5 Things I've Learnt as a Reader for a Literary Magazine
One month in....
As I shared in a previous newsletter, I am now a reader for Wallstrait Literary Journal. It’s been a month since I started and I can honestly say that I am loving it. I knew I’d enjoy it, but I am delighting in it more than I even imagined. Delving into stories in this way is exciting, inspiring and enlightening. The variety and creativity is so wonderful to see.
One of the reasons I wanted to be a reader for a lit mag was to peek behind the curtain. I felt like this as a journalist too. I always wanted to understand the editors I was pitching to, to get a sense of their jobs in order to help me do my job. It’s the same with literary magazines, it can be hard to know what goes on behind the scenes and as writers we can often fill in the gaps with what we imagine is happening. Therefore, I thought it would be fun to share a few things I’ve learnt in this first month.
1. Beginnings Matter
This might be an obvious one, but story openings matter. The first lines give me a sense as the reader of a few things:
1) Whether I am in good hands with the writer. If the first lines are strong I instinctively feel more inclined to trust the writer.
2) Whether I’m drawn in and want to know what happens next
3) Whether I think the story has breadth and depth
These all might seem obvious, but the stronger the first lines, the more of a ‘yes’ I am from the start. This is not to say that a strong first line is everything. It has to be backed up by a good story, and sometimes a story with a great opener doesn’t last the course. But a good opener that makes me think “Ooh here we go!” is definitely a great start.
2. Rejection Doesn’t Mean Your Story Isn’t Good or That We Didn’t Like it
I know everyone says this but it really is TRUE. Every story goes through layers and layers of thoughtful consideration and many amazing stories end up ultimately getting rejected.
So, if you are someone who takes a rejection as a sign to give up or to go in with hard edits on your story, I want to repeat the following:
A rejection doesn’t mean that no one liked your story or that your story isn’t good.
Each of our reading teams at Wallstrait has around five members. When a story comes to us we have to read it, rate it yes or no and then leave feedback about our decision. I can tell you that stories I have loved and given a definite yes to have not always received the same response from other readers, and equally, stories I have given a definite no to were loved by other readers. It really is subjective.
What I will tell you is, at least from my experience at Wallstrait, the discussions we have are thoughtful and nuanced. Everyone really cares about the stories and their decisions on each one. And sometimes decisions will literally come down to which story fits more closely with the lit mag’s style.
So, again, if you like your story, please don’t take a rejection to mean that you have to ‘do’ anything other than send it out to another literary mag.
3. If You Think Something’s Not Quite Landing in Your Story, We Might Notice it Too
As I mentioned, as readers we are really thoughtfully considering your stories and in some, I have found myself looking for the missing piece of a story; the payoff, the story landing, the aha moment. And if a story doesn’t quite land, that can be a reason it gets rejected. The story can be beautifully written and stunningly told but if it doesn’t quite land, it can leave the reader unsatisfied.
I remember a story of mine that was like that and my friend reading it said, “I like so much of this but I just don’t get what you are trying to say.” And the thing was I didn’t either. Maybe I hoped someone else would. I kept changing the ending and that was doing nothing. Eventually, I found the spot in the middle that needed work and now that story works. So if you think other people will get the story that you can’t fully explain to yourself. They probably won’t.
4. Great Writing Can’t Cover a Lack of Story
We’ve all done it. Written a beautiful story, every sentence crafted to roll perfectly off the tongue, but forgotten about the actual story. Beautiful sentences are wonderful but don’t forget what’s happening underneath.
5. There are a Million Ways to Write a Short Story
While I can’t and won’t go into specific details about particular stories that we have received, I will say that there are so many creative people out there. There are stories with beautifully designed intro pages, hermit crab stories that take a form that wouldn’t usually be a story (receipts, lists, text messages, for example) and use that form to create a story. There are stories that take mundane themes and make them magical (in a literal sense). It’s so fun! So get creative. I will say though, no matter how clever the form, the story still needs to come first. The form will compel me in but if the story doesn’t keep me there, it’s likely to be a no from me.
I hope this is helpful! Do let me know if anything surprised you or hit home…
Teas and Tales
If rebelling in the form of slow, creative living is your jam join me this Sunday for Teas and Tales.
When: Sunday, April 6th at 1 am CT/11 am PT/2 pm ET/ 7 pm BST (Please note I had the PT and ET times wrong in the previous email)
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April’s tea to accompany us in our writing will be Rose 🌹
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A few things I’ve enjoyed recently…
Book 📚 I am late to Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout but I just adored this book. Described as a novel, it’s actually a collection of short stories, mostly about Olive and her family but sometimes featuring them just as cameos. It’s so unique and works so well. The most impressive thing about this book for me was how unlikable Olive is, but how at times my heart also ached for her, at times I understood her, sided with her and often hoped for good things for her. That’s no mean feat for a writer.
Newsletter 💌 A stunning piece by the wonderful
that will appeal to anyone who lives away from their motherland. This phrase rang so true: “The lands where we come from are the shape of our lives, even when we are away from them. Perhaps especially then.”Recipe 🍰 I don’t know if I shared this cake recipe before (possible when talking about Teas and Tales) but this Chamomile Cake with Salted Honey Buttercream lives rent free in my head and is so delicious.
Thanks for being here…
Lovely post Susanna 🥰 See you at Teas and Tales on Sunday! 👍
this is so interesting, Susannah. Thanks for sharing. I had a short story highly commended in two competitions last year and the report from one of them said 'I knew I was in experienced hands from the first line'. I don't think I took much notice at the time but now you've mentioned it, I will be more punctilious about crafting my first lines in future!