Inside Write or Die's Editorial Process

Editor in Chief interviews the team on what’s to come in 2024

Jan 18, 2024

One of the best things about running Write or Die over the last five years has, hands down, been the people I’ve met. Connecting with authors during interviews, direct messages on social media, out-of-the-blue inquiries that morph into conversations about writing or the literary life.

Looking at Write or Die Magazine’s editorial team now, we all started this way. Shelby, our associate editor, DMed me on Instagram in 2019. She started regularly contributing to Write or Die, conducting interviews and writing features. We chatted about writing, of course, and she introduced me to a number of people in her circle who later supported WOD or worked with us in some way. Brittany cold-emailed me about teaching opportunities in 2022, back before we had a full-fledged workshop platform, and she was the first instructor to kick off a WOD workshop.

I met Tamar, our fiction editor, in a WOD novel writing group and the two of us bonded over being accountability partners.

Whenever I have any frustrations about the internet and technology (you know, those days when you wanna throw your phone across the room), I remember this. I would never have met these generous, kind-hearted, brilliant women without their willingness to make a connection out of nowhere.

As we welcome a new year, I thought it would be fun to ask the editorial staff of Write or Die Magazine some questions about the editor’s process and what we hope to publish this year. Here is a behind-the-scenes look: what's to come, how we manage submissions, and what makes us a kick-ass team (if I do say so myself).

Shelby and the Art of Deep Connections

When it comes to our editorial process for creative nonfiction, Shelby has a deep appreciation for essays that provide new learning experiences.

“I love getting to peek inside someone else’s brain and see how they make connections between things. It’s really exciting to read work from people who are experts at something I’m not. The best is when I get to read an essay that makes me feel like I’ve learned something new by the end (whether it’s about how Strongman Competitions relate to writing or what it’s like ghostwriting romance novels as a woman of color).”

Our magazine has a very collaborative approach to editing and Shelby has been pleasantly surprised by writers’ openness to rework their pieces.

“I’ve accepted essays and pitches that I was totally riveted by on a conceptual level, but that I thought could go deeper in some way,” she said. “ If I accept a piece, I don’t expect a writer to totally rework it, but I will share my questions, and let them interpret them how they want on the page. I am always nervous to suggest to a writer that they explore something more thoroughly in their work, especially because sometimes this means writing more about themselves and that can be a vulnerable thing to do, so when a writer is willing to take that on, I feel like I am getting to witness something special.”

At the start of 2024, we changed up our submission flow, which will make it easier for our submitters to get their work to us. We have also been able to offer more money to those we accept, thanks to the ridiculous amount of support we received last year from all of our readers! And because publish one essay a week, “we really get to spend time working with writers to get it to the point where they feel absolutely satisfied with what they’ve created,” said Shelby.

So, what does Shelby hope to see more of in 2024? She never really knows until you send it.

“The best essays we’ve accepted were essays I wouldn’t have imagined until they showed up in my email. I am drawn to work that is both personal and critical. I’m also really nosy, so I like getting an inside look into spaces and institutions that I’ve never been invited to. If someone is an insider or knows something really niche about writing/publishing/etc. I always want to read what they have to write.”

Breaking down our fiction submission process with Tamar and Suzanne

When Write or Die first opened for fiction submission in February of 2023 (before the Chill Subs merge), Tamar was the sole editor and only reader.

“It was exciting to read through so many incredible pieces,” Tamar said. Our first acceptance was “Like Saline and Sugar,” by Suzane Grove. “I knew I’d found something extra special. I was immersed in the character’s lives immediately. And Suzanne is so skilled when it comes to tension and making each sentence count.”

Our audience grew substantially when we reopened for fiction in October of 2023, post Chill Subs merge, so I knew Tamar would need help managing submissions. Of course, we never anticipated the amount we actually ended up receiving. Tamar and I were thrilled, to say the least.

And we were also so happy we had asked Suzanne if she was interested in coming aboard. “I knew I wanted her on my team and was delighted when she said yes,” said Tamar. “Suzanne is so gifted as an editor. It’s truly a joy to work with her and to have her in my corner as a writer friend as well.”

With a fiction team of two, Tamar and Suzanne have accepted three fiction pieces so far (read them here. The third will be posted at the end of the month!) We will reopen on February 1st and stay open until the beginning of April.

Before Tamar reads any of our submissions, Suzanne narrows her picks down to a bundle that Tamar reads through each month. Here is a little look into her process:

“One of my goals as a fiction editor is to usher new, diverse voices into the literary landscape. I always want to have the sense that no one else could tell this specific story in this specific way. That sense of individual voice and style shines through in the best pieces. Anything I pass along to Tamar possesses this quality. Then, I’m always seeking tension, even from line to line. I like to think of tension as the space between what your characters want and the achievement of those desires. Also: attention to detail and a unique way of seeing the world, sharp characterization, stakes, momentum.”

Tamar then makes her selection, sends out her acceptance email (yay!), and works with the writer to make any edits. She also sends the accepted writer an interview questionnaire which we post on the day of the fiction publication. Tamar’s questions poke at the creative process and unravel how our selected story came to be. Showcasing our writers, in all genres we publish, is so important to us as a magazine, and we hope our readers love these Fiction Spotlight interviews as much as we do.

As we prepare to reopen for fiction submissions very soon, I asked Tamar what she hoped to see coming in this year.

“I am looking for stories that surprise me in some way. I think writers do their best to tie up all loose ends in a story, but I don’t mind when there’s a bit of suspense and unanswered questions. I love stories that leave me wondering—ones with a deep emotional depth. I like endings that are open-ended enough to stay with me for a while. I’m also really interested in setting - when place plays a distinct part in the story. I love it when the setting breathes life into what’s happening on the page.”

Suzanne, on the other hand, has a thing for opening lines.

“That moment when I—not just as an editor, but as a reader—am transported into the world of the story. I truly believe we undergo a transformation when we read, and we’re never the same person by the time we finish,” she said. “I feel so full of anticipation when I open a new submission, waiting for an image, emotion, thought, or action to interrupt the status quo of my regular life. You can feel it, can’t you? When you cross that threshold. I believe the best openings combine a question or mystery, character, tension, and emotion. It’s like a puzzle. I love it.”

Rejection is also on our minds as editors. We get it. We have been there. We have received what feels like thousands of rejections, too. We don’t take sending out each “no” lightly.

“As a writer myself, I’m learning that rejection is just redirection,” said Tamar. “Every single time I read a story, my hope is to say “yes.” When I do say no, I do my best to encourage the writer. Rejections are hard, especially when you get so many of them for one piece. I truly believe that every story has a place. It’s not if. It’s when. When it lands in the right editor’s hands, it will be accepted. We as editors can tell when a piece has been revised and sharpened. We know how much of ourselves we pour into our work. We know. We know. So keep going. Keep submitting. Each rejection is just a redirection to another magazine. Soon, your piece will find its home.”

Brittany wants to reimagine the author's interview

As the latest edition to our team, Shelby and I were thrilled when Brittany accepted our invitation to help us work through Shelby’s author interview load. Interviews have been the longest-standing publication since Write or Die’s 2018 genesis —we’ve published over 250 of them—and we want our conversations to stand out and dive deep into the creative process. We don’t want to be robotic when it comes to the questions we are asking authors. Neither does Brittany.

“I love getting weird with other writers,” she said. “Like when I interviewed E.J. Koh, she was willing to talk about transcendental art and didn’t even bat an eyelash. I thrive on these refreshing conversations and I think that writers do too, as we all want to feel connected not only to the stories and memoirs we read, but to the people who are sitting at desks, just like us, writing them. People are always looking for more literary community, and I think that one way we can have more of this is to keep having more dimensional conversations about art.”

Brittany will be conducting monthly interviews with writers this year as well as dropping a new series we will be posting in our Write or Die newsletter. We will have more details soon, but this is what Brittany can share now:

“I’m super excited to recreate the 90’s vibe of interview style quickfire questions for some of the authors we’ll be featuring this year. More to come on this later, but once again, this is a departure from the traditional (and boring!) Q&A that’s been the norm for so long. We live in an age where writers are posting what they eat for breakfast just as much as they’re posting about writing, and I think readers are curious about an author’s real life in that they want to get to know the person behind the book.”

So, want to pitch us? Shelby has always emphasized her interest in featuring books by debut authors and/or books published by indie presses. Here is what Brittany is hoping to see from interview pitches in 2024:

“Truly anything except, “What was the inspiration behind the book?” No, but seriously, I want innovative interviews. I want questions that dive deeper than the traditional publication press we’ve all read over and over again. I don’t want to know what the best piece of writing advice someone ever received was. I want to know what an author puts on their hot dogs. I want to know what a “failed” day of writing looks like; what “success” looks like. I want personal, personality, the REAL stuff!”

As the creator of Write or Die Magazine, it makes me a little emotional when I think about this team—this group of amazing writers who donate their time to make this the best magazine we can. It's been a long journey, and there have been a lot of mistakes, fumbles, and wtf moments, but overall, we continue to grow. We continue to receive amazing work from diverse and talented writers. We continue to make connections.

With our 2024 plan on lock (well, as locked as it can be), we can’t wait to read your work and publish your words.

To close, here is a little advice from Suzanne for submitting to any of our open genres. Dont skip — it's good:

“Lean into your weirdness. Lean into your interests. Read and read and read to gain a sense of what you like and don’t like, but never feel like you have to follow certain rules or imitate anyone to get published. It’s the smallest details and differences that will truly make your work stand out.”

Happy New Year!