This week we’ll be introducing each of our editors, and offering the chance to see a bit more about what they’re looking for in submissions. Next up is the Dream Chronicler, Randall!
Are there any tropes you go feral for?
For me, tropes are ever-present, and I’m not too fussy about those you choose to explore! What I really want to see is originality. Take the archetypes, tropes, and genres we know and love, and add your own unique voice to them. No one else will tell the exact story you have to tell, and the world needs your words!
Some stories make you work to find the meaning. How hard are you willing to dig to find it?
If a writer is working to intentionally obscure their meaning, it almost always shows. If you’re going to make me work for your story’s meaning, make me want it. The easiest way to do this is through understatement, rather than obscuration. Take the time to make each word truly shine, and you’ll be amazed by what you can fit into the story!
Do you have a preference for action?
I am a sucker for a good action sequence. My favorites are those that step away from the choreography of every spell blast and sword thrust, instead using figurative language and alternate focuses to carry me through the fighting in a new, unique way. From the pitched battle to the high-stakes wagon chase, if the action is important, make it sing!
How’s your sense of humor?
I absolutely love well-placed humor in all its forms. From the absurd to the witty, and even the occasional dad joke: If it works (and it fits in your piece) then bring it on!
How much setting detail do you need to “see” a story?
Guide me by the hand into the halls of your generation ship, or into the cellar of your serial killer, but then give me the freedom to fill in the finer details on my own. The setting is a frame of reference, where the writer fills in the important details and the reader is left to exercise their imagination. Don’t leave me in front of a blank drawing board, though! Frame the painting and give me the rough shape. My imagination can take over from there.
Are you a genre purist?
Do I love genre work? Absolutely! I am a speculative writer through and through, and this carries over into what I enjoy reading and editing. Wow me with your worldbuilding, flex your imagination, and show me worlds I never would have thought of without your help! I am not looking for literary work. I want your imaginary, your implausible, and your impossible. Bring me the moon, and use magic (or a good tractor beam) to do it!
What kind of characters do you like?
Characters are the beating heart of my favorite stories. Without someone to root for, without a conflict in their lives to build empathy and relatability, I will rapidly lose interest. I don’t care if your imagined planet is in danger of destruction until I care about the people living there! Round those personalities, individualize those pieces of dialogue, and breathe life into the characters you want me to love (or hate!).
Squawk! When it comes to pacing, do you enjoy books that take off like a bolt of lightning, or ones that meander along at a leisurely pace, allowing you to savor every moment?
Take the time to tell your story but hook me early. Nothing is worse than reading half of a story only to realize that you still don’t know what it’s about. Give me the fast-paced, or give me the introspective. Just make your narrative compelling, your characters well-defined, and your prose sharpened. So long as your story is crafted with intention, I’m not partial!
Are there any thematic elements you like to see?
Just show me your originality! No one wants to be considered derivative or overly pastiche, so it is critical that the writer flex those muscles to show a story that is uniquely theirs. I’m here for the experience of reading, and I want to be transported by whatever forms your story takes. Show off just how far you can carry me with your flights of fancy!