VOLUME 26, ISSUE 14 | APRIL 3, 2026 |
ACCEPTING EVENTS I was politely asked to a speaking/signing event and the sponsor seemed to have reach. Several authors would read and sell, all decent in their own right. When I asked for a preliminary headcount (to bring books) I started worrying when the sponsor said, "At least I
intend to buy a book from each of the authors." Only 20 attendees (not counting the authors). Do the math. Then do the math using $20 per book and the reality becomes even clearer. There's not enough money for each author to be compensated for their appearance. Luckily the event was close by, the people lovely, and food provided. This was the inaugural effort by
this sponsor, so there is that to consider. Everyone must start somewhere to learn. You, however, have to decide as a writer if you want to be part of that learning process. SIDE NOTE: New release!!! Happy birthday, Edisto Lethal, Book 14 in The Edisto Islandn Mysteries. |
I'm Doing Creative Work. Why Isn't It Creating More Opportunity? For working writers and storytellers, effort and originality are rarely the problem.
Craft is what turns creative work into something other people want to say yes to. Interesting is a skill. I write a free weekly newsletter for working writers and storytellers who want their creative work to travel further. It's called Tell Stories Better. Each issue focuses on one concrete craft decision or situation: the small, often invisible choices around structure, pacing, emphasis, and finish that
quietly shape how work is received. Practical craft you can apply immediately to the work you're already making. Written by a working writer and professional performance storyteller and coach with years of experience helping creatives turn strong ideas into compelling work. Subscribe if you want your creativity to create more opportunity. Subscribe here: TELL STORIES BETTER WRITER BRAND
With the onset of AI, it's becoming more and more important to have a honed writer identity. Yes, I know it's true that we start writing often with the idea we can work alone, publish alone, and protect privacy. Marketing is stressful. Becoming known for your writing can be a good and bad
thing, stealing a piece of your privacy in your effort to be read. But as generative AI continues, as the more nefarious and daring writers use it more and more behind the scenes, the true writer may find themselves needing to proclaim their humanity. It may come to the point where a writer has to avow their work is 100% human. That comes with some risk, because if they stray into AI territory, they can ruin their brand by being
labeled a liar, a thief, a deceitful creator with no respect for the reader who wants to support a human being. If you profess you use AI, you alienate a certain percentage of readers. If you proclaim pure human writing, you have to maintain it, because to stray is to crash if outed. Be known as a real person. You need name recognition. You need to be a three dimensional
individual with likes and needs and "pure" talent you share with the world. That is bold. One day you may not be able to hide behind the fuzziness of maybe you did and maybe you didn't use AI. Good writing needs to match a real person to be the most potent. Sooner or later, the reader wants to know the author, wants to admire them, wants to endorse them. How fuzzy around the edges will you be when that time
comes?
-April 6, 2026 - Night Harbor Book Club, Chapin, SC (Hope is moderator, book Before the Coffee Gets Cold) -Apr 15, 2026 - Book Club, Noon to 2 PM - Elgin, SC (members
only) -April 16, 2026 - Brookhaven Book Club, 3001 Stanbury Dr, Matthews, NC -7-9PM -April 18, 2026 - The Coffee Shelf, 130 Amicks Ferry Rd, Chapin, SC 29036 -8AM-noon -April 30, 2026 - Edisto Bookstore, 547 SC-174, Edisto Island, SC - 3-5PM -June 4, 2026 - Chapin Library, Chapin, SC - 1-2 PM -June 13-20,
2026 - Gutsy Great Novel Retreat, Bar Harbor, Maine - Hope as author-in-residence -July 25, 2026 - Smoking Guns Sisters in Crime Zoom meeting - Noon - Zoom -October 27-28, 2026 - SC Library Conference, Columbia Convention Ctr - lunch speaker -November 15-21, 2026 - Edisto Beach, signings TBD
Email: hope@chopeclark.com to schedule events, online or otherwise. About all that is required is that the would-be writer understand clearly what it is that he wants to become and what he must do to become it. If no matter how hard he tries he simply cannot do what he must do, this book will help him understand why he was not sent into the world to be a writer but for some other noble purpose. ~John Gardner, The Art of Fiction (1983)
<<If you have a success story you believe was prompted by FundsforWriters, please share with us! Send to hope@chopeclark.com >> Writers Can Set the Tone
By Nicole Watt
These days, online discussions abound on whether authors, especially fiction authors, should share their religious and political views. As a faith-based writer, I am used to
opposing viewpoints and am rarely deterred by the differing opinions of other writers I enjoy reading, even my favorite fiction writers. What matters most to me are the ways in which those views are expressed. No matter what kind of writing we do, genuine respect for readers must be paramount. Below are a few ways I do my best to remember that. Honesty regarding our own transgressions is often in short supply. Acknowledgement and
transparency can earn readers' trust. In this article on Herbal Remedies for Woman Alive UK, I lament the lost prominence of natural healing due, in part, to the Church's false accusations against women as witches and expound on the medicines found
in God's creation which is gaining increasing importance as medical costs continue to rise. WA welcomes articles on current trends and topics and pays £50 for 500-600 words. 10 Religion & Spirituality Magazines & Websites that Pay Writers lists numerous sites looking for
news articles on important contemporary topics of debate from varying religious perspectives.
Discussions around religion and politics are often fueled by what we are against rather than for. Our beliefs should inspire advocacy, but we might win more readers to our cause when our tone honors others' dignity. In this article for Woman Alive, I created a Freedom Christmas List to tap into the universal concern over the tragedy of human trafficking. Have We
Forgotten the Power of Touch? - Christianity Today is my account of the harm done to those most affected by the low-touch/no touch polices being adopted in churches, elderly homes, and daycares as a solution to rising abuse. The stories of Jesus' compassionate touch inspired me to advocate for the importance of healthy physical contact. The article includes links on better ways to prevent abuse, something we can all get onboard with.
CT accepts pitches with payment ranging from $75 for shorter pieces to $750 for their sought after monthly Testimony column. Sharing why we believe what we believe,
offered with grace and humility rather than finger pointing and shouting, is akin to inviting someone to the intimacy of our kitchen table for a face-to-face conversation. We may not share the same faith or political views, but respect helps us to tap our common humanity.
Honoring what is good and right in others' beliefs is also important. I developed a profound respect for Native Americans' integral relationship to the earth, and recently submitted a pitch to Sierra Club for an
essay on a nature rite of passage with my son to see the petroglyphs of the Susquehannock's for their Eyewitness department. Payment varies with length and reporting, but research indicates they pay between $250 and $1000 per article or essay.
Another way to set a respectful tone, and not take ourselves too seriously, is through humor. I'm not naturally a funny person, but when I converted to Catholicism attempts at humor were helpful tools to address some of my questions – and
others' protests - as written in this essay, Understanding the Communion of Saints as a Convert - Busted Halo. Busted Halo accepts pitches on monthly themed topics
listed on their website. They pay $100 for 500-700 words. They also hire a fulltime college student as a paid editorial intern each fall and spring semester. It is easy for keyboard warriors, both readers and writers, to shout to argue. Strife gets clicks. As writers, we have an opportunity, and I
would say responsibility, to be gracious even while staying true to our convictions. Even debate, when done with respect and thought, can sharpen minds and rouse hearts to aim for noble heights. Let us rise above the din and use the power of words as a force for good. BIO - Nicole Watt is an award-winning poet and faith-based author. She has published in Notre Dame's Grotto Network, Christianity Today, and Omagh Today.
She blogs at Walking Out of Night. https://www.facebook.com/walkingoutofnight
THE BREAKOUT PRIZE
https://www.epiphanymagazine.org/opportunities
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 15, 2026. For early-career writers who have not yet published a full-length book. .50 fee waiver applications to writers facing
financial hardship. Deadline April 15 or when we reach 300 submissions. Two writers — one in prose and one in poetry — each receive $1000 cash prize. , publication, and subscription to Epiphany. Prose manuscripts may consist of one short story, a novel excerpt, or a work of creative nonfiction not to exceed 3000 words. Poetry manuscripts may include up to 5 poems of up to 10 pages, each poem beginning on a new page. WATERSTON DESERT
WRITING PRIZE
https://highdesertmuseum.org/waterston-prize/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 1, 2026. Nonfiction writers who illustrate artistic excellence, sensitivity to place and desert literacy with the desert as both subject and setting. The award supports literary nonfiction writers who are completing, proposing, or considering
the creation of a book-length manuscript. Limit 10 double-spaced pages. Prize $3,000, residency at PLAYA in Summer Lake, Oregon, and a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in September 2026. OMNIDAWN PUBLISHING BROADSIDE CONTEST
https://omnidawn.submittable.com/submit
$14 ENTRY
FEE. Deadline April 16, 2026. Length is any poem that fits on one 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. The winner wins $1,000, publication, 20 free copies of the broadside, and publication in the Omnidawn newsletter. WOW! CREATIVE NONFICTION ESSAY CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php#EssayContest
$12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline: April 30, 2026. Creative nonfiction on any topic (1000 words or less) and in any style, from personal essay and memoir to lyric essay. Open internationally. Limit: 300 entries. 1st Place: $500, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. 2nd Place: $300, publication, and more. 3rd Place: $200, publication, and more. 7 Runners Up
receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards. JERBOA LIT 250
https://www.jerboalit.com/rules-guidelines-250
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 24, 2026. We send you a prompt, and your story (250 words this time) is due 48 hours later. The prompt will include a genre and item that must
appear/be used in your mini-flash. First place: $500 USD. Second place: $300. Third place: $200. Entrant will be sent a reminder email one week before the contest prompt is revealed. They will then be emailed shortly after Friday, April 24, at 10:00 PM Central time with the contest prompt with deadline Sunday, April 26.
GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING ESSERE RESIDENCY OPEN CALL
http//www.essereresidency.org
$30 FEE. Deadline June 15, 2026. Five €1000 (euro) fellowships available. A two-week residency from September 20 to October 4, 2027 at a private medieval estate in Tuscany,
Italy. The residency features programming for poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers, including craft talks as well as individual mentorship meetings with the guest artists in residence. Residents are provided with on-site lodging in historic homes, private rooms and writing desks. Includes 10 three-course dinners and one brunch. Travel expenses are not included. Writers submit a writing sample of 5 to 10 pages of poetry or prose, a CV, an artist's statement, and a letter
of reference. Available for BIPOC writers, emerging writers, single parents, writers reflecting on identity, and song writers. CALIFORNIA IMPACT PROJECTS https://arts.ca.gov/grant_program/impact-projects/ Deadline May 12,
2026. Impact Projects supports arts organizations for collaborations between California-based artist(s) and community members to address a community-defined need. Projects must use artistic practices to impact social issues. For nonprofits and fiscally sponsored organizations, both in collaboration with artists.
PLANETSIDE
https://www.sfwa.org/submission-guidelines/
SFWA welcomes pitches from both members and non-members. SFWA primarily serves SFF writers working in both short and long form prose, games, poetry, translations, and comics, so we’re
interested in seeing topics relevant to those audiences. They may be geared toward experienced writers or beginning writers, but we tend to run articles geared toward experienced writers more frequently. The craft of writing, the business of writing and publishing, critical examinations of tropes in SFF, social issues in SFF, media tie-ins, writing across genres and formats, personal perspectives, career transitions, what to know about self-publishing, current trends and topics in the SFF
zeitgeist, and managing multiple projects. Interested in pieces on SFF communities outside the US. Between 800 and1,000 words. Pay is $0.10/word. FREELANCE MAGAZINE
https://skwriter.com/programs-and-services/publications/freelance
Managed by Saskatchewan Writers'
Guild. Ideally, we're looking for writers who have not written for Freelance in the past two years have experience writing essays, journalism, or nonfiction; have experience in research, fact-checking, and writing for a general audience; are interested in writing articles about the craft or the business of writing (sorry, but we don't publish creative writing or poetry). Each issue of Freelance features articles written by SWG members or writers with magazine writing experience. Contributors are
paid 20¢ per word and either write on a topic of their choice or one suggested by the editor. All articles are on the craft or business of writing and are either a 1500 or 800 word count. TEACHERS AND WRITERS MAGAZINE
https://teachersandwritersmagazine.org/submissions/
The
magazine offers a wide and continually changing selection of lesson plans, essays, and interviews tailored for those in the field of creative writing education. We publish both practical and theoretical work and look for writing that is vivid, original, concise, and geared toward a general audience. Favorite Classroom Writing Prompts pays $75 and word count: 500 – 750 words. Narrative Lesson Plans pays $100 and word count 750 – 2,000 words. The Art of Teaching Writing pays $150 and word count
1,000 – 3,000 words. Interviews pays $150 and word count 1,000 – 2,500 words. Not looking for poetry, fiction, book reviews, or other literary works. T&W Magazine is not a literary magazine. We publish tools, resources, and reflections on the art of teaching creative writing. HERIZONS BOOK REVIEWS
https://form.jotform.com/222406551164045
Herizons Magazine has been Canada’s foremost feminist magazine since 1992. Herizons publishes social commentary on art, culture, and legal/political/community affairs related to gender, race, and sexuality. Each issue includes timely, feminist-informed essays, news, and reviews, prioritizing writers based in Canada. Please note, we are only accepting submissions from women, non-binary, and Two-Spirit writers based in Canada. Book
reviews are 340 words for a flat fee of $125CAD, payable upon publication, following an editing process. Submit your topic interests in the form and we will keep you in mind for future opportunities. SLACKJAW
https://medium.com/p/f720ea4e1dfe
Note, payment is based on Medium's partner program.
Depending on the volume of reads, you can make $20 or $200 or more. We accept submissions from humor writers of all backgrounds and extraterrestrial lifeforms. If you’re interested in submitting a humor piece to Slackjaw, please email slackjawsubmissions@gmail.com with a private link to your unpublished Medium draft. Our pieces fall under 1,000 words. Less is better. But not too less. Most pieces are
300–800 words. We publish funny writing: premise-driven humor pieces, funny essays, and a bit of short comedic fiction.
TOTALLY ENTWINED - ETERNAL
https://totallyentwinedgroup.com/submissions/submissions-eternal/
Eternal is your portal to the supernatural world of paranormal romance. We seek submissions that feature werewolves, vampires,
demons, and otherworldly beings. Your stories should delve into the mysteries of the paranormal, offering thrilling and passionate romances that transcend the ordinary. TOTALLY ENTWINED - EVIDENCE
https://totallyentwinedgroup.com/submissions/submissions-evidence/
Evidence is dedicated to gripping tales of thriller, suspense, and mystery. We are looking for submissions that weave intricate plots, deliver heart-pounding tension, and keep readers guessing until the very end. TOTALLY ENTWINED - ECHOES
https://totallyentwinedgroup.com/submissions/submissions-echoes/
Echoes brings history to life with captivating historical romances. We seek stories that transport readers to past eras, blending rich historical detail with passionate romance. From forbidden love in Regency England to sweeping sagas of the American West, we want tales that echo through time, intertwining
love and history in unforgettable ways. TOTALLY ENTWINED - EXPANSE
https://totallyentwinedgroup.com/submissions/submissions-expanse/
Expanse ventures into sci-fi romance, exploring distant galaxies and futuristic worlds. We seek thrilling love stories set among the
stars, where romance meets adventure in uncharted realms.
FUNDSFORWRITERS FINE PRINT 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
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