VOLUME 26, ISSUE 3 | january 16, 2026

THE SECOND DRAFT

I take a long time on a first draft of a book, particularly because I do not outline. I hate first drafts. Well, that phase is over with and currently I'm working on the second draft. So far I've found nine things that I did not bring around full circle in the story. What the heck has been said a few times.

Why don't you outline then, some might ask....and some have asked that before. Following are the reasons why

1. I hate writing a book knowing how it will end. I love the evolution. 
2. An outline never works. New ideas crop up in the interim ruining the rest of the outline.
3. I love the challenge of finding my way through the dark.
4. I love being free to incorporate spontaneous ideas and taking off in a new direction.
5. I like being the protagonist, learning as she goes.

But the problem with this style is that you paint yourself in a corner, forget where you were going, and drop in ideas that you don't bring around (like now). But the magic, to me, comes in the rediscovery. I have bones, I have muscle, then I add flesh. Layers of writing with each time giving deeper and more diverse dimensions. 

To me, outlining is a waste of time. I like thinking on the fly. I like finding sparks of creativity and thinking, "I can use that in the next chapter."

Is it frustrating? Sure. There is a saying in my house that my husband came up with during one of the many times I was lost in my plotting. "This is the worst book you've ever written, isn't it?" It makes me stop spiraling, might even make me laugh, and suddenly I'm back at work, knowing that writing any other way just would not work.

It never gets easier folks. It just gets more satisfying.

C. Hope Clark
Editor, FundsforWriters
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TWITTER - http://twitter.com/hopeclark
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FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/chopeclark
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BOOKBUB - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/c-hope-clark

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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS

IF YOU COULD GO BACK...

I absolutely hate questions like this. Since you cannot go back in time, cannot reimagine yourself as young or ignorant or both, why bother? Life is a building that starts at the bottom, clearing the plant life, digging the dirt, and pouring a foundation. Then you build it one brick at a time. One board at a time. One piece at a time. By the time you're on your third or fourth building, you are so much wiser. Why in the world would you want to go back?

Same goes for the question, what would you tell your younger self? Don't care. Doesn't matter. It wastes my energies and my gray matter to ponder that when I should be advancing forward, enjoying a good read or writing a story.

Do not waste your time with the past with the exception of taking lessons learned and applying them to your present and future.

"When you have climbed the hill, and the view is just breaking, do you want to reclimb it? A thousand times no! Anyone who honestly wants to be young again has never lived, only imagined, only masqueraded."

~Jane Ellen Harrison (September 9, 1850–April 15, 1928) 

Alpha and Omega Hardcover – January 1, 1915  

Don't wallow in the past, failures or successes. Use the energies and talents given to you and put them to use. In your social media scrolling, avoid talking about what it's like being a writer, or talk about how hard it is to write your current book, or how much you hate literary agents. Just write the damn words and hush up already. That's much more admirable. 
 

SUPER SPONSOR

9th Annual 10-Minute Play Festival

No more than 10 minutes in length, 10 pages maximum, and no more than 3 characters. Must be unproduced! 

Theme: The Seven Stages of Grief: Shock/Disbelief, Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Guilt, Depression, Acceptance. Seven vignettes will be selected, one for each of the 7 stages of grief. Is not restricted to serious or dramatic. (No children's theatre, musicals, or child-centered stories.)

These are black box productions, so minimal sets requested. 

Cover page limited to play's title and the stage of grief. On separate page include playwright name, address, phone number and email (not part of the 10 pages).

ENTRY FEE: $15. Entry fee covers production costs and printing of scripts which must be sent in a Word document.

Deadline May 31, 2026. 

Winners contacted July 1, 2026. 

Play festival is the first weekend in September 2026. 

First prize $100, medal, and stage performance.

Second prize $50, medal, and stage performance.

Third prize medal and stage performance. 

Mail: Hal Harmon c/o ETC, 1402 Linden Ave, Memphis, TN 38104

Email: emeraldtheatrecompany@gmail.com

CashApp: $EmeraldTheatreMphs

Website: http://www.etcmemphistheater.com/ 

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

-Feb 10, 2026 - Book Club, Mt. Horeb Church, Lexington, SC - noon-2PM

-Apr 15, 2026 - Book Club, Noon to 2 PM - Elgin, SC (members only)

-June 4, 2026 - Chapin Library, Chapin, SC - 1-2 PM

Email: hope@chopeclark.com to schedule  events, online or otherwise. 

SUCCESS QUOTE

“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” – Truman Capote
 

SUCCESS STORY

<<If you have a success story you believe was prompted by FundsforWriters, please share with us! Send to hope@chopeclark.com >>

FEATURED ARTICLE

How to Find Your Writing Community
 

By Debra Whittall
 

Writing is often called a solitary pursuit, yet none of us performs alone. It takes a supportive community including editors, proof readers, critique partners, and beta readers. Words don’t magically appear on the page to perfection, ready for publication. 
 
Start at the Library

Libraries are filled with words and people who write them. When I retired to a new city, I found “writers” under the adult events tab on the local library’s website. The South Shore Scribes became my first critique partners, exchanging writing prompts and feedback. We learned about self-publishing, marketing and sales by compiling our own book of short stories.

Since libraries are public buildings, no one is turned away and not everyone wants the same thing out of the sessions. When I moved to a new city and the local group wasn’t a good fit, I corralled two like-minded members to form our own writing group.  I also checked nearby communities and found one that better matched my personality and efforts in a town just half an hour away.
 
Online Communities

I belong to the Gutsy Great Novelist Community, a fabulous online resource of learning and connections. Hope Clark belongs to it as well. 

There are other online communities with varying levels of cost, commitment and quality, some with closed Facebook Groups or message boards. Through the GGNC site, I met two women with whom I’ve been zooming biweekly for three-and-a-half years. We have six and a half manuscripts and a published novel between us, and a memoir coming out next year. 

Online organizations such as the Crime Writers of Canada, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of Australia and others are a great way to connect with writers in your genre.
 
Retreats

There are numerous retreats offered by reputable writing coaches, agents and authors in exotic and intimate locales around the world, some combined with walking, wine, or museum tours. Gifted teacher and award-winning author, Joan Dempsey, hosts the annual Maine Writing Retreat, an intimate and intense week of craft sessions and coaching. The writer in residence is none other than the generous and inciteful author behind FundsforWriters, C Hope Clark. I’ve made lasting friends and writing buddies at this annual event.

My favourite podcast, The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, offers an online Deep Dive writing retreat, which encourages networking among participants, and has resulted in a trusted beta reader. Podcast host, award-winning author Bianca Marais, offers the Great Beta Reader Match Up. For a small fee, you can submit a writing sample and be matched up with writers in your genre and time zone. Now, every other Saturday morning, I exchange pages and advice with a fun bunch of writers, and we’re already talking about our next novels. 
 
Classes and Conferences 

Learning opportunities, either online or in person, are another great way to meet your people. Reedsy, The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish, and Writers’ Digest offer courses and virtual conferences. Keep an eye on the chats and message boards. It was during a very reasonably priced class by the Manuscript Academy that I joined a group of fledging historical fiction writers. We now exchange pages, craft tips and research tools every other Wednesday night.
 
This has been my journey, and I hope it helps you find your community, but I have one final tip. Whenever you find yourself talking to another writer, ask, “What are you working on?”  At a seminar about an hour from my home, I found the woman sitting next to me also writing historical fiction set during the Russian revolution from the perspective of Mennonite colonists. Her great grandfather and my great grandmother arrived in Canada on the same day and on the same boat! An amazing co-incidence and another opportunity for a prospective critique partner. 
 
Debra Whittall is a former broadcast journalist and civil servant. She lives in Belleville, Ontario with her husband and two disinterested cats, while juggling seven writing groups and critique partners.

Debra Whittall on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093476143957

@Whittallizer  on Instagram and Threads - https://www.instagram.com/whittallizer/
 

COMPETITIONS

TACOMA WRITES
https://www.tacomawrites.com/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 21, 2026. $300 for best story, $100 for second and two $50 runner ups. Write a short story about the origin of Bigfoot (it can be spooky, serious, weird or whatever you want, just nothing explicit). It must take place in the Pacific Northwest. This contest is open to all nations. The story should be between 500 and 5000 words and should be written in English.

SLIPPERY ELM PRIZE FOR POETRY AND PROSE
https://slipperyelm.submittable.com/submit
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2026. Post one original, previously unpublished essay or story per entry of up to 5000 words. Or post up to three original, previously unpublished poems per entry. $1000 prizes in Poetry & Prose. All contest entrants will receive a copy of the winning issue and be considered for publication.

AMERICAN SHORT(ER) FICTION CONTEST
https://americanshortfiction.submittable.com/submit
$18 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2026. The prize recognizes extraordinary short fiction under 1,500 words. The first-place winner will receive a $1,000 prize and publication. Stories must be 1,500 words or fewer. You are allowed to include up to two stories per entry.

FURIOUS FICTION FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://www.writerscentre.com.au/furious-fiction/
NO ENTRY FEE. On the first weekend of each month, they invite you to put your storytelling skills to the test in the ultimate writer-takes-all short story challenge. Race the clock to come up with your best 500-words-or-less story in just 55 hours. Wininer takes $500 AUD.

WOW! WINTER 2026 FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 28, 2026. WOW! Women on Writing is seeking flash fiction of any genre between 250 - 750 words. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, great writing, and provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants. Open internationally. Limit 300 entries. 1st Place: $400, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. 2nd Place: $300, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. 3rd Place: $200, publication, interview and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate.
7 Runners Up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication and interview. 10 Honorable mentions receive $20 Amazon Gift Card. Top 10 stories are published in the WOW! Women On Writing e-zine, and contestants are interviewed on WOW's blog, The Muffin.

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING

NEVADA PROJECT GRANTS
https://www.nvartscouncil.org/fy27-project-grant-for-artists-guidelines/
Deadline March 2, 2026. Up to $3000 per grant. Must be a Nevada resident. The Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Project Grant for Artists (PGA) from the Nevada Arts Council supports individual artists in the production and/or presentation of artistic projects.

VERMONT ARTIST DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
https://www.vermontartscouncil.org/grants/find-a-grant/artists/artist-development/
Deadline January 25, 2026. Artist Development Grants support Vermont artists at all stages of their careers. Grants can fund activities that enhance mastery of an artist’s craft or skills or that increase the viability of an artist’s business. Funding may also support aspects of the creation of new work when the activity allows the grantee to accept a rare and important opportunity. Limit $5000.

MACDOWELL RESIDENCIES
https://www.macdowell.org/apply/apply-for-fellowship
Application deadline: February 10, 2026. About 300 artists in seven disciplines are awarded Fellowships each year and the sole criterion for acceptance is artistic excellence. There are no residency fees, and need-based stipends and travel reimbursement grants are available to open the residency to the broadest possible community of artists. MacDowell encourages applications from artists of all backgrounds and all countries in the following disciplines: architecture, film/video, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theatre, and visual arts. Location Peterborough, NH.

COLORADO AUTHORS HALL OF FAME
http://ColoradoAuthorsHallofFame.org/scholarships.html 
Deadline March 31, 2026. The Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame (the Hall) will offer up to five scholarships to aspiring unpublished Colorado authors and authors-to-be. Scholarship awards will range up to $2,000 each plus an extensive 12-month mentoring program to move them toward author publication and success. Total value of each scholarship is $17,000 to each recipient. The winning recipients will be announced in June. Recipients will be honored at a luncheon event to be held on Friday, September 11, 2026 at the Inverness Denver hotel. Part of the application process will include writing an essay of up to 1,000 words on the topic: “Why I Want to Write and Become an Author” along with how they intend on using the moneys. Essays will be evaluated for excellence of writing, creativity, and yes, grammar by a panel of judges consisting of bookstore owners, librarians and published authors. Of the 10 previous scholarship recipients, half have published their books.

AWP WRITER TO WRITER MENTORSHIP
https://www.awpwriter.org/AWP/AWP/Writers-Connect/Writer-to-Writer-Mentorship-Program/Overview.aspx
The AWP Writer to Writer Mentorship Program matches emerging writers with established authors for a three-month series of modules on topics such as craft, revision, publishing, and the writing life. Mentors volunteer their time and receive a free one-year AWP individual membership as a token of appreciation. Writer to Writer is free of charge to mentees, though they must be AWP members to apply. Writer to Writer runs twice per year. Mentor applications are open year-round via our online submission portal; if space fills up, we will keep applications on file for future seasons. Applications will reopen February 15–March 15, 2026.

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

AMAZONAS MAGAZINE
https://www.amazonasmagazine.com/about-us/amazonas-magazine-contributor-guidelines/
AMAZONAS is the world’s leading freshwater-only aquarium magazine. Payments range from about $100 to $600 per article, depending on length, complexity, the author’s experience, and whether or not images are included with the text. First-time contributors generally receive $100 to $300 for an article, including images. Top rates are $500-$600 for full features with images from known, recurring contributors.

MJBIZDAILY
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chris-roberts-147b816_its-that-time-of-year-a-call-for-pitches-activity-7406456913325920256-Qv5Q
MJBizDaily is currently soliciting and accepting (and commissioning!) freelance stories that will add value to our B2b audience of cannabis industry operators, investors, and ancilliary businesses. The ideal pitch will note a development that moves the needle in the $60 billion (and growing) U.S. THC industry. If that sounds broad, it is: we're looking for businesses moves, regulatory developments, breakthroughs in product development and science and more. We can pay $300 and up for well sourced and developed stories. Interested folks can send a developed pitch to chris.roberts@mjbizdaily.com

THE OBJECTIVE
https://objectivejournalism.org/pitch-us/
Our budget currently allows us to pay $0.50 a word, though particular projects may have special rates. The Objective is a nonprofit newsroom examining systems of power and inequity in journalism: how newsrooms treat their employees, how journalists interact with their community, and what new forms of journalism can look like.

NEXT CITY
https://nextcity.org/pitch
Next City publishes reported solutions-oriented news stories written by journalists as well as op-eds written by practitioners and researchers in the fields we cover. These include urban policy, planning, housing, homelessness, inclusive finance, economic development, transportation, infrastructure, tech, design, environmental sustainability, arts, placemaking, public health, safety, philanthropy and nonprofits. Reported news stories pay $400. Op-eds are usually between 700 and 1,200 words in length and pay $100 to $200. 
 

PUBLISHERS / AGENTS

ICON BOOKS
https://www.iconbooks.com/contact/submissions/
We are an adult non-fiction publisher and are happy to read manuscripts from potential new authors. We accept unsolicited adult non-fiction manuscripts only. We do not accept adult fiction, poetry, or children’s fiction. Location UK.

THREE ROOMS PRESS
https://threeroomspress.com/submit/
Three Rooms Press publishes full-length (word counts of 65,000+) literary novels, young adult novels, and creative nonfiction. NOTE: At this time we are not accepting submissions for collections of poetry, short stories, or essays.

MONKFISH
https://www.monkfishpublishing.com/submissions/
Monkfish publishes fiction and nonfiction books related to the subjects of spirituality and religion. If you would like your manuscript to be considered for publication, please send a completed book proposal (MS Word only; no PDFs) that includes a brief synopsis of the work, followed by a longer summary of the work, as well as a complete annotated table of contents, author bio including previously published works, author promotional plans, total projected word count, manuscript completion date, blurbs, comp titles published within the last five years, and sample chapters equaling no more than 25% of the whole (ideally including the Introduction, if your book is to have an Introduction) to submissions@monkfishpublishing.com. Send all of this in a single, MS Word document attachment.

CLASH BOOKS
https://www.clashbooks.com/submission-guidelines
Send full MS as a word doc to clashmediabooks@gmail.com along with a short bio & synopsis. We love literary transgressive horror, character driven narratives with strong voices & stories that explore the boundaries of form. We are looking for horror, literary fiction and nonfiction with an exciting cultural hook. We do publish poetry but are extremely selective. Give us three months to check out your submission.

FERAL HOUSE
https://feralhouse.com/about-us/
Has consistently published innovative, unexpected and thought-provoking nonfiction — inspiring films and cultural trends; exposing crime, malfeasance and stupidity; and celebrating artists and thinkers overlooked by popular media. Feral House and sister press Process Media are Headquartered in Port Townsend, WA. Both are publishers of topics of esoteric interests and distinctive voices, a formidable force in independent publishing and often the first and definitive source for documenting cultural movements. 
 

FUNDSFORWRITERS 

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