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Clarion Week 3: Nancy Kress and the Me of 2003 July 13, 2006 My third story survived a critiquing on Tuesday. I'm a little disappointed, because the serious threads in a mostly-humorous story got completely lost, but overall the class seemed to enjoy it. Livia described Nancy Kress's teaching/critiquing approach as an iron fist in a velvet glove (I didn't actually hear Livia say this. Aimee mentioned it in her blog. Now if you quote Livia via me, via Aimee, make sure you add something small to the legend, like Livia was on a white horse when she said it.) That sounds about right. For those interested in what she covered in her lecture on Monday, Rahul took better notes than I did. In our one-on-one conference, Kress was able to identify (I think accurately) patterns in my fiction, even though I wrote the application stories more than three years ago. The big one is that the SF element (whatever makes the story a speculative/science fiction/fantasy story) is often the weakest point. I've been working on this and structure over the past few years, and, while I'm getting a pretty good grasp of the latter, I have to admit that the SF element is often the least interesting part of great SF stories I read. I'm more interested in character, in unique moments, in themes, and in what the story has to say. In a very successful SF story, these things cannot be removed from the SF element. In my own SF stories, the SF elements may be important to the structured story, but there would probably be ways to restructure the stories as non-genre and get across the same ideas and character movement without the SF. Kress suggests that I take more time to develop and think through the SF ideas before I even begin outlining. But I'm starting to wonder whether it's such a good idea that I keep a foot in both genre and non-genre writing, especially if my aptitude in writing SF after so many years extends little beyond those skills also necessary for non-genre writing. Perhaps eventually my SF stories will come in the form of comics, and my non-genre work as prose? But I don't want to make any big decisions at Clarion; I just don't have the perspective. Not-even-halfway into Clarion I'm starting to get sick of both reading and writing science fiction and fantasy prose. I've asked other students, but no-one has expressed interest in turning in a pop-up book in the next three weeks. I think every instructor so far has told me how Clarion favors the fast writer. I'm finally accepting it that I'm just not going to produce my best work while I'm here. And when I do finally finish polishing the stories I'm writing here, they still likely won't be my best work. The biggest benefit of Clarion to me will be in applying what I've learned to future stories. I hate dealing in abstractions. So much for making my tuition back with the sales of stories I write here. I hate it that these authors-in-residence and fellow Clarionites, all of whom I respect, have to read my mediocre work (application stories and rushed pieces) and won't have a chance to read my better work while I'm here. I also have better stories I've written in the past few months which I would love to get critiqued because I have no idea why they don't work or how to improve them. This isn't always the case with the stories I write while I'm here. They are flawed, and I see at least some of the flaws. I just need three more weeks to fix them. But on that note, I think I've got my first firm piece of advice for future Clarionites: don't submit application stories that are more than three years old or otherwise not representative of your best work. I did this because they were the best pieces within the 10-25 page range (Since 2003 I've either written very long or very short). But the times I've had to discuss what's wrong with the stories I wrote three years ago have been the absolute low-points while I've been at Clarion. I feel like I'm defending someone who doesn't deserve defending: the me of 2003. Other students whose best work fell outside this page range queried and sent longer pieces. I know this because we critiqued some of them the first week. I should have done this. I guess I didn't want Clarion to have to make any exceptions for me. Someday I'll learn to be noble without being stupid. Fourth story coming along very slowly and suckily. Telltale contributor payments sent. Filed under Clarion, Journal  
Comments: Discuss this entry at LiveJournalIf you're lucky enough to stay in contact with your class after the workshop, you can still get their feedback on those other stories. The CW class of '05 (and many other classes) maintain an active online writing group which is still going strong a year after we were forced to separate. It sounds like you're learning a lot, but don't expect instant results. And I wouldn't bet that you won't be able to sell those Clarion stories, after a little bit of work, anyway. :) Have fun! Posted by: Eugene at July 13, 2006 1:12 PM 
The 2004 Clarion class has two web sites for private use and communication -- one has a whole section for uploading/downloading stories to crit and feedback. Although everyone wants to write that perfect story where you can take the manuscript direct from crit circle to envelope -- that ain't gonna happen in the Clarion pressure cooker. I wrote seven stories at Clarion. One has been sent out a couple of times, but I've got enough info back that I think I now really understand what it needs to be marketable. Though it's close (placed as a Semi-Finalist at WOTF and got a reply back from an editor with comments). Another story was being groomed for SciFiction -- but not fast enough (grin). Two need work, but will be sent someday. Three need not be seen again. Far as I'm concerned, that's a pretty good average, especially as I played with several styles. (My attempts at humor all crashed and burned -- the rescue parties found no trace of any survivors.) Don't worry about the stories while you're there. Everyone is going through some level of angst, even if they aren't plagued by your particular set of demons. Play, write, experiment. Repeat. Sleep later. Dr. Phil Posted by: Dr. Phil at July 14, 2006 12:50 AM
Thanks, guys. I'm worried less about writing perfect stories than I am about writing stories that have the same problems I suffer from on "the outside." Let's say outside of Clarion I have five very polished, "almost there" stories currently making the rounds and I have no idea how to fix them--and let's say it's possible that at least four of them suffer a similar problem and it's a pattern in my fiction. What if I go all six weeks without ever getting a story to the point where that same problem surfaces? I write long and slow, and in many drafts. Yes, I'm learning a great deal. But if I don't make the same mistakes I make on the outside (and instead make new ones, or ones that I know how to fix myself on a long enough timeline), it makes it impossible for all of us to diagnose the bigger problems that I came here to address. Posted by: Alex at July 14, 2006 7:15 AM
Big Al! (Do you hate that? I was called that for an inexplicably long season in my early twenties) I'd try to stray away from words like 'impossible'. The editing skills that people bring to the table might surprise you. I'm going to hazard a guess that if you present a 90% publishable, money-making story, the editor of said publication will tell you what else to do, and then all you have to do is ... do it. coughASIMOV'SSALEcough All the introspection of your skill and your story-writing problems and whatall? Again, coughPROFESSIONALSALEFEBRUARY2007cough. You've got the chops. Gnash away. Posted by: Alan at July 14, 2006 8:15 AM
Thanks, Alan. Posted by: Alex at July 21, 2006 9:41 AM
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