Dave Farland on Stories and Stables

Many years ago, I heard a renowned magazine editor Gardner Dozois remark, “I don’t want just a great story in my magazine, I want a great writer in my stable.” He was talking of course about why he didn’t pick up new writers on their very first stories. He had a policy: if a new writer sent him a great story, he’d wait and see if the author sent two more fine stories, and then he would start buying.

His logic was simple. He wanted authors who wrote frequently and to the very highest quality. He didn’t want people who were just playing in the field, or trying to write one story and then use it as a vehicle to launch a career as a novelist, never to write him another story again.

David Farland, Editors Fill their “Stables” with Stories, Not Authors

I’ve been hitting Netflix pretty hard over the last month, which means I’ve blown through my broadband allowance with two days remaining before I tick over into May. With that in mind, I’m suggesting those of you with an interest in writing head over and check out DAve Farland’s writing tip for today – it’s well worth reading.