Special Feature

Brewing the First Line of a Poem: Starting Strong with Memorable Openings

By Sabyasachi Roy Brewing the first line of a poem is like pouring the perfect pint—too flat, and no one sticks around; too much foam, and it’s all fluff. But nail it? A friend of mine was called the Yeats of happy hour, for he could pour the perfect pint. The same goes for making…
Issue Six Hundred Fifteen Special Feature

3 Simple Ways to Increase Your Word Count and Finish Your Book

By Delaney Diamond I’m a full-time romance author, and I can tell you that writing full-time means I regularly generate story ideas. So many ideas, in fact, that I have a file where I list them and drop notes for future books. Though I’m excited by many of those stories and can usually get started…
Issue Six Hundred Fourteen Special Feature

Navigating Revision and Editing Without Losing Your Voice

By Sabyasachi Roy Imagine you are writing a draft. Putting your thoughts out into the world. Raw and unfiltered—a little messy, slightly little chaotic, but undeniably yours. Now comes editing, and this is where the real magic happens. Or, let’s be honest, this is where your manuscript risks turning into a lifeless, over-polished chore. How…
Issue Six Hundred Thirteen Special Feature

An Argument for Short Stories

“Write a short story every week. It’s not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row.’ — Ray Bradbury “A good [short story] would take me out of myself and then stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit.” -David Sedaris Writers who are serious about improving and developing their…
Issue Six Hundred Twelve Special Feature

Building a Writing Career from Small Wins

By Sabyasachi Roy Writing careers are not made overnight. Almost no one starts by landing a book deal with Random House or, for that matter, scoring a column in The New York Times. It is about piecing together a mosaic of small wins. Most successful writers had to follow this labored path — tiny, unimpressive…
Issue Six Hundred Eleven Special Feature

Writing in the Age of Short Attention Spans: Crafting Stories that Stick

By Sabyasachi Roy Let’s start with the elephant in the room, a.k.a. to the point: people don’t have the patience for long-winded setups anymore. Like it or not, we are in the middle of a world of endless swipes, dings, and dopamine hits. This presents a high-stakes challenge, especially for writers, how do you keep…
Issue Five Hundred Sixty Nine Issue Six Hundred Nine Special Feature

5 Paying Literary Magazines to Submit to in January 2025

These magazines accept fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They’re a mix of literary and genre magazines. Not all are open for submissions through the month. Three-Lobed Burning EyeThis magazine publishes horror, fantasy, and science fiction. “We’re looking for short stories from across the big classifications and those shadowy places between: magical realism, fantastique, slipstream, interstitial, Weird…
Issue Six Hundred Six Paying Market Special Feature

Overcoming the Loneliness of Being a Writer

By Emily-Jane Hills Orford Loneliness is something that can affect anyone, anywhere. You could be in a crowded room and still feel the overwhelming weight of loneliness. There are some jobs that make loneliness a handicap and, yes, writing is one of those jobs. It’s a very lonely occupation. In fact, writing as an occupation…
Issue Six Hundred Special Feature

“Are You a Good Writer?”

By Jessi Waugh We sat together at a bistro table in a one-hundred-year-old building, during the monthly writer meet-up. It was intermission time – an opportunity to order wine, socialize, or run away before the prompt writing and critiques began. Sensing her imminent escape, I struck up a conversation with the woman across from me….
Issue Five Hundred Ninety Nine Special Feature

What I Wish I Knew Before I Signed My First Book Deal

By Patricia Westerhof Before I sent out my first book-length manuscript for publication, I’d spent a total of two days learning about the publishing industry. Pretty much everything I knew came from a weekend workshop: a beginner’s guide to getting published, taught by the former president/publisher at Penguin Canada. I followed the steps she suggested,…
Issue Five Hundred Ninety Seven Special Feature

Why I Stopped Tracking My Daily Word Count

Ratika Deshpande I previously wrote here about the benefits of maintaining a writing log and setting concrete goals, such as finishing first drafts or writing 500 words every day. Word counts have always been an integral part of my writing process; reaching the daily goal gave me something to work towards. However, for the past…
Issue Five Hundred Ninety Six Special Feature Special Issue

The Importance of Trope Awareness

Over the last decade, the word trope has come to be used to describe commonly recurring motifs, clichés, and rhetorical devices in a wide range of creative works. Once you become aware of tropes, and how they’re used (and misused), they can become a useful tool in your writer’s toolkit. Some writers will say they…
Issue Five Hundred Ninety Three Special Feature

7 Literary Journals that Accept Humorous Writing

Literary Journals as a whole lean towards serious writing, which means that writers that lean towards comedy are often left out. All of these journals focus on, or have a strong history of, publishing writing that is humorous. Please read their submission guidelines carefully and consider fit before submitting. Lowestoft ChronicleLowestoft Chronicle is an online…
Issue Five Hundred Ninety One Special Feature

5 Paying Literary Magazines to Submit to in September 2024

These magazines pay for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Not all of them are open through the month. Also see Emily Harstone’s insightful article on Why and Where You Should Start Submitting Your Writing This September. Chestnut ReviewThey have fee-free and fee-based submission categories for all writers. There is no submission fee for up to 3…
Issue Five Hundred Eighty Nine Special Feature

8 Literary Journals that Publish Poetry that Rhymes

I often receive emails from subscribers seeking journals that are open to rhyming poetry. Some of these emails are sent by poets that write traditional forms, like sonnets, and some of these emails are sent by writers that simply enjoy rhyming outside of traditional forms. The vast majority of literary journals don’t have any rules…
Issue Five Hundred Eighty Seven Special Feature

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