Submissions are closed for Conte 7.2; thanks and thanks again to all who sent us their writing.  We’ll be wrapping up our deliberations shortly, so if you haven’t heard from us yet, you will in the near future.  The issue will go up on January 20. 

So one of the things we really like is to publish good work from novice or first-time writers.  It always astounds me to see who in this world has the urge to put pen to paper (an archaic way of saying load Word);  I firmly believe that the field of writing belongs to those who actually enjoy doing it, and people who are just starting to communicate by storytelling frequently do so with a gusto whose value should probably not be underestimated.

Of course, we’re editors, so we have to insinuate ourselves somehow, and like all victims of the internet generation we feel like we can boss newbies around, so we often make suggestions when submissions don’t quite pass our muster.  It fascinates me to have the ability to look inside how someone else puts together a story; for writers, deconstructing somebody else’s process is incredibly valuable, because it’s always way easier to find fault with someone else than with yourself.  Therefore, we wondered if maybe some public workshop-type dealy might not be worthwhile.  I’ve heard the complaint many times that by and large, a submission is either in or out in this world, without a lot of commentary in either circumstance, and that’s kind of crummy.

If you’re a new writer who is running into a block, if you’ve got a piece that is just not coming together, or you’re not sure if it’s coming together or not, or if you just want us to bloviate on the topic of your work for some reason, we’re placing an open call for anyone who’d like to submit an unfinished piece and have us give you our thoughts, as editors, on what, if anything, would keep us from running with it.  We do our best, and take it pretty seriously (we look ridiculous taking anything seriously, but we can’t help it) that we should try to thoughtfully respond to as many submissions as possible, but  speaking only for myself of course, I’m not all that insightful a fellow and sometimes just don’t have anything interesting to say.  A one-to-many approach is just going to be more effective.

Anyone who’d like us to workshop a poem or story, fiction or nonfiction, summon your courage and visit our Submittable page, using the Workshop category when submitting.  Ask any questions by emailing workshop@conteonline.net  Thanks for participating!