Writing Life: July 2007 Archives

As a writer hoping to break into the mainstream fiction publishing world in the next few years, I've spent some time researching the topic of "how to get published". Advice ranges from "get a good agent!" to "submit manuscripts directly! Slush piles are your friend!" and everything in between.

But the majority of the advice is dished out by people who haven't published anything I'd care to read. And those who are published well, in fiction, generally have no advice because they got published the old-fashioned way; by chance meetings and connections, or relentless submission of material over many years.

Neil Gaiman's blog does contain a nice set of resources for writers early on in their careers. It's the most reasonable-sounding advice I've heard so far, and the warning about agents from one of his associates, if true, contradicts much of what I've read elsewhere. Essentially, she says that an agent who will represent you without a firm offer from a publisher isn't the kind of agent who has your best interests in mind. See Gaiman's post here.

Summer in Minnesota is at its peak, and for me that means Yearly Kos is fast approaching. The gathering of bloggers affiliated with the nation's most popular political website, Daily Kos, in Chicago this year, promises to be far bigger and better even than the first event last year, and this time includes an artistic component.

I'm happy to be part of the first literary magazine to come out of a blogging convention--and probably the first to come out of any major political website. It's called "Art in a Liberal Frame" and will be published in limited quantities for sale at the convention. It's a gorgeous book, full color and full of political photographs, cartoons, poetry, and even an internet-themed short story by yours truly, titled "Another Thread". I also participated as an assistant editor. After the convention I'll post it here in readable form. It's a labor of love by Daily Kos members and is one of the most stridently political literary magazines you'll ever see. In a time when many litmags are dishrag nebulous, "Art in a Liberal Frame" is full of passionate, angry, witty folks. We're hoping it will be for sale online after the convention.

More writing news to come. Biography and sample work is on the way as well.