Writers' tools: Duotrope

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you might've noticed that on most Mondays I post 3-4 calls for submissions, usually themed calls with upcoming deadlines. Where do I find these calls? Duotrope.

What is Duotrope?
Duotrope is a database that helps writers find markets (e.g. journals, magazines, publishers) that accept unsolicited submissions (meaning you don't have to be agented or personally invited to submit). The database interface lets you search by a number of different factors, including word/line count, genre and whether or not it's a paying market.

You can also build your own little database within their system of your own pieces of writing, which you use not only to list what you've written and want to submit but also to track where you've submitted which pieces, how long it takes for markets to get back to you, which pieces have been accepted/rejected, and your acceptance rate.

In addition, subscribers can elect to receive email announcements about new markets, markets that have reopened, those that have been declared defunct, and upcoming themed deadlines in the genre(s) in which they write.

Why I like it
Before someone told me about Duotrope, I spent hours searching for literary magazines and journals via Google search. The ones I found weren't guaranteed to be open to unsolicited submissions, much less be paying markets geared toward what I write. Not only do I come across a ton of markets I probably would never know about if not for Duotrope, but their search features mean I can narrow it down to what's relevant to me.

ROW80 2014, Round 1, Week 10

In my writing life this week I have not been as disciplined as I'd like (par for the course, really). Come scheduled writing time, I've found myself seeking distraction: taking my turn in Letterpress games; studying German on Duolingo (similar to Rosetta Stone but entirely free); researching short hairstyles for my upcoming haircut; researching self-guided walking tours in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland for next year's trip with Mom; reading ebooks; getting caught up in the social media loop; blogging instead of doing my creative writing; etc., etc. Anything, really, to avoid the writing I told myself I'd do.

And yet, a couple of nights ago, after an entire day of distracting myself, as soon as I put down my e-reader, I had a revelation for the novel I've been working on. Like, a really good revelation. An important one not only about characters but also about the key to resolving the main external conflict.

Then last night, as soon as I shut off the light and lay down, a new story idea came to me. A short story (or potentially a novelette) for the pseudonym, which almost never happens. Having just recently written about the negative consequences of assuming I'll remember later, I turned the light back on and wrote the idea down immediately. So glad I did, too.

So what is the moral here?