Many of you are familiar with Muphry’s Law. It states, essentially, that any criticism of someone’s grammar, spelling, or usage (unless by a copy editor who’s been asked to do that sort of criticizing), will inevitably contain a grammar, spelling, or usage error.

I believe Muphry’s Law now has a sub-law. Call it Muphry’s URL.

Any blog post or online article bemoaning lack of dignity or intelligence in an aspect of modern life will have an embarrassing URL.

I have coined this law because of an article, written for the Harvard Business Review Blog Network by Kyle Wiens, founder of Dozuki and CEO of iFixit, “I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why.” It’s a fairly thorough, slightly scathing, exploration of the connections between correct language usage and good overall work performance. It is well-reasoned. It is level-headed. It uses correct grammar, spelling, and usage.

It has this in its URL: i_wont_hire_people_who_use_poo.html

This probably isn’t Wiens’ fault. He probably didn’t post the article himself; just wrote it, titled it, and sent it to HBR. Still, he and his unintentional poo have now contributed to the proliferation of meaningless Internet “laws”, and for that, I thank him.

Michael, being a Very Serious Author and MinnSpec high muckety-muck, will be giving you the official Minnesota Speculative Fiction Writers elevator pitch. I, being a Very Frivolous Author and lowly minion, am freer to ramble about what this group means to me.

I joined MinnSpec in 2010, after meeting a passel of members, including Michael, at the 4th Street Fantasy Conversation. Just returning to speculative fiction (and fiction in general) after a long period focused on nonfiction and navel-gazing, I was looking for a group of like-minded individuals to keep me on-track. It’s an embarrassing confession, since we writers are supposed to be a self-motivating lot, but I work best when I have a network of fellow writers. I don’t need them to goad me along my path; I just need them to know I have a path I’m supposed to be on.

But enough about me! Many things about MinnSpec make my little heart sing.

* We have only one level of membership. Famous members don’t have access to secret levels of time, resources, or attention that little-known or unpublished members don’t.
* Members choose their own level of participation. We’ve got us an online forum, a monthly meeting and critique group, and options for online critiquing. Fun for introverts and extraverts alike.
* A rising tide raises all ships. Sure, members want to make their own writing sparkle and sell, but we also care genuinely about fellow-members’ progress. We celebrate each other’s successes, commiserate over rejections, and keep each other on task to get that writing done.
* Really interesting meeting topics, including things like “Love Stinks” and “Q&A with the Happy Coroner”.
* Having written in “anything goes” groups, I know that not everyone entirely gets . writers. Being among friends sure is nice.

And that’s how I spent my summer vacation why I like MinnSpec.

Editing my own writing is like licking my own elbow. (It’s OK. I’ll wait while y’all give it a try.) Going through this story (a reprint) was an exercise in “What?” “D’oh!” and “How did this story go to print with these errors?!?” Probably because few other people are as ridiculously anal about these things as I am. But, hey; that’s why they pay me the big bucks, right? (Hey, Michael, we’re getting paid big bucks for this, right?)

Michael says incredibly nice things about the story here.

Sky-Tinted Waters is available via Sam’s Dot Publishing.

Hilary Moon Murphy writes capital-S-Stories. She is a re-imaginer of fables and tales from all over the world, and this one, of a man who pulls a fast one on Brahma, is filled with lush details, mesmerizing rhythm, and sly humor. And, apparently, I caught a misspelling in the story that no one else had, so that makes me feel good about myself. Also, I need an Omar.

Michael’s comments here.

Sky-Tinted Waters is available via Sam’s Dot Publishing.

Terry Faust writes funny very well. It’s harder than it seems. “Unpleasantness” pays homage to classic Twilight Zone, but with a hilarious twist all Faust’s own. One of those rare stories that made me laugh while I was editing it.

Michael muses on the seriousness of humor here.

Sky-Tinted Waters is available via Sam’s Dot Publishing.

I’ve known Staffin-Wiebe since college, so I like pointing at her publications and saying, “I knew her when.” I’ve read “These Things Take Time” before, and it speaks to the story’s staying power that, every time I read it, I yell at the protagonist to stop being such an idiot. This is a story for everyone who’s ever been disappointed that people just plain don’t make sense.

Michael’s thoughts on the matter here.

Sky-Tinted Waters is available via Sam’s Dot Publishing.

I totally dig the concept of this story, the hopefulness of a simple act of kindness having epic consequences, and the idea that any one of us might be saving the world all the time and not even realize it. While I was editing it, I felt myself slipping into the groove of the characters’ conversation. These are people you feel like you know, even the one who’s–well, I won’t give that part away. Now I want a milkshake. A good milkshake.

Michael’s thoughts on all things milkshake.

Sky-Tinted Waters is available via Sam’s Dot Publishing.

This story rewards careful attention and rereading. I struggled with it on the first pass, but the second time I got it more and got more out of it. Timanus is saying a lot about boundaries, and how, the closer our social and technological advances bring us, the harder we work to keep a place for ourselves. At least, I think that’s what she’s saying. Oh, don’t listen to me; I’m just the copy editor. I leave the Big Ideas to Michael.

Michael, meanwhile, is all about mood.

Sky-Tinted Waters is available via Sam’s Dot Publishing.

Best part of editing flash fiction? Flash writers pay attention to every detail. When you have less than a thousand words to say what needs saying, you don’t just choose every word carefully; you choose every comma, period, and dash carefully. Sometimes I like when other people do my work for me–especially when the story is also a delight to read.

Michael’s very enthusiastic thoughts on “Off the Shelf” here.

Sky-Tinted Waters is available via Sam’s Dot Publishing.

When I started editing this story, I thought I understood where it was going. And I was willing to go there, because Catherine Lundoff is a consummate craftswoman. Then, instead of the story I was expecting, Lundoff punched me in the gut with a moment of pure heartbreak, worthy of Ye Great Sagas of Olde. And it’s a really good story, to boot. (As an aside, editing stories full of Norse mythological terms is a real workout for the ol’ gray matter.)

Thus sayeth the Merriam.

Sky-Tinted Waters is available via Sam’s Dot Publishing.