TOP SPONSOR 

My name is Micaila. 

Quick question for you. What makes writers like Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Brandon Sanderson, & Sarah J. Mass so successful? 

Not just once… but over and over again? 

How do they keep telling great stories and getting published every single year? 

That’s what I wanted to know. 

And I discovered four things — secrets that will help readers become writers. 

Here’s what I learned. 

EDITOR'S THOUGHTS

Memoir

About this time of year we take measure of who we are, what we've accomplished, and what we've overcome. Then we often ponder where to take things from here. Many of us interpret those feelings as yearning for a memoir. 

We like to feel that what we experience is so profound that it needs to be shared with others so that they can learn how to live a better life, or learn what to avoid. The problem is we forget what a memoir is. It's a true story that reads like a novel. Fact is, too many failed memoirs are little more than autobiographies. 

When writing a memoir, one has to remember the following:

1) It's as much about the beauty of the writing as the substance. 
2) The reader has to feel almost like a voyeur, as if violating a peek into someone else's life. 
3) The reader has to relate to the feelings. 
4) The memoir has to have an intention construct, with a deep, worthy message. 
5) The story has to feel raw, with revelation in the end.
6) The tale has to feel powerful. 

Hundreds of people have told me they wanted to write their memoir. What they prefer to write is an autobiography. Most do not even think about how to be purposeful and meaningful in the writing itself. Their mind is wrapped around their past and how everyone will appreciate what they've been through. 

First and foremost, learn to write. Crave to write wonderfully and beautifully. 

Secondly, look at your personal story and define its beginning, middle, and ending, then decide where the climax is and define the theme and ultimate lesson learned. Think like a movie, with the movie swelling here and there. 

Thirdly, outline it. While you know how the story ends, you were too close to the action when it happened. Outline the journey, making sure it contains all the characteristics of a novel with its parts and acts and expectations at places along the way. 

If this sounds incredibly difficult, kudos to you for being aware. It is. It is every bit as difficult as a full-length novel. If you decide it's too difficult, then that might also be an indicator that your story isn't quite the blockbuster you thought. Not that you didn't weather hard times or learn from the journey, but without the knowledge of how it should be properly told, you'll spill blood on the page for nothing. 

A memoir needs to feel like a remarkable experience and a legacy that someone other than a relative would crave to read. But the most beautiful memoirs out there aren't about the story but more about the talent and beauty infused into the telling of it.

13622804 © Vladimir Kolobov | Dreamstime.com

SUPER SPONSOR 

Want to set your writing goals for 2023 in stone? Join me, Kate Meadows, for a FREE webinar on Jan. 7, 2023 to get specific about the writing goals you have for the new year, and walk away with a personalized road map for your 2023 writing goals!

• Name 2 or 3 writing goals you want to accomplish in 2023
• Identify potential hurdles that stand between you and those goals
• Brainstorm with Kate and other attendees ways to overcome those hurdles
• Walk away with a step-by-step plan for how to accomplish your writing goals for 2023

Register at https://event.webinarjam.com/register/22/vggw2s0.

Questions? Email kate@katemeadows.com.

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SUccess Story

If you have a success story you believe was prompted by FundsforWriters, please share with us! Send to hope@chopeclark.com 

 

Featured article

Pitching with Efficiency

By Orrin Konheim

When you discover you have the means to freelance, it becomes a blessing and a curse. On the upside, you have the ability to take the thoughts that go through your head and convert them into bylines and money. On the other hand, you feel like an overloaded dishwasher. With so many ideas you scramble to optimize that flow into what will best work for you. It can be overwhelming. 

Whether through limited energy or actual hours in the day, you’ll always have a time budget. That limitation should be present in deciding where to devote your energy. 

I write ideas down on a document called my pitch list. If I’m really inspired (because it can be extremely easy to write in the heat of the moment) I might even write some paragraphs out as my time budget allows. 

After I have some ideas sketched out, I consider available publications. Can I can pitch them with reasonable efficiency? How much do I have to readjust my writing style to turn in a quality product and is that a good or bad thing? What is the pay and how does that compare to the demands in terms of research and word count? 

Start with editors you already have connections with. These are your anchor publications. If you have a really great relationship with them and the pay and conditions are to your liking, then your search ends there. 

But odds are you’re not in perma-lancer heaven just yet. And that’s ok. Considering the rapidly changing landscape—I’ve rarely had an editor stay in a job for more than a couple years or a publication stay the same for more than five years –it’s extremely useful to build as many different relationships as you can. In short, we should all be pitching.

Next, pitch to editors you’ve established some sort of relationship with but they haven’t accepted any level of work. It often simply starts out as obligatory rejections that are one sentence: “Sorry, we’ll pass but thank you for pitching.” If you pitch enough or give an earnest plea for feedback, you might get responses that are longer than one sentence. This is a good sign that you should invest a little more here. 

After that there are the sorts of outlet that are on your bucket list. They pay the most, they have the highest pedigree, or you might have some other connection with them. You’ll want to work hardest on these pitches. Mind you, this doesn’t necessarily  mean lengthening the pitch. Just add that slight bit of specialization that shows you’ve been reading their publication. 

You can even add to this list by looking up sites such as Where to Pitch or Writers Market (you might have to subscribe to the latter) to find outlets you didn’t know you wanted to write for but have since become a perfect fit.

After mapping this list out, I recommend a top-down approach if you really want to maximize your potential. Start with the unreachables. If they say no, go down to the editors who you have some relationship with, then your anchor publications, and, in a worst-case scenario, self-publish. 

Of course, certain publications ask for self-disclosure if you’re pitching to more than one publication. For the most part, this requires a balance of playing things close to the chest so you’re not misleading these editors, while also making these editors feel like you have their full attention. It’s the same kind of dance that a job interviewee has with the tacit understanding that you are also interviewing for other positions. 

On the off-chance that you get a piece accepted by more than one, profusely apologize to the publication you don’t want to go with and offer them something else. They will likely have enough entries that they’ll be able to fill in the space anyway, but you will gain the chance to publish more pieces. 

A big part of pacing yourself and setting your goals daily. The goal is not to make all your big ideas come to fruition immediately, but to get a little pitching done every day as time permits so that publication, income, and success happen along and along, aiding you in making this business manageable. 

BIO: Orrin Konheim has been a freelance journalist since 2011 with bylines in the Washington Times, Washington Post, Mental Floss Magazine, Today I Found Out, and over three dozen other publications. He primarily writes in the Washington DC and Richmond markets and primarily enjoys film and television writing, local journalism, and the intersections of politics and culture. https://muckrack.com/orrin-konheim/articles
 

96114503 © creativecommonsstockphotos | Dreamstime.com

 

COmpetitions

THE ANTHOLOGY POETRY COMPETITION
https://anthology-magazine.com/awards-awards/anthology-creative-awards/poetry-competition/
€10-18 ENTRY FEE. Deadlines February 23, 2023, June 30, 2023, and October 31, 2023. Poetry Competition is open to original and previously unpublished poems in the English language. Entries are invited from poets of all nationalities, living anywhere in the world. There is no restriction on theme or style. Poems submitted should not exceed 40 lines. There is no limit to entries per person. The winner will receive a €1,000 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology. The winner will also receive a one-year subscription subscription to Anthology. Second prize is €250. Third prize €150.

VERSE DAILY BOOK PRIZE
https://www.versedaily.org/bookprize.shtml
$26 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 15, 2023. Verse Daily is pleased to announce its first annual poetry book prize, in partnership with the long established publisher DHP. The winner will receive book publication and a $1,000 prize. Also, from all the book manuscripts submitted to the Verse Daily Book Prize, we will also select one poem, previously published or not, to honor with a $100 prize and poem publication on Verse Daily. Open to any poet writing in English regardless of publication history. Length requirements: up to 60 pages of text.

COLORADO PRIZE FOR POETRY
https://coloradoreview.colostate.edu/colorado-prize-for-poetry/
The Colorado Prize for Poetry is an international poetry book manuscript contest. Each year’s prizewinner receives a $2,500 honorarium and publication of his or her book by the Center for Literary Publishing. Manuscripts must be at least 48 pages and no more than 100 pages. They may be composed of any number of poems.

NEW AMERICAN POETRY PRIZE
https://newamericanpress.com/2023-new-american-poetry-prize-final-judge-jamaica-baldwin
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 15, 2023. The winning manuscript will be published and its author will receive $1,500, promotional support, and 25 author copies. Manuscripts should be at least 48 pages, but there is no maximum length. All forms and styles of poetry are welcome.

CWA DEBUT DAGGER AWARD
https://thecwa.co.uk/awards-and-competitions/the-daggers/debut-dagger
£36 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 28, 2023. The international competition is for a crime novel opening (max. 3,000 words) and synopsis (max. 1,500 words). The crime novel should be suitable for adults or young adults. Entries are eligible from writers who have never had a contract for a full-length novel of any kind and who don’t have an agent when the competition closes at the end of February. Entrants may not have self-published their entry or any other piece of writing over 20,000 words within five years of the closing date. CWA members are not eligible to enter. Prize £500.

PAPA TANGO PRIZE
https://papatango.co.uk/entry-requirements/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 5, 2023. The winning writer will receive £7000. Their script will be produced by Papatango in a full run on the main stage of the Bush Theatre, London, in spring 2024. The writer will receive a royalty of 8% of the net box office and their play will be published by Nick Hern Books. The four shortlisted writers will each receive £500 and the option to have their play presented as a reading by The Playwright Laboratory (TPL) in association with Papatango. 

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

 

TENNESSEE FELLOWSHIPS
https://tnartscommission.org/grants/individual/
Deadline January 23, 2023. Fellowships provide those individuals who by education, experience, or natural talent engage in a particular art form or discipline, and live and work in Tennessee. To qualify, an artist must be financially compensated for his or her work, and this compensation must be a significant source of support for their livelihood. The Commission anticipates that each fellowship recipient will be awarded $5,000. In a year, the Tennessee Arts Commission may award approximately 1-2 fellowships each in Craft, Media, Visual Art, Dance, Music, Theater, and Interdisciplinary Performing Arts as well as three in the Literary Arts.

VERMONT ARTIST DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
https://www.vermontartscouncil.org/grants/artists/artist-development
Deadline January 31, 2023. Grants can fund activities that enhance mastery of a Vermont artist’s craft or skills or that increase the viability of an artist's business. Funding may also support aspects of the creation of new work when the activity allows the grantee to accept a rare and important opportunity.

FLEISHHACKER FOUNDATION SMALL ARTS GRANT
https://www.fleishhackerfoundation.org/small-arts
Grants ranging from between $2,500 and $10,000 (generally closer to $5,000) will be awarded as general support to support small arts organizations engaged in the production and presentation of new work by Bay Area artists in the disciplines of dance, music, theater, visual arts, interdisciplinary arts, or film. General support grants are flexible and may be used for operations, staffing, facilities, health and safety compliance, artists’ compensation, rehearsals, performances, presentations, exhibitions, and other administrative, program, or production costs at the grantee’s discretion. Applicants must be arts and culture organizations incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (including fiscal sponsors applying on behalf of a sponsored arts group or filmmaker). Organizations must be located and primarily offering programming in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sonoma, San Mateo, and/or Santa Clara counties and be able to demonstrate an artistic presence in the Bay Area for at least three years. 

COURAGE TO WRITE GRANTS
LANDO GRANTS
WRITER OF NOTE GRANTS
https://degrootfoundation.org/courage-to-write-guidelines/
$22 APPLICATION FEE. Deadline February 15, 2023. Applications are open to individual adult writers regardless of race, ethnicity, gender orientation, education, economic situation, geographic origin or location. The de Groot Foundation will award seven COURAGE to WRITE grants of $7,000 each to writers writing in any genre and three $7,000 LANDO grants to writers exploring immigrant/refugee issues and experiences. In addition, the selection committee has the option to select up to 10 additional writers for Writer of Note grants of $1,500 each.

MAINE WRITERS AND PUBLISHERS ALLIANCE
https://www.mainewriters.org/scholarships
1) Ashley Bryan Fellowships - Open to Maine residents who are emerging writers and who are Black, people of color, and/or members of one of the Wabanaki Nations or other Native peoples. Provides fellows with a Find Maine Writers membership, free workshops, and other benefits.  
 
2) Bodwell Fellowship - Open to Maine residents who are emerging writers. Provides one Bodwell Fellow each year with a residency at Hewnoaks Artist Colony and a $500 award.  

3) Christina Baker Kline Scholarships - Open to all Maine residents. Provides one-year of MWPA membership and attendance fees for two workshops. 

4) Martin Dibner Memorial Fellowships - Open to all Maine residents who have not published a full-length book. Provides full funding to attend the MWPA’s autumn Harvest Writers Retreat or spring Black Fly Writers Retreat OR a multi-week workshop in the fall or spring. 

BYRDCLIFFE ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM - WOODSTOCK, NY
https://woodstockbyrdcliffeguild.submittable.com/submit
The Byrdcliffe Artists-in-Residence (AiR) Program offers uninterrupted time and space for creatives in all disciplines. Our serene and rustic mountain community is 2.5 hours north of NYC in Woodstock, NY with residencies open to individuals and co-applicants at all stages of their career. 

Summer Communal Residencies deadline February 15, 2023. 
Summer Cottage Residencies deadline January 15, 2023. 

Fellowships and grants for communal residencies (writing):
-The annual Ford/Knauth Fellowship for LGBTQIA+ Artists (full fee)
-The annual Bernard and Shirley Handel Playwright Fellowships (full fee)

Fellowships and grants for cottage residencies:
– The Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant for Cottage Artists-in-Residence (partial - full fee & stipend)
– The Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant for Artists Affects by Natural Disaster (partial - full fee & stipend)

MISSISSIPPI PROJECT GRANTS
https://arts.ms.gov/grants/grants-for-individuals/project-grants-for-individuals/
Deadline March 1, 2023. Project Grants for Individuals provide funding to support ideas and projects organized by or for artists in Mississippi. These grants are given to individuals to support innovation, to propel artist’s careers and to encourage collaboration between artists and communities. Individual Project Grants award up to $2,000. 

  

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

SCOOP FOOD MAGAZINE
https://scoopfoodmag.com/en-us/pages/about-us
Deadline December 31, 2022. At Scoop, we curate an inclusive snapshot of Irish food that reflects on the past, celebrates our deliciously diverse present and looks forward to the future. Our themed issues and focus on long-form writing allow Scoop to do a deep dive into a topic to explore all aspects of Irish food and drink. Scoop Issue 02 is coming in April 2023 and the theme is Eat Your Feelings. Email pitches to editor Dee Laffan at scoopfoodmag@gmail.com. Pays €150-€500 depending on word count/type of feature.

LOOKOUT (PHOENIX)
https://lookoutphx.substack.com/p/work-with-us
As we gear up for our January 2023 launch, we are actively looking for reporters — seasoned and novice — to pitch stories for our weekly newsletters and quarterly publication, which is slated to launch in summer of 2023. We are looking for hard-hitting news, solutions-focused features, and investigations that work to elevate queer news that can’t be rivaled anywhere else in the Valley or across Arizona. Pitch Joseph D. Jaafari, Editor, at https://twitter.com/josephjaafari with DM. 

LOGIC
https://logicmag.io/pitch-us/
We are currently soliciting pitches for Issue 19 of Logic(s): supa dupa skies (move slow and heal things). We begin at $1,200 for shorter essays of 1,200-1,600 words, and $2,000 for longer features of 2,000-4,000 words and up. Other mediums will be compensated at the same rate depending on length. Logic(s) is still a magazine about technology and society that publishes three times per year, in print and digital formats. We’re under new leadership, J. Khadijah Abdurahman and Xiaowei Wang, and are re-launching as the first black + asian queer tech magazine.

PLOUGH
https://www.plough.com/en/about-us/magazine-submissions
Plough Quarterly is a magazine of stories, ideas, and culture to inspire faith and action. Bold, hope-filled, and down-to-earth, it features thought-provoking articles, commentary, interviews, short fiction, book reviews, poetry and art. Each issue brings together essential voices from many traditions to give you fresh insights on a core theme such as peacemaking, biblical justice, children and family, building community, man and woman, nature and the environment, nonviolence, or simple living. Up to $700 per article.

BOOK XI
https://bookxiajournalofliteraryphilosophy.submittable.com/submit
Deadline December 31, 2022. Issue 11 of Book XI will feature stories, essays, or poems about superstitions or about the number 11. We are looking for philosophically informed stories, essays, or poetry that address this theme. We will pay $200 for each piece that we publish (or $50 for each poem we publish). We are generally looking for pieces that are between 2,000 and 7,000 words, though we will happily consider submissions that are shorter or longer than this. Book XI is a journal dedicated to publishing personal essays, memoir, fiction, science fiction, humor, and poetry with philosophical themes. The journal is on-line, and will appear twice a year. 

RESERVE & NATIONAL GUARD MAGAZINE
https://reservenationalguard.com/write-for-us/
They are looking for stories related to the Air Force Reserve and Navy Reserve – not profiles on reservists, but taking a larger look at the components. More hard news, less human interest. Word count 500-800 words depending on the complexity of the assignment. Email Kari Williams, Editor, at kari.williams@ameriforcemedia.com with PITCH in the subject line. Payment ranges $75 USD to $200 USD.

THE HARD HISTORY PROJECT
https://www.thehardhistoryproject.net/opportunities
As part of our collaboration with the Last Seen Project, we are actively recruiting authors and illustrators with experience producing fiction and nonfiction for students in upper elementary grades. Pitches and resumes/CVs should be sent to Kate Shuster: kate.shuster@gmail.com. When complete, these pieces will be no more than 1,000 words each, and will be published on the Last Seen website, including originally commissioned illustrations. Payment is $1 per published word, and $500 per published illustration. 

ISLANDIA JOURNAL
https://islandiajournal.submittable.com/submit%2F214840%2Frolling-submissions-non-fiction
Deadline December 31, 2022. In 2022, Islandia Journal will be published as a print quarterly. We will consider submissions on a rolling basis, meaning work will be considered for its merit and first-come, first-serve. Islandia prioritizes publishing the work of those who call South Florida home but will consider work by those who live outside the region but whose work is connected to it in some way, shape, or form. Non-Fiction works to considered include: Hidden Histories, Personal Essays, Reported Stories, and essays that fit somewhere in between all of this. There is a word count limit of 1,500 words. Islandia pays $100 for personal essays and pay begins at $150 for reported stories and hidden histories, scaling up for work that requires travel time and/or archival research. 

 

Publishers/agents

KENSINGTON
https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/pages/submissions/
We are currently not accepting Children’s, Middle Grade, Young Adult or Poetry submissions. From the list of editors and their areas of interest below, determine which editor would be best suited to or most interested in the type of book you are proposing. Address the submission to that editor’s attention. If an editor passes, it’s a pass for Kensington; do not re-query or re-submit to another editor.

The Kensington Cozies imprint focuses on contemporary mysteries fitting criteria based on the cozy mystery genre, including little-to-no violence, profanity, or sex; likeable amateur sleuths; a murder that happens off-page; and series arcs that allow the sleuths to grow in their professions and relationships.

Citadel Press is Kensington’s imprint for exciting and informative nonfiction.

The Dafina imprint focusing on commercial fiction and nonfiction that centers on race and identity.

The John Scognamiglio Books imprint is for character-driven novels selectively chosen by editor-in-chief John Scognamiglio.

Pinnacle is the Kensington imprint for action and adventure titles including westerns and thrillers.

Lyrical Press is a digital first imprint that offers readers a prolific catalog of titles ranging from sweeping historical romances and edgy erotic titles to chilling thrillers and cozy mysteries. Lyrical Press offers an exciting way to meet your next favorite author in every fiction genre.

Zebra is Kensington's flagship imprint and publishes nationally bestselling women's fiction, romantic suspense and bestselling historical, paranormal and contemporary romances. Authors on the Zebra list include Fern Michaels, Lisa Jackson, Hannah Howell, Janet Dailey, Mary Burton, Victoria Alexander, Mary Jo Putney, Nancy Bush and Alexandra Ivy.

 

FUNDSFORWRITERS CONTACT INFO

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