Beyond the hectic insanity associated with finals, students anxiously await summer.

For writers especially, summer is a time to revise and revisit their work, with class usually less of a problem under the summer sun. Whether one is busy submitting poetry and fiction to competitions and festivals or working freelance for trade magazines and newspapers, many opportunities presented by summer include a fair share of triumphs and trials.

“Summer is a good time to re-focus,” freelance writer Paula Hendrickson said. “Check out writing books at the library. Look at the Writer’s Market book or Web site, and then look for magazines that aren’t listed in the Market at a news stand in Barnes and Noble or Borders.”

Associate English professor Amy Newman agrees, citing magazines like “Poetry & Writers” as a key resource for aspiring writers.

“There are a number of books and journals on the market in regards to poetry and fiction,” Newman said. “The best way to go about this is to be informed. The more you are informed, the more you will know where to submit to.”

Despite the best efforts of these magazines, students should still be leery of potential frauds and scams.

“Several students received word back from a publication called the National Library of Poetry,” Newman said. “They were [told] that the editors liked their poems and it had won all these awards. They were then instructed to pay like $40 for the publications. They then were sent a Bible-sized book with everyone’s poem in a very low-quality publication.”

While Newman contends it’s reasonable for contests to ask for an entry fee, usually to pay the salary of the people reading the entries, Newman warns asking for money for publication is usually a bad sign during a contest.

“Fortunately, magazines usually investigate possible scams really closely,” Newman said. “Unfortunately, they can behave something like conspiracy theorists, going way too overboard in some cases.”

Hendrickson has witnessed similar practices during many of her freelance jobs for various trade publications and start-up companies.

“A lot of times anthologies say they will publish your fiction if you buy X number of copies,” Hendrickson said. “There’s a lot of people who want to exploit writers, especially young writers.”

Hendrickson believes aspiring writers should thoroughly research topics.

“If you find a [magazine] title you’d like to write for, search their Web site for an editorial calendar,” Hendrickson said. “This way you don’t have to rely on luck when submitting freelance articles and queries to a magazine.”

In regards to competitions and festivals, Newman also encourages research as well, especially in adhering closely to contest guidelines.

“There are usually year-round opportunities for writers and poets,” Newman said. “You just have to keep sending them your material.”