Reflections on Writing & Editing

Sometimes all you need to start writing the next great American novel is having a

catchy opening line, a hook that draws the reader in and makes them ask questions like, What’s

next?, thus creating the need to keep reading. But what if you don’t have a catchy opening

line, how then, do you start writing the next great American novel? There are a few things that

you can do. Some may work, and some won’t, but most will do enough to get the creative juices

flowing. There are three things that have proven very popular in starting your next fictional

piece. The first one is to pick a writing routine that is right for you. Second, experiment with

words in your opening line. And finally, wait for it...big reveal...write. That’s right. Just start

writing. There are countless more, but to keep things simple, this article will cover just these three things.

Creating habits, especially writing habits, can be difficult. The article "Tips for Building a

Writing Routine" is sure to help with that issue. The author Gretchen Rubin lists 12 steps that can help you develop a healthy writing routine. One of the tips worth mentioning is number five,

"upgrading your tools." Often overlooked are the tools used when writing. If you find the tools you are using to write deter you from writing, get new tools, such as a new laptop, an antique or typewriter, something to make writing fun again. Another tip is number one on the list, "select a time and frequency in which you will write." Having a set time to write ups the odds of you actually writing. And the last one worth mentioning is fourth on the list, "adjust your sound environment." Whether you like music, white noise, or silence, make sure your environment is to your liking.

Once you have a routine, writing that first line can often be the hardest. Everyone wants

to create a memorable opener, but sometimes writers block happens right from the start. A few

things to remember are that you do not have to be fancy, and it does not have to have a million

words. Moby Dick started with just three words. One thing that authors Jack Smith and Sean Glatch suggest is experimenting with your first sentence. Change the word count, try starting with onomatopoeia or use a metaphor. Or in the case of No One’s Leaving by Raki Kopernik,

capitalize a certain number of words of the first sentence. The beginning sentence needs to be a

good hook, but it also needs to be backed up by a strong story.

So how do you get a strong story? By writing, writing, and then writing some more.

Writing every day will strengthen your ability to create a story. And one thing writing every day

will help with is vocabulary. Eilish Toohey says that writing every day will help you see the

words that you may be overusing in your writing. Then you can start to expand your vocabulary

by choosing words that you are not using at all. Doing this seemingly simple thing will make you

a better writer. On a side note, don’t try to get too fancy; you don’t want your reader to have to

run to the dictionary every other sentence.

As stated at the beginning, this list is only a handful of things that can help you start your

next great American novel. There are plenty of suggestions out there by authors that may a bit

more to your liking, but by creating a routine, experimenting with your first sentence, and

writing, writing, writing, you are sure to give yourself a solid start to your writing career.

Whether for fun, school, or work, these three things are sure to stay in your toolbox of writing

for a long time.

Works Cited

Rubin, Gretchen. "Tips for Building a Writing Routine." Gretchen Rubin, 15 Aug. 2023,

gretchenrubin.com/articles/tips-for-building-a-writing-routine/.

Smith, Jack, and Sean Glatch. "How to Start Writing Fiction: The 6 Core Elements."

Writers.com, 2 June 2025, writers.com/how-to-start-writing-fiction.

Toohey, Eilish. "Practice Makes Perfect: How Writing Every Day Can Make You a Better

Writer." Scribendi, www.scribendi.com/academy/articles/writing_every_day.en.html.

Raising stakes is an important element of fictional writing. It involves three facets of

stakes: plot, character, and society. For each part, the writer can pose different questions to

challenge protagonists, causing them to suffer and grow throughout the story.

Stakes are a literary tool that helps drive a plot forward and to give meaning to characters

so that they can perform actions. Whether the stakes are internal or external forces, they will be unique to the protagonists and their circumstances. The best example of stakes are “personal stakes,” which reflect the character’s feelings on what is important to them and why their path is significant to their goals. When we view a character’s motivations on a deeper level, their convictions and morals come to light, which play a key role in setting up what are called “ultimate stakes.” When protagonists rise to the challenge with obstacles becoming greater and greater, persistence and perseverance comes from deep within. While obstacles and overcoming them can thus rely on internal forces, many forces in storytelling are external. “Public stakes” will require a completion of the task to avoid unwanted consequences, preventing an unwanted future to protect themselves and those around them. However, these “public stakes” are often outside of the protagonist’s control, where instead the focus becomes on how they react and continue forward.

That is why plot- or design-driven fiction is essential for having large stakes, in other

words, the ever-looming threat to the lead character. Almost always, this is in the form of

another person trying to cause harm to the lead, physically, emotionally, or professionally (Bell,

2008). Part of raising the stakes for the main character is building a “stakes outline." This is where the conflicts the lead character endures grow along the story from least to worst. The outline helps the writer to establish scenes and shifting points throughout the story. Questions for the setup can be: What physical harm can come to the lead? What new forces can charge in to oppose my lead? What’s the worst thing that can happen to my lead’s career life? (Bell, 2008).

A stake within writing is basically the weighed out consequence of the character’s

actions. Jen Craven, in an article for Craft, wrote about the impact that a character’s suffering has on a story. She begins by discussing a struggle that every author faces where they attempt to cushion their character to protect them from the harshness of the written world, but she then

describes how “if you want to write page-turning suspense, you have to get comfortable with

watching your characters fall apart.” There would be nothing to gain if your character didn’t hold

their ideals strongly or if they had no hardships to work though; it accentuates the conflict and

gives a lot more meaning to the work. Craven specifies that suffering is written into a story

for a reason and is not there to act as a layer of trauma for shock value. Stakes give a story

meaning, and without being able to see that as you go along, you lose reader sympathy, and you can lose the direction of the story as a whole. While adding an element of suffering to a character is not the only way to show the stakes in a situation, there are multiple good ways to see it through this element, such as a character’s fears or their relationships.

Therefore, the caliber of the lead character can be as significant as what is happening on

the outside. It could be psychological as well as emotional reaction to a tragic trauma that could affect the protagonist's personality, changing for the better or worse. Murder, sexual deviance, or just plain evil are among the avenues that lead the main character to raise the conflict within themself. Questions for this aspect of the protagonist can be: How can things get more emotionally wrenching for the lead? Is there someone the lead cares about who can get caught up in the trouble? What must the lead hide from others at all costs?

It is by giving the character depth and having the reader learn of their struggles and

challenges that a story becomes meaningful. A character that faces these stakes feels human and more relatable to the reader. Where these stakes can grow to such a level, where the reader roots for the character as the resolution brings feelings of hope and a happy ending.

Works Cited

Bell, James Scott. “Raising the Stakes.” Writer’s Digest, 11 Mar. 2008,

www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/raising-the-stakes.

Craven, Jen. “Are You Being Too Nice to Your Characters? Why Suffering Matters in

Suspense.” CRAFT Literary, 23 July 2025,

https://www.craftliterary.com/2025/07/23/are-you-being-too-nice-to-your-characters-why-

suffering-matters-in-suspense/

Maass, Donald. “The 3 Key Types of ‘Stakes’ That Drive Novels.” Writer’s Digest,

Writer’s Digest, 19 Oct. 2010,

writersdigest.com/improve-my-writing/3-key-stakes-that-drive-novels.

Pacing is a crucial aspect to writing. It serves the critical purpose of controlling the reading experience of your story. When writing it’s important to consider the rhythm which your story follows and how your chain of events fall into place. The length of your paragraphs, the words you select, and how you structure your sentences all impact the pacing of your story. A good pace consists of a balance between action and rest, so readers do not feel rushed or bored. The main purpose of pacing it is to keep your reader engaged.

Knowing when to speed up and slow down is essential to creating a cohesive and engaging story. When you want to create urgency, there are a few things you can do. As a writer, you can throw readers into action with immediate conflict, create clear and urgent stakes, and have scenes with minimal downtime. This type of writing is often associated with plot-driven stories like thrillers, action, horror, and mysteries. Other premises that benefit from the use of fast pacing are apocalyptic settings, emphasis on time, and escape narratives (“Slow Burn”). Knowing what kind of urgency and stakes your story has will help you decide how fast it needs to be paced.

If you want to write a story that builds up investment over time, then a slower paced story is probably more your speed. These types of stories include gradual escalation of tension, emphasis on the atmosphere and character emotions, and subtle foreshadowing. Slow paced stories emphasize character development and internal conflict over plot shifts. Theme-heavy stories surrounding grief, existential dilemmas, moral ambiguity, etc. can benefit from slower paced descriptions because there is often a major payoff at the end with your desired conclusion (“Slow Burn").When writing genres like fantasy, historical fiction, and sci-fi, a slower pace will allow for a more intricate setting and character dynamics.

There are several techniques and tricks to create a well-paced story. It’s important to keep in mind that it takes practice. To create a story with well structured pacing you can make an outline consisting of the story’s rise and fall, or in other words, chain of events. When you write an action packed scene, it's important to also include quiet moments of introspection, so the readers can collect their thoughts. If you’re looking to create more depth in your story, think about adding backstory, subplots, or added intrigue with a cliffhanger. Finding the natural balance between action and mundaneity is key to controlling your story.

As with anything else, there is room for mistakes to be made when trying to pace properly. Wilbur Greene’s article "The Art of Pacing: Keeping Readers Engaged from Start to Finish" emphasizes three main mistakes: overwhelming readers, losing reader interest, and becoming inconsistent. Too much information can be seen as a buffet. Readers can only consume so much of your work at one time, so you have to be able to feed it to them carefully. If you don’t give them time to digest, they can’t savor your work properly. You also don’t want to lose your readers at any point in your story. If you are talking about horses, don’t come out of left field and talk about cats for three paragraphs. Keeping on the same topic and including meaningful transitions when you want to change topics is a great way to keep readers hooked. Losing readers and becoming inconsistent also go hand in hand. Greene also uses the example of slow dancing when discussing consistency in writing. You, as a writer, want to try to stay on tempo and not crush your partner’s feet. The best way of keeping your readers on the same pace as you is dancing in time, and making sure your pacing is correct to uplift other aspects of your work.

Works Cited

Greene, Wilbur. “The Art of Pacing: Keeping Readers Engaged from Start to Finish.” Medium, The Writing Cooperative, 11 Oct. 2023, writingcooperative.com/theart-of-          pacing-keeping-readers-engaged-from-start-to-finish-6e368d07a7f0.

Jackson, Savannah. “Pacing in Writing: Engage Your Readers with Every Page.” Jericho Writers, 15 Sept. 2022, jerichowriters.com/pacing-in-writing/.

“Slow Burn vs. Fast-Paced: Choosing the Right Storytelling Tempo.” Author’s Pathway, 10 July 2025, authorspathway.com/crafting-your-story/plot-development/slow-burn-         vs-fast-paced-choosing-the-right-storytelling-tempo/.

Two of the most important factors in crafting a great story are imagery and symbolism. A

good writer uses imagery to paint vivid pictures in the reader’s mind, and these images usually

represent an underlying theme or message within the story. These literary devices are intrinsic to

literature and have been used by various authors throughout history.

The symbols of literature are created through imagery. An author must use descriptive

language that appeals to a reader’s sense of taste, touch, smell, and hearing. Imagery is “vivid

language designed to appeal to these senses” (Malewitz 1). The use of such language is essential for readers because it enables them to imagine and experience the text realistically, as if they are actually in it. This allows the reader to immerse themselves in the author's world, creating a sense of empathy with the characters and the world they inhabit. Imagery is used to establish settings, describe characters, and create symbols that readers will forever associate with the work and its themes. However, it’s also imperative for shaping the tone of the work and how the author might feel about characters, locations, or objects based on the language they’re using.

Next, symbolism is utilized to communicates subtle themes in stories. Symbols may

come up organically during an author’s writing process, or they intentionally plan their

symbolism out. Fawkes defines symbolism as a means to, “Communicate something abstract in a more concrete way” (Fawkes 1). This goes hand in hand with imagery, taking the abstract idea of something like hope or freedom and allowing the reader to connect it to the visuals presented.Expanding the attribution of meaning beyond one symbol helps to deepen the story’s

connections. Recurring symbols can turn into motifs, and to keep the repetition from becoming

stale it is important to find ways that evolve them (Fawkes 1). Moreover, the author balances

how they show and don’t tell in their writing when using symbols, furthering the story’s subtle

messages.

Finally, symbolism and imagery work extremely well together to create an emotional image in the reader's mind. As aforementioned, imagery is more than simply creating a picture in the mind of your readers; it grounds a reader in a story no matter how foreign the text might be. Furthermore, symbolism is pertinent to exposing important subtleties. When these elements are

used together they create an extremely immersive meaningful story that completely enthralls

readers. According to Tyler Biscontini in the article "Imagery, Motifs, Symbolism," 

...imagery is often used in conjunction with symbolism and motifs. Certain images, such as a bald eagle, invoke cultural and historical connotations in the reader. Similarly, imagery that repeatedly appears throughout the narrative can be used as a motif, encouraging readers to examine the work as a whole within the context of the image. 

As stated by Biscontini, there are various extremely famous examples of symbolism and imagery working in tandem. The example of a bald eagle is a perfect instance of the two working in tandem. A bald eagle being described to a reader may invoke a sense of pride and patriotism, that patriotism may be lessened due to the current state of the government that is symbolic of, but regardless of the emotion it invokes it is still a powerful one. In summary, the use of both imagery and symbolism almost guarantees a power story to be told.

Works Cited

Malewitz, Raymond. What Is Imagery? Oregon State University. Published 24 April 2019.

https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-imagery-definition-examples

Fawkes, September C. Strengthening Story with Symbolism, Motifs, and Image Systems .

www.septembercfawkes.com/2022/05/strengthening-story-with-symbolism.html

Biscontini, Tyler. “Imagery, Motifs, Symbolism.” EBSCO Research Starters:

Literature & Writing , 2024,

www.ebsco.com/research-starters/literature-and-writing/imagery-motifs-symbolism.

When exploring a writing style, a writer would begin by considering common styles

such as narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive. Elements like purpose, audience, and

the context will also contribute to one’s particular writing style. Once one has established such

components, they can begin experimenting with word choice, sentence structure, tone and voice. All of these have great effects on style and considering them will help you as a writer play around with what you enjoy the most in your craft.

As every writer uses words in different ways, word choice can be a defining factor to one’s unique writing style. In Sean Glatch’s article, “The Importance of Word Choice in Writing,” he states that there are a few main elements that go into word choice: meaning, specificity, and audience. There are two types of meaning, denotative or connotative, that should be considered during craft. For example, if one were to write, “the marshmallow puffs coated the sheep’s brittle skin,” one may observe that the word choice denotes that the sheep’s coat is made of marshmallows, but it connotes that the sheep’s coat is fluffy, white, and soft. Another factor to keep in mind when playing with word choice is specificity. It is very easy to pull up a thesaurus to avoid repetition, but what a lot of writers do not consider is if the word they choose is correct regarding the sentence’s meaning and description (Glatch). For example, if one is trying to describe that a woman’s heart is broken, they would not refer to her heart as a “cardiac organ,” and they would want to consider the way they describe the “breaking” of the heart. Would her heart be shattered or would it be severed? Both choices are synonyms that could replace the word “broken,” but the decision lies between the specific scenario in which the scene takes place. If the woman is exhibiting heartbreak, “shattered” might make more sense given the context, as “severed” might give readers the impression that the woman has literally been stabbed in the heart. Finally, audience is a major factor to consider with diction. It would be normal to use words like, “dope” or “sick” in a young adult piece, but it would be unusual to see such words in a classy/professional piece.

Sentence structure also has a profound effect on writing style. The article “Effective Writing Practices Tutorial: Sentence Structure” from Northern Illinois University argues that if every sentence follows the same “subject-verb-object” form, the result is mechanical prose. Variation in sentence types, openings, and length keeps readers engaged. By mixing simple, compound, and complex sentences, a writer can control the flow of narrative so that rhythms feel smooth, ideas resonate, and pacing matches the story. Next, varying sentence openings, for instance, beginning with adverb modifiers, dependent clauses, or infinitive phrases, allows for subtle shifts in emphasis. Finally, alternating short and long sentences helps regulate rhythm: short sentences can make the reader pause and focus their attention on a particular idea, while longer ones build detail, reflection, or tension. Sentences that are all the same length feel boring and uninspiring, but variation brings the story on the page to life.

Tone and voice are closely related, contributing to a writer's unique style. When considering voice, it's essential to reflect on the assignment and the persona the writer adopts, which helps the reader feel guided and purposeful. According to Writer's Digest, a teacher wouldn't use hip-hop slang in a history lecture about the 1800s ("Tips"). When it comes to tone, aim to align your voice with your intended audience while remaining authentic to your style. It's important to adapt your tone based on the topic to communicate effectively. Writer's Digest also states that if you typically have a light, breezy, chatty tone, you should adopt a more subdued approach when writing an article on a serious topic like cancer ("Tips"). Lastly, avoid adopting a tone that doesn't resonate with your true self.

In conclusion, elements of style such as word choice, sentence structure, tone and voice

are choices made by the writer to effectively articulate their ideas.

Works Cited

“Effective Writing Practices Tutorial: Sentence Structure.” Northern Illinois University,

www.niu.edu/writing-tutorial/style/sentence-structure.shtml. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.

Glatch, Sean. “The Importance of Word Choice in Writing.” Writers.Com, 1 July 2025,

writers.com/word-choice-in-writing. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.

“Tips for Finding Your Own Writing Style.” Writer’s Digest, 11 Mar. 2008,

www.writersdigest.com/improve-my-writing/tips-for-finding-your-own-writing-style.

Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.

When it comes to writing a story, one of the aspects that people tend to struggle with the most is writing endings. There are a variety of reasons why people tend to struggle when writing endings. Some of these reasons include that the writer does not know how to wrap up storylines, they are worried that they will write an ending that people will hate, or they just do not know how to end their story. Luckily, there are a variety of different tips and tricks that could be helpful when it comes to writing a good ending to a story.

Types of Endings

Before you begin writing your ending, it is important to understand the various types of endings that are possible. There are six main types of endings: closed/resolved endings, open/unresolved endings, ambiguous endings, surprise/twist endings, closed circle endings, and expanded endings. Closed/resolved endings are endings where all the loose ends in the plot and subplots are tied up or finalized. Opposite of that are open/unresolved endings that typically end in cliffhangers and have loose ends. An ambiguous ending typically is very vague and leaves the end open to interpretation, while a surprise/twist ending contains something that the readers would not expect to happen.The fifth type of ending is a closed circle ending, which takes the events at the end of the story and ties them to the beginning of the story. This often means revisiting the opening scene. Finally, the sixth main type of ending is the expanded ending, which often contains an epilogue that takes place after the story ends and gives the reader a glimpse into the future of the characters. 

Once you understand the various types of story endings, you can use that knowledge to begin writing your ending. To help with writing an ending, there are different tips and tricks to help you accomplish the ending that you are hoping for. Consider the nine specific tips below, which you can try to give your story a more fulfilling ending.

Plan Out Your Ending

The first writing tip that you can try is to start writing your story with the knowledge of how you want it to end. When using this method, it could be helpful to have an outline of your story to help plan out how you want the events of your story to lead to the desired outcome. The entire time you are writing your story, it is also important to remember where you want your story to end, so that you aren’t struggling to tie your ending into the rest of the story.

Don’t Rush

The second tip when it comes to writing endings is to not rush your ending. You don’t want to rush through writing the end of your story because it can cause you to write an unfulfilling or anti-climactic ending. It could be helpful to step away from your story and give yourself some time to think about where you want your story to go and what you want to happen, and it could even be helpful to jot down ideas and circle back to them later with a clear head.

Make Your Character Development Matter

Third, when writing the end of the story, you should make sure that everything the main character goes through and learns is for a reason. The main character should perform some sort of action that leads to the end, not just some miraculous solution that solves all of their problems.

Imagery and Language

The fourth tip is to consider the imagery and language that you use. Language and imagery are very powerful things that when used correctly can help bring your story to life. You should use imagery and language throughout the entirety of the story to slightly hint at the outcome of the story without spoiling the ending. This helps add more depth to your story and can even add to the perspective of the characters and what they are going through.

Circle Back to the Beginning   

Fifth, when writing your ending, circle back to the beginning. As you are trying to figure out your ending, reread the beginning of the story to try and make sure that the feel of the story is cohesive. Rereading the beginning of the story can also help you remember what inspired the story in the first place and remind you of your initial vision.

Experiment with Different Endings

Sixth, it could be helpful to experiment with different endings. If you are struggling with how to end your story, write down a variety of different possible endings, and then you can go back and see which ending would connect the best with your story.

Timeline and Story Structure

Seventh, consider the timeline and structure of your story. Make sure that your story has an understandable timeline that is easy to keep track of. At the end of your story, it can be good to consider using a flash forward. This flash forward can help give good insight into the lives of the characters and how the events of the story have shaped them as people.

Revise

Eighth, you should continuously revise your work. When writing a story, every word that you use matters, so you want to read through your story and make sure that everything written depicts what you want it to. If what you have written doesn’t correctly depict the ending how you want it to, then you can continuously revise and rewrite the ending until you are happy with where it ends.

Final Considerations

Another thing that you should take into consideration when writing the ending of your story is the emotional impact that you want your story to have on its readers. You want the end of your story to match the tone of the rest of your story, and the emotional levels of story endings effect the outcome of the story. A sweet ending ends with the characters all getting what they want and need, while in a semi-sweet ending, the characters only get what they need but not what the want. In a bittersweet ending the characters get only what they want but not what they need, and in a bitter ending, the characters get neither. It is important to remember that your endings don’t always have to be neat and happy, just like real life nothing is perfect.
 

Works Cited

Cohen, Garnett K. "7 Tips for Writing Effective Endings to Short Stories." Writer's Digest, 1 Nov. 2023, https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/7-tips-for-writing-               effective-endings-to-short-stories.

Daeus. "8 Ways to Write a Perfect Ending." Kingdom Pen, https://kingdompen.org/8-     ways-to-write-a-perfect-ending/.  

Jenkins, Jerry B. "How to End a Story: 3  Secrets to Writing a Captivating Ending." Jerry Jenkins | Proven Writing Tips, 26 Jan. 2025, https://jerryjenkins.com/how-to-end-a-          story/.

Weiland, K.M. "Troubleshooting Your Story's Ending." Helping Writers Become Authors, 20 May 2024, https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/troubleshooting-your-         storys-ending/.

Reviewing Submissions

This year, we read almost 200 submissions from students of CSU Pueblo and PCC and accepted 82 of those submissions for the journal (We thank everyone for taking that jump of sharing their unique realities and personal journeys with us.). This was my greatest memory, to see how different people approached similar stories or themes and picked their brains apart in the process. It was a blast to see the prologue to no doubt great writers months or years down the line, even in the stories we unfortunately did not accept or couldn’t accept due to Tempered Steel submission requirements.

A fair number of submissions stalemated the editorial department, submissions we were simply unsure of or submissions that a few editors batted the hell out of for: some even prevailing! These trials always varied for me, as it’s never fun to be outvoted or feel drowned out on works you believe are worthy of Tempered Steel that others just don’t understand. But I recall these moments making the room become more alive and, in a way, forcing my peers to act human: to express how they think when reviewing work and why they approve certain pieces instead of me being in a room of checkmarks and X’s. I appreciated how these interactions made the editors honest and, by proxy, Tempered Steel honest.

End Product

Three months of hard work, deliberating on a couple hundred submissions from all genres with the hidden irrational fear of “Will we succeed in time? Will it be enough?” all became worth it after seeing a mock product of issue 34 of Tempered Steel and to feel that tangible success in your hands. It’s incredible to see it physically for all to consume knowing that you had a hand in its creation.

There’s a reason executioners wear masks. The need for anonymity in the carrying out of a terrible act is obvious. But this need applies to small-scale acts as well, a lesson that became quite clear to the editorial staff of Tempered Steel once we finished reading all of this year's submissions and began the process of sending out rejection letters. Suddenly, the weight of our responsibility was keenly felt, and no one wanted the consequences of our collective choices to fall solely on any one person’s head. Better to wear the mask of collective anonymity as we loaded the muskets of rejection:

While we appreciate the effort - pow!

Just not a good fit - boom!

Try again next year - blammo!

In our attempts to craft the perfect rejection letter, we quickly realized that even the lightest of slaps is still a slap, which is not the way we wanted people to feel after having the cojones or ovarios to submit in the first place. In this way, the delicate balance of language and thought that writing always consists of felt especially fraught. What words could we choose to soften the axe blow lopping off the head of people’s ambition?

The answer was, of course, that there are no magic words that will appeal to everyone, universally.  For us to worry so much about a problem that was inherently unsolvable was folly to begin with. No matter how delicate, how sensitive we tried to be, we realized that someone, somewhere, was going to feel crushed. No matter what. We came to this realization throughout the semester as we shared our own rejection stories, how we all had fallen victim to picking apart even the gentlest of rejections, searching for any crumb of insincerity to hang our disappointment and hurt on.

Though we obviously could relate, it doesn’t set aside that, in this case, we were the ones doing the rejecting this time around. I know we didn’t achieve the perfectly neutral and uplifting rejection letter we aimed for. I know this. But it’s my hope, a hope shared with all my fellow editors, that those who received our rejections take to heart the words we saw fit to include with absolute sincerity. Keep trying, submit again next year, do not give up. Because you never know when the next response you receive will start with, congratulations instead of, put on the blindfold.

I was drawn to Magazine Editing and Publishing because I was curious about what I could learn to prepare for the future. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but once I was in the thick of it, I learned about the complexities of publishing through organizing the 2025 edition of Tempered Steel, but the most important thing I learned is that teamwork makes the dream work.

The process of publishing a literary journal is a communal effort. My colleagues and I spent several months working hard to bring Tempered Steel into the hands of its readers. We divided and conquered to review all 199 submissions, which were then divided into a list of acceptances and rejections. It was then our duty to read through each accepted submission and find a home for it among the others. The accepted literary and art pieces were printed on paper, closely examined, and divided into folders based on format (flash fiction, art, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, etc.) The theme and message behind each piece were considered as we laid out the prints in the best order. We did this to ensure each piece was a perfect segue into the next. While the optics were sometimes chaotic, the organization team found joy in working alongside each other. Everyone left the experience with a newfound appreciation for community and teamwork!

While putting together a literary journal can be challenging, seeing the finished product serves as a reminder of why it’s worth it, along with the memories and friendships formed along the way!

Open your mouth. Go ahead, open it. You’re alone. Look over your shoulder if you need to reassure yourself. See, no one here.

Take your fingers off your keyboard or lay your pen down if you’re that type. Slide your hands into your lap. Trap them between your thighs. Hold them there. Resist those urges. Open your mouth.  

Are you nervous? That’s alright. Everyone is the first time they try it.

Open your mouth. Open your mouth and read your writing out loud. Start at the beginning. Take it slow. See if you can make the words stroll. See if you can make them strut. You have got to open your mouth and read your writing out loud.

Push that lyrical verse down the sidewalk in heels. Did it trip? Did it stumble? Did it get a stiletto caught in the storm drain? Grab that thesaurus. Finger carefully through the pages. Find another word. Something taller. Something slinkier. Something that rolls off the tongue, hips swinging on to somewhere new taking you along with it. You won’t know unless you open your mouth and read your writing out loud.

Does your descriptive metaphor hit below the belt? Light a cigarette with a match laid on the concrete? Pick a fight with a stranger? Or does it slump over exhausted against a stop sign, its backbone a limp line of cliche? Is it on its back, eyes blank, dead against a curb? You won’t know, useless you open your mouth and read your writing out loud.

You’re alone. Go ahead. Look over your shoulder if that makes you feel more at ease. No one is watching you. No one can see. But rest assured that your writing will tell on you if you don’t read your work out loud. If you don’t open your mouth… everyone will know.

There is a recent sentiment that “originality is dead” and that “everything has already been done before.” I believe we can lean into this, to the point that the end result is unique. If you’re ever stuck while creating something new, you can take pieces from your inspirations and Frankenstein them together, creating an amalgam that takes on a life and name of its own.

For example with my piece “Dullahan’s Ride,” published in the 2025 Edition of our Tempered Steel magazine, I took inspiration from the various myths of the Dullahan (Headless Horseman) in Irish mythology, Irish history for the setting, the classic trope of a character obsessed with avoiding death, and the trope of the higher class abusing their use of power for personal ends. Each of those things individually are not original, but when you combine each together, the results are  new and hopefully interesting.

Another aspect to focus on is adding a unique twist to something unoriginal. For example, author Brandon Sanderson made a high fantasy world with all the usual aspects, but instead of the typical “chosen-one-must-fight-the-dark lord-premise,” he asked, “What if the dark lord won, the chosen one had failed, and someone else needed to pick up the pieces?” Now readers are left with an interesting world or a premise seldom seen. Combine these with a unique hard magic system and strong characters and we get the best-seller Mistborn that stands above the rest.

So we should take advantage of the old stories and use them to breathe life into new work. The footsteps of giants cannot be filled, but we can add our own to their path. We should not lament when faced with the common struggle of the author to will something new into the world, for there is endless inspiration to draw from because of those giants of old.

Remember in middle school, maybe even elementary school, when we were taught about Freytag’s Pyramid with the man climbing the mountain and coming back down? Simple, easy, traditional, but universal? Nope, sorry to tell you but that English teacher lied to you (most likely not maliciously).

Let’s go into a few different story structures, shall we? Orson Scott Card, a science fiction writer, helps explain four structures that are prevalent in novels:

• The Milieu Story

  • Start when your character arrives and end when they leave (or stay, it’s your story)

  • Milieu: the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops: environment ("Milieu")

  • Think of Gulliver’s Travels and Wizard of Oz

• The Idea Story

  • Begin as close as possible to the question and end once the question has been answered

  • The process of seeking and discovering new information

  • Mystery novels; speculative fiction

• The Character Story

  • It begins when the character becomes so unhappy, impatient, or angry in their present role they change it; it ends with either change or not

  • Focuses on the transformation of a character’s role in the communities that matter most to them, centers on the character’s character

  • To Kill a Mockingbird

• The Event Story

  • The story starts when the main character is involved with the struggle and ends when the new order is established, the old order restored, or chaos ensues

  • Something is wrong with the fabric of the universe; the world is out of order

  • The Lord of the Rings, Beowulf, and Dune

As you can see, there are a lot of different structures; a simple google image search will show you a multitude of different ones: Freytag’s Pyramid, Save the Cat, the Snowflake Method, Overcoming the Monster, and so on and so forth. Bottom line, there’s a lot. Looking at feminist literary critics, like poet Eloise Klein Healy, the traditional rising action to climax to falling action “sounds suspiciously like male sexual response. Which is not, she notes, the only way to satisfy a reader” (Carpenter).

You are the author, meaning you have the power to do whatever you would like. The important thing to note is that traditional structures work; they are tried and true, but they can also be boring. Be creative, try something different, or make something new. It may not work, or it might be sensational; nobody will know unless you write it.

Works Cited

Card, Orson Scott. “The 4 story structures that dominate novels.” Writer’s Digest, 24 Aug. 2010, www.Writersdigest.com/improve-my-writing/4-story-structures-that-dominate-novels. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Carpenter, Courtney. “Questioning the traditional story structure.” Writer’s Digest, 4 Oct. 2012, www.Writersdigest.com/improve-my-writing/questioning-the-traditional-story-structure. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.

Jauss, David. Words Overflown by Stars: Creative Writing Instruction and Insight from the Vermont College of Fine Arts M.F.A. Program. Writers Digest Books, 2009.

“Milieu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/milieu. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

So, you want to submit your work for publication?

Well then, I’m proud of you.

Seriously, whether this is a passion of yours honed over the years or something new that you decided to dip your toe into, you’ve now joined the hallowed halls of critical thinking and flourishing imagination that is literature.

But before I wax too poetic, I would like to offer you this simple list of five tactics every new submitter needs to hone as they send pieces off for publication consideration.

Now, let us get straight to the point.

1. When submitting a pack of poetry (or anything with multiple pieces), don’t do what I did and name it “6 Poem Packet.” About twenty other people will have the same idea, and it makes processing submissions difficult. On top of that, your collection should have a strong name that draws in the editors. X amount of X thing as a name is kinda boring, dontcha think?

2. NEVER include your name on the actual document of the piece you submit, unless the submission guidelines ask you to. It is imperative that editors remain impartial and dropping names on documents can sometimes be an immediate disqualification.

3. If you wrote a longer piece, consider including the word count on the document toward the top. Some editors don’t have stamina to read long pieces after processing handfuls of other submissions for the day. There’s nothing worse than hitting that point, reading another long piece, then finding out it was over the word count. Also, though I personally consider this next point unethical, I’ve seen editors who use “feeling” to decide your piece is too long - adding the word count can combat that apathy.

4. Train yourself to realize repeated rejection often means your piece either needs work or a new audience. Like any other industry, writers and their writings are legion. That tower will inevitably need to be filtered into lenses – find the one where yours fits by submitting with regularity and diversity. (Just do me a favor and make sure you read the directions on a call for submissions – don’t be that person who sends a horror piece into a sunny lit magazine).

5. Most importantly – read your work out loud and check for mistakes at least twice before submitting (don’t groan either; you can do it). It’s a great technique for making sure your own voice is present. Tone and flow are always paramount in good writing and editors will read inconsistencies in them about a half a second before giving your piece a mercy killing. No one wants this. And I assure you, if you have established good tone in a piece, your message will eventually find the right audience.

Now go get to work and good luck.