A Good Place To Submit Your Work

Several years ago, having your work published at an ezine online didn't gain much respect in the writing world. Anyone can do that, was the thinking. That wasn't necessarily true, but there were websites that were so hungry for content they accepted anything submitted to them. Quality was not important to the site owners. They wanted to make a name for themselves and were willing to print whatever came their way. Most of those ezines did not last. Readers weren't satisfied with what they offered and/or the owner of the site got tired of trying to make themselves known among thousands of others. They left a black cloud over the ezine world.

But there are some online ezines that have survived and have been selective in what they publish. That is part of the reason they've been successful. One that I especially like and respect is  Long Story Short listed as an ezine for writers. But I think it is also one for those who don't write but enjoy reading short stories, nonfiction and poetry. This writer's ezine has been on the Writers Digest list of 101 Best Websites for Writers 8 times. That in itself says something.

I discovered LSS quite a few years ago, and I submitted a few things to them, One rejection after another! But I kept reading the ezine each month, and I continued sending my work to them. Finally, they accepted a story, and then a poem, and then a nonfiction piece and more. Because they didn't take anything and everything sent to them, I was pleased to be accepted and proud to have my writing in their ezine.

Take a look at the home page, read some of the writing they publish and then study the guidelines. They do not pay, but in the writing world, they are highly regarded. Adding them to your clip file would be nice.

Color Me Happy

The September issue of A Long Story Short ezine was released today. My poem, Artists All is on the poetry page. Go to www.alongstoryshort.net and click on the poetry page, then go way down the page to find my poem. Or read it here. I would encourage you to check out this highly regarded ezine that showcases fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

It's a good place to submit your work. They are quite selective in the pieces they choose to publish, so don't give up if you don't make it the first time. I tried several times before they began to accept my non-fiction and poetry.

The poem won third place in the Kansas State Authors Themed Poetry Division in 2007. The theme for that year was "Pen Life As Art." I am not a trained poet, not by any stretch, but I enjoy reading poetry and have had fun writing it. If you've never given it a try, I urge you to do so. Like all things, you'll get better as you continue to write poems.

Artists All

Painting with oils,
watercolors brushed across canvas,
clay molded by loving hands,
marble chiseled to exquisite form

Artists ply their trade,
by the golden light of day
and velvet depths of night,
with passion and verve.

One more artist joins the rank.
The writer brushes words over paper,
molds a story bit by glittering bit,
chisels a novel to survive the ages.

The writer gathers life’s stories
from country roads to city streets,
written from the depths of a heart
bursting with intensity and rapture.

Artists all, masters of creation,
be they painters, sculptors or writers,
leaving footprints on canvas, marble and paper--
heartfelt tributes embraced by mankind.