No. Okay, maybe that was a little too curt of a response. So let's dig into the topic a bit. I often see writers asking if they should resubmit a story or poem that's been rejected. Typically, they are talking about making revisions first and then sending it back to the publication. Most writers know … Continue reading Should I Resubmit a Story or Poem That’s Been Rejected?
Publication is one of the most exciting things that can happen to a writer. But what happens when those publications go out of print or disappear from online archives? It's a lousy feeling when you find out a publication of yours is no longer available. It feels like a lot of hard work down the … Continue reading Bringing Back Your Un-published Work
Knowing how to format your short story is the first step to getting published. No matter how great your story is, it doesn't stand a chance if you don't format it in a way that's easy to read and clearly tells a publisher you know what you're doing. Download your free short story template Want … Continue reading Proper Short Story Format with Free Short Story Template
We all know that getting rejected is part of being a writer. But that doesn’t mean we're immune to getting upset by a rejection. Having a story or poem rejected can elicit a wide range of emotions including disappointment, frustration, self-doubt, self-pity, anger, and more. Of course, we can also learn from rejections, and they … Continue reading 5 Types of Rejection that Drive Every Writer Nuts
An acceptance is pretty much the best thing a writer can get, right? After all, that’s why we take the time to send out our work. There’s nothing more exciting than opening an email from an editor or publisher and reading the words, “we loved your submission and would like to publish it.” It’s the … Continue reading How to Get Your Story or Poem Unpublished
Do you like having your short stories rejected? Although you might be a generally positive person who likes to learn from your rejections, chances are that you don’t want to get rejections. Unless, of course, you’re an absolute sadist (don’t all writers have to be at least a little bit?). In reality, no one spends … Continue reading 5 Stories You Should Never Submit If You Want to Get Published
I recently received an email with the subject line “Are you a good writer?” The email didn’t come out of the blue. It was an email blast from a blog I had recently subscribed to. Side note: Dammit, I just ended a sentence with a preposition. Does that mean I’m not any good at writing? … Continue reading Am I a Good Writer? 7 Signs You’re a Master
So you’ve decided to enter a writing contest. Good luck! You’re going to need it. The competition will be stiff. The odds are against you regardless of your previous writing credentials. I've read over 5,000 writing contest entries. One thing that's always surprised me is how little effort some people put in considering they were … Continue reading How to win a writing contest
We’ve all been there. You think of a great idea. You spend hours researching and writing. You meticulously work to get the formatting just right. You hit publish and wait for the shares and comments to flow. And you wait. And you wait. And nothing happens. That’s what I call the failed blog post. It’s … Continue reading 5 Reasons Blog Posts Fail
You’ve probably noticed that most publications these days have a pretty tight word count. It can be quite challenging to find a place to send your 7,800-word story. Hell, it’s hard to even find a place that wants to publish something over 3,000 words. Stories with no homes This leaves me with a lot of … Continue reading How to write a shorter, better, more publishable story
