Submissions

New Places to Submit Your Writing

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 16 Comments

It’s the beginning of summer. Most of us are busy getting ready for that much-anticipated vacation, or holiday barbecue.  But, if you’re like me you have a stack of file of short stories or even essays that have been sitting there gathering dust. Well, here’s your chance to shake the clean it up and send it out into the world for others to read.

Here are a few new places you might want to consider:

From the Author Publish, 16 Literary Journals which accept ‘blind’ submissions.

  1. Ars Medica – an online  journal of arts, medicine, and the humanities; prose and poems that related to medical issues.
  2. Spry – an online literary journal; poetry and prose.
  3. Perch – a non-academic literary journal; poetry, prose, visual art, and music related to mental health.
  4. Jaggery – focus on connecting South Asian diasporic writers, homeland writers, non-South Asians  with a South Asia connection.
  5. Burningword Literary Journal – poetry, flash fiction, and flash nonfiction; double-blind reading process.
  6. POUi – new and exciting writing; particularly international.
  7. The Matador Review –  an online  journal; looking for ‘alternative work; fiction, non fiction, flash fiction, visual art, and poetry.
  8. Chantwood Magazine-  Online journal; sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction, romance, literary fiction, historical fiction, and poetry.
  9. Into The Void –  a UK based literary journal; experimental literary work of poetry and prose.
  10. Toyon- a multilingual journal of literature; publish work in English and Spanish; accepts reprints.
  11. Radar – an online poetry journal.
  12. Sweet Tree Review – poetry and prose.
  13. The Fieldstone Review – poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and reviews.
  14. Border Crossing – writing that crosses boundaries in genre or geography.
  15. Stonecoast Review – poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, dramatic works, and visual arts.
  16. tssf Journal – poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction related to issues of Africa.

For more imformation, click on the links of each journal and good luck!

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

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Stretch Your Writing Muscles With These Contests

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 7 Comments

Want to stretch your writing muscles? Increase your publication portfolio? Submit to these upcoming contests (list compliments of Hope Clark’s Fund for Writers, Narrative,  WOW).

  1. Institute For Writers Sci-Fi First Pages Contest – $19 Entry Fee. Deadline March 31, 2018. First prize $650. Second prize $350. Third prize $100. Fourth prize $100. Fifth prize $100. 750 Word Limit. 
  2. First Pages Prize –$25 Entry Fee. Deadline – March 13, 2018. Submit your first five pages of a fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry manuscript.
  3. Narrative – The Winter Story Contest. Deadline: Saturday, March 31, at midnight, PDT.  $2,500 First Prize; $1,000 Second Prize; $500 Third Prize; Ten finalists receive $100 each.
  4. Wow – Spring 2018 Quarterly Flash Fiction Contest –Open prompt. Maximum Word count 750. Deadline –   May 31st, 11:59 PM. ENTRY FEE: $10.00.First Place: $400.00 cash prize; $25 Amazon Gift Certificate; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog. Second Place –$300.00 cash prize; $25 Amazon Gift Certificate; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog. Third Place – $200.00 cash prize; $25 Amazon Gift Certificate; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog. 7 Runners Up: $25 Amazon Gift Certificate; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog.
  5. WOW – Quarterly Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest. Open topic. Maximum word count-1000; Deadline– April 30th, 11:59 PM; First Place: $500.00 cash prize; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog. Second Place: $300.00 cash prize; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog.Third Place: $200.00 cash prize; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog. 7 Runners Up: $25 Amazon Gift Certificate.

A Checklist Before You Submit: 

  1. Know your Judge and the journal – A little extra time in research will pay big dividends. Find out the genre, style, and preferred content before making a submission. Reading previous winners is an excellent way to get a feel for what the editors are looking for.
  2. Be sure to follow the guidelines! Sounds obvious, but editors say submissions which fail to follow the guidelines are their number one beef!
  3. Proofread! – Careless grammar and punctuation errors can sink your submission.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

A Curated List of Creative Writing Competitions, Contests and Awards

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

CUSTOM STATIONARY-2

Thanks to the Almond Press for this comprehensive list of writing competitions and contest. Start 2017 off right by checking these out and making a submission. This is a list of international and local creative writing competitions, contests, and awards. Opportunities for experienced and aspiring writers to get published.

To see the complete lists, with dates, submission guidelines, deadline, prizes, and word count, click the link below.

Source: A Curated List of Creative Writing Competitions, Contests and Awards.

good-luck

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Join the conversation. Talk to me or tell me your story. I’m all ears.

What’s In a Name?

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 8 Comments

whats-in-a-namehurrah-10Do you always name the characters in your stories?

I’m not talking about the character who passes through a story or scene, but main characters.

Although I have a couple of novels in the works; I also write flash fiction and on occasion my characters remain nameless.

Suzanne Vincent, the Editor-in-Chief at Flash Fiction Online, doesn’t like the idea of nameless characters. In fact, I think she said it made her roll her eyes – a language I understand well. 

She made some good points, and her comments got me to thinking about my stories. I appreciate Ms. Vincent’s candor. It’s rather nice to have an editor share a perspective from the other side of submissions.

In her article from the Slushpile Avalanche: Why You SHOULD Name Your Main Character, she discusses why she rejects and dislikes a story with unnamed characters. You can read her post here.

 “… not naming a main character in a story makes very little sense to me.  And if you’re just doing it for the hell of it–if you don’t know WHY you’re doing it–you shouldn’t be doing it at all.” Suzanne Vincent

I imagine Ms. Vincent has most likely rejected one of my stories but does every editor feel the same way about names? Typically, I agree with what she had to say; especially with longer stories or novellas. But, what about flash fiction? Does the genre make a difference? For me, I think it does. I’ve written stories without naming the characters and I did so precisely because of the story.

For example, in one of my stories a serial killer preys on lonely women. I did not name either the killer or his victim and here’s why – the point of the story was the random act of a killer and his nameless prize. Here’s an excerpt from Maybe Next Time – you be the judge.

“He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Confidence and sexuality draped her curves like a second skin. Men flocked to her side, but she turned them away; it pleased him. He liked a discriminating woman. Maybe, this time could be different.

He waited for the perfect moment before making his move. There it was — the downward shift of downcast eyes. It didn’t take long for her to respond; it never did. He had his approach down to a science. The right suit, subtle cologne and brief penetrating eye contact worked every time.

A nervous smile parted her red lips. He stood as she slid from the stool and walked toward his table. Ever the perfect gentleman, he pulled out her chair and smiled. They always took the bait.

Like every fucking woman out to catch a first-class meal ticket, she thought he was hers; it’d be a crime to let her think otherwise.” From Maybe Next Time.

What do you think? Do you agree with the editor? Are there exceptions? Give me your thoughts. Do you always name your characters?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.