Finding the Write Market

By Eleanor Tylbor

As writers we owe it to ourselves to explore the various aspects of the craft, beyond what is normally expected. As a moderator of two humor forums writers have frequently bemoaned the lack of humor publications available, in which to submit their work. The limited number of submission opportunities means that the field is more competitive in order to get your work in print. Being a humor writer has compelled me to find alternative and more creative methods to market my work.

One of the best pieces of advice for both neophyte and seasoned writers is write what you know. To take this a step further, write about subjects that mean a lot to you and those you want to share with others. For example, it never occurred to me as a seasoned but horticulturally-challenged gardener with a less than an average success rate, that ordinary people would be interested in my failures…experiences. As is the case with many of the good things in life, a chance discovery of a writer-friendly gardening site was the impetus for submitting my first piece focusing on what it's like to be a gardening klutz. People related to my angst and this was the beginning of a happy and fruitful relationship with ICanGarden.com that has lasted for five years now.

If writing dialogue comes easy to you then playwriting is definitely something worth pursuing, in addition to being an excellent means for fiction writers to practice and strengthen writing dialogue. Recently the phrase "neophyte playwright" was added to my list of accomplishments and seeing those words in print never ceases to produce a smile on my lips. Hopefully, at some point in the future it will also do the same thing for a theatre audience.

Some time ago while conducting research for a public access TV program, I had the opportunity of a guided backstage tour of the musical, Les Miserables. Every detail into the production of the show was explained but at one point while standing in the middle of the empty stage, and gazing out at the empty audience seats, something stirred deep in my soul. It was a sensation that for me can best be described as the feeling of exultation a mother experiences, upon seeing her newly born child for the first time. Or to put it another way the type of light-headedness one experiences drinking champagne on an empty stomach. That's the effect it had on me, anyway. It took me more than a year to complete my first two-act play, "A Wedding", with the help of playwriting professor/author, Louis E. Catron's book, "The Elements of Playwriting". My play, which is humorous, focuses on the trials and tribulations of a young couple that want a small intimate affair versus their mothers' who want a big "pull- out-all-the-stops" spectacle. Since then I've written another two-act play in addition to two one-act plays and some ten-minute "short-shorts."

All of this has been a learning experience and an eye opener for me, upon the realization that there are markets "out there" for humor output, if writers are willing to do a little self-analysis and focus on their strengths. My gardening humor started out as a means of self-deprecation of my prowess at getting things to grow – and live. My gift for playwriting surfaced while adding blocks of dialogue to a short fiction piece that later became my favorite story, ever.

Had I not explored other options than the usual submission process to humor magazines, I might never have discovered these extra gifts. Injecting humorous touches to what would otherwise be a mundane or straightforward piece can make the difference between reading the article through to the end. That's what an editor wants – and so do you.

Eleanor Tylbor is a freelance writer/columnist and humorist.