Interview

Interview with a Fiction Editor

by Michael D. Nauton

I sometimes hold it half a sin
To put in words the grief I feel;
For words, like Nature, half reveal
And half conceal the Soul within

Tennyson wrote that stanza in 1850. More than a century later, one woman picked up a pen and chronicled her own grief after the death of her son. It was the first time she had ever written for the sake of writing. And though the words revealed the depth of her grieving soul, there remained concealed a well of words waiting to erupt, to rain down in the form of fiction upon blank pages. To the joy of story writers whose manuscripts have found their way to her desk, this sociology major from Gordon College turned fiction editor/writer probed beyond her grief and unleashed the words that have carried her stories to the pages of numerous magazines and her empathic eyes to editors' desks from the East Coast to the Northwest.

Now settled in Sunset, Utah, Donna Clark, editor and publisher of Show and Tell and What's Love? is probing her fellow writers' souls for their best fiction. "All stories show and tell," she says. It's learning when to employ one or the other, and how to balance this team that makes the difference between an average story and a great story." When we show we reveal; when we tell, our inhibitions compel us to conceal something. A writer's best, then, is those words that erupt from the soul but are throttled by humility. If Tennyson were alive he'd be pleased that Donna Clark has taken his words to heart.

Ms. Clark was gracious enough to agree to this interview via the mail.

WB. Even before they submit their first manuscript, some writers hold negative perceptions of magazine editors. I think it has something to do with those detractors who tell budding writers that the odds against their being published are astronomical, and they, the writers, see editors as the odds-makers. What can you tell these writers that will help change their mind about editors and their rejection slips?

DC. It would be best if all budding writers viewed the writing industry as levels of education. Editors are writers who've graduated and hold degrees on a Masters or Ph.D. level. Budding writers are elementary to high school level. They are not stupid or lesser in any way; they just have a ways to go in developing writing knowledge and skill. That fact doesn't cancel out the talent a budding writer possesses, but it does affect—not decrease—the odds of getting published.

Editors have three major advantages over the freelance writer. One, editors possess a gifted eye for overall continuity as well as specifics and an ability to spot problems. Two, editors possess an intimate knowledge of the publication's needs. They know their audience better than the submitting writer. And three, readers subscribe to publications based on an editor's decisions. An editor is affecting the publication's reputation by selecting materials that have come out of someone's mind!

WB. What influenced you to wear two hats, the hat of the writer and the hat of the editor?

DC. Ever since I was a young adult, I fantasized about having a business where I could call the shots. But with it was an altruistic stipulation: it had to be something where I was helping people. Ten years ago, I picked up a pencil and some scrap paper and just started to sell my non-fiction and fiction. I tucked away my thoughts about editors, about publications, about policies.

Show and Tell was born out of pain and frustration and a desire to do some good for writers.

As for my writer's hat, well, I am still an active writer. Though I don't have time to write as much as I want; I get about five stories published each year. I also write instructional articles about writing techniques.

WB. I'm sure you had in mind the sort of editor you would like to be, but did you also have in mind the sort of editor you didn't want to be?

DC. Because of my personality and my major [Sociology], I have a thing about how people are treated and managed. I see potential in people that others miss. Form letters won't do, no matter how many stories I've got piled up. I hate the word "rejection" even if it is justified. I prefer to tell a writer why it didn't work for me, and I always let that writer know it's just my personal taste. I'm not an authority; I just know what I like. I want to praise writers for their efforts. Finally, I want to publish some good stuff, but I also wanted to work hard and give people a chance when I knew other editors would say no. I knew [such writers] were out there, because I was one of them.

WB. Do you feel you've been successful in not being "that sort" of editor?

DC. I'm gratified to say that I've had many writers write me and tell me that I was the first one who believed in them and who took the time to write a personal letter. Another writer actually plastered some of my advice on his screen saver ("Establish a voice, master style, and shoot for the stars!"). Another has asked me to work on his novel rather than sending it to a book doctor. All this makes me feel very successful.

WB. When you launched Show and Tell in 1995, how did you envision the magazine?

DC. This will be a long answer, but I have to back up and tell you a little about my pre-S and T days.

Few people know that I launched a national writer's magazine before S and T. I had a partner and together we produced a printed, glossy mag that's still doing very well. Things changed, and I resigned from my own organization.

A few months later, I drafted S and T, and on its blueprint was one huge quality: humble. It was to be a newsletter of four to six pages, no graphics, nothing fancy. It was to be an eclectic and rebellious publication that would not apologize for being what it was. I was never going to do a magazine and I wasn't going to add any staff. Then writers heard about it and now I've got five people on staff and a little magazine that, without slick color glossy graphics and such, has managed to earn somewhat of a reputation as a great place to submit. I've gotten submissions from Israel, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Mexico.

WB. It's generally accepted in publishing circles that a magazine must survive three years before it will break even in its fourth year, and that a profit won't be seen until its sixth year. It's difficult for newsstand publications to reach these milestones, even with major advertisers glossing their pages, so I suppose it's even more difficult for smaller, specialty magazines like Show and Tell. As you steer Show and Tell into its second year, can you see on the horizon either of these milestones?

DC. Not many people know me well, but those who do know that I'm really quite shy and tend to hide behind emboldened words. But my associate editor, Tom Conger (who thinks Show and Tell is a marvelous literary entity), is constantly pushing me toward expansion. The reclusive Donna Clark wants to keep things the way they are. But with work and dedication, yes, within a few years I so see a newsstand circulation with advertisers and a profit on the horizon. What fuels me toward that are enthusiastic readers, grateful writes, and a wonderful staff who believe in my vision to have a unique magazine on the market.

WB. What has been the best thing to happen to you since deciding to publish and edit your own fiction magazine?

DC. I would say discovery. I found out that I am doing something positive in this negative world, which is the most delightful revelation of all.

WB. What words of wisdom can you leave with readers of Writer's Block?

DC. What have I learned along the way? If you want to be satisfied with what you write, then write with honesty and passion. Don't try to impress; improve your thoughts onto paper. Strain to phrase in a way that's never been thought of as far as you know. Don't worry so much about what articles on writing tell you works: instead, work at making the writing rules something you understand. Lastly, write whatever comes into your mind when you can. It's a gift inside you that you must exercise to make stronger and smarter so you'll wake up one morning and realize you've got your Ph.D.

This interview originally appeared in The Rough Draft Newsletter in Connecticut, U.S.A.

Show and Tell's address is 2593 N. 140 West, Sunset, Utah 84015.

Michael D. Nauton is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in various newspapers and magazines, including SPY, Modern Dad, The Palo Alto Review and The Baltimore Sun. He is also a contributing editor for the newsletter The Rough Draft. He enjoys correspondence from other writers and can be reached at 30420 Revells Neck Road, #224478, Westover, MD 21890.