An Issue in Publication - 227 words.

An Issue in Publication

To many amateur writers publication is their main goal; so much so that a rejection slip can be extremely discouraging. Especially for people who do not have a so-called ‘thick skin’, it is easy to think, when looking at a rejection slip (particularly a generic one) that the only reason that their piece has been rejected – whatever it may be – is because of a lack of talent, or a lack of quality in their work. However, this is not always the case. Here is a potential issue with submissions that amateur writers should be aware of.

An editor, as I observed when working with The Northumberland Gazette, can reject a piece for a variety of reasons. One unusual reason was a simple case of space. Something can be good, can be well written and relevant, but if it cannot fit alongside the other material then it simply cannot go in; and amateur writers should understand that their piece will almost certainly not be the main focus of a magazine or newspaper page. The advice: do not be afraid to be minimal with your writing. Not only does it concentrate your work, and make you consider each word, but restricting yourself to 500 words or less in a piece is good practice in clarity. It might also give you a better chance of being published in the future.