Monday, December 14, 2009

Inteview with Allegory Ezine Assistant Editor and Author J.E. Taylor

Terry Kate:  Good morning everyone, I would like to welcome a special guest to the Backseat paranormal suspense writer and Assistant Editor with Allegory Ezine J.E. Taylor.
 J.E. Taylor:  Thank you for having me on your site.  I'm thrilled to be here and answer your questions!
 TK:  Oh what fun your initials spell out JET!  How appropriate.  Tell us a little about the E-zine?
 JET:  Allegory is an online venue for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.   I happen to be in a great writer's organizations called Backspace where I met Ty Drago - the Editor of Allegory.  He put out a call for associate editors and I happened to answer that call.
 TK:  Oh he has a fun name too!
 JET: He does have a fun name and ironically - it is the name of my main character in Survival Games that comes out next summer.  So when I met him, it was quite amusing.  I hadn't ever heard the name Ty before either.  LOL
I was promoted to Assistant Editor pretty quickly and have had the pleasure of helping narrow down the submission field to the final 8 for the January issue.  Allegory publishes three times a year  January, May and September and our submission process is pretty unique.

TK You are narrowing down the pool of submissions to eight, about how many submissions do you get?
And unique how?
 JET:  All submissions are reviewed within 4-6 weeks. If the story shows merit, we will respond with a "maybe" letter, explaining that the submission is in the running for a spot in the next issue. At the end of the submission cycle, which is always two months before the next issue comes out, all "maybe" submissions are re-reviewed, and the top eight are selected for publication.
 I don't have the exact number of submissions that Ty receives, I do know I've read close to one hundred this go round myself. There are 6 of us taking the first cut and thinning down the field.  So in light of that - I would estimate close to 400 submissions at minimum coming through the pipeline.
 TK:  Are these Published Authors, Aspiring Authors or a mix of both?
JET A mix of both.
 TK:  What is the most common issue that causes you to pass on a piece as an editor?
 JET:  It doesn't grab me from the get go.   Honestly, I have the attention span of a gnat and most of the time I'm multi tasking, so if the story doesn't grab me in the first few paragraphs - then I usually know.  I will even give a story a chance if the writing is good, but not compelling in the first page or two.  If it doesn't ramp up quickly, then you've lost me.  Another thing that turns me off is passive voice.
TK Passive Voice AKA the Kiss of Death.  What is the average length of the stories?
 JET:  Yes definitely, and it does show the maturity of the writer.  Average length I'd say is between 2 and 4K.  I've had stories shorter and as long as 12K.
 TK:  wow 12k
 JET:   Yes.  12K  - but if it is good, the length is not noticeable.  :)
 TK:  There seem to be less and less magazines, print or online, these days.  What is your feeling?
JET From a writer standpoint, I would agree with that because it seems the places to submit stories is getting a little thinner than before.  I don't know how it is at other magazines, but we don't get paid for what we do.  We do it because we love the craft and want to give something back to the industry.  We do pay for the submissions - well Ty does - so that in itself is amazing considering there isn't any advertising dollars coming in either.    Allegory is a popular online venue getting close to 500,000 unique visitors a year and that is a bigger circulation than some print magazines.
TK:  Wow, now I feel bad, I take ad money and do not pay out to anyone who writes for me- though unpaid employees sounds awesome!  Because of this is the art of the short story getting a bit lost?
JET I don't think so.  I think there will always be avenues to get the work out there, albeit smaller and more stringent in the quality that gets printed, but there are still an abundance of contests that highlight short stories available.
 TK:  I have a hard time completing an thought in 2,000 words, none the less a story.
 JET:  I hear you thereIt certainly is a challenge to fully bake a story in 2000 words or less.  You just have to look at every word under the microscope and decide if it is really needed.  This applies across the board though.  Short stories, novels, news articles.  Is the info pertinent to the story, and if it isn't it should be nixed.
 TK:  A good skill for novelists too.
 JET:  Yes and sometimes you have to cut your darlings.  It hurts - but it is necessary.
 TK:  Has the experience editing others made you a stronger writer?
 JET:  I believe so.  It helps me identify the weaknesses in my own righting.  Gives me a more objective look at what works and what doesn't.  Which is an eye opener sometimes.
 JET:  I tend to punch out things fast and it took me some time to learn patience and gain some distance to be able to cut things that when I wrote then I thought were brilliant - but they didn't move the story forward.  It was more for my own amusement and those have got to go.
 J.E. Taylor:  I see that in some of the stories that pass my desk.  In some cases I'm compelled to offer more in the way of a critique to the rejections to try to help focus a writer on what is working in the story and what doesn't.  Especially if I see talent there that just needs a little refinement or a story that started in the wrong place.
I don't like to receive form rejections, so I try very hard not to send them.
 Terry Kate:  I can not wait to get the news out to everyone on my site.  I am sure like me, they are always looking for a good free read and a new place to find up and coming voices in literature.
 
Visit J.E. Taylor's Site  www.JETaylor75.com
Check out Allegory Ezine at   www.allegoryezine.com


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3 Comments:

Anonymous Terry Kate said...

Thanks soooo much for coming on! I am officially addicted to the Ezine and will be ready for the next issue with baited breath.
Can not wait to hear more from other readers.
Terry Kate

December 14, 2009 at 4:46 PM  
Blogger Cat Connor said...

Great interview Jane!

:-)

December 15, 2009 at 9:58 AM  
Anonymous Terry Kate said...

Hey Cat!
Great seeing you here. And it was a blast getting to interview JET!
See you guys soon.
Terry Kate

December 17, 2009 at 4:52 PM  

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