David Meadows
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Registered: 09-2003
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Re: Reading
My initial thought is that it is more character driven than plot driven, but that explanation is a bit too superficial. For one thing, Analog has its fair share of character-driven stories. And I usually enjoy character-driven stories anyway. Maybe it's just a subtle change in the balance between the two types... but probably I need to read more than one issue every couple of years to answer the question 
I don't really know, but I will certainly think about it. After all, understanding a subtle difference in editorial policy should be invaluable in knowing where to submit stories...
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From harmony, from heavenly harmony
This universal frame began
-- John Dryden
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3/23/2007, 10:07 am
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David Meadows
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Re: Reading
How about this for a wild thought: although the magazines have the same page sizes (slightly larger than a standard paperback page), Analog is printed in two-column format and Asimov's is single column.
Consequently, Analog feels more like a technical journal and therefore, subliminally, the stories feel more "scientific"...
Told you it was a wild thought 
---
From harmony, from heavenly harmony
This universal frame began
-- John Dryden
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3/23/2007, 10:13 am
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Firlefanz
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Registered: 05-2003
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Re: Reading
You know, I like wild thoughts. And it may well be the reason - I believe you are an avid reader of technical stuff, too?
--- - Firlefanz
Reading: "Tabula Rasa", SF Anthology
Writing: "Kiera und der Gauklerjunge" - novel
Mystical Adventures |
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3/23/2007, 5:21 pm
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SFGirl
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Registered: 01-2004
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
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Re: Reading
Well, there is a subtle difference in their submission guidelines, too, which definitely ties in with what your first instinct was, David:
Asimov's: "In general, we're looking for "character oriented" stories, those in which the characters, rather than the science, provide the main focus for the reader's interest. Serious, thoughtful, yet accessible fiction will constitute the majority of our purchases, but there's always room for the humorous as well. Borderline fantasy is fine, but no Sword & Sorcery, please. "
Analog: "Basically, we publish science fiction stories. That is, stories in which some aspect of future science or technology is so integral to the plot that, if that aspect were removed, the story would collapse. Try to picture Mary Shelley's Frankenstein without the science and you'll see what I mean. No story!
The science can be physical, sociological, psychological. The technology can be anything from electronic engineering to biogenetic engineering. But the stories must be strong and realistic, with believable people (who needn't be human) doing believable things–no matter how fantastic the background might be. "
I don't read either magazine regularly, but I would have pegged Analog as a market for "harder" SF stories and Asimov's slightly "softer". Which the guidelines seem to bear out to some extent.
Sherry
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Web: www.sherrydramsey.com / www.thescriptorium.net
Reading: The Light-Bearer's Daughter by O.R. Melling
Writing: rewrite of The Seventh Crow
Drawing: Fairy Gossip
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3/24/2007, 9:27 pm
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David Meadows
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Re: Reading
It's interesting that the magazine which bears Asimov's name prefers the type of story he was completely incapable of writing
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From harmony, from heavenly harmony
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-- John Dryden
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3/26/2007, 7:40 am
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SFGirl
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Re: Reading
Hmmm...what have I read since I last posted? Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines, which I highly recommend. Think dungeon adventuring from the goblin's point of view--very funny but with some depth, too. I Have A Bed Made Of Buttermilk Pancakes by Jaclyn Moriarty, more of a "chick" book, I think, kind of slow for the first third but faster and more intriguing after that.
Now I'm finally reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which I want to have finished before the last book and the next movie come out. It's a MUCH faster read than Order of the Phoenix so that shouldn't be too difficult.
I'm also part of a friends-and-family reading club right now where everyone picked a book for the group to read. It's just getting started but there are some interesting titles in the lineup.
Sherry
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Web: www.sherrydramsey.com / www.thescriptorium.net
Reading: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Writing: rewrite of The Seventh Crow
Drawing: Illustration Friday pictures
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5/11/2007, 10:30 am
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TheScribe
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Registered: 02-2003
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Re: Reading
quote:
SFGirl wrote:
Now I'm finally reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which I want to have finished before the last book and the next movie come out. It's a MUCH faster read than Order of the Phoenix so that shouldn't be too difficult.
I finished it about two weeks ago. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it, when you finish it (of course). 
--- Karen Lee Field
Author of The Land of Miu series
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5/15/2007, 2:24 am
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Lady Romance
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Re: Reading
I just read "Pieces of my Sisters Life", by Elizabeth Joy Arnold. I also read "The Mulberry Tree', by Debbie McComber...(I think that's who it was...sorry for the spelling, I'm no good with names). Anyway, both were fantastic reads! I also just bought another Gregory McGuire novel, 'Mirror Mirror'. I can't wait to start reading it.
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12/12/2007, 6:49 pm
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