Liquid Imagination has become a big part of my life over the last couple of years in my tenure as Fiction Editor. Apart from being invigorated at discovering the vast amount of new writers there are out there looking to improve their craft, I have been … and I don’t use the word lightly … astonished at the high quality of a lot of them.
I have been both gratified that I got to read such a diversity of stories and challenged by the task of picking out the best of each quarterly batch. Anyone who has had their stories declined should be proud of the fact that I cannot remember one story which did not have something going for it and which could not be reworked to convince some editor to publish. I’ve done my best to provide a bit of advice here and there to point writer in the right direction in such cases.
The torturous situation for editors is having two great stories on the exact same subject come in on the same batch, and having to pick one – purely to keep the magazine variety at a level which engages as many readers as possible. I hope I have succeeded in making the unfortunate writers aware of their quality despite declining their submission.
To all, keep writing, keep practicing, keep submitting, and always be true to yourself. It doesn’t matter what Hollywood pumps out as being superior. I have read more original tales, met more intriguing protagonists, and been engaged by more exciting styles as an editor here, than is making millions at the box office.
Someday mainstream media will wise up … and I have no doubt I will see a lot of your names among the big literary prize-winners at least.
And now, I have to catch up on my own projects to get out there with you.
Good writing.
Perry McDaid