Bewildering Stories discusses...
Good Experiences
with Lewayne L. White
A Review Editor responds to a thank-you note I sent to all of Bewildering Stories’ editors as a holiday greeting.
Thanks so much for the kind words. BwS’s editorial “staff” deserve every bit of it, and you deserve credit for keeping things in line.
When I first submitted a short story to BwS, I was nowhere near the end of my rope as a writer, but I’d been subjected to a series of “bad” rejections, as opposed to the “good” rejections that say something like, “Not for us, but we liked X element of it.” Acceptance at BwS was both a needed shot in the writing arm, and, I would learn later, an opportunity to become part of an organization that is, as it’s been described, very “approachable.”
I’ve learned more about what makes good — and bad — fiction, from reviewing submissions and issue previews than I probably did in the writing classes I’ve attended. I still refer to “The Writer’s Craft” and “Style Manual” when I need clarification or reinforcement while writing. And, it remains a joy to discover the odd gem among the stories we review, knowing that it was published first in BwS.
Happy New Year to you and BwS. I hope this next year is even bigger and better.
Lewayne
And thank you, Lewayne. The responses we receive from contributors tell us you speak for many. I’m always on the lookout for possible improvements, and I’m especially proud of two relatively recent ones. The Review Readers’ Checklist offers writers a succinct “12-point program” of practical advice. And the section on commas, in the Style Manual, is as brief as a joke but provides tips I haven’t seen elsewhere on the Net.
Intangibles such as morale are very important. I wanted to emphasize that everybody’s work at BwS is appreciated, and — numerous and far-flung though we are — nobody works alone.
Happy New Year to one and all!
Don
© by Lewayne L. White
and Don Webb
