VOLUME 25, ISSUE 18 | MAY 2, 2025 |
"JUST TELL ME WHAT TO WRITE" I was in the gym, huffing and puffing, when someone mentioned their child in high school was stumped on the subject for their college entrance essay. They'd asked their mother to come up with something. A couple of the moms thought that was nice, and they
would love to do that for their child. "Don't do it," I said. "Why not?" asked one. Part of the writing exercise is the creation of the idea, I explained. Having to weigh ideas and ponder the best and the least is part of the exercise. And someone who has had to ponder the topic has to consider the
pros and cons, the strengths and weaknesses of the task. That way when they write the piece, they are better equipped to do so, and much of the idea is already shaped in their minds. Writing isn't just putting words on paper. It's the thinking that leads to it beforehand that matters, too. I hope they listened. I get requests from writers all the time for this newsletter. I pay $100 per piece which isn't bad for 600 words. When I
reject someone, they turn around and ask me to assign them something to write, so they are more likely to be accepted. In reality, they nixed their chances. Those are instant rejections. Writers need to study the market, study the reader, study the previously published pieces when pitching. Many these days would take whatever I might mention to them is a topic, plug it into ChatGPT and think they've done "the
assignment." I want writers who think for themselves, drawing from experience. I like to think that colleges want that of their potential students, too.
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There's a reason writers throughout history have felt the call to travel, spend time in nature, and immerse themselves in unfamiliar territory. Research shows that all of these boost creativity and help move ideas to the page. And that's what Compass Writers' small-group walk-and-write retreats are all about. Join us for our 2025 Women's Walk & Write Retreat September 20-29, 2025, starting in Melrose,
Scotland, and writing across 70 miles to land on Holy Island, England. This retreat moves along gorgeous St. Cuthbert's Way, an ancient pilgrimage path through Scotland's lush borderlands. Together, we'll walk, write, play with other creative forms, and see where the challenges, sites, and wildlife along the way take us. Grounded in
the Amherst Writers & Artists method, women writers of all levels are welcome. Limited to 6 writers for an intimate experience. Registration closes on May 30, 2025. To register online, simply go to September 20 on the
registration page calendar. For more information, email Cherylmurfin@gmail.com. THE MINIMUM ON YOUR WEBSITE
Here lately I've received a slew of feature article submissions, each touting some sort of lesson on how to be a successful writer, mostly how to be a freelance or copywriter. They'd done this and done
that. They leave off links, and their bios have a lone social media page with little to validate that they write (and get paid for it). I am seeking a website to better judge these submitters. You see, these days, people are calling themselves writers and using AI. Some claim their writing is covered by non-disclosure statements for most of their work (which can happen) and others say they only ghostwrite (doubtful). In other words, my
guard goes up with these these people. 99.9% of them are BSing me and using AI. Any writer trying to earn a living in the trade needs a website. It doesn't have to be anything massive or complex. As a minimum, it should include the following: HOME page
ABOUT ME page
TESTIMONIALS/CREDITS page
CONTACT
page Anything else is extra and may help you land clients and gigs, but these four pages are an absolute necessity. ABOUT ME can include what you have to offer unless you want that on a separate page or even list your offerings on the CONTACT page. But not to have such a page is telling the publisher/editor that you are a risk as a freelance
writer.
Stories are all around us. We hear them. We read them. We tell them. What stories are in you? Have you ever thought about exploring your past, resurrecting childhood memories or bringing your family history to life? Join published author and writing coach Kate Meadows on May 31 for a one-hour webinar, "Telling Our Life Stories." Together, we'll explore the power of story, learn how to preserve and share memories of the past and think critically about why stories matter. We tell stories for many reasons. From this webinar, you'll walk away with the tools and the game plan you need to bring your story to life. DATE: Saturday, May 31, 2025 TIME: 9 a.m. MT (11 a.m. ET) COST: $15 Kate Meadows is a published writer, proven editor and
passionate writing coach with an MFA in Professional Writing. Learn more at www.katemeadows.com. -May 3, 2025 - Pelion Library Book Club, 206 Pine St, Pelion, SC, Saturday, 1-2PM Eastern -May 6, 2025 - Zoom, North Carolina Writers Network, "Contests: Fact and Fiction," 1PM Eastern -May 8, 2025 - Writer's Digest Webinar, Finding Funds for Writers, 1PM Eastern -May 13, 2025 - The Blake at Woodcreek Farms, talk on Edisto series, Elgin, SC - 1PM -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 -Sept 9, 2025 - Chapin Library, Chapin, SC - 1PM
Email: hope@chopeclark.com to schedule events, online or otherwise.
"If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all."
– Michelangelo
<<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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Dealing with Silence
By Dan Brotzel
Writers talk a lot about coping with rejection. I used to get lots of messages from editors and agencies that said things like ‘we decided to go another way’ or ‘sorry, this one’s not for us’ or ‘we regret to inform you that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful’. But I don’t receive many
rejections anymore. Mostly get … silence. When I fire things off into the digital ether – CVs, ideas, stories, manuscripts –I just simply never hear back at all. Hard to quantify, but it seems to me that this has become the norm. No doubt it’s a supply-and-demand thing: there are so many writing wannabes nowadays that editors could fill their whole days simply turning people down. But I even get the silent treatment from people who’ve asked me to contact them. A former boss messaged
me on LinkedIn to say he wanted a catch-up. A head of an agency said he was turning down my application for a content contract but wanted to meet up ‘to discuss other opportunities’. A charity marketer I know well asked me to consider writing some words for his site. I replied to all of these, and… nada. I have two ways of dealing with silence now, and it’s in terms of things I don’t do anymore: follow up and wait around. Sure, if someone has specifically asked me for something, I’ll
send a chaser. If they’re still silent after that, I leave the ball in their court. But if I’ve subbed something cold, I rarely follow up at all. Let’s be real: editors don’t enjoy reading lists of notes from writers asking ‘if there’s any update’ or ‘just checking in’. Keep reaching out like that and they will eventually start to notice you, all right, albeit for the wrong reasons. If an editor has use of you, you’ll know. If you don’t hear, they’re probably looking elsewhere. Such
is life. In this business, as someone once said, it's not dog-eat-dog. It's dog doesn't read dog's email. If it’s a project I’m really keen on, however, I do find a way to quietly remind an editor that I’m still there, but I don’t do it in reference to me or my submission. Instead, I might comment on one of their social media posts or even contribute to their Justgiving page. Along with not following up, my other way of sitting with the silence is to continue subbing and not waiting around. Editors have any number of writers and ideas to consider at any given time. Well, I’m busy, too. Not a derogatory comment, it’s just I make sure I stay busy. Every week I send my fiction manuscripts to publishers. I pitch article ideas to websites and magazines. I enter short story competitions. I apply for content contracts
and jobs. And I write full-time for a living. Also busy with a pipeline of paid projects, I sub so much and so often that I forget what I’ve got out there. Rejections cease to sting because there’s always a response or opportunity around the corner. Sure, your sixth rejection might hurt, but you won’t even notice your 600th. I’ve also embraced the idea that a good chunk of my projects will come to nothing – even the ones that have been verbally promised and apparently signed off on.
But that’s just as well, because I have so many irons in the fire that if there was a run on the Brotzel writing bank – if everything that might come in were to come in – I’d have to start a small outsourcing business. As writers we need to see that pitching becomes part of our daily work and not hang around in an anxious limbo emotionally invested in things that might just never happen. Don’t waste your life waiting. Just get on with the next thing. And when the good news does come
in – a story acceptance, a freelance feature commission, a new content gig – you can enjoy the lovely surprise. Rejection becomes little more than a glance at a moment in time, because you’re just too busy to think about it. BIO - Dan's latest novel is Thank You For The Days. He writes widely on Medium, too.
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Writers often enter the word business thinking if they write what they want, when they want, and submit often, that a luscious fulltime living is within reach. In reality, writers often have to start one place to wind up reaching another, and sometimes they need sidesteps to reach a writing end game. They may have to write for one entity in order to
gain access to another. They want to be known for their writing, but a book takes a long time to write, much less publish. The truth is, nothing in the writing world is straightforward. Writing is not a linear progression from novice to expert. C. Hope Clark has spent years explaining to writers about open calls for submissions for contests, markets, grants, and publishers/agents and how to think outside the box in bringing in a
writing income. Funding that book project may take alternate avenues. No two writers operate the same. Sometimes you diversify. Sometimes you define a niche. Whatever you do, realize that writing for a living is a learning curve and never what you expect. Over the course of her career as a freelance writer and award-winning novelist, Hope Clark learned in her research, starts, stops, and detours that writing is more than penning
a story and publishing it. And earning a living at writing is about little detours and side roads to make ends meet. This live webinar will show writers how to earn an income as a writer and explain the diverse avenues for obtaining funds. This live webinar will be interactive with plenty of time for questions and answers.
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| - Writers who want to justify writing for a living
- Writers who need short-term income in
addition to long-term
- Writers who want to understand the facts and myths of grants
- Writers who aren't sure about entering writing contests
- Writers who aren't sure where to start earning a living
- Writers who need direction in the balance of creativity and entrepreneurship
- Writers who crave support for their dream project
- Writers who dream of writing from home
forever
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| - How to see your writing career as multi-layered
- How to strategically use assorted sources of
income, even if you write books
- How to broaden your brand
- How to get published other than pitching
- How to use other sources of writing income in pitching your book
- How to demonstrate you are a serious writer
- Where are the grants, and what are the myths about them
- Why everyone ought to freelance
- Why everyone ought to enter writing contests
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BATH NOVEL AWARD
https://bathnovelaward.co.uk/the-bath-novel-award-international-writing-prize/
£29.99 ENTRY
FEE. Deadline May 31, 2025. The Bath Novel Award is a £5,000 international prize for adult and YA manuscripts in every genre. The prize is open to unagented writers, who are unpublished, self-published or independently published without advance. We welcome writers of every age, gender, nationality and residency. The winner will be announced in September 2025 and awarded £5,000 along with our beautiful Minerva trophy, inspired by the iconic sculpture in Bath’s Roman Baths. One
longlistee will also win a place worth £1,980 on the 18 week virtual course Edit Your Novel the Professional Way courtesy of Cornerstones Literary Consultancy and the Professional Writing Academy. WINCHESTER POETRY PRIZE
https://www.winchesterpoetryfestival.org/wpp25
£6 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline July 31, 2025. 1st prize: £1000. 2nd prize: £500. 3rd prize: £250. The Kathryn Bevis Prize will be awarded for the best poem entered by a Hampshire-based poet. The longlist will be announced mid September, with winners announced live at a special prize-giving ceremony as part of Winchester Poetry Festival at The ARC, Winchester on Sunday 12 October 2025. Winning and commended poems will be published in a competition anthology that will be available on the day. FROME FESTIVAL SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://fromeshortstorycompetition.co.uk/apply/
£8 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2025. 1st Prize £400, 2nd Prize £200, 3rd Prize £100, plus prizes for local authors. Seeking stories on any theme and in any style but must be written in
English and be between 1,000 and 2,200 words in length. AESTHETICA LITERARY PRIZE (POETRY AND SHORT FICTION)
https://aestheticamagazine.com/creative-writing-award/
£12-£18 ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 31, 2025. Aesthetica is looking for the best new writing
talent. The £5,000 international literary prize is open to poetry and short fiction entries on any theme, celebrating innovation in content and form. £2,500 for the Poetry Winner, £2,500 for the Short Fiction Winner. Poetry entries should be no more than 40 lines. Fiction entries should be no more than 2,000 words. PLOUGHSHARES EMERGING WRITER'S CONTEST
https://pshares.org/submit/emerging-writers-contest/
$30 ENTRY FEE. (MEMBERS FREE.) Deadline May 15, 2025. Recognizes work by an emerging writer in each of three genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. We consider authors “emerging” if they haven’t published or self-published a book in any genre. One winner in each genre per year will receive $2,000 and publication in
the literary journal. The winners will also receive a conversation with our partnering literary agency, Aevitas Creative Management, regarding their work and writing careers. UNCHARTED MAGAZINE PRIZE FOR NOVEL EXCERPT
https://www.unchartedmag.com/2024-calendar/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline
June 15, 2025. We’re looking for the best 5,000 words or fewer of your novel in progress! Have a favorite chapter? An exciting and noteworthy prologue? A section where the dialogue crackles and the characters loom larger than life on the page? Give us a chance to read the most captivating section of your novel—and make us want to read more! The three cowinners of this prize will each receive $1,000 and publication. All entries will be considered for
publication.
GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING LEEWAY FOUNDATION
https://www.leeway.org/lta
Deadline May 15, 2025. The foundation invites applications for its annual Transformation Award program, which provides unrestricted grants of $15,000 annually to
women, trans, and gender-nonconforming artists and cultural producers living in greater Philadelphia who create art for social change and have done so for the past five years or more, demonstrating a long-term commitment to social change work. The award is open to individual artists and cultural producers working in any medium, including traditional and nontraditional and multimedia and experimental forms. GAP - GRANTS FOR ARTISTS -
WASHINGTON STATE
https://artisttrust.org/grants/grants-for-artist-projects/
Deadline May 16, 2025. Grants for Artist Projects (GAP) are unrestricted project-based grants of $1,500 awarded to 65 artists working in all disciplines across Washington State. Funding may be used for but not limited to artist fees,
materials, equipment, space rental, travel for research, documentation, professional development opportunities, marketing and promotion, support to continue a current project, support to start a new project, and many other needs related to your project. A.ORR FANTASY GRANT - SCBWI
https://www.scbwi.org/awards-and-grants/for-writers/a-orr-fantasy-grant
The A. Orr Grant is a new award for middle grade and YA fantasy and science fiction authors. The winner of the A. Orr Grant will receive tuition to the SCBWI Summer Conference, and $600 cash. Submissions open May 1 through May 31. You must be a current SCBWI member when your work is submitted and when the award is announced. You may not have works published, or under contract, with a
traditional publishing house. Pre-published and self-published authors are eligible. PETER BULLOUGH FOUNDATION ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
https://www.peterbulloughfoundation.org/spring-and-fall-residencies
Applications are open now through May 28,
2025 for our spring 2026 residencies. The Peter Bullough Foundation provides intimate, focused residencies to artists and writers, with diverse backgrounds and interests. Each awarded residency period is 4 weeks long and is shared with 2 other artists in residence, making it a very intimate experience. We accept US citizens living abroad and anyone currently residing in the US. Fall residencies begin in August, September, and October, and November and spring residencies start in late
January, February, March, and April. A $600 stipend is provided to assist in covering supplies, necessities, and food for the month. Location Winchester, VA.
VITTLES
https://www.vittlesmagazine.com/p/new-year-new-name-introducing-vittles
Vittles is an online magazine based in the UK and India, publishing new food and culture writing. For recipe columns – an introductory
essay of 500–800 words plus a previously unpublished recipe – we pay £500 (note that this fee also covers the provision of photos of the dish). For shorter contributions – tips, compilation entries, etc – we pay £150 or around 40p a word. Essays tend to go through three rounds of edits before publication. We offer 50% kill fees if the piece goes into edits but is not published for some reason, although this is rare. SHELFY
https://www.myshelfy.xyz/editorial
Our goal is to foster a space for cultural news and criticism that deepens understanding and sparks meaningful engagement with art and culture, reflecting the same intentional spirit we see in our member community. We're interested in a wide range of topics within culture, spanning trends, subcultures, and niche interests
across music, fashion, film, technology, literature, and more. Pays $0.50+ per word. STAT
https://www.statnews.com/pitch-guidelines/
We’re looking for ideas that check the boxes of a great STAT story: smart, compelling, original reporting that takes readers inside the world of health,
medicine, and scientific discovery. That can translate to all sorts of stories: pieces that bring readers inside research labs, hospitals, and biotech companies; that scrutinize new findings or industry business strategies; that chronicle patient experiences or shed light on disparities; or that dive deep into ideas or individuals that are changing the way we think about science and medicine. We generally pay $1 per word. KITCHEN
WORK
https://www.kitchenwork.com/submissions
Submissions to kitchen work are gauged for literary quality, focus and intrigue, and not for gastronomic sophistication. We are eager to print stories about fine dining, and also about your mother’s corned beef, or a 14-year-old’s impressions of her school lunches. Of course, all submissions about the work
of the kitchen are especially welcome. Recipes and bottle notes: in addition to general submissions, kitchen work™ also seeks submissions for recipes and bottle notes—a section of the journal devoted to favorite recipes or bottles of wine. These should include the recipe itself, or the name of the wine, and 500 words or fewer about its significance or some experience with it. Authors of accepted submissions are paid $0.20 per word. THE
BAFFLER
https://thebaffler.com/about/submissions
Nonfiction should be submitted in pitch form (no complete manuscripts, please), consisting of two paragraphs that describe your project. Poetry and fiction are welcome; our preferred length for prose is between 2,200 and 5,000 words. The Baffler is America’s leading voice of incisive and unconventional
left-wing political criticism, cultural analysis, short stories, poems, and art. Baseline pay is $500.
BAEN
https://www.baen.com/faq
We are looking only for science fiction and fantasy. Preferred length: 100,000 - 130,000 words. BLACK INC
https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/submissions
We accept proposals from Australian writers only, for general, literary and commercial non-fiction – including history, current affairs, memoir and biography. We also accept proposals from corporate organisations for custom publishing projects. ONEWORLD
https://oneworld-publications.com/about/book-proposals/
Accepting nonfiction only at present. With nonfiction, it is important that you tell what makes you particularly qualified to write this book. Not all of their writers are academics, but they are all experts in their chosen field. We do publish books by writers who have not been published before, but please bear in
mind that writing a full-length book, particularly if it is intended for the general reader, is a long and difficult process, and that we will require evidence that you will be able to write in the appropriate style, meet deadlines etc. EVERNIGHT
https://www.evernightpublishing.com/pages/Submissions.html
We are only interested in acquiring romance. Priority will be given to popular genres/tropes and authors with a social media presence and desire to grow their writing career.
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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