Announcing Conclave: A Journal of Character

Conclave: A Journal of Character is accepting submissions for its debut print issue, Fall 2008. We will accept submission from April 1-July 1, 2008. Prepare your fiction, nonfiction, poetry, dramatic excerpts, or photographs for submission and visit: www.conclavejournal.com

Conclave is an annual print journal that focuses on character-driven writing in contemporary literary fiction. Conclave seeks writing that centers around well-crafted and authentic characters: like Leopold Bloom, Huckleberry Finn, Anna Karenina, Hamlet, Miss Havisham, Hannibal Lecter, Hester Prynne, and others. Whether you love them or hate them, these characters are unforgettable and infuse their stories with life beyond the page. Those are the kinds of characters that we’d like to have populate the pages of Conclave: A Journal of Character.

We look forward to reading your work!

Valya Dudycz Lupescu, Editor
www.conclavejournal.com

Definition

It's tricky with writing, because you have only the words. In person, introductions are more beautifully complex. Body language and nuances of voice reveal so much about a person and what he or she intends to say. But here and on the page, these nonverbal cues are absent.

We are essentially creating a characterization for our selves by the content we place here, by the titles we choose, the topics we write about (be they political, literary, artistic, domestic, etc.). We suddenly have an audience, even if it’s only a few people. With an audience, we are sending out a message.

When I was teaching writing, I had my students do self-portraits in words. This was a great exercise for college freshmen to do, and it was my favorite assignment to grade. The kids took all kinds of creative risks, which was one of the points.

I never did the exercise myself. Perhaps this is it.