I have to take exception to part of this thesis. Whether or not I universally enjoy the fruits of their labor, I can’t imagine any of the writers I know or have read approaching their craft with anything other than the desire to create a rewarding read.

Writing short SF doesn’t pay well enough and there’s darn little glory in it. So many stories never see the light of day, you have to believe the writers are trying to put together at least a story they enjoy because the odds are they won’t get anything more than that for all their time, effort and postage. Even for most hacks, its still a labor of love inn a field that isn’t particularly rewarding. Whether or not I like what’s being written, I can’t agree with the premise that the writers are cynical, money grubbing overlords of an Empire in which they recieve all the spoils and we, the readers, are a slave population that exists only to provide them sustenance.

They are us, no different flesh. Really. They’re in, we’re out. Get on. If you don’t like it, get together with a bunch of your friends and start up an magazine like Rabid Transit.

What I didn’t see mentioned in the comments as a contributing element in the decline of short SF is , well, SF. I don’t see it. It’s a rare event when I find a SF story in F&SF. I haven’t seen Asimov’s under Shelia’s guidence so I can’t comment. I usually head over to SciFi.com to see if there’s any SF. It’s mostly fantasy over there but whether SF or fantasy, the stories are always well written.

I’d guess that most of the comments on the LJ are from writers early in their careers. That brings up the other thing that I’ve noticed.

No readers.

There is a tremendous creative impulse to try and understand why SF is bogged down and what to do about it, but the impulse is not coming from the community of readers, it comes from the community of reader/writers. Elvis has left the building and the SF readers have are withdrawing from the dialog. They weren’t getting what they wanted and they didn’t stick around.

In the past ten years or so of asking people what they’ve read that excited them, I occasionally get an SF novel as an answer, more likely a fantasy or horror novel. But I’ve never had anyone in those ten years say “You just have to read this short story…”

Best regards,
Alan]]> http://www.alattimore.com/archives/270/feed/ http://www.alattimore.com/archives/269 http://www.alattimore.com/archives/269#comments Sat, 16 Jul 2005 00:26:00 +0000 Alan Lattimore http://www.alattimore.com/?p=269 http://www.alattimore.com/archives/269/feed/