Trabuco Road FAQ

What kind of stories are you looking for?
Yeah, so every single magazine on earth seems to have the exact same guidelines (mine). So: good luck figuring it out. Let me try again, though, just for the sake of form. I want literary stories that include speculative fiction elements. This seems to be different than speculative fiction stories that include literary elements. Especially because sometimes people interpret the latter as "speculative fiction stories that include words". It's not quite the same thing. But even that's a pretty lame description of what I'm looking for. Lame meaning "lame".

So I'll keep going. I'm not looking for the kind of literary stories that people hate. You know, the ones with no discernable plot, the zen rock garden-type stories that sound like one hand clapping. Not those so much. In fact, ideally TR stories should be two-arced, with both an external and internal problem, both of which get complicated and addressed. Stories should be full of idiosyncratic details and should trust the reader. Yeah, I know: everyone says that. But I really really mean it.

Could you maybe name a story you wished you could have published? That might be helpful.
You'd think so, but it probably won't be. How about Brian Evenson's "Killing Cats"? Not all that speculative, but I wish first pub rights to it were available and being offered to me. A lot of what gets published in LCRW would fit the bill, although I might be looking for works that are 10-15% less esoteric on average.

What was the deal with those original specs?
I wish I knew.

What does "Trabuco Road" refer to?
It's the name of a sort-of major street in parts of Orange County, California, where I live. For instance, the place where I work is sort of located on it. Sort of. And I think "trabuco" is a cool word. It means blunderbuss, though apparently for about the same reason that blunderbuss means blunderbuss. Not a real accurate gun, that one. Tja. It still sounds cool. To me.

So what's your point, then? You know, with the webzine and all.
Thanks for this opportunity to make high-handed, imperious statements. I excel at these. Here's the deal. IMHO * (Literary fiction is stuck in neutral and seems to be grinding its gears. Very little innovation has come through the channel since sometime in the 40's. Meanwhile, speculative fiction -- well, it's usually been a genre meant for the masses, not the exceptionally erudite with high-minded sensibilities. The idea here is that the trappings of the one can help the other progress. And vice versa.)

You mention in the GLs an aversion to cat stories. In your obviously hate-filled and venomous mind, what other animals or other creatures would be well advised to stay off Trabuco Road?
Nice. Anyway: no cats. I don't like stories about other fluffy animals, either. Or faeries or angels or demons or the little imp who lost his hayfork. But it's not just because I'm a hate-filled man with a venomous mind. Possibly even more than that — if that's possible — it's because I'm looking for stories that enlighten humans about themselves and their kind, that cause people to think about personal and social situations (like real ones) in a way that could possibly broaden their awarenesses. It's downright possible that a story about faeries could do that. It's just not very likely.

Yeah, but you also explicitly decry the submission of "agenda stories". Agenda stories teach people stuff, right? So what's your ----ing deal?
It's not about teaching people. The readership I'm after isn't all that hep to being taught anyway. They're smart enough to teach themselves. Therefore, I'm looking for stories that pose questions and examine situations in various lights, without trying to foist conclusions onto the reader. There's actually a pretty broad line between encouraging the reader to consider sets of circumstances and instructing the reader on how x is good and y is bad. Most agenda stories are either pandering to an already believing audience, or else are accusing and condescending to those who hold a different view. Which doesn't make for a very useful experience for anyone.

Why does your payscale top out at $103?
Because it can.

What if I have more questions that haven't been answered in this FAQ?
That's an excellent question -- but would have been better if you'd established a setting first. Try: "Dying bees writhed on their backs, coating the square of stained concrete. From the east, warm Santa Ana winds brought with them the smell of fire. What if I have more questions that haven't been answered in this FAQ?"

In that case... Yeah, ask them in the forum. I haunt it a lot. I mean a LOT.