Writing Round Up, Cool Exercise, and Submission Opportunity
Write Better Now
Every Monday, we’re sending out a quick round-up of what we talked about and some cool links to check out to help all of us become better writers.
As a reminder, on Wednesdays the WRITE BETTER NOW podcast comes out here (and everywhere).
Later in the week there is a bonus post for paid subscribers because, honestly, it’s super kind of you to support me that way, and I want to make sure to make it’s worth your while. Thank you for being here.
Last week’s posts.
Writing Exercise of Awesome
This is from Abi Wurdeman at Dabble Writer, and there’s a huge list of writing exercise possibilities on the post. Fifty-seven actually.
I’m really into this one.
”Start with a character goal. Write down an obstacle that makes reaching that goal hard. Think of a bigger obstacle that makes it even harder. Do that again three more times. Find an obstacle so big you’re not sure how your protagonist can get around it. Build your story from there.”
You should check them all out though especially if that one doesn’t resonate with you right this moment.
Cool Links By Other People!
A Cynsations interview with Kristen Tracy about where humor comes from.
A 2016 interview with M.T. Anderson at the Hub.
A great Ted Talk from Jacqueline Woodson about reading slow. It’s an oldie but goodie. I guess I’m nostalgic this week! Apologies!
SUBMISSION POSSIBILITY!
COFFEE HOUSE PRESS
Coffee House Press publishes literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translation. CHP does not accept submissions of anthologies, graphic novels, or books for children or young adults.
We recommend you familiarize yourself with our titles before submitting. You can browse our catalog here.
HOW TO SUBMIT A MANUSCRIPT
Our next open reading period begins at 9 a.m. CT on October 1, 2022, and will be limited to novella submissions for our NVLA series. Please submit projects between 20,000 and 35,000 words in length. We will cap the number of submissions we accept at 200, so if you plan to send us work, please do so early. For more information on the series, you can find our series announcement here.
All submissions should include page numbers and be sent as a .doc or .pdf. Please do not submit more than one work per reading period; additional submissions will not be considered.
Open reading period submissions are only accepted through our Submittable portal.
We plan to hold an open reading period for poetry on May 1, 2023, and for book-length fiction and nonfiction on October 1, 2023.
Please send any queries about our open reading periods and submissions process to submissions@coffeehousepress.org.
The review process for full-length manuscripts can take up to 4–6 months, or longer in some instances. We appreciate your patience when submitting your manuscript. Phone calls, emails, or letters of inquiry will not hasten the process.
For updates on future submission opportunities, sign up for our newsletter.