The Dying Breed (Drivel the Second)
If I were to say the word lit-mag to you, would you know what it meant? It's alright if you don't; most people just blink a couple times and ask what on Earth that is. Lit-mags were once shining examples of amateur to semi-professional writing, sprinkled with exceptionally well thought out reviews and launching points for discussion. They were everywhere--the compiled list I have is pages long. Of these, they were divided into different genres or themes, each category having at least two places to submit work.
As a bit of backstory, on the rare occasion that I get to write for myself and not be someone's happy word monkey, I like to know how good I am, or more accurately, if my own work can stand on its own legs, and not need to piggyback on someone else's. That being the case, I loved submitting to lit-mags: Not only was it a great resume builder, but it sparked really helpful reviews and discussion, and I learned more from this process than in a lot of writing classes. It's a great reminder of why I love to write.
So it happened that I was bitten by the Short Story Bug not too long ago, and having nothing else to do with my morbid little one-shot, I broke out my list of lit-mags and started searching the internet for places to submit it. Imagine my disbelief, then dismay at realizing that a good 90% of lit-mags had vanished or stopped printing. Imagine my horror when I realized that NONE of them left were of the 'macabre persuasion,' as it were. Not just lit-mags, either, I dare you to find a gothic publication that isn't Gothic Beauty or Morbid Outlook.
Well. Fine then. Undaunted, I fired off my little gem to whatever lit-mags I could find. The response? "Well, this is really a lovely piece of work, but it's... Halloween's over, we're not really looking for submissions like this anymore." This is the part where I began to methodically beat my head against the wall.
The fact is, there's a severe lack of places for dark people to flex their creative muscles. It's not just those of us who are of a subcultural persuasion that are suffering, either--how many aspiring writers got their start with a lit-mag? I submit nothing less than society, particularly Western culture, is dumbing itself into oblivion. There is little to no value placed on being an intellectually healthy person, on improving one's mind, or just generally being smart; instead, we have a culture built up to worship the Almighty Dollar and whatever else is deemed 'acceptable' by society.
What a waste.
My point is, please, please, please support small publications. Go buy, read, discuss these tiny little pearls that are still hiding out there. Make a point of reading something by a new author, write a review, start a book club for pity's sake. Too many wonderful things have gone by the wayside because of our obsession with stupidity, and I refuse to let my life-love, good writing, go the same way.
As a bit of backstory, on the rare occasion that I get to write for myself and not be someone's happy word monkey, I like to know how good I am, or more accurately, if my own work can stand on its own legs, and not need to piggyback on someone else's. That being the case, I loved submitting to lit-mags: Not only was it a great resume builder, but it sparked really helpful reviews and discussion, and I learned more from this process than in a lot of writing classes. It's a great reminder of why I love to write.
So it happened that I was bitten by the Short Story Bug not too long ago, and having nothing else to do with my morbid little one-shot, I broke out my list of lit-mags and started searching the internet for places to submit it. Imagine my disbelief, then dismay at realizing that a good 90% of lit-mags had vanished or stopped printing. Imagine my horror when I realized that NONE of them left were of the 'macabre persuasion,' as it were. Not just lit-mags, either, I dare you to find a gothic publication that isn't Gothic Beauty or Morbid Outlook.
Well. Fine then. Undaunted, I fired off my little gem to whatever lit-mags I could find. The response? "Well, this is really a lovely piece of work, but it's... Halloween's over, we're not really looking for submissions like this anymore." This is the part where I began to methodically beat my head against the wall.
The fact is, there's a severe lack of places for dark people to flex their creative muscles. It's not just those of us who are of a subcultural persuasion that are suffering, either--how many aspiring writers got their start with a lit-mag? I submit nothing less than society, particularly Western culture, is dumbing itself into oblivion. There is little to no value placed on being an intellectually healthy person, on improving one's mind, or just generally being smart; instead, we have a culture built up to worship the Almighty Dollar and whatever else is deemed 'acceptable' by society.
What a waste.
My point is, please, please, please support small publications. Go buy, read, discuss these tiny little pearls that are still hiding out there. Make a point of reading something by a new author, write a review, start a book club for pity's sake. Too many wonderful things have gone by the wayside because of our obsession with stupidity, and I refuse to let my life-love, good writing, go the same way.