other sources, as people feel such a pressure to 'say something nice'. I've seen this in the online workshops, where everyone opens with 'I really enjoyed your story', even though they then proceed to tear it to shreds! Colum I have to say I think you are right about there being little point trying to get published > One of the reasons I plan to write science
> fiction short stories here on my blog is that I
> see little value in trying to get them
> published.
I think you are right about what you say about the cost/benefits of trying to get short stories published, and I say that as someone who’s tried to do so! Financially the short-fiction market is a total loss. Richard K Morgan gave up and just went and did the novel, that tells us something.
Unfortunately, much the same is true of the novel markets too, it seems. Very few writers manage to ‘give up the day job’ even with novels. Mr Morgan was only able to do so because Hollywood got involved.

On the other hand, the one thing that you do know if you get a short story published, is that you’ve achieved a degree of excelence, or at least, you’re good enough for someone else to go for it. You can’t really trust feedback from other sources, as people feel such a pressure to ‘say something nice’. I’ve seen this in the online workshops, where everyone opens with ‘I really enjoyed your story’, even though they then proceed to tear it to shreds!

Colum

I have to say I think you are right about there being little point trying to get published

]]>