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Writing Short Stories/Questions Answered by Expert Cathy Clamp
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Is writing a book online a good idea | 12/10/2011 |
| Q: I'm 17, and I find myself getting really bored when i'm at home but none of my friends live near me. ... A: Ryan, You're right to worry about your ownership of text when posted online. It's not just a ... | |
| After publication of a short humor piece can I use it in a longer story? | 11/5/2011 |
| Q: I have written a very short humor piece for a magazine. They said they buy North American Serial ... A: Virginia, What you're thinking of is "FIRST North American rights". It's the "first" that's ... | |
| fonts | 8/28/2011 |
| Q: Which fonts are used for submissions nowadays? I read to use only courier or times new roman, but i ... A: David, No, Courier or TNR aren't outdated and for good reason. Calibri is a sans serif font. ... | |
| magazine rights | 8/28/2011 |
| Q: Once i submit a manuscript to a magazine, am i legally bound to let them publish it if it gets ... A: David, With magazines, you can only negotiate in a narrow window with how they treat other ... | |
| Characters | 8/9/2011 |
| Q: How do you develop a believable important character that is a little less main then the main ... A: Becky! What you're describing is known as a "secondary character." They're very important people in ... | |
| typing help | 5/14/2011 |
| Q: I am writing a Short Story and I need some help with how to use my Punctuation Marks. Here is just ... A: Bob! I saw your question in the question pool and thought I'd try to help out. There are actually ... | |
| Long short story. | 2/25/2011 |
| Q: Can you advice me where to look for examples of long short stories. For example, a centenarian ... A: martinkealy3! I saw your question in the question pool and thought I'd try to help out. The term ... | |
| STORY FOR DISNEY | 9/10/2010 |
| Q: How can I send my self written stories on Disney? A: Enrique! Disney is a tough sell, sadly. They generally don't accept stories written by anyone they ... | |
| Proofread | 8/8/2010 |
| Q: I have written a short humorous story (almost half page long). It's not offensive but a little ... A: Kenneth! Sorry, but AllExperts doesn't allow us to do one-on-one pay jobs for people, and ... | |
| Suggestions on good way to get an honest opinion of one's work | 7/8/2010 |
| Q: Cathy: I recently wrote a western novel containing two self contained stories and was quite ... A: John! Your best bet would be to find a "beta reader". There are lots of them available online. ... | |
| Getting western novel published | 7/8/2010 |
| Q: Cathy: I saw your response to another "John" about publishers who accept submissions for Western ... A: No, Forge is still publishing westerns. Five Star also does a few still, but mostly for existing ... | |
| How to publish daughter's stories | 5/16/2010 |
| Q: My daughter will be 9 in July, and recently her teacher pulled me aside and told me that she is a ... A: Christi! It's terrific that you're taking an interest in your child's desire to write. There are ... | |
| Western & Athletic Publishers | 1/12/2010 |
| Q: Cathy, upon reading the link to Five Star, it specifically states they do not accept submissions for ... A: John! Yes, Forge is an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates. You can use the submission requirements ... | |
| SUBMISSION TO Disney | 12/15/2009 |
| Q: I've written a 150 page book cc Tinker Bell that I believe would fit well in the Pixie Hollow ... A: Philip! Unfortunately, you're in a bit of a bad position right now. My first book was likewise ... | |
| Query Letter for Competitions | 11/17/2009 |
| Q: Hey, I am currently trying to send some stories to Writer's Digest for their short story ... A: Faythe! You might be confusing "cover letter" with "query letter." For short story competitions, ... | |
| publication of a short essay | 10/4/2009 |
| Q: I have a short essay about my father (WWII veteran who is suffering from dementia and Parkinson's ... A: Liane! There are a lot of places to publish short essays, both in print and in online e-zines. The ... | |
| Humorous Short Story | 10/3/2009 |
| Q: Gosh, I can't believe I found you! I am currently attending university, with a journalism major, ... A: Sarah! While I'd love to read every story that people ask me to, I simply can't. I'd do nothing ... | |
| Publishing | 9/29/2009 |
| Q: I have written a short story ,which is kind of my personal experience and its not more than 7 to 8 ... A: Arun! It's hard to tell how long your story is, because so much depends on how it's formatted. It ... | |
| Stuck .... and frustrated about it, too | 5/22/2009 |
| Q: Ok ... I started this story back in my sophomore year of high school, in 2005. (Since then, it's ... A: Caren! I saw your question in the pool and it struck a cord with me. Well, not with *me* per se, ... | |
| Office 2007 re: writing short stories | 3/16/2009 |
| Q: I am trying to figure out how to set up MS Word 2007 for short story writing. Word 2003 and previous ... A: James! I saw your question in the question pool, so I thought I'd try to help out. Here's what you ... | |
| Cheating? | 3/10/2009 |
| Q: Well I was taking a spelling test the other day and the guy behind me kept saying the answers to me ... A: The easiest thing to do would be to sit on an end row and ask a couple of friends to sit behind and ... | |
| Cheating? | 3/8/2009 |
| Q: Well I was taking a spelling test the other day and the guy behind me kept saying the answers to me ... A: CGLLR! If you got up and moved during the test, no doubt the teacher noticed. I don't know whether ... | |
| hemmed in/idea of the fool | 2/6/2009 |
| Q: Your last answer was very helpful. Thank you for it. My next question is a kind of continuatiuon of ... A: Luke! Honestly, you're starting to get into questions I just can't answer. I'm not a songwriter and ... | |
| questions | 2/5/2009 |
| Q: I cannot figure out some of the things this guy is talking about.Maybe you could help me? Bono from ... A: Luke! Well, I'll give it my best shot, anyway. The only REAL way to know what he meant is to ask ... | |
| love story | 12/8/2008 |
| Q: briefly, I am 60 yrs.old, when I was 26 I was in a bad accident. was taken in by Dr.'s book keeper. ... A: There are a couple of paying magazines that accept true stories. "True Romance" is one that's been ... | |
| love story | 12/6/2008 |
| Q: briefly, I am 60 yrs.old, when I was 26 I was in a bad accident. was taken in by Dr.'s book keeper. ... A: Mike, Congrats on your upcoming marriage! Obviously, the first thing you'll have to do is write the ... | |
| Western Novel Publishers | 12/2/2008 |
| Q: Cathy, I have two western novels I would like to submit for publication. Can you recommend some or ... A: John! The two I'd recommend that are still publishing are Forge Books and Five Star. They both ... | |
| Short Story | 12/2/2008 |
| Q: My talented writer husband just wrote a story called "The Other Magic Kingdom" about a family en ... A: Vanessa! One of the nice things about writing fiction is you get to play in the real world too. In ... | |
| Writing a short love story | 11/11/2008 |
| Q: I'm trying to write a short story where the girl is a "well kept" individual, and yet there is this ... A: Robert! I saw your question in the question pool and since I write romance for a living, I thought ... | |
| selling short stories | 10/11/2008 |
| Q: I have a true (short story) that I want to write and hope to make money with it. What are some of ... A: Terry! Honestly, true short stories are harder to sell than fiction in today's market. There just ... | |
| 8 piece format | 9/11/2008 |
| Q: my question for yoy is my daughter is attending Oakland University and majoring in journalism. she ... A: Steven! I'm afraid I've never heard of an "8 piece format". I worked for a newspaper for a number ... | |
| dialogue in quotes | 8/13/2008 |
| Q: how do I format dialogue in quotes into the body of my story? A: Cynthia! There are two quick and easy ways to incorporate dialogue into your story. First, each ... | |
| HOW TO PUBLISH A SET OF INDIAN SHORTY STORIES ON SUPERNATURAL THEMES | 8/7/2008 |
| Q: Cathy, I am an Indian who has recently compiled a set of short stories on Indian supernatural ... A: Payal! You seem to write in an omniscient style, which honestly isn't my best thing. "Omniscient" ... | |
| Western novellas | 8/4/2008 |
| Q: I am a published novelist(Latest novel: "Last Wish: Passage of Promise" Covenant Communications, ... A: Tom! Sorry for the delay in responding. I seem to be having server problems. The novel credits will ... | |
| Publishing an assignment for a class | 7/1/2008 |
| Q: I was wondering if it was possible to get an assignment, written for a college class, published, or ... A: Scott! Well, if you wrote the assignment (I assume it's a short story or essay) and you want to ... | |
| Short story | 6/8/2008 |
| Q: Alright, how DO I know if I have a good idea? A: Alora! I saw your question in the question pool, and thought I'd offer to help you out a bit. The ... | |
| inquiry: How to sell articles to magazines | 5/29/2008 |
| Q: Good day! I need information on the following questions. 1) What is the correct format in writing ... A: Amram! Okay, in order. We'll do the easy questions first. 1) What is the correct format in writing ... | |
| CAN I GET MY BOOKS PUBLISHED BY WALT DISNEY? | 5/10/2008 |
| Q: IS IT POSSIBLE THAT I CAN GET WALT DISNEY PUBLISHING COMPANY TO PUBLISH MY SHORT STORIES?IF IT IS ... A: Jephtha! I saw your question in the question pool, and thought I'd try to help out. When you say ... | |
| murder mystery stories | 4/2/2008 |
| Q: what is a good weapon for a murder mystery story that is not a gun or knife A: Elizabeth! I saw your question in the pool, and thought I'd try to help out. Sometimes it's not ... | |
| Publishing Terminology | 3/20/2008 |
| Q: I have been advised to submit a story as an "As-Told-To" Article. I don't understand this term. And ... A: Bob! An "as told to" story is one like you wrote. You're the author, and the story was "as told to ... | |
| Publishing short fiction | 3/7/2008 |
| Q: I am a teenager that likes to write short stories. So far I have only been published in a student ... A: Melissa! Well, a lot depends on what type of fiction you like to write. But the short answer is ... | |
| plot | 2/19/2008 |
| Q: I'm writing a short but sophisticated story. I want to now if my main character would fit in a ... A: Caren! I saw your question in the pool, and thought I'd try to help you out. But I'm afraid I'm not ... | |
| writing | 2/5/2008 |
| Q: i have to write about something exciting. can you list some exciting promps for a girl to write ... A: Emily! I saw your question in the pool, so I thought I'd try to help out. A lot depends on what ... | |
| Character help | 1/8/2008 |
| Q: I've created this character, With a really sad past, and I think I overdid it a bit, but I don't ... A: Alora! I saw your question in the question pool, so I thought I'd offer to help. The best way to ... | |
| Some tips for writing | 1/3/2008 |
| Q: Although I am young now, when I am older, I would like very much to be an author, as I love both ... A: Kathryn! I saw your question in the pool, so thought I'd offer my help. First, is there any reason ... | |
| submitting my fictional western short story to a publisher | 12/18/2007 |
| Q: I BEEN TRYING TO FIND A PUBLISHER FOR MY FICTION SHORT STORY AND I HAVEN'T HAD ANY SUCCESS AS YET. ... A: Marie! There are quite a few short story markets, but you're right that westerns aren't selling as ... | |
| short story publication | 12/7/2007 |
| Q: I have read a blog that stated that there is very little chance of getting short stories published ... A: Mike! Well, a lot depends on what sort of short stories you write. It's true that a lot of paying ... | |
| short piece of writing | 11/23/2007 |
| Q: "I am writing a short piece of writing that is similar to a passage in Moby Dick of Herman Melville. ... A: Katrina! While I do believe this is a homework assignment, which I'm not supposed to comment on ... | |
| church news monthly | 11/8/2007 |
| Q: I would llike to create a monthly newsletter for my church group, 100 copies, 2 pages 8.5x11 ... A: Allan! Were you aware that Microsoft Word has newsletter templates that you can download for free ... | |
| Composition | 10/23/2007 |
| Q: i think i never have ideas. what can i do to make myself think like an author and stop failing ... A: alexandria! I saw this question in the pool and thought I'd share my experience. I feel your pain ... | |
| writting a short fable story | 10/23/2007 |
| Q: i have to write a short fable story by 10-24-07 and i have no idea how to start this story can you ... A: juli! I saw your question in the pool, so I thought I'd give you a hand, even though it's a little ... | |
| Getting long story published | 10/19/2007 |
| Q: I'm about 10,000 words into a story, and I expect it to grow to around 12,000 (the length of a ... A: R! Well, part of what is going to determine the publisher is the genres you're crossing. You'll ... | |
| Bibliography for Short Story | 8/28/2007 |
| Q: I am planning on submitting a short story for publishing consideration in several literary ... A: Michele! Actually, I wouldn't worry too much about citing the sources in the initial query. What I ... | |
| My short story | 8/11/2007 |
| Q: I am attempting to write a Adventure/Comedy (short) story. Can you give me any advice in comedic ... A: Alora! I noticed your question in the question pool, so I thought I'd drop you a line to see if I ... | |
Writing Short Stories
Cathy Clamp
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I'm happy to answer questions about any aspect of getting short stories published in magazines, ezines and anthologies I can help with writing a cover letter to an editor and editing the story to suit a request for revisions. I can explain publishing terminology, acronyms and manuscript formatting. I can also assist with questions about verifying the credentials of magazines, ezines and anthology publishers and how to proceed once you've been accepted for publication.
Experience
I'm a USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance Tor/Forge Books. Along with a co-author, I've published fifteen novels (combination of mass market and trade softcover) since 2003, and have contracts for four more books through 2011. I've also published short stories in multiple anthologies, plus regional and national magazines.
Organizations
Romance Writers of America, Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Western Outdoor Writers, Horror Writers of America.
Publications
Books/Anthologies: Tor/Forge Books, Western Reflections Publishing; Short Stories: BenBella Books, Running Press, Prairie Times, California Fish & Game, Freya's Bower, Wild Child Publishing, OxCart Press. Many others.
Education/Credentials
My educational background is limited to real life experience of publishing novels commercially for the past five years
Awards and Honors
USA Today bestseller, Waldenbooks Mass Market Paperback Top 20 bestseller, Nielsen BookScan Top 20 bestseller, RT BOOKreviews Career Achievement Award, Book Buyers Best Award for Paranormal, Romantic Times Best Werewolf Novel, Write Touch Readers Award, EVVY Best Historical Chronicle Award, The Lories Best Paranormal. Many others.
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