Texas Writers Journal xQuartersly / Jan, 2016
things seemed to give license to some groups to rip a piece written from the passion of the heart to shreds. The question I finally asked myself was this. Who decides what is good? Is it a judge of the strict industry standards, or is it a well read passionate readers? What happens to stories written that break the mold, and are the products of brilliant writers who decide to deviate from strict industry standards and create genre-bending works? Where can those writers go to hone their craft, who encourages, who publishes their works, and how can they receive recognition and compensation for their efforts?
Over a cup of coffee at a local Dallas restaurant I began plotting something that would engage my own creativity, and potentially be a career that I loved, while all the while helping others that were like myself. After a few months, the first copy of the Dallas Writers Journal was published. The idea was simply that we do not attempt to adhere to industry standards, but instead put quality works out there for avid readers to review to determine the appealof the work being submitted. We grew to host guest speakers at monthly meetings and give independent writers the opportunity to network and have other writers read their work with the ultimate goal of having pieces reviewed by a board of avid readers who rated their work on reader appeal by formally completing a short survey and ratings sheets. We published many wonderful short stories and poems during that first year that would never have been published, or been read by others, otherwise. The first time we met one of these authors and they expressed their genuine appreciation for what we were doing we knew that we were on the right track. This project of supporting talented authors in this way was the calling that I had always wished for and I was hooked. I needed to be part of supporting not only my efforts, but those of others like me.
Eventually, the Dallas Writers Journal grew and evolved into the Texas Writers Journal. Now, in our third year and ninth issue as TWJ. We've passed a few milestones and we continue our journey. Our publication list, creative community, and journal staff
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