The Most Important Lines For Writers

         


Both pictures show lines. There are a variety of lines in our world--telephone lines, power lines, notebook lines, laser lines, clotheslines, architectural drawing lines, lines in triangles, squares and circles, lines on highways and more. For writers, the lines that we need to be concerned with are guidelines.

One of the biggest blocks to publication happens to be guidelines. Not what they tell us but the way writers often ignore them when they submit to a publication. When an editor receives a submission that does not fit the parameters, the message he receives from the writer is that the person who submitted doesn't read guidelines or just doesn't care. They give the appearance of knowing it all and even seem to be thumbing their nose at the editor.

Consider an editor who receives thousands of submissions in a year's time. If more than half of them do not fit the guidelines, how do you think he will react? Is it any wonder writers sometimes think that editors are grumpy guys or gals? If it were a child who had ignored the rules, we'd probably say I've told you and told you. Now listen! Instead, they toss your submission without even sending a rejection letter or they send you that form letter that starts out with how sorry they are but they can't accept your submission. Rarely do they tell us the reasons why.

Maybe it is the term that throws writers off. Guidelines are actually rules to help us know what the publication is seeking. They've done their part by giving them to us. It's up to each writer to read, not scan, but really read the guidelines from start to finish. There are no hard and fast rules to what the guidelines should tell us. Some are so short that they are of little help while others are so long you can barely digest them until reading several times.

Those guidelines are there to aid you in choosing markets. Chicken Soup for the Soul guidelines are lengthy but they also let you know if your submission might work for them or if it would be tossed out immediately. When they say 1200 word max, they aren't kidding. Send 1500 and out you go. Send an essay instead of a story and you're done.

I've had a few stories for children published in a magazine titled Knowonder! Their guidelines are even longer than Chicken Soup for the Soul. I was reading through them one day and was surprised and pleased to see they had used one of my stories as an example in their guidelines. This was a few years ago and that may have changed as I believe the publisher has changed.

You might prefer short guidelines but remember that those short ones tell you only bits and pieces whereas the longer ones lay it on the line. They're saying This is what we want and this is what we don't want. I much prefer the lengthy ones.

Again, you cannot just scan the guidelines. You must read them over several times. If you submit to the same place several times, you should still check the guidelines with every submission. Sometimes they change and sometimes we forget.

Yes, there are a lot of lines in your life but Writer Guidelines should be at the top of your list.