Creative Nonfiction Literary magazine publishes nonfiction prose such as “long-and-short-form nonfiction narratives [and] columns that examine the craft, style trends and ethics of the nonfiction writing life, [as well as] interviews with established writers.”—Writer’s Digest, July/August 2016 issue. Lee Gutkind, Founder and Editor of Creative Nonfiction: “In some ways, creative nonfiction is like jazz—it’s a rich mix of flavors, ideas, and techniques, some of which are newly invented and others as old as writing itself. Creative nonfiction can be an essay, a journal article, a research paper, a memoir, or a poem; it can be personal or not, or it can be all of these. The words ‘creative’ and ‘nonfiction’ describe the form. The word ‘creative’ refers to the use of literary craft, the techniques fiction writers, playwrights, and poets employ to present nonfiction—factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a compelling, vivid, dramatic manner. The goal is to…
Category: Just Write
Enter Writer Advice Contest And Receive Feedback.
If you want your writing to be published, you have to submit. If you want to be a better writer, you need feedback. You can get both when submitting to Writer Advice contests. B. Lynn Goodwin, founder of Writer Advice, reads every manuscript submitted. She will give you excellent feedback, tell you what’s working and identify anything that trips her up. I first met Lynn in a writing workshop in Berkeley, CA, summer of 2007. I admired her writing then and admire her editing skills now. Lynn’s tips on how to win a contest: Entice. Grab attention. Make the reader want to know more. Give reasons for the reader to care. Due by September 1: Scintillating Starts: Middle Grade, Young Adult, or New Adult novels. 1000 words or less. Fee: $15. First prize: $160. Second prize. $50. Due by December 1: Scintillating Starts: Fiction, memoir, or creative non-fiction. 1000 words or…
EatingWell Welcomes Freelancers
EatingWell magazine is looking for articles about cooking, nutrition science, and the origins of food and social issues related to food networks, and welcomes ideas from new writers. “EatingWell’s voice is journalistic and authoritative; it speaks to both men and women. We cover nutrition with a newsy, science-based approach.” Before submitting, become familiar with EatingWell magazine and departments. “It’s difficult for us to contract with someone to write a story—no matter how brilliant the idea is—if it doesn’t fit into a specific department in the magazine. Send us ideas for specific sections in the magazine.” “You increase your chance of scoring an assignment with us if you 1) develop your pitch following the format for past columns, and 2) explain why the proposed topic should be covered in a specific issue.” Go to EatingWell Submission Guidelines for examples and pitching tips. EatingWell welcome freelancers. “In this front-of-book section, we feature…
The California Sunday Magazine
The California Sunday Magazine is looking for freelance writers, photographers and illustrators. From their website: The California Sunday Magazine roams across California, the West, Asia, and Latin America, telling stories for a national audience. We also produce a live event series, Pop-Up Magazine. We explore science, business, entertainment, politics, technology, art, social issues, sports, food, and more. We’re curious about everything. We publish stories regularly on the web and in print — delivered monthly with select Sunday copies of the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. Interested in working with us? Check out our job openings. Writers We’d love to hear your story ideas. We’re not hiring staff writers or contributing writers yet. But we look forward to working with a wide network of independent, freelance writers. Our rates for reported features will be competitive with national print magazines. And you’ll work with exceptional editors. Send a note to writers@californiasunday.com…
Real Simple Life Lesson Essay Contest
What was the most dramatic change you have ever had to make? “Maybe you had to move cross-country after being relocated for a job, opening up new possibilities along with fears. Or maybe you needed to sell your house or leave an apartment before you expected to. How did that situation influence the rest of your life? If one unavoidable shift changed your world—for good and bad—in enduring ways, write it down and share it with Real Simple.” Send your typed, double-spaced submission to lifelessons@realsimple.com. 1,500 words maximum. Deadline: 11:50 pm, September 19, 2016. Read the 2016 Winning Essay How I Made My Best Friend During the Worst Tragedy of My Life, by Diane Penney.
Weave journal discoveries into stories
If you “keep a journal,” you can weave some entries into stories. Give your fictional characters personality traits, attitudes or habits discovered in journal writing. Each day write about what surprised you, what moved you, what inspired you. Even if you think you have nothing to say, sit down and start writing. Write about the worst thing that happened to you and the best thing that happened to you each day. Just write! Inspired from an article in the December 2000 issue of Good Housekeeping, “The Question Journal,” by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., author of My Grandfather’s Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging.
Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest 2016
The 12th Annual Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest has five categories: Things My Parents Taught Me The Best Gift I Ever Received It Happened One Night If I Were Rich And Famous You Can Count On Me You may submit a maximum of three poems, no more than one in each of three of the five contest categories. Poems may be in rhyme, free verse, Haiku or other accepted poetry forms and of any length, up to a maximum of 60 lines. You do not have to live in Lincoln, CA to be eligible. Young Poets, 18-years of age or under, are encouraged to submit poems and will compete in a special “Young Poets” category. Entry Forms and Contest Rules Entry Forms must be received no later than Saturday, July 23, 2016. Early submissions are appreciated. If you have questions, please contact Alan Lowe, Contest Coordinator, at slolowe@icloud.com
The Condolence Note – What To Write
I was taught to write thank you notes. They’re pretty easy. “Dear Aunt Margaret, thank you for the sweater. I’m going to wear it to school.” Doesn’t matter if the sweater fit or not, or was the right color. Receive a gift. Write a thank you note. Condolence notes are harder. Sometimes we just don’t know what to say. Here are some ideas. Dear Friend, My sincere condolences at the loss of Henry. I miss him every day. Thinking of you with much love. Dear Elsie, I can only imagine how hard this must be. Please let me know what I can do. Hello Art, How are you doing? You’ve had to deal with so much. I’ll be near your house on Thursday. May I bring a meal? If you feel like visiting, we can have tea. Dear Aunt Susie, I am so sorry that Uncle Frank passed away. I…
Green Hills Literary Lantern – Submit!
Saturdays are “Places to Submit” on The Write Spot Blog. Today’s feature is the Green Hills Literary Lantern. Check out the submissions page. ” Green Hills Literary Lantern is published annually, in June, by Truman State University. Historically, the print publication ran between 200-300 pages, consisting of poetry, fiction, reviews, and interviews, and was printed on good quality paper with a glossy, 4-color cover. The digital magazine is of similar proportions and artistic standards. All views, conclusions, or opinions are those of the authors of the pieces and not necessarily those of the editorial staff or publishers. GHLL is indexed by the Index of American Periodical Verse (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press) and The American Humanities Index.”
Which Oz character are you?
As you know, there are two sides to every story (sometimes more, depending on the number of characters involved). Let’s look at The Wizard of Oz, the movie version, with different perspectives, different points of view. The Wizard: Wise and knowing? Or a fraud? Dorothy: Sweet and innocent? Or a spoiled orphan? Uncle Henry: Owner and Farm Manager? Or just a guy doing what he likes to do? Auntie Em: Home Sweet Home and apple pie? Or bossy? Hunk the farmhand/Scarecrow: Simple minded? Or observant and resourceful? Hickory the farmhand/Tin Man: A hunk of machine parts? Or kind and sensitive? Zeke the farmhand/ Cowardly Lion: A coward? Or a leader? Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West: Mean and ornery? Or misunderstood? Glinda The Good Witch of the South: Too good to be true? Or conniving (why didn’t she tell Dorothy about the shoes when they first met?) Toto: Just a…