VOLUME 24, ISSUE 44 | octoBER 25, 2024 |
FIND A REALLY GOOD
BOOK . . . Make sure it is in your genre, too. Then sink into it not just as a reader, but as a writer. When a sentence means something, when it resonates off the page, take a second and try to understand why. Frankly, since it's so hard to giveaway books anymore, go ahead and highlight it, mark it up, bend the pages and totally make this baby yours. This is how you invest into your writing education. When I am writing on a novel, I am reading a book by an author I admire. In my non-writing time, I want to be surrounded by good work that makes me think. I just finished All the Colors of the Dark, by Chris Whitaker. Sometimes the pace just ran, stealing my breath. At other times, I got lost in the prose, wishing I could write that way. In other words, this was writing I wish I'd written. I won't be giving this book away anytime soon. Reading good writing helps your subconscious side absorb what works, what entertains, what you appreciate. In turn, you better learn how to write on a higher level. Study good writing. Sorry, but I do not aspire to the mantra to read all sorts of writing so you can see the bad. Life is too short for that. Read only work that inspires you . . . to help you better write to inspire others. |
WRITER'S RETREAT Join WOMEN READING ALOUD on our 2025 international writer's retreat on the island of Madeira in Portugal. With a subtropical climate, Madeira boasts an abundance of flowers and lush vegetation, diverse landscapes, fantastic hiking trails and delicious food. Enjoy the luxury of a 5-star hotel/spa. Surrounded by nature, you'll write, walk, hike, read, swim, and relax. This retreat emphasizes the natural environment of the island. Daily writing workshops focus on the process of writing and the satisfaction experienced when nature and art
come together. This writer's retreat is perfect for nature seekers and sea lovers. An excursion trip to the capital city of Funchal guarantees an experience rich with culture. WRA is happy to host our 31st writer's retreat for
women writers of all genres as they travel the writer's journey. TRYING TO KEEP UP
The great thing about the Internet is the wealth of information that teaches us about writing and publishing. That's also the worst thing about the Internet, because you become inundated
with the latest and greatest advice. About the time you feel you have grasp how to accomplish or succeed in an aspect of the business, along comes change and someone else with a better idea, who swears that what used to be no longer works. This Internet yoyo can become exhaustive. We often just react to whatever it is without dissecting whether or not this change is applicable to us. Too many times
we assume it's okay because we don't have to time to vet everything we see. On the other hand, there's always the risk of shutting down, no longer able to absorb everything. Per business guru Seth Godin, when change stands
before us, we can: Deny the change. In other words, we say it isn't so, consider it a personal affront, and blow it off. Give up our effort, period. The powerlessness that comes from too much change makes us quit. Take control and force things our way. The new is considered wrong, without consideration. Be willing to change, but only after a weighed consideration of what we are currently doing versus what could be done. But that means being aware of your strengths, holding onto them, and using them to your advantage while considering said change. You are wise enough to accept change if
you deem it useful, but not at the risk of going off the path and losing the goodness you've already built. Be aware of who you are. Know your goals. Become familiar with your strengths. Feel the footing beneath you, and don't be so quick to bend to the latest fad. Be strong, but be willing to give change a chance, as long as it improves who and what you already are. Remain
genuine. You’ve finally finished your first draft, but now you’re unsure of how to continue. You know you have to edit it and maybe hire an editor down the road. But where do you even begin? In this free 4-day self-editing course, you learn the most important things about the four levels of editing, so you can self-edit your novel. These include: - Developmental editing: how do you evaluate your story’s structure? What questions do you ask?
- Line editing: what are the most common issues in line writing and how do you fix them?
- Copyediting: what is a style sheet and how do you use it for consistency?
- Proofreading: what do you pay attention to and how do you
ensure your manuscript is nearly devoid of errors?
Each lesson comes with a video and a transcript, as well as additional resources, so you can start improving your book. Sign up for this mini-course right here and start working toward a finished book! -October 30, 2024 - South Carolina Library Association's Annual Conference, Columbia Convention Center, 1101 Lincoln St, Columbia, SC 29201 - 2 PM -November 12
-Bennettsville Book Club, Bennettsville Library, SC - 4PM -November 22 - Newberry Library - Newberry, SC - 3 PM -November 23, 2024 - Irmo Chapin Holiday Market, Chapin, SC - 8AM - 2PM -May 17, 2025 - Pelion Library Book Club, 206 Pine St, Pelion, SC, Saturday, 1-2PM
Email: hope@chopeclark.com to schedule events, online or otherwise.
"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort."
~Franklin D. Roosevelt
<<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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Safeguarding Work in the Orwellian Age By Alex J. Coyne
To authors, imitation isn’t necessarily the sincerest form of flattery. Authors face new dangers in the current internet age, including plagiarism, misattribution, or their work being used to train artificial intelligence models via machine learning. I’ve had my writing posted without being credited, but also outright stolen. Here’s how to safeguard your work in the
Orwellian Age. Big Brother is Watching and Learning Google uses all Docs/Drive content to train ChatGPT by default, unless the setting is manually turned off. Authors can use this link to opt out of documents being used for artificial intelligence training data. The same AI Disabling settings also exist for WordPress, and for Microsoft Office. You can also
“opt out” of Meta Services using your posts or content.
The Cost of “Free” Tools “Free” file conversion and compression tools are popular. However, they could compromise sensitive and confidential data that’s uploaded to their database. Some of these websites store files, giving
unintentional third-party access to your manuscripts or documents. Read website terms before using free tools or find secure open source downloadables that guarantee better file security. For example, NCH Software or Adobe.
Search Your Writing You’ll only know if your writing has been
posted without proper attribution (or plagiarized by someone else) by searching for it. Search paragraphs, usually the first and second, of your published work using engines like Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo. Add quotation marks to search for exact matches, and Settings to add a time-range. Refined tools like Plagiarism Detector, Grammarly, and Copyscape crawl websites, blogs, archives, and libraries like Google Books for excerpts that could be yours -- misattributed or plagiarized. If your writing wrongly surfaces elsewhere, there are legal steps you can take to first request (and then compel) its possible
removal. Taking Action: Stolen Writing Take immediate action if your work has been posted somewhere without attribution, plagiarism by another author, or copied by other illegal means. • Inform the Original Publication: In 2024, I noticed my article headlines from The South African being shared en masse on Facebook pages by bots. I
informed the editors, who took further steps from their side to see this content removed -- thankfully. • Ask the Website Owner or Editor: Asking a website owner or editor for the removal of content is your first step, with a clear message stating that you are the content’s rightful author. My article The 18 Rules of Journalism was once adapted and plagiarized online -- a simple request to the editor fixed this. • Submit a Letter of Demand: A Letter of Demand is a legal request, stating your intention to proceed with further legal steps if content isn’t removed within a specific date. • Further Legal Steps: Once a Letter of Demand has expired, an author could proceed by consulting a lawyer and applying for a court-ordered removal. This is rarely necessary, but it legally compels content to be taken down by site owners. Social media posts with infringing content can be reported directly to the respective social media website (like Facebook or YouTube), by using the individual “report” option
that exists on the post. For indexed search engine results (e.g. what shows up when people search), authors can submit a formal takedown request through the search engine. Takedown requests are a legal request, which tells the search engine that the flagged or reported content needs to be taken down (and why). For online copyright-protected content, there’s also the option of a formal DCMA Takedown Notice that compels a website, social media network, or forum to formally scrub infringed content within 72 hours of notice. Set a Name Alert It’s essential, not vain, to search yourself in the internet age. Set a Google Alert for your byline, which lets you know whenever there are new mentions of your name popping up. Media websites like PressReader can do the same for news alerts, and you can search for your name on TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and most other sites. Authors have the right to remain in control of their own writing - but also have the added responsibility of monitoring where their words are
published, syndicated, or shared. Bio: Alex J. Coyne is a journalist, author, and proofreader. He has written for a variety of publications and websites, with a radar calibrated for gothic, gonzo, and the weird. Sometimes, he co-writes with others.
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"A Writer's Cornucopia" is the theme for the November/December 2024 My WRITEDAY Subscription Box. I love my WriteDay
boxes; each one has been a fun surprise and has given me a lift when I most needed it! ~Gerry W., MWD subscriber For $59.00, My WRITEDAY is a bi-monthly subscription box containing a writing craft book and curated products from authors, creators, and
small businesses to writers and readers in the continental U.S. It's unique because many products are sourced from writers who are also crafters and artisans. Click here to subscribe and see the array of holiday, mystery, middle school, and teen/young adult gift boxes available for a limited time.
Link: https://www.mywriteday.com MCNALLY ROBINSON BOOKSELLERS POETRY, SHORT FICTION, AND CREATIVE NONFICTION CONTESTS
https://www.prairiefire.ca/contests/
$34
ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 30, 2024. One prize of $1250 is awarded in each of the three categories. Winning pieces are published in Prairie Fire’s summer issue. An invitation to THIN AIR either in-person or virtually (produced by the Winnipeg International Writers Festival, subject to festival funding). One fiction entry consists of one story, maximum 5,000 words. One poetry entry consists of up to three poems, maximum length of your poetry submission should not exceed 150
lines, regardless of whether you are sending 1, 2 or 3 poems. One creative non-fiction entry consists of one piece, maximum 5,000 words. International submissions accepted. JACOBS/JONES AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY PRIZE
https://www.ncwriters.org/programs/competitions/jacobs-jones-african-american-literary-prize/
$10-20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 2, 2025. The winner receives $1,000 and possible publication of the winning entry in The Carolina Quarterly. The competition is open to any African-American/Black writer whose primary residence is in North Carolina. Entries may be fiction or creative nonfiction, but must be
unpublished, no more than 3,000 words, and concerned with the lives and experiences of African-American/Black North Carolinians. ARC POETRY CONTEST
https://arcpoetry.ca/contest/poem-of-the-year/
$40 CDN ENTRY FEE.
Deadline February 1, 2025. Arc’s annual poetry contest is among the richest in the country, offering $5,000 for the winning poem, a $500 award for the poem selected as Honourable Mention, and a $250 prize for the Readers’ Choice selection. In addition, all 10 to 12 shortlisted poems receive paid publication in Arc and online. The length of each poem must not exceed 100 lines. FOSTER
POETRY PRIZE
https://contemporaryverse2.ca/foster-poetry-prize/
$26 CDN ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 1, 2024. The prize is awarded to the author of the single best submitted poem, along with $1000 and publication in CV2. Three honourable mentions are also awarded, each with a cash prize and
publication in CV2. Participating poets can be any age, but must not have previously published a full-length book of poetry (chapbooks are fine). Open to Canadian and International poets. DREAMERS: STORIES OF MIGRATION, SENSE OF PLACE AND HOME
https://www.dreamerswriting.com/submit/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 31, 2025. Prize: $250 to the first place winner. Submit your stories of migration and/or your sense of place, of home or lack of, and your empathy to the plight of migrants around the world. Interpret the theme of this contest in any way that is fitting for you, keeping in mind the theme of Dreamers Creative Writing – that of heartfelt
stories. You do not need to be a migrant to enter this contest.
GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING DIVERSEBOOKS.ORG WNDB FUND
https://diversebooks.org/programs/emergency-fund/
WNDB provides emergency grants to diverse authors and illustrators, publishing professionals, and
educators who are experiencing dire financial need. We aim to bolster these marginalized groups by giving grants between $500 and $1,000 each. Funding is currently available for: Palestinian writers and illustrators
Diverse mid-career publishing professionals
Diverse creators impacted by Hurricane Helene
Diverse teachers and librarians impacted by Hurricane Helene
Diverse publishing professionals impacted by Hurricane Helene WRITING BETWEEN THE VINES
https://www.writingbetweenthevines.org/
Deadline November 13, 2024. Writing Between the Vines offers writers a space to work, a place to create, surrounded by the beauty and majesty of vineyards. Funded through application fees and in partnership with wineries, Writing Between the Vines provides writers the time to focus on works in progress or cultivate new ideas in residencies of up to one week in length at no
charge. Held at four different locations in California. QUEENS ART FUNDS GRANT
https://www.nyfa.org/awards-grants/queens-arts-fund/
The New Work Grant ($3,000) supports emerging individual artists and artist
collectives of all artistic disciplines in their creation of new work. "New Work" is defined as work that has not been produced or presented to an audience before. Must be a Queens-based artist.
Novella-length Fiction and Nonfiction. Sunspot Lit is dedicated to supporting longform prose (literary and genre) as well as epic poetry. For a limited time
during each quarter, the journal opens a call for single works of novella-length fiction or nonfiction, including scripts and screenplays. The journal accepts all categories including memoir, literary fiction, sci-fi, historical, and academic. CNF and fiction can range from 29,001 to 49,000 words. Scripts and screenplays over 120 pages are included in this call, as
are graphic novels between 51 and 100 pages. Single poems between 86 and 105 pages are also accepted. Please note that story, essay, and poetry collections are not accepted for this particular call. Works will be published in Sunspot's digital-only quarterly editions as well as in print at the end of the
year. This quarter's call accepts novella-length works from October 1 through October 31. Send in your work through Submittable or through Duotrope. TYPE INVESTIGATIONS
https://www.typeinvestigations.org/about/how-to-pitch/
Type Investigations is a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to transforming the field of independent
investigative journalism. We cover the most urgent stories within a wide range of topic areas, including racial and economic justice, climate and environmental health, and civil and human rights. Our work is focused on systems, policies, and powerful entities, and we are committed to elevating stories from the communities most affected by wrongdoing. Written features generally run between 3,000 and 5,000 words — though we do publish articles that are shorter and longer. Typical budgets range
from $3,000 to $6,000 (including travel and other reporting expenses, as well as the reporting fee). POSITIVE.NEWS
https://www.positive.news/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Pitching-guide-for-journalists_2024.pdf
Positive News publishes good journalism about good things. We’re seeking unique pitches for the next quarterly print edition of Positive News magazine and, on an ongoing basis, for www.positive.news. Payment is usually 30p/word. CURRENT
INVESTIGATIONS
https://images.currentaffairs.org/2024/04/Writers-Guide.docx.pdf
We have two publication formats: our print edition and our online edition. 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. PLANETIZEN
https://www.planetizen.com/Write-for-Planetizen
Planetizen has led the city and regional planning discourse for more than two decades, offering intrepid thinkers an opportunity to write and publish for an established platform with a large, passionate audience. At our core, we are a community of planning intelligence that seeks to cut across political and disciplinary boundaries while expanding, informing, and empowering the
community of people working to improve the built environment. For professional writers (i.e., those for whom writing is their primary source of income), we pay a standard flat fee of $500 per feature or career-related article.
LIBRARY TALES PUBLISHING
https://www.librarytalespublishing.com/submissions
Currently seeking:
Self-Help Books: Self-help books are our
specialty. We are passionate about publishing works that empower and inspire readers to improve their lives, develop new skills, and achieve personal growth and well-being. Drawing Books: We are interested in manuscripts that teach and inspire the art of drawing. Whether it's instructional guides, sketching techniques, or books that encourage artistic creativity, we welcome submissions in this
category. Nonfiction Titles: We seek compelling nonfiction works that cover a wide range of topics, from history and science to psychology and business. If your manuscript offers valuable insights, knowledge, or explores intriguing subjects, we want to hear from you. Enthralling Memoirs: Personal
stories that captivate, inspire, and offer unique perspectives on life are of great interest to us. If you have a memoir that resonates with readers and leaves a lasting impact, we encourage you to submit it for consideration. Fiction Books: We are open to fiction submissions that feature engaging storylines and well-developed characters. Whether your work falls within the realms of contemporary
fiction, mystery, romance, or other genres, we are eager to explore compelling narratives. ZONDERVAN
https://www.zondervan.com/about-us/manuscript-submissions/
Zondervan Reflective books aim to be good,
engaging reads that encourage deep reflection, inspire action, and call for a response. The goal for books in this imprint is to be part of the conversation, to engage readers, and to explore from historically orthodox Christian commitments the really tough questions Christians face today. Topics for such books include leadership, ministry, the intersection of faith and culture, and biblical and theological perspectives on contemporary issues. The authors of such books are expected to have
demonstrable expertise on the subject being addressed. Zondervan Academic books seek to show the breadth and diversity—both theologically and globally—of Christianity in its broadly evangelical expression. College and seminary textbooks, Bible commentaries, reference books, and scholarly monographs in the biblical, theological, and related disciplines are included in this imprint. MILLS &
BOON
https://www.millsandboon.co.uk/pages/guidelines
https://www.millsandboon.co.uk/pages/submission-process
Mills & Boon publishes category romance and
fiction. Please see the guideline for each series for details. At Mills & Boon we have a romance for every reader. If you're interested in writing for us, please consult the series guidelines. Mills & Boon Modern, Mills & Boon True Love, Mills & Boon Medical, Mills & Boon Historical. Our Heroes series is a combination of our Intrigue and Romantic Suspense series. Mills & Boon Intrigue and Mills & Boon Romantic Suspense. We are also accepting submissions to our newest
imprint Afterglow 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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