Writing Prompt: The Curse

A curse is a common trope, from Fairy Tales to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, curses have been used to throw a twist into the plot. Sometimes the reader knows the curse from the start, which is how most fairy tales work. Or sometimes they know the curse from the start but they don’t know the…

The Best First Line Writing Contest

Congratulations to the winners of this week’s writing contest! They are listed below. But first, a bit about our contest series. Every week we are going to have a contest on our Facebook Page. The contests will change from week to week, but the winners will always be published in the magazine. The contest winner…

5 Books Every Writer Should Read

There are a lot of books on writing out there. In fact it can seem overwhelming at times. However, whether you are a poet, a fiction writer, or a non fiction writer, there are four books that I think everyone should read. I did not enjoy reading all of these books, but they all impacted…

Wiseblood: Open To Query Letters

Wiseblood is a small independent literary book publisher. They publish a wide range of literary  work including short story collections, novels, novellas, literary nonfiction, poetry, and, on occasion, critical or essay works. They are a Christian publisher that is deeply influenced by Flannery O’Connor’s work. Because of this not all of the work they publish…

Quote of the Week

Really, Truly, Awful Writing.

Greetings, fellow writers. The idea for this prompt comes from an idea that I had as a college writing instructor, with the main idea being challenging the brain to think a bit differently about your approach to writing in general and in this creative exercise specifically. I used it the first time as a homework…

Buffalo Almanack: Now Accepting Submissions

When the editors of Buffalo Almanack witnessed the soul of online literary culture exorcised in the building of a sterile resume machine, they decided to create a refuge for great fiction, visual art, and literary criticism. Founded in 2013 in Denver, Colorado, this young journal has already made a “No-Fold Guarantee.” They promise to keep…

Book Bloggers & Writing Success: Exploiting the Connection

One of the most important relationships an author can have is with book bloggers. These people are the ones who review your books, participate in your giveaways and cover reveals, spread the word about your new releases, and can be one of the biggest supporters an author will ever have. Sometimes, just finding book blogs…

The Winners of the Haiku Contest

Congratulations to the winners of this week’s writing contest! They are listed below. But first, a bit about our contest series. Every week we are going to have a contest on our Facebook Page. The contests will change from week to week, but the winners will always be published in the magazine. The contest winner…

Writing Prompt: Cell Phone Independent

Chris Carter, the creator of the X-files has talked about how the series would not have worked before the invention of cell phones. Many books and stories now rely on the ease of communication that cell phones bring. Ann Patchett, the author of Bel Canto, has mentioned on several occasions that her latest novel was…

Quote of the Week

Sugared Water: Now Accepting Submissions

Updated April 2016 Sugared Water is a print magazine produced in Cincinnati, Ohio, publishing poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Born out of a love for words fueled by the caffeinated nights of graduate school, Sugared Water is a literary magazine created by writers, for writers. Like the back corner of the library at midnight, Sugared Water…

Good Literary Journals for Unpublished Writers

Updated February 16th, 2015 Over the years we have published a lot of articles about Literary Journals. If you’re curious why, then start with this article: Why You Should Submit to Literary Journals. In response, many of our readers have asked about where authors who are new to submitting should send their work. If you’re…

Writing Prompt: Without The Wheel

This week’s writing prompt is to write a short story set in an alternative reality. We are still on earth in this story but on an earth where the wheel has never been invented. The world still works, technological advances still occurred, but there are no wheels. Write a short story involving this world. It…

Six Word Short Story Contest

Congratulations to the winners of this week’s writing contest! They are listed below. But first, a bit about our contest series. Every week we are going to have a contest on our Facebook Page. The contests will change from week to week, but the winners will always be published in the magazine. The contest winner…