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"And I have crocodiles. I went to a science fiction convention where I attended a panel which included the great Gene Wolfe. The question on the table was, “What was it about the first story you sold that made it different from the previous stories which didn’t sell?” The other panelists were all about pacing and dialog and all that, and Gene Wolfe said, “It had crocodiles in it.” He said it wasn’t any better or worse than previous stories, and he’d since sold the previous stories by sending them out until they reached the right editor at the right time. So, naturally, I had to write a story with crocodiles in it. Sold it, too."
gwern