Running a literary magazine is a lot of work. It’s also a great learning experience. Here are eight important things I learned during my eight years as founding editor of Bartleby Snopes. 1. Most Writers are Good People. Sure, there are a few jerks who respond to rejections with a tirade of profanity, but the … Continue reading 8 Things I Learned From Running a Literary Magazine for 8 Years
I am now 34 years old. To date, I have zero bestsellers to my name. Clearly it's time to give up writing forever. I mean, what's the point of dragging it out for another three or four decades before I meet my untimely demise? If you're thinking whether or not you should do the same, … Continue reading 34 Reasons to Stop Writing Forever
So another year is over. Did you meet your writing goals? I sure as hell didn't. Honestly, I can't even remember what they were. I just know I didn't meet them. I'm not going to bore you with my yearly recap (although there aren't even enough highlights for it to be boring). Let's just say … Continue reading Failing to Meet Your Yearly Writing Goals
Whether you are trying to write a novel, pen an epic poem, or maintain a blog about this or that, it's inevitable that you will at some point experience one of the following: lack of inspiration decrease in motivation general malaise writing burnout general I-don't-give-a-shit Some people refer to these symptoms as "writer's block," but I … Continue reading What to Write About When You Have Nothing to Write About
If things aren’t going your way in the publishing world, you can always try what Michael Derrick Hudson did: write as a different person. We all know the story by now. Hudson, a white poet who somehow arrived at the conclusion that being white was a big obstacle in his writing career, started submitting his … Continue reading Writers Don’t Have To Be Cheaters
This morning I woke up to this little note in my Bartleby Snopes inbox: You motherfuckers have to be kidding me. After some of the shit I've read on your site? Fuck off The offense that warranted such a response? Well, we rejected his story, of course. A little background: this was the 13th time this … Continue reading Dear Writers, Don’t Be Assholes
Too many writers overthink where to send their work. Even more writers underthink it. While there are plenty of writers who spend more time deciding where to submit than they do writing, many don’t spend any time thinking about it at all. Instead, they throw out their stories and poems in a willy-nilly fashion, believing … Continue reading Submitting Your Writing Can Be As Easy As 1, 2, 3
Some writers think blogging is nothing but a big ass waste of time. It’s not too hard to understand why. With millions of blogs and thousands more popping up every minute, it’s pretty difficult to get any real readership. Why spend time writing posts that no one is going to read? You could be using … Continue reading 5 Reasons Every Writer Should Be Blogging
I’m really good at getting rejected. With almost 1,000 rejections to my name, I know everything there is to know about being told “we don’t want to publish this piece of trash.” Unfortunately, rejection letters don’t always say what they really mean. In general, editors try to be nice. They want to spare our feelings. … Continue reading What Common Rejections from Publishers Really Mean
Ten years ago, I was a hotshot writer. Of course I was a hotshot. I was a writer. That not only made me a hotshot, but it also made me hot shit. As hot shit, I knew my stories should be published. So I bought a thick book that told me where to send my … Continue reading How Writers Can Improve Their Submission Process (And Get Fewer Rejections)
