This article, "How to Escape the Slush Pile" from Electric Lit—and written in partnership with the Authors Guild for their Writers Resource Library—just crossed my Twitter feed courtesy of Victoria Strauss. (Thank you, Victoria.)
The article ties in nicely with recent discussions here in RT, including our most recent topic: What is a Story?
While the article is promoted as a "Self-editing checklist for short story writers", the points to ponder would apply just as well to novelists:
The article ties in nicely with recent discussions here in RT, including our most recent topic: What is a Story?
For editors, searching for a story to publish in the submissions queue can be like searching for a needle in a haystack: it takes ages to find that needle, but when you do finally grab it, it pricks you to let you know it’s there.
While the article is promoted as a "Self-editing checklist for short story writers", the points to ponder would apply just as well to novelists:
- Have you written a story? (Meaning: are you sure it's a story?)
- Are you bored? (If so, your reader will be, too.)
- Does the world need another story like this, told this way?
- Flashback as story.
- Are you turning your story into a screenplay?
- Are your characters motivated?
- Is this piece ready?
- Are you comfortable with receiving edits?