Weird Circular #10 July

The July Weird Circular

July's Weird Circular is live with submission ideas, prompts, and more!

Welcome to the Weird Circular

Dear Fellow Writers of the Weird:

Ahh July. My birthday month, where I tend to spend each day off at the pool, daydreaming and talking to that one strange man who is really worried about robocalls. 

The past few weeks, I'm finding it hard to write. I get distracted, I have a lot going on. It's all good stuff, but I still long for those days when I'm in a furious pace of writing. I try to force myself to edit instead, but it's just not as satisfying as writing the first draft. But I keep pushing on. I keep trying new things.

Persistence. You've got it too. It's hidden deep down in your heart, the writer. It might be a creepy beast or a unicorn. How are you persisting this month? For me, I'll keep going to the pool and staring at the clouds. I'll try to get better at letting myself think, really think, not just brief, fleeting thoughts. Deep wells of imagination. I hope you find yours this month, too. Keep writing. I believe in you.

- Holly 

July Submission Calls

The Golden Key Flash Fiction Contest, Deadline July 31.(Fee) Winner receives $150 and publication.Flash fiction, 500 words or less. Judge: Carmen Maria Machado

Other Upcoming Submission Windows: 

Need more submission ideas? Check the

newest markets,

, Duotrope's

,

, or Literary Mama's

.

YOU SHOULD BE WRITING

Prompt #1: Have you ever tried using a title generator? They can be quite fun if you're looking for a way to shake up your writing. Head over to this one and see what titles you get. Do any of them strike your fancy? Use them as the title for your next poem, story, or essay. Bonus Round: You can also create your own new titles for stories by making a brainstorm map. Write a juicy word in the middle of a piece of paper. Then, branch off from the word with other words that are similar, or just follow the rabbit hole of ideas by using word association to create a string of words. (Example: Forest>fire>ember>golden>key>haunted house>little girls>pinafore>umbrella. I just made that one up. ) Go back and look at your map and circle the shiniest words. Make a title out of them, even if they seem like they don't mix. 

Prompt #2: Inspired by Sofia Samatar's Stranger in Olondria. This prompt is all about world building. Create a new world for your next poem, story, or novel. Try to write a world YOU wish you could visit. Focus on the details of the world, not the larger picture, to start. What does your character eat? What do they do each morning when they first wake up? What are they afraid of in their world, and why? (Note: This can be done with realism too. Consider travel stories set in other countries, stories set in strange places like haunted houses or libraries, or stories set in evocative settings: Junk yards, Port towns, Glaciers.) Bonus Round: Now do the big picture. Look at the religion of the world you've created: Does it effect the characters everyday life? Consider politics, war, farming, travel. How are these things reflected in the smaller details you wrote in the above prompt?

Prompt #3:

 This is an ekphrastic writing exercise. Get thee to the library, museum, or outdoor art garden! Find a piece of art to write about, one that seems to draw you in. Here's an

to get you started. Or, pick up a book of work by Bosch. Write whatever the image prompts you. (I'm leaving this open ended because I think part of the appeal here is LEAVING your house. Go outside. Bring your notebook. Become a spy.) 

Bonus Round:

 Make a character interact with the art, or interact with it yourself, even if it's just in your imagination. If you could talk to PIcasso, what would you say or ask? 

Editing tip of the month: This month I wrote about critique partners and how to receive critique better. But writing is about developing your own routines. Think about your revision process. Do you feel satisfied with it? Why or why not? If it helps, write this down. Think about what you might do to make it better. How are you going to reach the next level? Maybe you need a new critique group or new partners, or maybe you need to take a step back and reconnect with your work. Don't be afraid to practice META writing: The act of writing about your own writing process. 

Inspiration from the Ether

♛ Weird Story of the Month: The Ponytail ♛

➳ Craft Article of the Month:24 Books You Can Read in Under an Hour ➳

☢ Weird Inspiration from the Real World Man Discovers Son is Alive After He Thought He Buried Him ☢

News From Your Corporeal Host

  • I wrote about the art of receiving criticism over at The Artist Unleashed. I'd love your feedback in the comments!

  • My flash fiction, "A Day without Mirrors," appears in The Vestal Review's anthology, "Condensed to Flash: World Classics" extended edition, available on Amazon.

  • My poem, "Confessions of a Supermassive Black Hole," was accepted by Grievous Angels.

  • My poem, "Shotgun City," will appear in the Garbage issue of Eye to the Telescope. 

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