http://www.writewords.org.uk
Bonfire, an international conflagration and Gator Springs Gazette
Tell us something about your background.
Before I came to Scotland seven years ago, I was a production manager in the electronics industry and co-owned an antiques and collectibles shop in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before that I served a short stint in the US Navy as a photographer and worked for a year in the Lower East Side of Manhattan as a Vista Volunteer. A full-time working mother of two, I never had time to write, though I have rarely been without a book in hand since I taught myself to read at 4. When I eventually started writing poetry, I had no idea that’s what it was, but communicating about it with other writers in online forums was the beginning of something much bigger than myself.
My own writing is occasionally competent, but the real fix for me has been reading the work of others. Searching out new sources for this powerful drug led me to start dealing directly, pure and uncut, and finding ways to distribute it to other word junkies around the world. Fandango Virtual came together ten years ago in 1995 with online poetry forums and ezines, including Metamorphosis and two incarnations of iguanaland, the hottest poetry rag south of the virtual border. During this time I met Jim Maddocks (now my husband) and together we created a cooperative online writing community to which he gave the name Bonfire.
The main emphasis of the forum was poetry, but both of us found ourselves spending more time writing fiction—novels and short stories, and we eventually closed the site to new submissions and archived what was there.
Realising that poetry was not going to be enough, I started trafficking in the hardcore realm of fiction online with Gator Springs Gazette, a literary journal of the fictional persuasion, which evolved into a quarterly print magazine featuring, “unusual and wonderful examples of the written word in all forms with an eye towards irony, a mind tilted on its edge and a tongue planted firmly in cheek.”
Gator Springs has always been a fun place to read and enjoys its own success. Still, a part of me always wanted to produce something slightly more elegant, showcasing the up-and-coming international writers whose fire is destined to brighten the literary world—a journal that presents diverse examples of compelling fiction along with refreshing contemporary poetry. Bonfire is the realisation of this desire.
How do you find writers?
Sometimes we go looking for them and sometimes they find us. We are fortunate to live in a time when there are so many opportunities for writers and readers to find each other. Sadly, only a very small percentage of the best work comes to us through open submissions. In early days at GSG we humorously acknowledged the use of a ‘telepathic’ submission process, but this word described fairly well the process of seeking out writers who were on our wavelength
What kind of work are you looking for now?
Bonfire is looking for writers who express themselves in original and compelling ways. We are looking for people who are redefining the market with their unique voices in fiction and poetry, but who also respect and honour the craft enough to present their efforts in the best light possible. While we describe the profile of a writer who is beginning to find success, nothing would make us happier than to introduce a 21st century Richard Brautigan or Iris Murdoch to the world, so if you are one of the rare ones, don’t let your lack of publishing credits keep you from submitting.
Who are your favourite writers and why?
Jeanette Winterson, Tom Robbins, Iris Murdoch, Richard Brautigan, Tobias Wolff, Ian McEwan, A.L. Kennedy, Gail Anderson-Dargatz, Gabriel García Márquez, Joan Barfoot, Sarah Waters, Yann Martel, Patrick Neate, Amélie Nothom, Donald Rawley, Tom Franklin, PD James, Philip K Dick, Mark Twain, Ken Kesey, Harper Lee, John Steinbeck; some that died long ago, others who are still working on their first major work. I love a good story with brilliant characterisation and a well-developed plot; that indefinable something that transports me to another world, makes me miss my bus stop, forget to eat, laugh till my sides split, cry inconsolably, fall in love and plot revenge. Any writer who can do these things brings me joy and earns a place on my favourites list.
What excites you about a piece of writing-
All the things I said in the last answer, and more. I get excited when I am floored by an opening paragraph and find myself forgetting that I have other things to do as I move further in through work that is original, imaginative and spellbinding. Characters evolve gracefully through their interactions with each other. Their lives may be ordinary, but their perspective is not
and what makes your heart sink?
Gimmicky formatting, unnecessary external descriptions, repeated words, overly poetic or cliché-ridden prose, unconvincing dialogue, gratuitous descriptions of bodily functions and assurances by the author in a cover letter that the work is exceptional. (The best work seems to stand on its own.)
Tell us about your submission process
As the name Fandango Virtual suggests, we handle all business through electronic means, including submissions. We are still working out some details, but guidelines and detailed submission instructions will be added to the site shortly. All submissions for both Fandango journals come to the same address. We read submissions with an open mind and consider whether the work is more appropriate for Gator Springs Gazette or Bonfire and will offer acceptance to one or the other, or as has happened, give the author his choice between the two. If the work is clearly Bonfire material, I deal with it. If the work seems Gazette bound it may be read by other Gazette editors. We try to read and reply to all submissions within thirty days, often sooner. At this time we do not have the resources to offer constructive criticism unless we are interested in using the work or want to see something else by the author. We generally do not go into much detail when rejecting submissions. The ideal Bonfire contributor is in control of her craft and will submit work that requires little comment beyond, We want it!
What advice would you give to a new writer starting out?
Read a lot. Spend as much time as possible reading work by the writers that excite you. Get your head around what it is that touches you and visualise yourself doing the same thing. Open your eyes and ears to interesting situations and alternate ways of perceiving the world around you. Keep notebooks everywhere. Spend some time writing every day. Avoid hanging out with cliques of friends who admire your work. As good as it feels to be told how well you write, you are better off with those who rip your work to shreds. Even if you don’t make their suggested changes, at least you are getting an honest reaction to your work. Pay particular attention to the same points made by more than one reader. When you have finished a story, poem or novel, put it aside for a short time before sending it out and work on something else. Later, come back to the work and see if it still holds the same magic you thought was there when you finished it. Try throwing out the first paragraph and starting with the second—amazing how often this works. Read the work out loud! Before you submit a piece, read the other work published by the journal you are approaching. Is your work a good fit? If not, don’t send it. Don’t give up if you have a few rejections. If you are lucky enough to find someone willing to give you constructive criticism, thank them for their time, even if you don’t agree with what they say. Don’t burn your bridges behind you by reacting negatively. To grow, you must develop a thick skin.
Any typical/common mistakes that new writers tend to make?
Apart from the writing itself, two things come to mind. One is too much exposure in the wrong places. For some writers the submission process is a competition to see how many notches they can rack up without regard to the reputation of the journals that are willing to publish them. There are many ezines and journals I wouldn’t want to see my work in. Before I will submit to a publication, I want to read the other work being published there. If I see inferior or mediocre works, lack of polish, continuity or originality in presentation, I don’t submit. When a writer sends a list of pub credits in a bio, I feel much better about reading the work if the list is made up of a few well respected pubs than a huge list of zines who publish just about everything they receive with little additional editing. The second thing is sending the work out too soon. In this day of immediate gratification, writers seem ready to send out work before the metaphorical ink is even dry. Spend a little quality time with your children before you send them out into the world.
Who would be in your dream issue?
I would include those writers who are taking risks on the contemporary scene, short story authors like Jai Clare, Kay Sexton and Bob Arter alongside poets such as David Durham, John Kilroy and Michael Standaert. Oh, wait – these people are appearing in the first two issues of Bonfire! All of the work accepted by Bonfire would happily stand along the work of my favourite authors listed in an earlier answer. I expect to see a few of these names showing up on Booker and Orange shortlists someday.
Plans for the future?
At the moment, Bonfire is an independently published, privately funded venture designed to provide discerning readers the opportunity to participate in the literary discovery process. We hope eventually to be able to pay our contributors for their work. Fandango Virtual will continue to publish Bonfire and Gator Springs Gazette and also has plans to release the first mystery novel in our m2m imprint later this year, adding two more titles in 2006.
Bonfire is published quarterly in the UK by Fandango Virtual. Single issue and subscription sales are fulfilled through the website only. Editorial guidelines and submission instructions may also be found on site:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/fandango.virtual/bonfire/
Contact
the editors by email at: fandango.virtual@ntlworld.com