Annabelle Cleans House - an exercise in writing brevity

Having worked a stint as acquisitions editor for a literary magazine, and then running an independent book publishing house, I am always firm about one piece of advice when asked: "No, it's not a good idea to go over the word count in submission guidelines."

There are many good reasons for word counts, both minimum and maximum, and the first that comes to mind doesn't even stem from the two jobs I mentioned, it comes from years and years of desktop publishing of newsletters for my non-profit clients. When there is a space to be filled, it will more often be filled with good writing that meets the word count, than with outstanding writing that is either too long or too short for the space. It's that simple. No matter how good your writing is. Period.

I recently place a series of very (VERY) short memory/essays with Dead Housekeeping. It's a quirky little online collection of stories that reflect on the way loved ones completed domestic chores or other rituals - sort of an homage to both the people and the times that have passed. The guidelines for these memories ask for 250 word maximum. That is one double spaced page using 12 pt. font. ONE!

If you want to exercise your editing muscles, try writing a few. Then send them off to the site. Here is the link to the about page, with details for submitting. http://www.deadhousekeeping.com/about/
It's all done by a small staff, a labor of love, so if you don't hear anything after a few weeks, don't be afraid to follow up. They were absolutely gracious when I did.

I hope you enjoy reading my memories of Saturday morning chores in my house growing up. If you do, leave a comment at the Dead Housekeeping site.

Judith Liebaert

http://www.deadhousekeeping.com/entries/2017/3/15/annabelle-cleans-house-part-1-bed-bath-hallway

P.S. Remember that old adage about every rule having an exception? Don't be afraid to break the rules sometimes. I had so much fun writing the first one, meeting the challenge of honing my memories onto one page, that I had to write a few more. I then proposed something I hadn't seen on the sight, a three-part series. The publishers agreed, but if they hadn't, each one of the three parts could stand as a single piece.