Posts tagged ‘poetry’
POEMS & FLEETING THOUGHTS
Looking Back,
Have you ever
Wished
You were young
Again,
With what
You know
Now?
PUBLISHING UPDATE
Some time ago I told you that I had a story accepted by Cemetery Moon. I recently received word that the story, He Flew Away, will be published close to Halloween. As a preview, if you remember our infestation of stink bugs on the east coast, you might enjoy this story. After the story is published I will provide a link to purchase the edition.
I also want to tell you that my good friend and published poet, Steve Kupferschmid, has had a poem accepted by The Aurorean, a magazine published in Farmington,ME. If you enjoy the poetry of Billie Collins, you are in for a treat. I will keep you updated on these publication.
I know, after promising to write about writing, I have let you down. It’s just that there is so much happening to this country, I cannot fail to have an opinion.
STRUGGLING TO GET IT PUBLISHED: MARKETS AND AGENTS
This piece is a sample of upcoming posts to this blog.
The following is a list of websites to help writers find markets and agents. In the future I will discuss each site in more detail, but I thought I would offer this piece for writers to explore these sites, if they want, on their own.
First, I am sad to say that one of my favorite sites to explore the validity of markets and agents no longer exists. The site is Preditors & Editors, a site I have looked to over the years for their opinion about markets and agents. They will be sorely missed.
Now let’s deal with markets.
To my mind, Duotrope is the go-to site for seeking markets for fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Once free, it now charges 50$ a year to use it. Although there are some that argue about the fee, I think, for the service they provide, it is well worth the cost. This site is a fantastic search-engine to find markets specific to your work.
Here is the site:
https://duotrope.com/index.aspx?bp=search
Here is a site to find markets for science fiction and more. I have yet to become acquainted with it, but I will before I report on it.
http://www.ralan.com/index.htm
Now for agents.
In my opinion, this is the site to first visit when seeking an agent. The site is for the Association of Writers Representative. You can search the site for your specific genre and be connected to the agent’s site. You should never have to pay an agent to read your work. With the agents associated with this site, you never will. They have taken a pledge of honesty.
Here is the site:
Next is a site devoted to the writer to query other writers about their experience with publishers and
agents. Great place to check on honesty.
Here is the site:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/activity.php
Finally, here is a site to use to see an agents background. I will discuss this site in greater detail in a later post.
Here is the site:
http://www.agwentquery.com/default.aspx
I hope this helps my fellow writers on their journey to publication. As promised, a more extensive look at each site will follow. I want to help my fellow writers to be where they want to be.
POEMS AND FLEETING THOUGHTS: OLD BOOKS
My old books,
Some two hundred years
Have little value
Except to me,
I wonder at their owners,
Readers long gone.
Gazing into a future
Unknown,
With my words
Hundreds of years gone
Cause the same ponder
Of a lover of books.
RANTS & RAVES: IS TOO MUCH GOOD OR BAD?
This piece will be about blogging and self-publishing, and some observations I have made.
I have been blogging for some time now; have bloggers I follow and some that follow me. I’ll begin with the negative. In blogging, I fault blogs that merely regurgitate other’s thoughts, ideas and creativity adding no insight or constructive thoughts. I’m turned off by quantity and not quality in what is presented.
Now for the good, and there is a great deal of good. I read the work of a host of talented writers posting on blogs about writing, their experiences in developing their craft along with blogs posting excellent poetry. If anyone out there is interested in reading great poetry for free, leave a comment and I’ll post links. Here’s the kicker. In my daily blog reading, I’ve found too much that is lacking in quality, and at the same time, too much that is excellent. There’s just too much to absorb. The lacking dilutes the excellent and conceals work that is worthy with the flood of work which is available.
How could too much excellent work be a bad thing, you might ask. The growing technology in publishing allows everything to be published with no gatekeeper. I remind you of the add I mentioned in the past which stated, “Write anything. Publish everything”. You can create a blog for free, a website for free, self-publish at minimal cost; all whether or not you have talent or something to say. I feel that the ease with which you can publish allows marginal writers a means of exposure, diluting the efforts of talented writers for gaining a public. In the past, there existed the means to self-publish using vanity presses. The cost limiting the volume. Technology has changed all this, and I feel not for the best. Of course, who is to say what is good and what is bad. But with the volume of work presented, the good is sometimes lost in a sea of the bad.
When I read a great piece on a blog or a great poem I wish more could enjoy the author’s work. Some of the bloggers I read also publish, rarely through traditional mean. The bottom line, I feel that the rapid growth of technology enables the marginal and dilutes the excellent. I see no way to remedy this problem and sure that it will increase as technology progresses.
Here are some links where you may purchase my work.
Melange Books
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/walttrizna/index.html
Barnes & Noble.com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/walt-trizna?store=book&keyword=walt+trizna
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=walt+trizna
STRUGGLING TO GET IT PUBLISHED: PUBLISH YOUR POEMS
I either stumbled upon site or they stumbled and found me. However it happened, it was to my benefit and became the new home for some of my poems and, if you have the poetry addiction, I encourage you to give them a try and follow them.
They refer to their site as ‘Promote Yourself’ and they give you every opportunity to do just that. Even if you’re not a Robert Frost or Billie Collins or even a Delmore Schwartz, if you have a poem you want the world to see, give them a try. If they publish your poem, it will be accompanied with a fitting picture or photo. They have a large following and you’ll get feedback as to how many enjoyed your work with the number of ‘likes’. If you do not write poetry but like to read what other ordinary people are writing, also give them a try. Remember, those that were once ordinary, upon getting exposure, can become extraordinary.
I want to thank the Sims for their hard work and dedication to the art of poetry.
Here’s a link to their site.
Here are some links where you may purchase my work.
Melange Books
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/walttrizna/index.html
Barnes & Noble. Com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/walt-trizna?store=book&keyword=walt+trizna
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=walt+trizna
UPDATE
UPDATE
My consistent readers,
I thought I’d touch base after some of disturbing medical update I’ve recently shared. For the most part, I’m back to normal. I’m feeling fine although I am one enough pills that I could open up my own pharmacy, but as time goes by the number should diminish.
As far as my writing is concerned, I’m working on a new short story and a novella featuring Elmo. Elmo has already appeared in a novella published by Melange Books in their anthology, Curious Hearts. I’ve also submitted two short stories for which I am still awaiting a reply and a host of poems which have all been rejected.
I’ll keep in touch. I hope you will too.
Walttriznastories's Blog 