In searching out markets, I read a lot of guidelines. Some are very specific, some are in your face nasty, some are just "send us your best whatever/however". The point is, every publication has their own rules and tastes and as submitters we need to follow those guidelines. Which brings me to the call for submissions that I stumbled across yesterday.
The Last Man Anthology sounded great. http://lastmananthology.weebly.com/ They're looking
for short stories with the theme of catastrophic literature based loosely on Mary Shelley's novel, "The Last Man". They had a list of phases they didn't want to see in a story, they detailed the judging, gave clear concise details of how they wanted the story submitted. All good things.
Until I ran across this: "It is suggested that all writers submitting have at least taken a college level composition class within the last three years." Now, this being a literary effort, I can understand this statement to a point. My problem? The last English comp class I took was forty years ago and I expect there are many older writers out there, like me, who haven't stepped inside a classroom in years. So, does this disqualify us from submitting?
Oh, probably not, but it made me think about what they might actually be looking for. Which, for the most part, would be work from young writers, probably those in MFA courses, which definitely leaves me out. Since my brain always slides sideways, I started thinking about what they're missing by putting that statement into their guidelines.
Yes, it's their publication and they have the right to exclude older writers, but who better to approach such a topic? Writers in their sixties have lived through the loss of parents, classmates, friends and relatives, possibly their children. They understand the meaning of being the last man left, to be the last person holding all the memories of their companions. They can understand that desolation on a level that the average twenty-five year old can't begin to grasp.
That's not to say that younger writers can't write perfectly good stories - I mean, imagine texting or twittering and there's no one on the other end! Or a vampire with no blood to suck! No, I'm not making fun of the younger generation, though sometimes they're an easy target.
Every writer brings their own life to the story, it's what creates the diversity in short stories. It's the thing that teaches us and helps us understand the people around us, the people we don't know because we haven't walked in their shoes. Having a degree or taking a class doesn't make a writer better, it only gives him a better grasp of grammar and punctuation. But all that book learning won't put a heart in the story, it won't bring a new understanding to the readers, unless the writer puts a piece of himself into the story. That's what good literature is, right?
6 comments:
They might be emphasising the composition class, rather than the time frame. It's not really an age restriction. Perhaps just an attempt to discourage those who either never learned how to do things right, or who have forgotten what they did learn.
After all you could be in your eighties and taken a composition class within the last three years.
That's very true, Anton. But like I said, my mind tends to go off in wierd directions and I was thinking more along the lines of what a young person vs an older person might bring to this particular theme. And many older people might read that requirement and pass on the opportunity because they haven't taken a class in a long time.
Oh, well I left school at 16 so I'm buggered!
Nah, you can still write a story, Paul, you just have to find a different market if you don't think you can make the cut there. I've had a great idea spinning through my brain that I think I'm going to try. There's lots of sci-fi markets that would go with a theme like this one.
It was brought to my attention from a colleague that the blib on the three years would be perceived as you (and probably others) have mentioned in your blog. This was never the intent. We aren't looking for younger writers, merely writers. The intent when we posted our interest in education was to open a dialogue about what submitters are doing to support their careers as writers. We have changed the information to read: "It is suggested that all writers submitting have at least taken a college level composition class, or have some workshop experience." I hope this helps to set the record straight, and do apologize for any misgivings. Perhaps you'll reconsider and send your work in.
Sincerely,
Hunter Liguore,
Editor-In-Chief
Last Man Anthology: catastrophe, disaster, and woe
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