The biggest SF/F taboo: Showing humanity in a positive light

My name popped up a twice on SF Signal in the last few days. First off, here's the table of contents for the upcoming Year's Best SF 14, which contains my story "The Ships Like Clouds, Risen By Their Rain."

SF Signal also asked a number of writers and editors what sort of taboos exist in the world of science fiction and fantasy publishing. Check out the link, because there are a ton of great responses from people like Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Hal Duncan, and Neal Asher.

My response from the discussion:

The biggest taboo in science fiction and fantasy is showing humans in a positive light. According to the experts, there are so many problems in our world--global warming, overpopulation, the looming singularity--it will be a miracle if humanity survives the next hundred years. As a result, many writers of speculative fiction self censor, embracing doom and gloom under the belief that doing so gives "depth" to their writings. They create nothing but dark and moody antiheroes living dark and moody lives in dark and moody science fiction and fantasy worlds, where ironic quips have taken the place of actual human qualities like self sacrifice, love, and hope.

Ironically, this causes much of SF/F to miss the true depths of humanity, and likewise causes the genre to misunderstand our ability to overcome our self-created problems. Humanity has been engaged in a million-year flirtation with extinction--but we're still here! Research suggests that tens of thousands of years ago humanity dwindled to a few hundred people. Yet those people didn't give up. Instead, they spread across the entire globe and created the civilizations which nurture us all. I see no reason why today's humanity won't also overcome the problems that threaten both us and our planet. But in today's SF/F, this positive view of humanity's past and future is one most writers avoid like the plague.

In the comments section of the SF Signal discussion, Brad R. Torgersen agrees with my points, adding that "Maybe some people like seeing humanity at its worst, because they think this is simply art reflecting reality.  Me?  I say, no thanks.  Give me the bold tale, told boldly.  And the gutsy protagonist who makes the hard choices and fights the hard fights, not for seflishness, but because these are the right things to do."  He also adds that the "art of legend-making that has become 'uncool' in an era of irony, smugness, and cynicism." I totally agree.

storySouth's new issue and look

As I mentioned back in December, storySouth--the online journal I founded with Jake Adam York--has a new editorial team and publisher. Well, their first all-new issue is now available and it's a sight to behold. With fiction by George Singleton and Daniel Wallace, and poetry by Gregory Donovan and Erin Lyndal Martin (among others), the issue shows that storySouth is back with a vengeance as the journal continues its work of highlighting the best new writings from the New South.

I want to give special praise to Terry Kennedy and all the editors at Spring Garden Press for the excellent work in bringing storySouth to new heights. And special praise must also be given to Assistant Editor Andrew Saulters for his new graphic design to the journal.

"Ships Like Clouds..." nominated for Theodore Sturgeon Award

Lois Tilton at the Internet Review of Science Fiction has selected my story "The Ships Like Clouds, Risen By Their Rain" from Interzone #217 as one of her nominations for the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. Many, many thanks to Lois for including the story among her ten nominations. It looks like all the judges are sending in their nominations right now, with the finalists to be announced in the spring.

Overall, I've received a great response to "The Ships Like Clouds, ..." and its slated to be reprinted in David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer's upcoming Year's Best SF 14.

Story selected for Year's Best SF

Editors David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer have selected my story "The Ships Like Clouds, Risen By Their Rain" for their upcoming Year's Best SF 14. Many thanks to both of them for this honor. I also want to thank all the editors at Interzone for originally publishing the story last year.

Year's Best SF 14 will be published in the spring by Harper Eos.

A sleuth of Edgar Allan Poe books

Since 2009 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, a whole slew of books--or perhaps sleuth of books, since Poe invented the detective tale--have been released. My current review on Monsters and Critics examines three of these books:

  • In the Shadow of the Master, edited by Michael Connelly;
  • On a Raven's Wing: New Tales in Honor of Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Stuart M. Kaminsky; and
  • Poe: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Ellen Datlow.

Wading into the flash fiction wars yet again

I have a bit of a reputation with regards to flash fiction, thanks to an essay I wrote a while back and my decision to not consider stories under a 1000 words for the Million Writers Award for best online short story. As a result, I probably shouldn't go anywhere flash fictional lands, unless I want to receive even more nasty e-mails in my in-box.

But what the hey. I might as well live a risky life. So I present my newest review for The Fix, in which I review SF/F flash fiction from Bruce Holland Rogers. Flash fiction lovers should feel free to begin flaming my in-box whenever they wish.

A Happy New Year of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing

I'm back after taking a blogging break, and have discovered several critics have said very nice things about my story "When Thorns Are The Tips Of Trees" (published in Interzone, issue 219, Dec. 2008). Colin Harvey's review in Suite 101 praises the story as "One of the year's best," while Neil Beynon selected it as one of his top ten stories of 2008. Many thanks to both Colin and Neil for their kind words.

During my blogging break, I finished a good deal of fiction. Among the completed stories is a 5,800 word SF story submitted only moments ago for John Joseph Adams' Federation anthology, a 13,000 word novelette merging SF and fantasy themes, and a 20,000 word hard SF novella. Amazing how not blogging can really increase one's productivity!

New publisher and editors for storySouth

Seven years ago, I founded storySouth with my co-editor Jake Adam York. While I've really enjoyed working on this literary journal, the time has come to move on. Anyone wanting all the details can read my introduction to the current issue of storySouth.

storySouth's new publisher will be Spring Garden Press, a well-regarded literary publisher in Greensboro, North Carolina. storySouth'snew editor is Terry Kennedy, the Associate Director of the MFA Writing Program at UNCG Greensboro and the editor of Spring Garden Press. Joining him as fiction editor is Drew Perry, a UNCG alum who teaches fiction writing at Elon University. Julie Funderburk, who previously served as one of storySouth's associate editors, will be the poetry editor, while Andrew Saulters, who created the websites for the UNCG MFA Program, The Greensboro Review, and Spring Garden Press, will be storySouth's new designer.

I will continue to run the magazine's Million Writers Award, but otherwise all the current storySouth editors will be fading into the journal's background. Thanks to all the writers and readers who have supported the journal over the years. But also realize this isn't the end of storySouth--instead, this change is an exciting new start. In the coming months Terry and his crew will be rebuilding and improving the journal, all while continuing to keep the focus on promoting the best new writings from the new South.

Short story word counts—how long should a story be?

In my new review of Strange Horizons fiction for The Fix, I wander aimlessly through the intellectual wilderness while asking how long short stories should be. As most writers and readers already know, there are many different types of short stories, including flash fiction, novelettes, and novellas. But what's the breakdown of these story categories by word count, and how long should a particular story actually be? I reveal all in the review—or perhaps I don't. How's that for being coy?

I should also add that in the review, I gush all over the story “Nine Sundays in a Row” by Kris Dikeman. I strongly suggest lovers of trickster fantasies check out this wonderful tale.

New reviews of "When Thorns Are the Tips of Trees"

Two new reviews of my short story "When Thorns Are the Tips of Trees" (from Interzone #219, Dec. 2008) are now available. Lawrence Conquest praises the tale, calling it an "expertly crafted story," while Anthony G Williams liked both this story and my previous Interzone outing, "The Ships Like Clouds, Risen by Their Rain." Many thanks for the kind words.

I've also had a few readers e-mail and ask if "When Thorns Are the Tips of Trees" is in homage to James Tiptree, Jr, the pen name of SF writer Alice Bradley Sheldon. Short answer: Yes. But beyond that one word answer, readers have to dig for themselves to see what I was up to.

When Thorns Are the Tips of Trees

My short story "When Thorns Are the Tips of Trees" is now out in issue 219 of Interzone (December 2008). The Fix Online has a review of the issue up and the reviewer liked my story. However, he didn't like the ending, but says that "like-minded readers can simply enjoy this as a story that has a conclusion they happen to disagree with." Of course, this stands in contrast to one early reader who e-mailed me to say that she loved the ending. So who knows what to make of all this.

Recent reviews and comments

There have been some really nice comments about my fiction in recent days. S.M. Duke really liked my short story "The Ships Like Clouds, Risen By Their Rain" from Interzone #217. He includes this high praise:

I simply think that this is a terrific story with a fantastic, if not unique, vision. It puts Sanford in a category of people I admire and perhaps hope to be like--not in the sense of imitation, but in the sense of rising to that level. And he's in good company (Tobias S. Buckell is on that list, along with John Scalzi, Paul Genesse, and a handful of other fine writers)

All I can say is "Wow!"

And in another very nice complement, Aaron Wilson said reading my story "Where Away You Fall" helped him pass the time before presenting his MFA defense. Glad to hear his defense was successful. I wouldn't recommend waving copies of Analog: Science Fiction and Fact before too many MFA defense committees, but I'm glad to hear that there are some open-minded institutions out there.

Review of Fast Ships, Black Sails

My featured review of the new anthology Fast Ships, Black Sails, edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, is now up at Monsters and Critics. There are a number of great stories in this collection, including "Boojum" by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette, "A Cold Day in Hell" by Paul Batteiger, "Beyond the Sea Gate of the Scholar-Pirates of Sarskoe" by Garth Nix, and my favorite story, "Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake" by Naomi Novik.

This collection is an all-star treat which both plays with the pirates we all know and love, and takes those self-same pirates into new and exciting waters. Check it out.

An insider's guide to SF for insiders

My new review of Strange Horizons' fiction is now up at The Fix, and in the review I discuss why science fiction is so often written for SF insiders. As I say in the review,

It’s not that we don’t like readers. After all, every literary genre lives only through the graces of that genre’s readers. The problem for science fiction writers, however, comes in explaining to the general public many of our genre’s current insights—concepts such as the singularity, neural downloads, nanotechnology, ansibles, and so on. While all these concepts are well known to science fiction insiders, they can easily confuse people who don’t continually immerse themselves in the genre. So every time science fiction authors write a story, they have to decide how much explanation they’re willing to give for ideas which their biggest fans are likely already familiar.

The result is a chasm between science fiction which is accessible to the general reading public and that which can only be appreciated by science fiction insiders.

So what's the solution? I'm not sure. But unless SF can gain new readers, it risks become inbred. And like anything that becomes too inbred, extinction is the end result.

Two notes on my writing

My essay "Singing the Songs of Arthur C. Clarke's Distant Earth" is in the current New York Review of Science Fiction (October 2008, issue 242). The essay examines the many different versions of Clarke's story The Songs of Distant Earth, which was the late grandmaster's self-professed favorite novel.

In other great news, Richard Horton, who reviews short fiction for Locus and edits anthologies such as Fantasy: The Best of the Year 2008, selected my story "Where Away You Fall" as one of four impressive short stories to appear this year in Analog: Science Fiction and Fact. He discussed this on his blog, where he also provided a very nice overview of what Analog published during 2008. Many thanks to Richard for the kind words.

Emma Larkins interviews me

I'm still on an August blogging break, but I wanted to let people know about an interview with me over on Emma Larkins' website. My favorite question was What is your one super secret tip for aspiring authors hoping to get published? My short answer: "Don't be a jerk." Read the complete interview for more.