Short Stories: Advice and a Market

Thought for the Week: If you want to be successful, it's just this simple: Know what you're doing. Love what you're doing. And believe in what you're doing. ~ Will Rogers

Novel vs Short Story

Tom Grimes, author of five novels and director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Texas State University, gave his perspective on the difference between novels and stories in issue 52 of Glimmer Train’s Writers Ask. “Novels are built around characters, short stories are built around emotions.” In his workshops, he often asks students to name their favorite literary characters. They always name characters from novels.

Grimes points out that a novel’s main character must be complex, unique, and involved with a large cast of characters. If your main character deals with his or her own singular problem that will be resolved through "interiority" that character belongs in a short story.

I tested myself and found the same result. When recalling short stories I have read, I remember the stories but not the characters’ names. Long after I’ve read a novel that impressed me, I usually remember the main character’s name. However, I don’t agree with Grimes 100%. The exception for me is thrillers, a genre that is more plot than character driven. Think of The Da Vinci Code. I remember the two main characters, but how much depth did the author give them? I remember little about them as people, but I recall a number of twists and turns in the plot.

If you write short stories, you should know Glimmer Train. Glimmer Train Stories, published quarterly, is a respected short-story journal. Most of the stories they accept come to them directly from the writer. They pay $700 for their no fee “standard” submissions accepted during January, April, July, and October, or up to $2,000 for winners of the various competitions open every month and supported by submission fees. On their web site, you can sign up for free monthly bulletins with essays on craft and perspective.

You can also purchase a subscription to Writers Ask, which contains advice from respected writers and teachers. Sample excerpts are on the web site.

Plotting Pointers/Slice Magazine

Writer’s Thought for the Week: “…you’re a writer if you look at yourself and see a writer. Everyone else…sees an obsessive-compulsive, anal-retentive insomniac with a pen fetish.” ~ Lisa Shearin

PLOTTING POINTERS

Whether you’re a plotter or pantser, Robyn DeHart has an article with pointers to keep you on track when writing a character driven novel. After all, we must give some thought to what we are writing before we set pen to paper or fingers to keys. DeHart outlines three steps to plotting a character driven novel: theme, premise or character lesson, and character arc.

SLICE
http://www.slicemagazine.org/submit.html

Slice will pay $100 for stories and essays and $50 for poems beginning with issue 12, which launches spring 2013. The theme for that issue is "Obsession." The reading period will run from July 1 - August 31. Slice welcomes submissions for short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Do not submit anything over 5,000 words.

Two Surveys/Poetry Chapbook Contest

Thought for the week: One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak. ~ G. K. Chesterton 

TWO SURVEYS

Victoria Strauss recently blogged an excellent write-up on two surveys of authors, one of traditionally published and the other of self-published authors. I can’t say it any better than she. They contain interesting comments on, among other things, marketing and editing.

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2012/05/two-surveys.html

CASEY SHAY PRESS MARY BALLARD CHAPBOOK PRIZE

Deadline: June 30, 2012

No entry fee. Each entrant may submit only one manuscript.

Open to all poets, published or unpublished.

The winner will receive $500, 25 printed copies of the chapbook, and a book
contract for the sale of physical and electronic versions of the chapbook.

Poems should adhere to a theme, however loosely. They consider themes for adults as well as collections for children. Manuscripts may be either a collection of poems or one long poem and should be a minimum of 20 pages and a maximum of 40 pages.

JacketFlap/Drue Heinz Prize

Thought for the Week: Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.  ~ Harriet Braiker

JacketFlap connects you to the work of more than 200,000 authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for Children and Young Adults. The free, searchable database is updated regularly. Publisher entries include details on what they publish as well as contact information and web site links.

Drue Heinz Literature Prize
http://www.upress.pitt.edu/prizes.aspx
Deadline: June 30, 2012
No entry fee.

The Drue Heinz Literature Prize is open to writers who have published a book-length collection of fiction or at least three short stories or novellas in commercial magazines or literary journals. Manuscripts are judged anonymously. The prize carries a cash award of $15,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press under its standard contract. Open to writers in English, regardless of citizenship. You may submit more than one entry.