Don’t fret, aspiring writers: You’re more qualified than you think
pe.com – Monday December 17, 2018
“How do I become a writer?” Authors hear it often. This question bubbles up in workshops and literary Q&A’s. Ironically, the folks asking are often already writing poems, essays, screenplays, or novels but somehow doubt that the work is “real” yet, pending the verdict of some external authority.
When I’m asked, the boring answer I give (similar if not identical to an answer offered by most writers I have known and read) is to read a lot and write a lot, then repeat the process over and over. This un-glamorous response either disappoints or quietly thrills. I watch the expression of the person if we are talking face-to-face. She may give a curious nod, as if to humor me. Often there is an insistent followup: “Well, sure,” one might go on, “but how do I publish my book/poetry collection/this article/this short story?”
Ah. That’s a different question. Strategies for getting published shift constantly in the evolving field of publication. But one cannot publish at all without writing first. So back to the first premise we go.
How to write your own auto-fiction book
harpersbazaar.com – Monday December 17, 2018
Everyone likes to think they've got a book in them (and, in many cases, that's notwhere it should stay), but the practical act of writing one is another story. Often, you might have had some experience which has made you want to put pen to paper, but perhaps you don't fancy a tell-all memoir that everyone you know will read. Enter auto-fiction, the not-so-new style of writing gaining serious traction in literary circles.
New Literary Agency Listing
firstwriter.com – Monday December 17, 2018
Handles: Fiction; Nonfiction
Areas: Autobiography; Biography; Business; Crime; Historical; Lifestyle; Psychology; Science; Suspense; Thrillers; Women's Interests
Markets: Adult
Treatments: Commercial; Literary; Popular
No science fiction (unless literary) and no fantasy or children's. Submit via website submission form.
New Publisher Listing
firstwriter.com – Friday December 14, 2018
Publishes: Fiction; Nonfiction;
Areas include: Autobiography; Travel;
Markets: Adult
Publishes fiction, travel and memoir. Welcomes book proposals and queries from both authors and agents. See website for full guidelines.
Paragraphing—Yes, You Heard Me
By G. Miki Hayden
Instructor at Writer's Digest University online and private writing coach
firstwriter.com – Wednesday December 12, 2018
I wouldn’t think paragraphing could be a mysterious business, but apparently so.
I wish I had an electronic rubber stamp that said, “Break your paragraphs”, because writers need to do exactly that. My students, in particular, need to do just that.
Robin Robertson: 'Writing poetry has very little to do with the intellect'
theguardian.com – Saturday December 8, 2018
Robin Robertson is an acclaimed poet who has won all three of the Forward poetry prizes. His latest work, The Long Take, a narrative poem, is set in the years immediately after the second world war. The story unfolds in New York, San Francisco and, most importantly, Los Angeles, and follows Walker, a traumatised D-day veteran from Nova Scotia, as he tries to piece his life together just as the American dream is beginning to fray at its edges. It was shortlisted for the Booker prize and, last month, won the Goldsmiths prize for fiction, awarded to works that “open up new possibilities for the novel form”. Robertson also works as an editor at Jonathan Cape, where he publishes, among many others, Michael Ondaatje, Alice Oswald and Adam Thorpe.
Eleventh Annual Papatango New Writing Prize Opens For 2019 Submissions
broadwayworld.com – Thursday December 6, 2018
The Papatango New Writing Prize, now in its eleventh year, opens for submissions today, 6 December 2018, until 9pm on 17 February 2019.
The Papatango New Writing Prize was the UK's first - and remains the only annual - opportunity guaranteeing a new writer a full production, publication by Nick Hern Books, a royalty of 10% of the gross box office, and a £6000 commission with full developmental support for a follow-up play.
Writing Short Fiction, Then and Now
dagblog.com – Thursday December 6, 2018
I used to write short stories. Then, for many reasons, I stopped writing fiction. Today I had my first story published in more than twenty years. (It will be posted on the web in two weeks, and I will link to it then. If you can't wait, the issue's for sale here.) More stories may be along; we'll see. If it takes another twenty-one years, I'll have something to look forward to in 2039.
It's a little strange returning to an art form after two decades away. One of the things it means is that in my old stories, no one has e-mail. Most people didn't. Or cell phones. Any temptation to dredge up old pieces is held at bay by the fact that they've become historical fiction.
So what else has changed?
New Literary Agency Listing
firstwriter.com – Thursday December 6, 2018
Handles: Fiction; Nonfiction
Markets: Adult
Treatments: Commercial; Literary
See website for agent bios and individual contact details, then submit to one by email only. See website for full guidelines.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Monday December 3, 2018
Publishes: Fiction;
Areas include: Fantasy; Sci-Fi;
Markets: Adult; Youth;
Preferred styles: Commercial; Contemporary; Experimental; Mainstream; Niche; Popular; Satirical
This magazine is about fiction that isn't fit for "them". What do I mean by "them"? Who in particular are "they"? They are the government. They are your parents. They are your teachers. They are everywhere.
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