Volume 9, Issue 38
September 20, 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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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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VIP AUTHOR TALKS WITH C. HOPE CLARK
"Myths & Reality of Writing: Where's the Money?"

Every writer wants to know how to get paid for his or her
work. If anyone knows where writers can find markets (and
money) for their writing, it's C. Hope Clark, founder and
editor of FundsForWriters.com.
 
During this class, Hope will reveal how you can earn income
from these "funding streams":

-- Grants: Arts commissions, Foundations/Nonprofits,
   Conferences?Retreats, Fellowships
-- Contests: Scams, Entry fees, Boosts to publication
-- Freelance Markets: Queries and pitches, finding paying
   markets, what to avoid
-- Jobs: Freelance, Fulltime, government positions, be a reporter
-- Plus, tips on being a writer: pride and promotion!
 
Have a question on a topic not listed? Write it down now for
the live Q&A at the end of the call.
 
Class: "Myths & Reality of Writing: Where's the Money?"
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Time: 8:00pm - 9:00pm Eastern Time (7pm Central, 6pm Mountain, 5pm Pacific)
 
For More Information and to Register:
http://vipauthors.com

                 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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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WHY WE DON'T ALWAYS WRITE DOWN OUR BEST STUFF

How real is your writing? I dare to say that we don't pen
our best stuff because it says too much about us. To write
from our core, we must mentally and psychologically expose
ourselves. On top of that, we must do it to complete
strangers - people eager to pass judgment.

We avoid writing from our souls. We become vulnerable, and
who in his right mind would risk vulnerability to write?

The best writers do just that. They don't worry what the
family will think about your character that walked in
Chapter Five. They tell dark things about themselves.
They drudge up a painful past and infuse it into a page
of words.

We're afraid of being real.

Well . . . being real sells. The public is glad to pay
for sincerity, passion, soul-venting material. Look at
celebrity memoirs. We can't see these people, but we can
read about their affairs, drug episodes, near-death
experiences and lost loves. People want to taste the
rawness of someone else's flaws and failures, successes
and fall-on-your-face moments.

Ninety-percent of us can't dig that deep and draw upon
that pure material. We aren't willing to be genuine.

List ten issues or items in your life that you don't like
to talk about. Now prioritize them, starting with the one
you never discuss, much less write about.

Now write about it. Whether you disguise it in your novel
or create a magazine feature with your closeted issue.
At least write about it in your journal, spilling all that
blood and tears on the page. Recall it in all its detail.
Don't tell it . . . show it, to include all the kick-in-
the-gut feelings.

Not prepared to do an Oprah or Jerry Springer? Then heavily
cloak your moment in your story. In your mind, you'll know
the truth as you're writing. Let the anger fester, the
tears flow, the passion spill over onto the page. Drain
yourself.

Channel that type of energy and amaze yourself. Better yet,
amaze an editor. Most of all, astonish a reader.

     Hope

  

Theme: Invisible Writing
Compose 750 words or less addressing this theme in essay form.
Deadline October 31, 2009.

Pay $5 or don't pay anything. You have a choice with FFW.
First, second and third prizes in each category, ranging
from $10 to $200.

NEW: FundsforWriters is featuring Tweetebooks. Yes, you
read right. In this day of social networking in spurts,
FFW has created abbreviated ebooks with abbreviated prices.
Enter the $5 entry fee category of the contest and receive
one free. Or buy one. They are only $1.99.

http://www.fundsforwriters.com/annualcontest.htm
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/tweetebooks.htm

NOTE:
Shelley Lieber and VIP Authors is our Platinum Sponsor this year.
We still have openings for gold and bronze sponsors. See the
deal you can buy for advertising in sync with the FFW annual
essay contest.

http://www.fundsforwriters.com/annualcontest.htm

VIP AUTHORS SUPPORTS YOUR WRITING!
Get our FREE 53-page PUBLISHING SUCCESS ebook, loaded with
insider tips and resources to help you launch and skyrocket
your writing career at http://vipauthors.com.

  ~~~~~~****~~~~~~

WORDS OF SUCCESS

"First we make our habits then our habits make us."

-- Denis Waitley

 
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SUCCESS OF THE WEEK
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Dear Hope,
 
A recent success story in FFW described an instantly sealed
deal. Mine is about the Adams Media anthology My First Year
in the Classroom which you listed in September 2008. I revised,
recycled and re-submitted an essay from my rejection archives.
The initial acceptance followed within days. Stephen Rogers
was a great editor. However, it took another six months to
finalize the deal. The book with my essay Classroom Clown
appeared this summer.
 
Thanks for the information, encouragement and butt-kicking
"just do it!" message. 2009 is when I aim to win the Dorchester
Best Celler competition you listed some months ago.
 
Thank you, Hope. You challenge me to achieve higher goals.
 
Marie Dixon Frisch
http://sundocs.blogspot.com
http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/marie_dixon_frisch.html.

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ARTICLE
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Nobody Home?

By Grace Tierney
 
Recently with my writing I've been knocking at a closed door,
but nobody is at home.
 
My novel bounced back (after four months) from a publisher
who says they're not in that genre anymore despite my best
research. I revised another and sent a chapter to my normally
busy online critique group - no response. I applied to attend
two creative writing workshops to improve my skills. One
refused me because my writing sample was too good (but surely
anybody can improve, right?) and the other folded due to lack
of attendees.
 
Meanwhile I couldn't even accumulate rejection slips, much
less acceptances, as editors evaporated for the summer months.
To cap it all, I summoned my courage and arrived to join my
nearest writers' group at the library and guess what? For the
third week in a row the lights were on, but I was the only
one there!
 
If I wrote sci-fi it would inspire a creepy Marie-Celeste
tale but instead I'm rebelling and encouraging you to do
likewise.
 
I spent my writing group time composing this article to
submit to one editor I know who is always at her desk (with
or without her fingertips). I concocted detailed plans for
my ambition to be a municipal liaison for NaNoWriMo
(www.nanowrimo.org) this year in an effort to connect with
local writers. I'll start my own group from that experience
if possible. I'll even run my own workshops if I have to.
 
I trawled through the reference stacks researching new markets
for my work. I will continue revising and submitting so that
when those editors return from the beach my name will cover
their in-trays.
 
I believe that when the world stops answering the door, it
is time to take matters in your own hands and make things
happen. If you agree, you might find the following links useful:
 
Apply to be a municipal liaison (moderator/organizer/mentor)
for the National Novel Writing Month during November. This
year they're mentoring newbie MLs so it's a great time to get
involved www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/1003232.
 
If you're interested in starting your own writers' group for
moral support, friendship, and help, read this post at Laurie
Pawlik-Kienlen's blog entitled The Adventurous Writer -
http://tinyurl.com/ma5ugs . She has some wonderful advice.
 
Everybody has favorite writing sites, but I've yet to find
one that tops Critique Circle (www.critiquecircle.com) for
detailed, helpful critiques of my fiction. It is well-
moderated so spam and nasty comments are minimized. You are
strongly encouraged to critique in return; hence every writer
gets a fair share of feedback.
 
Teaching a writing workshop is harder to capture in links,
although I enjoyed the general tips by Steve Thompson at
http://tinyurl.com/mmepfd . Much depends on your pupils and
your own knowledge of the subject area, but the general rules
of teaching apply. Be massively prepared, know your topic
well, time your presentation to fill the slot, allow space
for demonstration, student-practice, questions, and fun,
and always ensure your teaching aids are working before
your students arrive.
 
As for me, a week after drafting this article I discovered
the writers' group had been on a month-long un-advertised
break. I've decided to attend it some weeks and use library
resources other weeks as I enjoyed discovering the reference
area. My novel had received critiques but notification had
been lost in transit so I'm back on track there. I've
applied to be a NaNoWriMo liaison, taught an online workshop,
and I'm submitting like a demon.
 
Somebody is home. It's me.
 
BIO
Grace Tierney (www.gracetierney.com) is a writer living in
rural Ireland. Her writing has been published internationally
and locally in everything from the local paper to anthologies,
online media, coffee tins, and glossy magazines. She has
published three books for writers (available at
www.lulu.com/gracetierney) and is currently writing her
second chick-lit novel. She also blogs weekly on unusual
words and writing at http://wordfoolery.wordpress.com/.

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COMPETITIONS
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PHILADELPHIA STORIES FICTION CONTEST
http://www.philadelphiastories.org/fiction-contest
---
$10 ENTRY FEE
Submit previously unpublished works of fiction up to 8,000
words. All entrants will receive a one-year subscription to
Philadelphia Stories. Deadline October 15, 2009. The winning
story will be published in the Winter 2009/2010 issue of
Philadelphia Stories and offered $1,000.

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HUB CITY NOVEL CONTEST
http://www.southcarolinaarts.com/firstnovel/index.shtml
---
$25 ENTRY FEE
The South Carolina Arts Commission and its literary partners
announce a call for submissions for the biennial South Carolina
First Novel Competition. The application deadline is Jan. 5,
2010; a winner will be announced in May. The contest will be
judged by Bret Lott. The winning author will receive a book
contract with the Hub City Writers Project, an award-winning
independent press in Spartanburg, S.C. The winner will also
receive a $1,000 advance against royalties, and Hub City will
publish at least 1,500 hardback copies of the book, including
a book for every public library branch in the state. Reserved
for South Carolinians. Authors must not be published in novel
form.

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TENNESSEE WILLIAMS/NEW ORLEANS LITERARY FESTIVAL FICTION CONTEST
http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/contest
---
$25 ENTRY FEE
Grand Prize $1,500, VIP All Access Pass ($500 value) for the
24th annual Festival: March 24-28, 2010, publication in the
New Orleans Review, domestic airfare and accommodations to
attend the 2010 Festival in New Orleans public reading at the
2010 Festival. Deadline: November 16, 2009. Short stories,
written in English, up to 7,000 words. Only open to writers
who have not yet published a book of fiction.

 
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GRANTS
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RHODE ISLAND FELLOWSHIPS
http://www.arts.ri.gov/grants/guidelines/fellow.php
---
Fellowship recipients receive a $5,000 award. Merit Award
recipients receive a $1,000 award. Fellowships are currently
offered in the following categories:

April 1 deadline:
Crafts, Film & Video, Folk Arts, Fiction, Poetry, Playwriting/
Screenwriting, Photography, Three-Dimensional art.

October 1 deadline:
Choreography, Drawing & Printmaking, Music Composition, New
Genres, Painting.

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POETRY PROJECTIONS III - GRANT PROPOSALS NEEDED
http://www.lift.on.ca/mt/LIFTPoetryProjectionsIII_Call.pdf
---
Deadline October 5, 2009.
The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT)
is seeking proposals from artists and writers for the third
series of Poetry Projections, provisionally titled Poetry
Projections III: On Correspondence. Revisiting the film
poem as an avenue for creative collaborations, LIFT is
seeking proposals for 10 commissioned films to be screened
in Fall of 2010. Selected participants will be provided with:

for artists outside the Toronto area, a limited amount
of travel assistance may be available.

(Thanks to http://miraslist.blogspot.com)

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KENTUCKY GRANT PLACES WRITERS IN CLASSROOMS
http://artscouncil.ky.gov/guide/prog6/tip_guid.htm
---
Deadline October 15, 2009 (residencies during 1/1/10 -6/30/10).
The purpose of the Teacher Initiated Program is to help
teachers bring professional artists into Kentucky schools
for one-, two-, three- or four-week residencies to
demonstrate their art forms and provide hands-on arts
experiences for students and teachers. Residency budgets
for artists/writers can go as high as $3,300 for four-weeks.
All artists must be selected from the Kentucky Arts Council
Arts Education Roster. Check the website on how to be placed
on the roster.

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FREELANCE MARKETS
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HERIZONS
http://www.herizons.ca/contribute
---
Herizons aims to reflect a feminist philosophy that is
diverse and relevant to women's daily lives. Readers are
interested in health issues, social and political issues,
environmental issues, equality issues, justice issues,
spiritual issues; parenting issues and all issues informed
by diverse racial and cultural experiences. Features of
1,000 to 3,000 words pay up to $750. News items of 500-700
words receive $175. Book, music and film reviews pay $55.
Payment is in Canadian funds.

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REDBOOK
http://www.redbookmag.com/contact/writersguidelines
---
REDBOOK is targeted to women between the ages of 25 and 45
who define themselves as smart, capable, and happy with their
lives. Covers news stories on contemporary issues, first-person
essays about dramatic pivotal moments in a woman's life,
marriage articles, short parenting features, and other
exciting trends in women's lives. Pays up to $1.50/word.

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HEALTHCARE LEDGER
E-mail: editorial@healthcareledger.com
http://www.healthcareledger.com
http://worcester.craigslist.org/wri/1372999769.html
---
Writers wanted - Part Time and Contract. Pays up to $350.
Location Western Massachusetts. Regional monthly health care
magazine seeks freelance content contributors. Must be able
to find, report and write compelling health care stories
relevant to the region. Must have Bachelor's degree in journalism
or related field. Minimum of two years experience. Must hit
deadlines without exception.

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JOBS
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SPEECH WRITER
Location Alexandria, VA
http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=83295193&aid=27015391-1099&WT.mc_n=125
---
Deadline September 30, 2009. Employing Agency: Food and
Nutrition Service. Researching, developing, analyzing,
writing, and editing speeches, talking points, and back
grounders primarily for the Under Secretary, Administrator,
and other agency and USDA principals to promote FNS programs.
Writing feature articles and developing program informational
material for public audiences based on liaison with the program
areas.

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WRITER-EDITOR
Location Washington, DC
http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=83300618&aid=27015391-1099&WT.mc_n=125
---
Deadline September 30, 2009. Employing Agency: Farm Service
Agency. The incumbent is responsible for developing written
products that articulate, interpret and explain highly complex,
potentially controversial, and important agency policies,
programs and research findings.

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WRITER INTERN
Location Pennsylvania, PA
http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=83385581&aid=27015391-1599&WT.mc_n=125
---
Deadline October 14, 2009. Employing Agency: Veterans Affairs,
Veterans Health Administration. As a Writer-Editor Intern, you
will participate in a two-year formal training and developmental
program designed to provide important competencies to progress
to more responsible positions.  This training is accomplished
through a full-time paid position under a preceptor in this
targeted field of Public Affairs. You will perform work related
to writing and editing for print, broadcast, and electronic media
including newspapers, magazines, brochures, radio, the Internet
and television.

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PUBLISHERS/AGENTS
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BARRY GOLDBLATT LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.bgliterary.com/index.html
---
A literary agency that handles YA, picture books, chapter
books for middle grades.

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WENDY WEIL LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.wendyweil.com/
---
The Wendy Weil Agency, Inc. represents fiction and non-fiction
for the trade market. Works with literary and commercial
fiction, mystery/thriller, memoir, narrative non-fiction,
journalism, history, current affairs, books on health, science,
popular culture, lifestyle, and art history. Does not handle
screenplays or textbooks.

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FRESH BOOK LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.fresh-books.com/
---
Fresh Books represents new and established authors of non-
fiction. Our current areas of interest include: computers
and technology, popular science, natural history, current
events, health and fitness, photography and design, business
and personal finance, travel, cooking, and books of western
regional interest.

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SPONSORS
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AWARD WINNING NOVELIST, STORY WRITER WILL EDIT YOUR WORK

Winner of the 2009 Excellence in Teaching Award from
UNC Chapel Hill, Richard Krawiec has published novels,
story collections, plays, memoirs, 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. He was a Finalist for the 2009 Indie Book
Awards for Poetry.
 
It's hard to publish these days. 
Let someone who knows what they're doing help
you prepare your work for publication.

http://home.mindspring.com/~rkwriter/

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WOW! Women On Writing Online Workshops & Classes

http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/WOWclasses.html 

 

Whether you are looking to boost your income or work on your craft, we know that education is an important part of a writer's career. WOW! offers convenient online e-courses on a variety of subjects: freelance writing, fiction and poetry, book proposal writing, online author promotion, how to get an agent, screenwriting and more! All of our courses are offered online--whether through email, website, chat room, or listserv--and are taught one-on-one with the instructor. Have a mentor guide you through a charted course of learning!

 

Featured courses by starting date:

 

Advanced Writing for Magazines (September 14, 2009)

 

An Introduction to the Craft of Screenwriting (September 15, 2009)

 

Online Author & Book Promotion (September 21, 2009)

 

Writing for Children: Everything You Need to Know About Short Stories, Articles, and Fillers (September 21, 2009)

 

Theme Power! Poetic Explorations: Poetry Workshop (October 2, 2009)

 

Creating a Character Sketch (October 5, 2009)

 

Magazine Writing Success (October 15, 2009)

 

Get Paid To Write: Become a Freelance Writer! (October 20, 2009)

 

Short Fiction Writing (November 3, 2009)

 

Writing "Real Life" Stories for Magazines (November 9, 2009)

 

Class sizes are limited. Early enrollment is recommended.

 

Find out more by visiting the WOW! Women On Writing Classroom.

 

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GIVE ME YOUR NEEDY MANUSCRIPT            

If  there's a spark of  life in  it I'LL FAN IT

@"Your critique helped me turn the book around."

-Jess Stearn,author of  best selling "Edgar Cayce,Sleeping Giant" 

  
@"You made a very substantial contribution to its success and your skilled and insightful
help in getting it  to a proper start." - Steve Spruill, NYT best selling author
 
@"Brilliant, incisive and accurate analyst and critic."

- Al Zuckerman, President, Writers House,Inc.
            
JOCELYN W. KNOWLES 

         BOOK DOCTOR          

 jwknowles@verizon.net

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http://www.fundsforwriters.com/adrates.htm 

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BUSINESS STUFF
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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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