WRITERS’ NEWS
http://www.writers-online.co.uk APRIL 2020^81Food for houghtCo
ONLINE ARTICLE MARKET
Gary DalkinLooking back
Your ‘unused’ files may
contain work that fits a
modern market, suggests
Patrick ForsythGOING TO MARKET
I enjoy mixing and comparing
notes with other writers and
spend regular time so doing.
For example, I delight in being
one of comparatively few men
members of the SWWJ (Society
of Women Writers & Journalists),
especially when, as recently, I came
second in one of their short story
competitions.
When I thought back to how I
had decided on my entry it made
me think. I have written a good
many short stories, many of which
are buried unused in my computer,
so I went back to my archive to see
if any such met the brief (a story
with a twist at the end). Sometimes
doing this is unsatisfying – what
on earth made me write that? – but
it can also be pleasing. I found
a forgotten story I had written a
couple of years ago, that I liked and
which I thought would appeal to
the judge.
It needed a little editing, partly
to adjust the length to make it fit
the competition, but also, as ever,
because I thought I could improve
its flow and description. And it
worked (well not producing a win,
but close) and a cheque followed.
Many writers find this
reassessment process useful.
Amongst your unused material there
may be much that is saleable. Not
necessarily as it is, but with some
degree of adaptation or editing. Of
course, much writing must begin
with a blank sheet of paper, but
sometimes it can be useful to look
back and you may find a significant
percentage of mothballed work is
saleable. Just because something did
not find a home immediately does
not mean the idea was rubbish; it
may be gold.
Look back, adapt and you can
create new, usable material, and
improve productivity too.Established in 1997, ThoughtCo
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You can see the editorial guidelines, including bios of all the main staff, at http://www.thoughtco.
com/about-us
Hippocampus is an online press for
books, and associated magazine, both
aiming to entertain, educate and engage
with quality creative non-fiction.
They want work which is ‘quirky...
edgy... witty... gritty... smart,’ from
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The magazine enthusiastically welcomes unsolicited, previously unpublished,
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Website: https://books.hippocampusmagazine.comStimulate the memory