Moon Magazine: A New Journal

Moon Magazine is a new online journal. Every month the work they publish is based around a theme. June’s theme was Animal Intelligence.  If you are an author who is new to writing or new to publishing, journals that are just starting out are a good place to submit. In the industry new journals are…

Slice Magizine Review

Slice is a Brooklyn based print journal that has published many famous authors and has been praised by other very famous authors. If they accept your work they pay you for the right to publish it. Slice is a non-profit magazine that was established in 2007. Slice prints two issues every year. They publish short…

Writing Prompt: Two Robbers

When I teach creative writing I always use this exercise. It helps teach students a very basic lesson about plot: That it is not what happens that matters, but how you portray it. It is a lot of fun to do with a larger group of people because when they read their work out loud…

Five Ways to Promote Your Book Without Paying a Penny

When I decided my book was worth allowing the public to enjoy, I researched what kind of budget I would need for the process. I chose to self-publish, because it was the cheapest route for me. I am a stay at home mother of two with a budget that is slim to nothing. I realized…

Author’s Inspiration: Remember This Moment

As an author it is good to keep in mind that what you are creating is something special, something unique. A book can  takes something that you feel is important and make it clear to others.  A short story that can entertain someone during their darkest hour. A poem can show the importance of a…

Spark: Literary Journal Review

Spark is a quarterly creative anthology that has a print and e-book edition. Spark was founded by Brian Lewis with the idea of creating a high quality publication that featured established professionals and fledgling authors side by side. As part of this mission, Spark pays all of their contributors. Spark’s print edition is beautifully illustrated…

Writing Prompt: Someone That You Used To Know

Sometimes it is hard to create characters from scratch, sometimes you just need a starting point. That is why a lot of authors include fictionalized versions of their family members in novels. However sometimes it hard to write honestly and with perspective about someone you know. This exercise is an easy way to create a…

Graduate Degrees in Creative Writing: A Must Have?

I have a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from a respected liberal arts school. I loved the program I was in. The Professors truly helped me improve and explore as a writer. I used my degree to start down a career path I find fulfilling: Teaching writing at the college level. I…

Punchnel’s: A Review

Punchnel’s describes itself as a “general-interest web magazine written for a smart, discerning audience of adults around the world.” They publish articles about all kinds of things, from music to the news, but they also publish poetry, fiction, and memoir. They have an easy to use, aesthetically pleasing website that receives a fair amount of…

Quote of the Week

Writing Prompt: Avoidance

A lot of writers come back to the same themes again and again, from father issues to aliens, most writers seem to have their private preoccupation. The problem with this is that you want to have work that sounds different, that explores new themes and interesting topics. For a long time every piece of writing…

How to Find A Writing Group

Many famous writers from Virgina Woolf  to C.S. Lewis to Ernest Hemingway were part of a writing group. Such groups are often cited by  famous authors  as one of the most important things a writer can have. Writing groups are largely informal gatherings that involve reading each other’s work and providing feedback. If you want…

The Threepenny Review: Closing Soon

The Threepenny Review is one of the most well renowned and respected literary journals in America. They publish authors from all over the world, and many famous writers, both poets and fiction writers have been published in The Threepenny Review. The Threepenny review also pays very well. They pay $400 per short story and $200…

Postcard Shorts: Open for Submissions

Postcard Shorts is an online journal with an interesting premise. Whatever piece of fiction you send them should be able to fit on a postcard. In other words it must be around 250 words in length. Postcard Shorts publishes all genres of flash fiction on their website. The website is easy to read and navigate,…

Just Opened for Publication: A-Minor Magazine

A-Minor Magazine has just re-opened to submissions this week. They are an online journal that has developed a good reputation. They publish poetry and fiction as well as art. A-Minor Magazine has been around for three years. A-Minor Magazine publishes quarterly and is associated with A-Minor Press which publishes full length work. It is good…