Weird Circular #24 September

The September Weird Circular

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

Welcome to the Weird Circular

Dear Fellow Writers of the Weird:

Fall is coming. There's a significant shift in submission calls in September, when all the MFA programs go back to school and eager writers step into new roles as editors, ready to find the next great writer. Or, you know, for speculative journals everything is just kind of pumpkin-flavored. 

Fall has always been my favorite season. And with the weather changing, I want you to think about your own work. What needs a shift? What could use a fresh breeze to shake things up? How can you get a new perspective on your writing? Do you need to recommit to your creative side?

Writing is a long-haul thing. But that doesn't mean it can't grow and change. 

- Holly 

P.S. Oh yeah,

Submission Calls

Upcoming Submission Windows: 

Need more submission ideas? Check the

newest markets,

, Duotrope's

,

, or Literary Mama's

.

YOU SHOULD BE WRITING

Prompt #1: Spend a writing session organizing your files. Yes, this counts as writing. Find old notes, read old journals, let yourself get lost in your past self's mind. Look for themes, familiar ideas, and old friends. 

Bonus Round: Now, take three of those past ideas and smash them together into one thing. Maybe they are pieces of a story that didn't work, or different stanzas from three different poems. See what happens with this alchemy. 

Prompt #2: You're holding something in your hand. What is it?

Bonus Round: What if that thing had a voice, a soul, a mind, or emotion? Imbibe it with life. Let it speak to you.

Prompt #3: Write a piece about fall or a change in season. Try to focus on the details--how do we know that the season is changing? What does the air feel like? What do you smell? Give us the sensory stuff first. 

Bonus Round: Take that piece and give it a structure that represents fall. Maybe the story falls apart as it goes on. Maybe it grows like a bonfire. 

Editing tip of the month: If you're looking for a way to radically edit a piece that's not working, try changing the genre. Rewrite the piece from page one with the aim of making it a totally new style. If it's a SciFi piece, rewrite it to be horror. Make a realistic piece unrealistic. Make a flash into a poem. 

Inspiration from the Ether

♛ Weird Story of the Month: Her Beautiful Body by Adrienne Celt ♛

☢ Weird Inspiration from the Real World: A Ghost on Google Maps ☢

News From Your Corporeal Host

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