I’ve got this story that I’ve written, and I think it’s kind of good. Anyone out there have any ideas/suggestions for what steps one would take to get something published (not long enough for its own book, we’re talking magazines here, or anthologies)? Names of magazines or publishers would be helpful. Also, do I just send the copy right away, or do I write a letter of intent or something like that first? I’m clueless here, so fill me in.
It does depend on the type of story – science fiction, mystery, fantasy, general fiction, literary. You need to find markets that publish that sort of story and send it to them (send the entire story, with a short cover letter that gives a brief introduction) (note the words “short” and “brief” – don’t try to summarize the story.)
There’s a lot of good advice at http://www.sfwa.org/writing/
You can find lists of markets online at http://www.sfwa.org/links/market.htm (though this is weighted toward science fiction/fantasy).
The answer to darn near all of your questions can be found at The Writers’ Digest offical website.
If you click on the “Writer’s Guidelines” section, you’ll be taken to a page that has a link to their online listing of markets. It’s not free, though. At that same page, though, you’ll be able to access guidelines established by the different magazines and publishers. A blanket general answer to your question about submitting something is a little difficult to do. Magazines often have slightly different rules for how submissions are handled, so it is always wise to check out how that particular magazine prefers to deal with submissions before sending anything.
There are books available at your local library or bookstore where you can look. The Writer’s Market is a fairly comprehensive book, but there are other market guidebooks available for more specialized genres, such as poetry and children’s fiction.
Typing in “creative writing” as a search term at Yahoo! will get you these results, and the links found there are quite useful. Writers Write and Marion Zimmer Bradley’s advice to new writers are among my personal favorites to recommend to beginning writers.
There’s a book that’s published yearly called “Writer’s Guide” that has contact info for agents, publishers, etc. It also discusses the genre and submission requirements for different periodicals. Any good library should have a copy you can peruse.
By the way, pay particular attention to the articles on manuscript preparation at the SFWA link that RealityChuck mentioned earlier. I have read in more than one place that if an editor receives a manuscript that is in an unorthodox format (including handwritten), it will almost always be immediately thrown in the trash or returned to the sender. Editors have to read so many manuscripts that they simply don’t have the time or the energy to have to slog through a manuscript typed in all italics or in a fancy font.
12-point Courier, double-spaced lines, one-inch margins all around the text, page numbers in the upper right hand corner of each page (except the title page). I’ve heard that if you are a new or beginning writer, you would deviate from this recommended manuscript format at your own risk.
By the way, pay particular attention to the articles on manuscript preparation at the SFWA link that RealityChuck mentioned earlier. I have read in more than one place that if an editor receives a manuscript that is in an unorthodox format (including handwritten), it will almost always be immediately thrown in the trash or returned to the sender. Editors have to read so many manuscripts that they simply don’t have the time or the energy to have to slog through a manuscript typed in all italics or in a fancy font.
12-point Courier, double-spaced lines, one-inch margins all around the text, page numbers in the upper right hand corner of each page (except the title page). I’ve heard that if you are a new or beginning writer, you would deviate from this recommended manuscript format at your own risk.
Oops. I guess I didn’t hit the stop button fast enough the first time.
Sorry about that. :o
It can be said twice. The article on format by Chuck Rothman is especially good. 
I think I’ll move this to Cafe Society.
bibliophage
moderator GQ