I've had two twitter stories published, one with trapeze magazine, today; and another with Cuento Magazine, on the 29th of September. I hope you enjoy!
I've had two twitter stories published, one with trapeze magazine, today; and another with Cuento Magazine, on the 29th of September. I hope you enjoy!
I know I haven't 'zactly been like the bestest most faithful blogger like ever, but I swear I'm getting around to it. Someday. Maybe. *shifty eyes* You know, when I have time. Or something.
ANYWAYSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
I thought in lieu of my stellar intellectually mind blowing posts of satirical and satorical wonder, I would give you this!
LINKY!!
For my new story out! WHEEEEEEEEEE!
Sometimes I'm a dingbat. This story was NOT published. It was put up on Dr. Hurley's Snake-Oil Cure literary mag's along with other contestants. This was NOT the winning entry. Sorry guys. All fault lies with me. But enjoy anyways. =)
Write Now:
What I'm listening to: "Rumor Has It" by ADELE
What I want most: a manicure. and a massage.
Check it out here.
If Baba Yaga Were a Will-O-The-Wisp
All comments welcome! Let me know what you think when I venture into the realm of prose!
Write Now:
What I'm listening to: n/a
What I want most: to conquer my to-do list
As always, I'd love for comments and feedback! Thanks!
Just a quick update to say my micro-fiction piece "They Burned Our Ssekabakas, They Burned Our Kings" was published today in the magazine SHORT, FAST, AND DEADLY! You can read the magazine here.
I'm super excited!
Please read and comment! This is one of my first ventures into fiction, so would love the feedback! Thank you!
Writee Now:
What I'm listening to: the fireplace burning =)
What I want most: mmm, ice cream? or cheesecake?
I AM MADLY OBSESSED WITH SEEMING "PROFESSIONAL."
Maybe it's my age, my relative inexperience, my own insecurities about being perceived as a "grown-up" or a need to be seen as a "working writer" when the label "student" is more accurate-- whatever my hangups, they translate into an unhealthy paranoia.
I think about my query letter more than the pieces I submit. (I know, this is backwards. But true.)
So it's FANTASTIC that I just got complimented on the DIRECT QUOTE "wonderful" cover letter I sent in. The editor was impressed that I tailored to the publication and read the archives both, so I guarantee that cover letter is the reason I got accepted to this publication. (YAY!!! Another new market wants to publish me!)
So I Present!
Shelly Holder's Formula to "Wonderful" Cover Letters
1) find out editor's name
2) check gender of editor- twice (website, personal website, social media sites)
3) read archives- ALL of them
4) read editor interview at Duotrope's Digest
5) re-read interview at Duotrope's Digest
6) re-read it a 3rd time
7) read website submission guidelines
8) re-read guidelines
9) read a 3rd time
10) compare with Duotrope's submission quidelines
11) start FIRST DRAFT of cover
12) personalize to market
13) mention author from archives that you identify with (legitimately! don't make this a gimmick)
14) add why you submitted to this market
15) re-read submission guidelines
16) read some of the editor's work if available
17) re-read DD's editor interview
18) re-write cover letter
19) make it polite & professional
20) send and die of brain hemorage
And then hope and pray and burn little offering of crumpled balls of bad drafts until you hear back, and try not to slowly turn into a mewling ball of despair.
I just sent out another submission last night, so I'll let you know how that last sentences goes.
But I currently have not showered, am gorging on junk food, and have a blanket over my head while watching Iron Chef America in the dark without my glasses. And there's ice cream in the freezer calling my name. YES ITS TEN A.M. DON'T JUDGE ME.
Write Now:
What I'm listening to: the wonderful narration of Alton Brown on carrot frosting
What I want most: DO YOU REALLY WANT ME TO ANSWER THIS QUESTIOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNN?
Want to know something weird and completely illogical?
I just had three poems rejected and I'm super super excited!
Wait WHAT?!?!?!?!! you all scream back at me. But it's true. Here, let me explain.
A while back, I was depressed because I had a huge string of acceptances. Wait, WHAT?!? you say again. But there were too many, too fast, and from publications that I couldn't trust on quality control. My first ever experience with "publishing" was back when I was sixteen and got caught up in the famous poetry.com racket (see website for full story), so the easy acceptances scared me. In my head, my resume started to resemble a listing of vanity presses, not actual accomplishments. And I wasn't sure how to break the trend.
This weekend, I sent out a HUGE number of pieces to various publications (almost thirty different works!) and so far I have received five form rejections, two rewrite requests, and this morning's lovely gift of two personal rejections of "doesn't work for me" and "banal"
But again, I'm super excited. Because frankly the one poem IS clunky, and the other IS banal.
I think that I subconsciously choose poems that under a more lenient editor would have squeaked by into publication. The words are pretty enough but there's no real polish. And the fact that they got rejected means that my poems that HAVE been published with this group, really do mean something. To the editors, and now, to myself. I am able to feel more pride in my resume because the publication didn't care that I had published with them previously, and rejected my works anyways. There was none of the "return customer" strategies about this last submission. They hated my poems, and they told me, frankly and boldly without hesitation.
I needed to hear that I was a bad poet, to remind myself that I AM a good poet with a bad draft.
As weird and illogical as that may sound.
Write Now:
What I'm listening to: ticking of the clock, morning stirring sounds, trash bags rustling and wheels turning
What I want most: to be able to cook soon
I think "A Writer's Apology" might be one of the most mature of my published works. I feel that I am developing the spare, lyric style that poetry celebrates, but with the technical details of punctuation (especially hyphens) that I wish to represent my voice. Of course, I have a long way to go. But this poem gives me hope.
She got edited out of the title, but this poem still is as it always was- for Michelle.
On to fun things. In the past two days I have:
-bought the home exercise machine I have obsessed over for two years. It's this awesome leg machine for the inside and outside thighs, and it's killing me. Conversely, I heart it.
-started my jewelry up again, and bought the books on metal working that I wanted. And am settling on a title for my small business license. Wholesale, baby!
-bought out of print Sherwood Smith books on Amazon. They may make some sh*tty business decisions that piss me off (see AmazonFail), but I admit I like the interface of the Kindle better than the Nook, and the secondhand sellers seem reliable. Hence, out of print Sherwood Smith at $9 and $10 instead of $25 and $32. Yeah, exactly.
- have bought entirely too many other books to qualify for free shipping, and have gorged myself on Kindle. Two forms of reading, twice as many deductions from my account. *rulerhandsmack*
-have discovered some fun new artists through various means, including the lovely single "Jar of Hearts" from Christina Perri, Tristan Prettyman, and The Pierces. And I have added to my collection of Zero 7, Moby, and ABBA (what can I say, I have eclectic tastes.) Yum, music.
-reread some old friends squirreled away here at Ye Olde Childehood Homestead. It's good to be home for the summer.
-gorged myself on Hollywood gossip. (I have this thing for Angelina Jolie. It's stupid, it's probably only half-true, and I buy the magazines anyways. Anyone notice that three or so this month have her on the cover? Fascinating. . .)
-finally got myself back into the business of submitting poems. I write, fairly consistently, but submitting is the real true talent behind it all. Trust me. Understanding the market is hard.
-ate entirely too much. Which leads me back to the beginning, and my super-duper awesome cellulite blasting leg torture device. Because I may be twenty-one, but this writer lifestyle has done nothing for me. The grass has withered, my friends, the grass has withered. Another side effect of living in the desert.
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: The Pierces "The Secret" (I love the cheerful French style accordian melody against the morbid lyrics)
What I want most: Mmmmm, still the release of Jennifer Estep's Venom. But the whole month of September is rather wonderful for my in terms of new books.
Well, it's been a while, hasn't it?
I've had good mood days since the last post, but for some reason, it's today pouty mood that finally makes me productive. At least enough to make a quick stop.
Good news- I got the date from Everyday Poets when they are publishing the second poem that they accepted/bought. "A Writer's Apology" appears July 28th on the EP website. I'll put up another reminder when it gets closer to the actual date.
So I'm off to dive back into writing. I have a new pen and a new notebook to do justice to.
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: National Geographic Channel
What I want most: to find a new ebook =)
Today my poem "Spring is Here" was published by e-zine Everyday Poets, and I am so excited! Mostly because this signals the true launch of my career in writing...
I got paid.
I am a working writer!!!
Everyday Poets has a philosophy that if you write it, you worked hard, therefore you should get paid for it (but with the catch that it'll only be a nominal fee). So therefore, I have the largess of a dollar. (lol)
But do I care? No. I do not care. I absolutely do not care. In fact, I absolutely adore my dollar paycheck. If I didn't get paid electronically, I would frame said dollar. It's my first from writing and I love it.
Now, I'm off to watch the polls and the comments section, then to curl myself into a ball of misery when the reviews come back bad, gorging myself on coffee and chocolate. At least I have a new book released today that I'm super excited about-- it's ebook format too, which means I can have it in five, four, three, two...
(g)one.
Write Now:
What I'm listening to: country kitchen sounds
What I want most: book, or good reviews? book, or good reviews? hmmmmmmm.
*Glint*
*Glint*
No, that's not the sunlight bouncing off my sunglasses, but rather the gleam of vice in my eyes. Coming from holding a Poet's Market 2010 in my hands.
Mine. MINE. My precccccccccccccccious.
I would add either a "*strokes lovingly*" or a *maniacal laugh: bwahahahahahaha*" here, but I DO want my readers to come back to the blog, and have promised to keep it in line. Somewhat.
I was happily gifted with the Poet's Market 2010, and have been equally as happily pouring over it since then. It's used, but since we're actually STILL in 2010 (unlike my first gifted Writer's Market 2002 back in 2004, but that's another story) I figured I could easily live with the highlighting. And I've been adding my own highlighting ever since.
I've mentioned before that I have become somewhat dissatisfied with my successes-- a horrible, ungrateful thing to say, but one full of hopeful ambition-- and have settled on my need to publish outside my local, campus magazines. They were a huge help in establishing my credit with myself and with the next stepping stone level, but now I do need to leap-frog to another, larger lilly. The Mandala Journal was a HUGE, miraculous increment. So I'm looking for others.
My poetry professor, who has been vital in the poet that I'm becoming, brought up in class the need to graduate beyond local publications. She very accurately said that a resume full of the same journals, all from the same town, actually discredits you rather than viably building a reputation. Being in this very painful position, I asked the question "When are you ready to submit to prestigious magazines? How do you know?"
Now, I don't remember what she said, but I believe it's along the same lines as my personal answer:
You're never ready. You'll never know. You'll just feel that you HAVE to.
One of the hardest things to submit to as a writer is the insubstantial nature of it all. We're in a subjective field, based on 10% technique, 40% personal opinion, and 50% experience. Even as the writer, sometimes we have no clue what we just did or why we did it. The Muse, as much as I playfully personify her here, is in my belief INSTINCT followed by a shooter of INSPIRATION (which could be argued as nothing more than internalized, instinctual knowledge based on experience observation and perception.) So being able to vocalize 1) why I'm dissatisfied, 2) what I need to change, and 3) why I need to change is hard enough, without taking on the new conviction that I need to expand professionally without sounding a) conceited, b) arrogant, or c) delusional. Or any combination thereof.
I'm not able to. I'll never be able to. I just fell that I HAVE to.
And I'm willing to live with that. So I'm off to highlight some more.
Write Now:
What I'm listening to: "All the Things She Said" by T.A.T.U.
What I want most: bookcases!!!!!! =)
It's here!
Yesterday was the release of Mandala Journal's first online publication, and includes yours truly!
I am reading through the contributor's biographies, and I'm humbled and elated to be included among professional writers.
So head on over, and take a look at my poetry, as well as many other fine works!
And I have done so. I have found two new venues that fit me very well. Both seem to publish my sort of poetry, and I feel that the match would be a good one. So I have been going through my work, picking out pieces to submit. But I have come up against a contract that highlights a very important issue that I, personally, and other bloggers need to be aware of:
Any work that has been posted on a blog, even a personal one, is considered "published" and is not acceptable for use.
This, in terms of my poetry blog, is a very important thing to consider. I really like several pieces, and would like to submit them. For these two venues (Poetry, and Everyday Poets) however, this is not an option. Somewhere else, these poems would still be viable, but one does have to be careful now that definition of publication is changing in the internet world.
I have been lucky in that I never publish anything to my public blog, and rarely to the personal blog. Everything I have, has gone to a publication that does not include similar restrictions in their contracts.
My private poetry blog, however, is now another story. I still use it, because it gives me a freedom and universality when a notebook is not always available, but I am consciously more careful of how I use it. My writing has definitely dropped off. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing. I might have more things available for publication, but I'm also NOT WRITING.
And we all know which one is more important in the long run.
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: "Just for Now" by Imogen Heap
What I want most: poetry prompts! Send me some? =)
I love being published. But the rapid return in publishing that I have seen in the last six months-- in the last six WEEKS- makes me wonder.
Am I just whoring myself out?
I get published, yes. And one can argue that any published work is better than no work at all. However, when I get three poems all accepted to the same magazine, is that real publication? ESPECIALLY when a "filler" poem got accepted? I have taken the Paternal Voice's advice to always submit the maximum amount, because it truly does make statistical sense, and have been sending off batches of 4 or 5 or 6 poems with the understanding that not all of the poems will exactly fit the venue, and with the understanding that one, if any, of the poems will be seriously considered for publication. Even less will actually be published.
So I suddenly get published, boom boom boom, and I am left in the dark, on my back, wondering if I have just been used. Could I have done better? Was this the wisest choice? There is that flavor of shame and regret that accompanies bad life decisions that lingers in my mouth.
I don't know. I don't know what IS the best move. Poetry publication is very different than book/novel publishing. I somewhat understand that sort of industry from Writer's Digest and The Writer (which tend to focus on longer pieces), but I admit that I have not yet come to understand the strategy behind the poetry publication industry.
So, what IS it that I should do? Should I continue to publish, or should I hold my work in reserve, trying to find the "ideal" market that I'm not sure even exists? I don't know.
For now, all I can do is write. And ask around for the opinions of other writers and professionals that have come up against this issue before. So chime in. I'd love to know what you think, and how you dealt with this yourself.
Right now:
What I'm listening to: poetry.
What I want most: good advice.
So today I got published twice.
One was a poem ("Diaspora") that was accepted by the Mandala Journal, an online student-run multicultural journal for poets, writers, artists, and thinkers published by the Institute for African American Studies at The University of Georgia. My poem will be released in a themed journal 2009-2010 issue, "Cosmopolitanism," will launch in the new online format on April 14, 2010.
Very, very exciting news. "Diaspora" just happens to be the first poem that I ever wrote under the tutelage of the poetry professor that I consider to be my mentor, and I'm pleased by the symmetry that it is also the first poem accepted by a journal with more weighty reputation than my campus publications. To make it clear, I in no way undervalue these publications. They have gotten me published, established my resume, and provided a foundation for my career and reputation. In those terms, the magazines are invaluable. On the other hand, these are student run publications, and in some ways reflect that. It is peer-reviewed, but not colleague-reviewed, if that difference makes any sense. We are all student authors trying to get started, and not professionals as yet.
I will likely post on this topic again, but moving on for now.
The other publication for today is an article in my campus newspaper. Again, I am truly glad that I got
published. The experience is always good, of course, life values gained, etc etc etc.
And it's a good article, it's just not ...mine.
I'm very obviously a very green newbie at journalism. I've somehow been infected with the idea, and have pursued opportunities in journalism on and off for the past six months. None of them really worked out, so I was excited by the opportunity presented in writing this article. I was finally writing! I was going to get published! I was going to find my niche, move to New York, and win the Pulitzer within the next ten years!
Well, you know this story.
I genuinely like interviewing people. I like thinking of questions, and I would be willing to continue that sort of journalism. But feature stories, articles, are something different.
There are rules to articles-- at least three quotable individuals, none of which you know personally (and on a campus this size, it's inevitable that you know at least one of the parties, if not all). You have to have a specific outline- hook, summary, quote, paragraph, quote, paragraph, quote, paragraph, etc etc, concluding quote. You, the writer, cannot appear at all in the course of the articles. So humor is out. So are opinions.
All of these things are just formulas that grow easier with experience and exposure. I could *possibly* grow to like them if I had a little more guidance and extended deadlines. But journalism is of course is about providing current and breaking news, so deadlines means 48 hours or less turnover.
Writing all of this, I realize that my dislike for journalism is more about my first experience, rather than journalism itself. I probably will never catch on fire for it (too dry, though that does NOT mean I think it lacking in creativity. It's just a different creative gene that didn't present dominantly in my microscopic makeup).
See, I got edited.
Editors are there for a reason. I need them, and I needed my editors for the article-- again, I'm the newbie, and I made some rather large boo-boos (namely, the humor and opinions mentioned earlier.) My editors are wonderful people, and had only intended to help me, the newbie, out. And the resulting article is much better... in terms of journalism. I also wrote only about 15% of what got printed. Under my name.
So when potential employers look at my resume and say, "Blah, blah, blah was a good article- how did you come up with the angle you took?" I have to say
"I didn't."
When students and friends and faculty look at the newspaper today, they'll see my work and judge ME on it. Maybe they didn't like the structure of X sentence in Y paragraph. They'll think "Did she really think that was okay?"
I didn't. I didn't write that entire paragraph. Or the one following.
And the professor that I interviewed. What is she going to think about my article? There's always the risk of offending your principle subject, and I knew I was running that risk the moment I started writing. But if I run that risk, I wanted to undertake it WITH MY OWN WORDS. Then, if I get called on it later, I can defend myself. "This was my thinking, this was my motivation, this was my intention, this was the expected outcome." And then we can resolve it, or not. But it will all be under my OWN words.
Words are my business. I live by them. I eat by them. I pay bills, get new jobs, pay more bills by them. When I die, I will be known only by the words I leave behind. When someone takes away my words, what am I left with?
I can't let someone take away the only thing that makes me ME.
I'm not that kind of girl.
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: overhead speaker music at B&N
What I want most: No school Monday?
Well, I just heard yesterday that my campus literary magazine Winged Nation is going to publish two of my poems in the Spring 2010 edition! "My Lovely" and "Mirror-Me, or Shadowlight" are both going to appear, so if you are a student, grab a copy, and if you are not and want one, send me a line.
This is some great news, bolstering my hopes for the rest of the year. Let make it a resolution to keep them coming, shall we?
Right Now:
Where am I: the childrens hospital in Tutova
What Im listening to: cooing, crying, and all other forms of baby cacophany
What I want most: consistant internet access
I am trying not the rant and rant about my new bright shiny policy of weekends off, but honestly it saved my butt this time. Between flying cross-country on Saturday and moving into the dorm on Sunday, I was beat. And writing really had no chance.
I'm now at summer school, which means fun! in the form of classes, research, and other random academic things. Thankfully, the class I'm taking is intro to creative writing, and my research and my job both are English related. And I'm eyeballing this really really amazing internship, but I'm determined not to jinx it by saying anything. So that's hush, hush for now. But damn, I want that internship.
Anyways, how can I only now be taking an intro level class? In the very thing that I want make my career? Well... it's not my first class, although probably the first accredited one. And really, it's all about building a portfolio, not learning the basics. Even if re-visiting the basics is a very wise thing to do. So we'll just see where all this goes.
No more news for today. Several interests have coalesced into the firm conviction that I really really am a horrible, lazy, no-good writer for not having a genuine portfolio. So I'm off to WORK now (ehehe) and tackle that nasty slush pile. And get my writer's butt in gear.
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: Dido "Don't Believe in Love"
What I want most: New books to read. But I must work.
I decided to take a study break, to escape from the depression of realizing that I-really-and- truly know-nothing-about-this-subject. I thought to read my new copy of Poets and Writers magazine, to motivate me to write, to help me remember why I suffer through college and finals. But I entered into a whole new kind of depression. The article I read was on agents, and the effects of the economy on publishing. This is what caught my eye:
P&W: Where are you finding writers, aside from referrals? Are you reading literary magazines? Are you reading blogs?
MASSIE: No blogs.
RUTMAN: Not for fiction.
STEIN: Hell no.
Me: ... shit.
I realize that maybe a blog is not always the best way to go, sometimes getting too mixed up with the personal over professional. I've wondered if I have cheapened this blog by adding the "Right Now" sections at the bottom, or in the choice of the color schemes, etc. (I catch myself using poor grammar and internet language, as well as the icons far too often for my own comfort; but I have decided that expression of my personality is more important in the cost:benefit ratio). And I also realize that these agents represent literary authors, while I am still deciding on genre and style. Goodness, I'm barely producing seriously, whether finished pieces or blog posts. However, that doesn't mean I don't take my job seriously, or that I am wanting to be author for those intangible status stereotypes. I want to WRITE. To create. To be an artist, molding and sculpting and painting with words. Yet, writing is also a job. There are other aspects than some sort of mystic commune with the Muse. I know that. Which means that I want to train myself to become the most marketable figure I can be. And I thought that the blogs were a way to achieve that level of professionalism. Reading that article really scares me. I've felt so proud of my recent accomplishments, from creating my writing calender but a few months ago to establishing my Bibliophilia and Me blog just a few weeks ago to my summer position under a creative writing professor here at campus. All of these actions are opening up my world, and are benefitting me. I know that. I can quantify it in my mind. But this article threatens to steal away my few successes.
I won't let them. I'm blogging away, and proud of it!
Right Now:
What I'm listening to: "So What?" by Pink
What I want most: To be taken seriously.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
