There’s a cold wind coming in from the North; there’s always a cold wind when Martin comes by. I can feel it in the bones of this old Maine house, whittling the warmth of the wood away in gusts and howls. Its brittle joints creak and moan as crevices in the ancient beams let streams of air flow through them. Chilled by the November breeze, I wrap myself in a thin, scratchy blanket my grandmother gave me when I was nine. It used to be sky blue but is now faded and smudged like an old ink stain. I absentmindedly pick the rivulets of cotton and dust that spring up…
5 Deadly Mistakes That Get Your Story Rejected
We get many submissions each month. And we read each of them, even if we know they will not make publication. As time has passed we know that there are at least FIVE deadly mistakes that new writers make, disqualifying them from serious consideration by most reputable publishing houses. Why do we read them? Because we deal with a lot of new writers, where suggestions can be offered, where encouragement can be given, we like to do so. Often a story comes through that has the potential to be publishable. Perhaps it lacks in just a few areas. We like to offer the writer a chance to resubmit (often more…
5 Deadly Mistakes That Get Your Story Rejected
We get many submissions each month. And we read each of them, even if we know they will not make publication. As time has passed we know that there are at least FIVE deadly mistakes that new writers make, disqualifying them from serious consideration by most reputable publishing houses. Why do we read them? Because we deal with a lot of new writers, where suggestions can be offered, where encouragement can be given, we like to do so. Often a story comes through that has the potential to be publishable. Perhaps it lacks in just a few areas. We like to offer the writer a chance to resubmit (often more…
The Message is the Medium but is Medium the Best Way to Message Your Writing?
I just joined MEDIUM, the online publication where you can read and post stories, articles, whatever content you feel will gain you an audience. I’ve known about Medium for some time, however every time I considered posting anything in the past, a nagging voice questioned the point. Could the audience be worthwhile? Could gaining additional followers there boost the interactions here? Medium is a publishing platform created in 2012 by the former CEO of Twitter, Evan Williams. An interesting post from Larry Kim wordstream.com, convinced me that Medium offers a wider audience and the potential that publishers may interact after reading excellent content. You can read that here: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2016/07/14/medium-publishing Beyond…
Writers-Submit Your Stories
BNP Magazine is accepting short stories for possible publication in Books ‘N Pieces Magazine. Payment on publication. Click the SUBMIT tab for more information.
Your Short Story is Rejected. Now What?
Your Short Story is Rejected. Now What? I get many short stories submitted each month. Sadly, most are not at a stage where I can publish them. For many authors, short stories appear to be the easiest form of writing; short, easy to finish. This is deceptive; a good short story is much harder to write than a novel. A novel offers anywhere from 250-500 pages to develop characters, flesh out the details of scenes, include descriptive, yet non-essential narrative to fully flesh out the world in which the story takes place. You also have the luxury of slower pacing. For a short story to work, the writing needs…
