FundsforWriters - May 24, 2009
Published: Fri, 05/22/09
Volume 9, Issue 21
May 24, 2009
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FUNDS FOR WRITERS
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
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Mailto: Hope@fundsforwriters.com
Website: http://www.fundsforwriters.com
Newsletter: 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.
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PAID SPONSOR OF THE WEEK
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No matter what stage of the writing process you are in,
you don't want to miss the next VIP Author Talks when
guest Roger C. Parker presents, "Choosing the Right Title:
10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Committing to a Book Title."
In this presentation, you will learn:
-- Why titles are so important
-- 10 essentials of a successful title
-- Why titles alone are not enough to ensure success
-- Tips for researching the competition online
-- 10 questions to ask yourself when reviewing your final
title choices
-- How to find help at the last minute
-- How to adapt your title into a winning URL if your first
choice is taken
-- How the title resonates through marketing and back-end
products
This is a don't-miss event for anyone writing anything!
Mark your calendar now for this free event*.
What: VIP Author Talks with Guest Roger C Parker
Topic: Choosing the Right Title: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself
Before Committing to a Book Title
When: Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 8:00pm to 9:00pm Eastern
(7:00pm Central, 6:00pm Mountain, 5:00pm Pacificc)
Call-In Details: http://vipauthors.com
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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS
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Read newsletter online at: http://www.fundsforwriters.com/FFW.htm
Read past issues at: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?fundsforwriters
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BE EFFORTLESS
I've read three articles in the last week about Tao, Zen
and Houdini, all of them emphasizing the need to be effortless
in your work.
How do you become effortless, you ask. Writing is hard, it's
frustrating, it's defying odds and defeating negativity. It's
anything but effortless.
That's because this message isn't about you, and that's what
most writers get wrong.
The effortless reference is geared more toward the reader,
the customer you serve. Regardless of the hard work you put
into your writing, the reader must sense it's easy for you.
Yeah, I know. You want people to know how hard you work.
You sweat blood writing a thousand words in one night with
a fevered baby in the other room or your in-laws visiting.
But the best talent must be perceived as effortless, simple,
natural ability. So what if others think they can do it?
So what if they don't know you spent two years writing
that book? Who cares you ate grits and hot dogs for twelve
months so you could afford to take time away to write the
novel?
This isn't about you.
It's about the reader picking up your column, poem, script
or book and enjoying a relaxed, pleasant read.
Of course, you face a difference in writing short material
for mags, anthologies and blogs versus long-term items like
books. The more immediate writing means you cater solely
to readership and editorial whims. They give you guidelines,
and you march to their beat. It's 100% about the reader.
Don't say, "But I only write what I'm passionate about."
Fine. But does your reader feel the same way? A reader
doesn't give a rat's knuckle about your feelings.
With books, however, you operate on a different plane.
You write the work then pitch it, with hope you publish
sometime in the next two years. (If you self-publish,
revert to the above comment on short-term material.) You
cannot predict the market two years from now. That's why
you're allowed more latitude to write from your gut, pen
what you want to see on paper, spin the story you dream
about at night. You still read Publishersmarketplace,
Publishers Weekly, Publishers Lunch, Foreword and agent
blogs to see what's hip, hot and hopping.
Sure, it's a crap shoot. You write your best, in hopes
that fickle readers lean your way at publishing time.
That's why rejection rates are so high for manuscripts.
Agents and editors are juggling the same iffy worries
about what will sell down the road. The last comment you
want to hear is that your work would have been popular
two years ago.
So, get your focus right. Write effortless, even if
it drives you to insanity.
Hope
FEROCIOUS!
With summer just over the top of the trees, you probably
know of ten or more events in nearby communities---arts
festivals, weener dog races, farmers markets, county fairs,
horse shows, summer camp expos, home shows, outdoor dramas---
where you could effectively promote your book at low cost
and high impact. For more details, and lots more ideas on
how to ferociously promote your feisty little title, you'll
want a copy of Funds For Writers' new e-book.
Ferocious Promotion for Timid Authors - $7.95
www.fundsforwriters.com/ferocious.htm
=====
http://www.hopeclark.blogspot.com
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CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF FUNDSFORWRITERS?
TOTAL FundsforWriters offers six times the information
contained in your freebie, weekly FundsforWriters. At
$12year, it's an economic bargain. Read more at:
www.fundsforwriters.com/total.htm
~~~~~~****~~~~~~
WORDS OF SUCCESS
"If a man acts in a mechanical way, reacting to external
demands or instruction rather than in ways determined by
his own interests and energies and power, we may admire
what he does but we despise what he is."
-Wilhelm von Humboldt
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SUCCESS OF THE WEEK
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Thank you for helping Carteret Writers publicize their 2009
writing contest. My press release included an e-mail address
for writer's guidelines requests, and a sudden increase in
incoming mail was obvious. I suspected the incoming blip was
tied to Funds for Writers so I immediately checked your latest
newsletter. Sure enough, there was my announcement. Within
hours after you sent out your e-mail newsletter, the guideline
requests started coming in. I sent press releases to a number
of online writing sites and newsletters. I can't do a
scientific study, but I believe that your newsletter generated
more response than any of the other online resources. Other
response flurries came in later, but no other "radar blips"
like yours. I suspect your advertisers may have the same results!
Thank you for the support you give other writers, not only
through the inspiration and markets in your paid and unpaid
newsletters, but with the free announcements that benefit
small regional writing groups as well.
~Janet Hartman, President
Carteret Writers
www.carteretwriters.org
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ARTICLE
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Build It and Maybe They Will Come
By Gwynne Spencer
Nobody warned me that building a website would be so hard.
My original webmaster asked me questions I had no idea how
to answer: what kinds of buttons I wanted, how many, what
sorts of uses they would be put to, and any number of other
details that I was totally unprepared to deal with.
It was like that moment when you've just moved, you've
changed all your mail and utilities to the new address,
you've managed to get all the kids and pets to the new house
and then somebody asks you, "Where do you want the forks to
go?" and you have a total meltdown. I was in meltdown mode.
On paper, I drew an outline of what I thought I wanted and
needed for the project based on total unfounded speculation.
But at least it was a plan of sorts. When I had to make
decisions about colors, about buttons, about 'nav' bars, I
felt like I had a rudimentary plan. I wanted to avoid repeat
meltdowns.
During my construction project, it was really helpful to
find three websites I liked and tell my webmaster, "Make it
look like these." I also found several websites that made me
want to stick needles in my eyes, and said, "Don't do this!"
I've gone through three different designs with three different
webmasters. Here's what I've learned.
Look at your website as if you had just recently arrived....
from Mars. Does your home page tell you right away, "above
the fold"...
whose website is this?
how does a visitor get in touch by phone, email, snail mail?
what is this website FOR? What does it DO?
where can visitors go inside this website?
why would visitors want to bookmark it?
If you've been at this for a while, you need a pair of fresh
and naïve eyes to look at your work. Ask somebody who is
totally ungeeky to navigate your pages. Maybe Aunt Martha who
hates computers and can only do email. Can she easily go
from page to page? Can she get back home from each page? Do
the buttons work on every page?
Is your website monster-filled? Are there long scary forms
with unnecessary fields? Is there weird formatting? Is there
long text in reversed-out type? Does it look like it was
designed by the same committee that brought us the gnu and
the Edsel?
Is your site safe? Does it say so? If you solicit people's
email addresses for a newsletter are they sure that you do
not sell, give away, or otherwise pimp their names?
How do people find your website? Unfortunately, there is no
truth to "build it and they will come" in the exciting field
of web pages. What happens if somebody googles your site? What
if they use the dreaded AOL browser? What if they don't spell
the website name just exactly right? Do they end up in some
dirty dark corner of the universe that smells like cat pee?
Does your website look like a 7th grade art class project?
Does your home page look like you've been in a pie fight?
Don't let your website get out of control with junky stuff
like flying monkeys and weird music.
Do you have links to other sites? I found links were a good
way to get my website to show up in the "top ten" on Google;
without them, it fell into the oblivion of interstellar wastes.
In the end, whether you do it yourself or have a good
webmaster, everybody deserves a good first web page. And
no meltdowns.
BIO
Gwynne Spencer is most recently author of Fund Raising Ideas
From A to Z (amazon.com) and co-author of Ferocious Promotion
for the Timid Author (www.fundsforwriters.com/ferocious.htm).
Her website is www.gwynnespencer.com.
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COMPETITIONS
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THE NEW ESQUIRE FICTION CONTEST
http://www.esquire.com/fiction/fiction-contest
---
NO ENTRY FEE
The story must be based on one of three titles.
1. "Twenty-Ten"
2. "An Insurrection"
3. "Never, Ever Bring This Up Again"
A date, a thing, and a statement. No exceptions. Make of
them what you will, do with them something great. But no
taking an old story and slapping one of our new titles on
it. We'll know, and we won't be happy. Your story cannot
exceed 4,000 words. We are serious about that, too. You may
submit only one story. All entries are due by midnight of
August 1, 2009 and must be submitted electronically at
http://esquiresubmissions.com. First prize: publication in
Esquire and $2,500.
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LIFE LESSONS CONTEST
http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/inspiration-motivation/second-annual-life-lessons-essay-contest-00000000013682/
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NO ENTRY FEE
Enter Real Simple's second-annual Life Lessons essay contest
and you could have your essay published in Real Simple; win
round-trip tickets for two to New York City, hotel
accommodations for two nights, tickets to a Broadway play,
and a lunch with Real Simple editors; and receive a prize of
$3,000. Deadline September 7, 2009. Open to legal residents
of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, age 19
or older at time of entry. Limit one entry per person or
e-mail account. Essays should be submitted in English at a
maximum of 1,500 words and typed and double-spaced on 8½-by-
11-inch paper.
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FIRST PERSON ARTS COMPETITION
http://www.hardtimes.firstpersonarts.org/
---
$10 ENTRY FEE
A national competition seeks the best videos, photographs,
and stories describing how individuals, families and
communities are managing during these hard times. Writing
submissions - up to 2,500 words. Film and video submissions -
up to five minutes, excluding credits. Photography
submissions - may include up to five photographs, with or
without accompanying text of up to 100 words per image.
Submission deadline: June 30, 2009. Finalists in each
category (writing, film, and photography) will be featured
on the First Person Arts website (www.firstpersonarts.org)
and at the First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary
Art, November 4-8, 2009. First place winners in each genre
will be invited to Philadelphia to participate in the
festival. A $500 cash prize will be awarded to the best
story overall.
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GRANTS
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VARUNA WRITERS RESIDENCY
http://www.varuna.com.au/fellowships.html
---
Varuna Fellowships for Writing Retreats offer a writer a
residency with independent writing time, accommodation and
full board at Varuna, The Writers' House in the Blue Mountains
near Sydney, Australia. Retreat Writing Fellowships are
offered in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, genre writing,
writing and/or illustrating children's books, dramatic/screen
writing, translation, essays or short fiction. Varuna
Fellowships for Writing Retreats are purely residential and
do not provide for mentorship, editing assistance, classes,
or formal discussions of the work with other writers. Fellows
are expected to work independently once in residence.
Available to Australian citizens or permanent residents 18
years and over.
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ART FARM RESIDENCY
http://www.artfarmnebraska.org/residency.html
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Art Farm's artist residency program for professionals, in
all areas of the arts, offers them accommodation and studio
space to pursue their art and we ask, in exchange, for 12
hours per week from artists, to help renovate and maintain
Art Farm's buildings and grounds as well as other projects.
All who apply need to be self-motivated and resourceful and
appreciate a quiet working environment. Art Farm's location
is semi-isolated and rural and because of this condition,
cooperation and an ability to share tasks are required.
Art Farm's artist residencies are available between June 1
and November 1 for a maximum of four artists at one time.
We usually recommend residencies of 8 to 12 weeks.
Applications for 2010 open in November 2009.
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BYRDCLIFFE RESIDENCIES
http://woodstockguild.org/byrdclifferesidencies.htm
---
The Byrdcliffe Arts Colony is located in the Catskill
Mountains, one-and-a-half miles from the center of Woodstock,
New York. Offers writers, visual artists and composers one-
month residencies from June through September. Our goal is
to provide solitude in community and undisturbed time in
which to concentrate on independent, creative work in
company of follow artists. Each four-week session is limited
to 10 individuals. Please note: 2-week or partial week stays
are not permitted! The cost per session is $300 USD.
Candidates may apply for additional weeks if space becomes
available. (Writers under age 35, who need financial
assistance, may apply for a $100 USD scholarship from The
Patterson Fund).
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FREELANCE MARKETS
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ATLANTIC SALMON JOURNAL
http://www.asf.ca/journal.php
---
Published quarterly since 1952, the Atlantic Salmon Journal
is the world's oldest publication for the conservation-minded
salmon angler. Roughly 8,500 angler-conservationists who
care enough about wild Atlantic salmon to buy memberships in
the Atlantic Salmon Federation receive the Journal.
Approximately 3,000 more copies of each Atlantic Salmon
Journal are distributed each issue to affiliated conservation
organizations, salmon-fishing lodges, and selected newsstands
and tackle shops. Pays up to $800 with photos for roughly
2,000 words.
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CHEMICAL HERITAGE
http://www.chemheritage.org/pubs/pub-nav2-guides.html
---
Chemical Heritage covers the human story of the chemical
and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries, with
a range from ancient times to the recent past. Feature articles
are approximately 2,000 to 3,500 words long. Chemical
Reminiscences are approximately 1,000 to 2,500 words long.
Pays up to $1/word.
=====
CONCEIVE MAGAZINE
http://conceiveonline.com/writersguidelines/
---
Conceive Magazine and ConceiveOnline are for any woman
contemplating or actively trying to start or expand a family:
by natural conception, fertility treatments and assisted
reproductive technologies, or adoption. We are not focused
on pregnancy or parenting, although we do cover early
(first trimester) pregnancy in the magazine and online.
Pays up to $1/word for up to 2,000 words.
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JOBS
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EDUCATION REPORTER
Location Palm Beach Gardens, FL
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?Media=Trade%20Publications&JobID=1054245
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As an Education Reporter, you will be responsible for
producing team content for Special Ed Connection and the
10-page IEP Team Trainer newsletter, incorporating content
provided by legal editors and our Washington bureau
correspondents.
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BUSINESS WRITER
Location New Orleans, LA
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?Media=Newspapers/Wires&JobID=1054384
---
At New Orleans CityBusiness, our emphasis is on taking a
creative, personal approach to business news while staying
true to our mission to provide readers with useful business
information. Three to five years experience preferred.
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WRITER-EDITOR
Location Rock Island, IL
http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=81030947&aid=27015391-1959&WT.mc_n=125
---
The Writer-Editor prepares and publishes reports, fact sheets,
brochures, newsletters, data sheets, correspondence,
presentations and other related documents/materials that
explain, document, interpret, or otherwise depict the
planning, engineering, and contracted work of the Rock
Island District as well as the Mississippi Valley Division.
Employing Agency: Army Corps of Engineers. Deadline June
5, 2009.
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PUBLISHERS/AGENTS
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BLUEBRIDGE BOOKS
http://www.bluebridgebooks.com/contact.htm
---
BlueBridge subjects range from culture, history, biography,
travel, and current affairs to spirituality, self-help, and
inspiration.
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BRANDEN BOOKS
http://brandenbooks.com/contact_us.php
---
Fiction, nonfiction, crime, Italian American, children, YA,
health and medical, reference, military, music, sports. Likes
biographies, Americana, and African American topics as well.
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BUSHFIRE PRESS
http://www.bushfirepress.com/contacts.html
---
Bushfire Press is an Australian publishing house servicing
Arts Education in primary and post primary schools and non-
professional and youth theatre. We publish music, dance,
drama, media and visual arts materials such as cross-arts
courses (integrated music, dance, drama, media, visual arts),
musicals, rock opera, mini musicals, pantomime, plays, skits,
sketches, drama units and resources, musical instrument
courses and resources and dance resources.
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SPONSORS
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CALL FOR ENTRIES!
Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest.
Write a poem, 30 lines or fewer on any subject or write a
short story, 5 pages max., on any theme, single or double-
line spacing, neatly hand printed or typed.
Entry fees:
Poetry Contest: $5 per poem
Writing Contest: $10 per story
Poetry Contest
First Prize: $500, 2nd: $125; 3rd: $50.
Writing Contest
First Prize: $250, 2nd: $125; 3rd: $100.
Postmark deadline: July 31, 2009.
Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com/ for details and to enter!
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AWARD WINNING NOVELIST, STORY WRITER WILL EDIT YOUR WORK
Winner of the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNC Chapel
Hill, Richard Krawiec has published novels, story
collections, plays, poetry, feature articles, and Young
Adult biographies. He's won NEA and NC Arts Council grants,
been nominated for the National Book Award, and Pushcart Prize.
It's hard to publish these days.
Let Mr. Krawiec help you prepare your work for publication.
http://home.mindspring.com/~rkwriter/id2.htm
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WORLDWIDE FREELANCE MARKETS - Serving the freelance writing
community for 10 years. Come and try our searchable database of
writing markets from North America, Europe and around the world.
http://www.worldwidefreelance.com
=====
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/adrates.htm
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BUSINESS STUFF
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C. Hope Clark
E-mail: hope@fundsforwriters.com
140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036
http://www.fundsforwriters.com
Copyright 2000-2009, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326
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