Lynn Cook Henriksen writes: When “TellTale Souls Writing the Mother Memoir…” was setup on the Amazon site, they characterized it as Volume I. I felt someone was trying to tell me Volume II would need follow, so now’s the time to start writing the story only you can write and send it to me for possible inclusion. Volume II will be mainly filled with TellTale Souls’ bio-vignettes, not as a guide to writing, since I covered that well throughout the Five Acts making up Volume I. For the publication of your non-fiction, telling-tale on the TellTale Souls/The Story Woman blog or possible inclusion in a future memoir collection, please follow these guidelines. Look over the The Story Woman Blog carefully and you will gain insight into what we would like to see in your story (your bio-vignette). Need help? Consider reading TellTale Souls Writing the Mother Memoir: How to Tap…
Category: Just Write
How do you handle rejection?
First, don’t take rejection personally. When you submit your writing for inclusion in an anthology, magazine. . . to an editor, publisher, agent. . . and you receive a “no, thanks” letter, or worse, you never hear back . . . don’t take it personally. It may or may not be the quality of writing, but it’s definitely not a rejection of you personally. My Submission Philosophy You won’t receive rejection notices unless you submit your writing. And if you submit your writing . . . you will probably receive a rejection note, or two, or more. Welcome to The Club I wrote a story about pesky gophers around 2007. Shopped it around. Submitted to a little contest. Won second place. I was thrilled. But really, this was a miniscule contest. Probably two entries. So I shopped it some more. Got accepted. But the editor said since it was seasonal,…
Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest
Voices of Lincoln 10th Annual Poetry Contest has five categories: *Once Upon A Time *Ten Years From Now *It’s A Miracle *A Journey Worth Taking *People Are Funny You may submit a maximum of three poems, no more than one in each of three of the five contest categories. Everyone is encouraged to enter the contest. You do not have to live in Lincoln to be eligible. All poems must be received no later than Saturday, July 26, 2014. Mail entries (with the entry form) to: Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest c/o Alan Lowe, Coordinator 1235 Picket Fence Lane Lincoln, CA 95648 If you need additional information or an entry form, please email or phone Alan Lowe at (916-408-1274). slolowe -at- icloud.com You can access Entry Form by clicking here. Scroll down to entry form: highlight, copy, print just the entry form. Good Luck!
Live in the world of your imagination and take young readers with you.
Want to write books for children or young adults? Here are some ideas for you. Excerpted from “Child’s Play,” Yvonne Coppard and Linda Newberry, March 2014 issue of The Writer Magazine. An author must find his or her own voice and style and use them to express concerns that are passionately felt and imagined. Good writing for children has the same qualities as good writing for any age group: What stands out is authority, the confidence to be what it is. It tells the reader that the journey will be worthwhile. To write well, an author must have an ear for rhythm, control of pace and awareness of what drives a story and engages a reader. The author needs the knack of evoking universal experiences from the particular, inviting the reader to share the trials and triumphs of the viewpoint character. There are no right ways to do this, and…
3Elements Review seeks submissions using three specific elements . . .
3Elements Review was founded to spark imagination, to provide a unique creative challenge, and to allow writers and artists a bit of fun with our three element prompts. We aim to distinguish ourselves from the typical literary journal through our unique approach to the creative process. Each issue begins with the posting of three elements and ends with a journal filled with the imaginative ways in which each writer and artist transformed those elements. We provide both emerging and established writers and artists a platform to share their unique voices and visions with the world. CURRENT THREE ELEMENTS: Carnival, Residue, Maudlin Submissions due by June 1, 2014, September 1, December 1 and March 1 Click here for 3Elements Review submission guidelines. Brief Submission Guidelines for 3Elements Review: We appreciate good writing in any genre. We especially like edgy writing that offers insight into darkness. We prefer character-driven stories as opposed to…
Write short? Write long? Write strong!
The following is an excerpt from “When every letter counts,” by Kevin Cullen (no relation to me that I know of). — March 2014 issue of The Writer Magazine. Kevin writes: I have been in the newspaper game for more than 30 years, which qualifies me as a card-carrying old fart. I have tried to embrace new technologies and platforms pushed upon us by enthusiastic, young tech geeks who talk about Facebook and Twitter with the zeal of evangelicals. Online is where it’s at, even though we still make most of our money from the dead tree version. But what has all this meant for writing? Because, let’s face it, the biggest advantage all forms of written journalism have over the immediacy of TV and radio is the ability to deliver depth and strong, evocative writing. Writing short and writing long require different disciplines. It’s the differences between writing a…
Two places to submit your poetry
Sonoma County poet Nancy Dougherty has recently joined the editorial staff of California Quarterly, a journal devoted to poetry. Since this journal is small and currently off-line, the likelihood of getting published is pretty good. Nancy says, “The California Quarterly truly has a lot to offer in contests and as a link to other state poetry societies, which have similar journals and contests.” The California Quarterly is published four times a year. Submissions are accepted year around. Guidelines: Submit up to 6 poems at one time, include name and address on all pages, self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for response. Submit unpublished poems only. Simultaneous submissions accepted. Send submissions to: CQ Editors, PO Box 7126, Orange, CA, 92863 The California Quarterly is sponsored by the California State Poetry Society, a non-profit organization founded over thirty years ago. It is dedicated to the adventure of poetry and its dissemination. Although located in…
Short may be the new long game.
Jessica Strawser, editor of The Writer’s Digest magazine, writes about the benefits of writing short pieces in the March/April 2014 issue of the Writer’s Digest magazine. “Writing short is a too-often overlooked way to break out in any field of writing. Even if —perhaps especially if —your ultimate goal is to publish a book one day.” She continues, “. . . a diverse approach to getting your name ‘out there’ —whether through personal essays on popular websites, feature articles in leading glossies, or short stories in respected literary journals—is far smarter than focusing your efforts in one place.” So, if you want to write short pieces . . . go ahead! Follow the prompts in this blog and post your writing here!
Wordrunner eChapbooks now accepting submissions.
Wordrunner eChapbooks: Small Fiction Collection Submissions for this fiction collection, to be published online in June 2014, will be accepted until May 31, 2014. Stories may be flash or longer, from 750 up to 4,000 words each, totaling a minimum of approximately 8,000 and a maximum of 18,000 words for the collection. We would like at least five stories, but no more than 20 (if flash fiction). They need not be linked, but it would be a plus if they belong together for some reason, be it theme, location or character/s. We will also consider novel excerpts for this echapbook. There is no fee to submit and authors receive token payment. Submit your best work only. Each story should be original and compelling. No genre fiction, please, unless a story is good enough to transcend genre. Click here for additional guidelines and submission link. Arlene Mandell‘s memoir Scenes From My…
You may have the da Vinci Disease . . .
Have you heard of the da Vinci Disease? Here it is: You have ideas of what to write about. But you never finish because you never start. Or you start and can’t find a way to finish to your satisfaction. You may have a burning desire to write, but there’s never time or maybe you suffer from the da Vinci Disease. The following is excerpted from “The da Vinci Disease,” by Don Fry, March 2014 issue of the Writer Magazine. “Leonardo da Vinci never finished anything because he thought he couldn’t achieve perfection. We all know writers, including ourselves, who can’t (or don’t) finish their work. The root cause is usually a da Vincian rage for perfection, which takes many forms.” Don Fry’s list of why we don’t finish our writing. Italics are Marlene’s comments. We don’t start. ‘Nuff said. Too much gathering. Some writers keep gathering information but never…