| Author | Message | ||
| ~M~
Board Administrator Username: mjm Post Number: 27674 Registered: 11-1998 |
From the 12/28/07 edition of the News & Views from Poet's Market newsletter: "TAKE THEIR ADVICE (special New Year's edition) As a holiday gift, here are 10 pieces of advice from magazine/journal editors about writing and submitting poetry. Yes, there's repetition, and here's why: Poets, especially new poets, tend to ignore the very advice they should most closely follow. And, obviously, if editors are saying the same things, those words should carry extra weight. So, as you begin the new year, print out a copy of these 10 tips and keep them handy (post them near your desk, even). They'll guide you well along your path to artistic fulfillment and publication: Remember the two Ts: Talent and Tenacity. ~ Lips Emphasize imagination, passion, engagement, artistry. ~ Barnwood Editors have differing tastes, so don't be upset by rejection. Always send a SASE for response. ~ Over The Transom Read recent poets! Experiment with line length, images, metaphors. Innovate. ~ The Prairie Journal Read the magazine before submitting. ~ 5 AM Write from love; don't expect love in return, don't take rejection personally, and don't let anyone stop you. ~ The 13th Warrior Review Read more than you write. ~ 4AM Poetry Review Read, read, read. Inspiration does not a poem make. Revise, revise, revise. ~ Wild Goose Poetry Review Writing is work; writing is fun. A good combination of both will usually achieve very pleasing results. ~ The Write Club Persist. ~ Northwest Review | ||
| Ann Metlay
Advanced Member Username: wordsrworthy Post Number: 2188 Registered: 08-2007 |
Thanks M, There is a lot of wisdom in thee words. What jumps out for me is to read more than I write. I keep telling myself I should do that, but putting words down on a piece of paper is so much more gratifying in the short term. Ann | ||
| ~M~
Board Administrator Username: mjm Post Number: 27676 Registered: 11-1998 |
Dearest Ann -- thanks for adding your comments. Yes, reading more than we write is the most important advice on the list in my opinion. I'm always most surprised when I query poets and ask what poetry they are reading or who their favorite contemporary poet is, and they say they don't read poetry. I'm amazed. I want to ask these two questions. If you don't read published poetry, how can you expect to write publishable poetry? And if you don't read anyone else's poetry, why would any one else want to read yours? Knowing what is currently being accepted by today's editors is perhaps the most important guidance in writing poems that stand a better chance of being published. Like the real estate agents' mantra of location, location, location, the most important writer's mantra is read, read, read! *smile* Love, M | ||
| Fred Longworth
Senior Member Username: sandiegopoet Post Number: 2843 Registered: 05-2006 |
Remember the extra T: Trendiness. American Groundhog Review Emphasize popular prejudices. Panic! Editors think you stink. Don't take it personally. Everyone else thinks you stink. Broadside Cult Read trash fiction. I'll take your mind off your endless rejections. Nitrate Fire Read your own obituary. Doom Write as if your miserable life depended on it. Rancor Read every other line. Dis...........continuity Revise until you think the poem sucks. Then send it off. The National Plagarist Writing is easy as mercy killing. Graveyard Per Cyst Dermatologist Digest Unofficial Forum Pariah recent victim of alien abduction | ||
| ~M~
Board Administrator Username: mjm Post Number: 27677 Registered: 11-1998 |
If you receive a submission from Fred Longworth, drop it and run. It is almost always a hand grenade in disguise. ~ Blind in One Eye, Deaf in the Other Ear Quarterly | ||
| Ron. Lavalette
Intermediate Member Username: dellfarmer Post Number: 528 Registered: 05-2007 |
I am now taking submissions. Everyone should submit to me. Submit, I say; submit. Bwhahahahahahahahahahahahaha --Ron. Eggs Over Tokyo | ||
| Fred Longworth
Senior Member Username: sandiegopoet Post Number: 2845 Registered: 05-2006 |
If you receive a submission from Derf Lungfroth, drop it and get the runs. It's almost always a hand grenade in disguise. Anne Thrax Unofficial Forum Pariah recent victim of alien abduction |
