Young Writers Society

Hello.

I wanted to know if there's anyone who could tell me where to go to help get me some publishing on my portfolio.

I don't exactly want to get printing press contact links (that would be really awesome though).
I would like it if someone could suggest some magazine, paper, or anything similar where I will be able to post/publish short pieces. A place that will accept short stories, single poems or articles.

I would be grateful for any help. Thanks.

~ Syeda

You're in luck. One of our members already compiled two such lists.

Have fun.

Note- Do scroll through the whole thread. The poster added more lists as time went on.

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Hey so I'm just looking for some tips on how to describe your novel? I know what it's about but I have a hard time condensing it. I'm asking because when you write a query letter you need to sell your book in 2 or more paragraphs.

-Nicole

My exercise for condensing is:

1- Write a whole page summarizing what your novel is about.
2- Write a paragraph summarizing what your novel is about.
3- Write a sentence summarizing what your novel is about.

This forces you to boil events down to their essence. Once you've figured out the root conflict of everything, you can build on it, saying specific events and feelings. The root of the story is very important because that's the general archetype you're going to use to tug on people's heartstrings.

Read the blurbs of books you've already read. Figure out how they summarized all the novel's events into something interesting. What did they leave out, what did they include, and what made the blurb interesting?

Never, ever forget your own voice when writing blurbs. Do not go for the grand, overreaching arcs of making choices and learning about life— those are a given when it comes to novels. Go for the little quirks that you want to put in, that you enjoy talking about.

What do you talk about first? Do you talk about the characters, the conflict, or the starting situation? Build your summary over what catches your interest, because you'll be able to write about that the best.