Please welcome donalee Moulton to the blog today as she shares her thoughts about her presence in the upcoming new anthology, Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery &
Suspense. Published by Superior Shores
Press, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk, the book comes out on June 18th.
The Anthology Advantage by donalee Moulton
As
a freelance journalist, writing to deadline is as natural as breathing. When
editors assign a story, they provide three essential pieces of information: topic,
word count, and delivery date. Miss your deadline and kiss the possibility of a
second assignment goodbye.
This
is not about editors flexing their weight. It’s about the reality of
publishing. In the days before online everything, a story that didn’t arrive on
time meant publications had a gaping hole in their magazine or newspaper.
Gaping holes are filled when editors rush around like mad, cursing the name of
the writer who missed their deadline.
When
I started to do more fiction writing than reporting, I found deadlines are
often self-imposed. I will finish my first chapter by the end of the week. I
will write a thousand words of my short story every day for four days. I
will edit the story by Monday. I also found self-imposed deadlines are
often more wishful thinking than etched in stone.
I missed the rigor of deadlines
I didn’t dream up. Then I discovered anthologies. Genre writing is rife with
anthologies – and anthologies have deadlines. They also often have themes, the
journalistic equivalent of topic. The path ahead is paved for you. Here’s
what we’d like you to write about. Here’s when you have to get it to us.
I wrote my first mystery
short story, “Swan Song,” in 2021 in response to a call from the Crime Writers
of Canada. To celebrate its fortieth anniversary, the national association
planned to publish an anthology, Cold Canadian Crime. There was a theme
(“cold” in the broadest sense of the word). There was a deadline. Count me in.
Since then, I have
written fourteen more short stories. Most of them have been published, mostly
in anthologies. A few have been reprinted in anthologies. At least one has been
reprinted in several anthologies.
One of my recent
anthology short stories is called “Maladaptive Anonymous.” In the story, the
main character calls this group, somewhat disparagingly, Daydreamers Anonymous.
The anthology, which will be out June 18th, is entitled: Midnight
Schemers & Daydream Believers. Just as editors expect you to meet your
deadline (or miss out on the opportunity), they also expect you to stick to the
topic. You have lots of room to play, but the boundaries are there.
While every anthology
editor has their own process, the process is usually rigorous. And appreciated.
Judy Penz Sheluk, who edited Midnight Schemers, had three rounds of
readers and after the first and third round we were provided with feedback –
and helpful suggestions for improvements. There were also at least three rounds
of proofreading. At some point, you think this is overkill until in the final
proof you discover your main character has titled their head. In the published
version, their head is now tilted.
As a short story writer, anthologies bring me
back to familiar ground. I am given three essential pieces of information:
topic, word count, and delivery date. This helps me to focus on a theme – and to
go to wonderful and wacky places with plots I might otherwise not uncover and
characters I might otherwise not create. And I go there by deadline.
donalee Moulton is the
author of Hung out to Die, Conflagration!, and has two new books coming out in
2025, Bind and Melt, the first in a new series, the Lotus Detective Agency. A
short story “Swan Song” was one of 21 selected for publication in Cold Canadian
Crime. It was shortlisted for an Award of Excellence. Other short stories have
been published in numerous anthologies and magazines. donalee is an
award-winning freelance journalist. She has written articles for print and
online publications across North America including The Globe and Mail,
Chatelaine, Lawyer’s Daily, National Post, and Canadian Business.
No comments:
Post a Comment