Perseverance

Riding the Rejection Train is a tough route for any writer. Not only is the failure to get a contract disappointing, it also undermines our psyche. We question our talent. We question our choice of manuscript subjects. We question everything related to publishing. But perseverance trumps talent. I should know. I’ve been rejected so many times, I lost count years ago. 

According to Richard Bach, author of JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL, “A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit.” Writing requires an investment of time, lots of time, and energy. Inspiration and a vivid imagination are good components, too. There’s no doubt, writing is work. It’s also fulfilling, and at times, joyful (when an editor calls and says the magical word: Yes).

When I began writing, I read picture books to my students daily, and the stories drew me in to worlds of strange and astonishing characters. Those stories enticed me to write about my own characters. Reading does that to me. When I read I am more compelled to write. Characters, one after another, staked a claim to my brain and refused to leave. Editors passed on all. I lost interest in writing until I picked up the next picture book, the next day. Reading it boosted my creative energy. I kept getting rejected, but sometimes an editor would ask to see something else I had written. My heart fluttered with hope. Finally, I hooked an editor and held my first book, ONCE UPON A DIME. Now, I’m striving to garner the 52nd contract.            

Every writer is different. Some become discouraged more easily than others, but all writers get rejections. The more we write, and the more we read, the better writers we become. 

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Magic Dragon, a quarterly publication, presents writing and art created by children in the elementary school grades in a magazine of quality four-color printing and graphic display. We believe that our objectives are special – to encourage the development of creativity in children and to provide a medium to share their creative efforts. Our conviction is that encouraging children in the elementary grades to be unafraid to express their creative ideas will increase their chances of becoming adults unafraid to apply a creative approach to all aspects of their lives and work.

Submission guidelines at http://www.magicdragonmagazine.com/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Genre: Short story or nonfiction up to 5,000 words. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: November 30, 2018.

Deadline: November 30, 2018
https://www.servicescape.com/short-story-award 

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 40+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK.

Leave a message or check out my blog at www.nancykellyallen.com

Writing Visually

Most of the books I’ve written are picture books. They look simplistic. Not! This type of writing uses two techniques to tell a story: words and pictures. The story moves and changes with every sentence, and every page needs action so the illustrator can assist in moving the story forward. 

Illustrations do more than capture images of the text. They also capture the mood and behavior of the character. The setting and plot are enhanced through the art and give the reader much more information that can be found in the storyline. Some picture books tell more of the story through text and some tell more through illustrations. The range of text-to-illustrations in picture books is wide and varied.

Writers paint with words and the better we paint the better the image. In writing TROUBLE IN TROUBLESOME CREEK, I wrote in the first draft “James ran.” The words would communicate the idea to the reader but not in an interesting way. In revision, the text evolved to “James sure can make the dust fly as he picks them up and puts them down.” Voice is the quality of the writer’s words. That quality is reflected in surprising the reader with your own unique way of describing the action. Clichés water down the quality of writing because the surprise element is missing.

I always consider how my words can support the illustrations and provide hints to the action in the background. This is called writing visually. When I receive the first galley, I’m always amazed to see how the text influenced the art and how the two work together. 

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Launchpad. A bimonthly magazine dedicated to publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, book reviews, and artwork written and created by children ages 6-12.

Submission guidelines at http://www.launchpadmag.com/write/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers: 

Bumples is an INTERACTIVE online magazine for children three- 10 years of age. Bumples specializes in illustrated fiction about children and animals in mysteries, sports, poems and fantasies with serialized adventures in each issue.
Stories are uniquely supplemented with puzzles, question games, and activities, all of which makes Bumples storytelling all the more engaging. Interesting information on a topic is always fun to explore after enjoying a great reading experience. Consequently, Bumples adds factual postscripts to complement each story.

Submission guidelines at http://www.bumples.com/WritersGuidelines.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 48 children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK. 

Leave a message or check out my blog at www.nancykellyallen.com