It is always a matter of some surprise when I learn of an author, particularly one who writes SF, who refuses to embrace modern tools and technology. There are many of my colleagues who will disagree with my following assertions. That’s fine.
One of the most effective tools a writer has at her disposal is sharp, natural dialogue, conversation which flows as freely as the spoken word.
It happens all too often when manuscripts come across my desk, the author operates in a safe and sterile zone, moving characters across a stage with a green screen backdrop. Put another way, there is a palpable lack of environmental detail. Are there curtains on that window by which the character is standing? Is the window open?
It has been said all the stories were written millennia ago, that no new stories exist. There is some truth to that assertion, in that the stories we tell always illuminate human ability, or lack thereof, to deal with situations, whether those situations are technological, environmental or societal in nature.
To acknowledge this Canada Day, I thought I would explain a bit about Five Rivers’ mandate: publishing Canadian voices.
What is it about a story of fiction that sweeps you away? Aside from other key elements, I’m pretty sure it’s a fully developed character who speaks to you from the page or screen.
It is too often the case in many of the manuscripts I see, the author is in such a rush to tell his story the entire narrative devolves to exposition. In other words, the author is telling rather than showing.
My colleague, Robert Runté, and I read and edit a lot of manuscripts in the course of a year. We often see the same mistakes cropping up.
