Got a heads up on a new online workshop for genre writers run by F&SF. It’s got a limited membership right now to work out the kinks, but should be open to everyone soon. According to Gordon van Gelder, Gardner Dozois is going to be “running the show”, which I assume means he’s going to provide professional crits of some or all stories. Additionally, Gardner will choose 3 stories every year to be pubbed in F&SF. So if you’re dying to be in the pages of that magazine and also dying to get your story critted by the likes of Dozois, then the F&SF workshop may be for you.

However, it’s not free.

Nor would I expect it to be. However, some have raised the question of whether this is pay to play. You give the workshop money and then Gardner gets you into F&SF. Well, three of you a year.

Mind, the workshop guarantees nothing. Also, you’re free to submit stories from the workshop in the regular way. So I wouldn’t say that pay to play directly applies. But I can understand why people would find the concept a mite shady.

Thoughts?