If Writers Block happens to you, or even if it never does, writing exercises are a good way to get the creative juices pumping. I think the secret to writing exercises is not to take them too seriously.

Do not try to be perfect while you are writing them, just try to get them out onto the page.

The writing exercise this week is a simple one.  Start with a clean sheet of paper, or a new word document, and then type a name at the top. It can be the name of someone you know, or it can be the name of someone that you do not associate with any more in your life.

Proceed from here as if you are writing a letter to the person named at the top of the document. You can decide to add a modifier before their name such as dear, beautiful, etc. . .

Throughout the letter refer to yourself as I and to the recipient as “you”.

The letter can be about anything. It should however not be truthful. For example if you find yourself including things that actually happen to you in your life, exaggerate or alter the details of these events.

Feel free to reveal things in the letter, true or false, that you would never say in real life.

If you are writing the letter to a completely imagined person, try to summon up some details for them. Try to picture them in your head. Do they wear glasses? Do they have curly hair?

Make up a false story, for yourself of how you met, or how you are connected. That should help them feel ‘real’.

This writing exercise is good because it stretches  a lot of different creative writing muscles. It is also an interesting way to create a character that you may use in a longer piece of writing, even if you discard the exercise.

Have fun with the exercise! Experiment! And remember to succeed with a writing exercise, your writing doesn’t have to be good, it just has to end up on the page.

Our primary ambition is to help you, our readers, get published. That’s why we send you reviews of publications accepting submissions, and articles that help you build your career.

We also provide you with a little bit of inspiration, with our writing prompts.

In our first issue, we have two reviews of publications for you. The Rusty Nail is an online journal that is friendly to new authors. So, if you’re new to the publishing world, they are a good place to start. Stone Highway is both a print and online journal, with a good reputation. Both are well worth considering submitting your work to, so be sure to read our reviews to know what to expect.

If you have a novel you’d like to publish, one of the best ways to get a book deal is to have an agent. That’s why we’ve included a guide to submitting a query letter to potential agents. If you’re ready to start submitting your novel, this is a must read.

We have big plans for our journal. We’re working on several new columns, including one that features a “day in the life” of famous authors. And of course, in our next issue, you can look forward to more publications to submit to.

Sincerely,

Jacob Jans
Editor
Authors Publish

Stone Highway has only been around for two years, but they have already established a good reputation. This partially because they are part of a larger publishing company called Sundress Publishing. Journals associated with universities or presses tend to be more established.

The editors are very much interested in language over narrative, even when it comes to short fiction.  They like interesting language and unusual word choices. They are open to all themes and are not opposed to genre influenced writing.

They accept less than 5% of the work submitted to them. So if your work is accepted, you know that they have turned a lot of other writers down. Your work is then placed in an issue with well chosen art work, poems, flash fiction, and short essays.

None of the work they accept is over 750 words long, so keep that in mind. They also tend to choose shorter poems.

The same content is available online and in the print publication. You do not receive a contributors copy, because the issues are printed on demand by the company Lulu. However it only costs between 5 and 6 dollars to buy an issue and contributors are able to buy copies at a discounted rate.

Stone Highway’s print edition is well made and nice to look at, however you can see all the contents online for free, and you are able to share these contents with others. This is a good way to attract readers.

Also before you submit to Stone Highway Review you can read through past editions for free to get a better sense of what the editor might be looking for.

When you submit work to Stone Highway Review you do so through the popular submissions manager Submittable. Once you have a Submittable account it is easy to log in and submit, it remembers all your contact details from the time before.

You can submit up to 3 short prose pieces at a time or up to 7 poems (but no more then 10 pages at a time).  You should include a short 50 word bio with your submissions.

They do not accept written works that have already been published elsewhere. However after they publish your work, the rights to publish it again, return to you. Only submit once per reading period.

They do have an option to donate when you are submitting, but it is not an obligation. They do offer feedback to authors who donate while submitting, so if you really want to have professional input on your poem, that is not a bad option. Donating does not effect the chances of your work being published in any way.

Once you submit they get back to you within two weeks. It is nice to know so quickly if your work is going to be accepted or not.

Ultimately being published by Stone Highway Review is a great way to get your name out into the literary community. The web address is www.stonehighway.com.

The work they choose to publish tends to be cleanly written and unpretentious. They want to publish work that contemporary journals concerned with current trends might not publish.

The Rusty Nail publishes prose and poetry. They have a high acceptance rate for work, over 50% of the work they receive, they publish. They also have a relatively quick response time, accepting or rejecting your work after a month (approximately).

The Rusty Nail also accepts reprints, so if you had a story or poem published elsewhere, they might want to publish it again, so that it can receive even more attention.

The Rusty Nail will consider all prose under 5,000 words in length. There is no minimum length requirement. Only submit 1 piece of prose writing at a time. If you are submitting poetry there is no length restrictions and you may submit up to 3 poems at a time.

They publish literary fiction but they also publish prose that could be categorized as mystery, suspense, and horror. They occasionally accept work from other genres, although they are not interested in prose that involves hardcore erotica or horror, prose that is self-promoting or overtly religious.

They consider most poems but are not interested in ones involving teenage angst, suicide, or overtly religious themes. They also generally avoid poems that rhyme.

Work is submitted to The Rusty Nail through the submissions manager submittable, so if you already have an account that will make that part even easier.

Because it is an online journal you will not get paid but your work will get a chance to be seen by many individuals. The web address is: www.rustynailmag.com.

You have reached the turning point. Now the bulk of your work will go into getting your novel published. The first step towards being published is writing a query letter to a literary agent.

A query letter (sometimes referred to as a cover letter) is a single page cover letter introducing your book to an editor or a publisher that accepts unsolicited submissions. A literary agent is someone who will act on your behalf, dealing with publishers and promoting the authors work.

How to Write a Query Letter that an Agent will Read

When you write a query letter, always remember that it is similar to  a cover letter on a job application. Be professional. Write in a formal style, even if that style is at odds with your novel. Make sure you edit it repeatedly for errors. Make sure it is typed and the font is easy to read. A standard font like Times New Romans works best.

Keep it short and sweet, don’t use language that is too flowery. The query letter should consist of three main paragraphs. The hook, the mini synopsis, and the authors bio.

Creating a Hook that Will Get You an Agent

The hook is a one sentance description of the book. It should be intelligent, intriguing, and concise.

Your hook should not be a rhetorical question.

An agent I knew handed me a small pile of query letters from authors that she rejected. Most of the letters she had not even bothered finishing to read. She asked me what they all had in common. By the third letter it was clear that they all started with rhetorical questions.

In one query letter every paragraph was composed entirely of rhetorical  questions.

It is best to focus on your hook, be it your main character, the location, or something else entirely. That is the best way to keep the sentence concise and maintain the agent’s interest.

Also make sure that the premise of your book sounds unique.  Agents are unlikely to follow up with an author whose book appears to be generic.

In the first paragraph you should also make the genre and the length of your manuscript clear.

Writing a Mini Synopsis that will Appeal to Agents and Publishers

The mini synopsis is the second paragraph.  It is difficult to describe a novel in a paragraph. The key is to just focus on giving the agent an impression of what your novel is like, without getting bogged down by all the details.

Reading the back flaps of books  may really help  you figure out they best way to convey the basics of your book to your prospective literary agent.

Writing an Appealing Author’s Biography

The author’s bio is not a necessary part of the query letter. If you have not been published  before, or do not hold a degree in creative writing, it is probably best not to include an authors bio at all, unless your profession influences the subject of your books. For example, the author Kathy Reichs,  is a forensic scientist who writes novels about a forensic scientist who writes novels.

Conclusion

In the conclusion to your letter you should do two things.

The first is to thank the agent for their time and consideration.  The second is to inform the agent that the full novel is available upon request.

Do not include the entire manuscript with the letter, instead most agents request the first three chapters of your manuscript. When submitting non-fiction you should include an outline, table of contents, and a few chapters for their consideration.

Once you have written your query letter, edit it repeatedly. Keep refining it, even after you have started to submit it to agents.  Good luck with the submission process.