Writing in Rhyme

In a writing group I recently attended, one member followed up with an email to ask why editors did not like rhyming stories. I certainly can’t answer for editors, and since I don’t (and can’t) write in rhyme, my reply is based on the information I’ve heard in workshops and discussions with several editors.

Rhyme does not work when the rhyme is the most important factor. The story reigns supreme and should have an arc with a beginning, middle, and ending, as with non-rhyming stories. The words should read well and be fun to say, and the rhyming words should be exact rhymes. Near-rhymes don’t cut it.

The strength of the story comes from the voice, emotion, plot, character, and resolution/change at the end of the story, not from the rhyme. It’s easy to write bad rhyme (I know because the rhyme I’ve written is not contract worthy), and good rhyme is extremely difficult to master.  

Editors often steer away from rhyme since it is difficult to translate into other languages, making the sales market smaller. 

The manuscript must tell a good story. If you can do that and follow the rules of rhyme, give it a try. Many authors do and are successful.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Chicken Soup. Christmas and Holiday Collection – 2018. Our next holiday collection will not be released until 2018 but we are already collecting stories for it. People love reading about the winter holidays – from Thanksgiving all the way through New Year’s Day. We want to hear about your traditions and how they came to be. We want to hear about your holiday memories and the rituals that create the foundation of your life. We love to hear about the funny things too: the ugly holiday sweaters, the gingerbread house that kept falling down, the re-gifting embarrassments and the fruit cake disasters. Please be sure your stories are “Santa safe” so we don’t spoil the magic for any precocious young readers. The deadline date for story and poem submissions is October 31, 2017.

 Submission guidelines at http://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topicsSubmission guidelines at

 Nancy Kelly Allen has written 40+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK. Check out her blog at www.nancykellyallen.com

Remaining Positive in a Negative Atmosphere

My journey into the world of writing started later in life, age forty to be exact. A late bloomer, that’s me, but I had a big dream: writerdom (a homemade word). At the time I failed to realize writerdom was not in my immediate future. I put my dream into action and began writing, collecting rejections and an occasional tidbit of encouragement from editors, and creating a host of manuscripts that would never wrangle a copyright date. ONCE UPON A DIME, my first book, showed up on my doorstep almost ten years later. I was thrilled beyond belief and knew I could knock out another book lickety-split. Wrong! Overnight success bypassed me, but five years later, I held my second book, ON THE BANKS OF THE AMAZON. On a positive note, I had cut the waiting time in half.

The primary element that kept me thinking positively was my job. Every day, I read picture books to students in the school where I was a librarian. I continued to fall in love with new stories, watched students’ reactions to the stories, and read a wide variety of authors and types of picture books, on the job training at its best. Seeing how authors approached and plotted stories, developed characters and hooks, and played with words immersed me in lyrical literature. My daily activities forced my dream to stay alive.

Rejections poured in but so did new children’s books. The excitement of finding authors, whose words tingled and teased my senses, balanced the disappointment of “No, but thank you” letters.

I learned to embrace failure—to view a rejection as a challenge—and accept those tidbits of advice and encouragement the occasional editor sent my way. Still, I struggled to write a publishable manuscript, but I recognized that the business of publishing is frustrating to all authors. I’m not alone. The struggle is real as much today as when I first began, maybe more so. I’ll continue to accumulate rejections, but more importantly, I’ll continue to write, learn, and grow as an author.

On another note, beginning this month, I’m including markets for young authors to submit work.

Call for submissions for Young Writers:

Amazing Kids! Magazine is excited to announce our first Money Smarts contest, which is now open for submissions! September is the time kids start getting back into school and learning. For our contest, we want you to write a story about a character that learns a money lesson. We are looking for creative and fresh stories about learning a money lesson. Let your imaginations soar!

This contest is open to kids all around the world in ages 7 – 15. We have split the categories into the following age groups: 7 – 9, 10 – 11, 12 – 14, and 15 – 18. One winner will be chosen in each category to win a Solitaire Chess game and FootBubbles along with an official certificate verifying their winning entry and publication in the Amazing Kids! Magazine.

Submission guidelines at http://mag.amazing-kids.org/ak-contests/amazing-kids-money-smarts-contest-create-a-money-lesson-story/

Call for submissions for Adult Writers:

 

Alphie Dog Fiction. We will consider stories from 1,000 words to 10,000 words for adult stories and 500 words to 10,000 words for children’s stories. The minimum word count is not flexible and does not include the story title. We consider a wide range of genres, including children’s, but not including stories which are graphically violent or pornographic in nature or erotica. Please don’t be put off if your story does not fit a classic genre, but give the best description you can of where you see it sitting. We want to offer our readers variety and enable them to choose stories to fit their mood.

 

Deadline: from 19th September to 16th October

Submission guidelines at http://alfiedog.com/fiction/submissions/submission-process/