Writing

“Try to recapture that childlike state, when you wrote just for the sake of it, without concern for whether anyone outside of yourself will like it, publish it, or favorably review it. Write down every little idea that comes to you, no matter how silly it may seem, even if you don’t know what you […]

Thank you for participating in our “Mama And” prompt series! We had wonderful submissions for our mischievous month in February. See our favorite contributions below! Our prompt for March is: Mama And Running Whether it’s flash fiction, micro-story, drabble, found or short poetry, or even art, each prompt will be an invitation to share a […]

“Read authors you enjoy and those that challenge you. Engage with a writing community, in person or virtually — classes, critique groups, local events, social media or coffee with a writer friend. This, more than anything, will help you hone your craft. Be adventurous with medium and form. If you usually write by longhand, compose […]

“Read. Read the voices of those you want to talk to. Read the conversations you want to be a part of. Read one new thing every day, or every week. I say it’s ok to skip the classics. Find your contemporaries. What can you add to this conversation, through your own experiences and talents? Go […]

We’re looking for several individuals to join our efforts in publishing literary writing about motherhood. Please note: These are volunteer positions. All work is conducted remotely, via internet. Strong communication skills are required. Send your resume and cover letter to lminfo (at) literarymama (dot) com by Monday, March 7, 2022. Managing Editor The Managing Editor works with the […]

“When inspiration strikes, stop everything and write. But don’t wait for inspiration, and learn to hold ideas, words, whole paragraphs in your head, just in case. Make, beg, or steal time–from your job, your hobbies, your sleep–and write, whether it’s fifteen minutes a day or an hour once a week; find the time and use […]

“I’m the worst with writing advice. A masochist, at best. Hard on myself. Critical. But I do, maybe, have some advice: be slow and deliberate. Let ideas stew. Nobody’s waiting! You’re waiting for yourself to connect disparate threads. The result might be gorgeously horrific or inspiring, whatever your purpose. Give yourself that time to think, […]

“To be a writer you must read, and read extensively. It is part of the work. When you don’t know what to write, pick up a book. There are times I think I have nothing left to say, but then I read a few paragraphs and ideas begin to emerge. Don’t push them aside. Let […]

Welcome to our Calls for Submissions page. Here, we’ll feature new publication opportunities for all our Mama readers. Look for updated posts each month. If there is a ❤️ next to a call, that means the magazine or press is specifically looking for mother writers. We ❤️ all our Mamas! Literary Mama is always open […]

“The Star Wars franchise isn’t something I’ve followed, but the wisdom of Yoda and its applicability to the writing life continue to resonate with me. ‘Patience you must have, my young Padawan,’ ‘Do. Or do not. There is no try,’ and ‘A Jedi must have the deepest commitment’ are words to live by. If you write, you are a […]

Welcome to our newest blog series: Where Are They Now? In this series, our editors interview past Literary Mama contributors to see what they’ve accomplished since publishing in LM and talk about their writing journeys. This week, Senior Editor Christina Consolino talked with LM Contributor Shawn Nocher. Shawn recently published her first novel, A Hand to Hold […]