Bookpickings.brainpickings.org. Home | Booktrust. Otter Country by Miriam Darlington – review. Otters are easy to love but difficult to know. Most of the love is mediated by those with more time, patience and skill than us; it is through books and film that the otter has squirmed its way into our hearts. Miriam Darlington's initial seduction, like that of my own, came from Gavin Maxwell's Ring of Bright Water and Henry Williamson's Tarka the Otter.
Darlington's childhood crush was deep and affecting, but removed. She dreamt about otters, created her own campaign publication, and even got the heart-swelling moment of seeing one in captivity. But the risk is that the love remains distant, sentimental and unobtainable. Real love comes with knowledge, and the search for knowledge shapes this wonderful book.
Darlington has a light, self-deprecating, comic touch that is beyond the more serious members of the nature-writing club. Darlington has the advantage of being a poet who is wise to the overwhelming onslaught of too many metaphors. Her initial stumbling grows into skill. 20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes. I’ve edited a monthly magazine for more than six years, and it’s a job that’s come with more frustration than reward. If there’s one thing I am grateful for — and it sure isn’t the pay — it’s that my work has allowed endless time to hone my craft to Louis Skolnick levels of grammar geekery. As someone who slings red ink for a living, let me tell you: grammar is an ultra-micro component in the larger picture; it lies somewhere in the final steps of the editing trail; and as such it’s an overrated quasi-irrelevancy in the creative process, perpetuated into importance primarily by bitter nerds who accumulate tweed jackets and crippling inferiority complexes.
But experience has also taught me that readers, for better or worse, will approach your work with a jaundiced eye and an itch to judge. While your grammar shouldn’t be a reflection of your creative powers or writing abilities, let’s face it — it usually is. Who and Whom This one opens a big can of worms. Which and That Lay and Lie Moot Nor. Paulo Coelho's attack on Ulysses insults readers. Samuel Johnson, in one of his great aperçus, responded to some pettifogging critic with the phrase: "A fly may sting a horse, but the horse will still be a horse, and the fly no more than a fly.
" That sentence sprang to mind the minute I read that Paolo Coelho had decided to take James Joyce to task. In an interview in Folha de S Paolo (one wonders if he chose that outlet for any particular reason) the self-proclaimed "literature wizard" contends: "Today, writers want to impress other writers. " He then names the culprit: "One of the books that caused great harm was James Joyce's Ulysses, which is pure style. There is nothing there. Coelho is, of course, entitled to his dumb opinion, just as I am entitled to think Coelho's work is a nauseous broth of egomania and snake-oil mysticism with slightly less intellect, empathy and verbal dexterity than the week-old camembert I threw out yesterday.
What are the criticisms? The real slander is to the reader, or rather, to readers. No Thanks, Mr Franzen, I Like My Novels Difficult. Let's give praise to Jonathan Franzen. Not only does he write bestselling novels, he also manages to get on everybody's nerves with a few carefully reckless comments. Recently he inadvertently became a Twitter trend.
This is funny because he hates Twitter. Franzen seems, in fact, to disapprove of many things, and he would like you to know about it. And unlike a good number of other opinionated authors, he manages to be heard just about every single time. This takes talent as well as obnoxiousness. A decade ago, Franzen was already an entertaining, intelligent loudmouth, but he was also less famous than we, the apparently uneducated, pop culture-obsessed public, have made him now. If you've never read William Gaddis, you're not alone. Difficulty itself is a difficult thing. Franzen has given Gaddis a try. Fearless Franzen ends up advocating a different sort of writer's mentality: Trouble begins here. These sound like fighting words. Have you read The Recognitions? Nope. Image via Reuters.
Everything in Writing and Life is Fiction. I don’t know how to write. Which is unfortunate, as I do it for a living. Mind you, I don’t know how to live either. Writers are asked, particularly when we’ve got a book coming out, to write about writing. To give interviews and explain how we did this thing that we appear to have done. I’ve written six books now, but instead of making it easier, it has complicated matters to the point of absurdity. Something, obviously, is going on. I do no research. And I mean that—everything is fiction. So I love hearing from people who have no time for fiction. Related: Read Keith Ridgway’s interview with Cressida Leyshon about his short story “Goo Book,” which appeared in the April 11, 2011, issue of the magazine. Illustration by Richard McGuire. Bateau Press. Beatdom | Literary Magazines Database. Circulation: 1,000 to 2,500 Genres Published: Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Fiction Representative Authors: William S.
Burroughs, Hunter S. Thompson, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg Formats: E-publication, Print Reading Period: Jan 1 to Dec 31 Reporting Time: Less than 3 months Accepts Electronic Submissions: Yes Accepts Simultaneous Submissions: Accepts Unsolicited Submissions: Editorial Focus Beatdom is a young magazine concerning, inspired by, and moving on from the Beat Generation. Tips From the Editor Beatdom accepts essays on the Beat Generation or later countercultures. Contact Information. Www.arts.cornell.edu/english/publications/epoch/#submissions. Ploughshares. Arcadia - Arcadia Magazine. Terrifying French children's books - in pictures. Why fiction is good for you. Potomac Review home page. Our Mission Current Issue ISSUE #54 HAS ARRIVED!
Order your copy now Subscribe Potomac Review opens windows into the complexity of literature: in each issue, our selections span the spectrum of voice and style. We sample realistic and experimental prose and poetry. Drawing 95 % of our content from unsolicited submissions, we publish writers at all stages of their careers. Every issue includes work by emerging and by established writers. Potomac Review no longer accepts paper submissions.
Our History Begun in 1993, “Potomac Review is the quarterly with a conscience at the heart of the Mid-Atlantic,” founding editor Eli Flam wrote. Open Letters: An Open Letter to the Man Who Accosted Me in an Attempt to Sell Me a Power Balance Bracelet in the Mall. Dear Man Who Accosted Me in an Attempt to Sell Me a Power Balance Bracelet in the Mall, Maybe it was empathy that drove me to respond; I’ve worked my share of mall kiosks. There was also that countenance I took for desperation in your sweaty, bloated face, as you nodded at me knowingly and waved me down, asking how I was “doing tonight.” That look, matched with your ill-fitting polo shirt and front-pleated khakis, evoked a sort of sublime pity in me. If only I’d known how misplaced my pity was! Whatever the reason, I took those tentative steps away from my wife and entered your world; a perfect maelstrom of Dadaistic thaumaturgy.
“Can I have a moment of your time?” You held up a rubber-band bracelet with a little hologram sticker affixed to it, not unlike the one on my debit card. “This Power Balance Bracelet,” you announced, “can help you with your balance.” I had not suspected this second-hand copy of Harvest Moon for the Nintendo Gamecube of such sinister behavior. “Science.” HTMLGIANT | the internet literature magazine blog of the future. Www.kaleidotrope.net. Guide to Writing Competitions, Literary Agents & More. ZYZZYVA - The last word: West Coast writers and artists. Camera Obscura Journal of Literature and Photography - A biannual literary review featuring Contemporary fiction and photography. Photography Contest. Writing Guidelines. Submit – Fiddleblack. Barrelhouse | Fiction. Poetry. Pop flotsam. Cultural jetsam.
Writer’s Guidelines - The Antioch Review. The best answer we can give on inquiries relating to what kind of material the ANTIOCH REVIEW uses is, “read the magazine.” Look through a few representative issues for an idea of subjects, treatment, lengths of articles, and stories we have used; it will be far more rewarding than any theories we might try to formulate. Unfortunately, we cannot honor requests for free sample copies. The REVIEW is expensive to produce and operates on a precarious financial margin. If copies are not available at your local newsstand or library, we will be happy to send you a back issue for $7.00, which includes postage and handling. Please note that we do not consider electronic submissions.
Review the section below on style, lengths, and payment for more information about submissions. Our audience is made up of educated citizens, often professional people, who are interested in matters beyond their fields of special activity. We DO NOT accept essay submissions between June 1 and September 1. Global Short Story Competition. The Pinch Literary Journal. SYCAMORE REVIEW. Submission Guidelines | Center for Literary Publishing. Segue online literary journal. Carve Magazine - Submissions. Submit: Fiction | poefictiontry | Reject! | Withdraw Write about what you know, and what do you know better than your own secrets? -Raymond Carver Carve is seeking good honest fiction in the form of short stories. We want emotional jeopardy, soul, and honesty. Craft and control are tantamount to our connection to the characters. Submission Period and Response Times We accept submissions year-round. Please submit only one short story at a time and wait for a response before sending another.
Our response time is typically 4-6 months but can sometimes take longer. Feedback and Compensation In our mission statement, we iterate that we want to provide feedback whenever possible. We provide monetary compensation to our contributors. Eligibility We accept submissions from anywhere in the world, but stories must be in English. No genre fiction (thriller, horror, romance, etc.); literary fiction only. Stories must be previously unpublished. Formatting Word count limit: no minimum, max 10,000. Cover Letter. Bellevue Literary Review | NYU Langone Medical Center | New York, NY. Fiction. Ruby Thursday Fictionby Richard Adams Carey David laughed, leaning back in his chair and jabbing at his mouth with his napkin. “Okay, I think I know what this marriage stuff is about.” Orrie’s head snapped towards her father. “What are you talking about?” Cheryl laughed too. “What? “You don’t remember?” Not Knowing Fictionby Stacy Patton The boys passed behind her, and one of them whistled low.
Vishnu Floating on the Cosmic Ocean Fictionby Emma Komlos-HrobskyVisit with Emma Komlos-Hrobsky The camp store is guarded by two wild parrots that squawk and drop fruit pits on you from their perch in the wisteria that climbs over the door. Last Dog Fictionby Claire BurgessVisit with Claire Burgess Joel was worried about the dead dog in his trunk. Night of the Spiders fiction by Sheldon BellegardeVisit with Sheldon Bellegarde It’s almost midnight but I have got to clean out my bedroom closet.
On Revision: Pulling Up Widows What advice would you give to someone about to write a novel? Corn Maze a Craft Short. SA Writers' College 2012 Short Story Writing Competition. 2012 Annual Short Story Award For Emerging Writers in South Africa The Winners Congratulations to our three winners in the 2012 SA Writers' College Short Story Competition. As you will see from the results, there were only a few points separating the final positions.
Judges' comments and ratings follow below, as well as our Honours' List and Honourable Mention List. Well done to you all. First place: ‘Go’ – by Aname van Zyl Runner up: ‘Tune in Again Next Week’ – by Carla Lever Third place: ‘A Gambling Man’ – by B. Fourth place is awarded to Chelsea Haith for ‘The Worst of Either World', and fifth place goes to H.L Chewins for ‘Quietus’. People's Choice Award Winner ‘Tune in Again Next Week’ – by Carla Lever You can read the top five stories here Honours Awards The standard was particularly high this year, with attention to detail, good grammar and strong characterisation evident in many of the stories we received. Honourable Mention Top five stories: Judges' marks and comments. Short Story Competition, Short Story Writing Contests. Photo by Richard Dorrell [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons If you’re like me and you have far more New Year’s resolutions concerning writing and publishing than you do dieting, exercising or socializing, here’s something you may be interested in—a writing prompt, and a chance to have your fiction published in Writer’s Digest magazine.
In every issue of WD we give readers a chance to get published via the Your Story contest. Here’s the latest contest prompt from our January 2013 issue (which also features a stirring interview with the funny and wise novelist Lee Child): A man who lives alone sees a set of footprints leading away from his house the morning after a heavy snowfall. Want in? Post your story in the Comments section below, and it’ll automatically be entered in the competition. The fine print: Your story must be 750 words or fewer, no exceptions.The deadline is Jan. 14, 2013.
Good luck! Looking to fulfill your resolution to write a book in 2013? Find out more here. The New Yorker. Writers, Quotes, Biography, Interviews, Artists. Zoetrope Virtual Studio Home. Narrative Magazine. Monkeybicycle: Literary Goodness. McSweeney’s. Every Writer's Resource: Resources for Writers. Duotrope. Luna Park.