Although Stephen King is not typically considered a “literary” writer, the advice embedded in On Writing is seminal. King notes the importance of the literary journal as a place for the novice writer to test the ground. South African writers are blessed in this regard and Ann Donald sings their praises.
The testing ground for many new writers is the literary journal. In On Writing, King acknowledges the magazines (not many of them literary; mostly science fiction) that published his early stories.
He writes in hindsight with appreciation for the hundreds of rejection slips he received before his first story was accepted; each slip having spurred him on to prove and improve his work. Most importantly, the stories that appeared in these magazines provided the publishing references that got his foot into an agent’s door and onto the path to the top of the New York Times bestseller list.
PS - Donald’s Kalk Bay Books turns three today. Happy birthday!
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