Stan and his wife went scuba diving along the Great Barrier
Reef off Australia. Whenever traveling takes him to different places, as
it did to Australia for the Worldcon, he combines it with some sort of vacation.
If I could do the same, I would!
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George "Lan" Laskowski
Stanley Schmidt was one of the first science fiction writers I met. That was back in 1976, and he was still writing science fiction and teaching at Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio. In the years that followed, our paths crossed again and again at various conventions and SF gatherings. Our conversations were always pleasant, and I learned something new about him every time. In fact, that seemed to be the theme of our meetings, learning about Stan and his work.
He plays the trumpet. At one of the Michigan conventions Stan, Lloyd Biggle and some other local fans played some German polkas.
He loves hiking and camping. The opening scene of his novel, The Sins of the Fathers, has the main character hiking in the Alaskan wilderness, showing one of the things he has to give up (something Stan woul also regret) in order to save Earth and its population.
Stan and his wife went scuba diving along the Great Barrier
Reef off Australia. Whenever traveling takes him to different places, as
it did to Australia for the Worldcon, he combines it with some sort of vacation.
If I could do the same, I would!
He still tries to write, even though his main job is now editing Analog magazine. Occasionally he has a story which he tries to sell to different magazines, but one of his last ones, The Man on the Cover, was so suited to Analog, that he needed other editors (Gardner Dozois, Ed Ferman, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch) to tell him to put it in his own magazine.
Analog Science Fiction and Fact, science fiction’s prestigious digest magazine. I asked him if he thought he had made a mistake in leaving teaching, but his answer put things more in perspective. Stan replied that he had not really left the classroom. As an editor, he is still teaching people how to write, how to construct a story so that it sells. Stan also subscribes to the ideals that John W. Campbell had when he edited the magazine: good stories, a reasonable science setting, and believable characters.
During a conversation, I uncovered one of his pet peeves: when people try to do his job for him. It is obvious that Analog does not publish outright fantasy. But writers who think they know what Stan likes decide he won’t like their borderline SF/fantasy stories and don’t give him a chance to look at them
Stan has two reading speeds. When he reads a manuscript, he starts by speed reading it. If the story is good, he shifts automatically to his slower speed so he can savor the story. When that happens, he usually buys the manuscript—or at least gives encouragement to the writer to revise or submit more. He has found this method very reliable in wading through the manuscripts submitted to the magazine. Like Campbell, he reads every manuscript himself, and above all, encourages and nourishes the new writers.
I did mention that Stan is well liked by people, didn’t I? He must be, for them to endure his jokes and puns. At one convention, Midwestcon, just as he was publishing a four-part serial, "Courtship Rite" by Donal Kingsbury, he joked with the fans about its subject matter. "It deals with a rational justification for cannibalism. But the author handles it with good taste." The fact that he stayed dry in spite of a pool only a few feet away speaks much for the tolerance Stan receives. Stan did expect to get letters about the serial, but the only letters of complaint arrived afte the four parts had been published.
Stan and I have had many conversations over meals, and I’ve met many authors through him. And because of him, some of my favorite authors (like Timothy Zahn) went to conventions where I ran into them. Stan is helpful on a personal and professional level. He listens, comments, and offers advice. I still think he puts out the best SF magazine. And I keep hoping (and voting) tha he wins the Best Editor Hugo