Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.

– William Faulkner

Sometimes all you need is a little inspiration to jumpstart your creativity. We understand, so here’s the deal: every couple of weeks we will highlight a literary magazine and an academic journal for you to explore. We will also feature a website that delves into all the various facets of the writing process. We hope these resources get you excited and inspired to write!

 

Academic Journals

Wouldn’t it be great to have your American Literature research paper which analyzes the symbolism in Faulkner’s Light in August published in an academic journal? How would it feel to have that in-depth examination of trade relationships at the peak of the Byzantine Empire you wrote for your World History class reach a larger audience than your professors and classmates? Imagine the sense of satisfaction that would come with being published in a reputable journal before you finish college. Have you always thought this kind of achievement is reserved for students at the graduate level? It’s not, and that’s good news for all of us who write academically as undergraduates. There are several excellent academic journals currently actively publishing scholarly works by undergraduate writers. The editors of Hedge Apple magazine are featuring one of these journal in a monthly series designed to inspire undergraduate writers to have their work published.

Inquiries Journal
By Michael Tucker

First up in our series is Inquiries Journal. The online academic journal, which has a readership of 3.1 million, emphasizes works in the Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities. Here’s the lowdown: all works submitted to Inquiries are peer-reviewed by a team of students and evaluated for content, style, grammar, and meticulousness of sources. While the journal accepts works by both undergraduate and graduate students, most of the pieces published (63%) in Inquiries are from undergraduate students. Submissions (with the exception of opinion pieces) must have citations to be considered. The journal’s preferred style format is APA, but all major formats will be considered. Most submissions published are between 2,500 to 7,500 words. Your essay should be at least 1,500 words to be considered, and submissions are accepted all year long.

Inquiries highlights works that cover a fascinating range of topics. Current titles featured on the online journal include everything from “Jazz Is My Story:” A Historical Analysis of Jazz and 20th Century African-American Literature” to “Opposites Attract? An Evaluation of Foreign Policy Impediments in Sino-Vatican Relations” and from “Domestic Violence and the Indian Women’s Movement: A Short History” and “Benefits of Interactive Music Therapy on Children with Autism.” The tone of the journal’s submissions page is professional with an approachable, unintimidating feel.

Perhaps, it is best to let Inquiries’ mission speak for itself:

“Our goal is to provide a credible and accessible venue for the dissemination of the best s student scholarship into the public, professional, and academic discourse. Although students regularly conduct in-depth research and undoubtedly possess unique insights, few venues exist to facilitate engagement with these ideas outside the classroom. We believe that an intellectually engaged society depends on an efficient marketplace of ideas. Thus, Inquiries Journal offers students a unique opportunity to share work of an academic and intellectual character with a broad audience both within and outside academia.”

Why not share your hard work and scholarship with the academic world at large? Send that A research project you worked so diligently on out into the light and allow your essay to become a part of the conversation.

Check out Inquiries Journal at: http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/

Literary Magazines

Found Polaroids
By Michael Tucker

Calling all creative writers! Are you searching for a little offbeat inspiration for a flash fiction project? Look no farther than Found Polaroids, an online literary repository which publishes extremely short, yet powerful and evocative, short stories on its website and across social media platforms; the best of these stories will also be published in print in an upcoming book. Here’s Found Polaroids’ unique twist: the website features a gallery of found, mostly vintage polaroid photographs. You, dear writer, are invited to choose one and write a very short (250-350 words), yet powerful and emotionally resonant, piece of fiction based on the person in the photograph.

In the words of this unique project’s curator, “The concept behind the project is to breathe new life into these long-forgotten images by asking creative minds to write stories about them. Eerily distant yet warmly familiar, the stories, and the Polaroids that inspired them, have a way of not only transporting us to a different time but also into the intimate lives of complete strangers. By exploring a colourful range of narratives and emotions, these images allow us to glimpse into a fictional, but paradoxically universal, a reality that can only be found through storytelling.”

And if that’s not intriguing enough for you as it stands, you even have the option to build on one of the pieces previously published about an image. Of course, you can write an entirely original, divergent tale as well. The site is super user-friendly, and the polaroids (and their corresponding stories) are worth a look. And yes, each polaroid is worth at least a thousand words; your challenge is to bring them to life in just 250-350 words.

Are you up for it?

Check out the coolness, and submit your story at: http://www.foundpolaroids.com/

Resources for Writers

Helping Writers Become Authors
By Johanna Bulley

Maybe you’re writing a novel. Maybe you’re thinking about writing one. Maybe the idea doesn’t appeal to you, but that’s perfectly alright because even if it never does “Helping Writers Become Authors” is a great resource for all writers! Engaging and approachable, the website focuses on developing and refining your novel. But, with topics that range from outlining and structuring scenes to developing characters to everything in between this site isn’t just for the novelist. In the words of the author, K.M. Weiland, the “goal in running Helping Writers Become Authors and the awesomesauce community of Wordplayers that has grown up around it is to show you how to write your best story–change your life–and astound the world”.

So, if you ever get bogged down in a tough spot or want to give your fingers a break and read up on how to hone your writing skills then definitely check out this site at: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/