Have you ever attempted to analyze your work habits? Do you seem to play one more game of Solitaire or add a load of laundry or ANYTHING rather than tackle the revision or next chapter? I must confess, I have done that often and still do. Why do we do that? Maybe because writing is hard and delaying the work is easier than wrestling with that which forces us out of our comfort zones. Maybe a lazy spell struck. Maybe there is another reason, also. Playing one more game of Solitaire or another put-off activity frees our minds to wander and wandering often opens up ideas that unlock the mystery of how to proceed with our stories.  

If I stay at the computer too long, I struggle with finding the words and ideas my characters need. A walk or some activity that allows our minds to ramble and roam can become a critical step in the process. A stew needs to simmer and so does a story idea. 

Writers tend to be unforgiving in self-assessment. If we receive a flurry of rejections, we think we can’t cut the literary muster. Harsh critical feedback can add to Doubting-Thomas mindsets, and even worse, no feedback from editors can worry us to the point that we threaten to close up shop and never ever ever ever write for publication again. Period!

When this happens, I remind myself that it takes only one editor at one publishing house to like my work. Whew, I feel better already. Okay, Solitaire, here I come. 

Call for submissions for Young Writers

The Noisy Island seeks new and exciting work from high-school age students in the areas of fiction, poetry, and songs.  We want to be an online journal that people actually read, so send us the type of work that you like to read and the type of music that you like to hear. 

Submission guidelines at http://thenoisyisland.tumblr.com/about 

Call for submissions for Adult Writers

 

Spellbound is a quarterly e-zine, also available for download to e-reader, and is produced by small publisher Eggplant Literary Productions.  Aimed at children aged 8-12, each issue is themed around a different fantasy element.  The next theme if you are submitting between October and December is changelings and doppelgängers.  This is an American market and payment is 2.5c a word up to 2,500 words.  They also accept poetry. 

Submission guidelines at http://loutreleaven.com/2012/10/02/spellbound-magazine-looking-for-fantasy-stories-and-poetry/