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This week’s readings of Alice LaPlante’s Method and Madness, What Editors Want and The Submitter’s Dilemma were personally great for me as a student and as a writer for the first week of the semester. Both of the articles gave me an insight on what the life of an editor is like and some advice about getting published in journals. Last spring, I wrote a play that I submitted to Sin Fronteras journal and felt rather nervous about it. However, thanks to advice from Lynne Barrett and Becky Tuch I now have better knowledge about what to do and what to expect when trying to get published by literary journals.
ReplyDeleteIn Alice LaPlante Method and Madness I found to be very informative about writing and why we do workshops in class. One section that I took to heart was on page 430 on the last two paragraphs about incorporating all commentary because while developing a play for our play festival I ran into barriers of trying to include all commentary from my classmates which only led to every week my play would get more and more boring. I felt as if I had lost my mojo and did not know what to do. I threw all commentary to the side and decided to do some character and theme changes which became successful. I was proud to direct it in our play festival. I really like that LaPlante includes a section of advice from season vets (authors who have been published) because I learned different ways to revise and edit and that everyone has a unique style. The one that spoke to me and is my spirit animal is Raymond Carver on page 428. He says that its all about taking your time and that is what I like to do. Although, I get all of my assignments out of the way which makes me a non-procrastinator, when its time to do a second, third or fourth draft, I take my time. I let it sit there and think of ways to make it better before doing anything major to my writing.
-Marco Garza
Before reading “The Submitter’s Dilemma” the biggest question I had was not how to submit original work, but who to send it to? There are so many different magazines to choose from, and I never truly explored any of them myself. The magazines that I knew of were, at the most, a handful, which were Times, Rolling Stones, and National Geographic. “The Submitter’s Dilemma” shared information that I can use while looking for a magazine that might publish my work. Just like putting in the work to write a story or a poem, you need to put in the work to find somewhere to send that work.
ReplyDeleteThe reading “What Editors Want” is a hard truth for a writer to except. As a writer my work is the greatest thing in the world (in my own head), but giving it to a friend to read might make it not the greatest in the world, but still pretty good. The hard truth is that as a writer we raise our “literary baby” from an idea to a polished piece of literature. To be published, however, we send our “literary children” to someone who is reading thousands of these “literary children” from writers who think their work is the best in the world, just like we all do. The article “What Editors Want” added important information to “The Submitters Dilemma”, but it was also inadvertently helpful in letting me know how to take rejection from editors.
-James Attwood
When reading "What Editors Want" I realize that at often times I am intolerant to peoples advice/criticism, the reason being is because everything that I write are based on strong beliefs and opinions. So it costs me a lot of pride to let go of doing things my way, and opening myself up to other ideas and ways that I can improve my writing. When I have received good criticism it has at often times helped me improve the deliverance of my messege. These have been the times that I have been grateful to have let my guard down and be accepting at the fact that criticism is useful and meant to be accepted for the sake of growing. The criticism that I find useful for me are the ones that help structure my writing, which in the past I have noticed is a challenge for me only because when I have a good idea in my mind, I fear that I will loose it and therefore the need of free writing takes over me and I forget about the importance of properly structuring my writer for the sake of its proper deliverance.
ReplyDelete"The Submitters Dilema" I feel like at one point it is difficult to find options out there of where to send our work, we want to make sure that we are aware of our possibilities and that our connections lead us to the right place. I think this chapter has been helpful in guiding the reader through all the opportunities there are when it comes to sending our work. We want to make sure that we send our work out to several places so that the chances of being published are high.
-Andrea Castaneda
What I learned in “What Editors Want” is to not be greedy and not to take things to heart. I’ve never been someone who was keen on sharing my work with others while in the process of writing it because I’m very defensive about what I write. I tend to take things personally simply because in my time writing my work, it has managed to become very dear to me. With the reading, I was able to understand that while criticism may be difficult to handle it’s all only to make you a better writer. This is something I’ll definitely keep in mind seeing as it isn’t the first thing that pops up when someone points something out that could be better. In the reading, “A Submitter’s Dilemma,” I found it to be interesting that it focused on what was only partly mentioned in the previous reading. The main point stuck out to me, find what journals or magazines you feel your writing fits and submit to them. It’s about attempting and succeeding with what one has as well as improving. Not only that but both readings talked about reading magazines and journals to discover more in which one’s work could be published. Both readings were very helpful and didn’t will be very helpful in our future, as long as one is patient and ready to receive the criticism they need.
ReplyDelete- Angélica De La Cruz
For these readings I instantly read “What Editors Want” because being an editor was a career I have been interested and while most of what the reading said about editors was something I already knew, I did like the section near the end where the it talks about rejection when sending out papers, because it also helps me figure out something that it feels like isn’t talked about enough, where most people just say it happens and move on, it really talks about dealing with that idea of your work not being chosen instead of glossing over it. Getting your work chosen is something that was interesting to read about, how to deal with that and what is the proper etiquette which I feel is something important to know also.
ReplyDeleteI liked the “Submitters Dilemma”, this reading did help me get a better idea on how to get published because the idea of sending out my work seems like I’m fighting against everything and everyone, but reading this article helps the uphill battle of getting published seem less daunting. While the information in the reading isn’t something that is hidden away from the public, the ideas and tricks that are talked about are not something I would’ve thought of.
~Eduardo Castellanos
The readings were interesting to read. From reading "What Editors Want" I saw that how it would be like if one's work were to be rejected or accepted by an editor. I care deeply about my work and I know that I would not be able to face rejection well. These reading helped me see that the best thing for me to do if I were ever to hand in work to an editor would be to stay calm and in control. If my work was to be rejected the best thing would be to keep moving forward if it was accepted it would be best to not let it go over one's head.
ReplyDeleteAs for the reading "A Submitter's Dilemma", it helped me see ways to get one of my works published. The part where it states that it would be best to send your work to different types of magazines made sense to me because it increases the chance for one's work to be acknowledge. To see how someones work is able to be published has been something that I have always wanted to know.
"What Editor's Want" and "A Submitters Dilemma" have helped me get a better understanding on how to get one's work out there and how to better handle criticism.
-Leslie Perez
Fiction is still something relatively new to me, so Chapter 13 of Method and Madness probably responded to several of the concerns I’ve always had with broaching the style of writing. I was astounded to find out that no less than ten drafts are recommended by some writers, such as Raymond Carver. As a poetry writer primarily, drafts don’t see a lot of focus for me (I go through maybe 5 max before I’m happy with a piece). The most interesting part for me though, is the section on workshopping, the various methods, and the pros/cons. I hope to be a creative writing professor in the future and achieving my own style of teaching is going to be important.
ReplyDelete“The Submitter’s Dilemma” and “What Editors Want” were both great articles, especially for writers new to the idea of having their work in the public sphere. Both articles gave solid advice on how to approach submissions and the inevitable rejections. Since writing can be a very personal affair we can tend to become overtly attached to our own work. After reading these articles I think we can better understand the business behind being published and why rejection shouldn’t be lingered on.
- Joaquin Castillo
In the readings, ‘The Submitter’s Dilemma: Choosing the Right Literary Magazine for Your Work’, by Becky Tuch, focused mostly on how you could submit your work. While it didn’t offer much in methods for improving writing skills, it offered me help with providing a starting point on how to submit my work. This provided guidance for what I feel is the end goal to think about when wanting to have a writing published (it would have been nice to have something like this for the playwriting class and to see a difference if any on whether this advice would also be helpful for plays). The other article ‘What Editors Want; A Must-Read for Writers Submitting to Literary Magazine’, by Lynne Barrett, focused on the other side, not on writers but editors and how you must take into consideration about what editors would want to have published. The article continues with giving advice about rejections and submissions ending with advice about editing. While Alice LaPlante’s ‘Method and Madness: The Making of a Story’, chapter 13, focuses on revision, workshopping, writing advice, and the development processes. In contrast to the other articles, LaPlante gives guidance in helping create a writing while the other two articles focus on after the work is finished, but also Barrett’s article showcases how further editing can be done even if you think it’s perfect similar to how LaPlante has a section on perfection being an enemy.
ReplyDeleteSylvia Lopez
Workshops are a good thing when it comes to writing. Having someone read your work and point out what is good and what is bad, is helpful. Personally, I accept the criticism to my work, because it only helps me improve on it, and besides, taking criticism is one thing a writer must deal with. It was mentioned by Becky Tuch that a good way to get into publishing, or at least get a feel for it is to enter contests. I entered one in Halloween of 2017 in an online group. It was a contest to see who made a good horror story. I did not have any plans to enter, but my friends on the group really wanted me to make up something. It was already the final day for submissions, so I had no time to revise it. I just turned in a bad first and final draft. People did like it, so that’s a big plus. It did have a few requirements, like it needed to have at least 3 characters, and they had to be based off people in the group. Which this sort of ties in whit Lynne Barrett’s article of what editors want. In the end, I got 5th place I believe, and won a choice of stickers for the Line app’s chat system. Anyway, this also is an example of why workshops are helpful and important along with revisions. If I revised what I had maybe once, I could have probably landed higher up on the rankings, but there’s nothing I can do about it now, but make a better story for the upcoming 2018 contest.
ReplyDelete-Alexis Perez
The readings were very informative on providing information about submitting work and how editors perform their jobs. I had been uncertain about trying to publish my work since it seemed like a daunting task. I figured it would be impossible for someone just starting out. Becky Tuch’s “The Submitter’s Dilemma” helped share how to make the first step, which seemed way easier than I expected. The only problem would be actually submitting and hoping that the work makes the cut. Even then, I discovered a new avenue of possible magazines and journals to look at to help me work on choosing the right place to submit my work.
ReplyDeleteFor Lynne Barrett’s “What Editors Want” article, I knew that editors had strict guidelines to follow when accepting pieces. The thought of rejection would seem shocking, yet I understand that every writer has received at least one rejection letter in their lifetime. I also found that Barrett’s piece highlighted a deeper look into the submission process some writers might not know about. Editing is a big portion of the writing process, and a very tedious one at that - I might even say it’s the most frustrating part. Though, I loved Barrett’s advice on responding to criticism and rejection, and how to use it to build confidence and motivation moving forward in writing.
As for Chapter 13 in Alice LaPlante’s book, it followed the discussion in class about becoming a writer and how failure defines the numerous drafts and pieces of writing that follow. LaPlante’s writing discussed these processes and how perfection is our worst enemy. For me, the irritation of not finding the right word to connect with the writing is infuriating. I can testify that I have rewritten countless paragraphs over again in multiple documents to keep track of what is being written. Sometimes I even lose motivation and write something else to bide my time. These discussions helped me realize that every writer has these particular moments in the development stages of a creative work. It’s just a matter of continuing the struggle in accomplishing something more than what was perceived at the beginning. The whole process of editing and revising is just a part of what it takes to become a writer. I hope that I can use the information I gathered from these readings and use it to improve myself further down the road that follows.
- Joseph Gonzalez
I’m glad we started our readings with Chapter 13 of Alice LaPlante’s book, because it helped remind me that striving for perfection in a first draft is dangerous and that rewriting is where the magic happens. Bernard Malamud’s wise words that “first drafts are for learning what your story is about. You need the guts, the ability to accept the imperfect until it is better” is great advice (428). I loved Anne Lamott’s piece on “shitty first drafts” and that “all good writers write them” (455). It was also liberating to read LaPlante’s advice, that “if you can convince yourself to sit down and write something shitty every day” you’ll get a lot done (429)! Loved that. I also like the exercises and think they’ll help me this semester.
ReplyDeleteReading the article, “The Submitter’s Dilemma” was very helpful. I have long been overwhelmed with the huge list of literary journals out there and trying to figure out the process of where and how to send work. Bechy Tuch gives practical and methodical advice to simplify this process. What a great idea to read the bios of other writers to see where else they have been published.
Learning about the editor’s job in “What Editors Want” by Lynne Barrett helped me to reverse my perspective and understand what is going on at the other side of the submission process.
--Dorie Garza
I found Chapter 13 from LaPlante the most useful. It gave advice that I plan on using for my writing. For example, I, personally, work my story in my head instead of writing it out even if it was terrible. The introduction to how workshops work and the best ways to behave in it will be helpful for this course. The chapter also reminded me of how bad I am at revising. I didn't expect that revising would take around 20 different drafts. I thought it 3 drafts was enough revising; even though I don't revise/rewrite as much, if at all. This course could help me work on that. Moving on to "The Submitter's Dilemma", I never thought about reading literary journals. I don't plan on submitting to be published in a magazine, but it should still help out in my writing. "What Editors Want" gave a lot of good insight into how to behave when submitting my work, even if I don't do it. It is reassuring that much of what it brings up is easy to follow, and makes submitting my work less scary. I enjoyed reading these chapters and pages. They give me confidence in putting in my efforts into this course and I'm excited to come up with and write down my own story.
ReplyDelete-Jose Sias
The biggest take away that I understood from “What Editors Want” was that reject happens more often that any writer would think. It is not something to be taken offense to personally. Most editors have read so many things by the time they come to your submission they might just not feel it which is when rejection sets in. Rejection is something to learn from. Although it may be hard because as a writer you are ultimately sending your baby out to a complete stranger to either be ripped to shreds or praised you shouldn’t be afraid to send things out there. Yet, you must only send things out there when they are ready and have been drafted until perfection as to the best of your knowledge. Their are different forms of rejection which I thought was odd. You would think you get rejected that’s it let me quit because I’m not good enough. Yet, sometimes when you get rejected the editor tells you to try again because there are elements in your story that could work. Sometimes in your rejection letters they send actual helpful critiques. Yet, sometimes the editor see potential in your work but doesn’t want a resubmission which means you can revise it and send it somewhere else where there is an editor who shares your vision.
ReplyDeleteThe main take away from “The Submitter’s Dilemma” was to put yourself out their, therefore in that way both readings had a similar theme. The author mentions to put yourself out their through contests. Becky Tuch’s had another great bit of advice to add which was that knowledge is key. If you want to be a better writer why not research other prestigious writers who already have been published. Research goes farther than just getting to know authors and their literary works it can go as far as where they started out, and who first published them.
-Allison gonzalez
Everyone strives for perfection, and I am completely guilty of that. In the article “What Editors Want”, it is made clear that anyone submitting pieces of their own work has the possibility of falling short. I’ve failed at plenty of things in the past, but after you fall, it is important to be graceful about it and work for a better chance next time. I like to think that I have always considered my audience when beginning a paper, so when the article mentioned researching the different magazines you’re considering, it made sense. Why wouldn’t we consider what the editor is looking for if we do the same for our professors? This coincides with article “The Submitter’s Dilemma” which also goes over the importance knowing which magazines to keep in mind when trying to submit work. You should be submitting your work to the places that are right up your alley. Getting familiar with the companies was something I already understood, but I never knew there were more ways to do it than one. Reading these literary magazines can expose you to so many more things than knowing what you like and what you don’t. The two articles can be useful not only for students but for any aspiring writers as well. Keeping in mind that the odds differ from person to person and are also influenced by how well they know the magazine, it makes me more nervous about submitting my work, but in a good way.
ReplyDelete-Gabriela Urbano
For a long time, I dreaded publication. I still do, but that dread lessened to the extent that I can submit my work to be reviewed. That’s what I’d like to say, but I have yet to truly write up a piece I can consider worthy of publication. I’m a perfectionist, a trait that I love in some situations and absolutely hate on others. I don’t want anyone to read my work unless it is at the highest quality standard I can muster, with no glaring issues whatsoever (in other words, perfect). However, I have come to accept that there’s no such thing as perfection and pursuing it so early in my career is asking for a complete collapse in my inspiration and writing. LaPlante plainly states that in my favorite section of chapter 13: “Perfection is Our Enemy”.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter, along with the articles authored by Tuch and Barrett, are must-reads for all beginner writers (in my humble opinion), especially those that are considering publishing their work (basically, almost all writers). Tuch’s article provides a guide on what writers should do when searching for the right literary magazine for their work, and how they should approach that search. Barrett’s article then guides the writer in submitting their work, how to approach rejection or acceptance, and what to do when the work is published (all while showcasing editor’s in a humane light humorously). They successfully portray what I first thought to be something outrageously difficult in a simpler, more manageable, and less daunting fashion. It cemented the idea that publishing is not something only professional writers can do. Everyone can publish. With the correct knowledge, determination and effort, publishing is more than just a pipe dream. It is a possibility.
Pedro Cano
I have been writing since early childhood and my only form of submission history and “success” was back in the 2nd grade when my poem was featured in the school newspaper and whenever we’d have our standardized tests and I would receive the highest scores in the English and Reading & Writing portion of it. Upon reading “The submitters dilemma” I soon discovered there was more to submitting work than I thought but while it opened my eyes to what I didn’t know it displayed some very helpful tools in identifying key factors that I should keep in mind when I begin to consider finally putting my work out there. It aided my anxiety and fear of how I should approach work submission because that is honestly what has kept me from even CONSIDERING exposing my writing; I did not have the appropriate and proper knowledge. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the article “what editors want” because it really shines a light on not only what is useful for a writer to know on getting a better chance at publication but to give an insight on both ends of the process of writers submission. It is always beneficial to a writer when they know what the editor is thinking and looking for and what their job entails as to gain a great understanding of each roles significance and why certain decisions are made. I’ve certainly been enlightened with this information and hope to continue to learn more about these variables.
ReplyDelete-Clarissa Cardenas
When reading "What Editors Want" the concepts that are conveyed have been some that I've had to acquire throughout my years on my endeavor at being a writer. In the beginning, I was protective of my craft just as a mother/father is with their child, now I've learned that sometimes you have to let go and let the world see what it's made of. A challenge of mine that I still suffer to get through is being open to new ideas. Typically when I set out to write a story, I already have a beginning, middle and, end already planned out. So when offered a new storyline sort of creates a dilemma for me. However, greatness is sometimes found in our moments of struggle or defeat. Being a writer, I believe one must accept the idea of change, just as a frog knows that in the opening, it was nothing more than a tadpole.
ReplyDelete"The Submitters Dilemma" is an article that ventures into the processes of getting a writer's work published. While this isn't reinventing the wheel amongst other things, I perceived this to be especially valuable for me because, in all fairness, I didn't know most of these points. Knowing that there are other publishers out there that are looking for the next thing, gives me hope that this could be possible. Because at the end of the day, you never know who's going to read your work and what opportunities could perhaps be unlocked.
-Eloy T Sepulveda