After spending a couple of weeks with our volume of work, we've come to understand our writing. Hopefully, spending time with the short stories, novels, poems, or whatever was time well spent. In all likelihood, reading and rereading brought some ideas of vision and revision. Just having this understanding of our work is not enough. We now need to find and refine ourselves as writers, authors, poets, whatever.
Now, we'll answer these five items:
-A personal statement
-A list of three writers who our work resembles our own or writers we aspire to write like
-A list of our three favorite writers and three of our favorite novels (or poems, short stories)
-Briefly describe our course of study and any professional accolades, if applicable
-A list of former publications.
Here's mine:
Personal Statement: I am a professional writer striving for continual improvement in my work by use of all educational opportunities as both participant and instructor, and persistent pursuit of publications. I believe in the independent press, small or large, as the best representation of modern literature in America and the ideal place for my work.
List of three writers who I share themes, style or feel: The short stories of William Kotzwinkle, Paul Bowles and Etgar Keret.
My three favorite writers: Haruki Murakami, John Steinbeck and Aimee Bender. Three favorite novels: My Antonia, The Virgin Suicides and The Street of Crocodiles.
Course of study and professional accolades: MFA of Goddard College. Fiction editor of Umbrella Factory Magazine.
Formerly published in: Metrosphere, Sherbert Magazine, Bananafish Magazine, Curbside Splendor and Sophia Ballou.
Using this information we've found out about ourselves, we'll start to craft a few cover letters. These cover letters are meant as templates only. Each submission means an editor, a set of expectations as well as the submission guidelines. Each magazine, or editor we solicit deserves our best work and our best research.
These are the two letters we'll write for this exercise: 1) formal and professional. And 2) Simple and professional.
A few don'ts:
1 Never write a confession! “This is my first time submitting.”
2 Do not write a sales pitch. “This story is the best for your magazine because a, b, c.”
3 Do not write the personal. “I am x years old and neighbor said xyz and and and.”
Much like the process of the inventory, this letter process should help out with the knowing who you are as a writer and what you hope to achieve.
The professional formal letter:
In this letter, use the aspects of the list above that highlight your academic and professional experience. For instance for me, I might included my MFA, my appointment at Umbrella Factory Magazine and a few of my former publications. I may even include some of my personal statement.
Dear Editor,
Please consider my short story for publication in up coming issues of your magazine. “My Story” is (insert the pitch and synopsis). I'm a (insert your accolades here). Your magazine appeals to me because (insert your statement). I can be reached at:
Sincerely,
As an example a letter I wrote to Curbside Splendor:
Dear Editor,
Please consider my short story “Ocean into Cotton Candy” for an up coming issue of Curbside Splendor. “Ocean into Cotton Candy” is about Wilhelm, a traveler, who wanders into a hotel bar in Tucson, Arizona and orders a glass of straight gin to the bartender's dismay.
I'm a graduate of the MFA program at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. I currently work as the fiction editor at Umbrella Factory Magazine. My short stories have appeared in Sherbert Magazine, Bananafish Magazine and Sophia Ballou. Curbside Splendor appeals to me because I believe in the independent press, small or large, as the best representation of modern literature in America and the ideal place for my work.
I can be reached via email at anthony@ufm.com
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Anthony.
A model for a less formal letter, and this may appeal to you if you don't have much experience in publications, may goes as follows. Include your story's pitch and synopsis, some writers you admire and your personal statement.
Dear Editor,
Please consider my short story “Ocean into Cotton Candy” for an up coming issue of Curbside Splendor. “Ocean into Cotton Candy” is about Wilhelm, a traveler who wanders into a hotel bar in Tucson, Arizona and orders a glass of straight gin to the bartender's dismay. I admire the short stories of William Kotzwinkle, Aimee Bender and J.D. Salinger. My favorite novelist is Haruki Murakami because he's able to fold the supernatural into the neighborhoods and streets of modern Tokyo. Curbside Splendor appeals to me because I believe in the independent press, small or large, as the best representation of modern literature in America and the ideal place for my work.
I can be reach via email at anthony@ufm.com
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Anthony.
In both situations I've kept the letter professional, respectful and short. I know from my experience at Umbrella Factory Magazine a cover letter may be the deciding factor for a short story's publication. I have read cover letters that were so poorly written, condescending or obnoxious that I never read the submission.
Your task:
-Write out the list of five things.
-Using the sentence you wrote for your short stories during the Inventory exercise write a few pitch and synopsis statements.
-Write two cover letters for each and address them to a generic editor.
Next time: The timeline.
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