It's that time again! And today is Karina’s birthday! So, let’s celebrate. This month, this service is opened to all subscribers, free or paid. None of this would be possible without Karina, so go tell her happy birthday on Instagram or Twitter, then comment your work below.
Here is how it works:
Comment your work's details. Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, whatever. For example:
I have a 5,000 science fiction story about a boy who vomits goats.
Then, let me know if you have any preferences. For example:
I'd like a competitive magazine that doesn't charge a fee, accepts simultaneous subs, and nominates for prizes.
I will respond to your comment with a recommendation. I make my recommendations based on technical specifications and the magazine's reputation. What I mean by that is I cannot tell you if your story fits the craft-style of a magazine, but will only recommend magazines where I think the editors will care about your work and where it will be considered.
I will respond to all requests by the end of October. I do this whole process manually and research everything myself. So if you have the means to support these kinds of events, please sign up as a paid subscriber or join our membership program on Chill Subs.
Please keep in mind that paid subscriptions and our membership program are the only ways we fund our website and this newsletter. It comes with access to useful submission tools, premium filters, resources, all premium lists and content, plus events for Support Tiers. We also have an unlimited scholarship program so signing up not only helps us, but allows us to help others.
If monthly subscriptions aren’t your thing, Kailey wrote up a little something about all the goings on over at Write or Die:
It’s already October! Fall lovers and spooky season advocates unite! To get you in the Halloween spirit, Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya is hosting Gays & Ghouls: A Generative Queer Horror Workshop on Saturday, October 7th! In this generative 3 hour workshop, you will learn horror tropes, devices, and allegories to tell queer stories and learn how to apply some of those concepts to your own work. And if you are really looking to pack a punch with your fiction, check out Maxim Loskutoff's workshop, Hooking Readers with the First Line, on October 22nd. He will break down first lines from a diverse array of genres and styles, (and workshop one of yours!), going deep, word-by-word, showing how much power you can concisely pack into an opening line. If screenwriting is more your thing, Jenny Kleisman has a super cool weekend intensive coming up called, Working the Wound. On October 14 & 15, you will learn to use characters' misbehaviors and trauma (yes, in comedy too!) to develop rich and layered story arcs. This weekend is designed to hone the inner narratives, experiences, and tribulations of minority leads in an effort to combat and destroy familiar tropes previously reserved for women, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC characters in cinema.
But, if workshops aren’t your thing, we also have another Write Together Retreat coming up, with Allie Rowbottom and Tea Hacic-Vlahovic! Scheduled writing time, author craft chat, connecting with our writing community, and lots of progress on your work. Oh and its really fun! Don’t miss out.
Thank you! I just hit submit!
Hi Ben. Is this offer still open? If so, I just completed an almost 1200 word personal essay / cultural piece about Taylor Swift through a close reading /listening of one song in the evermore (folk) album. In your view, are there any paying online mags that you think might be interested in this sort of thing? My journey is one of aversion to begrudging ambivalence, and I wonder if there are too many essays out there that have that kind of vibe?