Places to submit

Darkest Hours Contest

Have you been following the writing prompts on The Write Spot Blog? Especially Prompt #293 and Prompt #294. If you have, you might have some ideas for The Writer magazine writing contest. If you wrote true stories for these prompts, turn fact into fiction and enter the contest. Write a 2,000 word fictional short story using any nuance, definition or understanding of the word “dark.” “Our Darkest Hour” writing contest, sponsored by The Writer Magazine. Deadline: November 15, 2016 Story starts from The Writer magazine: After dark . . . Deep, dark secrets . . . A dark horse . . . The dark side of the moon . . . That line’s gone dark . . . Don’t leave me in the dark . . .

Prompts

Dark times can illuminate . . . Prompt #294

The bewitching hour is near. All Hallows Eve approaches. Are you ready, my dear? Are you sure, my pretty? If it happens in the dark and no one sees it, did it happen? What goes on down those dark, narrow, alleys? What happens after dark here and there and everywhere? Are you the keeper of deep, dark secrets? Did you ask for that position? Can you give it up? Do you want to give it up? Write about the dark. . . dark times, dark streets, dark thoughts. Don’t leave us in the dark. Enlighten us.

Prompts

Dark, murky, spooky . . . Prompt # 293

Writing Prompt:  Write about your darkest moment, or a murky hour, or a gloomy day or a dreary night. Dark. Murky. What odd words. Dark. Murky. Is it the “k” sound that makes them spooky? What is it about these words that convey doom and gloom? What if you could spin the wheel, turn the dial, press a button and turn that dark day into a bright day? Would you do it? Would you trade your weary days for cheery days? Write about a lesson learned, an epiphany realized, a notable reconnaissance gained from what looked a worst nightmare.

Places to submit

Porter Gulch Review

Cabrillo Community College produces Porter Gulch Review, a literature and arts journal. The journal reflects the diversity and creativity of its contributors. 2,000 print copies are given away free and there is a longer online version. Submit: stories, poems, novel excerpts, plays, screenplays, photos and artwork. Submit work to PGR – at – cabrillo.edu; include the work as an RTF (rich text format) attachment, with your name on it, a short, playful bio, and your contact information. All visuals images must be high quality, 300 DPI or higher. They may need to sent individually or uploaded through Dropbox. Deadline for Spring issue: December 1, 2016 NOTE: If you have work ready to submit, scroll through Places to Submit, find a place where  you can submit, check the deadline and go ahead. . . Submit. Places that are currently accepting submissions: Reed Magazine (No. 1, 2016) Writer Advice Scintillating Starts (Dec….

Places to submit

Writer Advice Scintillating Starts Contest

Writer Advice Scintillating Starts Contest for Fiction, Memoir, and Creative Nonfiction is now open to anyone who has not signed a contract for the book (which the scintillating start is in). Submit up to 1000 words of your first chapter by 12/01/16. Details on Writer Advice.     Writer Advice (B. Lynn Goodwin) is known for their feedback and “would love to tell you what’s working and what an agent might say.”          

Book Reviews

Fire Angels by Elizabeth Kern

Fire Angels by Elizabeth Kern Reviewed by Janet Snyder: Fire Angels by Elizabeth Kern will touch your soul with its grace, its grit, and its gravitas. It’s a tragic story of a fire that took place at the Our Lady of the Angels school in Chicago on December 1, 1958, and resulted in the deaths of 92 children and three nuns. Kern guides her narrative through the viewpoints of a janitor, teachers, survivors and their families, church leaders, firemen, the suspected arsonist, and his parents. But the most unique and powerful voice is that of Fire itself, a lofty and sardonic protagonist if ever there was one. Fire’s voice is woven deftly throughout this tale of despair and grief and bravery and hope. Whenever a match is struck, Fire makes its appearance. Sometimes Fire struts like a peacock, preening and showing off. Other times it’s alternately cruel and egotistic, like…

Guest Bloggers

From Chaos To Creativity

Guest  Blogger Suzanne Murray writes: What if the chaos we experience in the world today and in our lives is actually an invitation to let go of the old ways and create something new. What if in letting go in the face of fear of the unknown we actually make room for the new to enter. Often when we give up trying we find a sort of magic that can bring unexpected opportunities beyond what we thought possible. We tend to resist chaos. We associate it with war or natural disasters or with the unraveling of the structures that we have always thought of as solid. We cling to what feels comfortable. Chaos can rattle our bodies and emotions leaving us feeling overwhelmed. It can trigger a reaction of fight or flight which puts us in our reptilian brain which is incapable of creative problem solving. What we call chaos…