Duotrope: A Brilliant Resource for Fiction and Poetry Writers

Today I thought I'd spotlight a brilliant (and free) market-info resource for fiction and poetry writers called Duotrope.

Duotrope currently lists over 4100 current fiction and poetry publications, including anthologies and contests.

If you have written a poem or a story and are looking for a suitable market to submit it to, you can use the search box on the Duotrope homepage (see screengrab below) to search by genre, length, payscale, and so on.

Figure 1 - Duotrope Search Box

Alternatively, you can browse all listings on Duotrope or search by title by visiting this page of the website.

Another great feature of the site is that you can get a weekly email sent to you listing new markets and any significant changes to existing ones. You can opt to receive fiction updates, or poetry updates, or both. You have to register on Duotrope to receive the email newsletters, but this is free and only takes a moment.

I've copied below an extract from the Duotrope fiction newsletter - a partial list of anthologies and themed issues with upcoming deadlines - so you can get some idea how useful this is. All titles in the email newsletter link to the relevant listing on Duotrope.

Figure 2 - Extract from Duotrope Fiction Newsletter

You can also opt to receive market updates in your RSS feed reader if you prefer. In this case you get updates as they occur rather than once a week.

Duotrope has a range of other features as well, including interviews with editors, a calendar of upcoming deadlines, and more. Registered members can also access some additional features, including RSS feeds of their favorite markets, markets where they have submissions pending, and so on. Note that some of these extra features are currently in Beta.

Duotrope is an invaluable resource for fiction writers, so if you write fiction or poetry, I highly recommend checking it out. Although it is free, they do still have running costs to defray, so donations are always welcomed.

If you have any comments or questions about Duotrope, please feel free to leave them below. Or if you know of any similar resources that writers should be aware of, please post them here as well.

Five Literary Devices to Make You a Better Writer

I'm pleased to welcome to my blog today writer and blogger Chris Campbell.

Chris believes that writers in all genres, fiction and non-fiction, can improve their work through the judicious use of literary devices...

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While the fiction writer often uses literary devices to move his story along, these writer's tricks are not limited to fiction. A non-fiction writer working on a blog or a feature article can utilize them as well to infuse a story with life and action.

Metaphor

Very often the best way to help people understand something or someone is to use metaphor. Metaphor involves the pairing and comparison of two things that are unrelated, but give the reader deep insight into the person or thing being described. For example, in "The Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad, the metaphor "In exterior he resembled a butcher in a poor neighborhood" reveals that the manager's uncle is a rough character. He's used to living a hard life on the streets without directly saying as much. While a writer can literally tell the reader that he has these qualities, metaphor offers a richer and more visceral glimpse of the person.

Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism relies on the principles of metaphor, but in a specific way. The definition used to pertain to giving human-like qualities to a deity or god, but now is largely used for any inanimate object. An author trying to explain conditions leading up to a hurricane might use a sentence like this to set the scene, "The unrelenting storm battered the travelers back with vicious sheets of rain as they prayed for the vengeful skies to clear." This tool provides a dimension of character to an otherwise mindless force or object.

Foreshadowing

The prophesies of the three witches in Shakespeare's "Macbeth" provide a good example of how a writer can use foreshadowing. Macbeth consults with the three several times throughout the play. However, their latter prophesies are ignored, because they don't seem to make sense. The quote "The power of man, for none of woman born/ Shall harm Macbeth" foreshadows MacDuff who was taken c-section, so he was technically not born of a woman. Using foreshadowing sets the story up for the readers, giving them an invisible framework for understanding not only the story, but more specifically where things are headed for a particular character.

Doppelganger

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde represent one of the most famous examples of the doppelganger in literary history. This device allows a writer to explore the two sides to a person's character and often has a supernatural element to it. Additionally, a doppelganger can also foretell of a tragedy that will befall a person; the doppelganger that appears to the dying person can be that person's future spirit self foretelling of the character's demise.

Archetypes

Archetypes represent universal character types, offering the writer the ability to quickly develop a character. For example, Romeo and Juliet not only symbolize tragic, eternal love. A feature writer who refers to Shakespeare's famous couple tells the reading audience that the people in the writer's own story are doomed lovers as well.

Conclusion

A writer - regardless of the genre - can create mood and characters more quickly and realistically if she uses a few literary devices. This is especially valuable to the writer who's limited by the constraints of a short piece of writing.

About the author: Chris Campbell is a blogger for GradeSaver, who really enjoys writing posts about reading, literature, and learning.

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Thank you to Chris for an interesting article. I agree that the careful use of literary devices such as those mentioned can lift a piece of writing from the ordinary to the memorable.

My one extra tip would be to strive to ensure that any such devices you use are original (one definition of a cliche is an over-used figure of speech) and apt. Forced metaphors that don't really work are a particular embarrassment!

If you have any comments or questions for Chris or myself, as always, please feel free to leave them below.

Photo Credit: Double, Double, Toil and Trouble by Jeff Hitchcock on Flickr. Reproduced under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic Licence.