Monday Miscellany for June 14, 2010

Hello:

As writers, do you have any specific grammar or punctuation pet peeves?  I sure do, the fingernails-on-a-chalkboard kind.  Not that I expect everyone to know all the rules of the English road–in fact,  I have made my fair share of blunders (and I’m not even including typos), and regularly consult grammar websites when I’m in uncertain or confusing linguistic territory.

Still, I tend to hold writers in general and myself in particular to a higher standard than others for whom writing is neither a strong suit nor  a necessary job skill.   I include media people in this;  seems to me media writers should know the difference between “eager” and “anxious” (grrrr!).  And people who make signs for a living should learn the rules around when and when not to use an apostrophe (double-grrrr!), wouldn’t you agree?

Want to share your own grammar sore spots?  You’re welcome to do so here!

On to our weekly list of writing contests.  Here’s to your writing success!

Mary Anne

Fiction

International 3-Day Novel Contest

The contest takes place every Labour Day weekend, which falls on September 4-6, 2010. You may start writing as of midnight on Friday night, and must stop by midnight on Monday night.

Prizes: 1st: Publication, 2nd: $500, 3rd: $100

Deadline: Registration Deadline: August 27, 2010

Fees: $50 and group discounts are available

http://www.3daynovel.com/about/?contest

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Micro-Fiction Competition

Submit micro-fiction (max 300 words) on any subject imaginable.

Prizes: 1st: £150 and a free copy of the Leaf Writers’ Magazine and the anthology. One runner up will receive a free copy of the magazine/anthology.

Deadline: September 20, 2010

Fees: £3 per entry, 4 entries for £10

http://www.leafbooks.co.uk/New/For%20Writers/CurrentCompetitions.html#MF

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Rough Copy

The First-Annual Rough Copy Fiction Contest has a word limit of 2,000 to 8,000 words.

Prizes: 1st: $100 + publication, 2nd & 3rd: $25 and possible publication

Deadline: September 1, 2010

Fees: $15

http://roughcopy.net/?page_id=91

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2010 Mighty River Short Story Contest

Send a short story on any theme, consisting of 30 double-spaced pages maximum.

Prizes: 1st: $500 and publication in Big Muddy: A Journal of the Mississippi River Valley

Deadline: October 1, 2010

Fees: $15 – Includes copy of winning publication

http://www6.semo.edu/universitypress/mrss.htm

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Serena McDonald Kennedy Award

No more than 50,000 word novella or 200 page manuscript of short stories will be accepted. Any well written manuscript on any topic will be considered. Previously published works may be entered.

Prizes: 1st: $1,000 and publication

Deadline: July 31, 2010

Fees: $25

http://www.snakenationpress.org/contests.html

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Highlights 2011 Fiction Contest

Stories may be any length up to 750 words. Stories for beginning readers should not exceed 475 words. Entrants must be at least 16 years old at the time of submission.

Prizes: Three prizes of $1,000 or tuition for the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop at Chautauqua.

Deadline: Postmark between January 1 and January 31, 2011

Fees: None

http://www.highlights.com/highlights-fiction-contest

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2010 Thomas A. Wilhelmus Award

Page limit for this competition is 45 manuscript pages.

Prizes: $1000, publication and 25 complimentary copies

Deadline: July 1, 2010

Fees: $15 ($5 for each additional manuscript submitted)

http://www.usi.edu/ropewalk/wilhelmusaward.asp

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Meridian Writing Summer Short Story Writing Competition

Authors must be sixteen years of age or older. Stories should be a maximum of 3,000 words in length, but there is no lower limit.

Prizes: 1st: £100, 2nd: £50, 3rd: £25

Deadline: June 30, 2010

Fees: £5.00 GBP per submission

http://www.meridian-writing.co.uk/competiton_2.html

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Nonfiction/Essay

The Angel Animals Network 2010 True Story Contest

Send your story about about animals helping children, parents, and families deal with chronically difficult situations and circumstances or temporary tough periods in a child’s life.

Prizes: 1st: $250, 2nd-6th: $25. All winners considered for publication.

Deadline: September 15, 2010

Fees: None

http://angelanimals.net/contests.html#Announcement

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2011 Northwest Perspectives Essay Contest

Entries should address ideas that affect the Northwest. Word length is 2,000 words maximum for the open category, 1,500 words for the student contest.

Prizes: Open Category – 1st: $750 + publication, 2nd: $300, 3rd: $100. Student Category – 1st: $500, 2nd: $200, 3rd:$75

Deadline: January 31, 2011

Fees: None

http://www.oregonquarterly.com/essay.php

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Write About Writing Competition

Leaf Books invites you to send us up to 300 words on one of the following themes: Where you write, fitting writing into a busy schedule, editing, writing resources and publishing successes and failures.

Prizes: 1st: £100 + publication

Deadline: July 15, 2010

Fees: £2.50 per submission, 5 submissions for £10

http://www.leafbooks.co.uk/New/For%20Writers/CurrentCompetitions.html#WAW

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Smart Travel Writing Contest

Your entry should encourage responsible and sustainable travel, particularly in places with fragile ecosystems and economies. Entries must be 160 words or less.

Prizes: 1st & 2nd: 10-day expeditions aboard the NAI’A to Tonga with Seacology, valued at $7500 each.

Deadline: When the “community mile goal (25,000,000 miles) is reached”

Fees: None

http://www.trazzler.com/contests/smarttravel

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Play/Scriptwriting

Tallahassee Writers Association Playwriting Contest

Submit a one act play. Contest is open to writers 18 years old and older. There are no restrictions on subject matter.

Prizes: 1st: $75, 2nd: $35

Deadline: August 31, 2010

Fees: $10 TWA members, $15 non-members

http://twaonline.org/pgs/contst/playrite/22_stglte_gds.html

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Poetry

Sixth Annual Camber Press Poetry Chapbook Award

Only typed manuscripts no greater than 24 pages of original English-language poems will be considered.

Prizes: Publication

Deadline: September 15, 2010

Fees: $15

http://www.camberpress.com/poetrychapbookaward.html

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2010 Peace Poetry Awards

Send up to 3 typed unpublished poems. Maximum of 30 lines per poem.

Prizes: Adults: $1000, Youth (13 to 18): $200, Youth (12 and under): $200

Deadline: July 1, 2010

Fees: $15 for up to three poems for adults, $5 for Youth (13-18), No fee for Youth (12 and under)

http://www.wagingpeace.org/menu/programs/awards-&-contests/bmk-contest/index.htm

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The 2010 Barrow Street Press Book Contest

Submit a 50 – 70 page unpublished manuscript of original poetry in English. Include acknowledgment page for published poems.

Prizes: $1000 + publication

Deadline: June 30, 2010

Fees: $25.00

http://www.barrowstreet.org/BARROW_STREET_BOOK_CONTEST_2010.pdf

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Violet Reed Haas Prize for Poetry

Submit a 50-75 page manuscript of poetry.

Prizes: $1,000 prize and publication

Deadline: June 30, 2010

Fees: $25.00

http://www.snakenationpress.org/contests.html

Monday Miscellany for June 7, 2010

Hello!

This past weekend marked the nineteenth year of my annual weekend in Lake George, New York with the girls.  While we certainly don’t party like we did  nearly two decades ago, this year’s trip was every bit as fun as our first, and all the ones in between.

We chose Lake George as our destination partly because of the absolute beauty of the mountain-rimmed lake itself,  partly for the night life in the village, and partly for the variety of activities in the area.  Over the years we’ve gone tubing down part of the Hudson River and walking at Ausable Chasm and Natural Stone Bridge and Caves; we’ve  had our palms read,  played miniature golf, rented boats and taken boat, stage coach and train tours.  This year we spent an evening at Saratoga Raceway and Casino.  And while the years have seen the four of us go through many changes,  the laughter, camaraderie and need to do some outlet shopping before we come home remain the same.

I think that a large part of what keeps this weekend fresh for us, despite the sameness of the destination and the women involved,  is watching how the passage of time and the events in our lives continue to shape us.  We’re the same foursome who first went to Lake George in June of 1992, and yet in some ways we’re not those girls at all.  In the 12 months between trips, we–just like everyone–continue to be shaped by our successes and losses, our experiences and how we react to or handle them, our relationships old and new, and our current set of hopes and fears.  We not only look different than we did during that first trip,   we are different now; and yet,  just as if you put photographs from 1992 and 2010 side by side and be able to tell who is whom, the same applies to the core of our personalities.  What we discover about ourselves and each other during every trip is both how we’ve changed and how we’ve remained the same.

Our writing gets shaped by those same external factors, mixed with how we handle and internalize them.  Compare your writing now with that of your late teens or early twenties, and my guess is you’ll see both growth and sameness.  The growth is what keeps our writing fresh, but it’s the sameness of what we get from writing that keeps us coming back to it year after year.

You’ll find this week’s list of writing contests below.  Here’s to your writing success.

Mary Anne

Multiple Categories

Room Magazine’s Annual Fiction, Poetry, and Creative Non-fiction Contest – 2010

More than one entry will be accepted.  Poetry limit of 3 poems or 150 lines. Fiction word limit is 3,500 words maximum.

Prizes: 1st prize in each category – $500, 2nd prize – $250.  Winners will be published in a 2011 issue of Room.

Deadline: Postmark July 15, 2010

Fees: $27 per entry. Non-Canadian entries: $39 Canadian dollars. Includes one-year subscription to Room.

http://www.roommagazine.com/contest/2010/2010contest.html

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Dream Quest One Poetry and Writing Contest

Writing Contest entries may be written on a maximum of (5) pages. Poetry Contest entries must be 30 lines or fewer.

Prizes: Poetry – First:$250, Second:$125, Third: $50. Writing – First: $500, Second: $250, Third:$100

Deadline: July 31, 2010

Fees: $10 per short story. $5 per poem

http://www.dreamquestone.com/

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The Motherhood Muse Writing Contest

The two categories that you may choose from are Fiction Short Story and Non-Fiction Literary Essay. Entries must be between 500 – 1,200 words.

Prizes: First: $100, Second: $50. Prizes per category. Winners also receive publication in the e-Zine and interview on the blog.

Deadline: November 1, 2010

Fees: $10

http://www.themotherhoodmuse.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=19

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The Earth Vision Nature Writing Contest

Submissions can be published or unpublished material, length to range between 500 and 2500 words per entry (poetry can be smaller). Categories are short fiction, creative non-fiction, poetic prose, or poetry.

Prizes: First: $500, Second: $100, Third: $100

Deadline: October 15, 2010

Fees: $12

http://www.evbooks.net/contest.htm

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Sefton Writing Competition 2010

The theme of the competition is “IF”. Poetry must not exceed 40 lines. Other categories include text, stories, essays, dialogues, mini-dramas and more. Must not exceed 500 words.

Prizes: Poetry – First: £250, Four runners up: £50. Other – First: £250, Four runners up: £50. Young authors: First: £50, Five runners up: £50

Deadline: October 22, 2010

Fees: £2 per entry for adults. Free for ages 14 and under but limited to one entry.

http://www.seftonarts.co.uk/uploads/file/entry%20form.pdf

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Tallahassee Writers Association Seven Hills Contest

Short Story – 2,500 word maximum, any genre. Creative Nonfiction – 2,500 word maximum. Children’s Chapter Books or Short Stories for ages 6-12, have a 2,500 word maximum. Flash Fiction – 500 word maximum, any genre.

Prizes: First: $100, Second: $75, Third: $50. Plus publication in the Seven Hills Review

Deadline: Postmark August 31, 2010

Fees: $15 per submission, nonmembers. $10 for TWA members.

http://twaonline.org/pgs/contst/svn_hlls/12svn_hlls.html

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Fiction

Novel Beginnings Fiction Contest

Submit the opening chapter to a novel. Word count is 2,500 words.

Prizes: First: £50, Two runners up prizes: £25

Deadline: July 31, 2010

Fees: £8.00 per entry

http://www.writelink.co.uk/novelbeginnings/

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Flash 500 Competition

Submit a flash fiction entry consisting of under 500 words.

Prizes: First: £250 plus publication in Words with JAM, Second: £100, Third: £50

Deadline: June 30, 2010

Fees: £5 for one story, £8 for two stories

http://www.flash500.com/

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Flesh & Bone: Rise of the Necromancers Short Story Contest

Submit your darkest, fiercest, most magical, dark fantasy short story about necromancers and the undead rising. Submissions must contain 2,000 – 10,000 words.

Prizes: First: $125.00, Second: $50.00, Third: $25.00. Winners also receive 1 contributor’s copy of the book.

Deadline: July 31, 2010

Fees: None

http://www.pillhillpress.com/flesh–bone-rise-of-the-necromancers.html

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Writers’ Village 2010 ‘Best Writing’ Competition

Any form of short story may be submitted up to 3000 words and in any genre (eg. mystery, romance, fantasy, crime, science fiction, children’s, etc).

Prizes: First: £150 ($242), Second: £30 ($48), Third: £20 ($32), Ten further prizes of £10 ($16)

Deadline: June 30, 2010

Fees: £5 ($8) per entry

http://www.writers-village.org/

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Fan Story Horror Story Contest

Submit a horror or thriller story. One entry per person. Maximum Length 7,000 words. Recommended length 2,000 – 3,500 words.

Prizes: First: $100 pre-paid Visa gift card, Second: 25 member dollars, Third: 10 member dollars.

Deadline: June 28, 2010

Fees: None

http://www.fanstory.com/contestdetails.jsp?at=163&id=2908

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Fan Story This Sentence Starts The Story Competition

Write a story that starts with this sentence: “Have we met before?” One entry per person. Minimum length 700 words. Maximum Length 7,000 words. Recommended length 2,000 – 3,500 words.

Prizes: First: $100 pre-paid Visa gift card, Second: 25 member dollars, Third: 10 member dollars.

Deadline: July 28, 2010

Fees: None

http://www.fanstory.com/contestdetails.jsp?at=163&id=2957

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The 2nd Annual Gemini Magazine Flash Fiction Contest

Submissions must contain less than 1,000 words.

Prizes: First: $1,000, Second: $100, Four Honorable Mentions. All winners receive publication in Gemini

Deadline: August 31, 2010

Fees: 1 story = $4, 2 stories = $7, 3 stories = $10, 4 stories = $13, 8 stories = $25

http://www.gemini-magazine.com/contest.html

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Nonfiction/Essay

One Amazing Thing from More Magazine

Has one amazing thing every happened to you? Tell your true-life story in under 700 words.

Prizes: One (1) winner will receive a minimum of one hour consultation by telephone with Chitra Divakaruni, for coaching on how to expand and craft their submitted story. The winner’s original submission will appear on More.com, and the final story may appear on more.com

Deadline: June 30, 2010

Fees: None

http://www.more.com/category_contest/one_amazing_thing_contest?ordersrc=rdmore0104

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Freelance Writer Online’s Summer Writing Contest

There are 4 topics to choose from: Writing, Green Living, Work from Home, and Web Business. Each entry must be at least 400 words.

Prizes: First: $50 per category

Deadline: August 1, 2010

Fees: $3 per entry

http://www.freelancewriteronline.info/4/post/2010/05/summer-writing-contest.html

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Poetry

Tallahassee Writers Association Penumbra Contest

Submit poetry up to 50 lines, any style or subject; line length may be edited to fit chapbook publication format. 3-line haiku (need not conform to strict syllable count)

Prizes: Poetry $100, $75, $50; haiku, $50, $35, $20.

Deadline: August 31, 2010

Fees: $5 per poem; $3 per haiku

http://twaonline.org/pgs/contst/pnuba/17_09_penbra_gdlnes.html

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Fan Story Father’s Day Poetry Contest

All forms of poetry accepted. New poetry to the site only.

Prizes: First: $100 pre-paid Visa gift card, Second: 25 member dollars, Third: 10 member dollars.

Deadline: June 21, 2010

Fees: None

http://www.fanstory.com/contestdetails.jsp?at=163&id=3050

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Fan Story’s gyoji haiku Poetry Contest

This contest is looking for serious poems that celebrate one of the worldwide non-Christian holidays.

Prizes: Prize Pool

Deadline: June 30, 2010

Fees: None

http://www.fanstory.com/contestdetails.jsp?at=163&id=2833

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Fan Story Faith Contest

The theme for this poetry contest is “faith”. Submit a poem that in some way pertains to this theme. It doesn’t matter if it’s spiritual, political, intellectual or emotional as long as faith is clearly represented.

Prizes: First: $100 pre-paid Visa gift card, Second: 25 member dollars, Third: 10 member dollars.

Deadline: July 1, 2010

Fees: None

http://www.fanstory.com/contestdetails.jsp?at=163&id=2929

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To the Lighthouse Poetry Publication Prize

Submit 48 to 96 pages of poetry.

Prizes: $1000 and publication

Deadline: August 31, 2010

Fees: $20 per entry

http://www.aroho.org/To_the_Lighthouse.php

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2010 Happy Hour Poetry Awards from Alehouse Press

Submit poetry on any topic in any form. Maximum 40 lines per poem.

Prizes: 1st: $1000, 2nd-5th: $100

Deadline: July 1, 2010

Fees: $15 per batch of 3 entries

http://alehousepress.homestead.com/AlehouseContest.html

What Do We Want Our Writing to Accomplish?

I have this friend who, every time she hears or, even more fascinating, sees the word “yawn,” she, well, yawns.  I discovered this quite by accident years ago, and have used the knowledge to play the occasional cruel trick on her ever since.  For a time I was even able to simply type the letter “Y” in an e-mail and send it to her, getting the same result.  And then there was the time I learned the word “pandiculation,” and sent it to her with a drawing of someone in the process of pandiculating, mouth agape, eyes squeezed shut…I was wickedly delighted to hear that made her yawn (and most likely pandiculate!) as well.

Obviously, not all of our readers or writing clients react so strongly or readily to everything we write.  Often we can put our words out there in the form of blog posts, articles, queries, submissions, proposals, contest entries and so forth, and not generate any response at all.  That can leave us feeling like we’re trapped in the darkness of a carnival fun house, feeling a bit nervous, fumbling our way through, wondering when we’ll see daylight again.

It helps, I think, to know what it is we want our readers or clients to feel about or do with what we’ve written once they’ve read our words.  In fact, I believe that knowing this up front, and keeping it in mind as we write, is every bit as important an aspect of writing as the story or information itself.  Knowing what reaction we want dictates everything from the words we choose to the cadence of our writing.  Do we want our readers to cry?  Buy something?  Get involved?  Do we want to frighten, inform or inspire them?  Do we want our writing to enrich their lives and, if so, exactly how do we plan to accomplish that?

Yes, effective writing is much more complex than plopping words in front of readers in the hope that they’ll behave in a certain way or take a certain type of action.   We need to know where we want them to go, and then use our writing skills to take them there.  That’s our challenge and, ultimately, that’s where we’ll find fulfillment.

Now, I’m going to let my friend know that I wrote about her today.  That should keep her yawning for the next hour or so at least (I write with a slight, evil smile).

Here’s to your writing success.

Mary Anne

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