Is internal conflict popular in today's sci-fi fiction market?

The Lonely One · Mar 1, 2009

Just curious, I noticed I tend to write soft sci-fi, with a primarily internal conflict that reads a little bit slower (not the language, but the pacing) than many of the action-packed sci-fi thrillers out there.

I'm talking short fiction here for the most part. A few thousand words here and there.

Is there a market for that kind of writing? A lot of mental turmoil, a lot of plot movement internally, though certainly a degree comes across externally as well.

Again, just curious is all. Thanks.

Let me know if anyone needs more clarification on what I'm talking about.

The Lonely One · Mar 2, 2009

Bumping this 'cuz it got moved from another area on the forum. Hoping to get at least one or two responses

Fenika · Mar 2, 2009

First, have you been to duotrope.com?

Next, get your hands on a few potential mags and see which hold shorts similar to yours. There's a wide range of SF (and fantasy) mags so I'm sure you'll find a match somewhere.

The Lonely One · Mar 2, 2009

Thanks!

That's the weblink I've been looking for for a while now. I forgot the name of it after seeing it elsewhere.

P.S. have you seen how many posts you've made? Might want to sprinkle some holy water or something...

Gray Rose · Mar 2, 2009

It all depends on your particular story, on your craft as a writer, and on the specific market. I strongly believe there is a market for many things (if not exactly for anything). Soft SF of this kind is marketable, but as I said above, craft and fit are the crucial parts of this equation.

In the short fiction market, nothing is an easy sell.

After you've been submitting for a while, you will figure out what markets are friendly to your work. Duotrope.com and Ralan.com are good places to start.

Also you might try SYW to get some responses to your writing before you send it off

FOTSGreg · Mar 2, 2009

Stories (and books) are about conflict. It does not seem to matter where the main conflict happens as long as the conflict is compelling and interesting to the reader.

For the Big 5 (Analog, Asimov's, F&SF, Strange Horizons, and Interzone) internal conflict is probably not going to sell if there is no external conflict to go along with it. It's a mix that you have to have - but I've seen some stuff in F&SF that was largely psychological and still worked (Adam-Troy Castro's Fairies is an example of a good mix of internal and external conflict right through to the last page).

Fenika · Mar 2, 2009

The Lonely One said:
P.S. have you seen how many posts you've made? Might want to sprinkle some holy water or something...

Heh, I meant to do something funny but I got carried away being helpful

MumblingSage · Mar 3, 2009

I'm in a similar boat. What I've been doing (it may or may not work) is searching 'Science Fiction' 'word count' 'pay range' on Duotrope and then typing 'character' in the keyword/phrase box. It gives me markets that are looking for character-driven fiction, which you probably have if you have an internal conflict. Abyss & Apex and OG's Magazine are two markets that look for character driven spec fic, although you may want a high pay range.

FOTSGreg · Mar 5, 2009

Hmmm...

Despite what I may have said above, I begin to believe that some of you are over-analyzing the situation.

Write your stories the way you need them to be and damn everything else. They're your stories. If they don't sell at one market, they probably will sell at another.

Worrying about what some small number of specific markets wants and trying to write to it does not serve your muse.

Write what makes you happy and satisfied. It'll find a market if it's good enough.

The Lonely One · Mar 6, 2009

FOTSGreg said:
Hmmm...

Despite what I may have said above, I begin to believe that some of you are over-analyzing the situation.

Write your stories the way you need them to be and damn everything else. They're your stories. If they don't sell at one market, they probably will sell at another.

Worrying about what some small number of specific markets wants and trying to write to it does not serve your muse.

Write what makes you happy and satisfied. It'll find a market if it's good enough.

Always trust a man with a Federation Pin.

Thanks everyone.

Is internal conflict popular in today's sci-fi fiction market?

The Lonely One

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

The Lonely One

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Fenika

The Lonely One

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Gray Rose

Beware of the Thorns!

FOTSGreg

Today is your last day.

Fenika

MumblingSage

Inarticulate Herb

FOTSGreg

Today is your last day.

The Lonely One

Why is a raven like a writing desk?