Writing Prompt: The Best First Line

A really silly first line will stop me from reading the rest of the book, and a really good first line will prompt me to take the book up to the cash register. Because of this I have always put a lot of effort into my first lines. A good first line tends to lead…

Jupiter Garden Press: Accepting Manuscript Excerpts

Update July 2016: Jupiter Gardens is out of buisness as of August 2016 Jupiter Garden Press was started in 2007 by Mary K. Wilson. It started out as a metaphysical press that also sold other items, such as crystals. A lot has changed since then. Their main publication, Jupiter Gardens Press, is mainly non-fiction focused…

Quote of The Week

Writing Prompt: The Reader Knows

Most of Shakespeare’s plays hinge on the fact that the audience knows more than the characters. In Romeo and Juliet we know that Juliet is not actually dead, even though Romeo takes his own life believing that she is already dead. In the Twelfth Night we know who is a male pretending to be a…

The Top 5 Literary Journals That Have Re-opened to Submissions in Decemeber

Each month many journals close to submissions and many re-open. December is a particularly good month for journals accepting submissions. Some of the top journals that have been closed since June are just now opening their doors to submissions. The top five journals are listed in no particular order. Gurenica They are an online journal…

Baen: Accepting Manuscript Submissions

UPDATE February 2021: Author Jason Sanford has been investigating the situation at Baen’s Bar, the private forum of Baen Books, after hearing that it was being used increasingly to advocate for political violence. You can read his report here. Baen has temporary placed the forum on hiatus in a reaction to this report. Baen is…

Inspirational Quote of The Week

Prompt: Inheritance

If you are writing a novel, you can give the main character a break and use him or her in this writing prompt. If you don’t have any characters at your immediate disposal, create one for this prompt. In this prompt, the main character receives an inheritance, not from a parent but from a wealthy…

Shimmer: Open to Submissions

Last Updated December 2017 Shimmer is an online journal that specializes in publishing speculative fiction. They largely publish contemporary fantasy short stories, although they are also open to science fiction and horror. They favor stories that are burdened by sadness, but have space for the occasional humorous ones as well. Shimmer is one of the…

Why You Should Submit to Literary Journals

When I was first starting out as a writer, I had no desire to submit to literary journals. I did not really understand what function they served. I also didn’t know how many there were out there; I just thought they were a small niche marketplace. I had a few publications which were mostly in…

Juked: Open To Submissions

Juked is an established journal that was founded in 1999. They publish poems, short stories, narrative non-fiction, and essays. They are a print journal that also publishes work electronically. Unlike most print journals that put selected content online, Juked publishes original work electronically. They are always looking for different material to put in their magazine…

Andrews McMeel Publishing: Open to Submissions

UPDATED OCTOBER 2020 Andrews McMeel is a large publishing house that publishes up to 150 books a year. They are one of the largest publishers that will read proposals by authors that have not been previously published and do not have an agent. Andrews McMeel Publishing is a leading publisher of general nonfiction trade books,…

Inspirational Quote of the Week

Account Magazine: Open To Submissions

The Account is a relatively new online journal that publishes poetry, creative non-fiction, flash fiction, and short stories. When I look at new journals, ones that only have an issue or two out, I look for various indicators of quality that are different from those of more established journals. First I look at the website…

Writing Prompt: Castaway

  Your main character is stuck on a small island with only three items. You get to decide what three items. They could be deeply practical items like a water filter and a lighter or they can be purely random, unpractical items like lipstick and hairspray. The main character must be alone. There are no…