Mused - the BellaOnline Literary Review has no particular requirements as to form or genre. We like poetry that surprises us, twists us up and gets under our skin and in our hearts. Quality precludes form and genre in every instance, so send us your very best work and if we like it, we'll print it.
Rhymed vs Unrhymed
We enjoy poetry that is rhymed as well as unrhymed poetry. It's important to keep in mind that if you start out with a rhyming poem of a certain rhythm, that it tends to confuse people if you suddenly stop rhyming or lose the rhythm. If you write a poem that reads:
Whose woods these are I think I know
His house is in the village though
Hey, maybe he will not notice that I paused for a moment
To see what is going on.
That loss of rhythm tends to be jarring. The best way to work on your poem is to read it aloud. Recite it to friends and family, and see how it rolls off the tongue. It can take time to "polish" a work until it flows smoothly - this is how you turn a rock into a gemstone!
Spelling and Grammar
Be sure to spell check your submission. We expect entries to be polished and in publishable shape. If you have numerous spelling errors in your work, it indicates to us that your work is not yet ready for publication.
Be sure to also check for common typos. If you are writing a contraction of "it is", there is always an apostrophe, "it's". If you are using any other use of "its" there is no apostrophe.
It's misty and tranquil this spring morning; let's go for a stroll along the beach.
Its hue a sickly yellow, the moon faded in and out of view behind a billowing raincloud.
Artwork
Occasionally a poet has an image they would like to go with the poem. Every image run in Mused must be approved by the artwork team. Please submit your artwork separately in the artwork area. You have a note field there to indicate that it matches up with the poem you have also submitted.
Entry Details
Submissions should be limited to four poems for a given issue. Each poem should not exceed 40 lines in length. Note that long poems are very tricky to pull off well. They must suck you in at the beginning, like a good novel, and hold your attention solidly throughout. If you are going to attempt a long poem make sure you create a very strong start to it, to encourage the reader to keep going.
BellaOnline is a world wide publication read by people of all ages and all cultural backgrounds. Because of that we cannot run any sexual content or profanities.
Poetry Basics
Poetry Types
Poetry Cliches to Avoid
Poetry Submission Form
General Mused Submission FAQs
Main Submission Guidelines
By far the best way to get an idea of what our literary review is looking for is to peruse our past issues!
Archive of Past Issues
