Grades and Final Business

Grades have been updated in Blackboard. Please check these to make sure they are in line with what you think you turned in.

As of this morning, only four students have emailed me a screenshot of their proof that they completed the course eval! (There's a link below to accessing this, and I will reiterate that I will award you an extra credit participation point--which works out to be about 3% of your total participation grade-- if you do this. PLEASE, PLEASE do this, even if you don't need the extra credit. I will love you forever if you just DO THE EVAL.

Portfolios are due WEDNESDAY, DEC 14, by 12:30 P.M. in your student folder of Dropbox. If for some reason you doubt it is uploading to Dropbox properly, email it to me. Better to be safe. The portfolio is worth a whopping 50% of your total grade, and I WILL NOT ACCEPT IT LATE. As in, if you turn the Portfolio in at 12:45, you will fail my class.

I just want to say again what a total pleasure it was to teach this class, and I wish you all the very best, both in your submission (woohoo! first submission!) and in your writing lives. Please keep in touch. The email that will work best for this is writercynthiahand@gmail.com. Let me know the outcome of your submissions! And please, feel free to use me as a reference and approach me if you feel you're ready to start trying to get published.

I'm eager to read your portfolios!

CH

Revision Resources

Here's a link to seriously one of my favorite articles regarding revision, EVER, "Revising Your Prose for Power and Punch."

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i372l2qwua9pswd/David%20Michael%20Kaplan%20Revising%20Your%20Prose%20For%20Power%20and%20Punch.doc?dl=0

I've also included Kit Reed's "What to Leave Out and What to Put In"
https://www.dropbox.com/s/m9umfs2iysq2xjt/Kit%20Reed%20What%20to%20Leave%20Out%20and%20What%20to%20Put%20In.doc?dl=0

and Jesse Lee Kerchival's "Revision," (which I couldn't link here for some reason, but all three of these articles will be in a new "Revision Articles" folder of our class Dropbox.)

Happy revising!

Portfolio Time

It's portfolio time. So here's what I want in your portfolio:

• One of your two revised short stories, formatted exactly to submission standards, ready to go on submission. (Times New Roman, 1 inch margins, page number with your name on the top right--I will put a sample of this in Dropbox.)

• A query letter for said story. (see the post immediately before this one for an example)

• A SASE (stamped), if you are sending out via snail mail.

• A larger manila or priority envelope, if you are sending out via snail mail. (I will pay postage.)

• A letter to ME, about your progress and analysis of the class, which I will keep.



• 2 of your very best workshop responses.

All of these things can be turned in at the ASH lobby between 12:00 and 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday the 13th OR in your specific student folder (the one with your name on it) in the Dropbox. Just make a folder for yourself entitled FINAL PORTFOLIO and clearly label everything that goes in that folder. If you are sending your submission via the internet, please send me a screenshot of your confirmation that you have submitted the story. Visit this website if you need instructions on how to take a screenshot.

Final Letter Guidelines

 The idea behind the final letter is to show a context for the class.  The point of teaching in a portfolio style is that I, the instructor, am able to evaluate you, the student, based on your process as a young writer, not on the final products that you produce.  Here is your chance to explain your process and effort to me, before I grade your work.

            The letter should answer some or all of the following questions:

1)      What was your attitude about writing (and publishing) before you entered this class?   

2)      How were these ideas about writing (and publishing), listed above, challenged or affirmed in this course?  What challenged them?  What was your favorite Conversational Topic?

3)      What was your writing process like during the course?  What did you feel was your biggest achievement?  How did you grow as a writer?

4)      How would you evaluate your “level of engagement” in the course?  How intellectually engaged were you with the readings we read, the workshops, and finally, your own work?   

5)      How did the readings impact your own sense of creative writing?  What were your favorite pieces?  What were the pieces that most affected you, challenged you, made you see another way of thinking?  What pieces did you struggle with the most, and how did you respond to that friction?

6)      (mandatory) How did Jerome Stern affect your ideas about writing?  How did you see his ideas working through the published stories that we read?  Give at least one clear example of something Stern wrote about that you could apply to one of the stories that we read.

7)      What do you want me to know before I read your portfolio?  How do you want me to consider it?  What grade do you believe you deserve in this class?  Why?

The best final analysis letters are the ones that vividly show me your process as a writer, using specific texts, making specific reference to moments in the class or moments in your writing, referring to and even quoting your own work and the work of others.  In other words, specificity is the key.  Don’t write this letter in general terms, saying that “this was good,” or “I didn’t understand this. . .”  Dig deep into your experience.  Ask questions, and try valiantly to answer them.    

Query letters

So it's about that time for you to be drafting your query letters! Can you believe that you're about to send out your first submission?!

Below I've pasted my own query letter, which I sent to my first publication, The Iowa Review, almost exactly thirteen years ago, I'm just now noticing. Wow. A lot can happen in thirteen years.

Feel free to use this as a basic template for your own letter. They should all look basically the same.





                                                                                                                 2225 S. 27th Street
                                                                                                                 Lincoln, NE 68502
                                                                                                                 402-742-4150
                                                                                                                 Cindybojam1@aol.com

November 25, 2003

Fiction Editor

Iowa Review
University of Iowa
308 EPB
Iowa City, IA, 52242

Dear Editor:

Please find enclosed my short story, “The Sugar Shell,” for your consideration.  If accepted, this will be my first published story.

This past May I completed a short story collection entitled What the Good Is.   “The Sugar Shell” is the first of nine stories set in rural Idaho near the Teton mountains, where I lived for almost twenty years.  Currently I teach creative writing at the University of Nebraska Lincoln and also serve on the editorial staff of Prairie Schooner.  In the past I’ve read for The Idaho Review and screened poetry book manuscripts for Ahsahta Press.  In various workshops, I’ve worked with Robert Olmstead, Mitch Wieland, Greg Hrbek, Anthony Doerr, and Jonis Agee.  

A SASE is enclosed for your reply.  There is no need to return the manuscript.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Hand

Course Evals

Here's the link to the course evals. If you send me a screen shot or something, proving you completed this, I will give you an extra participation point. So yay, extra credit!

https://ir.boisestate.edu/broncocourseevals/student-course-evals/

I will also pick your brain about how you felt the course went next week.

Thanks for being awesome.

Cynthia

Journal Reports Round 3

Lindsey:

1) REAL: Regarding Arts & Letters; “Literary Ladder”: Mid

This magazine is produced by the Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas; founded in 1968, it’s since grown to become an international publication.  The magazine accepts work from both aspiring writers and more seasoned members of the creative world.  These editors are “looking for the best work, whether you are established or not”.  They’re interested in literary stories, not genre.

2) Subtropics; “Literary Ladder”: Mid

This is produced by the University of Florida; it was only established eleven years ago, but it has a few authors that have been published in it, including John Barth and Tony D’Souza.  Like REAL, they’re looking for “the best” stories - however, they accept more types of work, from short-shorts to novellas and novel excerpts.  They also translate stories from other languages into English, which is fantastic; why limit ourselves to enjoying stories from only one section of the world?

3) Space and Time magazine; “Literary Ladder”: Mid

I already know that I won’t be submitting my short story to this journal, as it specializes in science-fiction, fantasy, steampunk, and crossovers of these genres.  However, this class has been as much about the process of publishing as about improving one’s writing, and I have always enjoyed writing sci-fi/fantasy.  Space and Time magazine has been around for 50 years, so they must be doing something right; while this publication will not be a good fit for the story I have worked on in this class, it certainly has potential for me in the future.

If I choose to submit to one of these three, I think that Subtropics might be the way to go as it fits with our genre and seems to have the most flexibility: it accepts submissions up to 15,000 words in length.  Mine definitely won’t be that long, but it’s nice to know I’d have that option if I wanted or needed it.  Also, Subtropics accepts submissions from September-April, which is perfect timing for our final portfolio.  While I’m still not entirely decided on where I’d like to submit my work, this assignment has certainly helped narrow my focus and add perspective to my choices.

Joy:

Louisville Review:

Ladder status: Lower, as in second or third tier.  Fairly respected because it runs out of the

 University of Louisville and works closely with Spalding University's MFA writing

program. Was founded in 1998 and have published eighteen books, 13 of them debut

novels.  Many of these books have been endorsed by Billy Collins, Tim O’Brien, and

more.

Fiction Published: seems to focus on writing that is located in one place, as in regional writing.

Tend to lean towards shorter stories in order to get more in the issue. Have published

writers like Stephen Dunn, Claudia Emerson, and Ursula Hegi.

Cottonwood:

Ladder status: Mid.  Established in the 60’s and based out of University of Kansas.  Have

published William Stafford, Rita Dove, and Connie May Fowler. 

Fiction Published: Honest, high quality fiction, with engaging voice and style with emotional

 honesty.  They are very open to new writer’s work and will take pieces that have already

 been rejected.  The writing must be sound, but the story is more important.

NOTE: This is the one that I am most interested in Submitting to.

Blackbird:

Laddar Status: Higher, as in upper second or lower first.  Out of Virginia Commonwealth

University Department of English.  Online publication

Fiction Published: Nothing more than 8,000 words (although it can be done, must ask first).

Looking for stories that are engaging, and invites the reader into it’s world.  Also willing

to publish new authors.

Rob:

Name: Zoetrope

Tier Position: First Tier

Literary Status: Yes

Agent Read: Yes

Why this Journal: This journal was started by Francis Ford Coppola as a venue for artists to publish their work. It has grown into many genres like poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and cinema. I’m interested in this journal because it seems to publish a wide variety of subjects and they don’t shy away from sensitive subjects like drugs and sex. Plus it being such an all encompassing journal, I figure a wide variety of agents probably read it looking for something different.

Name: The Sun

Tier Position: Second Tier

Literary Status: Yes

Agent Read: Maybe

Why this Journal: This journal was started in the seventies and was initially interested in political issues. It still seems relevant to controversial issues, so it seems to me that they are willing to look at more mature material (since my material seems to be a bit risqué). They currently seem to focus a lot on social and societal issues. Though they do seem to focus more on non-fiction matters. I don’t know if agents read this journal since it doesn’t seem to be primarily focused on fiction.

Name: Crazyhorse

Tier Position: Third Tier

Literary Status: Yes

Agent Read: Yes

Why this Journal: Why wouldn’t anyone want to get published in something called Crazyhorse? But really, it looks like an interesting literary journal with a pretty good history of publishing authors of note. Like the others I mentioned above, they don’t seem afraid of mature subject matters and publishing them either.

Samantha:

Conjunctions

●      Middle tier journal. It is respected, and an agent would read this journal, especially since it publishes writing every week that is of exceptional quality and free to read!

●      “Writer of the week:” The free weekly online journal showcases the work of one writer each week. This journal acts as a place to publish exceptional work that doesn’t fit into the theme of a given anthology, to feature high-quality visual work, and to delve into e-writing. Even if you don’t make it into the journal, you can still get published on their online journal!

●      Literary fiction that also leans towards genre, depending on the theme; essays, film reviews, prose, etc.

●      They publish biannually, and their volumes are quite long. They are more willing to take on longer stories because they need to fill a thick book.

●      They take submissions from new writers and writers that are well-published.

●      Authors published: C.D. Wright, David Foster Wallace, Robert O’Harra

High Desert Journal

●      Between a lower and middle tier. It is online only, so obviously not as respected as journals that have physical publications. It is also free to read. Agents would read this as it is accessible wherever there is internet at no cost.

●      It is an online journal with a constant theme: to understand the people, places and issues of the interior West. The journal’s content helps define the high desert region in literary and artistic terms through quality work that illuminates the landscape of the interior West, the people and the relationships between the two.

●      One of the first publications to give readers another way to understand and think about the high desert: through the stories and images that spring from the memories and imaginations of writers and artists through fiction, creative nonfiction, memoirs, interviews, essays, book reviews, letters to the editor and visual art.

●      Accepts work from: residents of the region working with any theme; from anyone living outside the region writing about high desert themes and elements.

●      For each submission, you can do: three poems; a maximum of 5,000 words of fiction or nonfiction; up to 3,000 words of interview, memoir, and essays; up to 10 slides or digital images of artwork.

●      Authors published: Robert Wrigely- professor at University of Idaho

Ploughshares

●      Top tier. Award winning, an agent would most definitely read this!

●       Ploughshares has published quality literature since 1971. Best known for award-winning Ploughshares literary journal. Also publishes Ploughshares Solos, “digital-first” long stories and essays, and a literary blog. Basically there are 3 different ways to get published!

●      Encourage emerging writers with “Emerging Writer’s Contest”-recognizes work by an emerging writer in each of three genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. One winner in each genre per year will receive $1,000 and publication in the literary journal (authors are “emerging” if they haven’t published or self-published a book).

●      To submit: unsolicited submissions of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction during regular reading period, from June 1 to January 15. The literary journal is published three times a year: mixed issues of poetry and prose in the Spring and Winter and a prose issue in the Fall

●      Guest editors are invited to solicit up to half of their issues, with the other half selected from manuscripts submitted to the journal are screened for them by staff editors. This policy is “designed to introduce readers to different literary circles and tastes, and to offer a fuller representation of the range and diversity of contemporary letters than would be possible with a single editorship.”

●      Authors: Edward P. Jones, Sue Miller, Mona Simpson, Tim O’Brien

I would like to submit to Ploughshares’s journal. The story I would like to submit is too long for the journal, but I could still submit it as it can still be considered for the Ploughshares Solos series. I want to submit it to Ploughshares to the Emerging Writer’s Contest for a chance at $1,000 and being published in the journal. It would be a great opportunity to be published as it could be the starting off point to my career, and hopefully attract agents that could help me get started writing professionally.