Many of you know I am an artist as well as a writer. In fact, many pieces of writing inspire me to create art and many pieces of art inspire me to write a short story or poem.
If you find yourself in the same boat, may I suggest a relatively new market from Rattle, a poetry magazine.
If you go here you can read the guidelines for their monthly Ekphrastic Challenge.
Basically, each month they post a new image of photography or artwork and ask poets to craft poems that are inspired by them. The artist picks their favorite and it is published, and an editor also picks their favorite and it is published.
It's also a fantastic writing prompt to get your muse going on a sluggish creative day.
So, head over to Rattle poetry and see if this month's image inspires your writer brain. If you happen to get a poem out of it, why not submit?
Showing posts with label Alternative Markets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alternative Markets. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Tailor Fit Stories
Today we're going to tackle the classic debate: What came first, the story or the publisher?
Indeed, for every writer the answer differs, and for every story it differs as well.
Some writers fall very strictly in the "story first" category. They argue that, because the story is the most important aspect, it should be completed in full and revised and shined up all nice and 'perdy' before you even begin searching for a possible magazine or publisher to send said story to.
Those on the other side argue that stories (and probably most commonly, nonfiction articles) should have a clear focus and should be tailored specifically for each publication. That means, you might research one or two and then write your story tailored specifically to their specifications. On another hand, it could mean researching publications and magazines and garnering ideas from their sites or guidelines (like the list of things they're "currently looking for") and writing your story by inspiration from that.
No matter which camp you fall into, remember not to get bogged down in the cons of each method. If you're a "story first"er, remember that eventually, your story does need to be finished. Without a market in sight, you could get trapped revising, reworking, and editing forever and ever.
And if you're a "publisher first"er, keep your spirits up. If your target magazine or publisher rejects the story you tailor made for them, don't give up on it. Don't throw it away in a box somewhere or delete the file off your computer. You can take that story somewhere similar and submit (sometimes with little to no tweaking involved) and it could find a perfectly happy home in plan #2.
Personally, I've crossed the fence into both camps. I write stories because the stories need to be told, and then struggle to find the right market for them afterward, and I also keep my eye on new and emerging markets and what they're in desperate need of, then write a story from that.
Both have worked out. Both have been published. Both have made me very happy.
So, tailor made or out-of-the-slush? What do you think?
Indeed, for every writer the answer differs, and for every story it differs as well.
Some writers fall very strictly in the "story first" category. They argue that, because the story is the most important aspect, it should be completed in full and revised and shined up all nice and 'perdy' before you even begin searching for a possible magazine or publisher to send said story to.
Those on the other side argue that stories (and probably most commonly, nonfiction articles) should have a clear focus and should be tailored specifically for each publication. That means, you might research one or two and then write your story tailored specifically to their specifications. On another hand, it could mean researching publications and magazines and garnering ideas from their sites or guidelines (like the list of things they're "currently looking for") and writing your story by inspiration from that.
No matter which camp you fall into, remember not to get bogged down in the cons of each method. If you're a "story first"er, remember that eventually, your story does need to be finished. Without a market in sight, you could get trapped revising, reworking, and editing forever and ever.
And if you're a "publisher first"er, keep your spirits up. If your target magazine or publisher rejects the story you tailor made for them, don't give up on it. Don't throw it away in a box somewhere or delete the file off your computer. You can take that story somewhere similar and submit (sometimes with little to no tweaking involved) and it could find a perfectly happy home in plan #2.
Personally, I've crossed the fence into both camps. I write stories because the stories need to be told, and then struggle to find the right market for them afterward, and I also keep my eye on new and emerging markets and what they're in desperate need of, then write a story from that.
Both have worked out. Both have been published. Both have made me very happy.
So, tailor made or out-of-the-slush? What do you think?
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
More Publishing News (And a Market for You!)
North Carolina must be bringing me good luck because I write to you again this week with more publishing news!
My short story The Eastern Route is being published in the August 1st issue of Vitality magazine.
You can pre-order now on www.readvitality.com for the issue coming out this Saturday, and if that's not exciting enough, my story was used as the Sneak Peek on their homepage.
If you haven't heard of Vitality magazine know that they are entirely online, so your issue will be sent directly to your email if you pre-order or subscribe. Vitality is unique in the fact that they publish stories, poetry, and artwork with casually integrated LGBTQ+ protagonists. This means they publish pieces that are fun and "escape" fiction rather than pieces that deal with the stresses of transition, bullying, homophobia, rape, or the martyrdom or death of LGBTQ peoples.
In their About section on their website, they describe themselves. "[Vitality is] a safe place full of wonder and awesome where the reader can see characters like themselves doing things like battling dragons, solving crimes, acting in a circus, or traveling the world. All genres and styles can be found in Vitality. The only limit is your imagination." from: http://www.readvitality.com/about-vitality/
This is an extremely exciting proposition for writers because you can literally write close to anything. Have a fantastic space opera idea? Send it to Vitality! Want to write about sailors and sirens? Do it! Feel the need to dive into the realm of pixies or ghosts or time-hopping two-headed warriors? Now you can with the knowledge that a market exists. Just like they say, your imagination is the limit.
For me, this meant that I was able to write in one of my favorite genres: Steampunk. I'm really excited to present my transgender airship pilot and his love interest at the start of next month.
I hope you take a look at The Eastern Route if you get a chance, and please research Vitality. Not only is a great market with endless possibilities for creativity, but it also promotes diversity in fiction. What could possibly be better than that?
PS> check out that gorgeous artwork Rebecca Schauer did to bring my story to life! Can't wait to see the whole image!
My short story The Eastern Route is being published in the August 1st issue of Vitality magazine.
You can pre-order now on www.readvitality.com for the issue coming out this Saturday, and if that's not exciting enough, my story was used as the Sneak Peek on their homepage.
If you haven't heard of Vitality magazine know that they are entirely online, so your issue will be sent directly to your email if you pre-order or subscribe. Vitality is unique in the fact that they publish stories, poetry, and artwork with casually integrated LGBTQ+ protagonists. This means they publish pieces that are fun and "escape" fiction rather than pieces that deal with the stresses of transition, bullying, homophobia, rape, or the martyrdom or death of LGBTQ peoples.
In their About section on their website, they describe themselves. "[Vitality is] a safe place full of wonder and awesome where the reader can see characters like themselves doing things like battling dragons, solving crimes, acting in a circus, or traveling the world. All genres and styles can be found in Vitality. The only limit is your imagination." from: http://www.readvitality.com/about-vitality/
This is an extremely exciting proposition for writers because you can literally write close to anything. Have a fantastic space opera idea? Send it to Vitality! Want to write about sailors and sirens? Do it! Feel the need to dive into the realm of pixies or ghosts or time-hopping two-headed warriors? Now you can with the knowledge that a market exists. Just like they say, your imagination is the limit.
For me, this meant that I was able to write in one of my favorite genres: Steampunk. I'm really excited to present my transgender airship pilot and his love interest at the start of next month.
I hope you take a look at The Eastern Route if you get a chance, and please research Vitality. Not only is a great market with endless possibilities for creativity, but it also promotes diversity in fiction. What could possibly be better than that?
PS> check out that gorgeous artwork Rebecca Schauer did to bring my story to life! Can't wait to see the whole image!
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Short Stories, Novellas, Novels, Oh My!
Sometimes it's difficult to know into which category your writing will fall. If you're like me, you allow your first draft to unfold organically or with an outline, paying little attention to the word count at the bottom of the screen. So, you don't stop at 3,000 or 5,000 or 30,000 words just because you've hit the word count stop point. You let the story happen as it needs to, with as many or few words as it needs to be.
That's the easy part, right? Then you revise, edit, and revise again. You read it out loud, give it to critique partners and file it into a drawer for three weeks so you forget about it.
After all this - when the work is done - how do you know what to call it?
I'm not talking title, I mean when someone asks you what you wrote, do you say it's a novel, novella, or short story? What makes each of these categories?
Well, traditionally, a short story is a piece under 12,000 words.
A novella is a piece from 17,000 to 50,000 words.
And a novel is a piece from 65,000 to 120,000 words.
But traditional guidelines are not always the norm. I've found that many lit mags won't take short stories over 5,000 words. There are a few that accept up to 7,000 words, a slimmer section that take up to 9,000 and only a handful who want stories under 12,000.
Similarly, agents and publishers like to see (in adult works) novels from 70,000 words to 90,000 words. Any less and you don't have enough plot or conflict or characterization. Any more and you can't edit yourself. (One exception, of course, is fantasy or Sci-Fi, when the novel can be up to or over 100,000 words.)
And novellas? Well, where can you send those other than to contests with steep entry fees or to a self-publishing company?
When your work falls outside the norm, what do you do?
1) Revise and edit. Get your short story down under 7,000 words or bump that novella up to novel status.
2) Hope. Send your work off to agents or lit mags and pray that they love the story enough to look past your word count. Of course, this method only works if you've gone through your manuscript with a fine toothed comb and can justify every sentence, every word and its existence.
3) Try untraditional. Is your story too good to not share, but not the norm for publishers? Think about posting it online or in a blog in increments. You probably won't make money or have any pub credits, but you may get a lot of hits on your story. And one of those could be an agent who is now watching your incline as a writer.
Those are the facts of piece lengths and realistic expectations in this industry. But if you're doing something new and interesting that needs to be seen, don't be discouraged if it isn't the norm. Power on until the story you need to tell is out there.
That's the easy part, right? Then you revise, edit, and revise again. You read it out loud, give it to critique partners and file it into a drawer for three weeks so you forget about it.
After all this - when the work is done - how do you know what to call it?
I'm not talking title, I mean when someone asks you what you wrote, do you say it's a novel, novella, or short story? What makes each of these categories?
Well, traditionally, a short story is a piece under 12,000 words.
A novella is a piece from 17,000 to 50,000 words.
And a novel is a piece from 65,000 to 120,000 words.
But traditional guidelines are not always the norm. I've found that many lit mags won't take short stories over 5,000 words. There are a few that accept up to 7,000 words, a slimmer section that take up to 9,000 and only a handful who want stories under 12,000.
Similarly, agents and publishers like to see (in adult works) novels from 70,000 words to 90,000 words. Any less and you don't have enough plot or conflict or characterization. Any more and you can't edit yourself. (One exception, of course, is fantasy or Sci-Fi, when the novel can be up to or over 100,000 words.)
And novellas? Well, where can you send those other than to contests with steep entry fees or to a self-publishing company?
When your work falls outside the norm, what do you do?
1) Revise and edit. Get your short story down under 7,000 words or bump that novella up to novel status.
2) Hope. Send your work off to agents or lit mags and pray that they love the story enough to look past your word count. Of course, this method only works if you've gone through your manuscript with a fine toothed comb and can justify every sentence, every word and its existence.
3) Try untraditional. Is your story too good to not share, but not the norm for publishers? Think about posting it online or in a blog in increments. You probably won't make money or have any pub credits, but you may get a lot of hits on your story. And one of those could be an agent who is now watching your incline as a writer.
Those are the facts of piece lengths and realistic expectations in this industry. But if you're doing something new and interesting that needs to be seen, don't be discouraged if it isn't the norm. Power on until the story you need to tell is out there.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Should You NaNoWriMo?
It's Wednesday, isn't it? It's totally Wednesday.
Well, looks like another late post tally. I'm on a roll this October!
Today, even though it's a day late, I want to discuss NaNoWriMo.
Do you have no idea what I'm talking about? NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month - which takes place November 1 through November 30. Basically, the goal is to write a 50,000 word draft of a novel in just 30 days.
Over 310,000 people around the world participated in last year's NaNoWriMo. With these kinds of numbers, is it time to join the bandwagon? Let's explore the Pros and Cons.
Pros:
Do you procrastinate? "I'll write after I make dinner. I'll write after I do the dishes. I'll write after the kids are asleep? I'll write after my homework's done. I'll write tomorrow because it's too late and I'm tired?" Then NaNoWriMo may be the right format for you. Not only do you create a profile by pledging to participate, you also get your own word count widget to see how many words you wrote today, along with a support system of hundreds of thousands of writers to keep you honest and to give encouragement. In short, if you're not writing EVERY DAY like I so advocate on this blog, NaNoWriMo could help.
Are you your own worst critic? Do your typos drive you mad? Do you waste hours in the quest for perfect sentence structure? If you're a perfectionist when it comes to the craft, NaNoWriMo can help. With the lofty goal of 50,000 words in one month, there is no time for editing. If you decide to NaNoWriMo, ignore the misspellings and the bad grammar, and instead write with a new, freeing mindset. It'll do wonders for your first drafts. Promise.
Networking. Many NaNoWriMo participants find great writing friends and literary advisers through their participation.
Also, there's NaNoWriMo for kids! (With a much lower word count.) So if you want to get your kids or students interested in creating, or just want to spend more time with them, here's your chance.
Cons:
NaNoWriMo falls in a very busy month for most of us. Football. Thanksgiving. Christmas Shopping. Family get-togethers. School breaks. On and On. If you're going to commit to writing a novel in a month, 1) should it be during such a busy time of year, and 2) why not choose a month with 31 days and give yourself an extra 24 hours to reach your goal?
Unless you're writing middle grade, 50,000 words does not equal a first draft of any novel. For that reason, be prepared to keep writing after November leaves, even if you reach your goal. Writing a novel is a massive commitment not to be taken up lightly on October 31.
Are you sure you're not a procrastinator? If you're sitting at your desk counting down the days to November 1 so you can start writing every day and complete draft one of your novel, why haven't you started yet? There's no law (in America, at least) that says novel writing can only happen during NaNoWriMo. If you're so excited and committed to writing, you can write every day. So do it! You don't need a widget and a world map to track your progress against everyone else. Write because you need to.
Whether or not you decide to NaNoWriMo, there's one goal here for all of us. To Write. So get those laptops and Carpal Tunnel braces ready. The novels are coming.
Well, looks like another late post tally. I'm on a roll this October!
Today, even though it's a day late, I want to discuss NaNoWriMo.
Do you have no idea what I'm talking about? NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month - which takes place November 1 through November 30. Basically, the goal is to write a 50,000 word draft of a novel in just 30 days.
Over 310,000 people around the world participated in last year's NaNoWriMo. With these kinds of numbers, is it time to join the bandwagon? Let's explore the Pros and Cons.
Pros:
Do you procrastinate? "I'll write after I make dinner. I'll write after I do the dishes. I'll write after the kids are asleep? I'll write after my homework's done. I'll write tomorrow because it's too late and I'm tired?" Then NaNoWriMo may be the right format for you. Not only do you create a profile by pledging to participate, you also get your own word count widget to see how many words you wrote today, along with a support system of hundreds of thousands of writers to keep you honest and to give encouragement. In short, if you're not writing EVERY DAY like I so advocate on this blog, NaNoWriMo could help.
Are you your own worst critic? Do your typos drive you mad? Do you waste hours in the quest for perfect sentence structure? If you're a perfectionist when it comes to the craft, NaNoWriMo can help. With the lofty goal of 50,000 words in one month, there is no time for editing. If you decide to NaNoWriMo, ignore the misspellings and the bad grammar, and instead write with a new, freeing mindset. It'll do wonders for your first drafts. Promise.
Networking. Many NaNoWriMo participants find great writing friends and literary advisers through their participation.
Also, there's NaNoWriMo for kids! (With a much lower word count.) So if you want to get your kids or students interested in creating, or just want to spend more time with them, here's your chance.
Cons:
NaNoWriMo falls in a very busy month for most of us. Football. Thanksgiving. Christmas Shopping. Family get-togethers. School breaks. On and On. If you're going to commit to writing a novel in a month, 1) should it be during such a busy time of year, and 2) why not choose a month with 31 days and give yourself an extra 24 hours to reach your goal?
Unless you're writing middle grade, 50,000 words does not equal a first draft of any novel. For that reason, be prepared to keep writing after November leaves, even if you reach your goal. Writing a novel is a massive commitment not to be taken up lightly on October 31.
Are you sure you're not a procrastinator? If you're sitting at your desk counting down the days to November 1 so you can start writing every day and complete draft one of your novel, why haven't you started yet? There's no law (in America, at least) that says novel writing can only happen during NaNoWriMo. If you're so excited and committed to writing, you can write every day. So do it! You don't need a widget and a world map to track your progress against everyone else. Write because you need to.
Whether or not you decide to NaNoWriMo, there's one goal here for all of us. To Write. So get those laptops and Carpal Tunnel braces ready. The novels are coming.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Making Money from Writing: Alternative Markets
You want to build your author platform so one day you can catch an agent's eye and get your novel published and make millions of dollars....this is for sure a goal.
We've talked about author platforms in the past: your options often extend to literary journals publishing your short stories, contest wins, and knowing big-name authors.
But, Alyssa, you say, I don't have time to write hundreds of short stories, spend time revising and editing, and then send those stories off to literary journals to wait the seven to fourteen months lag time before I get a rejection, or, an acceptance that carries no prize money. I barely have time to write my novel as it is, and if I'm not getting paid for my writing time, I'm going to work on my true passion.
And I agree with you. While literary magazines can give you awesome credits (and contests can too, if you pay the submission fees), they take up a lot of time that could have been spent on your main writing project.
So, how do you build your author platform into at least a measly little soapbox that pushes your query above the rest?
My answer: alternative (paying) markets. Check out freelance writing - even if it's not your full time or even part time occupation. Write articles on things you know. Work in a hospital - write medical. Have a psychology degree - write about the brain and human actions. Like to live eco friendly - write eco articles for small but lucrative eco magazines.
And if you're really looking for an adventurous writing experience, try writing copy or reword a local company's crappy website or brochure. Write greeting cards, inspirational weekly email messages, blogs for paying markets.
A quick online search will show you tons of smaller markets looking for fantastic writing (who are willing to pay - a little or a lot - for your time and talents).
But Alyssa, you're saying now, that's not fiction. How will an agent know I can write fiction?
Well, I say don't worry. Having this type of alternative platform may not make you a literary darling, but it will show agents you possess one very needed aspect of being a successful writer - you can sell your work for profit.
We've talked about author platforms in the past: your options often extend to literary journals publishing your short stories, contest wins, and knowing big-name authors.
But, Alyssa, you say, I don't have time to write hundreds of short stories, spend time revising and editing, and then send those stories off to literary journals to wait the seven to fourteen months lag time before I get a rejection, or, an acceptance that carries no prize money. I barely have time to write my novel as it is, and if I'm not getting paid for my writing time, I'm going to work on my true passion.
And I agree with you. While literary magazines can give you awesome credits (and contests can too, if you pay the submission fees), they take up a lot of time that could have been spent on your main writing project.
So, how do you build your author platform into at least a measly little soapbox that pushes your query above the rest?
My answer: alternative (paying) markets. Check out freelance writing - even if it's not your full time or even part time occupation. Write articles on things you know. Work in a hospital - write medical. Have a psychology degree - write about the brain and human actions. Like to live eco friendly - write eco articles for small but lucrative eco magazines.
And if you're really looking for an adventurous writing experience, try writing copy or reword a local company's crappy website or brochure. Write greeting cards, inspirational weekly email messages, blogs for paying markets.
A quick online search will show you tons of smaller markets looking for fantastic writing (who are willing to pay - a little or a lot - for your time and talents).
But Alyssa, you're saying now, that's not fiction. How will an agent know I can write fiction?
Well, I say don't worry. Having this type of alternative platform may not make you a literary darling, but it will show agents you possess one very needed aspect of being a successful writer - you can sell your work for profit.
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