I should have posted this a while ago, but the new issue of Focus is on the way (with luck members will have it landing on their doorsteps next week).

The contents of the next issue looks something like this:

Masterclass 3: Bringing Home The Bacon
Chris Priest continues his masterclass series with an article about encouraging stray Irish conrunners to follow you home (not really, it’s about the balance between writing and earning a living).

Escape Velocity
Geoff Nelder talks about launching a magazine and what editors expect from writers.

Planning a Novel
Michael Amos describes how he makes novel writing fun!

Caught in a Web
Jetse de Vries looks at the relationship between writers and fans online.

Beyond the Blog
Paul Raven concludes his two-part look at using the web to promote your work.

Write what you know? No Thanks!
Dev Agarwal suggests sf writers should take the standard advice for writers with a pinch of salt.

PLUS there’s poetry from Edward Comma, a spaceman on the cover courtesy of Stephen Sweet, and other news and stuff.

ALSO in the forthcoming BSFA mailing there’s an issue of Vector that’s bursting at the seams with stuff - including tributes to AC Clarke (with a very nice cover image that I think will have fans smiling) and the second of the BSFA’s Special Editions booklets, Fantasy and SF: The Roots of Genre, featuring essays from Farah Mendelsohn and Paul Kincaid excerpted from their respective new books (and edited by Niall Harrison).

AND: The next update of Matrix Online is also coming soon - a Steampunk special (which happens to feature an article by myself on steampunk cinema).

Posted July 11, 2008 Comments(3)

Focus went to press last week, I hope the mailing should be hitting people’s mats in the next couple of weeks as I think we have a full run of magazines ripped and raring to go.

This issue of Focus includes:

Can a holiday romance last forever
Okay, this is just my editorial, but I had an interesting writing experience by the seaside and I thought I’d share it. I might post this here later.

The further into the zone the nearer to heaven – by Nina Allan
This is intended to be the first in the “Welcome to Poughkeepsie” series – where we ask writers to talk about the things that inspired them to write. Nina Allan (whose superb new collection of short stories I intend to plug here at every given opportunity – go here to buy it now) talks about some of the books that made her a speculative fiction writer.

Tomorrow’s soldier: The Future of War – Anthony G Williams
Again part of what I hope will be an ongoing feature – Research Corner – where we ask experts to speculate about the foreseeable future of their special area of knowledge.

Masterclass no.2: Inspiration/Observation – Christopher Priest
Christopher Priest continues his masterclass series with some great advice about turning ideas into stories. I know I’m the editor of the magazine and everything, but what I like most about this series so far is how much it makes me laugh while I feel like I’m learning things.

How do I stand out on the slushpile – Jetse de Vries
Advice from the man himself. The great lord of the Interzone slushpile tells you how to get his attention.

Basic Bootstrap Branding – Paul Raven
Why getting noticed online requires more than a Facebook page.

Do I need an agent?
Advice about how to approach agents, plus a list of those UK agents who encourage submissions from genre authors.

Weighing the writing – Dev Agarwal
Exploring the challenges of starting the second draft.

Poetry – Gareth L Powell
A selection of poems from the Gareth L Powell – I was going to stop publishing poetry in Focus, but “Ragnarok” convinced me to let it stay.

Posted August 30, 2007 Comments(4)

So I now have the first two pieces for the next issue of Focus, and I’m already getting kind of excited - even though it’s still two months to the deadline (July 27 if any of you fine folk and Google robots are thinking of contributing) and probably at least another month or six weeks until people actually see it.

The first article is by Tony Williams. One of the things - for me - that I like most about writing is learning new stuff - the piles of research you get to do just so you can drop a tiny fact into the story that gives everything that spark of verisimilitude (which probably explains why I start many more stories than I finish). Anyway, Tony - as well has having self-published two sf novels The Foresight War and Scales - happens also to be an expert on firearms and really big guns - check out his website: http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/.

I’d already had the idea of doing a “foresight” column - asking knowledgeable folk in various fields to take a look into the future of their area and offer some informed opinions - so when Tony wrote to me volunteering to write something completely different I nabbed him, and persuaded him to be my guinea pig for the first column. Cheers Tony.

The second piece is an altogether different kettle of ball games.

If anyone read the editorial to the last issue of Focus, they’ll know that I went on an Arvon course about two and a half years ago lead by Christopher Priest and Alistair Reynolds. Of the people on the course, I don’t think any of us would have argued with the fact that the most talented “pupil” there was Nina Allan - she’s a really fine stylist, awesomely committed to her art and with an aesthetic edge that could cut glass. She’s had a number of short stories published and was on the shortlist for the 2006 BSFA Award for “Birdsong at Eventide” (Interzone 199).

Anyway, we’re still in touch so when I had the idea of doing ar series of articles that asked writers to take seriously that dreadful question “where do you get your ideas from?” - Nina was one of the first people I wanted to ask the question. Her article arrived today and it turns out she’s just as insightful a critic as she is a writer - which is kind of sick making - but it does mean that I’ve got a really, really fine article for the next issue. and that makes the editor in me very happy.

I don’t think you could find more different pieces, but I’m pleased.

I’ve also been promised more from Christopher Priest (hurrah!) and an article by John Jarrold on the relationship between agents, writers and publishers.

Posted May 17, 2007 Comments(3)