Why you should subscribe to a Literary Magazine

September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Every amateur writer hopes to see his name in print. While that occasion comes early on for many, other have to wait a while longer before they get can get there. Though many writers look for fancier ways to seek attention, going old school may, in fact, be more rewarding.

A literary magazine is the most effective way to get some much needed love. If you’re not sure of which Literary Magazine to subscribe to, shop around. Subscription.com carries all kinds of magazines, one of which will suit your fancy.With editors, fellow writers and possible fans, all getting a glimpse of your work, you could be two submissions away from hitting the jackpot. While you should constantly try to get your name featured in a literary magazine, here’s why you should also subscribe to one:

•    Read and learn: For a writer to learn and perfect his art is a tedious process. However, a literary magazine can serve as an important learning tool. An amateur writer can absorb the style, the vocabulary and the flair with which the featured author writes. Over time, following a veteran writer and his prose can imbibe a similar flair in a newbie writer.

•    Contests & Features: When you subscribe to a particular literary magazine, you automatically open up several doors for yourself. Each periodical carries with itself an invitation for newer stories, poems and prose. When you submit your work, you can gauge your skills against others who are published and get a fair evaluation of your work. Beyond that, you open up newer possibilities to get your work published as editors from various publishing houses read the magazines and keep a look out for fresher talent.

•    Use as reference: If you have been published in a literary magazine, you can always use that as an additional reference on your resume. Not only does it reflect your capabilities, it also gives the editor the confidence that he is hiring the right guy! If you are still struggling to find your foothold, you can use the contact details of the authors who have been published, to network with them.

You may not see prompt results but don’t let that scare you. Every effort you take brings you closer to your ultimate goal.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Books Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Best Practices for Writing Literary Reviews

September 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment
McSweeney's #19
Image by Javier Arce ☄ via Flickr

You may be great at writing personal and fictional stories or whatever genre you are used to, but writing literature reviews involves a whole different approach. Assignments for graduate courses are the most likely things requiring literary reviews, and so are therefore scrutinized to very high standards. You never know, your review can end up published in a high-profile literary magazine someday.

To achieve that goal, and of course first pass the assignment, you have to remember that the review has to be focused on sources and studies relevant to a particular topic. You are using information from past research, and presenting an assessment of what other researchers have concluded.

After you describe the main arguments from your sources, you can then look at arguments not found in any of your readings, and present an analysis of your own interpretation. It is important, however, to describe how the piece of literature you are reviewing relates to what you are writing about.

As with any literary review or paper, it helps to come up with an outline of your argument first. Knowing how it will be organized usually makes the piece easier to write. Also, while you are reading other articles and reviews as part of your assignment, keep a journal for your thoughts on what you read, how each reading material connects with another, and what trends or patterns you see.

So in a literary review, you are concentrating on your own perspectives as well as those of others. Mastering this multidimensional approach not only leads to a good grade, but exemplifies your own writing capability. The more outstanding writing examples you have, the better off you are in terms of landing writing jobs in the future, so it is important to follow these guidelines and view these assignments as a testament to your own writing ability.

Filed Under: Becoming a Better Writer Tagged With: , , ,

Read and then Write

August 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you are a writer, an amateur or a professional, you’ve certainly been told to read.

Voraciously!

While many of us have accomplished that, there are some of us, for whom, the task of reading a book cover to cover is as arduous as the thought of climbing Mt. Everest. While the advice was free and well taken, it was never implemented. But starting today, make the change and pick up that dusty book.

The joys of reading, undoubtedly, are plenty. But while reading may be a hobby for some, it is worth more to those who wish to leave their writing legacies behind. Reading a book or anything that if of interest to you can help you imbibe the essence and broaden your intellectual base. Besides bountiful knowledge, books can give you pointers and questions to think about. Indirectly, thus, they sow seeds of curiosity within you, which when nurtured and cared for, make you wiser.

Books can conjure time travel. There is no other instrument, as effective, that takes you straight into a bygone era or the future with such ease, like a book does. As a writer, you can learn from the author you are reading and understand the nuances that are sown together to create a magnificent piece of literature.

You can, virtually, enter the mind of another individual if you read what s/he has written. Autobiographies and biographies are excellent sources of inspiration besides being affluent gateways to the most brilliant minds on the planet. You can learn beyond your years and use that wisdom to enrich your life. You can instill values, ideas and techniques and build a successful career path for yourself. You may not use the advice mentioned at that instant, but you can always keep it for reference in the future.

When your mind is enriched and your creative sensibilities are in order, you can pass on that wisdom to others.  Reading books and learning from them helps you do just that, while satiating your professional hunger by giving you material that can be documented.

Filed Under: Becoming a Better Writer, Reading Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Book Reviews: Are they Important?

August 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Receiving emails that alert you of new book reviews are common now, but how often do you get to read complete, informative and intellectually stimulating opinion pieces? Most often than not, members on social networking sites send in their opinions, complete or otherwise and leave it at that.

Traditionally, book reviews were meant to be more critical in nature. They would accommodate the reviewer’s opinion on all aspects of the book: the story, the style of writing, the substance, the meaning etc. However, the reviews today are getting shorter and fluffier. Though many authors and critiques review books today like they were done traditionally, the web has a swarm of concise reviews ready for you.

While many readers question the reviewer’s judgment, there are others who accuse them of being biased. Either way, what the common man gets is a fraction of the truth, which hampers his decision regarding the book in question. Instead of being a tool that aided decision making, the review, essentially has become a playground for wannabe critiques.

Some readers may not care to read a review at all. It may not be a deciding factor either. The reader may have different reasons to pursue a book; however, that does not eliminate the need for a thorough, well drafted review. A comprehensive review can offer the assistance and the guidance that may be required to turn a non-readable book in to a readable one.

Book reviews could pass off as unnecessary additions for a reader, but for a writer, it paints a decisive picture. What a reviewer or critique thinks of a book and its story can affect millions of minds in one instant. At such a juncture, can an author afford to have a bad review or no review at all?

It may not be as essential to a reader as it is to a writer, but a book review does have the power to make or break a book. If it does so by generating good publicity or bad, one can’t say. Eventually, only the question remains.

Filed Under: Reading Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Literary Magazines: A writer’s resource

August 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A writer is always on the lookout for challenging opportunities that enable him to display his talents. On some occasions, the writer finds himself in demand and thus, produces content for the assignment he is working on. During other times, he should simply open up his books and start writing.

A portfolio is the greatest way to land a writing gig and writers must focus on building one that is comprehensive and resourceful. The easiest way to start building a portfolio is to pick ideas and turn them into stories, essays or other pieces of literature. However, if you see yourself struggle to come up with something concrete, you can always look at literary magazines for inspiration.

These magazines publish new as well as seasoned authors. If you are looking at a literary magazine in your niche, keep an eye out for the contests they publicize about. In this way, while you create a scintillating entry for the contest, you can use the piece you have submitted as a part of your portfolio.

If you are unable to enter the competition, you can always keep the ideas associated with it in your mind and work on them later. You can go on to create an ‘idea-bank’ which can be your escape route when you hit the writer’s block.

While some writers insist that writer’s block is a phenomenon that disappears as easily as it appears, many struggle to get any work done when they are struck by it. Browsing through literary magazines as well as other books can be the ultimate remedy when you find yourself reeling under the block. If it doesn’t serve as a quick fix, it will always be there for motivation.

Over a period of time and after consulting a few literary magazines, you can be sure that your name will be out there, amongst other writers and will be considered for future writing gigs. You can also collect the magazines when they are released or subscribe to the RSS feed of online publications. In this way, whether online or offline, you will constantly be around instant inspiration.

Filed Under: Becoming a Better Writer Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Literary Magazines: A Home for all Writing

August 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Writing comes in plethora of forms – letters, newspaper articles, essays, poetry, short stories, novels – each one requiring just as much skill, effort and patience as the next.
While every writing mode is unique, certain types of writing are deemphasized and devalued as students progress through American academia.
What does this mean for the writing forms that are downplayed after high school and college? They’re simply forgotten about and relegated to the back of many adults’ memories.
Let’s start at the beginning.
From the early years of grade school, students learn about the fundamentals of writing. Sentence structure, grammar, word choice and various other tools are impressed upon them. At first, many struggle to grasp these concepts. However, there comes a point for most students when the homework assignments and quizzes produce a fully functional writer.
It’s during this bombardment of paperwork that many people reach the peak of their relationship with two types of writing – poetry and short stories. These two writing modes are frequently used by teachers throughout high school. Additionally, most colleges require students, even if they are majoring in physics or marine biology, to take at least one general English course that will include some mention of poetry or short stories.
But what about after you finish your ENG 101 course? What happens to the poetry and short stories? For many people, they’re gone. They’ve become obsolete. The next time that 99 percent of physics and marine bio majors will see poetry is in 20 years when their son starts third grade.
Almost every situation has its anomalies, and this situation is no exception. Even if your day job involves taking samples or solving equations, you may still enjoy writing the occasional poem or short story. If you’re in this group and want your writing seen by more than just your mom and your dog, Fluffy, you have the option of submitting it to a literary magazine. Literary magazines come in both print and online and are dedicated to publishing all forms of writing – even the ones you thought you’d never see again.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Becoming a Better Writer Tagged With: , ,