You may have noticed that we ask everyone who joins our mailing list what is holding them back from being a successful writer. Something that keeps cropping up, unsurprisingly, is finding the time to write and juggling it with a busy lifestyle.
This article will be a little different than usual because I’m going to mostly talk about my own experiences and how I try (and sometimes fail) to fit writing into an already hectic schedule...
This is the final part of our series on common mistakes (click to read part one and two) and today we’re looking at overwriting.
Overwriting can come in many forms but at its heart it can be summed up as writing too much. When the writing is particularly elaborate, it’s sometimes called purple or flowery prose. The fact is, less is often more.
Some examples of overwriting:
This article is the second of a three part series where we look at common flaws in the submissions we receive. If you missed it, part 1 was on the misuse of speech marks. Next up we cast a critical eye on sentence fragments.
Let’s keep this simple, for a moment. A fragment is part of a sentence, but not a full sentence. A complete sentence has, at least, a noun (acting as the ‘subject’) and a verb (used as the ‘predicate’, to tell us more about the ‘subject’; for example, what it is or what it does).
Examples of real sentences:
This article is the first of a three part series where we shine a light on the most common mistakes we see in submissions. We want to try to help you avoid them, but also find out why these errors are so common. First up is the most frequent mistake we see: incorrect speech marks.
Are they speech marks, inverted commas or quotation marks? Whatever you want to call them, these little symbols are hugely important to the reading experience. Errors in their usage can take a number of forms...
Sending your writing out for consideration can often feel like a guessing game. However, if you are submitting your work to a magazine with no idea if it has a chance of being successful then you’re probably doing something wrong.
Finding somewhere to submit to is easy. There are thousands of markets out there – almost 6000 listed on Duotrope alone. Submitting to these magazines is easy; it takes a couple of clicks to have your writing in front of an editor. So why should you slow down and make the process of submitting harder? Well, with a bit of research and work, you can significantly increase your chances of publication by getting inside the head of an editor.
Here, I talk about worldbuilding as being the creation of an alternative reality and world rather than a reality built on Earth. The problems with worldbuilding within a short piece of fiction come because there is barely enough words to build the story you want in the current world, let alone a place that is not immediately recognisable. It works so well in novels because you have the space to gradually immerse the reader.
As you build an alternative world to this one, it becomes difficult for the reader to relate to the characters within it. There can often be a lack of empathy, an emotive void, which would otherwise be picked up by similarities we would find with characters on Earth. If your reader is a devoted sci-fi fan, they are more likely to forgive problems with your fictional world, but for someone like me, who isn’t a big fan of the genre, a world that I can’t relate to, or characters I can’t get my teeth into, are likely to lose me.
Illustrator Maggie Chiang created some beautiful artwork for us in Issue 5, and we’re thrilled to work with her again for a new competition that we are launching today. The challenge is to write a short story (under 1000 words) that is inspired by Maggie’s illustration, above.
The artwork that appears in Firewords is normally created based on the text, so this is a fun contrast to our usual way of doing things and we’re excited to read the results!
The deadline for entries is 31st October and the prizes include publication in our ‘Escape’ themed Issue 8, back issue bundles, and copies of the brand new 2017 Writers' & Artists' Yearbook. It’s a completely free competition, so head over to the Writers & Artists website for more details and how to enter.
Best of luck!
Dan & Jen
The short story format is ideal for a twist-in-the-tale story. That said, a surprising ending can leave a reader with a smile on their face or, if handled wrongly, a bitter taste in their mouth. So, how do you pull off the perfect twist?
It's a lot like pulling off a diamond heist. You can't just walk into a bank and steal the diamond from the safe without any kind of plan – that'll never work! Everything needs to be in place before you even set foot in the building.
A twist that seemingly comes out of nowhere can be hard to believe and harder to swallow. The last thing you want is for your reader to feel they’ve been tricked. The key to avoiding this is foreshadowing, which is the hinting at things to come later in the text. The clues you hide need to be subtle but also obvious enough that, when the twist occurs, the reader will think, ‘Of course! The clues were right there in front of me.’ Getting this balance just right is one of the hardest things to achieve.
Have you ever had to deal with people saying ‘At least short story writing is easier than novel writing’? Dan and I write short stories as well as publish them and this comment is one we hear often. On the surface, this is an understandable assumption to make. Short stories involve far fewer words than novels (so easier, right?) and, in a lot of cases, short fiction tells part of a story rather than trying to deal with the whole thing.
Well, enough is enough. Flip these ‘positives’ on their heads and you get a different picture...
‘Okay, back to writing I go. I can’t get this dialogue to sound realistic–Suddenly I am scrolling through an endless stream of tweets. How did this happen? How long have I been procrastinating? I really should get back to writing. Okay, so this character is feelin–Oh! A notification. I must see what this new email is. It could be important. I’ll just flip over to my email for a few secon–’
Does any of the above sound familiar? Procrastination is the bane of the modern writer’s life and it’s only getting worse...
From experiencing both sides of the rejection process, I know that they are not easy to give or receive. I’ve written some short stories that I felt were pretty good and they have been knocked back by magazine after magazine. Now, after being heavily involved in Firewords, the reasons for some of our rejections led to our previous blog, ‘Why Your Rejection Letter Means Nothing’. This might help you understand where journals come from when they decide not to publish, but today I’m interested in what you can do with this information and how you can use it when moving forward.
As with most skills in life, the best way to become a better writer is to practise. Write every single day and your ability is highly likely to improve over time. But what about the times when you aren’t writing? Here are 5 habits to adopt in other areas of your life that will have a positive effect on your writing.
It may seem counterintuitive to do something artistic other than writing, but it's often the push your creative juices need. Creativity is like a muscle and it should be trained and exercised in different and surprising ways to keep it fresh. It doesn't matter if your only skill is writing; just create for the fun of it. Pick up a camera and snap some random shots. Pick up a pencil and sketch your character. Step out of your comfort zone and, when you do come back to writing, you'll feel refreshed and energised.
When it comes to improving your writing, this tip is mentioned often and for good reason. You should be reading as much, if not more, than you are writing. Read the classics. Read exciting new authors who are doing things differently. Find out what you like to read and what you don’t, and then work out why. When you surround yourself with so many different literary voices, it is much easier to eventually find your own.
There’s no denying it - writing is hard work. It takes time, energy and a lot of determination to sit down day after day and write something of value. All these things can take their toll on your body, so make sure you look after it to avoid reaching burn-out. It’s common sense really, but things like plenty of sleep, regular exercise, a healthy diet and time away from a screen all result in a clearer mind and a healthier, happier writer. The image of a tortured soul who survives on only coffee and a few hours sleep may be a romantic one, but it makes your job a whole lot harder.
In case you haven’t heard, there is a resource available that has a limitless supply of inspiration for you to tap into. And the best part? It’s around you all the time and it’s completely free. Observing the world around is the best way to write with realism. Realistic characters are everywhere, from the gossiping old lady in the queue at the post office to the disheveled man on the bus who seems a little unhinged. They are all waiting to join your literary cast. And it’s not just characters; you can describe locations, eavesdrop on dialogue and observe all kinds of daily goings-on. It’s easy to walk around with your head down and your eyes fixed to a phone, but try looking up. Sights, smells, tastes, textures, emotions, drama; everything is there and ripe for the picking.
Okay, this one does involve writing, but only with pen and paper. Buy a small notebook and keep it with you at all times. Now keep a log of all the observations you make in point number 4. This is really important because it’s impossible to keep all your ideas, observations and descriptions in your head. Also, you never know when something, which seemed irrelevant at the time, will be the perfect spark you need later.
I keep my notebook colour coded for easy reference later (and because I’m a bit of a notebook geek). Feel free to steal my system or make up your own if it works better for you.
It will feel weird at first, but soon it will become a treasure trove of inspiration right at your fingertips for whenever you want to dip into it.
In this feature, we look at the design of Firewords more closely. This series of blogs will allow us to meet some of the creative talent we’ve worked with and find out why they made the design decisions that they did.
Meet Guillermo Ortego, an illustrator originally from Madrid, who took on the challenge of illustrating the short story 'Fuel' by Shirley Golden in Issue 6. The thought that went into his artwork and how well it represented the story made him the ideal candidate to answer some of our questions about his process.
If you were an eagle-eyed reader of Issue 6, you may have noticed an error on page 8: A poem has been attributed to Cody A. Conklin but the poem fails to appear in the magazine!
Well done if you were one of the few who recognised the printing mistake. We would love to blame the ‘Secrets’ theme of Issue 6 for the mysterious omission but, in fact, it is our fault and should have been picked up during the proofing stage. That said, we are happy and excited to report that the poem will be published in Issue 7. It will join many other strong poems that have been carried forward from the last submission round, thanks to the numerous high-calibre pieces which were received.
Cody has been most gracious in accepting our apologies. We cannot wait to share his poem with all our readers and are thrilled to be currently looking for the short stories that will accompany it.
This calls for a blog post on not beating yourself up after making a mistake - watch this space!
The artwork above is by Linda Yan, which was created to accompany Cody's poem as well as one by Steven E. Gonzales.
While still spreading the word about Issue 6, we are also looking to the future – Submissions for Issue 7 are open now! Here are the facts you need if you want to get involved:
WHEN: Sunday 29th May until Saturday 11th June
WHAT: Short stories (under 2000 words) and flash fiction
WHERE: firewords.co.uk/submit
The loose theme for this issue is ‘Dark/Light’. There will also be our usual flash fiction challenge, with a maximum 400 words based on this visual prompt by illustrator Rondie Li:
We are only open for two weeks this time so don’t hang around. Submissions will open until 11th June and we are only accepting short stories and flash fiction; we received so much great poetry for Issue 6, we felt that some had to be carried forward to this issue.
If you haven’t already done so, check out the newly published ‘Secrets’ edition. Not only a great read, it will also show you the kind of writing that captures our interest for the next submission round.
We can’t wait to see what Issue 7 will hold.
Take a look at all these lovely faces! We have just updated our people page where you can find out more about our Issue 6 contributors and their work.
Want to join them and contribute to the next issue? Submissions open soon!
The Secrets-themed 6th Issue is available to order from our online store. Here's a little taster of what you can expect to find inside...
Short fiction & poetry has never looked so good!
Christina Chung & the cover artwork for Issue 5
In this feature, we look at the design of Firewords more closely. This series of blogs will allow us to meet some of the creative talent we’ve worked with and find out why they made the design decisions that they did.
All the visuals and illustrations in the magazine are important to us, but one element has the most prominence and comes with extra responsibility: the cover artwork. This is the first thing people see on the shelves. Despite the famous saying, many people do judge a book by its cover! We aim for our covers to be eye-catching, hint at the theme of the issue and provide an enticing promise of what is to be found within the pages.
In this series of blogs we meet the team who bring you Firewords. Next up is our second in command, Jen. (Interview by Dan Burgess, Editor.)
Well, I’m an editor and English teacher, but I find my life outside of work is far more important. This involves many distinct areas of Firewords, as well as travelling regularly and writing; all the things that truly make me who I am. On that note, I am an aunt now and am absolutely loving it! Family, friendship and creativity mean the most to me, that’s for sure.
Last year, we just missed the nomination window for the Pushcart Prize and we were kicking ourselves for weeks! This year, we managed to submit our nominations just before the deadline.
In case you haven’t heard of the Pushcart Prize before, it celebrates the work published by small presses and independent magazines in the current year (so for us that means Issue 4 & 5) and prints the winners in a yearly anthology. We wanted to take part because it gives a few of our authors the chance for the acclaim and recognition we think they deserve.
Each publisher is permitted six nominations and we found it extremely challenging to narrow ours down, especially because we have the honour of publishing work of such a high standard. We tried to select a mixture of styles and favourites from different team members. So, without further ado, our nominations for the next Pushcart Prize are:
Psst… If you want the chance to be published in our next issue and perhaps be nominated next year, our submissions open on Dec 17th!
