Six Questions for Sara Rajan, Editor-in-Chief, Literary Juice

Literary Juice is a bimonthly, online literary magazine that publishes fiction to 2500 words, flash fiction between 100 and 600 words, pulp fiction, and poetry.

(Ceased publication)

SQF: Why did you start this magazine?

SR: I founded Literary Juice as an outlet for writers of unconventional works of fiction and poetry. We publish both experienced and first-time authors. Many magazines prefer a writer to accrue credentials before his work is even considered; however, we accept everyone who shows potential! We love to publish works that you normally would not find in typical literary magazines.

SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?

SR: The first thing we look for in a submission is proper grammar. If there are too many grammar or spelling errors early on in the story, we will discard the work without reading it all the way through. If a writer cannot take the time to proofread his work, we do not want to waste our time trying to figure out what it is his story is trying to convey among all of the mistakes. If the story is well-written, however, the second thing we consider is the plot. Does it hold our attention from the very beginning? Do we experience any emotion when reading it? All of these things we keep in mind when reading the story. Finally, we want to make sure the story offers some sort of element of surprise, or that it comes full circle. Don't just write about a deer eating grass in a beautiful meadow, surprise us with a twist!

SQF: What common mistakes do you encounter that turn you off to a submission?

SR: As mentioned earlier, grammar mistakes are a huge, huge turn-off. I think writers really need to understand that most editors of any magazine WILL immediately reject works that are riddled with mistakes, no matter how brilliant the storyline. It is the job of the writer to make sure a story is written to perfection.

SQF: Do you provide comments when you reject a submission?

SR: Unfortunately, no.

SQF: Based on your experience as an editor, what have you learned about writing?

SR: I think Nathaniel Hawthorne summed it up best: "Easy reading is damn hard writing."

SQF: What one question on this topic do you wish I'd asked that I didn't? And how would you answer it?

N/A

Thank you, Sara. We all appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.

NEXT POST: 4/30--Six Questions for A.J. Huffman, Editor, Pound of Flash