Hello my brothers.
Over the course of a blessed, productive year I was able to live in such a way that my free time was in abundance and the result is that I have completed three novels, three novelettes (I only just learned of this category a moment ago), and three short stories. This symmetry was not intentional as until now, I thought anything that was not a novella was a short story, but that is insignificant.
Over the last week I have been sending out innumerable queries of my novels but as I cannot expect a response soon, I would like to begin submitting my shorter works of fiction as well. I have looked into literary magazines and found that the vast majority are published online. In turning to you, my brothers, I hope that someone familiar enough with the publication process of shorter fiction can advise me as to how to proceed.
Is a publication with an e-magazine of any use or benefit to the writer? If not, where should I try and submit my shorter works? I can think of no better place than here to present my questions and I hope that you guys will prove as helpful as you have in the past.
Thanks in advance and may God bless you with inspiration and productivity brothers.
I hope your stories don't read like your post.
>>7606865
The only place that would be of REAL benefit to you is a reputable literary magazine such as The New Yorker. Other than that, just try and get your work published in any magazine. I would avoid e-mags, but if they are your only option then go right ahead and let them publish your story.
>>7606883
Thank you for your advice. How can a magazine that is reputable be distinguished from one that is not?
>>7606912
Just look at the standard stuff. See what writers have published in the magazine, who its editors are, if it has won or been nominated for any awards, and just read some of the work that has been in it. If a magazine charges a reading fee for your short story, then you shouldn't submit to it. Also, just google "reputable literary magazines" or "prestigious literary magazines" and I'm sure some helpful lists will appear.
>>7606934
Thanks again! I did as you advised and found a useful list just as you said.
>>7606948
No problem. If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.
>>7606865
That's goto be the most autist thing I've read.
My brother may we see an excerpt?
>>7606954
Of course, this is from of the novelettes I finished typing up yesterday. It is about a man who undergoes an experiment designed to absolve him of the repercussions of his criminal act.
“I don’t understand,” his voice emerged as a croak for the indeterminable duration of its hibernation, but with each syllable it gained in vehemence until it held the same severity of passion that vivified his mind. “Leave and go where when I don’t even know who I am? Tell me who I am!”
“Why Mr. Bemis,” the man’s grin extended to a heinous, ominous crescent, “you are a free man. You have, in a way, martyred yourself for your freedom and now you are free to go, are you not satisfied?”
“What?” His voice gained in volume despite of himself, more as a result of desperation than indignation as he came to understand his interlocutor to be the only person capable of extricating him from the crevice of confusion which he feared would be his perpetual residence. “Satisfied? I don’t understand! Tell me who I am, you haven’t told me anything. Why can’t I remember anything? How do you know my name when I don’t; and that boat! Did you put me there? Tell me!”
“Do calm down Mr. Bemis.” The man took an inconspicuous step towards his desk and reached into a pocket where he clasped something that remained hidden before he continued, only slightly perturbed but still not enough to falter his grin. “If you insist, then it cannot be helped; I will tell you all that you care to know. Now, Mr. Bemis, you are a free man but prior to now, you were a murderer—indeed our success has absolved you of that vicious title—and one sentenced to be executed. I suppose you could not be reasonably expected to appreciate freedom without first knowing that you were confined for over a decade with the certainty of an impending execution looming over you. So there, Mr. Bemis, before you were the free man you are now, you were a murderer and before then, unknown to us. I see that you do not believe me but I have all the documents which hold, in great detail, what you are—excuse me, I ought to say were—responsible for and which I will most readily show to you, but let us keep such details for later if they are so desired.”
>>7606984
oh my
>not knowing how punctuation works
>"despite of"
Do you even first draft?
>>7606984
So you ripped off A Clockwork Orange but took a compelling character and put this confused buffoon in his place? Ehh, can't say I could do any better.
>>7607012
I haven't considered the comparison until now and it's definitely interesting but if I posted the whole thing, I think you would notice the differences are too great to say I ripped off of it.
My confused buffoon is made that way by the experiment: the first half of the story is of him waking up on a boat without recollection or idea of anything that extends beyond his surrounding. It is only when the experiment comes to an end that he encounters the man who answers his questions. A Clockwork Orange looks at a operant conditioning but here it is more of a neural approach that focuses on the potential to give a criminal another chance by impairing his memory of himself.
>>7607050
Why on Earth would anyone do that? That doesn't help at all.
>>7607054
It builds off the idea that if a man were to forget all that had served to influence his development, he would emerge a different individual. This difference would be great enough to acquit him of what he was responsible for prior to the memory impairment.
>>7606865
>novelettes
>>7606984
Holy shit put down the thesaurus. Writing like a precocious fifteen year old is a bad sign.
>>7607097
If that's how it comes off then it cannot be helped. I will maintain the guise of a precocious fifteen year old until publication is accepted.
>>7607126
you'll be fifteen forever then lad
>>7607069
There was a Criminal Minds episode with the exact same plot. I believe it was called "clean slate" or something like that.
I wish you good luck OP and hope you get published
>>7607050
If the purpose of your work is to explore rehabilitation through impaired memory, why is Mr. Bemis given free access to information about his past?
Surely the regret of getting ruthlessly drunk on your 21st and rooting a fat chick wouldn't be diminished if you had a video to remind you of it?
