VOLUME 25, ISSUE 8 | February 21, 2025 |
HOW TO START I am often asked how should someone start writing. They tell me they've always wanted to write. They think about a novel. They would love to write for a living. How did I start? When did I decide I liked
writing? Many of these are people looking for Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, then VOILA....arrived. They are writers. I do not remember when I started writing. I just always have. When I wanted to, I did. Did I start writing because I wanted money? Nope. I wrote because I found writing powerful. I submitted knowing that when I did, I was making a permanent impression. I could open doors or burn
bridges based upon how much effort I put into the words. Writing tells the world a lot of things about you, like: - How intelligent you are
- How creative you are
- How motivated you are
- How professional you
are
Writing, honestly, speaks loudly for you without you ever meeting people or saying a word. It's why you don't publish, post, or submit without having done a lot of writing, a lot of editing, a lot of thinking about the purpose of the writing, and a lot of study as to who the reader is. Throw a badly written piece out there and you've alienated a certain number of people
forever. Actually, writing doesn't let you hide behind it. Instead, it yells on your behalf, giving away who you are. Writing poorly, submitting prematurely, and publishing quickly will tell certain readers who you are and make them come to conclusions about whether to ever read your work again. It's why you patiently write, patiently study how to improve, and take a while to publish. To do so prematurely makes lasting impressions you might not want to make. |
Join the University of Dayton's Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop for "The Virtual Erma: Stories of Our Lives Featuring Anne Lamott" on Saturday, April 5. The day includes a keynote address from Anne Lamott — pre-recorded and crafted exclusively for the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop — and five, live interactive writing
sessions, each led by a seasoned instructor who will help you reclaim your voice, write from the heart and bring vulnerability, purpose (and some humor) to your work. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, you'll leave with a renewed passion for your craft. Plus, all sessions will be recorded and available to attendees for at least six months, so you can revisit them whenever inspiration
strikes. Early bird rate: $109 (until March 15). After March 15: $119. Find the program and schedule here. Register here. EXPERTISE OR CREDENTIALS?
In a recent essay I read, the author spoke of the difference between expertise and credentials. "An expert is someone who can keep a promise." If they can show you their skill and show you they know what they
are talking about, and prove their point, they are an expert. We like experts for the most part. They've followed-through. "Credentials, on the other hand, are awarded to folks who are good at being awarded credentials. The place you went to school or the number of followers you have online are credentials." Some mistake the title, the degree or the number of followers as expertise, but it's not necessarily so. Can they practice what they preach? Have they performed rather than talked about how much they know? Have they studied the theory but not had to readily apply it to life? Have they readily performed that which they teach and preach? Credentialed people work hard for the credentials, but not necessarily the performance under their belt. An expert has proof and experience of performance. Can a credentialed person also be an expert? Sure. But when you see someone offering a course or selling a book, stop and study them. Do they lead with their credentials or
what they have accomplished? If they teach how to market books, how have they marketed their own books, other than selling books about selling books? Does an expert need credentials? No. But they can acquire them (i.e., followers) by performing and proving they know what they are talking about. Understand the difference and learn who to follow. The one who promises based on their credentials, or the one who promises based on having done so many times before and can show you how it's done? If they have both, great. If not, look harder before leaping on their bandwagon.
NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSONS - SHOWDATE IS SEPTEMBER 2025
Seeking original vignettes inspired by the classic nursery rhyme: "Monday’s Child" Contest
Rules: No more than 10 minutes in length, 10 pages maximum, no more than 3 characters and a theme. Each vignette should focus on an adult who embodies a “child” from the rhyme below. Monday’s child is fair of face Tuesday’s child is full of grace Wednesday’s child is full of woe Thursday’s child has far to go Friday’s child is loving and giving Saturday’s child works hard for a living And the child that is born on the Sabbath day...Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay. 7 vignettes will be selected for production. No children’s theatre, musicals, or child-centered stories, please. Absurd,
Comedic, Dark, Dramatic, Farce, Tragedy...literal or figurative, that is up to you!! Work must be original and unproduced. Submission Rules: The cover page should only have the play’s title. On a separate page include playwrights name, address, phone and email. These do not count as part of the 10 pages. Please send scripts in a word document. The play's title should reflect the day of the week you are writing about. (Monday's Child, Thursday's Child or Sunday's Child/Child born on the Sabbath Day, etc. Entry Fee: $15 in a money order or check payable to Emerald Theatre Company OR sent via CashApp at
$EmeraldTheatreMphs. Entry fee covers production costs and printing of scripts. Deadline: May 31, 2025. Winners contacted and announced July 1, 2025, and the play festival is September 2025. Once payment is received and verified, playwrights will be notified, and scripts will be printed. Prizes : 1st - $100 plus a medal plus stage performances 2nd - $50 plus a medal, plus stage performances 3rd - a medal plus stage performance Full details at www.etcmemphistheater.com -March 18, 2025 - Readers and Writers Group, Lizards Thicket, 10170 Two Notch Road, Columbia, SC 29229 - 11:30AM -March 22, 2025 - Writer's Digest Mystery/Thriller Writing Virtual Conference - "Person, Place, or Crime: Where to Start Your Mystery" - 1PM Eastern -March 29, 2025 - Book signing, The Coffee Shelf, 130 Amicks Ferry Rd, Chapin, SC - 8-11:30
AM. -March 29, 2025 - Read Freely Fest, Richland
County Library, 1431 Assembly St., Columbia, SC - 2:30 PM -April 23, 2025 - Artist 5 Show, Newberry Opera House, Newberry, SC - 6 PM Eastern - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC -May 3, 2025 -
Pelion Library Book Club, 206 Pine St, Pelion, SC, Saturday, 1-2PM Eastern -May 17, 2025 - Speaking of Writing Expo, New Bern, NC - 8-4:30PM Eastern - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC -June 7-14, 2025 - Gutsy Great Novelist Retreat, Bar Harbor, Maine
Email: hope@chopeclark.com to schedule events, online or otherwise.
"You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it."
- Octavia E. Butler
Dear Hope, I saw an ad several months ago from Black Springs Press in the UK - a contest for the 100 Best Openings to a Crime Thriller, judged by LEE CHILD. I submitted "The Past Giveth, The Past Taketh Away," and I made it! You can see my name next to the photo of the book I included in this email. What a joy! I'm not even a crime writer, but I had had this idea for years and thought, "nothing ventured nothing gained" so . . . If it hadn't appeared in your newsletter, I never would have known about it. Now I can truthfully say that Lee Child chose my
piece!
Thanks again for all you do for writers! You're the Best! Kind regards, Rosie Sorenson, MA, MFT
Award-winning writer
If You'd Only Listen: A Medical Memoir of Gaslighting, Grit & Grace
<<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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How Daily Life Turns into Stories
By Alex J. Coyne Stories about my daily life never seemed like writing that could sell. Who cared who I was or what I had done. But an editor of a publication pointed out that international readers would find my everyday cultural experiences
interesting and fresh. I wrote the first feature about daily life in rural Southern Africa—and surprisingly, readers wanted to know more. What I’d thought “regular” experiences were, proved not to be so regular to others. Daily life can be someone else’s unique read. Your Regular Stories Are Unique Living in a rural South African township differs from suburban living:
further to stores, minibus taxis, informal traders (or spaza shops), water shortages, and isiZulu—a language I don’t speak much of. However, an editor pointed out that people have little context for pit toilets, water shortages, and amagwinya (deep-fried dough). My daily experiences were indeed unique. So I wrote 365 Days in Inanda, telling readers what living in a rural area away from suburbia was like. Local police wouldn’t drive into Inanda citing bad visibility in lieu of real reasons. Insiders’ views of this area were rare. I had a story to tell, it
seemed. Using Daily Experiences As Writing Material Anything you’ve experienced, whether bowling or visiting your local grocery store, could be unique to readers. Study your daily life, taking it down to the minutiae, looking for the interesting parts—seeking items, moments, habits, and cultures that
might be foreign, new, or fascinating to others. My daily experiences became experiences for readers who had never seen inside an informal settlement or township before. Townships are removed from cities, and predominantly isiZulu. Many South African readers (and international ones) have never been to a township, and many still believe myths about its high crime-rates. Consider your daily experiences as fruitful writing material, because they aren’t daily for anyone else. For instance, I’ve never seen a Walmart, but writing about traditional street foods turned into the Mzansi Eats column for The South African news. Soon, I also covered things like barbecue’d chicken feet—things I’d seen regularly, but aspects that unfamiliar readers loved to learn about. Writing About Community Issues Write about the things that impact, affect, or even annoy you. These daily experiences can be useful for broader audiences, local issues, or community views. Write about water shortages, community shortfalls, and pressing issues from your perspective, because your perspective gives larger issues a
voice. KwaZulu-Natal rural communities experienced 2023/24 food safety concerns, affecting informal traders. Suspicious deaths and food poisoning illnesses affected large parts of Southern Africa. I wrote several articles about spotting counterfeit, expired, or fake food items for The South African. Later, the idea also
evolved into a larger international feature about informal traders (“spaza”) stores. This piece focused on why
“spaza” stores fill an essential community need. If you’re worried or concerned about something, your perspective could be a valuable story. Digging Beyond Daily Life Our life experiences define us. Reading about
similar experiences can make us feel less alone facing sadness, trauma, or difficulty. Write about emotionally stirring or traumatic experiences you’ve had even though they are difficult to get on paper. Literary journal Voertaal bought my 2024 column, On the Sharp and Corroded Edge of Township Living. I wrote about the lack of running water, unsanitary conditions, and overflowing outside toilets. I wrote about floods and losses, including my own. I wrote about
things that made me uncomfortable while feeling readers standing outside this experience should hear. Emotionally straining, I’d never talked about the discomfort of pit toilets and rural living. However, the piece succeeded, reaching about 3.8k Facebook likes and a later reprint. After its publication, government announced a national campaign to replace pit toilets in schools—and campaigns are locally building
safer, better toilets. Who is to say my piece didn’t impact that movement? Write from the Heart Writing personal experiences seemed vain and arrogant at first. However, I realized there was more to it—my own, local life stories were unique and interesting enough to tell. Experiences with animals in townships made for a powerful feature,
writing about Africa’s unique Africanus breed and the inter-bred “township dog” that forms their own wild packs. Local
animal welfare accomplished great things, and I wanted to dispel myths that township dogs were uncared for, feral, or always wild. I was more used to copywriting and journalism than personal stories but digging into emotional writing turned into empowering features that readers liked. Draw from your own experiences, write from the heart, and you just might have a very strong
piece. About the Author: 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.
119781786 © Luis Louro | Dreamstime.com
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GUTSY GREAT NOVELIST CHAPTER ONE PRIZE $20 ENTRY FEE. Submissions open February 3 – Mar
3, 2025 (5PM ET). The Gutsy Great Novelist Chapter One Prize is awarded for an outstanding opening chapter of an unpublished novel. First prize is $1,000; 2nd is $500; 3rd is $250. The prize is open internationally to anyone over 18 writing a novel in English in any genre for adult or YA readers. WRITER'S DIGEST SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARDS
https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/self-published-book-awards
Deadline April 1, 2025. Submit your self-published, printed and bound book in one of seven categories (mainstream/literary fiction, genre fiction, nonfiction/reference, inspirational/self-help, memoirs/life stories, early reader/children's picture books, middle-grade/young adult). A Grand Prize package that includes $10,000, a
trip to the Annual Writer's Digest Conference and a feature article about you and your book in the March/April 2026 issue of Writer's Digest. One of seven First Place prize packages that include $1,000 in each respective category and promotion in the March/April 2026 issue of Writer's Digest. Send us your book, which must have been published between 2020 and now. THE ORISON PRIZES IN POETRY &
FICTION
https://www.orisonbooks.com/submissions
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 1, 2025. Submissions of full-length poetry (50 – 100 pp.) and fiction (minimum 30,000 words) manuscripts. Fiction manuscripts may be a collection of short stories or flash fiction, a
novella, or a novel. The winner in each genre will receive a $1,500 cash prize, publication, and a standard royalties contract. PRIME NUMBER AWARDS FOR POETRY & SHORT FICTION
https://www.press53.com/prime-number-magazine-awards
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2025. Open to writers around the world, ages 18 and older, who write in English. Each category will have a First Prize winner, two Runners-Up, and a short list of Finalists. The winning poem and short story, and our runners-up, will appear in Issue 277 of Prime Number Magazine on September 1, 2025. First Prize is $1,000 in
each category, and $250 for each Runner-Up (new!). SANTA CLARA REVIEW FLASH FICTION AND FLASH CREATIVE NONFICTION CONTEST
https://santaclarareview.submittable.com/submit
$10
ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 2, 2025. The first prize winner will be awarded $200, the first runner-up will be awarded $100, and the second runner-up will be awarded $50. The contest winner will be published in the 2025 fall issue of the Santa Clara Review. All other work will be considered for publication. Limit 1000 words. LITTLE KANAWHA READING SERIES CHAPBOOK CONTEST
https://www.glenville.edu/community/lkrs-chapbook-contest
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2025. Glenville State University’s Little Kanawha Reading Series is proud to announce its inaugural Chapbook Contest. We invite poets and prose writers to submit
works that celebrate and explore the rich cultural tapestry of Appalachia. Submit 15 to 25 pages of poetry or prose. $200 and publication of the winning chapbook.
GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING PATTERN SPACE RESIDENCY
https://image.subscription.in.gov/lib/fe2f11747364047b721070/m/1/a57363f8-6ef9-491c-9074-9d273e3911c3.pdf
The S.P.A.C.E. (Strategic Plan for Advancement of Creative Entrepreneurs) Residency is designed to support emerging creative entrepreneurs by offering access to resources, space, and opportunities to strengthen their portfolio, grow professionally, and engage with the local community in Indianapolis. This six-month residency
provides a physical space in the Stutz (downtown Indianapolis), a $2000 stipend, and strategic collaboration with Pattern, fostering mutual growth and impact on Indiana's creative economy. SUREL'S PLACE RESIDENCY
https://surelsplace.org/month-long-residencies/
The program is open to professional visual, literary, and performance artists: painters, writers, musicians, architects, filmmakers, and choreographers… any artist who needs a place to focus. One month residencies (more time may be possible, but must be justified within the application). Free accommodations with a modest living stipend of $100 per week and a $300 travel
stipend.
March 1 deadline for residences that occur during July-November of the same year, beginning four months after the deadline. Location Garden City, ID. SOARING GARDENS ARTIST RETREAT
https://www.oralermantrust.com/apply
Deadline March 15, 2025. Actively working visual artists, writers, instrumentalists, and composers with at least two years’ experience since graduation may apply. Residencies are typically for three weeks. There is no application fee and no fee to attend. A limited number of $500 need-based grants are available. Location northeast Pennsylvania. WRITERS' COLONY FELLOWSHIP
http://www.writerscolony.org/sponsor-a-fellowship
Deadline April 21, 2025. The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH) is pleased to announce
the "Real People, Real Struggles, Real Stories" Fellowship, designed to support a writer working on a short or long-form non-fiction project that explores personal experiences with mental illness. The fellowship winner will be awarded a two-week residency at WCDH, providing the recipient with an opportunity to focus entirely on their writing. Location Eureka Springs, AR. GWENN A. NUSBAUM
SCHOLARSHIP
https://www.waltwhitman.org/nusbaumscholarship/
Deadline March 31, 2025. The $1800 scholarship is offered in the spirit of Walt Whitman’s massive contribution to the field of poetic writing and encouragement of "Poets to Come." One Honorable
Mention will be selected and awarded $150 along with a bio in recognition of their achievement. Applications are sought from those poets at the early stages of their careers, ages 25-35 years. This scholarship, awarded every year, aims to encourage and assist an emerging poet in their creative poetry writing endeavors. Their emerging poetry career should be of exceptional artistic quality and should demonstrate a passion for poetry, an awareness of the power of the poem, an originality of
perspective and skillful use of expressive language. They will be expected to produce additional strong work during the scholarship timeline of one year, July 1, 2025 – July 1, 2026. Funding to be used for supportive activities to further the writing career: for example, college tuition/fees (Undergraduate, Graduate, Doctoral, Post Doc); writing courses and workshops; writing conferences; writing retreats, and other approved activities.
HQ MAGAZINE
https://form.jotform.com/243386832452057
https://www.headquest.com/magazine/
As the industry’s leading publication for over two decades, we want to remind you all that we are more than just another magazine. HQ goes directly to head/smoke shops, adult shops, gift/novelty stores, hydroponic outlets, cannabis dispensaries, convenience stores, and similar retailers throughout the U.S. and Canada. HQ has a monthly circulation of approximately 12,000
and a readership of approximately 38,000. Pays ten cents/word. Looking for talented freelance writers to cover such topics as cannabis culture, accessories, products, science, legality, kratom, CBD, hemp, etc. ESCAPEES MAGAZINE
https://escapees.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/7531-wg-0717.pdf
Compensation varies depending on the quality of the article and if accompanying images are acceptable to include. Payment is typically $100 to $200 for feature submissions, and $50 to $100 for short fillers. Maximum feature article length is 1,500 words. Short filler-type submissions ranging from 100 to 500 words are also considered. Escapees
magazine contributors are RVers interested in sharing the RV lifestyle. THE OUTDOOR JOURNAL
https://www.outdoorjournal.com/contribute/
Subjects include
athletes/adventurers/climbers/surfers, undiscovered trails and places, national and wildlife parks, fitness, ecotourism, wilderness conservation, outdoor gear, adventurous experiences, outdoor education and training institutions, trips and expeditions. Our stories are meant to be inspirational and instructional for the doer, and aspirational for the armchair athlete. Our pieces range from 800 to 2000 words. If it is an exceptional story, it could run up to 6000 words, or possibly even more. Our
blogs are never more than 400 words. Our reviews would rarely exceed more than 750 words. SOUTHERN LIVING
https://www.southernliving.com/about-us-6502349#toc-editorial-guidelines
Our team of editors and writers are constantly seeking out what's new and exciting in the South from travel to recipes from decoration to events. Pays well but negotiates with each writer. CHICKEN SOUP - FUNNY STORIES
http://www.chickensoup.com
Deadline August 30, 2025. We are now collecting stories for another collection of funny stories and we want to hear from you! This new book is scheduled to be published in 2026. We are looking for stories about something that happened to you or someone close to you, the kind of stories that
get you and your listeners laughing when you tell them. Rat out your spouse. Share that funny thing your kid said. Tell us that hilarious thing that happened when your relatives did... yeah, that thing. We want to hear about your family, your friends, your colleagues... and most importantly, that embarrassing thing that you did. Laughing at ourselves is the best! Limit 1200 words. Pays $250 and ten copies.
MYTHIC ROADS PRESS
https://www.mythicroadspress.com/submissions
Mythic Roads Press is a traditional royalty-based book publisher, currently
accepting Canadian-authored full-length novel submissions (unagented or agented) in the fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. TURNSTONE PRESS
https://www.turnstonepress.com/contact/submissions.html
Turnstone Press is a literary publisher, located in the heart of the North American continent. We publish Canadian authors and landed immigrants and strive to publish a significant number of new writers, to publish in a variety of genres, and to have a portion of each year's list authored by Manitoba writers and/or books featuring prairie content. BOTTOM DOG PRESS
https://smithdocs.net/who_we_are_mission_staff_guidelines
We believe in a sense of place and person, in writing that reveals through its directness an
essential human story. We also support the history and development of Working Class Literature and Appalachian Literature, and we work to provide outlets for that writing and information on that vital art. SASQUATCH BOOKS
https://sasquatchbooks.com/submissions/
Our adult imprint publishes visual nonfiction by gifted writers, artists, chefs, naturalists, and thought leaders whose work reflects the adventurous, creative, DIY spirit of the Pacific Northwest. Our Little Bigfoot imprint publishes fiction and nonfiction books for kids ages four to twelve and board books for kids ages zero to three. We welcome agented and unagented submissions from
both debut and experienced writers.
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 2000-2025, 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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