Resources for young and/or new writers
It can be really hard to know where to begin! I started off submitting short stories to journals around the world, but mostly Australian ones. I had quite a few things submitted before my first novels were published.
Express Media
Australian writers under 25 can check out Express Media. They run all kinds of programs!
They publish Voiceworks, which is a literary journal that only publishes work by people under 25. Each issue has a theme, and they will publish a little paragraph of inspiration to indicate what they’re looking for. They take fiction, non-fiction, poetry, comics, the coolest thing about them is that if your work is rejected, they will provide you with feedback.
They also run Toolkits, a program which has several streams (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, digital storytelling, graphic narratives, audio storytelling) and if you are a member of Express Media it’s free (you can email them if you can’t afford it, and they may be able to offer you a place). They also have free sessions through the year where you can watch guest presenters discuss topics.
Tips for submitting to literary journals
First, check out what kind of stuff that they publish. Is your work a good fit? If you can afford it, buy the latest edition of their journal, that’s a perfect place to start! If you can’t, see if they have any free-to-read content on their website or see if your local library has a copy or has access to digital editions.
Check the submission requirements and follow them.
Address your email to someone. Whether it is the editor’s name or to “The (journal name) team” etc. Just address it to someone! Be polite in your email and thank them for their time.
If your work gets rejected, don’t despair! Journals often get heaps of submissions, and they just can’t fit everything in, even if stuff is really good. If you are invited to submit back with a new piece - they mean it! Try again. I can’t count the number of rejections I’ve got (and continue to get) over the years.
How to find places to submit to
Search online
See where your favourites authors have been published
Ask your friends
Look for open submissions on social media
Use resources like chillsubs
Prizes and competitions
Entries to these will be paid and unpaid. They can be good opportunities to submit to and you can win stuff! The trick I think with these is you gotta remember that your work IS good enough and you should give it a go. Don’t self-reject!
Writers festivals
Writers festivals are a great way to learn from other writers and to make friends.
Emerging Writers Festival is a great one for writers of any age who are emerging. I also find it’s one of the more exciting and interesting festivals. A lot of the program is free, and things that cost oney to go to are usually low-cost compared to other writing events. EWF is held here in Narrm/Melbourne and also has a lot of events online.
National Young Writers Festival is another one that is great for new and young writers (the definition of ‘young’ here means ‘under 35’). Everything at NYWF is free. NYWF is held in Newcastle on Awabakal and Worimi Land, and also has online events.
The others around the country are definitely worth going to but these two especially I think are really important for young/new writers to be aware of.