YESSSS! We'll be online in March 2008--Stay tuned for more info and visit our website for links to the online version of 34thParallel. We could say more--see the website and the left menu for more details about guidelines!
AWP & Bookfair in NEW YORK CITY
The AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) conference and bookfair is this weekend. The bookfair portion of the conference is the largest independent press fair in the country, and it’s open to the public on Saturday. Yes folks, IT's FREE! So, go if you're in the NYC area. For more information
AWP Conference and Bookfair(2008) Thursday, January 31 – Saturday, February 2 Bookfair hours: 8:30 – 5:30 Hilton New York 1335 Avenue of the Americas (between 53rd & 54th Streets)
Headed to NYC for the Weekend??? Excellent question--unfortunately 34thParallel won't be there this year, but lots of our friends will be. Hobart will share a table with Juked (www.juked.com). They've got some pretty dynamite stuff planned for the table. Michelle Orange might even be hanging out at the Hobart/Juked table. Dan Wickett of the Emerging Writers Network and Dzanc Books is sharing a table with Absinthe, so please look for them on the bookfair floor!Stop by their table to find out about Dan's panel presentation. A Public Space Editor Brigid Hughes speaking on a pair of panels and some of APS contributors are participating. They'll be at Table 98 if you want to stop by.
And if you think that's a party--stop by the Fringe table! They're passing out Fringe essentials: free magnets with their sexy new logo, shot glasses for only $5, and gorgeous samples of some of their fringiest pieces published this year. And if you can't make it, check out their live blog!
More information, including a schedule of events and a list of bookfair exhibitors, click here.
Quicky Fiction Contest
Looking for a quick online contest? Nathan Brandsford, a literary agent with Curtis Brown, LTD (representing authors since 1914), is having a quick online fiction contest. Entries must be posted to his blog and entered in the original contest thread and only in the original contest thread. The winner/winners will get to talk to Nathan about their work in progress, or get a copy of one of the books from the authors he represents, which ever they choose. Smile.
The contest will be judged by Holly Burns, author of the hilarious blog Nothing But Bonfires. Check out her blog and if you get a chance enter Nathan's contest!
GOT A BIT OF DISH? Have some indie lit news you'd like to share? Drop me a line at tracesheridan@yahoo.com. We're happy to help spread the news about upcoming contests, positive goings on, and general gossip! HAHAHA!
Super cool mag that's both visually stimulating and pure entertainment.
"We collect found stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids' homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, doodles—anything that gives a glimpse into someone else's life. Anything goes. We certainly didn't invent the idea of found stuff being cool. Every time we visit our friends in other towns, someone's always got some kind of unbelievable discovered note or photo on their fridge. We decided to make a bunch of projects so that everyone can check out all the strange, hilarious, and heartbreaking things people have picked up and passed our way."
So, if you've got a note that you think other's might like to read—scan away—and visit their magazine for guidelines.
"400 Words is (a) a project; (b) a magazine; (c) a website; (d) an experiment. We collect true stories by ordinary people on assigned themes. We're about the documentation of everyday life, saying a lot by saying a little. Right now we're printing stories about work. You can send one in."
See their page for guidelines and upcoming themes.
A collection of interconnected pieces of prose and poetry based on themes.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Dorothee Lang the editor and creator in 34TH PARALLEL ISSUE 2.
About their current issue the editor says, "If the blueprintreview was a hotel, this issue numbered 13 wouldn't exist. We would skip it, together with [all] the potentially irritating themes."
Randolph Pfaff is Editor of apt and says, "Without Carissa... would not get any of this done." Carissa Halston is the Contributing Editor, "She contributes to and edits each issue." They founded Aforementioned Productions in April of 2005 and launched apt in October of 2005.
A little note from the editors: "Nous avons deux ans. Two years and twelve issues in...this time, we're focusing on prose and verse. We thank you, as always, for returning to our favorite corner of the vast literary 'scene'. That's hipster speak for 'world'. You crazy kids."
HECALE came into existence as a resource for its founder, the aspiring author, Tim Kenny. Equipped with a section that displays an alphabetical selection of literary sites, Hecale acts as "a gateway to the many and varied publications".
The portal also has links to art, music, books, blogs, software, and comics. We talked to Kenny in depth about his goals for HECALE in 34THPARALLEL ISSUE 2—check it out.
"Pindeldyboz is an operation run by a small but valiant group of people. We publish creative works both here on our website and in the pages of a print volume released once a year. We have been known to publish much fiction, some nonfiction, and artwork makes an irregular appearance. We released our first and only poetry collection in 2007. Our final print edition will be released this fall."
So you should check their site to see if you still have time to submit to the print version.
The Web Edition of Pindeldyboz has published over 1000 stories by more than 600 authors over the last seven years. "We were named the Best Online Publication of 2003 in the StorySouth Million Writers competition. That was cool. Recently, stories from Pboz online were featured in the Best American Fantasy collection. It's fun when web things magically turn themselves into paper."
Since its inception in 1994, Fourteen Hills has held an impressive reputation among international literary magazines for publishing the highest-quality innovative poetry, fiction, short plays, and literary nonfiction. The semiannual journal is committed to presenting a great diversity of experimental and progressive work by emerging and cross-genre writers, as well as by award-winning and established authors. In the past four years, pieces first published in Fourteen Hills have racked up some prestigious literary awards—including 2000 Flannery O'Connor Award for Fiction, 1998 O'Henry Prize Anthology, 100 Distinguished Stories of 1997, 1997 Best American Gay Fiction Prize Anthology, 1997 O'Henry Prize Anthology, and more.
Not bad for a University literary magazine. See their site for guidelines.
"storySouth is interested in all types of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry by writers from the new South. The exact definition of "new South" varies from person to person—if you can make a case for why you consider yourself part of the new South, then submit your work. storySouth seeks works representing the entire range of southern experience—including all races, genders, and views on life."
The bottom line of what they want: "excellence in writing is the only criteria used in choosing works to publish on storySouth."
No stereotypes, the editors are looking for fresh interpretations of the South. "Bring something new to your writings about the South and we will be interested."
Swivel: The Nexus of Women and Wit is a biannual print literary magazine "devoted to smart, funny writing by smart, funny women." Based in Seattle, "where the notoriously moist climate makes an ironic sensibility mandatory, their mission...is to showcase fiction, essays, poems, comix, and artwork reflecting the raucous beauty pageant of contemporary women's humor."
What sort of humor do they look for?: "In Swivel, you'll find both funny ha-ha and funny strange, but mostly you'll find that we take funny women seriously."
"Our general aesthetic is that we are looking for stories that we will love, as readers ourselves. We've said in the past that we tend to like quirky stories with subjects like truck driving and mathematics and vagabonding but not really stories that rely too heavily on their quirkiness. We like stories with humor but are not looking for humor pieces. At one point a reader summed up a couple of our stories as "humorous but engaging" and we like how that sounds. Another reader said "literary but not stuffy". We realize no one is trying to do stuffy but, still, we think it was a good assessment. Mostly, we just want to get excited about your story as a reader and hope you will send your best work."
For more interesting and insightful tid-bits from HOBART's founding editor see 34THPARALLEL ISSUE 2.
First things first: the name...say what? "On the first syllable: ziz-i-va," or ZYZZ-Y-VA. Apparently, according to their editors, "the last word in the American Heritage Dictionary: "any of various tropical American weevils, often destructive to plants."
All that not withstanding, "ZYZZYVA attacks the new smugness by asserting classical values: the possibilities of individual vision; the enduring magic of words; the delight of variety; absolute freedom from commercial constraint."
It's a West Coast mag, so contributors have to live in the region—so, if your State backs up to the Pacific, you've met the first qualification.
Short and to the point, these miniature tales pack lots of punch and meaning. Started by Rosemary Mosco the online magazine is updated monthly. Anca Szilagyi and Jessica C. Adams act as curators and editors of the project.
To read and submit visit their site. And to look at our interview with the founding editor see 34TH PARALLEL ISSUE 2.
Their Manifesto: "We founded Fringe to fight against the homogenization of culture and the loss of revolutionary literature at the high-literary and popular levels. This loss of variety stems from the politics of market capitalism and mass media. Because larger retailers market to mainstream perspectives, magazines that cater to specific groups (feminist, Afrofuturist, environmental) find themselves going the way of the eight-track. Such journals provide the natural mechanism by which fringe writers mix into the mainstream. Without them, corporate media rules unopposed, eliminating competing voices, or worse, co-opting their style while stripping these voices of their content. To combat this trend, we founded a free and readily available magazine to disseminate progressive voices to everyone."
Power to the independent publisher! For more see their website.
"At EditRed, you upload your work, workshop it with your trusted reader group and get it out there. We don't care how many times a story gets read on EditRed. We care about our writers developing their craft to the point where they're getting their writing published in reputable zines and journals. Our process is simple: upload your writing, build your network, build your publishing credits. Ultimately, that's what's going to interest publishers."
An online community worth joining—and it's free. See our interview with Alan Emmins in 34TH PARALLEL PREMIERE ISSUE.
"Quick Fiction is a literary journal featuring stories and narrative prose poems under 500 words. It was founded in 2001 by Adam Pieroni, Publisher, and Jennifer Pieroni, Editor in Chief. The journal is published twice per year, with issues appearing each spring and fall."
Word Riot publishes the forceful voices of up-and-coming writers and poets. "We like edgy. We like challenging. We like unique voices."
An interesting bit of trivia: "Word Riot first opened shop in March 2002 as the literary section of a now defunct on-line music magazine, Communication Breakdown. Each month we provide readers with book reviews, author interviews, and, most importantly, writing from some of the best and brightest making waves on the literary scene."
They accept submissions via email and don't mind simultaneous subs.
identitytheory.com is a regularly updated, socially conscious web magazine that covers literature, music, film, and art. The project was founded in 2000 by Matt Borondy, who still publishes the site with the help of nearly twenty volunteer editors.
"Caketrain is a literary journal and press based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Our interest is in bringing you, reader, the very best in contemporary creative writing, full stop. Our goals are for each issue of our journal to submerge you in a birthing tank for gelatinous language monsters, young masses of tentacular foci undulating as directed (in all, at once) by our eclectic stable of contributors."
SKIVE (now at the end of its fourth year) is perfect-bound, printed with a laminated, color cover. This issue contains a bumper 43 short stories from some of the world's most exciting authors. In addition to being able to purchase and get submissions guidelines, SKIVE now features a free creative writing forum—all the more reason to take a look. We interviewed Matt Ward, the founding editor, in 34THPARALLEL ISSUE 2.
In six months of operation we're pleased to say we've published almost 100 new and emerging writers in 34thParallel magazine. For 2008, we have great things on the horizon, including an online version of the magazine!
34thParallel Launches Online Version YES! You spoke, we listened. Yes, an actual online version of our magazine. We'll still include the excerpts from the print mag and the preview pages, but this will be something you can read from the virtual cover to close. Look for it in March 2008. Stay tuned for more info.
Submission Guidelines--Tweaking (That Means Changes) We love receiving your submissions, all we ask is that you read our submission guidelines before sending them. (No, seriously, you should read them!)
Speaking of submission guidelines, from now on (poets don't hate us), we are only accepting one poem and one short story per submission. Don't send us anything else until you've received our answer on your initial piece. If we'd like to see something else, we'll contact you. Simultaneous submissions are still cool--just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.
And that brings us to the topic of--response time! OH YEAH! Our response time is what it is--lengthly. Until we 1) can hire, borrow, or steal some readers or 2) hit the mega-fantastic lotto there are only two of us, folks. Which means it takes time--sometimes a long time to respond to your submissions. Having said this, it isn't our goal to make you wait, but to give every submission the thoughtful consideration they deserve.
What can you do? Submit your best, wait four months, if you haven't heard back from us--query.
Our Friends in Other Places (Journals, Zines, Magazines, etc) If you haven't had a chance to take a look at last year's issues, we invite you to do so. We had some awesome interviews with the editors from Hobart, Matador, 55 words, BluePrintReview, Mud Luscious, Skive, and Hecale. It's never too late to get a copy.
Visit our website for links we like and stop by our friend's places, tell them we sent you! :)
Check out Cool 34thParallel Gifts for the Holidays!
1. ISSUE 2 is now on sale! EDITORS TALK SHOP—We get the scoop from the editors of hip zines SKIVE, Mud Luscious, HOBART, BluePrintReview, and 55 Words!
Poetry by Mitra, Rod Stewart, Sarah Tuttle, Joseph Goosey, Cathy Delaleu, Pushcart Nominee Corey Mesler, Craig Wesley, Laura LeHew, Matthew Abuelo, Leslie Joseph, and Dave Morrison.
Fiction by Robert Louis Bartlett, Ruth Knipe, Jeff Esterholm, Teddy Totimeh, Tom Gant, Kim Kolarich, Frank Haberle, Matthew Ward, Robert K Omura, Lee Kern, John Arthur Pegg (aka Kerosene), ArashFarzaneh, Dorothee Lang, Aaron Burch, Rosemary Mosco, Tim Kenny, Michael Ferrari, Ken Rodgers, Ashley Callender (aka Ash), Nancy Gauquier, JA Tyler, Lydia Riley, Jane M Bratton, Zayra Yves, Nora Gruenberg, Brian Gonzalez, Julia Press-Simmons, Rosie Sandler, David Kemp, Verdi E Mathis, Suzanne Jubenville, Damien Dread, RJ Williams, & Louis Harris.
We are pleased to announce the release of Night Falling, written by our Co-editing founder Martin Chipperfield. His new novel, Night Falling, explores the aftermath of an unspeakable family tragedy. Rick Davis, an up-and-coming deejay on a metropolitan radio station, is finally given the coveted rush-hour slot, but as his career catapults to sublime levels his marriage collapses.
The characters in Night Falling drift through confusion and jealousy, pain and fantasy—their lives crashing together. A bizarre array of characters move in and out of Rick’s life, mirroring his despair and a growing sense of isolation: a caller threatens arson, a cab driver finds his fare dead, a beggar on the sidewalk crouches in the darkness singing a haunting melody as Rick passes by.
Told in poetic free verse, Night Falling looks into human nature and modern marriage, revealing resentment and blame can destroy love, and tracing how even the sweetest of marriages can be reduced to ashes in the wake of tragedy. This is Martin's second book. Get your copy today!
To read an excerpt, visit our website: 34thParallel
3. Cool 34thParallel Stuff for the holidays!
Every year you give and receive stuff you don't necessarily want--why not get something with a message and at the same time, support a worthy cause. 34thParallel has loads of gifts and through Jan. 1, we'll make a donation of 5% of merchandise sold through our store to Stop Poverty Now. A little can go a long way!
Issue 2!!! BUY IT NOV 1st On Tap for Winter October 20, 2007 Featured Product "34thParallel" Messenger Bag$28.49
In This Issue: Issue 2 On the Way! READY to READ NOV 1st EDITORS TALK SHOP & Writing... ER FLASH CONTEST WINNERS We're Glad to be GREEN~ 34thParallel STUFF
1. Issue 2 On the Way! READY NOV 1st
ISSUE 2 ~ AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 1!!! From now on our issues will be known by their number and not the month they are released. BIG SMILE. Thanks to every one for their patience--we hope this means you'll get your very own copies either by downloading them or getting a printed copy--you can get both from our website. AND... Lot of great stuff--we plan to get better and better with each issue.
YES!!! WE HAVE THE EditRed FLASH CONTEST WINNERS! Some great writing (140 pages of it) by authors from everywhere you can imagine!
Our line up:
Poetry by--Mitra, Rod Stewart, Sarah Tuttle, Joseph Goosey, Cathy Delaleu, Pushcart Nominee Corey Mesler, Craig Wesley, Laura LeHew, Matthew Abuelo, Leslie Joseph and Dave Morrison.
Stories by--Robert Louis Bartlett, Ruth Knipe, Jeff Esterholm,Teddy Totimeh,Tom Gant, Kim Kolarish, Frank Haberle, Matthew Ward, Robert K. Omura, Lee Kern, John Arthur Pegg (AKA. Kerocene), Arash Farzaneh, Dorothee Lang, Aaron Burch, Rosemary Mosco, Tim Kenny, Michael Ferrari, Ken Rodgers, Ashley Callender (AKA Ash), Nancy Gauquier, JA Tyler--and the Edit Red Flash Contest Winners!
2. EDITORS TALK SHOP & Writing... 34th gets the scoop from the hip zine editors of SKIVE, Mud Luscious, HOBART, blueprintreview and 55 Words
Since editors are usually writers too--this issue presents some writing from and interviews with the
editors of some of the hottest (yes, hottest) indie journals around! Be sure to read each one as they give us insight about what they look for in submissions and what they prefer writing or editing.
This time editors paid us the honor of answering more than a few questions. We'll keep this feature going for as long as folks will talk to us and let us send them questions about what they're doing. And if you have a magazine you are just dying to know the ins-and-outs directly from the editor...drop us a line and let us know. We're always looking for leads.
3. EditRed FLASH CONTEST WINNERS We can't forget our first
At 34thParallel, we don't print it before you purchase it. The way we see it, that's less paper used and less to throw away when new issues arrive. Just one more reason we dig print on demand!
We can all make a difference doing little things! Recycle your old magazines--and not just ours (smile).
You can...
~ donate them to your local library, retirement center, boys & girls club or homeless shelter;
~ give them to your local elementary school (they're great for art projects);
~ and if all else fails, put them in a paper recycling bin!
Every little bit helps. And just think saving a tree ultimately saves the earth! PS. You can also download every issue of our magazine (current and back issues). Link: http://www.34thparallel.net/
5. 34thParallel STUFF
Just in case you're doing some really early holiday shopping... stop by our online shop to pick up gifts from 34thParallel. Items include: ~ mouse pads ~ clocks ~ shirts for the entire family ~ coffee mugs ~ messenger bags ~ baseball hats AND MORE Buy our stuff helps get the word out about our magazine and From now until January 1, 5% of all sales will be donated to help make poverty history.
~*HOLIDAY WISHES*~
We enjoy reading your submissions. Issue 3 won't be out until the first of next year--but keep sending us your work. We want to thank any and everyone who had some hand in making 34thParallel happen. We can't wait for next year--we've got big plans and we hope you'll continue be part of them. Tell a friend--pass on this newsletter!
Happy Holidays and all the best to you and yours in the New Year!
From now on our issues will be known by their number and not the month they are released. BIG SMILE. Thanks to every one for their patience--we hope this means you'll get your very own copies either by downloading them or getting a printed copy--you can get both from our website. Lot of great stuff--we plan to get better and better with each issue.
1. To Reject or Not To Reject 2. Submit TODAY! 3. TOP PLACES TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK ONLINE! 4. 34thParallel Publishing BOOKS BABY! 5. NEW BOOK RELEASE: Night Falling --Who Is Martin Chipperfield?
1. To Reject or Not To Reject? Writers often complain about rejection letters. But we discovered sometimes its better to be turned down than turned away by waiting in definitely on submissions status. We took our policy to the people and asked writers what they preferred. See our site for updated guidelines and to see the discussion see the link below. Link: http://www.editred.com/index.php/My_Ink/Bulletin/Show/7173
2. Submit TODAY! September 1 is the working deadline for our next issue. Every submission after this will be considered for the next issue. IT ISN'T TOO LATE! Link: http://www.34thparallel.net/submit.html
3. TOP PLACES TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK ONLINE??? IN OCTOBER--What are the top literary sites to submit your work online? STAY TUNED!!! And visit our website for the current issue of 34th--ROCK ON WRITERS!! Link: http://www.34thparallel.net/
4. 34thParallel Publishing YES ITS TRUE! We plan to publish books! REAL BOOKS (smile). No manuscripts just yet, but continue to check our website for the announcement. Link: http://www.34thparallel.net/publishing.html
5. NEW BOOK RELEASE: Night Falling
In his new novel Night Falling, Martin Chipperfield explores the aftermath of an unspeakable family tragedy. Rick Davis, an up-and-coming deejay on a metropolitan radio station, is given drive-time, the coveted rush-hour slot, but as his career catapults to sublime levels, his marriage collapses. The once-happy relationship is doomed by the event they will not speak of, and they are both overwhelmed.
The characters in Night Falling are like ships in the night, with no lights—bumping into each other, drifting through pitch black seas of confusion and jealousy, pain and fantasy—lives crashing together, drowning and gasping to survive. A caller threatens arson, a beggar on the sidewalk crouches in the darkness singing a haunting melody as Rick passes by. A bizarre array of characters move in and out of Rick’s life, mirroring his despair and a growing sense of isolation.
Told in poetic free verse, Night Falling looks deeply into human nature and modern marriage, uncovering the resentment and blame that can destroy love, and tracing out how even the sweetest of marriages can be reduced to ashes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: WHO IS MARTIN CHIPPERFIELD? Martin Chipperfield was buying a hamburger when he heard the radio deejay crossing for the latest weather information. The trouble was that Martin was supposed to be doing it. He had finished reading the news and dashed out of the studio for something to eat forgetting that the weather was next. He ran back out of the hamburger shop, down a block, around a corner, up a flight of stairs, and burst into the studio just as the deejay opened the mike for the weather. But all that the listeners heard was Martin gasping for breath.
Martin makes use of his exciting misadventures on radio in Night Falling. As a writer and editor (and deejay) Martin has worked in radio, television, newspapers, and magazines. He has had two plays "Making Love" and "Morning After" produced by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, and a stage play The Documents performed in his home town Adelaide. He twice sold the movie script Departure which has not yet made it to the screen and a television script Hello Out There, the precursor of Night Falling. His movie script Parting Touches was shortlisted recently by the Australian Film Commission for production funding. Link: http://www.editred.com/jjsmith
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING 34THPARALLEL!!!
Many thanks to everyone who has expressed an interest in the magazine.
The process of taking an idea from being more than something jotted down on a napkin to fruition, to something real, can take years. It is nothing short of a miracle when one is allowed to dream and see it take shape, breathe, and live! What does it take for something miraculous to happen? People—the right people—getting together and believing the dream can come to pass.
34thParallel would surely have remained little more than a dream without the support of like-minded people, writers and artists, who believed in the project. We started the magazine with one aim: to give new and emerging writers and artists a platform for their work. Publication history is not necessarily an indication of one’s ability. We believe that there are thousands of talented writers who do not have agents (nothing against agents) and we hope all of you will consider submitting!
Many thanks to EditRed (http://www.editred.com/) staff, members and fellow writers for embracing the magazine from the beginning. Also thanks to the Writer’s League of Texas(http://www.writersleague.org/) and the Independent Writers of Southern California (http://www.iwosc.org/) for announcing our call for submissions.
Thanks to everyone who submitted. We’ll do it all again very soon. This is just the beginning! The writers and artists featured in this issue are from everywhere. We hope you’ll enjoy their work. Just goes to show that all it takes is the right people coming together to make a dream reality!
The premiere features short fiction and poetry from writers living all over the world--and a little bit extra something we'll do every issue--we've included interviews with these rising stars all about what inspires them to create.
The featured authors include:
Dave Morrison ~ Alice Shin ~ James GormleyKelly Dieslet ~ Mealee Thomas ~
Corey Evans ~ Stefan Schumacher ~ Cher'ley Grogg ~ David Miller ~ Judy Kaber ~
Howard M Murray ~ Lori Kozlowski ~ Rosalia SanfillipoPatrick Cole ~ JP Meredith ~
John Janda ~ Deanna Roy ~ Susan Breeden ~ Jake Epstine Michael Peck ~
RaChelle Hafen ~ Jan Pengally ~ Colin Dardis ~ Michael L Johnson ~ Greg Gerke
Michael Overa ~ Elizabeth Castoria and Sharon Harriot
Interviews galore including one with EditRed's ALAN EMMINS (BIG SMILE)!
Images and Art by Chris Niesmertelny ~ Cher'ley Grogg ~
John Wayne McClung ~ Fabio Sassi ~ and Rosalia Sanfilippo
all the best--
34th editors,
trace & martin
Monday, May 7, 2007
“Fiction is about intimacy with characters, events, places.” Robert Morgan
Recently, discouraged by the inability to write on a regular schedule, I decided to start writing stories with word limits. But not with the standard short story limit say between 1500 and 3000 words, no—very short and strict limits—think 300 words, 150 words, 100 words, even 50. At first it was terrifying being brief—and I wondered how much could I convey with so few words.
If indeed a certain amount of space is needed in order to build a plot, move a story from beginning to end, would it be possible to actually 'tell' a meaningful story that was shorter than say the average author bio or blurb on the jacket of a book?
I was sitting in the room where I write, really a converted oversized closet, considering all these things and it occurred to me maybe, just maybe (I'm never certain—smile), I am asking the wrong question. Maybe I should be asking myself—what is fiction?—before I can accurately determine the number of words to use.
Robert Morgan said, "Fiction is about intimacy with characters, events, and places." And isn't this what we want from a good book, a good story, a good read…to feel close, intimate, to have a glimpse inside, to experience some character's life, their hurts and pains, joys and excitement? We want to live for a moment through the character(s) created on the page, and live in that moment as they have experienced (albeit fictionally). We want to be a fly on the wall, see what's going on behind closed doors, but even more than this…we want to be inside the characters, inside their heads, hear with their ears, and see through their eyes. We want to be intimate.
I've noticed after writing a few of these experimental shorts readers have hinted that maybe what I'd written was autobiographical. And to this I ask, isn't everything we write autobiographical on some level because it comes from us?
And maybe this is what makes writing revealing—inevitably we enclose our own lives and experiences in between the lines, in between the words, even between the punctuation. Our characters may not have anything in common with us on the surface, but whether we do it consciously or unconsciously, we encode into our characters who we are—if not what we've experienced first hand, then what we have observed living and walking on this Earth.
So as I meander about this thought—I come back to the beginning—the question about length, whether a 'real' story could be 50 words.
Well, I suppose I have to ask this: How long does it take to be intimate with a person? If intimacy is an experience between people, couldn't it happen in a moment, in a second as a man exits the bus turns and glances at a woman as the doors close behind him? Then how many words does it take for a reader to be intimate with a character, an event, a place? What we write isn’t presented in a vacuum, the reader reads and brings everything they know and have personally experienced to their interpretation of what we’ve written...So, who's to say how many words are necessary for a reader to feel close to the character… I’d argue ‘intimacy’ with the character, the event, or place could happen with one paragraph or one sentence…and maybe even with one word.
So we write, wanting our readers to come close, closer, to feel what our characters feel, and experience life as they live it within the words we've written. If you agree with Robert Morgan's idea that "fiction is about being intimate with characters, events, and places"…maybe, just maybe, it is possible to do this with length and in any number of words, if done skillfully.
What are we about? We're about writing, but not just writing--good writing--or better, writing that's written well (smile, and say that 5 times fast).
We think there are more good writers, who are undiscovered, than soccer moms at Starbucks. Where are all these 'good' writers? One guess: You got it! they're at their day jobs!
You've heard of a dual income family or a person who works one place and moonlights at another...A writer is someone who moonlights at the second job for free! (That is until they sell something).
And since tying to write while maintaining a day job requires the time and discipline required for two jobs without the benefit of a paycheck--it's incredible that many writers do this routine, working all day at a job that pays the bill, and writing all night. Raise your hand if you've been in or if you're currently in this situation. Don't worry you're not alone. The first step is to admit you are powerless in this situation.
No sense agonizing over whether you should just stop all this writing stuff and concentrate on your job. If you're up, don't waste your time on that, you might as well just write.
Remember after you stay up until 3:33 AM editing your short story submission, you still have to go to work the next day. Just tell your co-workers you had a late night karaoking (smile). They'll chastise you for partying on a weeknight, but this is much better than what you'd have to deal with if you told them the truth...
What ever you do, please don't tell them since you failed 8th grade Language Arts, you really don't know what a dangling participle is (LOL). So, fed by your anxiety, you spent the entire night (no morning) scouring the Internet to find out what it is to make sure you don't have any in your submission, which incidentally must be postmarked and mailed tomorrow.
It's all right...we feel your pain!
Now, the lucky writers already have agents working for them so they can concentrate on perfecting their writing and never think about the ghastly task of finding a place for their work. These privileged authors have agents working overnight also (well, their agent's assistants are) to get their work accepted, recognized, and read.
And isn't this what we writers all want--to be accepted, to be recognized, and yes, read?
At 34th, we understand that getting a book published (by mainstream publishers) these days is no small feat. We understand that getting your work published isn't magic--it's very hard work and hard work times 10,000 if you don't have an agent. It requires that you devote the same effort and discipline to marketing your piece that you used to write it.
We want to help this process along. That's what we're about.
We're about writing, four-letter-word + ing (see mom I don't have a potty-mouth) good writing. We're about writing that's written well and can come from anyone--the published or unpublished author.
Seeing an opportunity to carve out a much needed niche, we formed 34thParallel with the expressed goal of giving new and emerging writers (artists as well) a chance, a shot, (dare i say it?) an opportunity to be accepted, to be recognized and yes, to be read.
That's what we're about.
34thParallel was formed and founded by us--Martin Chipperfield and Trace Sheridan--a couple of writers who realized a way to help others, also struggling in a sea of obscurity, to be accepted, to be recognized and yes, to be read.
We both have stacks of rejection letters to our credit, so you know we'll write good ones if we can't use your work.
But not to worry, we're a monthly magazine, and unlike some magazines at this point, we don't have a limit on the number of times you submit in a submission period. We do ask that you wait until we've read what you've sent, before sending more (believe it or not, we still have day jobs too, sigh).
We want 34thParallel to be known as a place authors can be proud to have their work accepted, recognized and read. Ultimately, we hope to act as a spring board for new authors and artists on to bigger and better things.
We're about writing, but not just writing—good writing—or better writing that's written well (smile, and say that five times fast).
We think there are more good writers who are undiscovered than soccer moms at Starbucks.
Where are all these good writers? One guess: You got it! They're at their day jobs! We welcome the opportunity to read what you're about! Send your submissions to submissions@34thParallel.net
Genres: Fiction, Short Fiction, Poetry, Photography and Art
Specifics: Print Mag Fiction—1 story per submission—2500-3000 words max; Poetry—1 poem per submission; Artwork/Photography—500k file (in attachment)
Online Version Fiction—1 story per submission—1000-1500 words max; Poetry—1 poem per submission; Artwork/Photography—500k file (in attachment)
The short story on submission requirements: Simultaneous submissions are okay—just notify us if your story is accepted somewhere else. Unless you specify it, all submissions are considered for both print and online. Wait for a response to your submission before submitting again. Query us after four months if you haven't received a decision on your submission.
Visit our website www.34thParallel.net for more details, like how we want you to do your attachment. I suppose you can say we are a new and emerging literary magazine, but we won’t (smile). We welcome the opportunity to read your work!
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