Good News, a Coconut, and a Paint Splotch! Oh my!

 Connecting, Dreams, Life, Literary Mags and Journals, Motivation, Parenting, Writing  2 Responses »
Sep 042012
 

These past two weeks have been incredible. I won a query critique and a critique of the first two chapters of my novel from Amanda Sun. Her YA novel, Ink is coming out next year, which I can’t wait to read. I won the critique through The Write On Con, which is a completely amazing and free conference for writers. I implore you to check it out. It recently ended, but you can find tons of incredible information through their archives. Please go visit them when you get a chance: writeoncon.com.

A few days later I got notice that my short story, The Town on the Road was to be published in Luna Station Quarterly, which publishes speculative fiction from new and emerging women authors. It’s now live so you can follow this link to read it. I am so glad LSQ exists and I wish them much success in the future. Now I just have to find a home for the other short story orphans sitting on my desk. To read the rest of issue 11, please visit this link. As you all know, literary magazines are labors of love, so if you have a few bucks to spare, please support Luna Station Quarterly by buying an issue. Issue 11 is available for purchase for $2.99 in EPUB, MOBI and PDF formats here.

In other news, I recently visited Stanley’s Fruits & Vegetables in Chicago and bought a coconut. I wanted my son to experience the awesomeness that is coconut. He was super excited, but the best part came when he was watching me crack it open. I used a drill on the seam of the coconut and cracked it open with a hammer. My son was obsessed with the insides, but for some reason he refused to eat any of it. Oh well. More for me! Here’s a photo:

 

I’ve also been working on completing some home projects and as I was pulling the top off of a paint can, it slipped out of my hands and landed on the counter. Here’s what I saw when I lifted it:

 

Even the paint splotch was upset at my mishap! LOL!

Well, I’ve got to get back to work! Laters!

Have a lovely week y’all.

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I Heart Magazines

 Chicago, Connecting, Literary Mags and Journals, Magazines, Zines  2 Responses »
Jul 292010
 

I am a lover of magazines; always have been, since the age of thirteen. I remember it like it was yesterday. Teen Magazine caught my eye at a grocery store. I picked it up, flipped through it and begged my mom to buy it for me. When I got home, I read the entire thing–cover to cover. I was enthralled. I requested that my mom buy me a subscription immediately. She obliged. Hey, what can I say–my mom is great. This marked a real turning point for me, one of no return. No newspapers, no books. Magazines became my thing.

I was a faithful reader of Teen Magazine for five years. That’s like a millennium to a teenager, but I loved it. Over the years, I’ve thought about why I chose that mag and I think I know the answer. First, it was geared towards girls like me, young girls, girls going through things. Real things. I could spend one hour a month reading about other teen’s lives, about ways to change the world for the better and about music. Teen Magazine was like a guide for my teenage life and it was written in an intelligent and respectful way. Unfortunately, after a few years, as with all things, it began to deteriorate. The articles became less informative, the advertisements got larger and I just wasn’t into it anymore. Perhaps it had something to do with my subtle aging, but I digress. It was time to move on. I needed something a little more on my level.

I moved on to the sophisticated YM, Lucky and Cosmo. Hey, don’t mock. I had to try out every magazine on the stands to find the right one. But the truth is, those magazines weren’t me.

Nothing changed me quite so much as my early twenties. I was becoming more aware of who I was without my parents, teachers or friend chiming in. This was when I started to get into zines and literary mags. I even created two of my own.

A few years after that, I went back to consumer pubs. I was reading Martha Stewart, Domino and Real Simple. Domestication reared its ugly head, but I knew deep down it wouldn’t be enough. Those magazines didn’t fill my soul. I needed a magazine with style, pizazz, something with projects, one that was home to a good short story, one that had health and make-up tips, reviewed new books and music and most importantly one that featured great articles about real issues affecting women my age. I was searching for a Teen Magazine for twenty-year-old’s. Now where was I supposed to find a magazine like that?

It took me a while to realize, I was never going to find it because it just didn’t exist. I had to subscribe to many magazines just to get my fill. And now that I’m in my thirties, I find myself still searching for that thirty-something Teen Magazine. Seriously, does the search ever end?

I currently subscribe to six consumer magazines a year. It may seem like a lot, but those magazines are secondary to the amount of books, albums and literary magazines I purchase annually. In addition, I realize many people don’t read magazines and I never understood that. Not because there isn’t plenty to read elsewhere, but because magazines are cultural mirrors. They are about us–right here, right now.

If you’re into magazines as much as I am, come and support the Chicago literary community tonight at the Printers’ Ball.

According to the Poetry Foundations Web Site, “It’s a celebration of literary culture. In addition to featuring thousands of magazines, books, broadsides and other takeaways, the Printers’ Ball will showcase live readings, music and performances. They will also host letterpress, offset, silk-screening, rubber-stamping and paper-making demonstrations.”

To learn more about the 2010 Printers’ Ball, please visit their site.

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One Reject to Another

 Literary Mags and Journals, Motivation  Comments Off on One Reject to Another
Oct 242006
 

I get home, throw my bag to the floor and pick up the mail. While sorting through it I spot an envelope that looks strikingly familiar. Oh yes, it’s the SASE I sent with my short story for their response. They’ve finally written back. YES! Soon, all of the excitement is washed away by the awful unknown. What if they hated it? Ugh. I graciously tear open the envelope and pull the slip out. It says, “Thank you so much for submitting your fiction piece to our fine publication, however we are not interested at this time. Good luck in the future.” Damn!

Four rejection slips later, I’m sitting in my office pouring myself another glass of cheap red wine, (dare I say the name) staring at a very sharp X-acto Knife sitting to my left. I should just end it all! I have no talent. What am I doing? Who wants to hear what I have to say anyway? But then I think damn it, I do. So, I’ve decide to look for other avenues.

I only need one magazine to like it anyway. At the very least I’d like some sound writing advice about my piece. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Maybe the plot isn’t strong enough, the dialogue too dry. Who knows? But I want answers. So, I’ve decide not to wait around any longer. I’ve sent it out to two more publications. Hey, you never know.

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They say rejection is killer. Who am I to argue?

 Literary Mags and Journals, Submit  Comments Off on They say rejection is killer. Who am I to argue?
Oct 062006
 

After months of re-writing and editing my short story Foiled, I was ready. I grabbed a cup of coffee and my Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market and I went to work. I scoured every literary magazine listing and marked the ones I thought would be perfect for my piece. With post it notes in hand, I began writing down tiny tidbits about the pubs I liked most because I’d heard over the years that I should know the market that I was pitching to. But knowing those markets takes a lot of time and research and it was mostly the time that I was missing. So I did what all writers do, I made time by staying up late and turning off the television set.

I found it virtually impossible to find a free literary magazine. I think this is mainly because many literary magazines are dependent on donations or they’re simply scraping by so they need charge $10 + dollars an issue. Sample issues still cost money and to a beginner without the necessary cash, it begins to add up. So, I improvised and read the recently published samples on their web site. I also read the submission guidelines. You must do this for every magazine. You don’t want to look like an amateur that doesn’t know how to follow the rules do you? You may even find information about deadlines, their magazine schedule and the names of specific editors. It’s called research.

There are literary magazines available at your local library or at independent bookstores. There are a ton of indie bookstores in Chicago, but this is and always will be my favorite:

Quimby’s
1854 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 342-0910
www.quimbys.com/

I narrowed down the thirty-five plus literary magazines I initially picked to ten according to the type of fiction they requested. I also took into consideration if they published short stories by writers that won either the Pushcart award or some other literary award. You never know who may be reading your work. And in some cases lit agents are using these magazines as a way to find new and upcoming writers. That’s definitely something you should keep in mind.

I wrote a very simple cover letter, pieced it together with my story and enclosed a SASE for their response. I chucked them in my backpack and took them to the point of no return — the U.S. Post Office.

As of today, October 6th, I’ve heard from one literary magazine telling me that they weren’t going to start reviewing fiction again until October 1st, 2006. I believe they received my story on September 26, 2006, so they’re obviously serious about their deadlines. I’m still waiting to hear from the other magazines, and I’m hoping for good feedback if my story is rejected. My fingers are crossed.

I realize that writing short stories will land me in the poor house and that if I continue to pursue it, it may sentence me to a life of eating beans from a can, but I like creative writing. I do. I’d rather put all of my money eggs into my books or articles basket, but I need the release.

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