Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Transcript: Science Fiction Fantasy Writer's Chat with the Editors of Ray Gun Revival, 1/26/11

2:00 amsffwrtcht:Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Writer?s Chat. #sffwrtcht
2:02 amBryanThomasS:Our goal is to talk w/ writers, editors, & others abt the craft of writing, specifically related to writing speculative fiction. #sffwrtcht
2:04 amBryanThomasS:Having twitter issues. #sffwrtcht
2:04 amshadowflame1974:Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Writer?s Chat. #sffwrtcht
2:04 amBryanThomasS:Please wait until your question gets answered to ask another & use the hashtag #sffwrtcht for all questions and comments. #sffwrtcht
2:04 amshadowflame1974:Our goal is to talk w/ writers, editors, & others abt the craft of writing, specifically related to writing speculative fiction. #sffwrtcht
2:05 amBryanThomasS:It?s up to the guest whether the question time will run longer than our allotted hour slot. #sffwrtcht#sffwrtcht
2:05 amBryanThomasS:Our format is round table discussion. Please restrict ?s to writing craft, business of writing & the specific works of the guest. #sffwrtcht
2:05 amJ_GriffinB:Hola #sffwrtcht
2:05 amBryanThomasS:I appreciate your participation and hope you find this enjoyable and informative. #sffwrtcht
2:05 amBryanThomasS:Next Wed. we have Michael Ray, editor of Redstone SF. #sffwrtcht #sffwrtcht
2:06 amBryanThomasS:Tonight?s guests are editors of Ray Gun Revival, ezine, which is returning in a new incarnation February 1st. #sffwrtcht
2:07 amBryanThomasS:They are: @theskypirate Johne Cook, Overlord @Loriendil L.S. King, Overlord @balconyfool, Paul Christian Glenn, Overlord #sffwrtcht
2:07 amBryanThomasS:Welcome guys! Thanks for joining us! #sffwrtcht Sorry for the slow feed
2:07 amBryanThomasS:Why we don?t we start by having you tell us about what Ray Gun Revival does and how it was founded. #sffwrtcht
2:08 amrgrzine:@sffwrtcht Greetings from the great and mercurial Ray Gun Revival (RGR) Overlords. #sffwrtcht
2:11 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht RGR is a web magazine founded by we three in 2006 to publish and promote space opera and golden age sci-fi #sffwrtcht
2:11 amBryanThomasS:Try this again Why we don?t we start by having you tell us about what Ray Gun Revival does and how it was founded. #sffwrtcht
2:11 amBryanThomasS:y space opera? #sffwrtcht
2:11 amshadowflame1974:@rgrzine Hi guys, sorry for the fail whale, you sure you don't have some galactic entity after you? #sffwrtcht ;)
2:12 amsffwrtcht:Oops. Why space opera? #sffwrtcht?
2:12 amrgrzine:@sffwrtcht We started RGR pretty much on a wave of Firefly cancellation angst #sffwrtcht
2:13 amBryanThomasS:@rgrzine That's understandable. #sffwrtcht
2:14 amsffwrtcht:How do you think space opera is faring compared to cyperpunk, steampunk and other subgrenres? #sffwrtcht
2:14 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht I started reading space opera in my dad's phenomenal paperback library, doc smith's lensman series #sffwrtcht
2:15 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate Truly some classic stuff. #sffwrtcht
2:15 amLoriendil:@sffwrtcht All three of us love space opera, and wanted lots more of it. #sffwrtcht
2:16 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht With the passing of Firefly, I think Space Opera is waning a tad. Steampunk seems to be very trendy right now. #sffwrtcht
2:17 amBryanThomasS:@Loriendil It's my favorite SF form. Should be signing a contract next week for my first space opera novel #sffwrtcht
2:17 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate It really is although @JonathanStrahan did 2 great New Space Opera anthos recently #sffwrtcht
2:18 amsffwrtcht:How did you three come together as partners in this? #sffwrtcht
2:18 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht In 2005, Lee and I were in another magazine. It was fun and everything, but my heart was really elsewhere. #sffwrtcht
2:19 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht At the same time, Paul and I were enthusiastic about Firefly and were chatting about it all the time. #sffwrtcht
2:19 amsffwrtcht:What background brought you to editing? #sffwrtcht
2:19 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht Starting RGR was kind of literary space opera kismet... #sffwrtcht
2:19 amsffwrtcht:Sorry. Jumped the gun a bit on that one. #sffwrtcht
2:20 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht three like-minded misfits coming together for the same purpase at the same time. #sffwrtcht
2:20 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate From the island of forgotten toys? #sffwrtcht
2:20 amLoriendil:@sffwrtcht Yes, I grumbled about the lack of space opera and found out Johne felt the same way. Then he introduced me to Paul. #sffwrtcht
2:20 ambalconyfool:@sffwrtcht More like mourning it... #sffwrtcht
2:21 amBryanThomasS:@balconyfool Yeah, I hear you. I grew up on Star Wars and Star Trek. They really lit my fire for storytelling #sffwrtcht
2:21 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht Heh! Something like that, yeah. Three literary black sheep browncoats (if that makes sense.) #sffwrtcht
2:22 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate So what backgrounds made you taken on editing? #sffwrtcht
2:23 amLoriendil:@sffwrtcht I was volunteered. #sffwrtcht
2:24 amshadowflame1974:@Loriendil dont you love that sometimes :D #sffwrtcht
2:24 amLoriendil:@sffwrtcht One minute I'm writing SF, and the next, I'm editing. Still trying to figure that one out. #sffwrtcht
2:25 amsffwrtcht:What do you think it takes to run a successful zine? #sffwrtcht
2:26 amBryanThomasS:@Loriendil Ha ha. What are friends for, right? #sffwrtcht
2:27 amBryanThomasS:Sorry for the slow feed, everyone #sffwrtcht. Please hang in there. Twitter seems to have issues tonight
2:27 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht We fell into the Editing thing out of simple pragmatism. We wanted space opera stories, so we went and got them. #sffwrtcht
2:28 amBryanThomasS:How do you draw people to the zine? #sffwrtcht
2:28 amrgrzine:@sffwrtcht Willing underlings and submissive minions. #sffwrtcht
2:29 amBryanThomasS:@rgrzine How many submissions do you average a month? #sffwrtcht
2:29 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS We draw people to the zine with state-of-the-art cover art and keep them with fun stories. #sffwrtcht
2:30 amsffwrtcht:What kind of feedback do you get on the zine? #sffwrtcht
2:31 ambalconyfool:@sffwrtcht Johne's being coy. We keep readers by promising not to vaporize their puny planets. #sffwrtcht
2:32 amsffwrtcht:What are some of the more popular stories you?ve run? #sffwrtcht
2:32 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS Hard to say. RGR Prime (the first iteration of the mag) saw four or five per week. For RGR 2.0, it's been 10x that. #sffwrtcht
2:33 amBryanThomasS:@balconyfool Well, that certainly is a strong motivation. #sffwrtcht
2:33 amLoriendil:@sffwrtcht Too right, Paul! #sffwrtcht
2:33 amsffwrtcht:What?s the ideal story for Ray Gun Revival look like? #sffwrtcht
2:34 amsffwrtcht:Guys, feel free to jump in any time with your questions. #sffwrtcht
2:34 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht We've gotten very positive feedback, and from the most unexpected places (including people in uniform). #sffwrtcht
2:34 amLoriendil:@sffwrtcht Wow - I have so many favorites, it would be hard to choose. #sffwrtcht
2:34 amBryanThomasS:@Loriendil Maybe the ones you've heard the most positive about from readers #sffwrtcht
2:34 amBryanThomasS:How can writer?s submit to the zine? #sffwrtcht
2:34 amshadowflame1974:For those of us unfamiliar with it, what elements make up Space Opera stories #sffwrtcht
2:35 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht Our readership runs gamut from adolescent kids to folks who grew up with old skool space opera / sci-fi pulp fiction. #sffwrtcht
2:37 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht Something with an otherworldly setting but common conflict / character development. (Also, craftsmanship!) #sffwrtcht
2:37 amsffwrtcht:Who are some of the writers we can look forward to in your first issue of the new incarnation? #sffwrtcht
2:38 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht Space opera reveals tht no matter where humans go in the universe, they run experience common attributes / conflicts. #sffwrtcht
2:39 amsffwrtcht:The first issue is February 1st, right? #sffwrtcht
2:40 amrgrzine:@sffwrtcht Yes, starts February 1st, and weekly thereafter. Be there or perish! #sffwrtcht
2:41 amBryanThomasS:@rgrzine Wow. Weekly. That'll be work. #sffwrtcht
2:42 amBryanThomasS:So, you call yourselves the Overlords. Are you like Darth Vader or nicer Overlords like Yoda perhaps? #sffwrtcht
2:43 amsffwrtcht:How many stories will run a week? #sffwrtcht
2:43 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht Authors to look forward to in upcoming weeks... Larry Hodges, Mike Resnick, Gerri Leen, Michael Merriam... #sffwrtcht
2:45 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht One story each week, but will also feature extras - book reviews, artist interviews, and other things still in dev. #sffwrtcht
2:46 amsffwrtcht:Do you have a primary artist or use several for your artwork? #sffwrtcht
2:46 amJ_GriffinB:#sffwrtcht Artwork? I always remember the old space opera covers as exceptional
2:46 amrgrzine:@sffwrtcht The Overlords are a hive mind from another galaxy. We destroy impudent planets with our Big Red Button?, bwahahaha! #sffwrtcht
2:46 ameruditeogre:@sffwrtcht just got here & am reading eagerly. Intrigued by the weekly part; would like to hear more about what the editors want. #sffwrtcht
2:47 amsffwrtcht:Ok, what do you Overlords want from us measly minions aka writers? #sffwrtcht
2:47 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht We started the Overlords faux arrogant schtick for fun before the first issue in 2006. It just sort of stuck. #sffwrtcht
2:47 amsffwrtcht:And how can people submit? #sffwrtcht Plus, where can we find the zine.
2:48 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate Well, it's a fitting nickname for many editors #sffwrtcht
2:48 ameruditeogre:@theskypirate I like the idea of 1 story/week; readers can focus on that piece. Can readers comment on stories? Is there a forum? #sffwrtcht
2:50 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht @eruditeogre Comments are welcome! There are forums, as well. The site is at http:// raygunrevival.com/ #sffwrtcht
2:51 amBryanThomasS:And it's a paid zine, too. Semi-pro rates. #sffwrtcht
2:52 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht People can submit stories from raygunrevival.com, and navigate to the forumshttp://bit.ly/gC8GPM #sffwrtcht
2:52 ambalconyfool:@sffwrtcht What defines space opera: adventure (as opposed to action), sense of wonder, strong morality, arch themes, spaceships #sffwrtcht
2:52 amrgrzine:@sffwrtcht The Overlords demand your complete and total obeisance. Cheesecake is also nice. #sffwrtcht
2:52 ambalconyfool:@ sffwrtcht Elaborate helmets and bug-eyed monsters being a luxurious bonus. #sffwrtcht
2:53 amBryanThomasS:@balconyfool Great definition. Thanks. #sffwrtcht
2:54 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS Oh, yes - RGR 1.0 was a token payment zine that published a .pdf 'issue' once per month... #sffwrtcht
2:54 amLoriendil:@sffwrtcht And chocolate. Don't forget chocolate! #sffwrtcht
2:54 amshadowflame1974:@rgrzine hmmm didn't know Overloads like cheesecake, perhaps I'll remember to send it on the next submission. ;) #sffwrtcht
2:54 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS RGR 2.0 pays Semi-Pro rates thanks to our great hosts, Every Day Fiction, and publishes weekly instead of monthly. #sffwrtcht
2:54 amshadowflame1974:@Loriendil okay chocolate cheesecake then? #sffwrtcht
2:55 amBryanThomasS:Do you have a primary artist or use several for your artwork? #sffwrtcht
2:55 amrgrzine:@sffwrtcht We often threaten to vaporize your puny planet for various arbitrary infrationcs (but rarely get around to it). #sffwrtcht
2:55 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate That's awesome. #sffwrtcht
2:56 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS We will feature a new artist every month. Our track record is 1/4 from USA and 3/4s from the rest of the world. #sffwrtcht
2:57 amsffwrtcht:Next week we have @RedstoneSF editor Michael Ray. The week after we'll feature author @JeremyCShipp #sffwrtcht
2:57 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate Do you draw readers from overseas then? #sffwrtcht
2:58 amupandcomic:@rgrzine @sffwrtcht (Actual) Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent? ;) #sffwrtcht
2:58 amsffwrtcht:@theskypirate @Loriendil @rgrzine @balconyfool Thanks so much for making time to be here. Any final thoughts? Words? Threats? #sffwrtcht
2:58 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS Readers, and also authors. 1 of our signature pieces for RGR 1.0 was from an Israeli author. It was awesome. #sffwrtcht
2:59 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate That's awesome. Love reading stuff from around the world to get different perspectives #sffwrtcht
2:59 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht We're looking for volunteer slushpile editors. We have some great ones, but need more. We call them Slushmasters. #sffwrtcht
3:00 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate Ah yes, I can testify they have plenty of stories to keep you busy. I am one of the Slushmasters #sffwrtcht
3:00 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht Contact overlords@raygunrevival.com for more information. #sffwrtcht
3:00 ameruditeogre:A very informative chat, o Overlords. Thanks for submitting to our grilling! #sffwrtcht
3:01 amBryanThomasS:Awesome. Thank you guys. We look forward to issue 1 next week! #sffwrtcht
3:01 amLoriendil:@sffwrtcht Thanks for having us. Sorry my connection is sporadic. Send chocolate. And stories. Read the zine. #sffwrtcht
3:01 amrgrzine:@sffwrtcht Tune into raygunrevival.com next week for RGR 2.0 and tell all your friends and we will spare your puny planet! #sffwrtcht
3:01 amBryanThomasS:@Loriendil The whole of twitter seems sporadic tonight. No worries #sffwrtcht
3:02 amBryanThomasS:@rgrzine The Overlords seem less intimidating themselves than you do... #sffwrtcht
3:02 amupandcomic:RT @rgrzine: @sffwrtcht Tune into raygunrevival.com next week for RGR 2.0 and tell all your friends and we will spare your puny planet! #sffwrtcht
3:02 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS Thanks for your interest in space opera and golden age sci-fi. RGR - Sparing your puny planet since 2006 #sffwrtcht
3:03 amBryanThomasS:Ok all. That's #sffwrtcht for tonight. Unless the Overlords wish to hang around for more questions. #sffwrtcht
3:03 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht (and RGR is now semi-pro! Send us your stories!) #sffwrtcht
3:03 amrgrzine:@sffwrtcht Beware of space monkeys. Aaaahhhhh!! #sffwrtcht
3:04 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS I can hang around for awhile - Bad Company 2 can take a break for a bit. ; ) #sffwrtcht
3:05 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate I love Bad Company. Saw their former lead singer in concert once and then ran into him at an airport #sffwrtcht
3:05 amJ_GriffinB:I believe he's talking a video game. #sffwrtcht
3:05 amBryanThomasS:@J_GriffinB yes, but I believe he knows the 70s band too #sffwrtcht
3:06 amBryanThomasS:OK, Johne's ready for more questions if anyone has them. #sffwrtcht
3:06 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS I'm referring to Battlefield: Bad Company 2, a first person shooter videogame (although the band BC was cool, too). #sffwrtcht
3:06 amshadowflame1974:@theskypirate thanks for your time tonight, unfortunately teenagers don't listen unless you have big teeth or a bigger stick #sffwrtcht
3:07 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate ;) Figured. But had to mention the band. #sffwrtcht
3:07 amtheskypirate:@shadowflame1974 Or a Big Red Button?! ; ) #sffwrtcht
3:07 amshadowflame1974:@theskypirate lol I knew what you meant BF plays among other fps games. Right now Black Ops #sffwrtcht
3:07 amBryanThomasS:@shadowflame1974 They do tend to like space ships and laser guns though... #sffwrtcht
3:08 amshadowflame1974:@theskypirate nnnaaaa they think that is the "easy Button" lol #sffwrtcht
3:09 amshadowflame1974:@BryanThomasS oh yes they do. but they get distracted too easily #sffwrtcht
3:09 amBryanThomasS:@shadowflame1974 I'm sorry. Did you say something? #sffwrtcht
3:09 amJ_GriffinB:#sffwrtcht I can't do the FPS stuff, sucks too much time down the rabbit hole. I can't resist Total War stuff though.
3:09 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht So what are /your/ favorite space opera authors / series? #sffwrtcht
3:10 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate Timothy Zahn and Kevin J. Anderson for sure #sffwrtcht
3:11 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate Also EE Doc Smith for classic stuff. Loved the planet stories. #sffwrtcht
3:12 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS Any Lois McMaster Bujold fans in the house? I noticed that Penny Arcade's Tycho gave her latest a shout-out rcntly. #sffwrtcht
3:13 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate Haven't made it to her stuff yet. Mike Resnick did some cool stuff as well. #sffwrtcht
3:14 amLoriendil:@theskypirate @BryanThomasS Bujold FTW #sffwrtcht
3:14 amtheskypirate:@sffwrtcht I keep hoping Joss will revisit Firefly after The Avengers. I can't believe that franchise is done quite yet. #sffwrtcht
3:15 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan tales are some of the most entertaining / provocative I've ever read. Really fun. #sffwrtcht
3:15 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate I'd love to see him do more with Firefly for sure. #sffwrtcht
3:16 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate I'll get them on my reading list. #sffwrtcht
3:16 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS I was reading Mike Resnick before I knew what the genre was called. Just knew I liked his tale-spinnin'. #sffwrtcht
3:17 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate You should definitely check out the New Space Opera anthos if you haven't good stuff. #sffwrtcht
3:18 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate Jay Lake has a series coming up but his "Death of A Starship" was a great novella with that space opera feel #sffwrtcht
3:19 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS I've got all the Space Opera anthos, including The Space Opera Renaissance, the big black tome. Great stuff. #sffwrtcht
3:20 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate I'm going to be editing an antho soon of ship on ship space battles as well. #sffwrtcht
3:20 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate Plus I've got my novel, which is first in a series. #sffwrtcht
3:21 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS Walter Jon Williams' Dread Empire's Fall series had some great ship-on-ship space battles, both realistic and fun. #sffwrtcht
3:21 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS Exciting! #sffwrtcht
3:21 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate Cool. I'll check that out. Looking for some possible reprint short stories too #sffwrtcht
3:22 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate Yeah, last week was a heck of a week... #sffwrtcht
3:24 amtheskypirate:@BryanThomasS Ok, @sffwrtcht, thanks for the chat. Keep the shiny side up (whatever that means)! #sffwrtcht
3:26 amBryanThomasS:@theskypirate My pleasure. Thanks for the great answers and fun chat. @balconyfool @Loriendil#sffwrtcht
3:28 amWyld_Dandelyon:Hello, #sffwrtcht!
3:28 amBryanThomasS:@Wyld_Dandelyon Hey, welcome. We just wrapped up. But a transcript will be up later tonight. #sffwrtcht
3:31 amWyld_Dandelyon:@BryanThomasS #sffwrtcht RATS! I apparently set my alarm for the wrong time zone.
3:31 amRedstoneSF:Good stuff on #sffwrtcht tonight, guys. Looking forward to Raygun Revival. Always ready for space opera.
3:32 amBryanThomasS:@RedstoneSF Looking forward to visiting with you next week. :) #sffwrtcht
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