Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2023 i The Writer

“LET’S GO ON THAT ride,” said my son last summer, pointing to an enclosed, tallish white building, hexagon-shaped, with three flights of stairways leading to a mysterious entrance. We were at Canobie Lake amusement park in New Hampshire, my first time there, and I was having a good day because my son, 8 years old, was unleashing some bravery he didn’t know he had. A half-hour before he had surprised me by wanting to go on a log ride with a wicked 40-foot drop. Drenched and happy, he was up for more. “Sure! Let’s do it,” I said, riding the momentum, unsure what I was saying yes to. There wasn’t a long line, so why not? The sign on the front of the building said, “Turkish Twist,” the letters styled…

Many authors share a dream. Acquire an agent, get a contract with one of the Big Five publishers (Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, and Macmillan) with a big advance, have a successful book tour, and end up on the bestseller list. Although this can happen, for most authors it doesn’t. The good news is that even though this exact scenario is rare, it doesn’t mean having a published book is out of reach. There are many options available and one of those is signing with a small publisher. WHAT IS A SMALL PUBLISHER? A small publisher, also called an independent publisher or small press, is defined as a publishing company that publishes fewer than 10 books a year and/or makes less than $50 million annually (as a…

You’ve been working on a manuscript for the next bestselling novel, and after years of hard work and revisions, you’re ready to send it out. But all of the time you’ve spent on your manuscript won’t matter much if you simply pop your masterpiece into the mail without thoroughly researching the press. Before you submit to a publisher, whether big or small, it’s essential to make sure you’ve perfectly met their criteria. Book publishers Information in this section is provided to The Writer by the individual markets and events; for more information, contact those entities directly. Subscribers to The Writer have online access to information on publishers, publications, conferences, contests, and agents. Go to writermag.com and click on Writing Resources. F = Fiction N = Nonfiction P = Poetry C…

In the first place, put it off as long as possible. Wait until your interest in your friend’s letter has evaporated, and you have mislaid the same and partially forgotten its contents. Make it very apparent that nothing but stern Duty drives you to the task. Take any paper you may happen to have. If the envelope doesn’t match, don’t let a trifle like that deter you. If there is no pale ink at your disposal, a pencil will do. Write first horizontally and then perpendicularly, and let your pen wander to any page it may fancy. Spell a few words wrong, to show that you are no pedant; you can’t be expected to be a walking dictionary. Blots may be accomplished incidentally, to indicate careless ease, and a smudge…

ON A WARM NIGHT IN 2019, I WAS AT THE beach bathed in the light of a full moon. I sat back in my chair and buried my feet in the cool Florida sand. Pen in hand, my notebook held the first draft of a new poem. Five other women of color writers sat beside me, all silently scribbling in their notebooks. The heat of the day had faded away, but not the warmth of our written words. Kitchen Table Literary Arts (kitchen-table.org) brought us all together. Founded in Florida, Kitchen Table Literary Arts is a nonprofit organization created to build awareness, appreciation, and support for Black women and women of color writers and their work. They offer literary arts events, writing classes on craft and publishing, an online Creative…

This is first in our new series introducing writer-teachers who you’ll enjoy reading and learning from. Recently I was in the bathroom, shaving, squinting through the steam, when I heard four distinct low-level knocks on the door. I sharply turned to glare at the doorknob. I was freaked out because, one, my kids unfailingly never knock on the bathroom door. They barge. And two, they weren’t home. Were short little ghosts knocking on the door? Before I had read Amy Shearn’s Unseen City, her third novel, a genre-bending ghost story scaffolded by equal parts of historical fiction and contemporary literary fiction, I doubt I would have noticed the four spooky knocks. This is because I don’t recall ever believing in ghosts — but reading Amy Shearn rattled my contention. I…

What’s the first step an author should take when setting up their author brand as a business? You first need to decide what kind of tax structure you’re going to take. Being a published author is a business, so you need to look at it that way — at least in terms of your taxes. You’ll be receiving royalty income (hopefully lots of it), and you’ll incur expenses as an author. So you need to determine the form in which you’ll run your business. You can run your business as a sole proprietor or you can form a legal entity (a Limited Liability Company or a Corporation). Most authors I know run their business as a sole proprietor. The risk is that this does expose you to liability if there’s…

ON A COLD WINTER DAY IN THE EARLY 1960s, a writers group called the Twelve O’ Clock Scholars dreamed about founding a literary conference taught by the famous authors who visited Cape Cod in the summer. In August 1963, that dream became a reality. Sixty years later, the Cape Cod Writers Center Conference has not only survived but thrived as one of the nation’s most beloved literary events. By the 21st century, the conference was attracting over 150 aspiring and seasoned authors eager to improve their literary, editorial, and promotional skills. In 2018 and 2019, this magazine consequently named Cape Cod Writers Center Conference the “best” in Massachusetts. The concept of a conference on scenic Cape Cod was a hit from the start. Author Marion Vuilleumier and fellow members of…

Yoga is a great way to counteract the negative effects of sitting at a desk for long periods of time. When we sit and write for extended durations, our muscles can become tight and tense, leading to poor posture, back pain, and other physical discomforts. Another negative side effect is how it slows down your metabolism. As a Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise review reported, “Prolonged time spent in sedentary behaviors (i.e., activities performed while sitting or reclining) has been consistently shown as an independent risk factor for increased cardiometabolic risk and all-cause mortality.” The same review declared that there is “considerable evidence” that breaking up long periods of sitting with activity can help mitigate the problem. If you have the time, going to a yoga class for…

July 1 French novelist Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (aka George Sand) was born on this day in 1892. July 4 Independence Day. Think back to what July 4th was like when you were a kid and write about it. July 15 It’s national Toss Away the “Should Haves” and “Could Haves” Day. July 20 National Moon Day. If the sky is clear, gaze at the moon for a few minutes and churn this into 15 minutes of writing. July 11 E.B. White was born on this day in 1899. July 21 Ernest Hemingway was born on this day, just 10 days after E.B. White. July 27 Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day. July 28 Beatrix Potter (author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit) was born on this…