Call for Submissions

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 

Submission Guidelines*

The Path

The Path to Publication Group publishes the literary publication – The Path. You are invited to submit short stories, essays, book reviews and poems for inclusion in the semi-annual issues.  

 The theme for Volume 7 No. 2 is ‘Behind Closed Doors’. For more information, please visit the websites: www.pathtopublication.net and www.thepathmagazine.com . Past contributors will receive a call for submissions by e-mail, automatically.  

1)          Short stories and essays – over 2,500 words

2)             Poetry - 1 page

Please polish your manuscripts to the best of your ability and, of course, have someone else edit your work before sending to Path to Publication.  Do not format your work: no page numbers, no headers or footers, no footnotes, no paragraph indentations (skip a line for paragraph spacing).  Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word or RTF form.  Font: Times New Roman - size 12. All submissions must be submitted electronically, as e-mail attachments, to: mjnickum@thepathmagazine.com .

Deadline for Issue #11 is October 31, 2017

All rights are retained by the author, and there will be no compensation for accepted work at this time*.

*Because we are staffed by volunteers, we can only compensate our writers in exposure to our audience.  Our columnists enjoy great publicity for their own blogs, books, websites, and projects.  Many find great reward in doing something good for the world of literature and literacy. You may also purchase add space to further promote your work.

Revision Tips for Writers

1. Revise big stuff first, make small edits later. This doesn't mean you should not correct obvious typos and grammar errors as you notice them. However, you shouldn't be actively tinkering with word choice until after you've nailed down the structure of your piece.
2. Put the manuscript down and walk away. Writers need at least a little distance from their manuscripts before jumping into revision.
3. Scan the whole manuscript without reading. Scanning can make big problems more obvious than a writer might not notice when reading closely.
4. Read carefully. Take your time and read every word. Then, read it out loud. This will help you catch obvious errors and check for smoothness or the “flow.” 
5.  Look for ways to be more concise with your language. Can you turn a 15-word sentence into an 8-word sentence? Can you turn an 8-sentence paragraph into a 5-sentence paragraph? Less almost always means more for the reader.
6. Use active voice over passive voice. There may be occasions for using passive voice, but for the most part be active.
7. Vary sentence structure. Even if it's grammatically correct, using the same pattern over and over again will make your manuscript boring. Don't feel like you have to be creative with every sentence; just check that you're not falling into a monotonous pattern.
8. Save each round of revisions as its own file. Saving these files provides a record of your changes and shows your development of the story.
9. Have someone read the manuscript. The more eyes the better, because they'll be more objective when reading. It is always best to ask someone other than a relative, who naturally will be biased.
10. Print the manuscript for a final edit. There are things you’ll catch on paper that you won't on the screen.

Rules of Thumb

Writing an Article

Have you thought about writing an article? Here is some interesting advice I found recently.
A good article makes the reader think. A great one forces him to react.
In the world of writing, which is all about communication, the mark of an expert is how much buzz or discussion his article generates, how many people weigh in with their opinions, what feedback is given and taken, where else the work is being bandied about. Complex subjects can easily become dry and dull if not handled carefully.
Unlike fiction, nonfiction on layered topics has no characters to make the reader care about them, no twists in the plot to keep up audience interest, and no emotionally charged
dramatic scenes to vary the pace of the narrative. So, you need to make sure that either the topic you are writing about is sufficiently interesting to make your audience feel strongly about it or the way you present it is unique enough to urge readers into some sort of action, whether it is vociferous agreement or vehement disagreement—anything but mild apathy.
From: Writer’s Guide to 2014.
Twitter has brought about the degradation of the English language. Charm ‘em, don’t cheat ‘em.