Learning, Slowly But Surely Learning
August 6, 1999
5:50 a.m.
I spoke to Mike Resnick while I was at Rivercon this past weekend. For regular followers of the site, you'll know that I've "grown up" as a writer being very loosely carried along under Mike's wing--so, the fact that I talked to him probably comes as no surprise at all. Heck, I've heard more that once that I'm your basic Resnick sycophant. Maybe sometime I'll write an entry about how I feel being cast into that role, but today I've got something else on my mind. Today, I'm looking back on the conversation Mike and I had, and realizing how far I've actaully come in understanding this business. The conversation went like this: Ron "So, how did it go at Clarion?" Mike "Good. I had a great time." Ron "What did you do there?" Mike "I had week four, so they had already gotten a bunch of the writing stuff, so I did the usual and focused on business. I think I scared them. But they're new writers, they'll have to learn to think in business circles someday." Ron "Well, you're right . . . but sometimes the lesson just doesn't take." Mike "What do you mean?" Ron "Well, I was roaming an on-line board I used to roam when I came across a bunch of people I knew from before, who I think should have known better, joining a huge complaint-fest about the current state of short fiction editors, and how they're publishing trash all over the place." Mike "Let me guess. Their own work was better than what they had been reading?" Ron "You got it. They were using Michael Swanwick's last dinosaur story in Asimov's as an example." Mike "Well, it wasn't one of Michael's best." Ron "No, it wasn't. But put yourself in Gardner's shoes. Michael Swanwick has written half a dozen of the most imaginative stories published in the past year--I mean, he's done some really killer stuff. He's an award quality writer. So, if you're Gardner, and Michael Swanwick sends you something that's good, but not stellar, do you send it back? Heck, no. You want his next story." Mike (smiling like only Mike can smile) So you buy it. Ron In a heartbeat. Mike You got it. That's what happened to F&SF with my Kirinyaga stories. They turned one down, and I sent the rest to Gardner. He never said no, and they won a few dozen awards for the magazine. Yeah, it's a little snippet. Hardly worth mentioning. But, I looked back on this conversation, and realized that Mike wasn't the one leading it. I was. I was telling Mike how the business was working--not that he needed to know, of course. Pretty cool, eh?   Have a great day, okay?  Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
|
"Draw from others the lesson that may profit yourself." Terence |
BACK TO 
|