| Author | Message | ||
     Des (Des) Username: Des Registered: 06-2008 Posted From: 86.145.36.225 |
Another very good review of CONE ZERO here: "a flawless anthology" http://tinyurl.com/5ovc8v | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 79.187.206.46 |
Des -  Have you managed to peruse my offerings, yet? Has the bleeding stopped? | ||
| Des (Des) Username: Des Registered: 06-2008 Posted From: 86.145.36.225 |
The guidelines give an idea of when I may reply. Sorry, I can't comment outside those guidelines and whether I have yet read the submission (or not). | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 79.187.206.46 |
Des - sorry, mate. I was joking. Do you honestly thin k I'd want everyone hearing just how appalling my stories were  | ||
| Des (Des) Username: Des Registered: 06-2008 Posted From: 86.145.36.225 |
No problem, Frank. Just spread the word that CONE ZERO is 'a flawless anthology'. ;-) des | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
Fran, stop it, man. Have a bit of faith in yourself. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.3.65.135 |
Yeah, take a few tips from Mr Positive, Gary McMahon. The man who sees the silver lining around every cloud. Sometimes, his joie de vivre just wears me down. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 79.187.206.46 |
Zed - cheers, mate. It doesn't mean I don't love writing. Like you, I'd go bleedin' spare if I didn't do it. Prof  | ||
| Simon Strantzas (Nomis) Username: Nomis Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 38.113.181.169 |
The last thing one wants to do, IMHO, is say to an editor one is trying to sell a story to, "hey, this story kind of sucks, but consider it anyway." Why, as an editor, would I want to read something even the author doesn't think highly of? Besides, if you tell someone the story is bad, the person goes in unconsciously looking for an affirmation of what you've told him or her. Of course, one doesn't want to appear too positive either ("You'll love this! I rock!". Instead, a "here you go I hope you enjoy it" is all that's required. Anyway, that's just my view on things. Privately and among friends I think it's okay to express doubts about your abilities, but publicly it's a bad idea. Not if you ever want people to read your work. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
Well said, Simon. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.3.65.135 |
Then again, Ramsey is pretty dismissive of some of his stuff in various intros for reissued books. | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.53 |
But I suppose that's okay if it's retrospective. It would be different for new work. Congratulations, Des. Great review. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
If you have no faith in your own work why should anyone else? It's a bit of a hobbyhorse with me, this one...whether my work stands or falls, I at least know that it's good and it's the very best I could do. If I didn't think that, I simply couldn't send it to anyone. Your first critic is yourself; once you at least partially satisfy him with a story, you can take on the others with that story. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
Of course, you look back at past work and can see the flaws, often even think it's pretty crap. That's all part of growing as an artist, learning your craft...but at the time that work was the very best you could produce, and you were proud of it. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.183.137 |
'Beneath the Ground' - now that was a floorless anthology. Sorry Joel... | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.53 |
 I like it, Huw. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
All joking aside, BENEATH THE GROUND is a very fine anthology indeed. Thanks for reminding me of it, Huw! Joel should edit again. He has great taste. | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.165.182 |
Totally, Zed. Did you ever read 'Birmingham Noir', the crime antho he co-edited with Steve Bishop? It also rocked. But the world really needs another Joel Lane-edited horror anthology. Because it just bloody does. | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.110.216.199 |
"'Beneath the Ground' - now that was a floorless anthology." It plumbed the depths of debasement. | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.53 |
Joel, you're a great editor, but a poor cellar of your own work. | ||
| Simon Strantzas (Nomis) Username: Nomis Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 99.225.111.224 |
Ouch! These jokes are the pits! | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.165.182 |
Life's abyss and then you dive... | ||
| Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey) Username: Ramsey Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.93.21.74 |
My standard accompanying letter with a new submission is "Here's some more of my crap, just as bad as all my other stuff. If I were you I'd stop reading now." | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.3.65.135 |
Ramsey subbed 'Just Behind You' to Poe's Progeny with the words: "I hope it's not too disappointing." It wasn't. | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.110.171.207 |
Mind you, in the past Ramsey has sat at home waiting for the morning post, turning the tea cosy inside-out and back again, when stories from Fritz Leiber and Robert Aickman have dropped onto the mat. Addressed to Ramsey as editor. And not just any stories either. Landmark stories, stories so hot you needed tongs to pick them up. These days, editors of anthologies use the sacks of disposable, unreadable, randomly printed off from other people's blogs, written in languages that don't exist, error-riddled (the author went comatose with boredom while checking them) MSS for loft insulation and regional landfill. The odd good story turning up is cause for the dance of joy, a spaghetti bolognaise, impromptu karaoke, a new website, a lost weekend and a six-month hibernation. | ||
| Des (Des) Username: Des Registered: 06-2008 Posted From: 86.145.36.225 |
Bravo! | ||
| Des (Des) Username: Des Registered: 06-2008 Posted From: 86.145.39.131 |
Happy New Year! Summary of CONE ZERO reviews so far (including a new one today at the end of list): http://tinyurl.com/8unjgw |