Three Writing Tips: Contests and Submissions
First tip here is plain and simple: When it comes to submission guidelines, do what they tell you to do. If their demands seem excessive and they're charging you for the privilege of entry, don't enter. If their demands are excessive and they seem like a good outfit, take your time and make sure you do it all right. ** This view is my own. I tend to avoid any general fiction appeal with a submission guideline that stipulates "No pornography, erotica, gratuitous violence, children's literature, profanity, sci fi..." Not because all of my fiction contains this stuff, but because there are degrees. Does magic realism constitute science fiction? Does a child calling somebody a pooperhead constitute profanity? Does a woman getting beaten for calling her boyfriend a pooperhead - by her boyfriend - constitute gratuitous violence? It's a straw-man argument, but these people have set themselves up as straw men. If they say "No gratuitous violence" it is surel...