REVIEW: “Writing for Themed Anthologies,” with Keith DeCandido, Randee Dawn, and Michael A. Ventrella
A long time ago, an editor (who has since passed away), gave me a compliment–I wasn’t as much of a noob as a lot of writers who had only published a few things. That is, I tended to make less of an ass of myself than other writers who were relatively new at the game… Okay, that sounds rude, and I don’t mean it to be, but before I started trying to send out stories for rejection, I mean consideration, I did a lot of reading and searching Internet groups and articles aimed at writers. I made mistakes of course, as most writers do, but I never had to ask the question “Where do I start?”
If you’re asking that question, “Writing for Themed Anthologies” might hold a few answers for you. The video first aired as a live stream on September 2, 2020. There’s little information in the video description, which would have been helpful. I’m not sure if the video is part of a larger panel, or just some sci-fi writers talking about their stuff. Channel and chat host Michael A. Ventrella (michaelaventrella.com)is an attorney and writer and in his bio he’s described as a “fixture at science fiction conventions.” His guests for the stream are Randee Dawn and Keith DeCandido. Mr. DeCandido (decandido.net) is a writer and editor with a large body of work including media tie-ins to a number of popular franchises, and seems partial to the Star Trek universe. Ms. Dawn (randeedawn.com ) is a journalist who has published short fiction and has a novel coming out in 2022. All three speakers have an extensive background in writing and publishing, although their main experience seems to be mostly science fiction or speculative work, especially media tie-ins, rather than horror.
(more…)