Writing for Anthologies: Takeaways and Tips for Publication



Writer and Editor Anne Witkavitch



This week we conclude our series on writing for anthologies with writer Anne Witkavitch, who compiled and edited Press Pause Moments: Essays About Life Transitions by Women Writers based on the Press Pause Project.

AA: What were the takeaways for you on this project?

AW: I learned so much about the process of taking a book from concept to publication. There was tremendous value to wearing the editor's hat, not only writing for the book but also for selecting, editing and sequencing other writers' works. For example, editing multiple voices was a bit more challenging than I anticipated. You have to pay even more attention to achieve style consistency from page to page. I tend to be a person who can see the vision and big picture, and then home in on the details to bring all the pieces together. That came in particularly handy for this project.

AA: What would you recommend to writers seeking publication in an anthology?

AW: First, follow the submission guidelines. If the word count maxes out at 1,500, don't submit something with 3,000 words. Choose to edit first, or don't submit at all. Second, be professional. For Press Pause Moments, the e-mail was the first interaction I had with most of the writers, and first impressions always count — even in cyberspace. Be personable, but to the point. Third, submit your best-quality work. Edit and proofread. This is a pet peeve of mine. I know how much time I invest in editing and revising. I can tell when someone has written something, checked it over, and then submitted the piece without any rework. Fourth — and perhaps most important — is to submit! If you write for you, and simply want to keep your work tucked away in a file folder, that's fine. But if you want to be published, anthologies are a great way to get your work out there and read.

Press Pause Moments is on Amazon

AA: Is there anything you'd like to add?

AW: Writing is a tough gig. Sitting down and writing every day is hard. Sending out your work is hard. Getting rejected is hard. But you've got to keep at it. I am a big proponent of having a strategic plan to guide your writing ambition. In fact, I teach a workshop in Goal Setting for Writers based on the Press Pause principles. It's intended to get writers to articulate what they want to achieve and then figure out how to get it done with one-, two- and three-year goal components. Life is dynamic, and if you don't know what you're working for, you can easily get knocked off course. In fact, the Press Pause Moments anthology's life cycle paralleled some major challenges in my life: the crippling recession, my sister's death from cancer and a major health issue. If I hadn't had a strong vision and plan — and a lot of resilience and support — the book would never have happened.

Finally, every writer should wear the editor's hat on a project involving other writers' works. I have edited several books this year, including another anthology and a nonfiction book. There is no better way to continuously improve your own writing skills!

For more information, see Press Pause Moments or Amazon. Or visit Anne's page at Western Connecticut State University.

Writing for Anthologies 3, With Writer/Editor Anne Witkavitch

In this installment of writing for anthologies, editor and writer Anne Witkavitch discusses the key ingredients for a successful work, like her Press Pause Moments: Essays About Life Transitions by Women Writers compilation and the Press Pause Project that started it.

AA: In compiling this volume, what impressed you most about the project and the writers?

Poets & Writers Classifieds/Anthologies

AW: I don't think I realized at first how significant the project was. Then, I began to get e-mail messages like, "Even if I don't get accepted, this is a very important book you are creating." Also, I got such a positive response when I told more people about it. The theme really meant something to them.

Regarding the writers, I know it sounds strange, but as I lived with the essays and put together the manuscript, I felt like I got to know each of them personally. Their stories became like old friends. Maybe that's because so many of their transitions resonated with me as a woman in one way or another. But what probably stood out for me the most were their distinct voices — each of these women writers had a unique and powerful voice that came through in the prose. I still curl up in a chair with the anthology and enjoy the essays over again which, to me, is a testament to their ability to write.

Tips: Based on Anne's astute observations, writers considering submitting work to an anthology should consider these three key ingredients:

• A resonant theme: Select an anthology with a theme that captivates you. This increases the likelihood that the story you write will captivate others.
• A personal story: Personal in this sense doesn't mean TMI. It means sharing a personal struggle, challenge or experience that can benefit others.
• A distinctive voice: A good anthology is like a good ensemble cast. Each character is discernibly different from the next, yet the production is more than the sum of the parts.

Extra: Anthologies may be the best examples of writing the story after — not before — you read what the publication is looking.

Two good sources for anthologies are Poets & Writers Classifieds/Anthologies and The Writer's Chronicle from the Association of Writers and Writing Programs. But check out each site thoroughly. A listing in a reputable publication doesn't guarantee that the anthology is on the up and up. One place to double-check is the ever-reliable Preditors & Editors Book Publisher and Distributor Listings.       

Writing for Anthologies 2, With Writer and Editor Anne Witkavitch

This week, we continue our dialog on writing for the currently hot anthology market. Here's the next installment from editor and writer Anne Witkavitch, who compiled Press Pause Moments: Essays About Life Transitions by Women Writers, from the Press Pause Project.

Press Pause Moments

AA: How did you select and compile the stories—what did you look for?

AW: Professionalism, quality of writing and diversity of stories were the most important criteria for me.  The initial weeding-out process was pretty easy—it was clear that many people respond to every call for submissions put out there, regardless of whether their topic fits! Then I started reading the remaining essays for content, voice, pacing and tone. What I also looked for was presentation: Did the writers edit, proofread and submit their best work? Was their e-mail professional? Did they follow the guidelines, including word count? Finally, I wanted to have diversity among the types of transitions represented. Many people assume an anthology like this one would be geared toward midlife, but I believe we experience transitions throughout our lives and at all ages. I could not have done this without my second reader, my college roommate, Ann Zuccardy, who is also one of the contributing writers.

For more information, visit Press Pause Moments or Amazon.

Writing for Anthologies, With Writer and Editor Anne Witkavitch

A post or two ago, we discussed writing for anthologies, a current hot market. From now 'til year-end (can't believe we're nearly at the close of 2011), we'll talk a bit more with editor, writer and instructor Anne Witkavitch, who compiled and edited the new anthology Press Pause Moments: Essays About Life Transitions by Women Writers. The anthology began with the Press Pause Project.

AA: What prompted you to start the Press Pause anthology project?

AW: I was frustrated. I’d completed my MFA in professional writing and left the corporate world to go out on my own so I could pursue my writing. Though some good things were happening—I had landed a gig as a contributing writer and blogger for TravelingMom.com and had a couple of articles accepted for a yet-to-be published anthology— I had not yet achieved the big goal, which was publishing my first book. While I kept receiving encouragement from well-respected publishing pros, I got discouraged reading news stories about celebrities and reality stars who were getting their books published while mine sat in my documents folder, collecting rejections. A writer friend had worked on an anthology, and I called him with the classic, “I’ve got a crazy idea and want to see what you think.” He loved the idea of me creating a women’s anthology focused on life transitions, a topic I’d already been speaking about through my Press Pause Now retreats . He walked me through the process, and then I wrote and distributed the submission guidelines, got my first submission and panicked—women writers actually wanted to be a part of this project! The book became real to me. I was ecstatic and scared at the same time.
 

For more information, visit Press Pause Moments or Amazon.

Flat Screen, Flat Scene: When a Scene Doesn't Work

I recently read part of the first draft of a novel where a 30^th-birthday dinner  was to end in conflict. This one didn't. The scene was well-written and the characters distinct, but the scene was flat as a newly tarred driveway. Why? No tension.

A scene can lack tension for various reasons. In this case, it was because none of the characters was allowed to react to the discomfiture of a main character when someone inadvertently reminds him he was away from his wife when she was dying of cancer. Actually, it may be more accurate to say everyone's reactions to the moment were subdued. It made the scene and the characters appear dull, one-dimensional.

Conflict should be palpable

The other reason there was no tension was that the protagonist's own emotions were muted. What did he really feel? How would he show that? How would others respond to his pain, especially his daughter-in-law, whose birthday they were celebrating? Would she feel empathy? Would others sense something is wrong but not be sure how to respond? What about the man's date—does she long to reach out to him but can't because he won't accept her love? What about his son? Does he feel guilt because he was with this mother when his father wasn't? Since he's a doctor, was he complicit in his mother's passing?

In this case, the universal lack of response drained the life out of the scene. Yet, characters—I like to call them people—long to get out of their shells if we'll let them. We don't need permission to write the truth; it will set us writers and our characters free.

Tip: The fix in a case like this is to revise by re-visualizing, re-visioning the scene, if we can use those words as Natalie Goldberg did in Writing Down the Bones. Start with a clean sheet of paper or a new document, and close your eyes. Allow the scene to materialize, and watch each person respond. This will deepen the scene and broaden it. For more on this technique, see the post "Stephen King to the Rescue: Using Imagery to Bring a Story to Life." And see the August issue of The Writer, the magazine archive piece by Stephen King called, "Use Imagery to Bring Your Story to Life."