Monday Miscellany for March 22, 2010
March 22, 2010 by Mary Anne
Filed under Writing Contest News
Hello and Happy Monday!
I’ve been a huge college basketball fan for …let’s just say, a lot of years. So yesterday, seeing my beloved Syracuse University Orange and my alma mater Cornell both advance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Men’s basketball Road to the Final Four gave me a boost that even today’s chilly overcast weather can’t dampen!
I started an article a while back trying to compare basketball to writing, but haven’t yet been able to make a true connection outside of my passion for both. And perhaps that’s connection enough.
On to this week’s list of contests. Here’s to your writing success!
Mary Anne
—
Multiple Categories
Smories $1,500 Prize for Children’s Books
Entries accepted from anywhere in the world.. Limit 1,000 words. Text only, in English. Must be fiction for children from 3 to 8 years old. Poetry & rhyming stories may also be submitted. A maximum of two stories per writer per month can be submitted.
Prizes: £1,000 (US$1,500) prize for the best story submitted each month
Deadline: The current competition closes March 31, 2010
Entry fee: None
—
The First Mhr Knock Our Hats Off Contest
Contest accepts fiction and poetry. The terms “fiction” and “poetry” may be interpreted broadly. Take a walk on the wild side through our pages. Take liberties. Poetry: 3 poems max per entry. Fiction: 3,000 words max per entry
Deadline: June 30, 2010
Entry fee: $12
Prizes: First prize winners in both genres will receive $250 (each)
http://www.madhattersreview.com/contest.shtml
—
The 32nd Nimrod Literary Awards Competition:
The Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction
The Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry
Poetry: 3-10 pages of poetry (one long poem or several short poems)
Fiction: 7,500 words maximum
Deadline: April 30, 2010
Entry fee: $20
Prizes: First Prize: $2,000; Second Prize: $1,000
http://www.utulsa.edu/nimrod/awards.html
—
San Luis Obispo Nightwriters Short Story / Poetry Contest
Entries must be based on the theme: Trust/Betrayal. Writers are encouraged to interpret this theme as broadly as possible for both Story and Poetry. Our contest is open to all writers
(in English) worldwide, but current NightWriters members will be entered into a drawing for a scholarship to the 2010 Central Coast Writers Conference. New memberships that are combined with
a contest entry will save $5, and will qualify entrant for the scholarship drawing.
Deadline: April 30, 2010
Entry fee: $10
Prizes: First Place: $75; Second Place: $50.
http://www.slonightwriters.org/events/2009contest/
—
Paris/San Francisco Book Festival Contest
This contest will consider non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children’s books, compilations/anthologies, teenage, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, audio/spoken word, history, wild card, gay, photography/art, poetry, unpublished, travel and spiritual works. Nineteen categories. Self-published works accepted.
Deadline: April 25, 2010
Entry fee: $50
Prizes: $1,500 cash and a flight to San Francisco or Paris for awards ceremonies
http://www.sanfranciscobookfestival.com
http://www.parisbookfestival.com
—
2010 New Ohio Review Prize in Fiction and Poetry
Prose entries must be no longer than 25 pages double-spaced. Poetry entries are limited to four individual poems.
Deadline: May 15, 2010
Entry fee: $20
Prizes: First and second place prizes of $1,500 and $500 in each genre
http://www.ohio.edu/nor/submis.htm
—
Fiction Contests
The Camber Press Fiction Chapbook Award
Second Annual Fiction Chapbook Award for contemporary fiction exhibiting lucid delivery while not sacrificing emotional depth, mastery of craft, or originality. Only typed manuscripts no greater than 10,000 words of original English-language fiction will be considered.
Deadline: Deadline: May 30m 2010
Entry fee: $15
Prizes: $1000
http://www.camberpress.com/submissions.html
—
Basement Stories Short Story Contest
Basement Stories is a new science fiction and fantasy ezine. Submit your best science fiction and fantasy short stories – no restrictions on content whatsoever, as long as they’re
under 6,000 words. Send us your dark fantasy, space operas, legends, alien invasion stories, time travel myths – anything goes!
Deadline: June 1, 2010
Entry fee: $5
Prizes: $150 and publication
http://www.basementstories.org/contestissueone.html
—
American Short Fiction Contest
Contest highlights great work in shorter fiction–stories of 1,000 words or less, to be exact.
Deadline: June 15, 2010
Entry fee: $15
Prizes: First prize $500; Second prize $250
—
Biscuit International Fiction Contest
Open to Short Stories of 1,000 – 5,000 words. The top ten stories will be published in an anthology, and each author will receive three copies. All entries must be in English. Any subject matter or form.
Deadline: April 14, 2010
Entry fee: £10
Prizes: First Prize £1,500, or your own collection or novella published plus £500; Second Prize £300; Third Prize £150. Seven runners-up£25 each
http://www.biscuitpublishing.com/
—
The David Nathan Meyerson Fiction Prize
A new prize for fiction writers who have not published a first book. Submissions must be no longer than 8,000 words. All entries will be considered for publication.
Deadline: May 1, 2010
Entry fee: $25
Prizes: $1,000 and publication in SWR
http://smu.edu/southwestreview/Meyerson%20Contest.asp
—
Non-Fiction/Essay Contests
Creative Nonfiction Contest
Seeking new essays about the bonds–emotional, ethical, biological, physical, or otherwise–between humans and animals. Llooking for stories that illustrate ways animals (wild and/or domestic) affect, enrich, or otherwise have an impact on our daily lives. 5,000 words or fewer.
Deadline: April 2, 2010
Entry fee: $20
Prizes: $1,000 and $500
http://www.creativenonfiction.org/thejournal/submittocnf.htm
—
Your Love Story Contest
Enter your true story of true love in the Your Love Story Contest, sponsored by Cup of Comfort and REDBOOK Magazine. .
Deadline: April 20, 2010
Entry fee: None
Prizes: $1,000 and publication in A Cup of Comfort for Couples. Special prizes will also be awarded to three runners-up stories.
http://www.cupofcomfort.com/callforsubmissions
—
Xtreme Travel Stories
Send your story, any language, any topic; as long as it’s original and interesting it constitutes as Xtreme! Competition runs quarterly.
Deadline: June 1, 2010
Entry fee: None
Prizes: $100
http://www.xtremetravelstories.com
—
Dog Treat Recipe Contest
Create a dog treat recipe based on the At Witt’s End theme. The treats can be basic, vegetarian, biscuit, cheesy, beefy/liver, gourmet, bread machine baked, microwavable, or a decorated treat, as long as the ingredients are safe for dogs and have a catchy name (Tail Waggin’ Tasties, Simply Spaniel, Woof Wafers, Yippin’ Yummies, Bulldog Biscotti, Puppy Pops)..
Deadline: September 1, 2010
Entry fee: None
Prizes: $50 VISA debit card
http://www.bsolheim.com/dogtreatcontest.html
—
Poetry Contests
2010 Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize
Submit a manuscript of 48-72 pages of original poetry in any style in English. The manuscript must not have been published previously in book form, although individual poems appearing in print or on the web are permitted. Entries may consist of individual poems, or a book-length poem—or any combination of long or short poems.
Deadline: April 30, 2010
Entry fee: $20.00
Prize: $1,000.00
http://www.marshhawkpress.org/Contests_and_submissions.htm
—
2010 Poetry Awards Competition
No restricitions on form or content. The Ledge is open to all styles and schools of poetry. Excellence is the only criterion. ALL POEMS must be previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable but we must be notified if your poem(s) is accepted elsewhere for publication. All poems will also be considered for publication in The Ledge Magazine.
Deadline: April 30, 2010
Entry fee: $20.00
Prizes First prize: $1,000 and publication in The Ledge Magazine. Second prize: $250 and publication in The Ledge Magazine. Third prize: $100 and publication in The Ledge Magazine.
http://www.theledgemagazine.com/Annual%20Contests.html
—
The Richard Snyder Memorial Publication Prize
This poetry book series honors the memory of Richard Snyder (1925-1986), poet, fiction writer, playwright, and long-time professor of English at Ashland University. Book-length poetry manuscripts Original collection of poems of 50 to 80 pages, with no more than one poem per page, single sided.
Deadline: April 30, 2010
Entry fee: $25.00
Prizes: 1,000.00; publication of winning manuscript in a paperback edition of 1,000 copies; 50 copies of the published book (in lieu of royalties).
http://static.ashland.edu/aupoetry/
—
Mainstreet Rag Chapbook Contest
Send between 24 and 32 pages of poetry, any style/form, no more than one poem per page and no smaller than 10pt type of an easily readable font like Arial or
Times New Roman.
Deadline: Deadline: May 31, 2010
Entry fee: $17
Prizes: $500 and 50 copies of the chapbook
http://www.mainstreetrag.com/ChapCont.html
—
Marjorie J. Wilson Best Poem Contest
Deadline April 26, 2010
Entry fee: $15 for three poems
Prizes: $1,000 for best poem and publication
http://www.margiereview.com/CONTESTS/10MJW.html
—
River Styx 2010 International Poetry Contest
Send up to three poems, not more than 14 pages.
Deadline: May 31, 2010
Entry fee: $15 for three poems
Prizes: $1,500 for best poem and publication
http://www.riverstyx.org/contests/index.php
Best E-Zines for Writers
March 19, 2010 by Mary Anne
Filed under WriteSuccess Resources
Comments Off
“E-zine” (also sometimes spelled as “ezine”) stands for electronic magazine. Mostly these are free newsletters sent via e-mail on a regular basis to people who subscribe to them.
For several years, I published a biweekly e-zine called WriteSuccess. And while that has since morphed into this blog format, a number of other e-zines for writers that came into existence around the same time mine did still continue to make weekly or biweekly appearances in e-mail inboxes around the world. Here I list some of the best of them:
Funds for Writers: C. Hope Clark packs two free e-zines a week full of paying opportunities for writers, from publications seeking articles and writing contests to grants that writers can apply for. http://www.fundsforwriters.com/
Writing World: Moira Allen’s e-zine contains writing news, market information and informative articles. http://www.writing-world.com/
Worldwide Freelance: Both the site and the e-zines (there are two—one solely targets European writers) are jam-packed with information and resources for writers around the globe. Kudos to Gary McLaren, who publishes these. http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/
Writer Gazette: This site, developed by Krista Barrett, has received Writers Digest awards since 2002. Her e-zine brings you “free writer-related articles, paying call for submission and freelance job postings, contests, resources, tips, and more to help induce, improve, and promote your writing career every week.” http://www.writergazette.com/
The Well-Fed Writer: On the heels of his successful book by the same name, Peter Bowerman’s weekly digest offers “income-boosting resources for commercial writers.” http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ezine.shtml
Writer to Writer: From the land down under, my friend Cheryl Wright delivers an e-zine that tells writers ways we can generate cash flow from our writing passion. She shares how she does just that in every issue. http://www.writer2writer.com/
Writing for Dollars!: This one just might be the granddaddy of them all—it certainly was one of the very first that I ever subscribed to. Great source of high, medium and low-paying writing markets. http://www.writingfordollars.com/
Read ‘em and reap!
Mary Anne
Ditch the Outline
March 18, 2010 by Mary Anne
Filed under Guest Articles
Comments Off
By Catharine Bramkamp
Many writers and educators and books offer various ideas and methods to organize your essays. There are rules, the authors and experts explain; writers should make meticulous outlines, create notes, organize, shuffle, and double down.
You remember these rules? Or have you cleverly blocked out all that ponderous and repetitive advice on how to create a long essay?
Let me remind you then: A long time ago, in a land far, far away, the good essay – the essay that earned the A in the class – was the one written with an outline. The outline was a closed system; there was no room for creative interpretation. Outlines were all about the rules.
In the perfect outline, each topic was labeled with Roman numerals I, II and III. Each sub-heading was listed with a capital Arabic letter A, B, C. Then the sub sub-headings of the topic were created with those i , ii and iii, then if there was more to say, the lower case a., b. and c. I’d tell you what was supposed to be listed under a., b. or c. but I never, ever drilled an outline down that far.
The complimentary method to the elaborate outline was the three-by-five index card. Each separate thought was to be written on those index cards. Then apparently, with the help of the cumbersome outline system, you shuffled the cards; labeled them with letters and roman numerals and voila your essay is complete. Now all you have to do is type it up.
The key word to this whole process and system is type.
The inherent problem with the outline/index card system is that it doesn’t address or acknowledge the reality of the current technology. The above ideas are linked to the technology of the typewriter not to the computer or even word processor.
Creating a final paper on a typewriter is fraught with drama and more often: frustration. There is one opportunity to get it right on a typewriter, to do so, all the required information needed to be complete, accurate and available. Even the most advance typewriter had limited back space/white-out capacity. It was possible, mind you, to use liquid white out to delete and re-type whole paragraphs, or so I’ve heard. But at that point, the whole page needed to be retyped. Think of that, retyping a whole page, not just cutting and pasting to a new document.
Fortunately things have change. Correction fluid dabs much more smoothly on a computer screen.
In light of the current technology, to suggest that you work out your essay using three-by-five cards is analogous to suggesting that you catch fish using a spear. You can do it of course, and some people prefer to catch fish with a spear because that’s what they know (or you are part of the aboriginal spear-caught fishing movement where all fish needs to be killed by spear because it tastes better and is more humane for the fish. Movements like that always seem to start up in the Bay Area); but a modern fly-fishing system is more efficient and has different tools.
You have permission to dig out the last of your index cards and throw them at the fish.
Ninety nine percent of all writers compose on the computer – and if they don’t directly compose, they are just working on drafts in long hand, not organizing a final paper in long hand.
Composing on the computer is faster and more fluid. You can write as fast as you can and then arrange the paragraphs in the order that makes the most sense – there’s your outline. You can pull your quotes and sources and cut and paste them into separate pages or paragraphs and store them in a labeled file on the desktop – there are your index cards and your notes.
So before you beat yourself up and worry that you never could figure out how to create an outline, know that you can compose without it.
And you can relegate the roman numerals to Super Bowl announcements.
—
From Don’t Write Like You Talk: A Smart Girl’s Guide to Writing and Editing (3L Publishing)
Catharine Bramkamp holds two degrees in English, published hundreds of newspaper and magazines articles, a handful of novels and two essays in the Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies. She is an adjunct professor of writing for two colleges and is a successful writing coach. Visit her at www.YourBookStartsHere.com
