Tin House Magazine: We accept submissions September 1 through May 31, and, as always, our summer and winter issues are not themed. We consider each submission for all upcoming issues regardless of theme. If you wish to be considered for a particular theme, please make a note in your cover letter. We have provided suggested deadlines for each theme issue, but please be aware that these fill up fast, so get your theme-issue submissions in as soon as possible. Tin House has announced the Spring 2015 theme of Rejection. We are looking for fiction, essays, memoir, poems, and interviews about rejecting or being rejected. Rejection of, or rejection by people, animals, organizations, institutions, belief systems, physical locations, a calling—the theme is open to interpretation. Deadline is September 15. Click here for Submission Guidelines
Category: Just Write
Why do you write?
“Life often has a way of making people feel small and unimportant. But if you find a way to express yourself through writing, to put your ideas and stories on paper, you’ll feel more consequential. No one should pass through time without writing their thoughts and experiences down for others to learn from. Even if only one person, a family member, reads something you wrote long after you’re gone, you live on. So writing gives you power. Writing gives you immortality.” — Antwone Fisher, Screenwriter and author Note from Marlene: I write to get out of my head and onto paper. Writing, with a pen or pencil, is an extension of my arm. When I picture my arm, it’s elongated by the pen, which in my mind, is always there. Computer typing — same thing — the keyboard is an extension of me. Writing is as natural and as much…
What do these writers have in common?
Bella Andre, David Corbett and Jordan Rosenfeld have all been Writers Forum of Petaluma presenters. Scroll down for details. The September 2014 issue of Writer’s Digest magazine is filled with practical, helpful and inspirational articles. Bella Andre is on the cover. Her story, “Romancing Big Publishers With E-book Success” might encourage you to go the indie route for publishing or try traditional. She also talks about why she uses a pen name. Do you wonder about “pacing and tension?” Jessica Page Morrell has written an article that explains it in easy-to-understand format. Donald Maass writes about “Building Microtension Into Every Scene” and makes it seem like an easy thing to do. Writer’s Digest Contest #60 is one you can enter. “Write a short story of 750 words or fewer based on the prompt: A man opens his mailbox to find an envelope containing a set of instructions.” “You can…
Lower Your Expectations and Just Write
My dear friend, Karen Batchelor, was an inspiring and wonderful writing teacher. She passed away too soon, December 2013. I was looking through material to post here and came across this gem by Karen. I hope you enjoy it and hope it inspires you to Just Write. Lower Your Expectations, by Karen Batchelor When 2012 arrived, I dismissed the thought of making any new year’s resolutions. After all, those aspirations often died just days or hours after their birth. However, on January 1, a tiny little idea began to germinate. A few minutes later when the concept was fully formed, I started in on my new project. My goal: Write a minimum of five minutes a day. I can hear some of you chuckling. What kind of a goal is that? In fact for some time, neither grandiose nor modest intentions have worked. Although I could create a lot of…
Unsolicited submissions = fossil fuel for Barrelhouse
“Thanks for thinking of us as a home for your work! Unsolicited submissions are the fossil fuel that keeps the Barrelhouse moped puttering along on the side of the literary highway.” — Barrelhouse BarrelHouse: an independent non-profit literary organization. bridges the gap between serious art and pop culture. a biannual print journal featuring fiction, poetry, interviews, and essays about music, art, and the detritus of popular culture. a web site that regularly posts new short fiction, nonfiction, interviews, and random stuff. produced by writers for readers who are looking for quality writing with an edge and a sense of humor. offers 8-week online workshops where writers get the straight dope on their work. wants to be your weird Internet friend. You can also follow Barrelhouse on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest jibber jabber from Barrelhouse, our contributors, and the indie lit scene. BarrelHouse accepts submissions through a…
Books on writing
There are more how-to-write books than we have time to read. IF we tried, we would spend all our time reading about writing and not writing. But there are a few especially good how-to write books. Here are some of my favorites. What are your favorite writing books? Dorothea Brande was an early proponent of freewriting. In her book Becoming a Writer (1934), she advises writers to sit and write for 30 minutes every morning, as fast as they can. Peter Elbow advanced freewriting in his books Writing with Power and Writing Without Teachers (1975), and freewriting has been popularized by Julia Cameron through her books The Artist’s Way and The Right to Write. A few more writing books: Aronie, Nancy Slonim – Writing From the Heart Baldwin, Christina – Storycatcher Barrington, Judith – Writing the Memoir, From Truth to Art Baty, Chris – No Plot? No Problem! Bennet, Hal…
Real Simple wants to know your Eureka moment.
From Real Simple magazine, July 2014: “Have you ever had a Eureka moment? Tell us about it.” “Think back on the instant when everything became clear. The split second when you realized that you had chosen the right career. Or the moment when you knew that your dearest friendship would last forever. Whether your epiphany changed your life or just made your day, write it down and share it with Real Simple.” Enter Real Simple’s seventh annual Life Lessons Essay contest and you could have your essay published in Real Simple and receive a prize of $3,000. Send your typed, double-spaced submission (1,500 words maximum, preferably in a Microsoft Word document) to lifelessons@realsimple.com. Contest ends September 18, 2014. Click here for contest rules. If you wrote on Prompt # 40, Pivotal Events . . . you’re on your way to entering this contest!
Freewrites. . . what do you call them?
When you are writing in a “freewrite” style of writing, using the types of prompts suggested in The Write Spot Blog, you can use your personal experiences for your writing. Or you can write about something that happened to someone else. Or you can write fiction. If you are writing fiction, respond to the prompt the way your fictional character would respond. Freewrites are also referred to as free flow writing, free association, writing freely and I’m sure there are more descriptions for this type of writing. Writing prompts are also referred to as: sparks, jumping-off points and, again, I’m sure there are more references to writing prompts. I’m curious and interested. . . what do you call this type of writing? And what other phrases do you use for writing prompts? Whatever you call this form of writing and whatever sparks your imagination . . . Just write.
West Marin Review accepting submissions
West Marin Review, a literary and arts journal published by Point Reyes Books and Neighbors & Friends, is now accepting submissions of literary works, poetry, and visual art for Volume 6, for publication in 2015. Submission Deadline: September 1, 2014 Click here for submission guidelines. Submit only unpublished work in all categories (excerpts from blogs are okay). Prose and poetry may be submitted online or through U.S. Mail. Visual art may only be submitted through U.S. Mail. Submission fee: Please attach a check for $10.00 made out to West Marin Review with your submission. If you are submitting more than one piece or in more than one category, you need only pay once. If you are submitting online and through the mail (for example poetry and art), you need only pay with your online submission; please note this in your mailing. Mail to: West Marin Review Post Office Box 1302…
We all have an intuitive sense. . .
I think we all have an intuitive sense, but we get side-tracked by what others think or we get distracted by all the “noise” both inside our heads and outside. It’s hard to get quiet and listen to what we think. But when we do, we experience the joy of discovering what’s going on for ourselves. A passage in Reading Water, Lessons From The River, by Rebecca Lawton, describes a situation when Becca was a white water rafting guide and had one person, a friend, in her raft. They capsized, lost the boat and nearly drowned. Becca managed to save the life of her friend. After it was all over, Becca asked her friend: “Do you regret running it?” Becca’s friend answered, “It might have been the right choice for you,” she said, “But from now on, I’m making my own decisions.” Here’s an idea for getting in touch with…