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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS
MORE ON AI
Publishers are struggling to get ahead of AI, artificial intelligence, and its impact on what is being published and by whom. They want to continue publishing to be done BY WHOM not BY WHAT.
I just ran across this post from Candlemark & Gleam, a publisher of speculative fiction, which gives you an idea of what publishers are up against:
Important note about submissions: as of March 23, 2023, Candlemark & Gleam is closed to submissions by authors not already published by the press or not accompanied by a recommendation from a trusted colleague. This has come about because there are many amazing works in the queue, but also due to the problems created by ChatGPT. We’ll announce when we’re open again to unsolicited submissions by authors new to us. We realize that this creates a terrible situation for new
writers, and will be looking for longer-term solutions.
Publishers do not want AI material. A lot of people (I purposely avoid the use of the word WRITERS) are using AI to create scenes, chapters, and entire books with AI, then claim the work as totally their own when it is not. Many publishers are calling AI plagiarism, and the courts are mostly siding with them.
The Authors Guild has recommended a clause to be placed in publishing contracts to restrict an author's works from being used to train AI. I've asked my publisher to consider it. If you don't feed the beast, it cannot grow.
No Generative AI Training Use. For avoidance of doubt, Author reserves the rights, and [Publisher/Platform] has no rights to, reproduce and/or otherwise use the Work in any manner for purposes of training artificial intelligence technologies to generate text, including without limitation, technologies that are capable of generating works in the same style or genre as the Work, unless [Publisher/Platform] obtains Author’s specific and express permission to do so.
Nor does [Publisher/Platform] have the right to sublicense others to reproduce and/or otherwise use the Work in any manner for purposes of training artificial intelligence technologies to generate text without Author’s specific and express permission.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), with one of the hot topics being the use of AI in writing. WGA offered "that AI would be limited to research material and that AI writing “had no role in guild-covered work.” They went on to say “...plagiarism is a feature of the AI
process.”
My word of warning here is this . . . avoid using AI as much as possible until clarity is found in contracts and legal decisions. If AI becomes a dirty word in the publishing world, dirtier than it already is, you don't want to get painted with the brush that takes down some writers and/or publishers.
FINAL NOTE: Any articles that come to FundsforWriters seeking publication, that can be suspected of being AI written (no personal experiences, no unique anecdotes, too generalized) will be rejected for giving the appearance of AI. We are already getting a certain type of article that has come from at least two dozen writers in the last month, that clearly has been run through an AI program from the generalization of the message.
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- April 3, 2023 - Night Harbor Book Club, Night Harbor S/D Rec Center, Chapin, SC - 7-9 PM
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SUCCESS QUOTE
"It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default."
- J.K. Rowling
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
How Parenthood Opens Writing Opportunities
By Jennifer Sizeland
I began my full-time writing career a few months before having my baby, and that new parental perspective helped provide the inspiration for many articles. I write nonfiction in the form of reported articles on everything from health to travel, but also more personal opinion pieces where I share my view on the world. As pregnancy, childbirth and new motherhood are intense experiences, they can add new layers to writing and inspire fresh ideas.
Parenthood is a brand new life chapter which can alert you to themes or topics you hadn't considered before. Even from early on in pregnancy, new idea avenues just pop up.
But where does parenthood fall in terms of genre? Is it health, society, politics, general parenting, food (weaning tips), drink (non-alcoholic cocktails), travel, a photo essay, opinion, career, entertainment, environment or another lifestyle-based niche? I found I could relate almost anything back to parenting as it is a subject that permeates all aspects of life. The topic works across all types of publications and even has international appeal.
Parenthood is also a niche within itself as not everyone is a parent, or has a baby or young child. It can be a less crowded field for those drawing on personal experience, especially one which is current and anchored in today's society.
Popular parenting blogs can pay as much as general news websites.
Having a child also introduces you to people that you might never have met otherwise, like fellow parents, health professionals, nursery workers or other professionals that can provide new perspectives for new material.
In terms of the craft of writing itself, I have become more vulnerable as emotions are closer to the surface but also more focused as I have much less time to do it.
Parenthood is fast-paced and distractive, so write all thoughts down as soon they happen. Whether on your phone or a pad in the diaper bag, keep something handy to capture the wealth of ideas.
These are some of the ideas and angles that motherhood inspired in my first year of writing after the baby arrived:
I wrote about the birth of my child and used this experience to highlight problems with medical care for the Metro, a publication which specializes in real-life stories.
My new experience highlighted the inequities of parenthood as well as the worldwide pressure to have children which I wrote about in the political publication Prospect Magazine.
I wrote about morning sickness for the Atomic Mommy parenting blog and the secrets of a vegan pregnancy for Birthing Magazine.
As breastfeeding is another important issue that parents face but isn't really discussed as much as it should be, I wrote about it for health publications The Femedic and Get Me Giddy.
From a career perspective, having a child can impact your finances so I researched and wrote about this issue for the Media Diversity Institute.
The lens of parenthood can really shine a light on many unexplored, and previously uninformed, areas for you to write about. I'm grateful that my life experiences have bolstered my career and as my child grows older, new writing opportunities will continue to open.
It has also better connected me to the audience as my writing is more relatable to those experiencing similar situations in parenthood, so much so that I get more messages from readers about these articles than any other.
A side perk is that writing about these experiences becomes a wonderful way to capture those moments in time that you might otherwise forget.
BIO - Jennifer Sizeland is a freelance writer and assistant producer with 12 years of experience in the media industry. She has written for many publications including the BBC, the Independent, Metro, Manchester Mill, Get Me Giddy, the Media Diversity Institute, Funny Women and her own sustainability blog called Land of Size. She lives in Manchester and you can follow her on Instagram at @lifeofsize or Twitter at @landofsize.
COmpetitions
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ACCENTI WRITING CONTEST
https://accenti.ca/writing-contest/rules/
$30 ENTRY FEE. Contest opens in June. The topic is open. Entries can be fiction, nonfiction, and creative nonfiction. Limit 2,000 words. Open internationally. Top prize: $1000 (CDN) and publication in Accenti. Three runner-up prizes: $100 (CDN) each and publication in Accenti.
CRIMEFLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://www.mainewriters.org/crimeflash
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 20, 2022. You’re invited to finish Negger’s compelling opening line—written exclusively for this contest—with your own flash fiction of no more than 500 words. Every entry to the contest must begin with the line: “I was on my hands and knees scrubbing up blood in the entry when the doorbell rang.” First place is a full scholarship for the Maine Crime Wave on Saturday, June 10, plus a spot in the Two
Minutes in Quarantine reading on Friday, June 9. Two honorable mentions receive a 50 percent scholarship. The competition is open to all Maine residents. There is no fee to enter.
YAN-KIT SO AWARD FOR FOOD WRITERS ON ASIA
https://oxfordculturalcollective.com/about-us/yan-kit-so-award/
Deadline April 30, 2023. Win £2500 to undertake a research trip to Asia, to support the production of your first cookbook. This is your opportunity to fulfil a dream to research, travel and write an original work about food and food culture from any corner of Asia – Iran to Japan, Indonesia to the Central Asian Republics. The award is open to UK residents over the age of 18 only. Those who have already published a cookery book are not eligible to enter. The
proposal must be the work of a single author.
ANTHOLOGY FLASH FICTION COMPETITION
https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/flash-fiction-competition/
€8 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2023. The Anthology Flash Fiction Competition is open to original and previously unpublished flash fiction pieces on any theme or genre in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Open to both new and established writers, articles submitted must not exceed 250 words. The winner will receive a €300 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology.
ANTHOLOGY TRAVEL WRITING COMPETITION
https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/travel-writing-competition/
€10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 30, 2023. The Anthology Travel Writing Competition is open to original and previously unpublished travel articles in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Open to both new and established writers, articles submitted must not exceed 1,000 words. The winner will receive a €500 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology.
GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING
CAPE NEW WRITERS FELLOWSHIP
https://www.capeusa.org/cnwf
Deadline December 2023. The CAPE New Writers Fellowship (CNWF) discovers and nurtures emerging Asian and Pacific Islanders writers launching their careers in television. This immersive Fellowship arms each writer with the practical and business knowledge they need to succeed as a professional writer in the entertainment industry.
DISNEY GENERAL ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT WRITING PROGRAM
https://www.abctalentdevelopment.com/writing_program.html
https://www.facebook.com/disneyabcctdi
Opens and closes in May 2023. The DGE Writing Program is a highly selective, annual TV staffing program. The goal is to staff emerging and diverse television writers on DGE scripted series. Program Writers are contract employees of Disney for one year, or until they staff on a show, and receive mentorship, professional development, and unprecedented access to the company and its creative executives, producers, showrunners, and program alumni. One writer will receive the
Eunetta T. Boone Comedy Writers Scholarship and special staffing consideration on a Disney Branded Television series. Visit our Facebook page for updates on the application, including instructions and FAQs.
NHMC SERIES SCRIPTWRITERS PROGRAM
https://www.nhmc.org/writers/
Deadline in April 2023. Ten diverse Latinx writers nationwide are selected for a seven-week intense writers lab. At the end of the program, these writers will have either a half-hour or hourlong original series pilot, which they will pitch to Industry leaders, beginning with our partners at ABC & NBC. Over the seven-week duration writers work with a professional writing mentor, meet and speak with professional industry writers, and build a community of Latinx writers.
The program is officially conducted virtually.
MY TIME FELLOWSHIP FOR PARENT WRITERS
https://www.writerscolony.org/fellowships
Deadline April 10, 2023. Two fellowship winners will receive a one-week residency to allow the recipient to focus completely on their work, at least one to be awarded to a Person of Color. A $500 stipend will be provided to cover childcare and/or travel costs. Each writer’s suite has a bedroom, private bathroom, separate writing space, and wireless internet. We provide uninterrupted writing time, a European-style gourmet dinner prepared five nights a week, and served
in our community dining room, the camaraderie of other professional writers when you want it, and a community kitchen stocked with the basics for other meals. Writers who are also parents of dependent children under the age of 18 are invited to apply. Work may be any literary genre: poetry, fiction, plays, memoir, screenplays, or nonfiction. The successful application will demonstrate literary merit and the likelihood of publication. Prior publication is not a requirement.
ILGENFRITZ LONGFELLOW SCHOLARSHIPS
https://www.mainewriters.org/ilgenfritz-scholarships
Deadline May 1, 2023. A scholarship is for a female high school student who lives in Maine to attend the Longfellow Young Writers’ Workshop at the University of Maine at Farmington each July.
ILGENFRITZ CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS
https://www.mainewriters.org/ilgenfritz-scholarships
A $1,000 grant to writer who is 18+, is female-identifying, and lives in Maine to attend a writing conference of their choosing in the coming year and is given out in September. Opens to applications in the fall.
MINERAL SCHOOL RESIDENCY FELLOWSHIPS
https://mineralschool.submittable.com/submit
Deadline April 15, 2023. Mineral School is an artists residency located in a former elementary school built in 1947 near Mt. Rainier, in Mineral, Washington. During 2023 and the first half of 2024, we'll host 24 creative people. We provide accepted applicants with space and time to create new work without the interruptions of normal life and with the bonus of healthy meals prepared by culinary guest staffers using locally-grown organic produce and eggs where possible.
Each resident will live in an 800-square foot former classroom that offers peekaboo views of Mineral Lake and Mt. Rainier, and that will double as their writing studio, with desk and chair, lighting, bookcase, and lots of chalkboards. During 2023-2024, we are able to offer 17 fellowships so writers and artists may attend residency at no cost. All one-week sessions are free. Otherwise, two-week residency costs $425 (mixed-genre residencies).
FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS
SLEEPAPNEA.ORG
https://www.sleepapnea.org/
Deadline April 20, 2023. At SleepApnea.org, we are committed to providing information and resources for people with sleep apnea. Our overarching goal is to help readers understand this medical condition and its potential impacts on daily life. Seeks US-based writers with strong published articles that outline complex subject matter in a digestible way and include quotes from experts and other sources. Email pitch-us@onecare.com with a link to a portfolio and/or clips on
health subject matters. Pays up to a dollar per word.
GRIZZLE
https://jobs.polymer.co/grizzle/23808
Grizzle is an organic growth agency that helps B2B, SaaS, and tech companies create and distribute actionable and value-driven content. Clients include CXL, Pipedrive, Web.com, Yac, and Tide. Our goal is to help them surpass their traffic, lead generation, and growth goals using a proven content marketing methodology. We’ll provide you with a steady stream of interesting work, processes and courses to empower you to write your best content, and ongoing support. Pieces are generally
2,000 to 3,000 words. Eighty percent of our projects are blog articles. The other twenty percent is made up of landing page copy, ebooks, and guest posts. We pay our freelance writers $600 per blog article.
RACKET
https://racketmn.com/how-to-pitch-racket
Send pitches to pitches@racketmn.com or to individual editors at our email addresses. We’re looking for stories that would otherwise not exist in the Twin Cities news universe. We publish arts and entertainment stories, profiles of individuals, explorations of overlooked subcultures or groups, trend pieces about food and drink, investigative political features… all kinds of stuff. Pays 20 cents/word.
THE BROOKLYN RAIL
https://brooklynrail.org/submissions/?f
The Brooklyn Rail provides an independent forum for arts, culture, and politics throughout New York City and far beyond. Our journal, in addition to featuring local reporting; criticism of music, dance, film, and theater; and original fiction and poetry, covers contemporary visual art in particular depth. Elizabeth Lothian, Books Editor, is currently seeking coverage of newly released fiction and literary nonfiction. Pays up to $150 per piece. See website for other editors and other
columns open to pitches.
MOTHERBOARD
https://www.vice.com/en/article/z4j579/heres-how-to-pitch-motherboard
We especially love stories about how science and tech are shaping specific communities around the world and online. Columns include Tech Populism, Far Future, Power in Tech, and The News. Motherboard's most successful stories are ones that delve deep into individual communities or tell us how some niche concern has broader implications for all of us. Twitter comments from the editor talks $300 to $600 per piece.
TORONTOVERSE
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ksZfZWwc8WPKfkBYlHIBtR-dDiV2Yn1XH6t_d3c3kpM/edit
We pay fixed rates for three types of articles: $250 for brief stories under 500 words; $500 for mappable-list articles, as well as analysis and explainer pieces that don’t require interviews with word count of 500–750 words, and up to 1,000; and $750 for larger data visualizations, and reported stories with multiple interviews and sources. We aim for 750–1,000 words here. We are currently building a catalog of evergreen (i.e. interesting outside the news cycle) content
of 250 to 1,000 words across five areas of News, Sports, Transit, Arts, and Fun.
RIDE TEXAS
https://www.ridetexas.com/submission-guidelines/
RIDE TEXAS® is a journalism award-winning travel magazine for motorcyclists. Our focus is regional and includes travel within Texas and into the neighboring states. Broadly speaking, articles should cover the background of the area and insights into the people and places encountered. Part of the submission package is the GO Planner information, which includes an area overview, and a route, as well as reference information. Expect up to $400.
Publishers/agents
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ARTEMESIA PUBLISHING
http://apbooks.net/forauthor.html#subguide
We accept unsolicited proposals from authors and literary agents. We are a small publishing company without the resources of the larger publishers. If we accept your manuscript for publication, we will work in partnership with you to get the book into hands of readers. Artemesia Publishing publishes primarily fiction for general audiences for both adults and children. On rare occassions we will publish nonfiction titles, however we ask that you first approach us with a proposal for any
nonfiction title. For fiction, we will consider proposals for manuscripts in most genres, however we will not accept any work that contains erotica, sexually explicit, or other hard-core material. We do not publish poetry.
CARINA PRESS
https://www.writeforharlequin.com/carina-press-submission-guidelines/
Carina Press is Harlequin’s digital-first adult fiction imprint; all our titles publish first in digital, with select releases in audio and print. Since its inception as the first digital imprint within a traditional publishing house, Carina Press has been an industry leader, publishing a broad range of romance and mystery. Carina Press accepts both agented and unagented submissions. Genres we acquire:
Contemporary romance, Erotic romance, Paranormal & urban fantasy romance, Science fiction & fantasy romance, Romantic suspense, Historical romance, Mystery (with or without romance/romantic elements).
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Please forward the newsletter in its entirety. To reprint any editorials, contact hope@fundsforwriters.com for permission. Please do not assume that acknowledgements listed in your publication is considered a valid right to publish.
C. Hope Clark
E-mail: hope@fundsforwriters.com
140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
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