What Editors Look for in Short Story Writing

Event Details

  • Event Date:
    To Be Determined

Event Description

Seminar
What Editors Look for in Short Story Writing

Saturday, February 21, 2009

February is the shortest month of the year, so IWOSC is dedicating it to short stories!

Name your favorite short story.
Is it “The Gift of the Magi,” in which the wife cuts and sells her long hair to buy her husband a watch fob, while, unbeknownst to her, he sells the watch to buy her a beautiful comb for her hair? How did O. Henry create a short story of such lasting beauty? How did Edgar Allen Poe, Washington Irving, Saki, Kipling, Mark Twain, Bret Harte and many others create stories that we still read today?
More to the point, how can today’s aspiring O. Henrys write stories that editors will want to buy? And where do we find these editors, magazines, and anthologies?

Join an interactive seminar following his presentation.  Attendees are invited to bring at least five pages of their short story for a collaborative discussion.  If you bring your work, be sure to bring at least 15 copies to be shared. In the interest of time, Balaskas will determine how many works-in-progress will be able to be read in the seminar. Pitching short story ideas is also welcome. A list of short story venues and possible markets will be provided.

Balaskas’s expertise in selecting publishable works and working with other editors makes him an ideal seminar presenter.  As managing editor, of Ex-Machina Press, he also handles and establishes distribution channels via local bookstore and on-line vendors, and works with third-party printers. He knows what works and how to make your work stand out to editors looking for fresh, creative writing.

Balaskas will discuss the craft of short story writing, the importance of writing cogently for brevity and impact, and various critical elements of this special writing genre.  By the end of the seminar, you will have a firm idea about what you need to make your piece irresistible to editors.

So put your pencil or pen to paper, or fire up your computer, and write five pages for a great interactive engaging seminar!  There’s nothing better than getting your work effort into the light of day and having feedback from fellow writers.

Founded in 2004, the award-winning Ex Machina Press specializes in fiction anthologies and collections. Its short fiction anthology, “Silent Voices: A Creative Mosaic of Fiction” (Volumes One through Four) has won international awards for Best Anthology at the London and Beach Book Festivals and received awards two years in a row from the DIY Book Convention in Los Angeles, resulting in Ex Machina Press being named Publisher of the Year in 2007.