The Christian short story . . . a funeral, or a birth?

It is the short story form that ignited speculative fiction back in the 40's and 50's and it still is a major force today. Big writers writing short fiction, purely for the love of that particular form (short stories).

But where is the short story in the CBA market. There is no such thing. Where are the short story collections by famous Christian authors?

The Nebula and Hugo awards recognize short stories, novellas, and novelettes!

It's a pity, because short stories are so much fun, and take so much skill to write. I've been touched more often by short stories than novels (but perhaps that's because its easier to read more of them)

The short story is a neglected jewel among Christian publishers. I am thankful that Double-edged publishing is keep it alive.

The Sword Review: PART DEUX

check out The Sword Review website

Point one:

I continually find myself pondering the success of Double Edged Publishing. It's almost as if my fate and their fate are interlocked.

As a writer, I want to be able to write what ever I am inspired to write. This may mean writing something that secular magazines would enjoy, or on the other hand, writing something too "Christian" for their taste. So for those stories I write that are too strong for secular magazines, I'm thankful to have a place to send my manuscript off to.

Point Two: THE BEST NEW LINE OF ATTACK!

Another reason I see our fates aligned, is in the desire for quality wholesome sci-fi and fantasy. The more success these magazines have, the more quality submissions they will receive. The secular magazines receive stories from all sorts of famous sci-fi/fantasy authors. Most well-known authors enjoy writing short stories here and there between novels. But such hasn't been the case for the Christian fiction novelist.

I don't see big name Christian writers submitting fiction to magazines . . . why not? Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, and how about other authors featured on the blog tour . . . wouldn't it be exciting to see some of their (short) stories in print! I'd love it. I think if we could draw big authors into submitting to magazines such as The Sword Review, DKA, Hurauh, and Ray Gun Revival, then that would provide the boom that we really are hoping for!

Honestly . . . maybe that's all it takes to generate some real excitement.

Lets do it!

-Brandon

Check out these other CSFF Blog Tour participants:

Jim Black
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
April Erwin
Kameron M. Franklin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia
The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium
Terri Main
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Daniel I. Weaver
Russell Griffith
Jason Waguespac
Holly

The Sword Review

The Sword Review: a Christian science fiction and fantasy magazine (from a writers POV)

First off: Artwork

I love what they're getting in forms of cover art. Really nice. More often than not, we pick out a new book (or magazine) by the cover art. The cover tells what kind of quality we can expect to find inside.
I'll never forget seeing "Enders Game," by Orson Scott Card. I bought it solely on the merit of the cover art. At age sixteen, it just looked cool. That resulted in my reading the endire Ender series, and purchasing the Bean series (hoping to read that soon).
Great job, at the Sword Review, I'm looking forward to this tradition continuing. Good cover art brings in good stories.

Secondly: they have a print version along with the webzine

I love getting a magazine in print. Maybe that's because I'm a writer. But still, it feels better in my hands. I think that also helps them bring in more quality writing. Writers, when they evaluate who they send off their manuscripts to, will look at those elements. Art. Print. and . . . well, okay, pay. But lets face it. Writers aren't writing short stories to make big bucks--even the big time writers. So when it comes down to it, good art and the simple fact authors like to have a hard copy for sentimental value (or to show to their kids/grandkids/friends/family/etc)

Third and last point: conclusion

They've been getting a lot of quality stories. Preditors and Editors is proof of that. If you are passionate about quality Christian science fiction and fantasy, I encourage you to stop by their site. Read a story. Enjoy the artwork. And be sure to stop by their discussion forum, and let them know "Hey! Great Job!"

Check out the links below of other CSFF Blog Tour members:

Jim Black
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
April Erwin
Kameron M. Franklin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia
The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium
Terri Main
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Daniel I. Weaver
Russell Griffith
Jason Waguespac
Holly

A new beginning

This blog, Christian Science Fiction, is undergoing a change. It will no longer only be an idle information service directing viewers to Christian spec fiction magazines (although it will retain that feature in the right hand column), but it will now be a multi-purpose web blog.

Multi-purpose?

Here are some things you can expect to find here in the future . . .

1) Information on Brandon Barr's writing. This might include updates on what's going on behind the scenes (agent information, publication news, cover art information, ect.). This might also include snippets of Brandon's writing. General writing stuff.

2) Secondly this site hopes to showcase other authors in the Christian Speculative Fiction genre who have published novels or short stories! It is my hope that as fans of the speculative fiction genre, we can share in the excitement and success of writing and reading in this broad and adventurous genre . . .