I\u2019ve heard others say I should tailor my writing to fit a chosen market. In other words, write to fit the magazine in which you\u2019d like to publish. Maybe I\u2019m just a rebel, but I\u2019ve always done it the other way \u2018round\u2014write first, match to a market after. \u2018Course, that might explain why I\u2019m not published yet.<\/p>\n
But I don\u2019t want <\/em>to write a cookie-cutter piece. I want to write from my heart, from my mind, from my experience, from whatever moves me, and I simply can\u2019t imagine that stories written in such a \u201cbackward\u201d order are doomed, just because I didn\u2019t force-fit them into a predetermined mold. I have faith there are plenty of readers out there who will find my stories moving, inspiring, funny, accessible, or what have you. Thus there must be a suitable market for each of my stories.<\/p>\n Somewhere.<\/p>\n The trick is to find it, and I\u2019m still working on that. (When I figure it out, I\u2019ll let you know.)<\/p>\n About a month ago, give or take a week, I finished two short stories in one day. After reading, simmering, revising, beta-readers (thanks Chris, Alyssa, Becky, Cathy, Laura and Kerry!), and final revisions, now I\u2019m searching for a place to submit.<\/p>\n Enter grunt work.<\/p>\n First, I must classify my story. Is it non-fiction? Memoire? Literary? Genre fiction (in which case further classification is required: sci-fi, slipstream, fantasy, mystery, thriller, etc.)? This step forms the groundwork for all the rest. Without knowing what my story is<\/em>, I can\u2019t know where to submit.<\/p>\n Regardless of classification, there is a market to fit every story, and the second step of my grunt work is to search the Internet to find these gems. I do this so often now that some names (Analog<\/a>, Masters Review<\/a>, Carve<\/a>, Beneath Ceaseless Skies<\/a>, Ploughshares<\/a>, and others) are familiar to me, and I know (more or less) what they publish. Others I have to look up every time. On the upside, you benefit from my research since I post links I\u2019ve found here on my site.<\/p>\n But simply identifying each publication\u2019s style isn\u2019t enough. Step three is to read examples from each magazine or webzine, so that I can see what the editors like \u2013 i.e., what they\u2019ve selected from the slush pile as print-worthy. It\u2019s only then I can see whether my story might fit well within its pages.<\/p>\n If I think a magazine is a good fit, I move on to step four: scrutinizing the magazine\u2019s submission guidelines. And I read them hard<\/em>. Even if I\u2019ve read them before, I scan them again. Guidelines change all the time to take into account new scenarios or situations. Also, the guidelines will tell me whether or not the magazine is open to unsolicited submissions. Sometimes, these publications get overwhelmed with material to the point that they close the window to allow their staff to catch up. (Writers are legion; potential markets seem few by comparison.)<\/p>\n If the fit is good, and if I want my piece to appear in their pages or on their site, and if they are open to submissions, I move on to step five: prepare a submission document that includes whatever they\u2019ve asked for, double-check it for accuracy and compliance, then submit it either via e-mail, U.S. Postal Service mail, or whatever online submission system the publication uses.<\/p>\n Grunt work is not quick, nor is it something I can do mindlessly. The publishers aren\u2019t looking for reasons to write off my submissions. Quite the contrary! They want<\/em> great stories. But because there are so many of us, and because they receive such a large number of submissions, they can afford to be choosy. I try not to make it easy for them to say no.<\/p>\n Still, with all that said, they have somehow managed to keep saying \u201cno.\u201d (sigh) I try not to get discouraged. It\u2019s just a matter of timing and finding the right fit. Believe me, when I figure it out, you\u2019ll all hear me cry \u201cEureka!\u201d no matter where you are. In the meantime, I make it a learning experience. I read every online magazine I can find (well, okay, I\u2019ve done the best I can; not all have free samples online, and I can\u2019t afford to subscribe every one or even buy a sample\u2014some of which cost $10 per issue!), and with every story I read, my writing improves. I note little turns of phrase, how a writer might use a relatively common verb in an uncommon way to really paint a clear picture of what\u2019s happening, that sort of thing. It all contributes to the growing knowledge base. Like I said before, none of it is wasted.<\/p>\n In the meantime, I\u2019m preparing to start my next story. Stay tuned; I\u2019ll keep you posted on my progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019ve heard others say I should tailor my writing to fit a chosen market. In other words, write to fit the magazine in which you\u2019d like to publish. Maybe I\u2019m just a rebel, but I\u2019ve always done it the other way \u2018round\u2014write first, match to a market after. \u2018Course, that might explain why I\u2019m not…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-posts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8n0kX-4n","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":905,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/07\/09\/puzzling\/","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":0},"title":"Puzzling","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"July 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I am a huge jigsaw puzzle fan. Oh, it\u2019s been a while since I put one together on my kitchen table; I seem to be too busy doing something else these days\u2014writing. You know the drill. Worldbuilding, working out plot, defining and enlivening characters who you then \u201cput up a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Puzzling-300x200.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":480,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/27\/nailing-the-target\/","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":1},"title":"Nailing the Target","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"November 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Bobby and I watched (finally) the 2014 movie Lucy last weekend. I saw the teaser online and thought, \u201cWhat the heck?\u201d The snippet blew me away so much I texted Bobby at once and said, \u201cWe have to watch this movie.\u201d Ever the obliging husband, he brought it home from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":397,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2017\/10\/02\/write-right\/","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":2},"title":"Write. Right?","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"October 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I signed up for another 6-session fiction class, where students write and submit, then critique each other\u2019s work. I\u2019m excited, but I\u2019m also nervous, as I am anytime I share my stories with someone else. (That\u2019s crazy talk, you say; don\u2019t you want to get published? Won\u2019t that mean others\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1026,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/03\/boost-the-power-shifting-perspective-in-a-story\/","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":3},"title":"Boost the Power: Shifting Perspective in a Story","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"September 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Now that the Pitch Wars submission window has closed and the pressure is eased a bit, I\u2019ve turned my attention to other projects. One of those, a short story entitled \u201c29 Langwood Street,\u201d has been lying around waiting to find a home. I admit I don\u2019t like to write something\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":198,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2017\/05\/15\/idea-storm\/","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":4},"title":"Idea Storm","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"May 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"For some reason, lately my head is full of ideas for stories. No, seriously. It\u2019s always been full of ideas for a single story, one that had many parts and threads. Now, the ideas are independent of that tale, branching out into a number of different directions and genres. Two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1125,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/29\/for-love-or-money-fueling-the-creative-fire\/","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":5},"title":"For Love or Money: Fueling the Creative Fire","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"October 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I was looking over some writing tips on other people's blogs today when I came across a tip I've seen elsewhere, too: Don't try to write what you think will sell. Write what you want to read. Write what moves you. Write to understand the world around you. These words\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/electrocardiogram-2858693_1280.png?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/electrocardiogram-2858693_1280.png?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/electrocardiogram-2858693_1280.png?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/electrocardiogram-2858693_1280.png?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/electrocardiogram-2858693_1280.png?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":272,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271\/revisions\/272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}