Sites We Like Beyond the Margins

Sites We Like Beyond the Margins Since Bostons Grub Street writers collective is holding its annual Muse conference this weekend, it seems only fitting for us to recognize a site we like very, very much indeed that was founded by some Grub Street members. Beyond the Margins is a collective blog or, as they founders say in their About Us intro, a literary magazine run amok. (Full Disclosure: It has also featured yours truly once.) Beyondd the Margins (also known as @BTMargins on Twitter) is a group of active writers, some of whom are famous, others of whom are just getting started in their writing careers. What we like about this site in particular is its collaborative and equitable vibe. Everyones posts look the same and get the same promotion because these folks really get the fact that as writers, we work alone but need some kind of communityespecially the kind of community that doesnt rate and rank and judge. (We do enough of that in our own heads!) There is plenty of communal advice about writing to be found on this site, and we love the drop-down menu that allows visitors to quickly access pages like 1st Draft and Voice. You never know what youll find: An author interview, a craft post, a personal essay that makes you say Yes! THAT! as you toil away in front of your own blank page. There are also meaty sections about the business of writing, including posts about agents, editors, writing workshops, manuscript formatting, and (Yes! THAT!) social media. Beyond the Margins is like a small, finely honed combination of Writers Digest and Poets Writers (and right now, at least, it requires no subscription fee). However, what keeps us coming back to Beyond the Margins is the strength of its individual voices, especially when theyre writing humor and/or opinion pieces. Thats not simply because the writing is goodalthough it is. Its because these writers are not phoning it in. Theyre out there making their living from their words, some to a greater and some to a lesser extent, but all trying to make sense of todays literary world and the publishing marketplace. Thus, the sites newest feature may be the perfect one to highlight as the Muse Conference goes on: Novelist Laura Zigmans As The Writer Turns, which features Zigmans already popular videos. The first episode? But Can You Monetize It? Words that may strike fear in every writers heartbut Zigman provides some laughs along the way.