VOLUME 24, ISSUE 17 | APril 19, 2024 |
WHERE DO YOU GET IDEAS? I cannot begin to say exactly where ideas come from. In the upcoming Edisto mystery, Edge of Edisto (release date May 17), a group of women come to Edisto to be hookers once a year. They have clientele who come to Edisto for the same week each year. One of the women disappears. Then a body washes up on the beach outside the ladies' beach house . . . that isn't the missing member. I'll leave it at that. The idea came out of the blue one evening when hubby and I were sitting in our recliners watching, what else, a mystery on television. We tend to compete in solving them. I said it was getting harder to find unique crimes. He said, "You haven't done hookers yet." BINGO. That's all it took. Then I took the concept and started making twists and turns. I like it. I hope you do, too. But ideas come from anywhere. Headlines. overheard conversation, jokes, television, even going down online lists of crimes like this one: https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-charges/view-all-criminal-charges.html There is no one way. There is no magic. It's being open to suggestion, always hunting, ever listening, playing what-if over and over again. It's fun, though nobody
ever said it was easy. |
Calling all writers: Ploughshares Emerging Writer's Contest is NOW
OPEN! Featuring judges Dantiel W. Moniz for fiction, Porsha Olayiwola for poetry, and Augusten Burroughs for nonfiction.
Submit your fiction, nonfiction, or
poetry for the chance to win $2,000, publication in Ploughshares, and a conversation with Aevitas Creative Management.
Ploughshares is a quarterly literary journal that publishes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by award-winning writers. Our issues have been guest edited by talents such as Tracy K. Smith, Celeste Ng, Tess Gallagher, and more. HOW DO I GET THE WORD OUT? I hear this over and over, people asking me what is the magic potion that made people buy my books. 1) I made appearances.
2) I published a weekly newsletter.
3) I answered every email, text, and message.
4) I freelanced every chance I
could.
5) I guest blogged.
6) I kept writing. That sounds so simple in theory but is difficult to practice. . . consistently. Consistency and diligence are key to becoming known. Note that I left adverbs out of the above list. To be consistent and diligent you have to do things regularly, often, habitually, expectedly. The fact is, you have to show up to work. Whether writing or putting material out or telling people who you are, you have to do it. You have to do it to the point people go, "Hey, I've heard of you." That doesn't happen overnight. The trouble these days is that people think that
marketing involves shouting, hyping, and hustling. It isn't the loudest heard. It's more about being frequently seen. And it isn't talking about yourself. It's about delivering to the reader what they want, when they want it, such that they tell their friends and family about the enjoyable experience. You have to write well and be willing to get it to the public, while throughout the process respecting the customer. Knowing what they need. Offering them what you feel they need. Whether that the story you wrote, the theory you wrote about, or the inspiration you can speak, the energy has to feel like you are there for them . . . which you are. That doesn't mean you write to the market. No. You write what you want to write. Then you present it with the passion that you used to write it. And you do it often. And just in case they love your work, you must be willing to write more, showing everyone you love what
you are doing. You aren't in this to sell. You are in this to get your stories on paper, and you're so excited about what you do that you just cannot keep it to yourself. Hiring a PR firm won't do that. Ads on social media won't do that. Be present. Show
up at the keyboard, in emails, on blogs, in person. The minute people think you're simply selling widgets instead of sharing the love you feel in your words, the less they want you. People want something to talk about, something to share. Give them something that puts you often in their minds, with stories and ideas that are worth talking about. If you write
to the hype, you're disingenuous. And the public can see that coming a mile away. Are you writing a book? Feeling a bit stalled or wondering if your idea has legs to carry you across the finish line? Consider joining Ignite Your Write's Book Boost. The Book Boost is for you if: - You have several thousand words already written.
- You're looking for inspiration to move your project forward.
- You'd like to talk to someone about your book, but you're a bit afraid they won't be supportive.
- You're interested in the comradery of
other writers who are also writing books.
- You're tired of writing into the vacuum.
- You're struggling with writerly procrastination and need some guaranteed writing time to get back to your desk.
- You're wondering whether your idea is on the right track and could use some feedback.
- You're not ready to join a harsh critique group.
Spend a month of Wednesdays working on your book in the company of
other writers. Led by Ignite's Claire Sheridan, writers will share bits of their already written work, give and receive feedback about what's working, and have generative writing time. Interested? Get all the details and register here. FundsforWriters Readers save 10% with code: Funds10 We start May 1st! -May 21, 2024 - Signing and luncheon, Florence Library, 154 S. Dargan St, Florence, SC - 11:30 - 1:00 - reserve a seat. -May 25, 2024 - Book Signing, The Coffee Shelf, 130 Amicks Ferry Rd, Chapin, SC - 8AM-NOON. -May 29, 2024 - A Moveable Feast,
presenter C. Hope Clark, Quigley's Pint & Plate, 257 Willbrook Blvd, Pawley's Island, SC - 11AM - 1PM - sign up here -June 1-8, 2024 - The Gutsy Great Novelist Retreat, Bar Harbor, Maine - writer-in-residence -June 20, 2024 -
Edisto Island Bookstore - Highway 174, Edisto Island, SC - 3-5 PM
-June 22, 2024 - Richland County Library, Ballentine, 1200 Dutch Fork Rd, Irmo, SC - 2:30-3:30 PM - July 9, 2024 - South Congaree-Pine Ridge Branch Library, 200 Sunset Dr, West Columbia, SC 29172 - 5:30-7:00 PM -October 5-12, 2024 - Edisto Bookstore, exact dates in that week TBD -November TBD, 2024 - Irmo Chapin Holiday Market, Chapin, SC - 8AM - 2PM -May
17, 2025 - Pelion Library Book Club206 Pine St, Pelion, SC, Saturday, 1-2PM
Email: hope@chopeclark.com to
schedule events, online or otherwise. “A first grader should understand that his or her culture isn't a rational invention; that there are thousands of other cultures and they all work pretty well; that all cultures function on faith rather than truth; that there are lots of alternatives to our own society. Cultural relativity
is defensible and attractive. It's also a source of hope. It means we don't have to continue this way if we don't like it.” – Kurt Vonnegut Hi Hope! I've been waiting and waiting to have an opportunity to be featured as one of your success stories! And now I can be! I have subscribed to your newsletter almost since I first
started down this writer path— not too very long ago, back in 2020. I love all your variety of contests, submission opportunities, articles and editor thoughts! Your newsletter is by far one of the most useful! In any case, awhile back, I submitted a poem to the 2024 Oprelle Poetry Contest— and lo and behold my poem was selected as a finalist to be included in their latest anthology, Coming Home: Carefully Curated
Poetry available now! Thanks so much for all you do to support writers! Bridgitte Rodguez Kid's Book Writer
www.BridgitteRodguez.com
<<If you have a success story you believe was prompted by FundsforWriters, please share with us! Send to hope@chopeclark.com >>
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Turning Our Volunteer Passions into Articles and Income
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By Nicole Watt Children's television host, Mr. Rodgers, said that whenever he watched scary news as a child his mother would tell him to "Look for the helpers." He said knowing people were helping was a great comfort. His words inspired me to write about my volunteer experiences. I've been a mentor to women in difficult marriages for several years. Last year, I pitched pieces on some of the wisdom I'd gleaned to Opinion (womanalive.co.uk) a Christian magazine in the UK. They accepted several pitches including I'm forever grateful to the woman who saved my marriage - I think we all need a mentor | Opinion |
Woman Alive and I swapped my To-Do list for a Ta-Da list and now I see God's presence in the everyday | Opinion | Woman Alive. The opinion section is open to female and male writers of all levels and seeks articles of 500-750 words connected to news ideas or relevant to faith. Payment is £50. My training with wives and PEN
America, an organization that pairs incarcerated writers with mentors, gave me the confidence to offer my services to beginning non-fiction writers. I am currently on my 4th project, with my last client self-publishing her first memoir, Starseed to Jesus: Chasing 5D, finding Salvation: Lee, Sarah-Jayne: 9781399969109: Amazon.com: Books with steady sales. The
skills of listening, validating, and asking questions to draw out information that I learned in mentoring have helped new writers get their thoughts on paper. Your Christmas chocolate is probably tainted.
Here's a Christian response | Article | NexGen (premiernexgen.com)published on the parenting site Home | NexGen (premiernexgen.com). came from
twenty years of supporting anti-trafficking organizations. This short article flew from my fingertips with heart and conviction. I received several messages from readers who hadn't realized the extent of slavery in the chocolate industry and were inspired to shop differently. Unofficial acts of kindness can also be good resources. One of my first paid stories, "Somebody's Grandfather," about a homeless man I met
as a waitress in NYC, was published in The Big Issue, a global magazine highlighting homelessness and poverty, and later included in my collection of essays with the same title. The Big Issue is part of a network of street newspapers, INSP - Together, we're tackling poverty and homelessness and are always seeking personal experience pieces on these topics and creative ways to empower those they aid. During the lockdowns, I served the
community, and my mental health, by collecting litter on my daily walks. This simple act of caring for the environment while so much uncertainty and devastation was making its way around the world, gave me courage and focus. I later published an article, Reflective Narrative About
Picking Up Trash (grottonetwork.com), on Grotto, Notre Dame's literary site. The editor, Jessica McCartney, emails a call for pitches every few months to registered writers. Pay is $120 for articles under 900 words. Do you have article ideas you could pitch from your volunteer experiences? Do you enjoy fostering animals, or helping
out at the local SPCA, or other animal sanctuaries? Book collections such as Submit Your Story | Chicken Soup for the Soul have yearly submission calls for pet stories. 9 Publications That Pay You to Write About Animals – Animal Jobs Digest lists opportunities to publish articles on different
aspects of animal care and use personal stories as marketing opportunities to raise funds. Perhaps, working with children is your interest? Clubhouse Submission Guidelines - Focus on the
Family is a children's magazine accepting fiction and non-fiction stories with children as the main characters. They are looking for stories with Christian themes but do not need to be overtly Christian. For non-fiction, you would have to know the legal guidelines. Another angle would be the effects of volunteerism on volunteers.
Articles on improved mental and physical health, a shift in perspective while working with a different population of the public, or the benefits of finding like-minded people are all ideas worthy of consideration. Writing about volunteering experiences can take the form of how-to's, human interest stories, personal essays, listicles, etc. We get to share our passion and know-how in authentic ways that benefit
readers and put extra income in our pockets.
BIO: Nicole Watt is a mentor for women in difficult marriages at Greater Impact Ministries where she also works as a staff writer. She is a freelance writer of human interest stories and articles on health and justice. She is currently working on her first screenplay. Her favorite place to blog and occasionally give her opinion is Walking Out of Night | An Ómaigh | Facebook
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Goldilocks Zone: $500 for Prose, Poetry, Art, or Graphic Novel Authors & Artists Eligible. The
Goldilocks Zone appears wherever conditions make a planet habitable. Sunspot Lit is looking for the perfect combination of excellence in craft and reader or audience appeal. The contest is open to short stories, novel or novella excerpts, artwork, graphic novels, and poems. Literary and genre works accepted. First prize is $500 plus publication.
Runners-up and finalists are offered publication. No restrictions on theme or category. Maximum of 2,500 words for short stories or nonfiction, 24 lines for poetry, and 8 pages for graphic novels/scripts/screenplays. No size requirements for painting, photography, video stills or sculpture. Open: April 1 Close: April 30 Contest entry fee: $10 Prize: $500 cash and publication for the winner; publication offered to runners-up and finalists. Sunspot asks for first rights only; all rights revert to the contributor after publication. Works, along with the creators’ bylines, are published in the next quarterly digital edition as well as in the annual print edition. Artists offered publication may display their pieces in galleries, festivals or shows throughout the publication contract period. Enter as many times as you like through Submittable or Duotrope, but only one piece per submission. Simultaneous submissions are accepted. GEIST LITERAL LITERARY POSTCARD STORY CONTEST
https://www.geist.com/contests/the-19th-annual-literal-literary-postcard-story-contest
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 20, 2024. Send us a story and a postcard—the relationship can be as strong or as tangential as you like, so long as there is a clear connection between the story and the image. First Prize: $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $150. All winning entries
will be published in Geist and on geist.com. WPRING ANTHOLOGY CONTEST
https://bardsy.com/contest
$20 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline June 24. 2024. Grand prize: $500 and anthology publication. All finalists will receive $50 and anthology publication. Looking for short stories from 1,500 to 2,000 words. All qualified entrants will receive professional feedback from our editing team before judging, so the earlier you submit, the more time you have to revise. REEDSY
WEEKLY PROMPTS CONTEST
https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
Every Friday, Reedsy sends a newsletter that includes five themed writing prompts and publishes the same five prompts on Reedsy Prompts.
Writers then have one week (until the following Friday at 11.59pm EST), to submit a story based on one of the five prompts. Submitted stories (Entries) should be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and written in English. Entries may be submitted free of charge, but they will not be judged or submitted into our Contest. Unpaid entries will, were appropriate, still be published on the site and readers will be able to like or comment on them. Those wishing to participate in the Contest will be charged a
submission fee of $5 per Entry. The Winner is announced on Friday and featured on Reedsy Prompts and awarded $250. OPRELLE MATTER CONTEST
https://oprellepublications.submittable.com/submit
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 2, 2024. Even though this anthology will be called Matter, all that is expected is that your poetry reflects emotions and thoughts coming from the depths of you. Submit 3-40 lines in any style, on any topic. First Place – $400 and publication. Second Place - $200 and publication. Third
Place – $100 and publication. These top three winners will be published with a headshot and biography in the Matter - Award Winning Poetry XXIV anthology. GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING THE SALTY QUILL SCHOLARSHIP FOR WRITERS RETREAT
http://www.thesaltyquill.com/salty-quill-scholarships-1.html
Fall scholarship applications will be available upon request after April 15th. The scholarship award is based primarily on your writing sample, with special attention given to writers with financial need. We hope to attract writers who would benefit from the kind of uninterrupted time and space achievable at McGee Island, alongside a supportive community of fellow writers, and those who otherwise could not afford to attend.
Location McGee Island, Maine. VIRGINIA CENTER FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS
https://www.vcca.com/apply/financial-information/financial-assistance/
Writers, visual artists, and composers who request financial assistance on their residency applications can receive full or partial funding from a variety of sources. Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), one of the leading artists communities in the world with locations in Amherst, Virginia, and Auvillar,
France, hosts more than 400 visual artists, writers, and composers each year. ANNUAL POET COTTAGE WRITER'S RESIDENCY
https://poetcottage.com/the-residency/
Apply July 1-15, 2024. To provide a refuge for writers who might not otherwise be able to afford to rent the cottage for a writing retreat of their own, Hollowdeck Press LLC sponsors the Annual Poet Cottage Writer’s Residency, offering a 10-day stay at Poet Cottage November 1-10th free of charge, an award worth over $2000. The Residency is open to writers of Creative Non-Fiction, Fiction, and Poetry. Winners are
responsible for their own airfare, transportation, jeep rental, and food. Location Coral Bay, St John, USVI. WHITING CREATIVE NONFICTION GRANT
https://www.whiting.org/writers/creative-nonfiction-grant
Deadline April 23, 2024. The Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant of $40,000 is awarded to writers in the process of completing a book of deeply researched and imaginatively composed nonfiction. The grant is intended to encourage original and ambitious projects by giving recipients the additional means to do
exacting research and devote time to composition. Projects must be under contract with a publisher in Canada, the UK, or the US by April 23 to be eligible. Contracts with self-publishing companies are not eligible. ARTS COUNCIL OF IRELAND AGILITY AWARDS
https://www.artscouncil.ie/Funds/Agility-Award/
Deadline April 25, 2024. For Irish practitioners. The Agility Award supports individual professional artists, freelance artists and arts practitioners who need the award to develop your practice, develop your work, develop
your skills. Maximum award €5,000.
GEIST
https://www.geist.com/submission/submit
Deadline May
6, 2024. GEIST is a magazine of ideas and culture with a strong literary focus and a sense of humour. The Geist tone is intelligent, plain-talking, inclusive and offbeat. Each issue represents a convergence of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, photography, comics, reviews, little-known facts of interest, cartography and the legendary Geist crossword puzzle. Geist is always seeking SHORT NON-FICTION (around 800-1500 words, flexible), typically personal narrative, for the NOTES &
DISPATCHES section. We are especially interested in writing grounded in a sense of place, historical narrative, personal essays on art, music and culture, profiles of ordinary people with extraordinary stories, fascinating fields of work, practices or hobbies, and everyday occurrences that show the humour and strangeness of life. Read examples here. Pay is commensurate with length, usually $300-500. Fiction up to 5,000 words pays up to $1,000. CURRENT AFFAIRS
https://images.currentaffairs.org/2024/04/Writers-Guide.docx.pdf
You don’t have to be a Current Affairs
subscriber to submit work to our magazine, but it helps. Not simply because we have a nepotistic bias toward paid members of the Current Affairs family (though we do), but because if a writer is unfamiliar with the kind of thing we publish, they are less likely to propose things that will fit well. Main articles for the print edition are usually around 3000-4500 words, while online articles are usually 1200-2400 words. Current Affairs is 100% free of any advertorials and infotainment (except of
the satirical variety), and we publish clever, unique, well-researched stories that rags like the Economist and Time fear to cover. Pays $200 for online and $300 for print. EATER
https://www.eater.com/2016/12/15/13962822/eater-pitching-guidelines-how-to-pitch
Eater is a national publication dedicated to reporting on, telling stories about, and critically examining the world of food and drink, with a particular focus on restaurants. Eater covers the ways dining intersects with culture, whether through travel, film and television, trends, shopping,
policy, or how people cook and eat at home. We are actively seeking pitches from journalists, writers, academics, and other contributors of all backgrounds. LIFE & THYME
https://lifeandthyme.com/contribute/
We extend a friendly invite to those with a journalistic and creative mind to help us grow and nourish the Life & Thyme community by becoming a contributor. Life & Thyme is a growing community of industry thinkers, creatives, and documentarians that celebrate intellectual and thought-provoking food stories. VEGNEWS
https://vegnews.com/writeforus
VegNews welcomes freelance pitches and is open to all ideas related to the plant-based lifestyle.
When submitting your pitch, please include your portfolio or links to published stories. A.M. HEATH LITERARY AGENTS
https://amheath.com/
We welcome submissions from any writer,
whether you started drafting your debut on your commute, have a manuscript or two stashed away in your bottom drawer, have shared your work with writing groups or have never shown a word of your writing to anyone before. Location London. ARAGI AGENCY
https://aragi.net/
Aragi, Inc. represents a wide range of fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels. They do not represent screenplays. SOLOW LITERARY ENTERPRISES
https://www.solowliterary.com/
FOcuses on nonfiction titles in the areas of health and wellness, science, nature, education, business, psychology, history, cultural studies, memoir, and narrative nonfiction. Although each project they represent is different, the goal is the same: as creative
midwives and agents for change, committed to making the world smarter and kinder through information and inspiration. UPSTART CROW LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.upstartcrowliterary.com/
A New York City based literary agency passionate about finding and representing the finest creators of adult fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books. Please forward the newsletter in its entirety. To reprint any editorials, contact hope@fundsforwriters.com for permission. Do not assume that acknowledgements listed in your publication is considered a valid right to publish out of ours.
C. Hope Clark
E-mail: hope@fundsforwriters.com
140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036
http://www.fundsforwriters.com Copyright 2000-2024, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326 Our subscriber list is NOT made available to others. Use information listed at your own risk. FundsforWriters gives no warranty to completeness, accuracy, or fitness of the markets, contests, and grants although research is done to the best of our ability. FundsforWriters finds open submission calls, contests, and markets from a wide variety of sources, including Erika Dreifus' Practicing Writer newsletter, Erica Verrillo's blog, Authors Publish, Poets & Writers, Duotrope,
Winning Writers, Write Jobs Plus, LinkedIn Jobs, Emily Stoddard, and other newsletters and online sites. Many announcements are submitted directly to FundsforWriters. All must be paying opportunities. Contests must pay a minimum of $200 first place. Submit potential listings to hope@chopeclark.com **Note that FundsforWriters.com places paid advertising in this newsletter. ALL ads are related to writers and the business of writing, screened by FundsforWriters to make sure the information is suitable for writers and their endeavors to improve their careers. While the mailing list is not sold to third parties, other parties do advertise in the newsletter, to include
the occasional solo ad. You will not receive this newsletter without your permission. It's physically impossible since recipients must opt-in, giving us permission to send the newsletter. If at any time you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, click the UNSUBSCRIBE link at the bottom of each newsletter. We want you to enjoy this newsletter at your pleasure, not be forced to read anything you do not wish to receive. Direct any complaints, suggestions, and accolades to Hope Clark at hope@fundsforwriters.com. We are an anti-spam site. | |
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