“Writing essays is like therapy because you’re figuring out: What was the important thing in that incident? ” — Etgar Keret Keret, an “acclaimed Israeli writer . . . known for his unique and distinctive writing style” began writing essays after the birth of his son. “. . . because I’m sensitive about family issues. . . It never stops me from writing it, but it might stop me from publishing it.” He wrote personal essays to “have a literary tombstone” for his father. He is able to create work that is “moving and deeply affecting in only a few pages.” Excerpted from the February 2017 issue of The Writer magazine. Your turn: No pressure to write the next great American novel, just write what you know, what you experience. Write about your trip to the grocery store where you observed an act of kindness or had a weird encounter….
Category: Just Write
Nostalgia and writing
When responding to a writing prompt, you are completely free to write the absolute truth, with no worries about what anyone will think. You are also free to write fiction. You have the freedom to write whatever you want . . . these writings are called freewrites. There are over 300 prompts on The Write Spot Blog. You can choose one at any time and just write. Sometimes our writing takes us to memories from our childhood, a very powerful place that is important and so intoxicating. From Writers Dreaming, by Naomi Epel, chapter by James W. Hall: “One of the things that I’ve discovered through reading a lot of best-sellers, studying a lot of popular fiction for courses that I’ve given at the university, is that there are certain recurrent, mythic qualities in books that we could consider, from an elitist academic viewpoint, to be pulp or low-life, mass-market…
Outside magazine
The mission of Outside magazine: To inspire active participation in the world outside through award-winning coverage of the people, sports, places, adventure, discoveries, healthy and fitness, gear and apparel, trends, and events that make up an active lifestyle. Contributor guidelines Outside is a monthly national magazine dedicated to covering the people, sports and activities, politics, art, literature, and hardware of the outdoors. Although our features are usually assigned to a regular stable of experienced and proven writers, we’re always interested in new authors and their ideas. In particular, we look for articles on outdoor events, regions, and activities; informative seasonal service pieces; sports and adventure travel pieces; profiles of engaging outdoor characters; and investigative stories on environmental issues. Queries should present a clear, original, and provocative thesis, not merely a topic or idea, and should reflect familiarity with the magazine’s content and tone. Features are generally 1,500 to 5,000 words…
In troubled times . . . write.
Letter To A Young Activist During Troubled Times by Clarissa Pinkola Estes One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires, causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these – to be fierce and to show mercy toward others, both, are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity. Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do. There will always be times when you feel discouraged. I too have felt despair many times in my life, but…
Use your writing to heal.
Use the difficulties in your life and represent them in your writing. Describe the difficulties as if writing a scene in a novel. Look at your situation from a different point of view – from that of a character in a story. Take A Break When your writing becomes too difficult, stop. Take a break. Take a walk. Treat yourself to a glass of iced tea or hot apple cider. Wash your hands with special scented soap. Do something physical to relax your mind. Use a focal point as a reminder to relax and breathe deeply. A focal point is anything you like to look at: in your home, your writing environment, or outside. Have A Plan Have a plan for when you are feeling overwhelmed and need relief from emotional tension while you are writing. Prepare a healthy snack before you begin to write. When the writing gets difficult,…
Five Points is ready for your writing.
Five Points: A Journal of Literature and Art welcomes unsolicited submissions of fiction, poetry, and literary non-fiction. Deadline: All categories have a December 1 deadline. Entry fees range from $2.50 to $25. The James Dickey Prize for Poetry Send three previously unpublished poems no more than fifty lines each. Simultaneously submitted manuscripts are accepted. $25 Entry fee includes a one-year subscription. Winner receives $1000 and will be featured in an upcoming issue of Five Points. Essay Each essay should be no longer than 7500 words. Reading Period 2 is: Jan. 11 through March 31 Fiction Each story should be no longer than 7500 words. Reading Period 2 is: Jan. 3 through March 31. Poetry Each poem should be no longer than fifty lines. Reading Period 2 is: Jan. 3 through March 31. Very Short Prose (Fiction or Nonfiction) Up to 500 words maximum. SPECIAL ISSUE – Flash Fiction Maximum 250 words….
What do Contest Judges Look for?
Recently I was one of three judges for a writing contest. We didn’t agree during the first round of reading on the winners. It took re-reading and much discussion to select the three winners. So that got me to thinking. What do contest judges look for when choosing winning entries? My fellow judges and I came up with: Make sure to follow the guidelines. They aren’t arbitrary. The guidelines are specific for a reason. Make sure to follow the criteria of what genre the contest is. Don’t submit memoir if the contest is fiction. Even though the judges may not be able to tell for sure if something is fiction or memoir . . . if it feels like memoir, it probably is. And that won’t work in a fiction contest. The winning entries that stood out excelled in creative writing and well-crafted stories. The writing and stories were compelling,…
Are Writing Contests For You?
Do you enter writing contests? If you do, please share your experience here or on the Writers Forum Facebook page. If you don’t enter writing contests, why not? Share your reasons here or on the Writers Forum Facebook Page. “Writing contests give me short pieces to concentrate on, in between my bigger works. Contests allow me to write in genres that I never would have otherwise, causing me to do research, which helps me to grow as a writer. Contests motivate me to write and challenge me to meet a certain word quota. This forces me to pare down my story to its essentials, choosing my adjectives very carefully, and paying close attention to my word choices.” — Jeanne Jusaitis, First Place Winner of The 2016 Steampunk Contest, sponsored by Redwood Writers, a branch of the California Writers Club. Links to Writing Contests: Fan Story Writer’s Digest The Writer Poets &…
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 . . .
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….