>
> Whatever. To be honest (and here I am not
>sucking up; or at least, not really) the few
>snippets of stuff I've read by you have something
>in common with the tone of Jack Vance's stories,
>or maybe Timothy Zahn. Have you read that short
>tale called "They're Made Out of Meat" by Terry
>Bisson? It was once short-listed for a Nebula.
>The dialogue ripostes in Duel of the Ages
>reminded me of "Meat" even though the two stories
>have nothing to do with each other. What I mean
>is: your writing there moves along at a pace
>quite uninterrupted by unusual phrasing or
>situation. It is what I would strive for in
>good, fast-paced action.

I've never read anything by Jack Vance or Timothy Zahn, but everything I've ever read by Terry Bisson I've loved, so I'm flattered that you consider my writing to be even somewhat reminicent of his. I believe if you go to his web page (not sure on the address, but searching for "Terry Bisson" on infoseek or altavista would probably get you there) I think he has some of his own short stories posted there (stories that he has already sold the first serial rights to, of course ;-). I read all the ones he had posted, and thought they were all great. I think the one you mention is there, too.

>
>
> > I want to be a professional writer, and
>>posting my stories on a web page with
>>advertising banners at the top and a
>>multi-colored logo and all the fanfare of being
>>a RinkWorks feature doesn't strike me as the way
>>to go about it. Self promotion is a necessary
>>evil,
>
> I'm not exactly sure how it works; but if you're
>good enough, have you and Sam thought of getting
>an agent to represent your work and get that
>first, crucial foot stuck inside the publishers'
>door?

The thing is, in SF/F writing, you don't need an agent for short fiction, and having one doesn't even help you much in selling short stories (Or at least, any agent you're likely to get without first having sold some stories isn't likely to help you get short fiction published). And it's "recommended" that a person "break in" to the profession by writing and selling a bunch of short stories, and *then* approaching an agent with a novel. The publishing track record helps you get in the agent's door, and the agent helps you get in the publishing house's door. So that's the avenue I've been going down these past few years.

> I do! I DO! Pleeeeeeeease.

Well, go encourage all of your friends to post their support for this idea to the forum. You must all stroke my ego sufficently before I shall grant you all satisfaction.

;-)