HOT OFF THE PRESS! We love to share our information with writers, and we’re happy to pass some of our INSIDER’S SECRETS along to you. Feel free to print these posts to use as a reference. Pass the links along to your writer friends. It’s packed with great information. DEADLINE-DATED lists of anthologies, theme issues, and contests are included at no charge!

In This Issue:

* * We'll help you clear up confusion in GENRES DEFINED (PART 1).

* * Read JOURNALING for some new ideas on this very important part of a writer's life.

* * Hit the ground running with your short fiction by following pointers in SHORT STORIES: START OFF WITH A BANG.

* * Read about our NEWEST E-book, entitled UNTANGLING WEB SUBMISSIONS: ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PUBLISHING YOUR WRITING ONLINE. http://www.WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Untangling-Web-Submissions-Essential-Guide-To-Publishing-Your-Writing-Online.aspx

* * Use our teaser to get you writing in THIS ISSUE'S WRITING PROMPT.

* * The majority of Writer's Relief clients have their work accepted for publication. If you've already had your work accepted for publication, you may want to brag to your friends by purchasing our T-shirts. Click http://www.WritersRelief.com/tshirt.asp.

* * You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming ANTHOLOGIES, SPECIAL-THEMED JOURNALS, and CONTESTS. Visit: http://WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Anthologies-Contests.aspx.

↓ Scroll Down to Read These Exciting and Useful Articles!! ↓

A genre is a category of literature, a way to organize and define various types of fiction. Writers are familiar with the main genres, such as romance or mystery, and readers are most familiar with them. Genre fiction is the most widely read fiction in the world, and every reader has a favorite. But the lines of genre are blurry, and new categories and subcategories are evolving all the time. The following are some of the best-known categories and their subgenres, and it is by no means a comprehensive list.
 
ROMANCE: A romance is a love story in which the central focus is on the development of the love relationship between the lead character and a love interest. The romance itself is the key element, as is the emotional engagement of the reader. The book should have a happy or satisfying ending.

Subgenres include:

Contemporary
Gay and lesbian romance
Romantic mysteries
Historical romance
Regency romance
Victorian romance
Ethnic/multicultural romance
Inspirational romance

SCIENCE FICTION: Science is the star of this show. Science fiction often takes place in the future and is based on technological advances, both real and imagined, and how they influence the characters and their world.

Subgenres include:

Hard science fiction
Soft science fiction
Cyberpunk
Time travel

FANTASY: Often grouped together with science fiction, fantasy tales are based on heroes, myths, folklore, fairy tales, and magic. The Lord of the Rings is a good example of fantasy fiction.

Subgenres include:

Fairy tales
Saga, myth, and legend
Dark fantasy
Sword and sorcery
Time travel
Paranormal powers

WOMEN’S FICTION: These are books that focus on women’s issues and relationships and are written and read primarily by women. While there are often romantic elements, the focus is not necessarily on one partner, and the endings are more realistic than the happily ever-after endings of the strictly romance division. Think Bridget Jones’s Diary. Often called "Chick Lit" or "Chic Lit," women’s fiction has birthed spin-offs such as "Mommy Lit" (focusing on motherhood) and "Chica Lit" (which focuses on Latinas).

HISTORICAL FICTION: This type of fiction is set against historical backdrops, where the setting is as important as the plot. While considerable research goes into these books, historical accuracy is not the immediate goal.

HORROR: This genre involves the supernatural, the monsters in the closet, and the fear of the unknown. The goal is to scare or unsettle the reader, and Stephen King has a corner on this market.

Subgenres include:

Medical thrillers
Supernatural thrillers
Psychological horror
Vampires and werewolves
Demonic possession
Mythological monsters
Splatterpunk

MYSTERIES: A mystery usually involves a crime (most often murder), the investigative process, and the resolution of the crime. The main character is often a police officer or a detective, and the reader is given clues, both real and false, to help solve the mystery.

Subgenres include:

Hard-boiled detective fiction
Crime fiction
Supernatural mysteries

ADVENTURE/SUSPENSE: Also called "thrillers," this category often combines elements from other genres. Readers of this genre can expect action, and lots of it. The main character will have to face a villain of some sort, and obstacle after obstacle will be thrown our protagonist’s way.

CHRISTIAN FICTION: This is fiction that reflects Christian views and focuses on the relationship between the main character and God. Christian fiction can include any of the major genres, such as romance or science fiction.

TEEN FICTION: Teen fiction encompasses all genres but focuses on characters near a teenager’s own age who deal with issues that are important to their age group, like relationships, teachers, and decisions about their futures.

Many of us keep journals to reduce stress or to record life’s events for posterity, and writers especially should make use of this creative outlet. Journaling can be a great tool for writers—the journal becomes a repository for fresh ideas and a safe place to write. Whether it’s a spiral notebook or a leather-bound book with a beautiful cover, a writer’s journal should be a source of inspiration.

There is an endless variety of journals to choose from. Select something that inspires you, that makes you eager to crack your journal open and turn to a fresh page. A beautiful diary with fun pockets or an elegant cover will make writing a pleasure. Invest in a fun or really fancy pen to use just for your journaling. Then, you are always ready to write!

Keep your journal handy for jotting down those whimsical ideas or brilliant first sentences that pop into your head at the oddest moments. If your journal is large or bulky, keep a spiral-bound pocket-sized notebook around. You can then transfer your ideas to the larger journal.

Write regularly and on a schedule. Get into the habit of writing each day, and you’ll be perfecting your craft at the same time.

A journal is meant for no one’s eyes but your own, so let those ideas flow unfettered. A little stream of consciousness is good for the soul, and no one will be looking over your shoulder, judging you on punctuation issues or your choice of simile. Sometimes when we let ourselves go and just write, we gain priceless personal insights—and these insights can help us to be better writers.

If the ideas aren’t flowing, try some writing prompts and power your way through writer’s block. Sometimes the very act of writing will clear the path for new ideas and recharge your sagging muse. A Poet's Companion by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux includes writing prompts applicable to either prose or poetry at the end of many chapters.

Some writers add newspaper clippings, sketches, or magazine articles to their journals—anything that inspires them. Others keep pictures or make lists. That’s the beauty of a journal—there are no rules, and this freedom is the catalyst that can unleash your creativity.

We can also go paper-free and buy journaling software, keeping a record of our thoughts and ideas on our personal computers. These programs have the standard word-processing capabilities, and most allow the user to add graphics, sound bites, and charts. If you’re thinking of buying, try the 30-day free trial period available with most of the software. If a trial period is not available, make the most of user-review sites like www.epinions.com. A few to check out:

Alpha Journal (www.alpharealms.com/journal/index.htm)

Digital Diary (www.ajebe.com)

The Journal (www.davidrm.com)

VistaWrite (www.digitalwriting.com/vwrite/default.asp)

Imagine you’re a fly on the wall at a busy magazine publishing house. As a writer of short stories and a diligent submitter to dozens of similar magazines, you are naturally interested in the process of selection. As you hover in the corner of the ceiling, you intently study the small group (okay, two people) of first readers as they plow through the stack of hopeful submissions piled at their feet. And you watch in horror as they tear through story after story, sometimes merely pulling a submission halfway from its manilla envelope and scanning the first paragraph before tossing it carelessly over their shoulders.

From your point of view, it appears that these stories are barely being considered at all, and in some ways, you’re right. In a typical publishing house, the number of short story submissions far outweigh the number of pieces selected for publication (by an incredibly wide margin), and first readers have no choice but to make lightning-quick decisions, often based on a first glance alone. What, then, makes the difference between forwarding this piece on to an editor for further consideration, or being gobbled by the Round File? For the short story writer, it all comes down to the first sentences. Because, quite literally, those first sentences are often all that you will be judged on.

Our advice? Hit the ground running. Start with some sort of conflict or threat. Grab the reader’s attention with the unusual or the unexpected. Create tension, and make the reader anxious to read more, to learn what happens to this character and how this character will deal with the threat or the change.

A moving van pulls up to the curb, and a bizarre-looking family begins to emerge...

The doctor calls with some startling news...

The doorbell rings. Who is that familiar-looking stranger at the door?

Weather reports are boring and probably have no bearing on the story (unless your story involves a hurricane or some other exciting weather event). Long, flowery descriptions of the story’s setting do not count as attention-grabbers. Neither do detailed histories of the characters or their motivations. If you must include some background or describe the setting, do so later, after your reader has been intrigued enough to read further.

Writers of short fiction should bear in mind this fact: Readers (and busy editors) are more impatient than ever before. They will not tolerate a story that takes several paragraphs to warm up—they want to get right to the action, and they want it now. So get the story started right off the bat, and give the reader what they want: a powerful opening and a great story.

"Beware the Ides of March!"
~Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
 
At some point in our lives, we all ignore warning signs. Write about your greatest regret and what you wish you had done differently. Or write about a warning bringing something good to your life. Just write! Don't worry about mechanics right now; come back to this at a later time and revise it until you're happy with a piece to submit into the literary world.

REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF WRITING CONTESTS and ANTHOLOGIES! You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming anthologies, special-themed journals, and contests. Find it by visiting:
http://www.writersreliefblog.com/post/Anthologies-Contests.aspx