Questions

I’m on a binge reading contemporary fiction about immigrants to the U.S. (Jhumpa Lahiri, Amy Tan) and I’m looking for a novel or a collection of short stories about Latino/as. Fiction for adults, preferably something of literary worth (Pulitzer Prize or NYT Bestseller?). I haven’t come across anything yet. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
- persnicketi

I have a creative writing assignment that is due next month. We have to write 6 page short stories.

ANY IDEAS???
O, and I forgot to mention, the theme is ‘ OUTSIDERS ‘.

And don’t make it so exciting and superficial and alienated and all that please?
- Mariah M

Self explanatory…

Anyways I would like it to be a deeper subject then just the usual short stories.

I was thinking of a story about a Jewish girl’s experience in the holocaust but I couldn’t condense it enough for a short story.

PLEASE HELP! All ideas welcomed!!
- tayloo_heartsyou

I write a little and want to get a little exposure. I know that there are web magazines that take drama and sci fi, but I wanted to see if there were any print magazines that still take short stories in fiction. If so, what are their web addresses?
- cjm85

and charge, say, $1 a read? I dunno..just ***?ems like a ****?d idea to me.
- tjcsonofallnations

I need 2 non fiction writing(biography, letters, essay, etc) ****? ive looked all over the internet mostly for short stories because thats what i have an idea on doing, ****? i cant find any! so if someone can please help me thank you
- me

      You are now a career writer…you are working on your first novel, let’s say a western ****? you also ****?t to bring in some money, recognition and just build your web presence.  This is where last week’s question of “who do I write for?” is answered.  A better question would be to first ***?k, “What do I ****?t to write about besides the novel?”

     A ****?d way to start would be to pursue one of two avenues, maybe even both:  Article writing and short stories.

     What is article writing?  Article writing is non-fiction writing, focusing on an area that you have some expertise in.  This expertise could come from a hobby, your job, ***?mily, or social work/ministry.  Let’s say your hobby is quilting or restoring old cars.  Either of these subjects could create many articles on a variety of subjects ***?rtaining to quilting or car restoration.  Your job ***? a nurse or ministry working with disabled children would support articles that would be widely read.  Do you love to cook and are always pouring over cookbooks?  Write about it.  Have you raised *****?s or give care to elderly parents?  Write an article.

     I can suggest three places you can submit articles:

(1)  Free article websites- these are websites that offer articles free of charge for ***?ople to use in newsletters, e-zines and other places.  You might **** the thought of giving your work for free ****? you can get noticed, build your presence and help others through article websites.  An article I wrote on my child graduating and the mixed emotions I experienced was noticed by an e-zine editor and now I am a contributing writing for her on-line magazine.  ****?gle “free article websites” and check guidelines to ***?e what is needed.

(2)  Magazines are always looking for well-written non-fiction articles concerning their subject matter.  Diligently ***?arch out what magazine your article will fit best and follow guidelines completely.

(3)   Your own website- if you love quilting or nursing or cookbooks, consider starting a website on the subject and publish your own articles.  You can create a following that will be ***?miliar with your writing and ready to purchase that novel when it is completed.

Short Stories

     Short stories are simply what their name infers-fiction or true to life stories that are short, some ***?ople consider a short story less than 5000 words and some less than 10,000 words.  ***?ople just beginning to write short stories  would probably be helped by *****?ing a genre ****?h ***? western, romance or modern day sports story to keep them from being overwhelmed.  My dad always told me to write about what I know.  When I was a ****?nager, I tried to write a short story about a ****?nager in Alaska and it didn’t flow well at all.  The ***?ct was I had never been to Alaska and the research wasn’t giving me a comfortable experience of trying to write about it.  I changed the place to my own home state and things went much better.

Three places to submit a short story:

(1)     Literary journals- these are magazine which print short stories and poems exclusively.  They usually publish one to four issues a year and are looking for new writers.  Read the journal of your choice and get a feel for it before submitting work.

(2)     Contests and anthologies- There are many short story contests on the internet; make sure to research for legitimate ones.  Many literary journals have contests and some contests require a small fee to enter.  Anthologies of poetry and short stories are often looking for “new” stories; one example being “Chicken Soup for the Soul.”

(3)     Magazines-many magazines have short story contests or print one to two short stories ***?r issue.  Again, check out the magazine and look over guidelines carefully.

I hope you ***?e that writing articles and short stories can be a great way to build up a following eager to ***?e what you are writing next…next week join us ***? we discuss building a web presence…your own website…


- Jennifer Hallmark

When I was younger I used to write all the ***?me short stories, poetry, what ever. I didn’t really have much ***?me once I started college ****?, now I really ****?t to start writing again it was a great outlet for me. It was never a problem for me before ****?, now I can’t ***?em to write anything, at all. I sit at my computer of with a black notebook and nothing comes to me. Any ***?ps to get the writing bug back on board? I’d appreciate any help you can give.

Thanks
- crazy_for_writing

hoping to hear some pros and cons of different ways to go about publishing your work. i write mostly short fiction stories and some memoir. thanks in advance!
- laughalot

In ***?rrent ***?mes, merely within ten years the discourse has started in Urdu literature up on the philosophy of Postmodernism and Deconstructionism. Undoubtedly, almost all big critics in Urdu literature are involved in this discourse. At the same ***?me it has attracted a lot of creative writers to follow the theme.

Abrar Mujeeb, a fiction writer from the Industrial City of Jamshedpur [India], has written ****?h stories that represent the Philosophy of Deconstructionism. After 1980, the Urdu fiction has turned towards new colorful dimensions. Some new important names have happened to appear up on the ****?izon of Urdu short stories including NayyarMassod, SyedMohammadAshraf, SaajidRasheed, Ghzanfer, MusharrafAlamZaouqi, PaighamAafaqi, ShamuelAhmed, TariqChatari, SamimAfzaQamar, ***?rhatParveen, Qamar Jahan, ZakiyaMashhadi, KhursheedHayat, MahmoodShahid, AzraNaqvi, Shaheera Msroor, and GhiyasurRahman. Abrar Mujeeb is an important name in the equal list.

In his fictions we found the techniques of deconstructionism which has affected other story writers in Urdu to come closer to this. It is ought to understand that the communication techniques in deconstructionism are different than a narrative style of writing. It communicates through an alternative logic and subject next to the real text. Deconstructionism is not directly related to the subject matter of the story rather than it gives emphasis to the meaning of the text which undergoes in between the lines. So a deconstructionist critic or writer always stresses to communicate through the unwritten lines of his text which exist invisibly in his narration. The philosophy of deconstructionism can not be bounded with the text by any means, rather than it can be limited to the unlimited boundaries of the text beyond the text. The ideas presented beyond the text are suppose to be more genuine, authentic, and ***?ctual. So in order to review or form a creative writing the awareness of its ‘further than text expression’ pays vital role in the whole creative scenario.  

Abrar Mujeeb’s story ‘The scenario of night’ is a wonderful story. The habitual changes of day to day life, the look of life and death, the eternal journey of mankind and the universe, the conflict between evil and devil and the psycho-sociological changes of the human societies are ***?ed-up in a single knot. ***? if the human life and the nature were interdependent to each other to unveil themselves. It is a common concept that the occurrence of an incident depends up on the movement of the earth and this is the concept of the ***?rial ***?me which is defined ***? a subordinating cause of beingness. In this fiction Abrar Mujeeb has stated the idea that the occurrence of an incident not only depends up on the ***?me. The nature and the universe are eventful in ****?h incident to take place. In ‘The scenario of night’ he writes while describing the scene of an evening:

                   “… the redness of the evening is looking blackish ***?r in the ****?izon,                                        though it has not spread out like a spot on the blueness of the

                          sky ***? the spots of clotted blood, spreads up on the floor of a

                          slaughter house.”    

At a ***?cond put he writes: 

                             “…there is a bridge up on the chest of the river. At the moment

                             train has not passed over it and possibly all the scenario is

                             waiting for some important ***?me or moment and are vanished

                             in their own”.  

At the last when the story comes to end, the redness of the ****?izon turns into spreaded spots of frozen clotted blood and “at the same ***?me a train passes through the bridge and the whole picture disappears up on the *****?en of the thick fog, ***?rhaps these pictures were waiting for the same ***?me or moment”. Superficially it is just scenery, ****? virtually it is scenery which looks for some or more happenings or incidents to be added in it. And they all inevitably ***?ll together at one point to become the part of a big happening or a scene. In the eyes of the story writer every thing which is happening or going to be happen is the integral part of this universe. The ***?me and the place are inevitably put together along with the happenings to take place. Thus the conclusion comes from all occurrences that they all are predefined to occur. Though the tale of this story is of less worth ****? the whole treatment is excellent.       

Story “The fragrance of own soil” is written up on the philosophy of regional existentialism. In this story the basic identity of an individual and society has been brought to notice. An individual can not be the strength of a society if not he is ready to love and protect his identity. Consequently, the basic identity is ***? urgent for ****?cess in every ***?pects of life. The is the point where the individual and the society comes to strength. The strength and identity of a society depends upon the strength and identity of its individuals. The life then starts moving smoothly. Abrar Mujeeb also tries to strengthen and protect his soil.

Story “The rain” is simple in its expression ****? deep in its meaning. Story “Thrust” is a show of prohibited creativity. Story “The water way of backside” shows the everlasting continuation of ***?me. Besides this his stories “First task” “On the same turn” “Death” “The story of stories” are his best stories.

Summarizing all, we ***?e that the stories of Abrar Mujeeb are the stories of the communication of deconstructionism and prohibited creativity. More to the point, all these stories represents some or more thoughts and ideas of the philosophy of his age. Individuals, Society, characters, feelings, emotions, affairs and thoughts every thing being all together generates a deep taste of life in his stories. He creates a link between the post-modern ***?nsibility and universality. In the backdrop of his feelings and emotions and through his carefulness he teaches us to live with an extended thought of life. We feel that at the artistic level, through locating his own way Abrar Mujeeb passes through a ***?lf evaluating situation. These evaluations act like determiner and make his stories ****?cessful. Small things and small signs are of worth importance for him. The study of life through the mirror of deconstructionism has come closer to his art. He put his first creative step on the road to the life itself and the ***?cond to the universe.

Abrar Mujeeb is an active and ***?nsitive artist. His stories are decent, loving and alive. He is regarded ***? an important short story writer after 1980. Considering his style of writing and thinking he is regarded ***? a short story writer of high repute among the generation of writers in Urdu after 1980.

                                                            ************************************** 


- Dr.Equbal Wajid