A little off topic… Adams Media Romance call for submissions

Adams Media Romance Guidelines –  “Our new direct-to-ebook romance imprint is launching soon! We’re open to romance submissions in five popular subgenres: romantic suspense, contemporary, paranormal, historical, and erotic romance. Within those subgenres, we are flexible about what happens. It’s romance, so there must be a happily-ever-after, but we’re open to how your characters get there. You won’t come up against preconceived ideas about what can or can’t happen in romance or what kind of characters you can or can’t have. “

March into Markets: Audio Magazine, Down-Under Literary, and more

Cast of Wonders: The YA Sci-fi & Fantasy Audio Magazine – “Cast of Wonders is a YA Sci-Fi & Fantasy fiction podcast, but we don’t rigidly define the genre. We’re looking for stories that evoke a sense of wonder, that have something unreal about them. We aim for a 12-17 age range: that means sophisticated, non-condescending stories with wide appeal, and without explicit sex, violence or strong language. Think Harry Potter or The Hunger Games.”

The School Magazine – “What is The School Magazine? It is Australia’s most loved and longest-running literary magazine for children. For generations, it has been introducing young readers to a world of words.”

Kindle Singles program sells over 2 million short stories – “Last year, Amazon began offering its affordable, bite-sized Kindle Singles for sale. Kindle Singles have a length that’s smaller than books, but longer than most magazine articles — essentially, short stories. But until now, no data existed on exactly how well these Singles are selling. “

Five hundred new fairytales discovered in Germany – “Collection of fairytales gathered by historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth had been locked away in an archive in Regensburg for over 150 years.”

Spring Cleaning: New YA market and voice for kids

A recent spring-cleaning session unearthed the following sites:

Sucker Literary Magazine – “I am a rare specimen–an (online/electronic) literary magazine dedicated to showcasing and promoting undiscovered and established writers who write for young adults…. I am open to any and all writers at any and all stages  of their writing career/ journey into the publishing world.”

K.I.D. VOICE –  “K.I.D (Keeping it Diverse) VOICE is an online newspaper, launching in May 2012, that will feature submissions written for and by kids like you, of diverse age, gender and nationality.   Our goal is to open up the world of literacy and learning by keeping it engaging and diverse.”

Pure Escape: Skiing, Sun, and Beyond Centauri

The daily ski report told of fast turns and corduroy slopes. The sun clawed through a carpet of fog, melting away clouds and revealing an endless blue sky. In a word: perfection–a day made for escape, for forgetting about deadlines and worries.

A stop at the post office confirmed the day’s promise: the winter edition of Beyond Centauri–packed with sci fi and fantasy stories (along with my contribution, Stinky Feet For Dinner)–waited for me. My escape was complete.

New Moon Publishes Young Writers

“New Moon Girls is an online community and magazine where girls create and share poetry, artwork, videos, and more; chat together; and learn. All in a fully moderated, educational environment designed to build self-esteem and positive body image.

Love to write? Share all your fabulous fiction here! Publish your newest creations, or get advice on works-in-progress. And read great stories by other New Moon Girls!”

New pubs for young writers and digital stories

Cuckoo Quarterly: “Hello and welcome to the newly hatched Cuckoo Quarterly! We’re an online literary magazine designed by and for young writers, a haven from the trials of school or college where you can let your creative juices flow… and in turn sample the creative outpourings of other like-minded individuals. We also want to show you what other young writers have created – and to see what you’ve been writing too.”

First Inkling: “First Inkling is more than an international literary magazine and online bibliophile hotspot. First Inkling is a snapshot of a generation. Through the prose, verse, and in-depth interviews of tomorrow’s preeminent writers, First Inkling explores the cultural, intellectual, and political ethos of their world. First Inkling is a visionary print and online medium dedicated to seeking out the most talented student authors in the English language, and publishing their work alongside criticism from the most important writers of our age. “

New digital short works series for Penguin: “Penguin is launching a digital series of exclusive short works called Penguin Shorts, releasing nine titles by authors including Helen Dunmore, Toby Young and Colm Toibin.”

Miscellanea for short-story lovers

Spirited: ”Leap Books has summoned some big names in fiction to help put together 13 ghostly stories to support a good cause, with all proceeds to be donated to 826 National. 826 offers free after-school tutoring, workshops, and in-school programs because they believe that ‘strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.’”

From the Daily Telegraph: Over 20 unpublished stories by Anthony Burgess discovered in archive – “A collection of unpublished stories and scripts written by A Clockwork   Orange’s Anthony Burgess have been found in the author’s archives.”

A Year of Flash: May 2010 – May 2011: “If you’re new to our site, what you will find is the result of a year’s worth of creative labor and love — on the part of 176 artists and authors who contributed over 1,500 flashes, poems and art.”

The Redwing’s Nest: “The Redwing’s Nest is looking for art and writing from children, pre-school through 8th grade, from around the world.”

4 Ways to Make Every Word Count: “Getting the full value out of every word you write is especially important when it comes to the short story. The key is to recognize the power of a single well-chosen word, and trust it to do its work. As a rule, the more economically you use language, the more powerfully you will deliver your message. Here are four techniques to help you make each word count.”

Drollerie Press Closes and Other News

I have some sad news to share: Drollerie Press–home to mythic fiction–is closing up shop. Read about it here.

And other bits and pieces from the writing world:

Literary Journal Submissions 101 - “To submit your latest short story, essay or poem, you’ll need a cover letter—which is much different from a query. Use these tips from inside a creative writing program to help your letter make the grade.”

How to Let Plot Guide Your Short Story - “The short story is the art of abbreviation. We aren’t dealing with the panorama of life as we might be in a novel. We’re focused. If the novel is the art of the gaze, the short story is the art of the glance. The short story’s illumination must be sudden and should suggest an ongoing life, not present it in full. A short story must immediately pull the reader out of her world and drop her into the world of the story. There’s little time for setup. We begin when everything but the action is over—at the edge of the cliff.”

Kids’Magination Magazine Submission Guidelines - “Kids’Magination Magazine, where kids can enjoy learning and reading, is open for submissions of short stories, flash and microfiction. We want stories suitable for 9 to 14 year-olds – stories that will excite the reader found in all kids, of all ages, youth and adult.”

Pongo Teen Writing -  “The Pongo Teen Writing Project is a volunteer, nonprofit program for teens who are on the streets, in jail, or in other ways leading difficult lives. We love to help young people express themselves through poetry, especially teens who have never written before. (And we want to share our teaching techniques with caring adults.”

Hunger Mountain 2012 Submission Calls and Ebook Publishers

Calling all YA writers: check out Bethany’s blog posting for an update on Hunger Mountain’s writing needs – “Jan-March 2012: The Mystery & Magic of Identity – Hunger Mountain is actively seeking submissions for the Winter 2012 issue The Mystery and Magic of Identity.” Click here for all the info.

And I just came across Books to Go, an ebook publisher of short stories (YA and older, all genres). More and more electronic publishers are moving into the short story world, so I plan to put together a list of these publishers for Word Crushes soon. Stay tuned.

Getting Started: Navigating the world of short stories

(The following is a guest post from Madeleine Swann, who joins Word Crushes from England. It you click on her name, you’ll see that Maddie and I share the same taste in WordPress themes. Great minds think alike? -Erin)

I’m a fairly new writer. I’ve had some articles and short stories published but I’ve still got a long way to go and I appreciate how hard it is to get started. Perhaps this sounds as though I should live in a commune but I really think it’s important for writers, especially other new and confused ones, to share what they’ve learned, so this is for you. Join my wild ride!

When I send off short stories I can spend a very long time looking through endless lists of magazines and websites that publish them, and one place I go to is The Short Story . A few of the publications are no longer with us but enough are, and there are sections full of advice and competitions as well. Some people may disagree with this but I’m quite dubious of anything asking for entry money so I tend to avoid those. Plus I have no money. Don’t forget of course to purchase The Writer’s and Artist’s Yearbook, it’s invaluable.

Set up a website and join social networking. Most people already have, but if you haven’t I can’t tell you how useful I’ve found it. Through Facebook I started talking to a comic publisher, and now I’ve got a horror story coming out with them at the end of the year. If you have a website it can make you look so much more professional (or alternative, whichever your preferred aesthetic). I made a couple of comedy adverts for my site and put them on youtube, mostly to amuse myself but also to let people see my personality, which is hugely important. Just remember, if you put a photo of yourself on your homepage make sure you don’t look insane, unless that’s your intention.

I’ve heard this so many times I need to say it just to be sure you all know too: conflict needs to be set up for your character fairly early on. Beautiful description is great but readers appreciate it more when they’re dying to find out what happens. I always try to make sure the opening line of everything I write has a huge impact, even in a small way; people decide whether to continue reading at all based on those first few words.

I’m not a fan of how-to books at all but I found How NOT to Write a Novel by Sandra Newman and Howard Mittelmark very useful and very funny. At first I was embarrassed at reading all my mistakes laid bare, but once you get over the initial cringe it’s full of great tips, and the principals mostly work for short stories too. I tend to get a coke in a pub to do research because I need noise to think – I know, weirdo – and I was laughing out loud. People were looking.

I always think getting involved with local things is a great idea. We have an arts festival in Essex and I’m doing three different performances. Sometimes you might have to be pushy and I know it doesn’t suit everyone, but you really never know who’ll see you or who you’ll get talking to. If you make a fool of yourself, it’ll at least be a memory you and your friends can laugh about.

Lastly, have other people read your stuff. Maybe even read it aloud to people – people who won’t just say ‘that’s good.’ You need to grit your teeth and let it be read by someone you know is honest. There are tons of online workshops, so join a free one. I personally use Critique Circle.

So here we are; my thoughts on getting started in writing. Hopefully you’ve found it dizzyingly informative, but if you have any helpful suggestions for me I’d really like to hear them because sharing is the way of caring. Or something.

Wait… There’s more: a few useful links:

http://newpages.com/literary-magazines/
http://www.pw.org/literary_magazines?apage=*
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/pbonline.html
http://www.duotrope.com/listallmarkets.aspx
http://litlist.net/online_journals
http://www.litmags.org/list.php