Been enduring an unnerving spate of rejections to your writing submissions? You're not alone. Slide over to the Brevity Magazine blog to read about my own recent experiences submitting my work. The essay is called Sixth Sense Submissions, or Publishing Blind. Leave a comment if you can relate. Oh, … [Read more...] about Is Your Writing Being Rejected?
rejected writing
Are Literary Agents Outmoded? Should They Be? Part 1
Disclaimer: My one contact with a literary agent about my own work was pleasant and professional. My opinions below are based on agent blogs I read online. The ferociously fast rise of self-publishing has significantly reduced writers’ dependence on agents—the first line of publishing gatekeepers. … [Read more...] about Are Literary Agents Outmoded? Should They Be? Part 1
Don’t Submit Your Writing Yet—Please!
Whenever aspiring writers send me their "fantastic, soon-to-be-bestseller" to compliment, I cringe. They've put a ton of effort into their manuscripts. They've neglected their family and social lives—and maybe even their paying jobs—to imbue their narratives with all the talent and skill they can … [Read more...] about Don’t Submit Your Writing Yet—Please!
Switching Memoirs—Temporarily
I've put aside work on the memoir, My Mother's Money, that I've written several posts about. The opening chapters could do with some revisions, and I don't have many creative thoughts about them right now. I still feel the story is a gripping one, but I need to take a break from it for a bit. In … [Read more...] about Switching Memoirs—Temporarily
Reasons Writing Gets Rejected
Most writing fails to get published because of one main reason: The quality of the writing is weak. It’s flat, predictable, and uninteresting. It lacks depth and vitality. It doesn't grab the reader's attention quickly. Or it might be that the story, characters, language, or settings don't show … [Read more...] about Reasons Writing Gets Rejected
Who’d Read This Book Anyway?
A dying woman wanting her daughter to find money she's hidden in her house. Three people in mid life finding out that their mother has left them money, but who have little idea where it is? And before they can get some of the money they know is waiting to be claimed by them, it mysteriously gets … [Read more...] about Who’d Read This Book Anyway?
Rejected Writing
When I started this blog I promised to share some of the few works I've submitted for publication that were rejected—and explain why I think the work wasn't accepted. So, it is with a certain amount of embarrassment that I'm fulfilling that promise here. Before I submitted an essay to More … [Read more...] about Rejected Writing