THE RAIN, PARTY, & DISASTER SOCIETY—a different kind of online publication.

Guest post by Ruth W. Duncan

The Rain, Party, & Disaster Society, an online literary magazine, is now accepting submissions exclusively through Submittable. It is an unusual site, seeking unusual types of fiction, poetry, nonfiction (including memoir). For example, one story was a love letter which might have seemed like stalking, but did not. Read some, they are all a little offbeat. The motto is “not for the faint of heart.” The staff appear to be very young and the work published is of high quality.

Ruth W. Duncan is working on the memoir Place Stories.

Insomnia-inducing stories market

Guest post by Leo Deege

NoSleep (Reddit) is a place for authors to share their original horror stories. Suspension of disbelief is key here.  Minimum of 500 words.

 

Leo Deege is the author of Warrior: From Nazi Occupied Holland to the Jungles of Vietnam–An Immigrant Story.

Writing about scuba diving experiences? Try these sites …

Guest post by Leo Deege

Dive In is always looking for writers with scuba experience. Initially unpaid, but for a small fee when established.

Dive Buzz is an online magazine for divers and is accepting manuscripts. Submit at least three JPG images with your article.

Scuba Magazine solicits personal stories and letters about your dive experiences. The best letter each month gets a Suunto Vyper Air computer with optional transmitter.   This prize is worth £649. They look for stories [between 1400 and 1800 words] that would make a good feature, and require a brief proposal of around 100 words with a few sample images at low resolution (jpegs of about 200kb each). Proposals (no longer than 250 words) can be sent to simon AT scubamagazine.co.uk

 

Leo Deege is the author of Warrior: From Nazi Occupied Holland to the Jungles of Vietnam–An Immigrant Story.

Writing about military experience? Read this!

Guest Post by Leo Deege

 

Personal experiences in the U.S. Armed Forces are solicited by Military Magazine, a monthly magazine that serves as a record of military history. (Look to the right and select “writer’s guide” for submission guidelines.)

The American Legion solicits membership articles and memoir blogs of all past and present 2.4 million members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Annual dues are $25.

The Library of Congress Veterans History Project solicits personal experiences from veterans of foreign wars.

Each service branch has a variety of magazines that publish articles. One can just google the name of the service branch and/or specialty, such as Armor, Artillery, etc.

Leo Deege is the author of Warrior: From Nazi Occupied Holland to the Jungles of Vietnam–An Immigrant Story.

Give these a try!

Guest Post by Anna Evans

1. Three Penny Review

This site does not cater to one genre; it gives readers a chance to experience a variety of interesting and unexpected and compelling narratives.  The site accepts poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and essays.  No more than 4000 words and no deadlines: accepting January to June.

 

 

2. Boulevard Magazine

This magazine boasts being on the lookout for “less experienced or unpublished writers with exceptional promise.”  As an inexperienced writer, I was immediately intrigued; it sounded like an excellent place to start.  There is a submission fee of $3.  However, they pay you for your stories if accepted.

 

3. Away

I found this site especially interesting. Both experienced and inexperienced travelers tell their stories and share their own fascinating discoveries.

 

Anna Evans is an aspiring author of memoir.

Resources for memoir writers

Guest post by Doug Macleod

• The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr – a great (instructional) read by an author with a tremendous sense of humor. Also available on audiobook (read by the author).

• Fall for the Book—  The Fairfax County Public Library System, George Mason University, and George Mason University Bookstore present an Annual Fall for the Book Festival. It is a collection of more than 100 internationally best-selling novelists and national book awards winners who present their books at various locations in Northern Virginia.  Check out the schedule online
• The Fairfax County Public Library has a series of monthly free events for people who love to read and discuss books.
•  The Fairfax County City of Fairfax Library Branch maintains a collection of books rich in regional history and genealogy. They offer one-on-one assistance with genealogy resources.

 

Doug Macleod is an amateur photographer who is currently compiling his family history.

 

 

Brevity—A goal for emerging writers

Guest Post by Ruth W. Duncan

Dinty Moore, editor of Brevity:  a Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction, likes to publish brief (up to 750 words) essays by “emerging authors.” He stresses attention to detail, the one-inch frame idea, sharp focus. Read some, they’re excellent.

Payment ($45) is given for featured essays and craft essays, but not for book reviews.  Rolling submissions (through the website only; $3 fee). 3 issues per year: Winter, May, Fall.

Ruth W. Duncan is working on the memoir Place Stories.

Delmarva Review accepting submissions until March 16, 2016

Guest Post by Janet Parsons Mackey

The Delmarva Review is accepting submissions until March 16, 2016, for its ninth annual publication. The Eastern Shore Writers Association sponsors this journal, which includes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by many new writers. Check out  guidelines (electronic submissions only).

Janet Parsons Mackey is the author of the memoir Things Get Rearranged: How E. Dudley Parsons and His Passion for Justice Sent Me from Minnesota to Moscow.

Remember to polish before you publish

Sometimes we’re so excited to have written something new that we send it out before it’s ready. Let it “cool” for awhile and work on something else. Then when that something else is finished, let it sit for awhile and revise the first piece.

There are many styles and approaches to revision. Here’s a simple three-step approach, from the helpful folks at The Write Life blog.

Chicken Soup for the Soul seeks your inspiring stories

If you’re an ordinary person who’s had an extraordinary experience, write it up and consider submitting it to Chicken Soup for the Soul. It’s a paying market, and if your story is selected you also receive ten free copies of the book in which your story or poem appears.

From the guidelines:

Stories are written in the first person and have a beginning, middle, and end–and create emotion rather than simply talking about it. …A good story causes tears, laughter, goose bumps, or any combination of these.

Here are some potential book topics for which the publisher is seeking stories:

• Dreams and synchronicities (DL March 31, 2016)
• The joy of Christmas (DL April 30, 2016)
• Blended families (DL June 30, 2016)

There are more on the site–check it out. And of course, read the complete guidelines before submitting.