Reposted from this thread in the Writers sub-forum - check there for updates and discussions.
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Submissions Call for the SFFWorld 2015 Anthology!
THEME
Authors are invited to submit ecologically-themed science fiction, fantasy or horror stories for the fourth SFFW Anthology. The provisional title is:
ECOTONES
Here's a definition of that, as a possible inspiration:
“An ecotone is a transition area between two biomes. It is where two communities meet and integrate. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local (the zone between a field and forest) or regional (the transition between forest and grassland ecosystems).”
If you want to include an ecotone in your story, great – it could be an existing one with a horror twist, or an sf extrapolation (a planet with tropical jungles bordering a frozen desert, maybe), or even fantasy's division between the real world and fairyland – but doing so is optional. The ecological theme, however you choose to interpret it, is not.
However, the anthology will no doubt touch on a mix of environments and may well bring together stories from all three genres, so in a sense we'll be collectively creating a complex ecotone of our own!
PHILOSOPHY
The subject of “diversity” in genre fiction has arguably never been more prominent than it is now, and this factor is something I'd like to acknowledge in the anthology. In part, the title reflects this: ecotones cannot exist if there is not some coming together of different systems in nature, and
ecological diversity is one very literal way we can reflect this – but I expect puppies everywhere know that's not exactly what I mean...
Stories that include
socialogical diversity appeal to many readers because they reflect the awesome variety of the world we live in. My hope is that our anthology will present aspects from the breadth of human culture, be it the spectrum of gender types or sexual orientation, racial or national or historical heritage, religious belief or disbelief. Even political affiliation – and yes, this
is a call for ecological fiction, so a story about
climate change denial is as valid as any other!
An anthology filled with fresh and varied perspectives is the goal, but – as with the specific notion of ecotones – these issues are simply options for individual writers to consider. Including such things won't guarantee your inclusion any more than ignoring them will get you ignored.
The one thing I'll be looking for above all others is this:
A Good Story, Well Told.
Guidelines and Information
WORD COUNTS
The sweet spot is
5,000 – 7,500 words. Anything falling outside this range will have to be ever more extraordinarily good the longer (or shorter) it is.
Although I'm not keen on flash length submissions, think about the format of
flash suite fiction: a story that forms a chain of two (or more) 1,000 word pieces would satisfy my minimum length requirement. However, to avoid complications, I won't accept collaborative submissions from multiple authors.
AUTHOR FEES
Authors will again be offered nominal fees for all work accepted, details to be confirmed.
GUEST AUTHOR...S
As with our previous anthologies, we will be featuring work from at least one notable author. Negotiations regarding this are very advanced, so expect an update in the near future.
SUBMITTING
Deadline for all submissions: August 31st, 2015
To Submit: email your story directly to andrew (dot) leon (dot) hudson (at) gmail (dot) com.
Submission Format: I will reformat all submissions to a consistent style, but please ensure your document is in Word DOC, DOCX, or RTF file formats. Also, do NOT tag your formatting, simply use the italics, bold, alignment commands, etc., of whatever word processor you use.
If your work employs any non-standard formatting which it is essential to preserve, alert me in your submission email (“the diary entries appear in a narrow central column” for example).
QUALIFYING REQUIREMENTS
- You must be a member of SFFWorld.com in good standing (no strikes) prior to submitting your story.
- Your story must fall in the speculative fiction genre (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, or any of their many sub-genres or potential combinations).
- No fan-fiction (and, ideally, no use of any real persons/organisations who might sue!).
I hope you'll consider participating, and look forward to your submission!
