How submissions and peer review work

[Boss Badger]

Each season has a submission thread on this forum. Find the appropriate one, hit “reply,” then copypaste your text and post. Use that same “reply” function to give feedback to your fellow writers at least twice a month!

Need inspiration on the peer-input front? These tactics that may help prime the pump.

1. Start with a compliment, before a criticism. Even the most unpolished work contains some element worthy of encouragement.

2. Share what elements resonated with you — and why — on a personal level. This can guide folks learning to write for specific target audiences. (For example: “In your pitch on intergenerational travel, I really appreciated the details about access for people with disabilities. I took an Alaskan cruise last year and my toddler wandered off while I struggled with my stepdad’s wheelchair.”)

3. All writers have patterns or standard tricks they employ. Alert your fellow authors if they’re overindulging. (For example: “You write powerful similes, but eight in one paragraph overwhelmed me a little” or “I notice you have a lot of long sentences with passive verbs and introductory subclauses; that slowed the pace of this exciting query a little for me.”)

4. Is a pitch obviously a pitch… or did “the ask” get buried? And in a similar vein, does a story start in a clear, engaging way that will draw readers in? What might help “hook” the audience more?

5. Did any language really grip your imagination? Why?

6. Does the piece or pitch have a clear focus? A timely angle? Could those be refined or pushed further, adding an element of urgency for editors?

7. Did anything ruffle your feathers? Explain why. Remember that it’s better for a colleague to learn about a misstep gently from you, rather than from an angry editor or dozens of readers…

• This topic was modified 8 months ago by Boss Badger.

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