In the underground, digging deep into that talent pool, the seam may be an effect of the good old-fashioned storytelling scifi fans like myself have been begging for a return to. Even if we assume that such storytelling is not worthwhile or doesn't count for something, there are other things to consider. As readers, who are we to deny the rebirth and revitalization of fandom, and its importance to the world of literature?
One such underground veteran in the science fiction and horror arena is short story writer Lawrence Dagstine. In the last decade alone he has written 300 short stories and been published more than 340 times in various small presses and hobby markets. As a loyal supporter of underground publications and writers, I see his name more than any other pop up again and again and again. And his stories are a guilty pleasure each time I sit down to read them.
I had the honor of catching up with Lawrence for an email interview. Here the writer tells us how he maintains such consistency with his shorter works, talks a bit about his life, his career, and where he thinks science fiction is headed. 
Lawrence, good to have you here. So how did you end up following this path in life? What made you decide to become a writer?
I don't think it was so much a path. Back in the 90's, I was always interested in trying it out. I wanted to be a comic book artist, but when I saw that I didn't possess the skills required to be a professional penciller, I went ahead and started writing stories instead.
Who were some of your literary heroes growing up?
In science fiction? That's a long list. Having grown up in the 80's and early 90's, my personal favorites were giants like Asimov, Bradbury, Heinlein, Clarke, Burgess, Orwell, and Kurt Vonnegut. As I got older my tastes slowly changed, and mid 1800's to early 1900's authors were introduced to me: Thoreau, Emerson, Hawthorne, Melville, D.H. Lawrence, Saki, Graham Greene and Sax Rohmer (God, I used to love those two in particular). Then there were classics from guys like Wells, Verne, Poe, Lovecraft, and Bierce.
What do you remember most about your early years? And how did that help you in the field today?
Persistence. Determination. Confidence. The usual stuff. Oh yeah, and the rejection letters. The advice of good editors in the late 90's; editors who aren't even really around anymore. Warren Lapine (Absolute Magnitude) always took the time to write two-page letters and point out obvious grammatical errors and explain to me how I could improve my storylines, develop my characters more and, unlike novels, try and start my future stories right in the middle of the action. There were a few others who took red pens to my work.
What were some of the publications you submitted to when you were younger?
Back in the 90's genre magazines used to be much different than what's available today. Computers and technology has changed things considerably. There were some great SF magazines as well as literary reviews who were thrilled to have me submitting again and again. There was Bibliophilos, Gotta Write Network Litmag, Agni, The Antigosh Review, Lacunae, Glimmer Train, and I even submitted once I think to the Atlantic Monthly. I still have my first non-fiction rejection letter. It was March 1996, a travel article to Alaska Magazine. The article was 2,000 words and passed around, and one of the bigger editors told me I almost made it in. I kept it, like almost all of my rejection letters. Like a young aspiring writer is supposed to. In the genre department, I submitted to places like Absolute Magnitude (and pretty much every other DNA publication under the sun), Aboriginal, Algis Budrys' Tomorrow, Plots with Guns, Ellery Queen, Cyber Psychos AOD, The Silver Web, 2AM Magazine, Eclipse, The Urbanite, Night Terrors, Outer Darkness, Hadrosaur Tales (the list is neverending). Back then, before Ralan and Duotrope existed, the Writer's Market and Science Fiction Writer's Market was my best friend.
Through submitting persistently in your youth, did you come away with anything you now look back upon fondly or maybe chuckle at?
Not really, just experience in the way snail mail works and how the ethos for the Small Press has changed considerably in a little more than a ten-year arc. Nowadays, everything is E-sub. Who knows, in the next ten, fifteen years, it might be something else. For all we know, there might not even be microprocessors. Also, I didn't really write more seriously until the beginning of the millennium.
Funny story though... I used to look back at the fiction market sections in those old editions of the Writer's Market (in later years, The Novel and Short Story Writer's Market), and they supply info on how to contact the editors, where and how to submit, how many manuscripts are usually accepted per year, and so on and so forth. Anyway, they list the names of popular authors whose work have been recently accepted. Names like Poppy Z. Brite, Ken Goldman, and Mary Soon Lee, among others, used to pop up way back. I used to say to myself that one day I hope my name pops up. And so be it, I just learned recently that my name has popped up in a few "recently accepted work by" magazine listings in the 2009 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market. I find it cute. Besides the short story creds, it's a nice way of saying "Damn, of all things, check this out".
Other than that, I've been called the Joey Ramone or Jeff Hardy of the genre world. Humorously, of course.
Through writing vigorously, have you made any incredible mistakes along the way in your craft and learned from them?
Yeah... back in like 2002-2003 I was this young guy who wanted to have a certain amount of novels before the age of 30 (print on demand was a fairly new and interesting vehicle to me), but I didn't know the negative effects vanity and self-publishing could have on a writer like myself, and especially at such an impressionable age. I think many writers have gone through this same thing. The self-publishing stigma. And where vanity publishing is concerned, I think it's better to experience it and learn from it, this way a promising author doesn't have to relive the headache.
Being in the field for some time, do you think prolific is a suitable label for you?
Do I deserve the title of prolific? Hmm, maybe. I still think I'm a long way off from achieving prolific status. I mean, I'm obviously no D.F. Lewis; I'll never be anywhere near Enid Blyton. I may work in a prolific fashion, but I don't measure that as being the same as a prolific author in general. I think the word can be coined with two very different definitions. To be honest, I think an author must succumb to death first and, far down the road, when all is rounded up in some virtual archive or interplanetary library or advanced indexing system of knowledge, only then can one's life of literary achievements be seen as either prolific or not.
What amazes me is some authors get an acceptance once a year, twice a year, or three times a year. Some are really good and get published once a month. But when I see an author like you get markets every other day... Man, that's sick! Do you think, by staying this consistent, you are defying some kind of odds?
I don't think I've ever tried to defy any odds (and believe me, I'm not trying to be modest). The opportunity is just there. If you have this feeling inside you that you are on this stepladder to success, and if it's nagging you and telling you that something positive is within your reach, then hey, you may very well be on a golden ladder. Some may not even know it. Your job is to believe in yourself, climb that ladder, test out the rungs as you go along. Don't rush up the ladder, and most of all don't fall backwards off it. For me, this ladder has been a slow one at times but it's recently led to a plethora of opportunities seeing me out through 2010.
Do you see yourself as a machine, producing so much effectively and purposely, realizing legacy is important and there may be no tomorrow?
Lawrence "The Machine" Dagstine. I like that. But it doesn't have a writer's ring to it. Sounds more like a porno star. Seriously, yeah, it is about legacy, and I do see myself as a machine. I try to keep it well-oiled when I can. As for legacy, I think it's this way for most writers.
What defines a true writer? And how can you tell if they put their heart into their craft?
If their name pops up everywhere, if their work is clean and good, and if they can tell a genuine story that won't make me put it down after the third page. Some of the biggest writers can't even spell their relative's names (by the way, this is a fact), but if you can tell a story and entertain me, and bring something unique to the table, then we've got a stew going. If it's a doable story, a simple rewrite and a good editor will take care of the rest. Personally, I love bizarre and unexpected resolutions. Not just good prose, but the kind of story endings that hit you right out of leftfield and leave you thinking long afterwards.
As for defining a writer, well, I think a big misnome exists out there. You have aspiring writers who toil and do this for money, pride, immortality, and lots of other reasons. These writers are born storytellers. Their job is to put ideas down on paper and submit it/sell it. Then you have the wannabe writer, who says, "You know, I've always wanted to write a book" or "I'm gonna pen the next Great American novel". But they don't sit down and write. So you have the aspiring writer (this one sells and submits), and the wannabe writer (says they'll write but pretty much procrastinates). See the difference?
Legacy-wise, when are enough short stories REALLY ENOUGH?
I don't know if you can put a number on that. Recently I just tapped 340. I may go to 400. Hell, I might do 500. I don't think I'd want to do more than 500. I mean, you reach a certain age and criteria, you begin to know who your audience is and what they want of you, and you want to please them by taking your imagination and your craft one step further. If I look back six years to when I self-published, I say to myself, "Larry, what the hell were you thinking? Were you smoking crack that day?" However, five or six years down the road, I'll most likely say, "Wow, so this was me in early print?"
You have many devoted fans in the underground, and they compliment you. But I've also noticed you have many naysayers, too. How long have they been there, and how does their snarkiness affect your work?
First, I have nothing but love for the amateur/small press. If I happen to become wealthy from writing by some slim chance, I will never forget my roots. I think this builds on a healthy, honest work ethic. If you're one of my readers and attend one of my functions, I want to buy you a cup of coffee and ask you why you like my material so much. I see you as an equal. I'm dedicated to helping and promoting aspiring, small press writers. I'm devoted to giving them plugs, advice, marketing tips, and helping them get published. I think that's the one positive thing people already know about Lawrence Dagstine. And, unfortunately, it's because of that I have a good many naysayers.
The naysayers, oh, they've been there since 2006. But I have to thank them, too. I mean, in less than two years, my publication credits have doubled since they've been around. I have two editors now, I've formed a business partnership with a publicist for when the economy becomes more stable, I've been commissioned to work here and there, and have small presses asking me for collections and work. They are my backbone. When negativity strikes, I become better, stronger. I accomplish more. So in a way, like my readers and fans, if the naysayers weren't there, I don't think I would have this much going for me. Oddly enough, each one balances the other out.
Being small press, do you ever feel pressure or a need to prove yourself an author?
Not at all. I just have to look at the hundreds of magazines, contributor copies, and anthologies contained within four big tupperwares and two of my bookcases. Validation is in the eye of the beholder.
What, in your eyes, makes the perfect author? If you could be the perfect author, how would you go about perfection?
I think I already answered this question when you asked me to define writer. If you can't tell a story, if you can't hold a reader's attention, no matter how many typos (this can be fixed), then you have failed at what you have set out to do. The perfect writer WRITES - simple as that! Write, submit, get good... Write, submit, get slightly better... Write, submit, get awesome over time. That is the formula, along with good storytelling and a grasp of the English Language.
As for my own perfection, I'll know it when it comes. Writing is not just a lifelong endeavor but a craft we build at for many many years. People like editors help us every step of the way. At the same time, some writers don't reach a level of total and complete perfection until their forties or fifties. Or at least the kind they feel comfortable with.
Let's talk science fiction. You write in many different genres, but you are most notable in the underground for this. What do you like most about scifi?
You can take chances. You can explore. You can build worlds, or you can destroy them. You can design characters, make them appear above the norm. You can play with science, and you can either do it in a positive manner or a negative one. The possibilities are endless, so long as the basic formulas apply and everything you write is believable and borders on the prospect, or a plausible enough foundation, of fact.
Can you tell us about some of your upcoming material? Where can we pick it up?
Amazon, the Internet, The Genre Mall, specialty bookstores and various comic shops; the usual places for genre stuff. Hadley Rille Books has some very interesting Hard SF-themed anthologies. They've been growing as of late. I appear in their BARREN WORLDS anthology. Then there's SATIRICA, a superbly-edited hardcover antho put out by Cowboy Logic Press. This one mostly features semi-pros and pros from the likes of Jim Baen's place. There's some fine material to be had there. I'm pitching a Steampunk/Victorian horror collection at the moment, and Sam's Dot Publishing will be releasing another collection of mine. There's also magazines like The Willows, Jupiter, Polluto: The Anti-Pop Culture Journal, Aoife's Kiss, Beyond Centauri, Withersin Magazine, and Tales of the Talisman. There's a lot in the pipeline.
Before we go, Lawrence, any good resources or tips you can give aspiring writers of genre fiction?
There are plenty of great resources out there. You just have to look online for them, and know how to weed the real ones out from the fake ones. Resources can be found at places such as Shocklines, Writing World.com, and Preditors & Editors. Each one has something unique to offer where advice and this business is concerned. If you're a new writer, tread lightly. Make sure a publishing outfit is the real deal before embarking in some kind of partnership. You don't want to end up swindled like me. Most of all, learn from your mistakes and try to improve on them.
Lawrence Dagstine, thank you for being here. Any final words? Where can we find you when you're not writing like a machine?
Just follow my motto: life is short, so just submit... And you can visit me with new plugs, advice, publication credits, and material up to ten times per month at http://www.lawrencedagstine.com/
Copyright © 2008. May not be reproduced without express permission from the publisher.
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