Holly Lyn Walrath
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Submitting Your Work: For Poets

12/23/2020

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These days, it might seem superfluous to submit poetry to journals and magazines when you can make a living as an Instapoet instead. But in the world of poetry, having many publications under your belt can be a way to build towards publishing a chapbook or full-length book of poems.
What follows is a step-by-step guide for poets on submitting your work. This is part of a series of articles for new writers who’ve never sent their work out before. While everyone’s process is different, I hope these tips and tricks can be a starting point for you to figure out your submissions process and start getting your work into the world.

Read the full article here . . . 

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Fall 2020 Workshops

8/15/2020

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​Poetry Barn Self-Paced Course: Writing Resistance Through Erasure, Found Text & Visual Poetry
DATE: Ongoing
TIME: Asynchronous, Self-paced
PRICE: $99

Hybrid poetry forms can be a powerful form of resistance. From Jerrod Schwarz’s erasure of Trump’s inaugural speech to Niina Pollari’s black outs of the N-400 citizenship form, contemporary poets are engaging with the world through text, creating new and challenging works of art. Heralded by the rise of the “Instapoet,” visual works are a way to take poetry one step further by crafting new forms and structures that often transcend the page. 

In this four-module independent study workshop, you’ll study the forms of poetry that draw from outside sources and texts, learning how artists are reshaping the narrative of resistance and how to draw from news, media, canonical works, and other found texts to create our own work in conversation with the current world.

Shortly after you register, you’ll receive an email containing an invitation to create an account and begin learning. (Please note: This class does not include feedback or interaction with the instructor or other learners.)
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Writespace: Poetry Critique (Synchronous  1-Day Workshop)
DATE: Saturday, October 10th 1-4pm CST
TIME: Online, Synchronous 
​In this workshop, we'll focus on four fundamentals that editors look for in poetry. It's one thing to write poems, it's another to start sending out your work to publishers. How do you know if the poem "works"? How can you revise a poem so it stands out in a slush pile? We'll focus on reading poetry like an editor, with an eye towards structure, word choice, content, and first and last lines. This is a critique workshop, so participants will be asked to submit up to two poems (max 4 pages) in advance. ​
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Writespace: Introduction to Found Poetry (Online 4-Week Workshop)
DATE: Sunday, October 4th - Sunday, November 1st
TIME: Online, Asynchronous
​Found poetry is an umbrella term encompassing any poem that uses an outside source text to create a new original poem. Found texts may include but are not limited to: Newspapers, books, periodicals, graffiti, other poems, street signs, advertisements, propaganda, online media, Twitter posts, or anything with words that can be rearranged, erased, cut-out, or reformulated to create a new and wholly original piece of poetry. In this workshop, we'll learn the history of erasure and create our own found poems using methods of erasure or blackout, headline poetry, collage, remixing, cutting, cento poems, acrostic or golden shovel poems, and/or found title poems. 

This is a four-week workshop that takes place completely online. Participants will get the chance to write one poem a week and will be required to critique at least 2 other student's work each week. You may want to have a camera or phone with a camera (a scanner works great too) to upload photos of your poems, but this is not a requirement. ​
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Writespace: Journaling Your Way to a Better Writing Life (Online 4-Week Workshop)
DATE: Sunday, November 8th - December 6th
TIME: Online, Asynchronous
​Writers are observers. One way to keep track of your observations and ideas is through a writing journal. In this workshop, we'll cover the basics of journaling for writers. Not just as a method of processing and keeping track of your thoughts, but as a method of improving your writing life and working towards a career as a writer. We'll cover tracking your writing, how to manage large ideas or projects, tracking submissions, creating goals, revising in a journal, and more, all while exploring popular methods of journaling to find the one that works for you. If you feel out of sorts or disorganized in your writing life, this workshop is for you!

This is a four-week workshop that takes place completely online. You may want to purchase a simple notebook to try out the techniques on your own. You'll be asked to share one journaling exercise a week and give feedback on each other's work.
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How to Hook a Reader on the First Page

6/18/2020

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Agents and editors are looking for submissions that quickly set themselves apart. The stand-out submissions are fairly easy to locate. While all of slushing is somewhat subjective (as far as taste goes, we all have different loves and hates), I’ve noticed that there are a couple of things that are distinguishable between the stories I loved from a slush pile and the ones I passed over quickly.

Read the full article here . . .
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New Essay at write Wild: Are Writing Contests Worth Entering?

6/1/2020

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Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about contests and writing fees, in one handy article. Writing contests abound. There are 695 contests on Duotrope’s listing of prizes and contests for poetry alone. There are writing contests run by big magazines and writing contests by little academic journals. Some contests pay a great deal, upwards of thousands of dollars, while others may pay a smaller amount. Some contests come with publication, others are a cash payout only. In some ways, this pay-to-pay model mirrors the way artists submit their work, often asked to pay a fee to be a part of an exhibition or gallery.

Read the whole article here . . . 
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My Favorite Poetry Writing Prompt is Also the Simplest

4/28/2020

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I've read a lot of writing prompts in my time, and they all suck. Seriously. What is with this “Write a poem about a man who finds a dog on the side of the road and then he brings it home and then it eats his shoe . . .” prompt bull-honkey? (Okay, I made that prompt up, but that’s how most of them sound.)

Read the full article here . . . 
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Creatives, You Need to Slow Down

4/16/2020

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We’re all being forced to slow down right now, and some of us are better at it than others. But I’ve noticed that writers, and creatives in general, are really, really bad at this.

Read the full post here . . . 
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Crafting a Small Poetry Collection

2/1/2020

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I’m reading the poetry book submissions for Interstellar Flight Press, it occurs to me that a lot of writers struggle to put together poems for a collection. But when the right congregation of poems appears, it’s so exciting as an editor. Poems, when collected, have the ability to speak to each other in new and interesting ways not explored in their individuality.

Read the full article here . . . 

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New Medium post: My NaNoWriMo was a Mess

12/18/2019

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Do you ever think as humans we’re just afraid to get our hands dirty? That we’ve engineered our lives to be as perfect, pristine, and efficient as possible? And that maybe, if we aren’t perfect, then we’re failures?

I’m trying to abolish this idea from my creative life. The idea of perfection.

Read the full article here . . .
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The End of the Year Sometimes Sucks for Creatives

11/28/2019

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Around November, Writing Twitter starts talking about the end of the year. It’s NaNoWriMo, so people are often talking about writing anyway. But also, it’s the time of the year when, if you’re a writer in science fiction or fantasy, you should be posting your “What I Published This Year,” or “Awards Eligibility” post.

A lot of writers use this time to celebrate the works they’ve published over the year and encourage others to nominate them for best of lists and prize consideration, like the Pushcart Prize or Hugo Awards. Journal editors on the literary side announce their nominations for the Pushcart around this time. 2019 is also the end of a decade, so now people are also posting encouraging writers to share what they accomplished in the last decade. We’re sharing pics of ourselves in 2009 and 2019 to show the passage of time.

But I know that a lot of creatives struggle with all this.

Read the whole post here . . . 
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Tricking Yourself into Writing

11/27/2019

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I love the above image. It’s a photograph taken at Natural Bridge State Park, where someone has carved this quote from J.R.R. Tolkien into a walking path. J.R.R. Tolkien probably never imagined the life his work has taken on after his death — that someone would take the time to carve his words in a public space. In fact, I know he didn’t.

John Hendrix, an artist, recently posted a quote from Tolkien’s diary while he was writing Lord of the Rings. It reads:

Friday 14 April: ‘I managed to get an hour or two’s writing, and have brought Frodo nearly to the gates of Mordor. Afternoon lawn-mowing. Term begins next week, and proofs of Wales papers have come. Still I am going to continue “Ring” in every salvable moment.’

Read more here . . .
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New Medium Article: NaNoWriMo Isn’t Just for Books

10/24/2019

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November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), an online community and yearly event where writers make the goal of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. This year, I’m encouraging you to burn the frigging thing down.

Read how here . . . 
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New Medium Article: Does Publishing Short Stories Matter?

10/15/2019

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I have a new article up at Medium today on the economics of short fiction, how commercialism is changing what writers write, & a bit of advice from Shirley Jackson.

“The very nicest thing about being a writer is that you can afford to indulge yourself endlessly with oddness, and nobody can really do anything about it, as long as you keep writing and kind of using it up, as it were.” — Shirley Jackson (“Memory and Delusion,” Published in Let Me Tell You.)​

Read the entire article here . . . 

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The Stages of the Writing Life

9/4/2019

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I'm teaching an online workshop with Gemini Ink in October on The Writing Life. Essentially, we'll cover the four major stages of taking a project from idea to publication. There's a whole lot to cover here, but if you're a newbie this is a great class for you. It also works nicely for those who are looking to reinvent their writing life and add more structure to the chaos.

Register for the class here . . . 

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40 Writing Milestones to Celebrate

8/28/2019

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I have a new article up at Medium today! As a writer, it can be really hard to keep going. One way I keep myself motivated is by celebrating the small things. Sure, I was over the moon the first time I got a poetry acceptance. But I’ve learned that to keep going, you need to celebrate every little step. Every time I hit a new milestone, I try to appreciate that moment, because it validates all the hard work, long hours, and general malaise that being a writer sometimes entails. I love writing, but writing is hard.

Read the whole list here . . . 


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Queries, Contributors, and Common Terms: An A-Z glossary for submitting writing

8/21/2019

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Today on Medium I'm continuing my series of writing articles, this one all about the different terms we use when we talk about submissions. If you've ever wanted to submit your writing, but don't know where to start with all the lingo (What's a slush pile anyway?), this article is for you. 

Read the full post here!

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Guest Post: Horror Writers Association

7/2/2019

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This month I have a guest post up at the Horror Writer's Association on the theme of dark poetry called "Darkness and Light." if you're a HWA member, be sure to check it out! If you're not a member, you can read it on Curious Fictions for $1 or by subscribing to my feed.

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Fighting Self-Rejection and Imposter Syndrome

5/16/2019

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The hardest part about submitting your writing is battling imposter syndrome and self-rejection. It doesn’t matter how you track your submissions or how many submissions you make in a year. Every writer has a different process that works for them. But it does matter if you never try — and these two things can make you freeze up when it comes time to hit send on a submission. That's why I posted a new article over at Medium today on this very topic. 

Read the whole post here . . .

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Creating a Writer’s Mission Statement

4/3/2019

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Today at Medium, I write about crafting a "mission statement" for your writing career and how it can help you meet your goals. Thinking about your writing as a brand helps to combat self-rejection and imposter syndrome. It puts a bit of distance between you and your work — and that can be a lifesaver in the future when you’re looking at hard decisions about where to publish and why.

Read the whole post here . . . 

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Forming a Critique Group 101

1/31/2019

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I'm starting a new series on Medium for new writers. My first article is on finding a critique group. ​It can be frustrating to find a critique group if you’re a new writer. Groups often don’t take new members or don’t advertise when they do. That’s why it’s usually easier to just start your own group. I recommend getting out in the community and meeting other writers, then finding those that truly get your voice and what you’re doing with your writing. 

Read the full article here . . . 

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Working with a Freelance Editor to Boost Your Writing Career

1/4/2019

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I've got a new article over at Medium.com on working with a freelance editor. Over my four years of editing, I've come to learn that many writers don't understand what it means to work with a freelance editor. Working with an editor can be a big boost to your writing career, especially if you want to publish your work. I'm glad to share my experience, and if you have questions, please feel free to email me or leave them in the comments!

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Five Writing Tips I’m Carrying into 2019

1/3/2019

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Over at Medium, I'm sharing five writing tips that I'm carrying into 2019. It's a bit of a "Here's what I learned" mixed with "Here's what I still need." 

Y'all, writing is hard. It's constant work. It's a balancing act. You're never really done. I wanted to recap some things that I'm keeping with me for 2019, but I know I'm still learning. 

​What did you learn about your writing last year?

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6 Resources for Submitting Your Writing

7/30/2018

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Submitting your writing is hard and a little bit terrifying. But you don't need to go it alone! Over at Trish Hopkinson's blog, I wrote a guest post on the different resources you can use to submit your work, including submission trackers, query trackers, manuscript wish lists, submission stats, and places to find calls for submissions. 

Read it here...

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Manifestos: Six Principles of Flash Fiction

6/21/2018

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I have an article up at Cotton Xenomorph today which lists the six elements of flash fiction for me. 

Writing advice is tricky. I struggled approaching this article because some part of me was adverse to the idea of the word "Manifesto." It seems so apart from what I understand flash fiction to be. So let me just say that this is just how I read and write flash fiction and not some grand set of rigid rules. 

We are all humans and we write in our own ways. I know this especially from working as a freelancer. I work with authors and I have to come into their space of writing gently because everyone is different. Some writers wake early in the morning to write before taking their three kids to school. Some stay up late chatting with friends online while revising. We fit writing into our lives, but we rarely sit down and think: What am I really doing here? How does this fulfill me and how can I nurture that feeling? For me, this list is how I nurture my writing of flash fiction and how I understand the genre. But it's just my own experience and understanding. 

The most important rule on this list to me is #1: Empathy. ​I think this also applies to our own work. I see so many emerging writers, marginalized writers, women writers, who are afraid to put their work out into the world. I wish I could say to all of you, your voice matters. Because putting your own vulnerabilities on the page creates empathy. We are humans who need to live in a shared world of experience.

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Subscriber-Only Post at Curious Fictions

5/14/2018

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Subscribe for $2 to read this post!

I have a new post up at Curious Fictions, an essay on writing flash fiction. Subscribers also get a free eBook of my story "Mermaid Hunt." 

Curious Fictions is a website similar to Patreon where I post occasional content, essays, and other random stuff. 

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New Subscriber Post: Art is Love

2/16/2018

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I've got a new post up at Curious Fictions! Subscribe for $2/month!

​I've got a new post up at Curious Fictions for subscribers. This one's about how we can learn to love ourselves as artists. How do we negotiate the market and the successes of others? Once you start publishing your work, where do you go from there?


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    Holly Lyn Walrath is a freelance editor and author of poetry, flash fiction, and short fiction. Find her on Twitter @HollyLynWalrath

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    Holly Walrath's books on Goodreads
    Glimmerglass Girl Glimmerglass Girl
    reviews: 15
    ratings: 19 (avg rating 4.21)

    Our Space: Shorts & Poetry from the Houston Community Our Space: Shorts & Poetry from the Houston Community
    reviews: 1
    ratings: 4 (avg rating 4.25)

    In Medias Res: Stories from the In-Between In Medias Res: Stories from the In-Between
    ratings: 2 (avg rating 4.50)

    The 2017 Rhysling Anthology: The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Poetry of 2016 Selected by the Science Fiction Poetry Association The 2017 Rhysling Anthology: The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Poetry of 2016 Selected by the Science Fiction Poetry Association
    reviews: 9
    ratings: 16 (avg rating 4.31)

    Approaching Footsteps Approaching Footsteps
    reviews: 4
    ratings: 9 (avg rating 4.67)

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  • Home
  • Publications
    • Poetry
    • Fiction
    • Glimmerglass Girl
    • Numinose Lapidi
    • The Smallest of Bones
  • Stories
    • The Joy of Baking
    • Mermaid Hunt
    • Confessions of a Tree Nymph
    • Restoration
    • Subscribe at Curious Fictions
    • Buy Print Books
  • Editing
    • December NaNoWriMo Special
    • Writing Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Press
    • Appearances