originalpoetry

[originalpoetry]

Tips For Submitting Poetry to Lit. Journals

As many poets out there are aware: lit. journals are the main places to show off your work. However, there are many common mistakes poets make when submitting their work. 

So here are some tips and suggestions to keep in mind before sending your poetry off to a magazine. 

1. Formatting

I cannot even begin to count the number of times I have read through slush submissions that have had their formatting screwed up because of differences in Word programs. Unless stated otherwise, I highly recommend submitting your file in PDF format to avoid this issue. 

2. Avoid Common Themes/Topics

A giant turn off for anyone reading through submissions is seeing the same poem over and over again. General “taboo” topics include: 

-Grandparent poems: Particularly those focusing on their worn, wrinkled hands and romanticizing a “simpler” time back when your grandparents were younger. This is not true; every era has sucked to some degree. 

-Pet poems: At the end of the day, no one cares about your pet as much as you do. 

-Nature poems: It’s not that these can’t be done, it’s just that it is hard to pull them off in such a way that they have a genuine contemplative narrative arc beyond the pretty scenery (and no, using it as a means to show how barbaric urban society/humanity/technology is doesn’t count).

-Poems about writing poetry: Unless you already have 6 books published or are up for the National Book Award, it’s generally recommended that you don’t start writing these poems at the start of your publishing career. 

3. Rhyme Needs Reason

Generally speaking, rhyme can be a bit frowned upon in poetry submissions. However, this is not to say that it shouldn’t be done. The issue tends to be that the rhyme commonly seen in submissions generally doesn’t have a purpose beyond the rhyme itself. If you are writing in a specific traditional form that requires a specific rhyme/meter scheme, then that’s fine. Although, you should also play around with those schemes in a way that ultimately benefits the poem. Also, rhyme tends to work in correlation with meter, which is often overlooked in submissions that contain non-meaningful rhyme schemes. 

4. Consider Form

A poem is more than just its words. A poem is also the line breaks. A poem is also the stanza breaks. A poem is also line lengths. A poem is also meter. When writing a poem, try to take all of these things into consideration. (Also as a side note: prose poems, “candy bar” poems, and couplet poems are very common trends among writers currently, so I would advise against using these forms since many journals are being bombarded with them. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your form!) 

5. Imagery, Imagery, Imagery

This might be the most important tip of all. The classic “show-don’t-tell”. However, it really is important. Readers want to be able to visualize your work, so give them something concrete to work with. Do not rely too heavily on abstractions. They might sounds pretty and deep, but they are not actually doing a lot of work. 

I hope some of these tips were helpful. I will probably do one for fiction submissions, as well, if anyone is interested?

As always, good luck writing! 

#writing #creative writing #writing advice #Writing tips #poetry #prose #writers on tumblr #publishing #aspiring writer

[originalpoetry]

Revision does not mean just proofreading

Revision does not mean just proofreading

Revision does not mean just proofreading

#advice #Writing tips #writing advice #creative writing #writers on tumblr #this is honestly the biggest piece of advice I can give #no one's first draft is going to be perfect #revising is the best thing for anyone's writing #it is so so so important #don't be afraid of revision #revision is your friend #poetry #fiction

[originalpoetry]

YA/Children’s Lit Journals

Despite the huge success of young adult and children’s literature in recent years, the genre tends to be underrepresented in literary journals. 

Literary journals are a great resource for new writers to showcase their short prose and poetry. So, for all of the YA/Children’s lit authors on this site in need of places to send their work, I decided to comprise a short list of journals that accept these specific genres:

Ember 

Accepts: Poetry (up to 3 poems; 3-100 lines), Short Fiction/Creative Non-fiction (up to 12,000 words), Flash Fiction (up to 1,500 words)

Payment: 2¢ per word or $20 per work (whichever is more)

Reading Period: Open year-round 

Website: http://emberjournal.org/

The Claremont Review

Accepts: Poetry (up to 6 poems), Short Fiction/Short Plays (up to 5,000 words), Visual Art/Photography (up to 2 pieces)

Payment: N/A

Reading Period: September-April

Additional Notes: Writers submitting must be between the ages of 13-19; written pieces are submitted hard copy and visual art pieces are submitted digitally

Website: http://www.theclaremontreview.ca/

Hunger Mountain

Accepts: Poetry (up to 5 poems), Short Fiction/Creative Non-fiction (up to 8,000 words) 

Payment: Semi-pro payment rates (~1-5¢ per word or ~$5-50 per poem)

Reading Period: May-October

Additional Notes: $3 reading fee for non-subscribers 

Website: http://hungermtn.org/

Sucker Literary 

Accepts: Fiction (1,500-10,000 words)

Payment: N/A

Reading Period: March-May

Additional Notes: Protagonists have to be 14-19 years of age 

Website: http://www.suckerliterary.com/

Soundings Review

Accepts: Poetry (up to 3 poems; less than 40 lines), Short Fiction/Creative Non-Fiction (up to 5,000 words)

Payment: $25 per prose piece or $10 per poem 

Reading Period: Not listed, but currently closed

Website: http://www.nila.edu/soundings/

Cicada Magazine

Accepts: Poetry, Comics, Short Fiction (up to 9,000 words), Creative Non-fiction (up to 5,000 words)

Payment: 10¢ per word for fiction,  25¢ per word for non-fiction, $3 per line for poetry

Reading Period: Open year-round

Website: http://www.cicadamag.com/

One Teen Story

Accepts: Short Fiction (2,000-4,500 words)

Payment: $500 and 25 contributor’s copies 

Reading Period: Open year-round

Additional Notes: Submitter must provide age-range 

Website: https://www.one-story.com/index.php?page=ots

Good luck writing! 

#writers on tumblr #writing resources #journals #lit journals #literary journals #ya #young adult #children's lit #fiction #nonfiction #poetry #prose #aspiring writer #creative writing #literature

[originalpoetry]

And...

If anyone has any questions or is in need of some writing advice, please feel free to message me! 

#writing #creative writing #poetry #fiction #advice #prose #writers on tumblr

[originalpoetry]

Writing Tips: Submitting

Submitting work can be a rather stressful time for writers. The extensive waiting periods can be even worse. However, it is important to keep in mind that most publishers and journals will not accept work that has been previously posted online. While blogs can be a great place to post your work and get feedback, there are other alternatives out there that won’t hinder your chances of getting published. For example, look for a critique partner or beta reader. This ensures that your work still receives feedback, but does so in a more private manner. 

#Writing tips #advice #writing #creative writing #publishing #poetry #fiction #prose #writers on tumblr #writers on writing

[originalpoetry]

Also...

If anyone would like a 1-2 paragraph critique of their work, I would be willing to look at up to 3 poems or up to 2000 words of prose. 

#writing #creative writing #free critiques #poetry #fiction #prose #aspiring writer

[originalpoetry]

Taking Questions

Hey guys! 

I have been working with a literary journal for a couple of years and would be happy to answer questions about submitting work if anyone has any?

#questions #creative writing #writing #poetry #fiction #aspiring writer #aspiring author

[originalpoetry]

Having trouble writing?

Shoot me a message if you need some words of encouragement and/or advice!

Good luck writers!

#writing #aspiring writer #aspiring author #creative writing #prose #poetry #fiction

[originalpoetry]

The Things I’ve Noticed About Aspiring Writers

Hey guys,

It’s definitely been a while! Sorry for neglecting this blog.

However, in the time that I have been gone, I have continued to write and I certainly hope you all have been writing, as well. In the past year especially, I have come into contact with many other wonderful writers and have noticed we all share the same dilemmas.

The thing about most aspiring writers is that we almost all struggle with revision. Here is quite possibly 99% of the reason why: we’ve never really had to revise. Chances are that most of you wanting to someday publish creative writing have always been good at English, many even continuing on to become majors in English throughout your collegiate careers. I can even further bet that most of you are the students that can BS a paper the night before it’s due and still get an A with the first draft. However, this ability to pump out standard academic essays with ease is also what’s been desecrating your attempts at more creative pieces.

Academic writing was made to follow a specific structure and so it becomes simple to excel as long as you follow the proper formatting. On the other hand, fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction only follow formula to a certain degree. When you proceed past that point, it is all on you to work through it independently. This freedom of expression is the biggest gift of creative writing, yet it is also the biggest pitfall. Writing freely into uncharted territories with no guiding rules means inevitably there will be failure, and lots of it.

This fear of failure, both before and after the first draft, is where I’ve noticed writers getting into a rut. You see, we’ve been so used to being praised and thinking that our first drafts are acceptable that when we try our hands at a craft where that is not the case, we almost always end up choking. We get stuck while writing a sentence that doesn’t sound quite right, because we’re so used to editing as we go. We get stuck after the first draft because we need to fix it, but don’t know how. And when we reach these points, we feel like such utter failures that it becomes impossible for us to move forward.

What I’ve come to learn is important is to separate academic writing completely from creative writing. They are two entirely different things. Come up with a new writing process for your creative work that is different from how you write other things. Incorporate revision heavily into this process. Learn to not beat yourself up when it fails the first, second, third, or even fourth time. You are essentially re-learning how to write in a way that is appropriate for yourself and your creative work. So it is okay if it takes time to find what works for you. Most important, get the first draft written. No matter how awful, how ungrammatical, or how starkly it contrasts from the vision in your head. You have time to mold it into what you want it to be. But the only way to do that is to relax, revise, and write.

Good luck!

#writing #writing advice #aspiring writer #aspiring author #poet #fiction #creative writing #good luck!

[originalpoetry]

PSA: So I realize it may seem as if this blog has died out

I am super sorry about that! My life became increasingly hectic this past year. However, I never forgot that I had this blog. I just really wish I had more time to devote to it.

Anyways, I was thinking it might be beneficial to maybe take in a couple of mods for this blog? Would anyone be interested? Also, would anyone know how to do that? I definitely do not want this blog to be abandoned and I think adding mods would be a big help.

#writing #mods #mod search #original poetry #poetry #prose #update

[originalpoetry]

Looking for poetry submissions!

If you would like to show off your work, then we would be more than happy to post it!

#poetry #submissions #writing #creative writing

[originalpoetry]

A poem.

#poem #poetry #confusion

[originalpoetry]

Incomplete acrostic poem inspired by "Tears" and "We are Water" by Health.

#poem #poetry #health #we are water #tears

[originalpoetry]

An early draft of a poem inspired by the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Also known as Blade Runner (film adaption))

#poem #poetry #blade runner #do androids dream of electric sheep #the movie and book are actually way different

[originalpoetry]

So in light of the lack of submissions recently...

I will be posting some drafts of my own poetry. Of course, submissions are always welcome! I hope you guys enjoy!

-Koz the Harpoon Girl

[originalpoetry]

Writing Mini Tip: Keeping a master list

Try and keep a master list of story and character ideas written down somewhere. This way you will not forget ideas that you want to write eventually, but don’t exactly have time for yet.

#writing #writing tips #writing advice

[originalpoetry]

A creative writing instructor of mine once had us do this. I found it to be rather insightful and fun since I had never tried it before. Feel free to give it a shot!

Step 1: Make a short poem. Maybe only a verse or two.

Step 2: On a piece of paper (if your poem isn’t on one already) write your...