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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS

AGEISM

Last week I posted a brief editorial about mature writers still being relevant. If you are breathing, you are still able to write. Amazingly, writers came out of the woodwork thanking me for addressing that fact and respecting the senior writer. 

Some of them were close to giving up. Some were still going strong and even helping others. Some were in the middle and my editorial was the shot in the arm they needed. 

"Thanks for your reference to us 'mature' writers. I'm 83 and finishing the edits on my fourth novel. The first three, a thriller and two suspense novels, and a collection of short stories have been traditionally published. Novel #5 is beginning to take shape. Cheers, James Osborne"

"Wow! I know you did not know that message was intended for me! I've always wanted to be a freelance writer. I was beginning to get discouraged because I don't understand the technology, or the social media ways people connect. I'm also bewildered about the best way to get published. I've done a lot of private writing (journaling, essays, notes), and I would really like to write for compensation. I'm 74 and I often have doubts about being an author. Thank you for your timely reminder that I'm not too late to the party. With deep gratitude, Jim Brown"

"I won't admit defeat, even with some health issues that keep trying to tell me "it's over." I think those obstacles are one reason I am so excited about my recent book." ~Carolyn Howard-Johnson, https://howtodoitfrugally.com/

"My mother wrote regularly, both as her town's newspaper correspondent and for her local writing group,​​​​​​​ until her last year of life, eight months after the world was put on hold with the pandemic when she died at 96. And my friend Abbetina, age 98, is at work on her second memoir, her first one about her Italian immigrant father being published when she was 89. So many seniors don't realize that the experience of their long lives crystalizes in written work, or perhaps more accurately, serves as a focusing lens on the moments of their lives. My friends here in a group called The Room to Write have had wonderful response from local seniors in writing workshops. Those who protest that they don't have anything to write about or that whatever they write will be 'wrong' are the ones who produce the most profound vignettes." ~Sally Chetwynd, https://www.brasscastlearts.com



Sally's reference to mature writers being ripe for good stories is unequivocally, honestly stated. My advice to the older writer out there when pitching story, magazine feature, or manuscript is this:

1) Never mention your age. It only enables someone to judge.
2) Never date your publication experience. You published in a certain publication, period.
3) Never talk in terms that can enable someone to subtract back into your decade.
4) Simply present your best work, your best pitch, and a bio that holds pertinent experience with as little reference to dates as possible. Don't say you've been writing for a magazine since 1982. Say you've published X number of times with a particular publication. 

Some people, including editors, publishers, and agents, do not realize how ageist they are, and seeing dates instinctively makes them judge. Just do not give them the opportunity. Instead, give them the opportunity to see your wonderful writing voice first. 

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HOPE'S APPEARANCES

 
SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

Hi, Hope!!

Thank you for your newsletter. I applied to the FSG Inaugural Writers Fellowship after seeing it on your newsletter. Well, I won, which has led to a publication at the Paris Review, which has now turned into the American Society of Magazine Editors Award for fiction. Thank you so much for what you do!! You are a writer and a friend of writers!!

Best,
Addie Citchens
www.addiecitchens.com 
https://fsgfellowship.com/announcement/
https://theparisreview.org/fiction/7954/a-good-samaritan-addie-e-citchens



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

 

Featured article

Chicken Soup for the Soul Success

By Linda O'Connell

We were two grandmas, and two authors in a coffee shop discussing writing. One of us multi-published, self-confident, the other convinced her first publication in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book was a fluke.

"Why would anybody be interested in my ordinary life?” said the latter, “Nothing extraordinary has ever happened to me. I can't even think of an idea for the topics listed on the website's possible titles for future books."

My new friend's story had just been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul Miracles and the Unexplainable, detailing how she believed she received signs from her late father. Like when she pulled behind a car whose license plate seemed to bear a relevant "message" from him, and she believed it more than coincidence.

"How many people have considered a subtle sign a significant miracle?” I said in response. “Many who do not think of themselves as writers have had your exact experience, but you chose to write about yours."

Ordinary events and shared emotions connect us as humans. We all laugh, cry, yearn, and rejoice over similar events. Convinced she was a one-and-done Chicken Soup for the Soul author, my acquaintance was in awe that I had published in thirty-four Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

I submitted my first Chicken Soup for the Soul story in 1999 with no idea what I was doing. I'd read a newspaper article seeking stories for the upcoming anthology: Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul. The article stated they received thousands of submissions per call out.

I wasn't a gardener or a writer. Out-of-the-box-thinking led me to write about a flower that bloomed outdoors in the dead of winter, per a pact my late friend and I made when she was terminally ill. "If there is an afterlife, will you send me a flower outdoors in winter?" I asked her. She did. 

I adhere to advice from Amy Newmark, Chicken Soup's owner, Editor-in-Chief, and publisher. "Write in a conversational tone about a life experience where something happened that left an impression or had an outcome that improved yours or someone else's life. True inspirational or humorous stories and not just musings, touch readers. Submit a story with a beginning, middle, end, via the online submission manager."  https://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics/

The company likes discovering new writers. Name recognition does not matter; the story does. Stories must have wide appeal and need not be religious in nature. Rejection notices are not sent. Don't take rejection personally. They receive many of the same kinds of stories. Submit early to snare their attention.

True stories should be between 500 and 1,200 words. Get to the point sooner than later; detailed back story is unimportant. The title should be enticing.

My Chicken Soup for the Catholic Soul story was titled, “Saint Elmer.” I was prepared for rejection as am not Catholic. Elmer was a grasshopper character in childhood stories my dad told. My true story about a moment in my adulthood, highlighted how a grasshopper who refused to budge from my back doorknob brought a "message" and timely job offer from a parochial school.

My story in Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution, detailed how replacing the word "but" with "and" made a difference in my students' lives.

Chicken Soup books about cats and dogs are best sellers. “Taming Mighty Mouth” about a noisy, stray cat left the reader deciding if Mighty Mouth was my husband or the cat. (Chicken Soup for the Soul: Life Lessons from the Cat.)

I presumed most writers would write about romantic love for the book Chicken Soup for the Soul Food and Love. I wrote about the love of friendship and included the recipe for the apple nut cakes my best friend and I baked.

A dash of humor helped in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Discovering My Faith. I completely misconstrued the Trinity. "Father" conjured images of my dad drinking coffee. "Son" was my little brother. And "ghosts,” holy or not, were the topic of Dad's spellbinding nighttime storytelling.

The pay rate has increased to $250 per accepted story, and authors receive ten free books. Multiple story submissions per book topic are allowed. Story ideas are listed at https://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics/

Here's to your success!

BIO - Linda O'Connell is a successful freelance writer whose inspirational and humorous articles and essays have been published in regional, national, and international publications, specifically in 34 Chicken Soup for the Soul LLC books, with more forthcoming. Linda blogs at https://lindaoconnell.blogspot.com


 

COmpetitions

Do you write with purpose? With love? With fervor? If so, then you're my kind of author. Like any editor, I have my favorite genres and story types. Adventure stories with dragons will always have a special place in my heart. But after editing everything from fiction to educational material, I've found that a manuscript's place in the author's heart is much more important. So if you've got a story that you absolutely have to tell or knowledge that must be shared, I would be delighted to help you on that journey.

In thanks to the wonderful resources that Hope continues to provide for us week after week, I'm extending a special offer to each of her readers: 10% off any editing project. Just let me know how you found me.

TK Editing - Editing with passion what has been written with passion.
Email tkeditingservice@gmail.com


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CREATIVE WRITING INK POETRY PRIZE
https://creativewriting.ie/creative-writing-ink-poetry-prize/
€6 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2023. Open to writers across the globe. Poems do not need to follow any particular theme or genre, but must be written in English. Poetry should not exceed 42 lines. First prize: €1000, plus a free creative writing course of the winner’s choice and publication on our site. 

WRITER'S DIGEST SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARDS
https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/self-published-book-awards
$100 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 3, 2023. This is the only Writer’s Digest competition exclusively for self-published books. One Grand Prize winner will receive: $10,000, interview in Writer’s Digest (March/April 2024 issue) and on WritersDigest.com, a paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, including a special trophy presentation at the keynote, a coveted Pitch Slam slot at the Writer's Digest Conference where the winner will receive one on one attention from editors or agents, and publication of an excerpt from their winning book on WritersDigest.com. One First Prize winner in each category will receive $1,000 and their name and the winning book's title published in Writer’s Digest (March/April 2024 issue) and on WritersDigest.com. Eight categories. 

WRITER'S DIGEST ANNUAL WRITING COMPETITION
https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/annual-writing-competition
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 5, 2023. One Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000, interview in Writer’s Digest (Nov/Dec 2023 issue) and on WritersDigest.com, paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, including a special trophy presentation at the keynote, a coveted Pitch Slam slot at the Writer's Digest Conference where the winner will receive one on one attention from editors or agents, and publication of their winning piece on WritersDigest.com. The First place winner in each category will receive $1,000 and publication of their winning piece on WritersDigest.com. The Second place winner in each category will receive $500 cash. The Third place winner in each category will receive $250 in cash. The Fourth place winner in each category will receive $100 in cash. The Fifth place winner in each category will receive $50 in cash. The Sixth through Tenth place winners in each category will receive a $25 gift certificate for writersdigestshop.com. Nine categories to enter. 

-1000 BELOW FLAS PROSE AND POETRY CONTEST
https://midwayjournal.com/contest/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 1, 2023. First Prize: $500 + publication in Midway Journal. Second Prize:$250 + publication in Midway Journal. Third Prize: $50 + publication in Midway Journal. Poetry: up to two poems per entry, up to 50 words per poem. No more than one poem per page. Prose (Fiction and Nonfiction): 1 piece per entry, up to 1,000 words per piece. All submissions will be considered for publication.

FRACTURED LIT LEGENDS, MYTHS, AND ALLEGORIES PRIZE
https://fracturedlit.com/current-prize/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 16, 2023. Using these genre themes, we’re looking for stories that scare as much as they resonate, stories that help us discover the roots of desire and conflict, that shimmer on the page, that keep us reading and wondering long after the last period on the page. Transport us from the here and now to a new land of discovery, a fresh way of being entertained, a new way of embracing all of the ways we show our humanness. Entry fee allows up to two stories of 1,000 words or less per entry. First prize of $3,500 and publication. 

FURIOUS FICTION
https://www.writerscentre.com.au/furious-fiction/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline the first week of each month. The ultimate flash fiction challenge. On the first Friday of the month, they unveil a new story challenge. You have 55 hours and 500 words to tell a story and enter. Open worldwide. Prize if $500 AU. 

JAMES JONES FIRST NOVEL FELLOWSHIP
https://www.wilkes.edu/academics/graduate-programs/creative-writing-ma-mfa/james-jones-fellowship-contest.aspx
$33 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 15, 2023. A prize of $10,000 is given annually for a novel-in-progress by a U.S. writer who has not published a novel. First runner-up will receive $3,000, second runner-up will receive $2,000. May have published any other type of work including non-fiction articles and short stories. A two-page (maximum) outline or synopsis of the entire novel and the first 50 pages of the novel-in-progress are to be submitted.

LORIAN HEMINGWAY SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://shortstorycompetition.com/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 1, 2023. Stories must be original unpublished fiction, typed and double-spaced, and may not exceed 3,500 words in length. There are no theme or genre restrictions. The literary competition is open to all U.S. and international writers whose fiction has not appeared in a nationally distributed publication with a circulation of 5,000 or more. The first-place winner will receive $1,500 and publication of his or her winning story on our competition website. The second – and third-place winners will receive $500 each. 

THE ROBINSON JEFFERS TOR HOUSE PRIZE FOR POETRY
https://www.torhouse.org/prize
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 15, 2023. First prize $1,000 for an original, unpublished poem not to exceed three pages. Honorable mentions paid $200. Open to poetry in all styles. 

SEJONG WRITING COMPETITION
https://www.sejongculturalsociety.org/writing/current/sijo.php
NO ENTRY FEE NOTED. Deadline March 31, 2023. Divisions: adult division (age 19 and older) and pre-college division (age 18 and younger). Write one sijo in English on a topic of your choice. A title for the sijo is not required. Adult division: First ($1,000), Second ($750), Third ($500). Pre-college division: First ($500), Second ($400), Third ($300). Honorable mention (for both divisions listed above): Friends of Pacific Rim Awards ($50 each). (Thanks to www.erikadreifus.com)

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

CONTENT GROW
https://www.simplyhired.com/job/DiGXslup3Sto6gqqNSfvfUMS536FxOi3JwjF2nBScEORUYENblKRTQ
We are seeking freelance writers with relevant experience covering the US real estate investment industry. The ideal candidate should have native fluency in written English and be capable of reporting on daily real estate investing news and analysis. We expect our writers to deliver stories within a matter of days. In addition, the candidate should be comfortable pitching two story angles per week. Priority will be given to candidates who can demonstrate a track record in real estate investing research and analysis. The compensation for this position is US$350 per 1,000-word story.

VOICES OF DISABILITY ECONOMIC JUSTICE
https://tcf.org/disability-economic-justice-collaborative/voices-of-disability-economic-justice/
Voices of Disability Economic Justice, a project of the The Century Foundation’s Disability Economic Justice Team, is a commentary series that shines a light on the economic disparities that disabled people experience. Payment for published pieces is $500. We’re looking for op-ed style pieces and personal narratives of approximately 750 words in length written by people who identify as disabled. 

KITCHN - GROCERY DIARIES
https://www.thekitchn.com/submit-your-food-budget-diary-for-kitchns-new-series-241426
The purpose of this column is to show our readers how real people across the United States spend their money on food and drinks throughout the week. Every diary entry will highlight seven days of food — groceries, restaurants, drinks, and freebies — from someone who lives within a weekly food budget. Do you keep a strict weekly budget and want to show the world how you make it happen? Awesome — we want your (anonymous) voice on Kitchn. Send an email to grocerydiaries@thekitchn.com with “Grocery Diaries Submission” in the subject line. In the email, tell us: Your location, Age, Number of people in your family or household, Occupation and salary, Weekly food budget, Ingredients to use this week, Grocery store(s) of choice. If we ask you to write a full diary, we’ll pay you $150.

METRO - SO, HOW DID IT GO?
https://metro.co.uk/tag/so-how-did-it-go/
So, How Did It Go? is a weekly Metro.co.uk series that will make you cringe with second-hand embarrassment or ooze with jealousy as people share their worst and best date stories. Pitch to Jess at jess.austin@metro.co.uk. Pays £100 for 800 words. (Thanks to www.wow-womenonwriting.com)

VULTURE
https://www.vulture.com/article/how-to-pitch-vulture.html
Vulture is organized in large part by subject, with editors in charge of each coverage area who handle freelance assigning for that beat. Further down on this web page you’ll find details on what each specific subject editor wants from pitches. Payment starts at $200. Vulture covers TV, movies, music, comedy, books, podcasts, and streaming.

 

Publishers/agents

BEAUTIFUL DAYS PRESS
https://beautifuldayspress.com/submit
Will be accepting submissions of both full length and chapbook-length manuscripts, to be printed in 2023-24, from February 10 – March 20. We are reading chapbooks of poetry between 15 and 40 pages. We are reading books of poetry (and hybrid poetical works) between 60 and 150 pages. 

CIPHER PRESS
https://www.cipherpress.co.uk/submissions
We’re looking for book-length adult fiction and creative non-fiction submissions from both agented and unagented authors who identify as LGBTQI+. We’re open to any genre and style, as long as the work fits somewhere within the literary bracket and reflects some aspect of the queer and/or trans experience. We’d really like to open this submissions opportunity to as many people as possible and so we’re happy to read unfinished manuscripts, with the caveat you’ve written a substantial amount and have a clear view of the direction your book will take. 

ERRO PRESS
https://www.erropress.com/submissions
Erro Press specialises in fiction (including short fiction and micro books), poetry and non-fiction essays. We currently run two submission windows a year, plus occasional themed submission periods. We currently choose to work with non-agented authors only. We accept novel and novella-length (25,000 - 50,000) submissions in the broad category of Literary fiction, though we are open to high-quality submissions that are genre-busting within that, including magical realism, romance, speculative and fantasy. Please send a synopsis, the first three chapters of your work (up to 10,000 words), and a cover letter to submissions@erropress.com 

LSE PRESS
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsepress/2022/12/12/lse-press-invites-new-book-proposals-across-the-social-sciences/
LSE Press publishes high-quality social science research, and produces innovative, digital-first books and journals aimed at academic, student and policymaker audiences. We are planning a major expansion of our publishing list over the next three years. In this call, we are inviting proposals across the social sciences, including economics, sociology, political science, public policy, anthropology and international relations, plus law, international history, economic history, social history and social and moral philosophy, reflecting LSE’s range of departments. 

DOVER PUBLICATIONS
https://www.doverpublications.com/faq/contacting-dover#EDITSUB
We do not accept submissions for original fiction, music, or poetry. In the case of non-fiction book proposals, we prefer an outline, table of contents, and one sample chapter. 

 

FUNDSFORWRITERS CONTACT INFO

FINE PRINT

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C. Hope Clark
E-mail: hope@fundsforwriters.com
140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036
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ISSN: 1533-1326

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