Junction Books

Getting Published: Selling Your Story And Yourself

admin — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Anyone who has ever written a story will tell you it isn’t the story itself that is the challenging part – it’s selling that story. You have to sell both yourself and your story to an agent and that’s only step 1 – the agent must then sell your story to the publisher. Sure, you can try to go straight to the publisher but you better know what you’re doing because it doesn’t matter if your book is about spaceships, wizards, technology or credit card debt settlement – if your pitch isn’t solid they won’t even look at your manuscript.

That’s where it pays to know a little something about the industry and what it takes to sell yourself as well as your manuscript. You need to be able to sum up your work both briefly and completely and, more importantly, you need to be able to convince whoever you’re trying to sell to that it is in their best interest to pick up this story. It can be a tricky business and it is most certainly not for the faint of heart because the other element that comes into play as far as this goes is persistence. You must be willing to weather scores of rejections for that one faint glimmer of hope in the form of acceptance. If you can handle that, if you are prepared for that, then you may have what it takes to be published.

Synonyms Escape You And There’s No Thesaurus In Sight

admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

When synonyms escape you and there’s no thesaurus in sight, it can be very difficult. In order to make your writing more interesting, you must use a variety of adjectives otherwise your writing can become stale. The fact that no thesaurus is in sight can be quite the dilemma.

It is very important to use your imagination in these moments. Sometimes, when you can’t think of a synonym for a word, it helps to think of other words you know. By trying to find synonyms for these other words, you are exercising your brain. This exercise can really help train your brain to try and think of synonyms.

Additionally, this process may lead to the inadvertent discovery of synonyms for the word you previously could not find synonyms for. By using this simple technique, you are sure to give your brain the exercise it needs to get started on this difficult task.

Although a thesaurus is a very valuable tool, in extreme situations you can try and get by without it. By using the best of your vocabulary knowledge, you can open your brain to synonyms you never thought of. For this reason, the lack of a thesaurus is not the end of the world.

5 Exercises To Help You Use Metaphors More Effectively.

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

If you are a budding writer of poetry or prose, you undoubtedly make use of metaphors in your writing. To use metaphors as effectively as possible, try these five exercises!

- Compile lists of similar metaphors. Think of as many different metaphors as you can, and write them down. Put them into categories based on their style, where they should be used, or any other relevant criteria.

- Be aware of metaphors in everything you read. Take note of how they are used, and keep track of instances where they could have been used more effectively.

- Learn the origins of literature’s most common metaphors. Notice where they have been used, and avoid including them in your writing unless you are absolutely sure they will work. This will help you avoid sounding cliched.

- Only use metaphors that fit your writing style. Even the most effectively used metaphor will seem out of place if it is not congruent with the rest of your writing. Never let a metaphor make you lose track of your own unique voice.

- Never use a metaphor unless you have a good reason. Metaphors are a great writing tool, but should always be used sparingly.

How Authenticity Creates Real Connection With Your Readers

admin — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

For authors just coming onto the writting scene, whether you are writting a series of poetry books or pieces, a memoir about your life, and autobiography describing past experiences, or any other piece of literature chronicaling a special event in your life, writting something authentic and something which is near and dear to you, is a great way to connect with your audience base. If you write about personal experiences in your life, it will really draw your reader in, especially if it is something that changed the person you are, or changed something major in your life.The whole story can be found at http://lisatorcassodowning.com/2011/07/27/discussions-for-writers-perspective-pov-and-a-memoir/

Connecting with your reader on a personal level should be a goal for all writers. Not only will they be reading something intriguing about you, past experiences, and your life, but it might be something which is close to them as well. Therefore, writting an authentic piece of literature, which is important to the author, will ensure that the reader will enjoy it, and on some level connect with it. Drawing your reader in with personal experiences, and things which have been important in the author’s life, is a great way to connect with them, and teach them something new about yourself.

White Noise: Are You Lost In Word Static?

admin — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are two definitions of the word ‘static’. The first is when used as an adjective wherein your usage is in reference to no motion or being fixed or stationary. The second is when used as a noun. It would be when it is unwanted noise, background interference and perhaps criticism and or anger. The second is the one we are discussing here. If you were attempting to create a poem or perhaps write a story, ‘static’ would be a serious obstruction to your thought process. It may even prevent the ‘creative juices’ to flow enough as to block you from accomplishing your goal.

This happens to creative personalities much more often than many people think. Once you have been taken off track with your endeavor of creative writing, sometimes it takes a lot to get back to a productive state of mind. The ‘static’ can actually derail a normally creative person for a long time if they cannot get the problem fixed shortly. This is why many authors will squirrel themselves away when attempting a project so they won’t have any ‘static’ interference to slow them down. They do not want anything to prevent the creative thought processes from flowing freely.

The Wisdom Of Simplicity: Revisiting Basho, Godfather Of Haiku

admin — Wed, 25 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Matsuo Basho is renowned worldwide as the ruler of the Haiku. While the haiku originated before Basho and was beginning to spread across Japan, Basho gave the poetic medium a heightened prominence and respect. Basho’s haikus are composed mostly out of his personal experience. He was known largely for his style, which was simplistic yet full of a deep wisdom.
Basho was never comfortable with his poetic fame, and he departed on many journeys in his search for a fuller understanding of his purpose and his unhappiness. Ultimately, Basho is a poet celebrated for his ability to use simplistic verse to convey a sense of wisdom and understanding. Even as Basho fell ill and grew closer to dying, his last poem is composed in a pure, unadorned manner but manages to communicate a startling sense of emotion.
The works and teachings of Matsuo Basho are exceedingly relevant to modern poetry and prose. By learning the wisdom of simplicity from Basho, poets can come to more fully understand the importance of meaning within poetry. While more dense poetry will always have a place in the literary world, it is important to remember the value simple words and verse can also have.

Feeding The Meter: Finding Your Poetic Rhythm

admin — Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Have you ever read a poem, http://www.poets.org that sounded so beautiful and so musical at the same time. You may be wondering how a poem can sound so melodious without a musical accompaniment. The trick here is that the poet used what is called ‘poetic rhythm.’

When a poet uses ‘poetic rhythm,’ the poet is carefully choosing both the correct word and the correct usage of said word in a poem. This is similar to a musician writing music. A musician will place proper sounding notes and tones next to other notes and tones that will complement each other.

What a poet does is looks at the iambic pentameter of a particular sonnet that is being worked on and arranges the words accordingly. To help us understand what an iambic pentameter is, let’s break it down. Iambic carries the meaning of having a specific pattern, or a beat. Pentameter means five feet or, in poetic terms, ten syllables long.

In order to find the meter when you write poetry, read the poem out loud. Once you have read it out loud once, read it again slowly. Pay close attention to the proper pronunciation of the syllables. Find out which syllables are stressed.

Once you find the stressed syllables, find the unstressed syllables and alternate.

Black Mountain poets scaled poetry’s unknown peaks

www.junctionbooks.com — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:49:51 +0000

Black Mountain College was a grand experiment. Founded in 1933 by former faculty members of Florida’s Rollins College, the institution was named for its locationBlack Mountain, North Carolina. The purpose of the school was to apply John Dewey’s principles of education to real life and to situate art as the centerpiece and foundation of a liberal arts education. Architect Buckminster Fuller taught at the college, as did dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham and composer John Cage. Poetry also owes a heavy debt to the college, thanks to the efforts of a group known appropriately as the Black Mountain poets.Poet Charles Olson, who coined the idea “postmodern” in 1949, was an important leader of the group, thanks to the publication of his 1950 essay Projective Verse. This piece called for a new type of poetry that replaced classic forms with an improvised structure that reflected the content of the poem. Each line should exist of “a unit of breath and of utterance.” The other Black Mountain poets took this essay as their manifesto. Among their number were Larry Eigner, Robert Duncan, Ed Dorn, Paul Blackburn, Hilda Morley, Denise Levertov, Joel Oppenheimer, Robert Creeley, and Jonathan Williams.Creeley was the editor of the Black Mountain Review for two years, which published many pieces by both the Black Mountain poets and the Beats. Unfortunately, Black Mountain College was just a little too avant-garde to sustain itself, and closed down in 1956. However, the poets continued to function as a “school,” which was solidified in the anthology The New American Poetry 1945-1960, edited by Donald Allen.Today, the Black Mountain poets are generally regarded as a dream of what could be (a new type of language in which form and content are synonymous) and as an important foundation for the LANGUAGE school of poets, who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Many of the Black Mountain poets’ works are still in print in collected or reprinted editions. Take a chance to explore them and see an early example of the poetry underground, buoyed by the same spirit that Junction Books carries on today.

Treat yourself to a poetry anthology

www.junctionbooks.com — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 04:06:40 +0000

Nothing is better than discovering a new favorite poet. Well, some people might disagree, but probably not the readers of this site. One of the best ways to explore a variety of poets is through a poetry anthology. Their higher prices belie their true value: offering you tantalizing tastes of fresh new voices and ideas. Here are a few of our recent favorites.Poems for the Millenium Vol. 3: The University of California Book of Romantic & Postromantic Poetry, ed. Jeffrey Robinson & Jerome Rothenburg, 80: For editors Jeffrey Robinson and Jerome Rothenberg, romanticism in poetry is defined as “experimental and visionary.” The poetry in this collection stems from different eras of the twentieth century and offers numerous experiments with form, sound, and imagery from both expected (Samuel Beckett, James Joyce) and unexpected (John Cage, Nathaniel Mackey).The Horse Has Six Legs: An Anthology of Serbian Poetry, ed. Charles Simic, 18: Charles Simic, who himself grew up in Serbia, offers an updated version of his groundbreaking 1992 anthology, including six new voices. The poets all date from before World War II, and some date back to ancient folk traditions. At over 250 pages, this collection is one of the more affordably-priced out there, and is a great introduction to poets that many Americans have never heard before.The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry, ed. Ilya Kaminsky & Susan Harris, 20: This extensive collection is offered in a partnership with Words Without Borders, an online site for connecting writers from all nations. It illustrates that the art of translating poetry is alive and strong, and that poetic voices can reach out across language barriers and still touch a universal heart. Many of these poems are appearing in English for the first time.

Pulitzer Winner and Finalists

www.junctionbooks.com — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 02:03:13 +0000

WinnerVersed by Rae Armantrout: Armantrout has been a part of the West Coast poetry scene for over 40 years (she graduated from UC-Berkeley in 1970, and one can assume that her interest started before that). Her work combines postmodern language poetry with a strong local eye. In Versed, her fourth book from Wesleyan University Press and her first to win a Pulitzer, she uses disparate images of Anna Nicole and kidney cancer to create a well-rounded and fascinating book.Read Online: “Scumble,” “Unbidden” (Poets.org)FinalistsTryst by Angie Estes: Estes was awarded a 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship, and one hopes that she will get the official Pulitzer nod in the future. Tryst (Oberlin College Press) is only her fourth collection, written while teaching at Ashland University in Ohio and helping to edit the literary magazine The Journal. The collection’s cover shows a gilded, bejeweled beauty, and Estes’s poems have a similar sparkling, elegant quality to them.Read Online: “Sommersonnenwende” (Poems.com), “Gloss” (Poets.org)Inseminating the Elephant by Lucia Perillo: As one might tell from the title, Perillo is a poet who’s not afraid of surprising images. The animal imagery should be expected, however, given Perillo’s history as a member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She’s also put in time teaching at Saint Martin’s College and later Southern Illinois University. Inseminating the Elephant is her fifth book of poetry and her sixth overall.Read Online: “A Romance,” “Found Object” (Poetryfoundation.org)