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

3 Avoidable Submission Mistakes that Sabotage Your Acceptance Odds

By Jess Simms It’s not easy to get your work published. I know this from both sides of the table as a fiction writer as well as Managing Editor of the literary journal After Happy Hour. The journal’s acceptance rate is around 3%, meaning we say “no” about 32 times for every time we say…
Issue Five Hundred Eighty Seven Special Feature

78 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Authors in August 2024

This list of publishers meet our guiding principles, but are only open to free submissions from historically underrepresented writers or focus on publishing content produced by historically underrepresented writers. Some of these publications are open to a wide range of writers including writers of color, gender non-conforming and LGBTQ+ writers, and those living with disabilities….
Issue Five Hundred Eighty Five Special Feature

Five Paying Literary Magazines to Submit to in August 2024

These magazines pay for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They publish a mix of literary and genre works. Not all are open through the month.The Four Faced LiarThis Ireland-based literary journal accepts fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translations, and art from around the world. Their mission is to showcase emerging writers and artists. They are now reading submissions…
Issue Five Hundred Eighty Four Special Feature

I Fell For a Vanity Publishing Scam. Here’s What I Learned.

By Gabrielle Brinsmead  When I was nine years old, I was chosen to represent my primary school at a luncheon hosted by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Seated across the table from the CBCA’s patron, Lady Cutler, I told her that I was going to be a writer one day. ‘Oh, are you?’ Lady…
Issue Five Hundred Eighty Four Special Feature

Misheard Inspiration: Turning Mistakes Into Writing Opportunities

By Ellen Levitt Have you ever misheard lyrics to songs? Lines of dialogue in a TV show or film? The tagline of a commercial or jingle? If you have, you might be embarrassed; you might laugh it off; and you might even turn it into fodder for your writing. For all my musical knowledge, I’ve…
Issue Five Hundred Eighty Special Feature

Start Small and Write Books Later On

by Thomas Smith I have to be honest. It’s pretty nice to walk in a bookstore and see your novel on the shelf. Or to get a note from your editor saying your novel is still in the Amazon top 100 for the second week in a row. Having written a novel is a big…
Issue Five Hundred Seventy Seven Special Feature

What Novelists Should Do After Rejection

Having taught novel writing for many years now, one of the most common emails I receive from students and subscribers goes something like this: “Dear Emily, My novel has been through years of revisions now, and I’ve shopped it around to most agents and publishers. I could revise it one more time, but I’m not…
Issue Five Hundred Seventy Five Special Feature

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