Some people may not know exactly what they can or should submit to a literary journal. Well look no further, I am here to help! As a fellow person with chronic indecisiveness, I know the struggle of looking through a bunch of different choices and being completely lost on what to choose all too well. Of course, it is entirely up to you which poem, short story, or work of art that you submit but, in this blog post I’ll go over a few tips that I personally use on how to narrow down your choices regarding literary submissions.
Tip #1: What is finished?
While it is entirely possible for you to finish and polish new work in time for the deadline, it is much easier to pick something that is already finished or is only in need of light editing. You don’t want to be stressing yourself out to finish and end up not having your piece at its highest potential.
Tip #2: What are you proud of?
Pick a piece that makes you the proudest. What piece do you look at and just think, “wow I did that.” Pick that one! If you love it so much, chances are that everyone else will as well! Picking something that you are already extremely confident about will help in narrowing down a specific piece.
Tip #3: What is accessible to a wide audience?
Try choosing something that is accessible to the Westminster campus. This doesn’t mean limit your topics to only something that everyone has experienced, but more so pick something that the majority of campus can comprehend.
Tip #4: What fits the length requirement?
You don’t want to have to try to shorten a piece to fit the length maximum because it could take away from the original integrity of the piece. Instead, try to pick something that already fits the requirements.
Tip #5: Which piece is the most unique?
Which piece do you look at or read and think to yourself that you have never seen or read anything remotely similar to? Uniqueness can make you stand out to editors and is a huge strength when producing works of art or literature in general. Uniqueness can also elicit a feeling of confidence when submitting as well, and who doesn’t want a little confidence boost?
Overall, what's most important is that you pick something that makes you happy and proud to submit. Good luck to all in finding the perfect piece for you to submit!
Now Send Us Your Work!
For all the info on how to submit poetry, short stories, essays, and visual art to Janus, just go to our Submissions Guidelines page!
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