Volunteering as a Managing Editor Makes Me a Better Writer

Giving Time

As with most people, my life is extremely busy and I’m selective about what I take on. The hours I spend writing fiction are important and anything that cuts into that precious time disturbs me. That said, volunteering as a Managing Editor for an on-line literary publication, The Writer’s Workshop Review,   www.thewritersworkshopreview.net    is helpful with my own writing, as well as for my publisher who is always appreciative.

Rejection

One of my many positive realizations is that this work increases rejection toleration. It is usually true for achieving short story publication — whether fiction or nonfiction — that the vast number of submissions are rejected, sometimes tactfully and usefully with comments, more often brusquely with a form letter. Some of my stories haven’t even been identified in the form letter. Rejecting most stories sent to The Writer’s Workshop Review has helped me to be sympathetic toward other people who take this path. I believe tenacity and a submission strategy provides success for well-written stories. My skin has thickened during the many months between acceptances when my mailbox overflows with rejections. Knowing that others receive my rejections and go through the same kind of disappointment helps me to dive back into a new writing project.

Re-writes

Many of my stories have been accepted during the first cycle of submissions. Many have been re-written several times and even gone through several cycles of submission before a journal  accepts them. In the case of submissions to The Writer’s Workshop Review, there have been several instances when I have told an author that his or her story will be accepted with changes. Sometimes, I never hear back from the author. Most of the time, the author is so pleased to garner an acceptance in our highly reputable journal that there’s an openness to changes. We never ask for too much, honoring the integrity of the story that attracted our interest in the first place, but occasionally a tweak here or there, a slight addition or deletion, makes for a story that more closely meets our requirements. These simple requests show me how my own stories fall short for some readers and, likewise, why certain very attractive submissions will work better, at least for us, with minor adjustments. I have learned to be more adaptable toward other reader’s opinions of my words because of the re-write requests I have made. My hope is that the authors we ask to make changes take our requests in the same way, understanding these reflect the values of our readers. Because I understand that re-writing requests can be part of the process, I have become less attached to my every word written. Once a story leaves my desk it finds its own way, at times with a bit more polishing done through another person’s viewpoint. And, because I know that the requests I make through The Writer’s Workshop Review are not critical of the work as a whole (it is after all going to be accepted with limited changes) my defenses of my own work have lessened. I used to take every criticism or suggestion done in workshop situations with the thought, They hate my story! I’ve worked through that emotional response because of making change requests of our submitters.

Lessons

I recently read a story that I liked a lot but the author rambled on and on, never focusing and going deeper into any main point. This was a nonfiction piece, and as with the majority of our stories, it was under 3,000 words. This author tried to cover every aspect of his military experience in those 3,000 words. It could have been a novel. I have a tendency to ramble, at least conversationally, and reading a submission like this helped make sense of one of my instructor’s advice to “find your point and go deeper.” In a 3,000 word story it is important to pick out the aspect that can be adequately covered in this amount of space. Rambling writing has made me see the importance of focus. Another lesson is when reading a story I classify as a “no” in the forwarding email to my other readers, I express why I vote for rejection. This practice is beneficial for my own writing because it pinpoints common errors. Of course, grammatical mistakes — unless to reveal character in a story — are an immediate red flag. Point of view flaws and tense problems are sometimes more hidden. Intuitively, I’ll pick up on something wrong and then analyze. An error of these types on an otherwise fine story are correctable before publication. A manuscript with numerous mistakes sets itself up for rejection and annoyance on the part of the reader. I’m conscientious with regard to an error-free submission of my own, but my reaction to messy stories accentuates the importance of diligent proofreading. A few times I have missed an error in one of my manuscripts. This highlights the necessity for having someone else’s eyes look at a story before sending it out.

Guidelines!

A pet peeve of mine is when an author does not check out our guidelines. We do not publish poetry or artwork. Also, I have received full book manuscripts. Needless to say, they don’t get read. Our guidelines stress that we want writings with strong narratives. This means we are not open to most experimental stories. It’s a good idea to look at a couple issues of The Writer’s Workshop Review before submitting. This will give an author a general feel for the kind of writing we present. Because I have seen work from many authors who have ignored what we want, I acknowledge the importance of guidelines and previously-published samples. What a waste of time it is to send out a story willy-nilly, hoping that it sticks somewhere! We request a cover letter with a short bio and the story attached to the email. I’m amazed at the number of submissions I receive with no cover letter whatsoever, merely a link. In these times of Internet sabotages, I’m not going to open a link without feeling the certainty a cover letter provides that it is a legitimate submission.

Confidence

Reading thousands of submissions over the ten plus years that I have been Managing Editor of The Writer’s Workshop Review has increased my confidence in my own stories. And, it has helped me to formulate a writing philosophy. We writers are in this together. We owe each other respect and a gentle eye. It’s a brave act to put our words out there, revealing parts of ourselves, no matter how fictionally, that most people would never express. Stories, whether fiction or nonfiction, are essential to a better understanding of our world and connecting with other human beings. Doing this volunteer work has helped my perceptions to expand.

Dealing With People Problems Through Journal Writing

Published in CreateWriteNow.com 7/15/19

A lot of my journal writing is pretty boring stuff — just talking about what I did the day before. Still, I use my journal for all kinds of thinking, much dealing with my creative writing. When I have a problem it gets thoroughly analyzed in my journal. Fortunately, I get along well with everyone in my life, however, the occasional people problem does arise. Conflict upsets me, yet I can be reactive. Probably the upset comes because I do tend to be reactive. Through a lot of practice I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut until I can figure out why I feel the way I do and what to do about that feeling and possibly why the person is acting in the way they are behaving. That practice means journal writing about the person. Because I’m also extremely loyal it can be hard for me to write negative things about the people I love. I’ve worked that out, too. Journal writing about my people makes me more compassionate and empathetic. Owning my feelings makes me more honest.

My first marriage ended in divorce after a lot of time spent trying to keep it together. My journal writing pinpointed what could and mostly couldn’t be fixed. And, it helped me figure out the path to take independently. There were a lot of relationship wishes on my mind during those days.

Now, decades into a successful marriage, I can claim that my journal writing has helped me through the inevitable challenges and hurdles that occur along the way. My husband had a major cancer diagnosis several years ago that frightened and confused me. Writing about questions that came up and envisioning answers and working through the prospect of possibly being on my own again made me feel somewhat in control of an otherwise chaotic situation.

Less severe examples of a people problem happened during my mother-in-law’s family visits. After a couple of days (she usually stayed five) I’d be uptight because of her constant messing with my stuff — washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning the kids’ rooms. It sounds like a blessing to have such help. Instead, I perceived my safe place as being invaded. I’d write about it in my journal. Because of that sense of loyalty (I really loved my MIL who has been gone for a long time) I worried about her reading something I wrote. The conclusion I came to was if she found my journal and read something upsetting it would be her problem, not mine. This was freeing. I realized that my journal helped me to better interact with all my important people. And, she never did know what I wrote. Our relationship was quite good at her end.

This sense of freedom through journal writing carried over into the rearing of our two children. Worries about so many things kept me up in the middle of the night. I’d dig out my journal and write down whatever was bothering me — things like an argument with our headstrong son or our daughter’s perfectionism. This usually meant an hour or so sitting in the living room with a cup of herbal tea and a blanket and sorting through what had happened and what to do. When it was all said, including the negative feelings that the particular child brought out, I usually came to some conclusion and was able to go back to bed and cuddle in with a clear mind — ready to handle the pesky problem with a rational decision the next day.

Since I’ve written in journals for what seems like forever, I have file drawers full of notebooks. Sometimes I go back and re-read parts. Old entries help me to see the personal progress I am making. These entries can be amusing. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that something caused me such anguish. What I have found practically without exception is that the people concern of the moment usually resolves itself within a day or two. This has taught me to be more relaxed and let the solution find me. Stating the issue and identifying the details helps. Playing a repetitive thought tape over what action to take does not. The act of writing in and of itself focuses my mind. It calms and strengthens me. And, it clarifies whatever action I might need to take. At times, it is merely doing nothing. As far as re-reading, every morning the first thing I do is read and make notes in the margin for the entry of the previous day. This is when I often see that some problem has become a nonevent. Then, I write my entry for that day. It’s interesting to watch my life in this way. Plus, it provides material to be used fictionally.

As noted above, there are many aspects of my journal writing — goal setting, travel details, mundane day-to-day issues, the big questions like what’s it all about and spirituality. My relationships with the important people in my life are just one area I address in these pages. I know that my relationships are better because of looking at them in this way. And, of course, I  express gratitude for the people in my life who enhance my purpose and meaning.

Bio: Kathleen Glassburn is a fiction writer and an editor. For more information about her work please see: www.kathleenglassburn.com

Controlling the Course of Events

Please read the original blog post at: Archway Publishing

My Journey to Self-Publishing

Reading and writing stories have been part of my life since first grade. The library was a more inviting place than the playground. I earned a BA in English and went on to earn an MFA in Creative Writing with an emphasis on Fiction. After having many short stories published, I wrote my first novel and decided to publish it. With an employment background in business, I am organized and don’t like to do projects according to other people’s timetables (or lack of timetables). I’m not patient when I have to wait around for things that I think could have been done in a more expeditious manner. I also don’t like my work being part of someone’s slush pile.

A friend had a book done by Archway Publishing and she gave an excellent recommendation. With my characteristics (I don’t like to call myself a “control freak” but perhaps, at times, this is a good description) I decided that self-publishing would be right for me.

Why I Love Archway

My novel has now been available for several months. It has received positive responses from readers (friends, acquaintances, as well as professionals with whom I’m not familiar). The book itself is beautiful. The cover that I was helped to choose is exactly as I wanted it to be. The text is clean. And, the symbolic images representing a major theme are tastefully done. Also, the book was completed in a timely way. I never had to wait for responses to my questions or updates on progress. Because of Archway’s conscientious attention to providing a meticulous package, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed interacting with my team of well-qualified and knowledgeable people.

I am so pleased with my novel that I have contracted for them to do a collection of my published short stories. I look forward to seeing these in an equally-beautiful book sometime this year.

To me, as a business-minded, independent person, who loves to write fiction, this is the most telling detail of my Archway experience — I am a return client.

Kirkus Review – Making It Work

Taken directly from The Kirkus Review:

In Glassburn’s (Ridin’ High, 2015, etc.) novel, a young woman embarks on a journey of self-discovery after her new husband enlists in the military during the Vietnam War.

Nineteen-year-old Sheila Doty Gallagher left college to marry her heartthrob, Jim, and she’s just started to adjust to married life. She’s justifiably shocked when Jim announces that he’s joined the Navy. After he goes away for a brief training period, he returns and tells Sheila that they’ll be moving from Minneapolis to Long Beach, California, where he’s been stationed. Before long, she discovers that the domestic life she imagined isn’t going to materialize. Jim is sent on many assignments that require him to take prolonged absences from home, and each time he returns, the visits are increasingly strained. When his tour finally ends, Sheila hopes to repair their relationship; unfortunately, Jim informs her that he plans to re-enlist. She decides that she’s had enough of waiting around and subordinating her dreams to Jim’s plans. She sets off on a journey of her own, traveling to various parts of the country and trying out different lifestyles and relationships. As Sheila meets hippies, conservatives, adulterers, and friends during her travels, Glassburn paints a vivid panorama of life in America during the Vietnam War era. The story is rich with details of the lives of Navy wives and effectively portrays the conflicting perspectives in different parts of the country during the 1960s and ’70s. The many flashbacks to Sheila’s youth, interspersed throughout, tend to obstruct the flow of an otherwise gripping main narrative. At the same time, though, they do provide information about her formative years, her dysfunctional family, and the disparity between her childhood dreams and her adult reality.

A thoughtful, sensitive examination of the effects of war, sexism, and unfulfilling relationships.

Where Do Stories Come From?

It’s been my experience that fictional stories are inspired by some actual person, place, event, or a combination of the three. From that point of departure, my imagination takes over and a story, with little resemblance to the reality, forms. In the case of my new story, “Belonging,” the point of departure was a combination of the above three elements that set me to writing. There was an older girl whom I idolized at about seven years old. I tagged along after her at the summer camp we both attended. All was well, she enjoyed being worshipped — until it wasn’t. She and her older friends gave me an initiation rite in order to belong to their “club.” I ran away and the idolization ended. But, I never forgot my sense of betrayal.

To read “Belonging,” which is included in Gold Man Review, Issue 6, please go to this link by clicking here.

Buy Now! 

The journal can be purchased in book form or downloaded to your Kindle.