Right on time - Getting the timing right (Is there a perfect time to pitch?)

‘Thank you for sending me your wonderful article,’ read the editor’s reply. I smiled. ‘I would have accepted it but...’ I frowned. This did not bode well. ‘...but in the next issue we are publishing a similar article. So I am sorry but I cannot use your piece – bad timing!’ Damn. I swallowed my disappointment and got to work with my next story. But two weeks later when the same thing happened again (‘We just did a pretty major feature on this in our June issue, hard luck!’), and yet again (‘We have covered similar themes in the not-too-distant past, I’m afraid’), I was really upset. Three commissions...

Read the full article in the June 2013 post of AWP Career Advice

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2625 words
Nonfiction/Writing
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"I like it"

Jonathan Telfer

Editor

Writing Magazine

"Thank you very much for sending your work to us...I think your article contains plenty of things that our members would really love to read...it is a well written piece as is. Thank you once more for bringing your article to us--we will be very pleased to share it with our members (who will be very pleased to read it)."

Daniel D'Angelo

Associate Editor

Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP)

Getting the hang of love

I am standing at the edge of a steep precipice with wobbly legs protesting and knees knocking together like the prongs of a tuning fork. Never before has vertigo seemed so real! Never before has my comfortable chair at home seemed less boring! Strapped into various harnesses and helmets and things, I am beginning to fully appreciate the “gravity” of the situation. I scarcely have time to further contemplate what is starting to look like a foolishly hasty decision, before I am being instructed on what to do and how to do it. I, however, am too busy concentrating on being able to breathe properly...

Read the full essay in the Summer 2013 issue of Ducts

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2020 words
Nonfiction/Humour
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"I like your essay, and it flows well"

Derek Alger

Essays Editor

Ducts

"It's nicely written, which counts for a lot."

Ed Ewing

Editor

Cross Country Magazine

Ask, and you shall receive (6 Questions you should always ask upon story acceptance)

Congratulations! A story accepted, a feather in your cap. So what next? Party? Hang on, the deal’s not done yet. For all you know, the magazine doesn’t pay kill fees. Or maybe it demands exclusivity. You don’t want to rush into a contract only to find out later you’ve been given the short end of the stick. Before you break out the bubbly, there are some key points that you will need to know for certain to complete – or even go ahead with – the sale.

What rights do they want?
What rights are you giving away? This is, by far, the most important question you will be asking upon acceptance because much depends...

Read the full article in the June 2013 issue of Writing Tomorrow

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1570 words
Nonfiction/Writing
US publication

Buttons up!

A powerful stroke of the upper arm, a strong kick of the leg and I crawl forward another few feet. I am swimming. All around me is a myriad of rainbow colours undulating like the air heavy with sound waves broadcast from a giant speaker. Except that this isn't water. It's buttons. Big and small, bright and dull, round and square, flat and raised, two-holed and hole-less, stitch-on and stick-on... a sea of buttons of all shapes and sizes. My limbs cleave the surface like cracks ripping through fragile china and create a yawning chasm with buttons falling all around me. The scene reminds me of loose...

Read the full article in the Summer 2013 issue of Thema


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2100 words
Humour
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"This is a great story and I enjoyed reading it"

Kirsten Edwards

Editor

The Gift Of Stitching

"Reading it was really a treat for me"

Cathy Jakicic

Editor

BeadStyle

India's secret sauce is a stinky spice

Devil's Dung. Not exactly the most flattering description for something that is eaten with such relish in parts of the world. Stinking Gum? Not much better. Food for the Gods. Ah, now that's more like it.

My finger runs down the description on my computer browser: Asafoetida i.e. Ferula assafoetida, family Apiaceae, it says, is a species of Ferula native to Iran. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to two metres in height, with stout, hollow, somewhat succulent stems that are five to eight centimetres in diameter at the base of the plant. The leaves are thirty to forty centimetres long–...

Read the full article in the Spring 2013 issue of Aquarian

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825 words
Humour
Canada publication

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Words from the Wise

"It's a very nice and interesting piece. Though I've heard of the herb, I didn't know all about it. You write very nicely."

Nicola Ross

Editor

Alternatives Journal

"You are a wonderful writer."

Elaine Gillespie

Editor

Sandlapper

"It's very good, it's got more plot than many of the stories we get in other categories... very well done."

Geoffrey C Porter

Editor

Untied Shoelaces Of The Mind

"This is a lovely piece of writing"

Tim Kroenert

Assistant Editor

Eureka Street

"Charming article. Very nice."

Abigail Lewis

Editor

Whole Life Times

"It was well-written and an enjoyable read."

Jess Wallace

Editorial Assistant

New Zealand Woman’s Weekly

"It is charming and informative."

Colleen Leonardi

Assistant Editor

Edible Columbus

"I enjoyed it very much"

Steve Ott

Editor

Kitchen Garden

"It is very well written"

Acharya Arumuganathaswami

Managing Editor

Hinduism Today

"I enjoyed reading your essay"

Leslie C. Moore

Editor

Sasee

"Interesting article"

Janet Wallace

Editor

Canadian Organic Grower

"I... read your delightful story. It's very well written and has the kind of voice and energy I love to see in food publications... It would be so nice (for you to) share this... With your talent, (your blog) could become quite popular."

Cheryl Koehler

Editor

Edible East Bay

"This is a solid essay."

Frank Murtaugh

Managing Editor

Memphis

"It's well-written and interesting"

Jon Benedict

Editor

Edible Cleveland

"I enjoyed reading it"

Tara Swartzendruber

Editor

Edible Michiana

Love thy competition

As professional writers, we are particularly vulnerable to competition, which comes not only from our contemporaries, but also from those who are long dead and gone but have left their lasting mark in the annals of literature.

However, did you know that your competition can actually come to your aid? Other writers help us make money just by being published. How’s that again? Simple – by providing newer markets and vistas for publication.
 
1. Read writers’ biographies and bibliographies – Make it a point to read the bios and publishing credits of any and all writers you come across. Most writers...

Read the full article in the March 2013 issue of Freelance Writer's Report

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650 words
Nonfiction
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"That's definitely a good article... The article felt richer and more detailed. I particularly liked your example of coming up with the piece on titles -- it struck me as a great example of what one can do if one thinks creatively."

Moira Allen

Publisher

Writing World

"My editor and I love this piece. It's a topic we haven't seen covered before. We look forward to working with you! I think this is an interest(ing) topic and one our readers probably haven't considered before. :)"

Angela Mackintosh

Editor

Women On Writing

Less is more - 15 Quick, clever and clean tricks to reduce manuscript word count

"Maximum length: 3000. Firm limit. No exceptions. And we don't mean 3001. Word count will be the first thing checked, so please pay particular attention to it."

Magazines threaten to reject submissions outright if writers have not adhered to the specified word limit. However, for writers, stringent constraints in wordage are a constant worry. Without being allowed any latitude in the inches, how will you be able to express yourself freely and exactly as you want? Will you be able to do justice to your story? Won't all the chopping and changing morph the very essence of the prose?
 
Word count...

Read the full article in the March 2013 issue of Writing World

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1955 words
Nonfiction
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"This is an interesting article and I do like it. Works for me! I also didn't know that trick about using Word to insert the word count automatically!"

Moira Allen

Publisher

Writing World