I've seen a few positive posts about Shrapnel #1, and a couple of questions about actually submitting to the magazine. Back in March of 2012 (Eight years ago!), I wrote a couple of posts I called the "Dos and Don'ts of Battlecorps Writing." Battlecorps has been discontinued, replaced by Shrapnel.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I was thinking about revisiting the subject, advice about how to have a fighting chance of having your submission being accepted. I can't promise, in any way, that Shrapnel's Managing editor, will accept your story or article. What I want to do here is give you some tips that will at least make him think about it. I will include examples from my own stories to illustrate my points.
1) Read the Guidelines and Follow Them -- the guidelines are there for a reason. Writing in Battletech is writing inside a highly defined set of parameters, and requires the writer to follow them. If a submission clearly doesn't follow the guidelines, that does not bode well for anything else that is required from all writers. Adhering to the guidelines shows you can follow instructions.
2) Keep the Story Small -- When I say, small, I mean there's no room for massive plot and dozens of characters in a story that is at most, 7,000 words. That's roughly 23-28 pages of double-space typing. That's not a lot of room for plot, characters and resolution.
- a) Characters -- Ideally, you have one or two characters that are the main point of view the reader has into a story. Most of story will be seen though their eyes, their thoughts will be the one the reader will have insight to. Several supporting characters are possible, but each must have a purpose to the plot. Too many characters and they become just blobs; it is better to have two or three well-defined characters then half a dozen faceless blobs.
- One of my favorite things to do is take a basic character type and give it a twist; Mouse from my story, Shadow Angels, is an example A large man, he acts as the teams heavy support. Yet, he knits in his down time. In Thirteen, Ansgar Shurasky, an officer recovering from a mental breakdown, finds his new 'Mech haunted and advised by the his sister's ghost -- or is it his his own mind projecting a part of himself? Look for little things to make each character unique.
- b) Plots -- there is no room in 7,000 words for a complex plot. The best thing to do is have a main plot and maybe a subplot, if there is room for one. Plots need to be straightforward for the most part. It's okay to have a twist in the story, but you cannot go too deep into a plot in so few words.
- I like working themes into my stories. In The Lance Killer, the story is about superstition, survivor's guilt and redemption. A Matter of Honor is about honor and acceptance.
- c) Scope -- Scope is important. Scope is the level the story is told at. Most novels have several levels of scope from the rulers and generals issuing the orders, all the way down to the foot soldier who's trying to survive the next five minutes. A short story doesn't allow all those levels. It's best to chose one level and stick with it, the lower, the better. A soldier trying to survive the next five minutes has a more interesting story then a General kilometers away issuing orders. For my story in Shrapnel #1, Blind Arrogance, I told the story of a battle that had already been told in a novel, but instead of the grand sweep of a story, I told the battle from the POV of a Lance commander, who only saw his small corner of the battle.
3) Know the Battletech Universe -- On the face of it, it sounds like a no-brainier. But writing for Battletech needs a deep level of knowledge than a casual fan had. (I know there's are a few of you out there, just as I know there are some deeply committed fans.) The Battletech Universe has been built up over thirty-five years, and have a background that no other fictional universe can match. A thousand-plus-year timeline, thirty or so factions detailed out, thousands of 'Mechs and vehicles designs, technology laid out, and planets explored. That's a lot of stuff to dig through and it can be overwhelming.
My solution is to pick a time, a place and an event; then research the heck out of it. For the story Salvage, I chose Aldebaran, 3028, during Operation Rat (the story was part of the Operation Rat series, so the time and event were already determined.) For the story, I had to know which units were involved, something about the planet, and the time frame. It becomes just finding where to put the scenes.
It also gave me an idea of what 'Mechs I could and could not use in that time period; I could use a Raven, a Crusader, and a Catapult, but not a Bushwhacker or a Thantos. Being aware of when a design becomes available in the timeline is important; it shows your depth of knowledge.
- a) It's a matter of Details -- The great thing about Battletech is all the background is already in place -- you bring the characters and plot. For Salvage, I used the AFFS ranks, and the Confederation using their pre-Xin Sheng rank system, for example.Also, a nugget of advice: The first Clan Mechs seen in the Inner Sphere have two that depends on the point of view of the character -- A Clan Warrior would not call his Timber Wolf a Mad Cat (Which gets a bit fuzzier when talking about the Mad Dog/Vulture, as the Combine uses a third name for it -- the Hagetaka). Any story that gets past the first hurdle (Being rejected right off the bat), will be sent to the fact-checkers, who will look at the details to make sure they all fit. Details are important; it's what makes the stories comes alive.
4) Don't go Overboard -- What do I mean by that? It means trying to make a major splash with your first story. Taking a major named character and using them as the main character. Using your home-brewed Mercenary RCT in your story. Rewritng events in Battletech history. Mary or Gary-Sue characters. BattleMechs acting more like Gundam Mecha. Show you can write a solid story, with your own characters and follow rules. Once you have a few stories under your belt, then you can start reaching out a little more (the home-brewed RCT and the Gary/Mary Sues characters needs to stay home though)
5) Develop a Thick Skin -- being a writer involves ego, and ego can be bruised. It's not easy to have a story rejected -- I have had stories rejected before. It's a hazard of the profession, and you need a thick skin. You may think your story is the best one every written, but it could also be the third or fourth similar story the editor has seen in the last week that has a similar plot/characters or it violates one of the suggestions above.
- a) So What do you do, if it is Rejected? -- Look at why it was rejected and consider what the reason was. Unless the Editor asks for a rewrite, move onto the next story, and don't make the same mistake
- b) So What if it's Accepted? Than congratulations and move onto the next story.
I may come back with another post like this, talking about different things relating to the actual craft of writing Battletech.
Later,
Craig
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