Collaboration Announcement: An Interview With Jessi, Snoozine’s Editor-In-Chief

Ashley: First of all, thank you for agreeing to do this interview with us. We are super excited to collaborate on this anthology with you! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your magazine?

Jessi: First thing’s first, I’m SO excited for this collaboration. I’ve been buzzing over it for weeks now! To everyone that I haven’t been chatting with for the past month or so, my name is Jessi! I prefer to leave it at that so that I can be mononymous, like Socrates or Cher. More important is the name of my literary magazine, Snoozine! Just like y’all, we want all the speculative fiction our audience has to offer. We want fantasy creatures invading hidden coves, space laser battle bonanzas, and ghost girlies going on cute trips. Our editors skew a little on the silly side, but we love heartbreaking and thought provoking pieces, too. It’s all about balance at Snoozine!

Ashley: Wait, what? My two favourite mags are collaborating?! Give me all the spoilers!

Jessi: I hope you are sat for this one, honey!! You heard right. As Alive Journal and Snoozine have finally reached across the speculative chasm to collaborate together on a collaboration issue! The theme: One Strange Day. The pieces: Speculative. A spin? We want to split this issue between Day and Night pieces, so here’s a big hint: Write with a specific time of day in mind. That’ll help our editors figure out its place in the issue (wink wonk). 

Ashley: Daydreams and Nightmares are two sides to the same proverbial coin, but how are they distinguished?

Jessi: They’re really only divided by perspective, aren’t they? Some people may think that daydreams and nightmares are divided along a horror line, where horror leaning pieces are strictly nightmares and fluffier pieces are daydream only. But if you think about it, that’s not really true, is it? I have, weird, dreams, and they skew toward horror shows, but when I wake up, I don’t call them nightmares. I just call them weird. They aren’t dreadful or terrifying. See the difference? Daydreams are light and fluffy, sure, but they can be tinged with the horrific. Nightmares are horrific, sure, but sometimes they’re also just unsettling. Did that answer the question? Maybe I just confused you. TL;DR, it’s about vibes.

Ashley: This anthology is centered around sleep, but we’re hoping to see submissions that are anything but boring. Do you have any tips and tricks for adding excitement and tension to submissions?

Jessi: I always say I’m easy to please (because I really am, promise!) Personally, I’m a fan of the weird and absurd. The quickest way to get my attention and keep it is to throw me into a really bonkers situation. So, my best advice is to “blow it up.” Whatever your idea is, go BIG. Don’t be afraid to really dive into your characters or your themes or the voice. Those elements, when done really well, can really be the difference between an okay piece and a phenomenal one. If you want an example of pieces Snoozine has published that have really won me over, check out Long Live Harley (Vol. 1 Nightmare), Red Giant (Vol 1. Nightmare),  Afternoon of the Capes (Vol 2. Dream), And on the Seventh Day (Vol 2. Nightmare), and The Pimple (Vol 2. Nightmare). Some of these pieces lean heavily into absurdity or chaos. Some have very distinct voices. They are all incredible.

Ashley: As magazines, we often see good submissions that we will unfortunately pass on for one reason or another. What are some red flags or pet peeves that prevent good submissions from being great? 

Jessi: Ah. This question! I have a list of general peeves:

1. Doesn’t submit in the correct format

2. Doesn’t submit speculative fiction

3. Doesn’t submit anything related to the theme (Trust me, this one is HARD because I work overtime to play Devil’s advocate for the pieces we receive, and if even I can’t make a case for it being on theme, then it’s definitely not on theme.) But, I would argue that every EIC would say something similar. We all just hope that our time and energy is respected. We don’t want anyone to self reject, but we also would like to gently remind our wonderful authors that we are specific about what we want. Please only submit what we’ve asked for.I went on a tangent, though. In terms of actual content that might make me raise an eyebrow (scrutinizingly, not appreciatively unfortunately), I have had to reject so many pieces that had a really fantastic premise but lacked execution. What does this mean? It might mean that there were glaring issues with pacing, such as ending way too early or late. It might also mean issues with characterization, where we don’t have enough of it or it’s inconsistent. When I see developmental issues, I do wonder if the piece is quite ready yet. As an editor, I enjoy getting into the weeds, line by line and word by word. So, issues here, such as repetitive sentence structures, will catch my eye. It won’t make me auto reject by any means, but if I feel that there are some pretty large technical issues, I will bring that up with the team to develop a solid editorial plan.

Ashley: Sometimes submissions are so well crafted that we accept them without hesitation. What aspects of a piece make it stand out amongst the crowd?

Jessi: Like I said, as an editor, I focus quite a bit on line and copy edits. If I can read a piece without getting concerned about sentence structures or word choice and I can genuinely enjoy the read, I know I’ve got a great piece on my hands. Add some elements of the weird to that, and I’m absolutely hooked. When I think back to some immediate acceptances I’ve had come my way, Child in the Walls (Vol. 2 Dream) and Grunge Trinculo Buys Starfuit Lip Balm at 3 AM (Vol 2. Dream) come to mind. On a technical level, both of these pieces came to us at near perfection. The premise and atmosphere Mike Robinson pulled off in Child in the Walls was haunting (and I LOVE it). And Jude Deluca has such a strong voice in Grunge Trinculo, almost conversational, that I couldn’t stop reading. Following their examples, really mastering one element of your writing (whether that be characterization, voice, style, setting, what have you) and letting that shine on the page can be very attention grabbing.

Ashley: This collaborative anthology, “One Strange Day”, is framed around a 24 hour clock. With submissions divided between daydream and nightmare, what thematically defines them apart from each other?

Jessi: Like I mentioned earlier, for me the difference between a daydream and a nightmare is less about the mood itself and more about an amorphous vibe. Think about it. Have you ever had an unhinged daydream? Have you ever had a nightmare concerned with something shockingly mundane? It’s about perspective, really. To me, a daydream is something we want to see. We conjure that consciously, and maybe sometimes we follow a train of thought somewhere we didn’t expect to go, but the truth is that we still go there. We take a metaphysical walk into these thoughts, whether they be good or bad. Nightmares, though, ensnare us when we are at our most vulnerable. We are unwilling participants to what goes on in them. That’s really the difference. We are victims of our nightmares. But we are the perpetrators of our daydreams.

Ashley: While horror is focused on vulnerability, fantasy and sci-fi are setting-based genres. With this in mind, where do you envision the lines blurring between daydream and nightmare?

Jessi: This can be tricky for sure because I think a lot of users will want to say, okay, horror is for nightmare only. Maybe you also associate fantasy more with daydreams. I personally don’t subscribe to binary thoughts like that. Really, all of these genres can be spread across both daydream and nightmare. Again, it’s a matter of perspective. You might ask yourself: is your protagonist willingly or happily progressing through the plot, or are they being dragged through it kicking and screaming? 

Ry: What is it about sci-fi, fantasy, and horror that you feel draws together the strange and bizarre that could make a strange day?  

Jessi: Speculative fiction is my favorite because it pushes us beyond the boundaries of what we understand to be true. It forces us out of our comfort zone! Science fiction, fantasy, and horror have a way of tweaking our perception of reality, whether that be drastically or just enough for us to notice. It would certainly be a strange day if, for example, I popped out of the office to hit the restroom and somehow found myself transported to an outhouse in the mountains with an eldritch deer outside trying to knock it over. That’d be weird as hell. Similarly, it would be equally as weird to pop out of the office for a restroom break to find that for some reason, all of the toilet water is inexplicably green and jelly-like. In fact, all the water in the world is now green jelly. Odd. My point is that with speculative fiction, it doesn’t take much to be strange. It just takes dedication.

Ashley: Both AAJ and Snoozine regularly get literary fiction submissions that we have to reject. So what defines a softer-sided speculative fiction piece from lit fic?

Calli: Are there any lit fic magazines you would recommend those people submit to instead?

Jessi: This is a really great question because the editors at Snoozine often joke about what the actual divide is between genre and literary. No one seems to have an actual good answer. Some people will say that you know literary when you see it (and that’s absolutely true. After the first paragraph, I know if I’m reading literary prose or not.) Some will also say that literary is more character driven and genre is plot driven, but I think this distinction is becoming harder to see as more genre fiction adopts a character-centric style. Something I look for when I’m trying to determine if I’m reading a literary work or a more genre-leaning piece is the level of internality I see on the page. Literary works, in my experience, are very much focused on the thematic and philosophical implications of the piece, and that often results in quite a bit of internality from the characters. The trouble comes when genre pieces, like soft speculative fiction, are regarded as literary because of their literary merit (not their subject matter per se). So, separating the two can be frustrating and sometimes moot. Still, we typically want to see genre pieces where character and plot are delivered in equal measure, and there are clear speculative elements. Sometimes, speculative elements are used metaphorically in literary pieces. We don’t want a ghost to be metaphorical. We want it to actually haunt our homes, preferably the guest room closet so that it doesn’t bother us too much.

Ashley: I think every writer goes through those self-rejecting thoughts of “is my work good enough?” before they submit, but how do you (as a writer and Editor-in-Chief) overcome those thoughts?

Jessi: The best advice I can give here is to embrace failure. Genuinely. Give it a big ol’ bear hug and sit down with it for supper. When submitting to literary magazines, the reality for most people is that you will be rejected WAY more than you’ll be accepted. And let’s say it together: it’s okay. Rejection doesn’t mean that your piece isn’t good, it just means that it isn’t a good fit for the sub call. When I’m submitting to magazines, I get my work as good as I can get it. I go through revisions. I ask my writing group to read through and point out any errors or changes they’d like to see. I do my best to craft a solid piece that I’d be proud of. And when I send it out, I let go of those feelings. I’m very proud of all the work I’ve had accepted and rejected because I’ve done my best to produce quality work. If that isn’t what another magazine wants, that’s okay.

Ashley: For people who might be writing or submitting genre for the first time, do you have any tips, tricks, or suggestions? Ex. adding genre clues to the first page (if not the first paragraph).

Jessi: First, welcome! I’m so glad to have any genre newbies here! I always recommend looking into genre expectations and incorporating them. This is where knowing your genre/subgenre is actually really helpful. For example, if you’re writing a dragon fantasy, you’ll need to ensure that you’ve included (you guessed it) a real, maybe fire breathing dragon. If you’re writing cyberpunk, remember the rule that you’re exploring high tech applied to low life. Being able to define your genre and understanding what is expected for it will be very helpful!

Ashley: Are there any tropes within spec fic that you think could use a revamp or twist?

Jessi: OH. Of course I do! Thank you so much for asking. (I wish this could be formatted in the Lisa Simpson presentation meme lmaooo)I want to see dragon riders act more like rodeo bull riders because that’s absolutely how I see them. (Oh, or this is the meme with the guy sitting at the table with the “change my mind” poster. It would read: Dragon riders are glorified bull riders/cowboys/rodeo clowns. Take your pick.)I also want to see new elemental magical mash ups. If a Pokemone game has been named after it, I don’t want to see it anymore. I want super unique magic. More broadly, I want to see enemies to lovers stories where they genuinely start off as enemies. None of this, “he loved her from the moment he saw her and had to pretend he didn’t.” Nah. I want to see these two genuinely hate each other’s guts and somehow come to tolerate each other by the end of it.

Ashley: What kind of world-building techniques often make you feel like you're dreaming (or visualizing the story while you’re reading it)?

Jessi: I’m a really big fan of the vaporwave visual aesthetic. I’m also really into the whole backrooms lore, so calling on those visuals in writing immediately transports me to a dreamlike place. Think floating colors and strange proportions or objects that shrink and expand as if they breathe.

Ashley: What scares you more: the unknown becoming known, or the familiar turned strange?

Jessi: Unknown. Unknown all the way. Fun fact about me: I can’t sleep with any doors open at all because I am TERRIFIED of the prospect of waking up to see someone standing there. I can’t even be in a room with an open door. We close the doors in this house because if something creepy is going to be there, I don’t want to know about it.

Ashley: Are you the kind of writer who daydreams about writing? If so, do you have any tips for making them real, putting those ideas somewhere before they are forgotten?

Jessi: Oh. Constantly. I aim for 10k steps per day, and every moment of those walks are spent formulating ideas for my novels or running through the scenes I plan to write later that day. I will often open my notes app, turn on dictation, and just talk through what I imagine. I usually only do this after I’ve run through a scene a few times in my head and like how it turned out. Using dictation instead of recording a voice note is especially important here because if I record a voice note, she’ll get lost in the clutter. But dictation can never quite understand my accent, so it always messes up words here and there. I know it does this, so after my walk, I’ll go to my computer and retype the dictation notes and fix any errors it had because of my accent, which also helps me to further solidify the idea and keep it from being forgotten.

Ashley: Are there any aesthetic insights or recommended readings you’d suggest to people looking to submit to this collab?

Jessi: Looking into weird fiction is a great place to start. If you’ve never heard of weird fiction before, that’s okay. He’s a little niche! But you’ve definitely seen it before. Think Metamorphosis by Franz Kakfa or anything written by Jason Pargin. If you’re a manga fan, think Uzumaki or even Dan Da Dan. Really, anything by Junji Ito aesthetically would fit this horror element of this collab nicely. For fantasy inspiration, I’d suggest looking into shows like Wednesday or Disenchantment. If you’re a science fiction writer, I’d recommend pulling from the absurdity established in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash or Rick and Morty. 

Ashley: What mythological creature would make for the best (or worst) representation of this collab? What attributes does it/they have that help them secure that ranking?

Jessi: Oh. This is a fun question that I’ll answer with a fun fact. I lived in Japan for about 6 years. I was there for the entirety of the pandemic, and there was a mythological creature that I saw EVERYWHERE. Her name is amabie. She’s a sort of fish-like mermaid creature who either promises to bring luck and good harvest or an epidemic. People would hand her likeness as a way of warding off Covid. What I really like about her for this issue is her duality. She’ll either bring you something amazing or something terrifying, but that’s all up to how you treat her. That duality feels especially present in this collab too. Will your story be a daydream or a nightmare? It’s all up to how you treat it, and we’re excited to see what you leave at our proverbial doorstep. 

Ashley: When should people expect to see our submissions open?

Jessi: We’ll open for submissions on June 21st! But you can start writing for One Strange Day now 😈

Ashley: Thank you again for doing this interview with us, we’re really looking forward to working with you on this collaboration! One final question, though: what are you most looking forward to in this collab?

Jessi: I’m most looking forward to all the strange stories we get. I want to be unsettled! Do your worst!