Fiction panel offers tips to aspiring young writers

Excellent writing is the key to publication, but good submission etiquette and a thick skin… Excellent writing is the key to publication, but good submission etiquette and a thick skin are just as important.

This was the message of the Drue Heinz panel discussion, “Publishing Short Fiction,” in which editors Michael Curtis from The Atlantic, Allison Joseph from Crab Orchard Review and Joanna Yas from Open City Magazine broke the publishing process down for student writers last Wednesday in the William Pitt Union. The event was moderated by Sharon Dilworth, a CMU English professor.

First, Dilworth asked, what’s the deal with cover letters? When formally submitting work to literary reviews and magazines, it’s standard procedure to attach one to the story. But what should writers put on it besides their contact information and their story’s title?

Curtis answered that while he doesn’t want a writer’s entire resume, he likes to hear about any relevant experience she’s had, like previous publications or an MFA degree.

And if you like the publication, make sure to say so, Yas said. Just don’t flatter to the point where “it can feel a little icky