The Soldiers? Tale is the story of modern wars as told by the men who did the actual fighting. Hynes examines the journals, memoirs, and letters of men who fought in the two World Wars and in Vietnam, and also the wars fought against the weak and helpless in concentration camps, prisoner-of-war camps, and bombed cities. Interweaving his own reflections on war with brilliantly chosen passages from soldiers? accounts, he offers vivid answers to the question we all ask of men who have fought: What was it like? In these powerful pages the experiences of modern war, which seem unimaginable to those who weren't there, become comprehensible and real. The wide range of writers examined includes both famous literary memoirists like Robert Graves, Tim O?Brien, and Elie Wiesel, and unknown soldiers who wrote only their war stories. Using these testimonies, Hynes considers each war in terms of its special circumstances and its effects on men who fought. His understanding of the psychology of warfare--and of each war's role in history--gives this study its intellectual authority; the voices of the men who were there, and wrote about what they saw and felt, give it its powerful dramatic impact.
Author(s): Cory Doctorow; Karl Schroeder; Samuel Hynes
Publisher: Alpha Books
Year: 1998
Language: English
Pages: 352
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Science Fiction
Copyright
Contents at a Glance
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Part 1 Becoming a SF Writer
Chapter 1 Success at Last!
The Winnah!
The Golden Age of Science Fiction
The Modern Publishing World
Chapter 2 First Steps on the Road
Reading—the Classics
Writing—the Well-Told Yarn
Myths and Legends
Your Cast of Characters
Writing as a Daily Activity
Off and Running
Chapter 3 The Varieties of Science Fiction
Speculative Fiction
Hard SF: The Radical Core
“Soft” or Sociological SF
Space Opera
The SF Mainstream
Cyberpunk
Time Travel and Alternate History
The Varieties of Fantasy
Chapter 4 Fans and Conventions
Slide Rules and Spock Ears: The Fans
I’m Your Biggest Fan!
Pros and Con(ventions)
Chapter 5 Writer’s Workshops
Filling the Void Between Your Mom and Your Editor
Workshopping for Complete Idiots
It’s Your Workshop
Other Kinds of Workshops
Part 2 Secrets of the Sci-Fi Masters
Chapter 6 Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
Story Sparks
From Idea to Outline
Innovation in SF
Know Thy Subject
An Idea Library
A Mind-Expanding Reading List
Chapter 7 The Writing Project
Finding Time to Write Is Impossible
Daydreaming
Outlining
Different in Kind: Short Story and Novel Projects
Harnessing the Draft Horse
On Second Thoughts: Revision
The Phases of a Writing Project
Chapter 8 The Short Story
We’re Not in The New Yorker Anymore, Toto
Beginnings, Middles, and Endings
A Short-Story Cookbook
The Dreaded Rewrite
Chapter 9 The SF Novel
Not What-If but How-Then: How Novels Differ from Short Stories
Worldbuilding
Novel Structure 101
Tips to Keep You Going
Chapter 10 Science Friction: Struggles with the Subject
Do I Have to Be a Rocket Scientist?
Suspension of Disbelief
Internal and External Consistency
Making Your Ideas Accessible
Science Is the Variable, Storytelling the Constant
Chapter 11 Character in SF
Barbarians and Women in Brass Bikinis
What Makes a “Good” SF Character?
Creating Vivid Characters in Science Fiction and Fantasy
Strategies for Success
The Denizens of SF: A Survey
Part 3 Publishing Your Work
Chapter 12 Mechanics
Looking Like a Pro
A Word About Word Counts
Short Stories
Novels
Proof and Research
Choosing Your Market
Chapter 13 Submit!
Cover It!
Mail It!
Electronic Submission
God, I Hate Waiting!
You Hate Me! You Really, Really Hate Me!
Chapter 14 Short-Story Markets
The Bigs
Bigger Than the Bigs
Small (Press) but Powerful
Canadians and Other Aliens
Contests and Anthologies
Chapter 15 Publishing Your Novel
The State of the Industry
Publishing Myths and Legends
How Not to Approach a Publisher
Winning Strategies for Selling Your Novel
Where to Sell
Chapter 16 The Work-for- Hire Novel
Book Packagers and Media Tie-In Publishing
Getting a Foot in the Door
Star Wars and Star Trek Novels
In the Realm of the Gamers
The Dilemma of Quick Publishing Credentials
Writing a Work-for-Hire Novel
Chapter 17 Anatomy of a Sale
Coping with Rejection
Sale! But Wait, There’s a Catch
Published at Last
Resale
Part 4 Marketing and Self-Promotion
Chapter 18 Self-Promotion 101
Strategy
Synergy
Seemliness
Promotion in Person
Chapter 19 Advanced Self-Promotion
Printed Matter
Press Releases
Interviews and Reviews
Professional Promotion
Chapter 20 Using the Internet to Promote Yourself
www.Your-Name-Here.com
The Mighty Usenet
Mailing Lists
Getting Reviewed Online
Chapter 21 Awards
Blue Ribbons and Chrome Phalluses: The Major Awards
Foreigners and Special Interest Groups: Other Awards
How to Win an Award
What Do You Do with an Award, Anyway?
Part 5 The Professional Writer
Chapter 22 Agents
The Agent Defined
Do You Need an Agent?
Finding a Good Fit
Acquiring an Agent
Chapter 23 E-Rights, E-Books, and the Future of SF Publishing
E-Books
On-Demand Publishing
The Electronic Rights Battle
Online Publishers: Try or Avoid?
The Merging of Online and Print
Chapter 24 Contracts
What’s Copyright?
Rights and Payments
Administrivia
Responsibilities
Breaking Up
Negotiating Contracts
Chapter 25 Taxes and the Writer
Congratulations! You’re Self-Employed
Starting Out: The Hobbyist
Sole Proprietorship
Writer, Incorporated
Canadian Taxes
Chapter 26 Writer’s Associations
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)
The Horror Writers Association (HWA)
SF Canada
Other Organizations
Getting the Most Out of Your Membership
Appendix A Model Contracts
Paperbacks
Magazines
Web
Agents
Appendix B Publisher Listing
Primary Novel Publishers
Secondary Novel Markets
Canadian Publishers
E-Book Publishers
Primary Short-Story Markets
Secondary Short-Story Markets
SF Trade Magazines
Appendix C Agent Listing
Appendix D Online Resources
Markets
Novels
Magazines and Anthologies
Workshopping
Conventions
News
Writers
Reference
Appendix E Further Reading
So, You Want to Be a Writer?
Got Any Ideas?
How Shall I Say It?
Who Will Buy It?
Keep on Writing!
Index
