Are you looking for a press to publish your book length writing? Consider Saddle Road Press, as Michelle Wing did with her book of poetry, Body on the Wall. Saddle Road Press, founded in 2011, is a small literary press located in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawai’i. In 2013 they founded the Forty-Three North Chapbook Series – named for the latitude of Lake Erie – to honor their long-time home near Buffalo. Now that SRP is permanently settled back home in Hawai’i, they are focusing more on writing from and about the Pacific. They are primarily looking for work that moves and delights them. They are open to older writers, to non-MFA writers, to performance pieces, to writers whose first language is not English. They are interested in poetry, literary fiction, memoir and essays. Shape your writing now, and be ready to submit later this year. “We read submissions once each…
Category: Just Write
Let’s talk about the inner critic.
It’s difficult to shake off judging ourselves and our writing. Our inner critic is a hard one to let go — it’s been with us for so long. What I especially like about freewrites is that since they are very rough first drafts, they can be just awful and no one should care because, after all, they are just first drafts. The beauty of freewrites is getting Self out of the way and going with the flow. Let your writing flow with no judging. When you are in the zone and writing. . . time flies. There is no space for the inner critic to hang out. It’s just you and your creative mind playing with words. Let go of your worries about your writing. Choose a prompt from The Write Spot Blog. Set your timer for 12 minutes and Just Write.
Do you have a funny story? Submit!
The Funny Times is a monthly forum for humor and satire in a world gone totally insane. Here’s what they have to say about submitting: We read thousands of stories and cartoons in order to find and collect the “best of the best” each month. So they tell you you’re funny, huh? Great! That’s exactly what we’re looking for! Here are a few things you should know to submit your funny cartoons and stories to Funny Times: Our print publication pokes fun at politics, news, relationships, food, technology, pets, work, death, environmental issues, business, religion (yes, even religion) and the human condition in general. Not much is off limits, so do your best to make us laugh. Stories — the funniest you have ever written — should be about 500-700 words. Don’t send us things that aren’t funny. We won’t publish them. There is a lead-time of several months because…
. . . . so we can have an ordinary life.
In honor of Memorial Day, Sharon Hamilton sent the following to be included in our tribute to military personnel. Sharon shares these photos and thoughts: We owe a lot to the men and women who have fought on our behalf, so we can have an ordinary life. Memorial is just one day we remember and vow to always remember all of our military personnel. Photo of Sharon Hamilton’s Great-Great-Grandfather’s brother, who served in the Civil War, like her Great-Great-Grandfather. General Daniel Cameron gained his citizenship by fighting for the North. Navy Seal Uniform Cover of Sharon Hamilton’s latest book, SEAL My Destiny. Sharon Hamilton writes Navy SEAL romance, about military heroes who thrill strong women, who are lucky to love them back. Sharon began her serious writing with freewriting exercises, using prompts to inspire her writing. You, too, can jumpstart your writing. Choose prompts from The Write Spot…
Threepenny Review reading period January 1- June 30
“The Threepenny Review is a quarterly literary and arts magazine that publishes criticism, memoir, fiction and poetry as well as review of the performing and visual arts.” —May/June 2014 Writes Digest magazine Reading period is January 1 — June 30. Click here for submission guidelines. From Marlene, here’s an idea: Always have writing ready, so when you hear about submissions that match your writing. . . you’re ready to submit!
Start with something that really happened . . .
In Escaping into the Open, The Art of Writing True, Elizabeth Berg (one of my favorite authors) writes: Whenever people ask me where I get my material, I am genuinely befuddled. “Well . . . from life!” is what I usually say. . . . each of us, no matter who we are or what we do, is offered potential story ideas daily. The people we know, the things that happen to them and us, the random scenes we witness and the conversations we overhear — all of these things are rich with raw material; all of them are capable of serving as a vehicle or springboard for a good story, in one way or another. We need only be aware. We need only be awake, and curious, and willing to share. Note from Marlene: Last night in the Jumpstart writing workshop that I facilitate, this very thing happened. I…
You’re doing what? Magazine submissions.
Adair Lara talked about publishing in magazines during her Summer 2009 Writing Class, giving me the idea for this blog post. 1. Research . . . really research. . . where you could send your writing. Make sure the publication you have in mind publishes the type of writing you want to submit. Read the magazine you hope to be published in cover-to-cover, including the ads. Notice the tone of the articles/essays. Research the demographics . . . make a list of who the ads are geared towards (age, gender, lifestyle, socioeconomic). Make sure your article/essay fits those demographics. You can research magazines at libraries and ask for magazines from: hairdressers, medical offices, etc. Of course, buying magazines is good. We want to support our local vendors, but sometimes we need to use free resources. 2. Look at the magazine’s masthead. . . this is in the first few pages…
Want to be a writer? Just write!
In Naked, Drunk, and Writing, Adair Lara writes “I grew up in the San Geronimo Valley . . . a bookstruck little kid sitting on a stump writing stories.” She continues with “Writing was easy then. I used my dad’s square carpenter pencil to cover sheet after sheet with stories of dogs that rescued families from a flood or a fire.” Note the details: Can you see the carpenter pencil? I see a yellow pencil and I can see that little girl hunched over, earnestly scribbling. Adair began her writing career as copyeditor at San Francisco Focus magazine. Her friend Cynthia, the production editor, also wanted to be a writer. They started partner writing, swapping freewrites and returning them with the good stuff highlighted in yellow. “That first writing club, as we called it, changed my life. It made me a writer by giving me the confidence to be one.”…
Quiddity is a great word. But what does it mean?
Quiddity is a multimedia arts venue featuring an international literary journal (print and audio), a public-radio program, and a visiting writer and artist series. Each is produced by Benedictine University in partnership with NPR member/PRI affiliate WUIS, Illinois Public Radio’s hub-station. The print journal, published semi-annually, features exemplary prose, poetry, and artwork from emerging and established writers and artists around the world. International submissions are encouraged. The public-radio program and the visiting writer and artist series feature select authors and artists. Contributors to the print journal are invited to contribute to the audio journal and may have their work featured on the public-radio program. The term quiddity means “the real nature or essence of a thing; that which makes it what it is.” Because those who participate in the arts—crafters, readers, viewers, listeners—are its quiddity, the venue Quiddity seeks not only work from a wide and diverse pool of individuals but also…
Use sensory detail and be specific.
I love gorgeous writing and wonder how authors produce writing so vivid you feel as if you are in their world. One idea is to watch what people really do when talking, use sensory detail and be specific. For example, author Rachael Herron creates believable fictional characters. There is so much to like about her writing. One tool she employs well is the actions her characters engage in while talking. The dialogue develops character and moves the story along. The action makes the characters believable. Here are some examples from “How to Knit a Heart Back Home.” Owen twisted the [plastic] spoon in his fingers. He would not rub the scar on his hip, which suddenly burned. Lucy took the now mangled plastic spoon out of his hand and then threaded her fingers through his. Dropping his eyes from hers, Owen watched Lucy’s pulse flicker rapidly in the hollow of…