Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Scribophile: a wonderful writer's resource

--Speaking of the necessity of feedback, I've just joined Scribophile, an online writing group, courtesy of my Spark award, and I'm extremely impressed with the quality of the critiques I've had and the works posted. Scribophile works on a karmic point system--you aren't obliged to post work at certain intervals, like some writers' forums, but you have to earn karma points by posting critiques of others' works in order to post your own. There is a free version and a paying version. Inside the system, you can join groups, gain favorites, message and write on other writer's walls, similar to facebook or linked in. There are more fiction writers than poets but even so, lots of quality poetry being posted!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Feedback, the essential fuel for writing

One thing I like about certain journals is that the editors take the time to provide precious feedback for the writer.

A remark by the editor of Boston Literary Magazine enabled me to vastly improve the poem I had submitted, and led me to seek more individual help, which is how I found Andrea Hollander, both a gifted poet and tutor.

In all endeavors in life, sometimes you get to the point where you can't proceed without help. Journals like Boston Literary Magazine and Spark, A Creative Anthology, whose editors and staff provide that essential feedback, are invaluable to a writer at any stage in their development.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Birds, Cyclamens and Swords acceptance, oh, my!

Nothing as delightful as discovering an interesting new online journal and then having them accept your poem for publication not too long afterward! Cyclamens and Swords' new themed issue, Birds, will include my poem, "Crows."

I discovered Cyclamens and Swords by reading another poet's bio! The title was so intriguing that I had to check it out!

The turnaround was so quick because I submitted my entry very close to the deadline, not deliberately--I just happened to come upon it the day before!

So far this year, I've had four poems published and one awarded 2nd place in a contest, but who's counting? I hope I didn't just jinx myself!

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Poetry Fireworks!

July began with a bang! On the 1st, I found out that my poem "Very Truly Yours, Irene Norton, née Adler" won 2nd prize in Spark, A Creative Anthology's Contest Two! I won $100, a subscription to American Poetry Review, a lifetime Premium subscription to Scribophile among many other goodies! Spark has the best contests!

"Very Truly Yours, Irene Norton, née Adler" is a re-imagining of the relationship between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler. I find Irene Adler one of the most fascinating of his female characters, especially since she only appears in one story (the first!) and we know so little about her. That makes her fair game, as far as I'm concerned!

In my persona poems, I like to choose voices of people or fictional characters we know very little about in the personal sense, that way I can let my imagination run free! They may be famous, but have left little correspondence, or there may be some controversy about their motivation.

Another poem, "The Point of No Return" appears in Spark's Volume II, which is hot off the presses as of today! You can buy it at Amazon or directly from their site.
Every time I start to get discouraged with my writing, something positive like this happens and motivates me to continue! I just hope I don't get too addicted to this happening in such a timely way!