Why should you submit to literary journals? June 2015 issue of The Writer magazine answers: “Even though many don’t offer payment, literary journals are a great way to get your writing’s foot in the editor’s door. Some writers may overlook smaller publications to concentrate on bigger projects, but doing so could be a mistake. Whether you’re looking to apply to an MFA program or want to build your publishing portfolio, publication in a literary magazine or journal can be a useful first step toward your dream career.” For the next few Saturdays, I’ll post information about literary journals as places you can submit your writing. I welcome your comments and suggestions. ~Marlene
Author: mcullen
Marlene Cullen is enthusiastic about encouraging people to write, even those who think they can’t write. Her series of books, The Write Spot anthologies, features writing that entertains as well as inspires writing. Every story, vignette, and poem in The Write Spot books include writing prompts motivating readers to become writers.
Marlene hosts The Write Spot Blog, a treasure chest of inspirational gems for writers.
Fulfilling her passion for writing and sharing with others, Marlene has created unique writing environments such as Jumpstart Writing Workshops, where participants often experience transformational changes. Her workshops provide essential elements for successful writing.
Marlene is the founder of Writers Forum of Petaluma, a monthly literary event featuring presenters talking about the craft and business of writing.
Marlene's awarding winning short stories and essays have been published in literary journals, anthologies, and newspapers, including Tiny Lights, Building Bridges, More Bridges, Redwood Writers anthologies, and The Write Spot anthologies.
She is a member of the California Writer's Club.
Tweak, form, shape and sculpt . . . Prompt #161
Choose one topic from below, these are prompts that have recently been posted here on the Write Spot Blog: Prompt #158: If pets could talk Prompt #159: Unforgettable Also Prompt #159: Strange But True Prompt #160: Only in America Also Prompt #160: Happy Endings Today’s writing prompt: After you have written a freewrite (from above list), write one line for every four sentences from that freewrite. Take out all unnecessary words. Condense or distill your writing to the most important aspects. Tweak, form, shape and sculpt until you have a poem. Then . . . Submit to The Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest. No fee to enter. You don’t have to be a resident of Lincoln to submit. Send by July 25, 2o14 Go for it!
Suffering from a creativity dry spell? Look to your nighttime dreams.
Guest Blogger Susan Audrey writes: I didn’t begin paying attention to my nighttime dreams until my dreamscapes started showing up in my waking life. The first instance was fairly benign: I dreamt of a man with dark hair, wearing a white, button-down shirt, standing to my right and talking on a pay phone (yes, this was awhile ago). And the next morning, after I dropped my kids off at daycare, I saw this exact scene: the same man, same hair, shirt, and pay phone. This really got my attention! I found out later that these are called precognitive or premonition dreams –– they show you the future. I wasn’t sure why this was happening at this time in my life. I was in my thirties and a single mom of two grade schoolers. It wasn’t until years later that I learned that our nighttime dreams are more abundant and more…
Only in America or Happy Endings. Prompt #160
Today’s Writing Prompt is either/or. Write about “Only in America.” Or write about “Happy Endings.” Today’s prompts are inspired by Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest. Deadline: July 25, 2015. You don’t have to be a resident of Lincoln to submit to this contest, sponsored by Lincoln Public Library.
Inside myself is a place where . . .
Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up. — Pearl S. Buck Marlene’s Musings: And that’s where writers come alive. . . from your imagination, you spin tales that inform, entertain, enhance and make life enjoyable. Keep writing! Something I just learned: Pearl Sydenstricker Buck, also known by her Chinese name Sai Zhenzhu, was an American writer and novelist. As the daughter of missionaries, Buck spent most of her life before 1934 in China. Thanks, Wikipedia!
What is a freewrite and what is a writing prompt?
So. . . what is all this talk about freewrites and writing prompts? What does it all mean? A freewrite is a style of writing that is . . . well. . . freeing. The writer hears or reads a word, or a phrase, and just starts writing. Often a timer is set, so there is the “under the gun” feel of a deadline, a limited time to write. Click here for more information about freewrites. I post writing prompts writing prompts, on The Write Spot Blog. Sometimes the writing prompts are fun and playful. Sometimes they inspire memoir type writing. Other times they work well for fiction writing. Mostly the prompts are what you make of them. . . you can go light and stay on the surface, skating on the edge, or you can go deep. This type of writing is an opportunity to explore and perhaps come…
Share your favorite books.
Sundays at The Write Spot Blog are for book reviews. Do you have a book that you love and want to share with others? Email your review to me (Marlene) and I’ll post. It can be an old favorite or a new author you just discovered. I look forward to reading and posting your reviews.
McSweeny’s Internet Tendency wants your humor
McSweeny’s Internet Tendency is in the market for short, conceptual humor. “We strongly recommend reading through our archives to get a sense of the style of writing we’re after.” Editor Christopher Monks says, “We want to draw you [the reader] in quickly with a funny title and an easy-to-latch-onto concept.” Monks “looks for a mixture of lowbrow and highbrow humor, with reference to pop culture and current events.” — The Writer magazine, June 2015 Length: 1,00 words is ideal Send: In the body of the email Payment: “There will likely be none. If there is any, it may come very late or in unusual currency.” Why you should submit to Tendency: “Writers don’t get rich writing for Tendency; however they often find their work reprinted on other literary websites.” Click here for submission guidelines.
Unforgettable, or Strange But True . . . Prompt #159
Another prompt inspired by Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest. Deadline: July 25, 2015 Writing Prompt: Unforgettable . . . or . . . Strange But True Laffing Sal is “one of several automated characters that were built primarily to attract carnival and amusement park patrons to funhouses and dark rides throughout the United States. Its movements were accompanied by a raucous laugh that sometimes frightened small children and annoyed adults.” Wikipedia One version of Laffing Sal currently resides at Playland-Not-At-The-Beach, which I had the “pleasure” of seeing and hearing recently at a friend’s birthday party. She definitely scared me as a child. I tried to avoid her when my family went to Playland-at-the-Beach in San Francisco, California.
How does someone become frightening to one’s self?
Guest Blogger Ted A. Moreno: How You Became What You’ve Become I’m learning a new song on my guitar: “Africa” by the band Toto. One line of the lyrics intrigued me: “I seek to cure what’s deep inside, frightened of this thing that I’ve become.” It’s never really explained in the song what that means. How does someone become something that is frightening to one’s self? Seems to me that it doesn’t happen all at once, of course. It’s more like the frog peacefully floating in increasingly hotter water until he is boiled, never aware of what’s happening so he never jumps out. Kind of like death by a thousand cuts. Perhaps a good word would be entropy: the gradual decline into disorder. How does someone become someone that they are not happy with? It happens one extra cookie, or additional scoop of ice cream or portion of food at…