Why that character is running is up to you. How well they run is also up to you. If they are a good runner, in a non-dangerous situation, they could have lots of thoughts and ideas not related to running. If they are in bad shape and running for their lives, they are probably not thinking much at all. It just depends on the details of the situation.

Depending on the situation, this prompt could be more about ideas, more about character development, and more about plot. So take that into consideration when you are figuring out what kind of story you are going to tell.

Happy writing!

As a way of celebrating 2014, the first full year of publication for Authors Publish, we have created a list of the top eleven literary journals we have reviewed this year. We are not covering literary journals that we did not review or mention in a list this year. If one of your favorites is missing that is most likely why. Also, we never review a literary journal that charges submitters.

Last year when I curated this list I focused on the big names, but this year I am more interested in who is publishing consistently good work, even if the journal themselves might be more off the beaten path. These are journals that publish good writing and publication in them will help build your career.

Not all of the journals listed below are currently open to submissions, but those who are not tend to be re-opening to submissions in January. To read the full review of the journal (which includes the website link for the journal) click on the name.

The list is in no particular order.

1. Bat City Review

Bat City Review is a student run print literary journal that has published a lot of noteworthy authors and received a lot of well deserved accolades. They publish fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and art.

2. Granata

A highly respected print and online journal that publishes non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. They publish a lot of compelling work.

3. Parcel

Parcel is a thoughtful and unique publication that takes works of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction and instead of binding it into a traditional journal packages it up as a collection of art.

4. Bodega

Bodega is publishing interesting fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, on a month basis online. They publish a lot of interesting work by up and coming writers. Their website is easy to use and aesthetically pleasing.

5. Akashic

A publishing house that also publishes a number of flash fiction “newsletters”. Each newsletter has a theme and they appear to have a large subscriber base. They are also connected to a good publishing house, so it is away to get your foot in the door.

6. Caketrain

Caketrain is a print literary journal that focuses on publishing and promoting the best contemporary non-fiction, fiction, and poetry.

7. Barn Owl Review

Barn Owl Review publishes one print issue every year containing 40 poems. This issue is a wonderful collection of diverse and innovative works.

8. Whiskey Island Review

The Whiskey Island review has been around for over thirty years as a print literary journal. They publish two issues a year, both contain a highly curated selection of poetry and prose.

9. The Fiddlehead

The Fiddlehead is a Canadian literary journal that has been in print for over 65 years. They publish non-fiction, fiction, and poetry and they pay their authors.

10. Shock Totem

The only genre literary journal on this list focuses on publishing horror. They are open to fiction primarily and non-fiction and poetry with some caveats. They publish an interesting mix of works and select very few of the pieces submitted to them.

11. Birdfeast

Is an online poetry journal that focuses on publishing new and exciting work by writers from every walk of life. They have published a number of established writers. They like to publish work that is different and challenging.

The articles are in no particular order. Click on a title to read the whole article, or skim the synopsis first to get a feeling for the article.

1. Five Books Every Writer Should Read

Have you read all five of the books on the list? Do you have any more to add to it?

2. Red Flags: A Guide to Avoiding the Wrong Publisher

The publishing world can be overwhelming at times. Committing to the wrong contract is one of the worst mistakes an author can make. This guide helps you determine whether or not a publisher is trustworthy.

3. Good Literary Journals for New Submitters

Are you tentatively starting to submit your work to literary journals? This article offers some guidelines for what to look for as well as offering some concrete suggestions.

4. Seven Things Every Writer Must Know To Survive

Kurt Bubna, the winner of a book contest, talks about the seven essential things he has learned on his journey as a writer.

5. The Ten Best Writing Quotes

An article by our meme maker about her 10 favorite writing quotes.

6. Seven Chapbook Publishers

Seven chapbook publishers we recommend and why. Also included is a link to our popular article “The Case for Chapbooks”.

7. Ten Literary Journals That Pay Their Authors

A long requested list that has helped motivate a number of writers to submit to literary journals and also earn some extra cash.

8. How To Write a Pitch for Your Novel

Writing the novel itself isn’t enough anymore. If you go the traditional publishing route you also have to pitch it to an agent or a publisher.

9. Top Three Reasons a Manuscript Gets Rejected

M.J. Moores talks to a literary agent, an editor, and an author, about the primary reasons manuscripts are rejected.

10. We’re Taking a Stand Against Literary Journals That Charge Submission Fees

Our most controversial article to date. This got a lot of editors, writers, and publishers talking. It also earned a lot of praise and a follow up article from our editor Jacob Jans.

11. Why A Writer Must Also be a Salesperson

Writers often rely on other skills as well. Rebecca Savastio’s article helps writers turn their words into a career.

12. 3 Ways to Promote Yourself  as a Writer (Even if You Don’t Want to)

One of our most successful articles of all time, this article sometimes bills itself as self promotion for introverts.

But first, a bit about our contest series. Every week we are going to have a contest on our Facebook Page. The contests will change from week to week, but the winners will always be published in the magazine. The contest winner and the runner up are chosen by a voting system, and then the editors of Authors Publish will select several additional entries from the rest to be the Editor’s Choice winners.

Below are all the winners of this week’s contest. This week the challenge was to write a Christmas Haiku.

The next contest starts at 9 am PST on Saturday.

Winner:

Runner Up:

Editor’s Choice:

Below are the top publishers that we have reviewed in 2014. All of these publishers are open to pitch or manuscript submissions from authors without an agent or previous publishing experience. The list is in no particular order. To read the full review of the company and to see their contact information, click on their name. Not all are open to manuscripts or pitches at this time, but many are.

There are some reviews of great publishers forthcoming in the next few weeks, so subscribers should keep their eyes peeled.

1. Hotkey Books 

Hotkey Books is a great publisher of children and young adult books. They have a well known editor, a large staff, a great website, and a number established authors working for them.

2. Dzanc Books

Dzanc is a respected publisher of literary books and the publishing house behind the respected literary journal the Collagist.

3. Persea Books

A respected publisher since the 1970s, they publish literary works and have made inroads into several niche markets.

4. Chronicle Books

A great independent publisher of cookbooks, non-fiction, gift books, and children’s books, this San Fransisco company has excellent distribution and many bestsellers and award winning books under their belt.

5. Oneworld Publishing

They publish around 100 works of non-fiction and literary fiction every year now.  They work with distributors and authors worldwide.

6. Alloy Enterntainment

Not a traditional publisher, they are more a combination of agent and publisher. They work mainly with female authors publishing chick lit and young adult novels. They aggressively work towards movie and tv deals and have already had a number of success stories including Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Gossip Girl.

7. Ace/Roc

The science fiction and fantasy imprint of Penguin is open to query letters. They have published some of the most beloved and famous science fiction and fantasy novels.

8. Seven Stories Press

A great publisher that focuses on producing books that have a social conscience. They have published some big names and some bestsellers.

9. Felony & Mayhem

As a reader of mystery books, I already owned a number of Felony & Mayhem’s books prior to my review of them. They publish great niche mystery stories and they have good distribution.