Volume 10, Issue 52
December 24, 2010

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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, 2010

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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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AWARD-WINNING WRITER, PUBLISHER
WILL EDIT YOUR NOVEL, MEMOIR, POETRY

Have your writing edited by an award-winning, professional
writer, editor, and publisher, one who knows how to help
you prepare your writing for publication.  Richard Krawiec
has published novels, biographies, text books, plays, and
a story and poetry collection.  He won the 2009 Excellence
in Teaching Award from UNC Chapel Hill. His essays, feature
articles, and reviews have appeared in major newspapers and
magazines across the US. The NY Times, LA Times, Publishers
Weekly have reviewed his work. Awards include National
Endowment for the Arts and NC Arts Council grants, as well
as nominations for the National Book Award, Best American
Short Stories, and Pushcart Prize. He is founder of Jacar Press.

Contact rkwriter@gmail.com, www.rkeditor.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

=====

IT HAPPENED

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook or even the blog,
you already know. I landed a publisher for my mystery novel
series! Carolina Slade has found her home.

This is a brief chronological history to show you how long
it can take to make your dream happen (and mine is still
in progress):

1. Two years - 1997-1999 - Wrote the first draft. Pitched
   it to an agent recommended to me by a best-selling author.
   Rejected. Deflated and threw the manuscript in the closet.

2. 2004 - Had lunch with a published mystery author at a
   booksigning. Went to dinner with her. She convinced me
   to pull out the manuscript and start again. I did.

3. 2005 - Finished a complete rewrite of the book, changing
   location, characters, plot, you name it.

4. 2006 - Finished two detailed edits, chapter by chapter with
   a serious critique group. Rewrote many chapters. Discarded
   characters. Altered the ending five times. Reworked the
   opening chapter a dozen times.

5. 2007 - Pitched to 40+ agents and publishers. Had three
   requests for partials, same for complete manuscript.
   All declined. Began rewriting the novel over again, with
   new alterations, tightening. Entered the opening chapter
   in a couple of contests. Placed in three, so I knew I was
   on the right track.

6. 2008 - Finished rewrite and started pitching to more contests.
   Pitched to 30+ agents. Wrote book two in the series.
  
7. 2009 - Made semi-finalists for Amazon Breakthrough Novel
   Contest (top 100 out of 10,000). Was named a finalist in the
   2009 Romance Writers of America Daphne du Maurier Award for
   Mystery/Suspense. Landed my agent who immediately started
   pitching the novel. Completed edits of book two.

8. 2010 - Agent still pitching...still pitching... I started
   book three. Long dry spell in there when, seriously, my
   confidence took a face-first, nose-dive into doubt. Had
   several "close calls" with publishers, but no cigars.
   Finally, on December 17, I got the call.

So listen. When you think it isn't going to happen, whether
it's publishing your novel, landing a choice gig at a magazine,
or finding that perfect client for your copywriting biz,
remember this:

It won't happen if you stop trying.

I heard this for years from authors, agents and publishers.
I took it as flippant, cliche, and simple. Now I understand.
If you don't keep going, you never get there.

Now this is a Christmas present...for me. My present to you
is advice. Write a lot, critique a lot, edit a lot. Slowly
but surely, your writing improves.

Then one day, you get a call.

     Hope

HO-HO-HO

TOTAL FundsforWriters is offering an early holiday discount.
From now until Christmas (that's midnight Christmas Eve),
purchase TOTAL FundsforWriters for $7 (instead of $15).

www.fundsforwriters.com/halfspecial.htm

You won't find this offer anywhere else on the website.
It's designed as a thanks to those who receive
FundsforWriters newsletters. 

Deadline December 24, 2010 - midnight.

(NOTE: Can be used for new subscriptions, gift subscriptions,
 or your next renewal only. No multiple year extensions.)

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THE BLOG - http://www.hopeclark.blogspot.com

TWITTER - http://twitter.com/hopeclark

FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/chopeclark

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THAT TIME OF YEAR

Nominate FundsforWriters for next year's
101 Best Websites for Writers via Writer's
Digest Magazine.

E-mail: writersdig@fwpubs.com with "101 Best Websites"
as the subject (deadline is January 1).
 

  ~~~~~~****~~~~~~

WORDS OF SUCCESS

"One important key to success is self-confidence.
An important key to self-confidence is preparation."

~ Arthur Ashe~

 
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SUCCESS OF THE WEEK
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Mine! As posted under New Deals in Publishers Marketplace this week:

Mystery/Crime
Hope Clark's HOG TIED, book one in the Carolina Slade Mystery
Series about a by-the-book bureaucrat whose life is torn apart
as she reluctantly becomes involved in this suspense wrought
with fraud, murder and kidnapping, to Pat Van Wie at Bell Bridge
Books, for publication in Winter 2012, by Verna Dreisbach at
Dreisbach Literary Management.

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ARTICLE
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Network Like It's Your Eighth Birthday Party
By Kirsty Logan

We all know that networking is vital to furthering your writing
career: making contacts, giving a good impression, getting your
business card into the right hands. We also know that networking can
be scary - how can we come across as confident but not conceited,
ambitious but not cut-throat? Well, I'll tell you! When I was a little
girl my mother had very particular rules for birthday parties, and
these exact same rules can be applied to networking as a writer. By
remembering what your mother taught you, you'll be working that room
in no time.

1. Don't just talk to your friends
It's easy to lurk in the corner and chat to your friends, but you
could have stayed at home to do that. Get across the room and
introduce yourself to someone! An excellent conversation opener is
'What are you working on?' Not everyone wants to be defined by their
day job, but everyone likes to talk about their plans and passions.
Don't monopolise anyone's time - just introduce yourself, listen
carefully to what they have to say, give them your card if it's
appropriate, and say it was great to meet them. Don't forget to smile!

2. Don't just talk to the popular kids
If you head straight for the biggest bigwig in the room and ignore
everyone else, you'll seem cynical and self-serving. Take time to chat
to everyone, and show them the same amount of attention and interest.
In a business sense, you never know who can help you in your career;
in a personal sense, everyone has interesting things to say and you
might make a new friend!
This holds true for online networking too. If you get a nice email
from a name you don't recognise, don't ever write them off as a
'nobody'. Give them your time and your personality, just as you would
if they were a hot-shot agent or editor.

3. Don't be mean
So you think someone in the room is boring, silly, self-absorbed or a
bad writer. Keep it to yourself! If you must, wait until you get home
and vent to your partner or friends - but best of all, just work
through those negative feelings until they're gone. Don't ever be
bitchy about other people on the writing scene in public - you'll
develop a reputation and people won't want to work with you. Stay
polite and friendly in public at all times.

4. Send thank-you cards
You've made an effort to remember everyone's names, right? Now get
online and look them up. Google, Facebook, Twitter: they'll be out
there somewhere. Say hello, remind them who you are, mention something
about their interests, and say it was nice to meet them. Don't forget
a link to your website in your signature so they can read about your
achievements.

By just being friendly, polite and professional I have landed myself a
reading at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, many invitations
to submit to anthologies and magazines, and even a paid internship. So
pretend it's your eighth birthday party, and get networking!

###

Kirsty Logan writes, edits, teaches, and reviews books in Glasgow,
Scotland. Her short fiction appears in numerous literary magazines and
anthologies, and is due to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4. She is
currently working on her first novel, Little Dead Boys, thanks to a
grant from the Scottish Book Trust. Get in touch at
www.kirstylogan.com .

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COMPETITIONS
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2011 LAINE CUNNINGHAM NOVEL AWARD
http://www.blotterrag.com/Call%20for%20Entries.pdf
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$25 ENTRY FEE
Submit 10-20 pages of the opening of your novel or novella.
For $30 enter the contest and get a year's subscription to The
Blotter. $650 in cash prizes. Deadline January 31, 2011.

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TINY LIGHTS ANNUAL ESSAY CONTEST
http://www.tiny-lights.com/contest.php
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ENTRY FEE $15 for first essay, $10 each additional essay.
Deadline February 18, 2011. Tiny Lights invites entries that
feature a distinctive voice, discernible conflict and an
eventual shift in the narrator's perspective.
First Place: $350
Second Place: $250
Third Place: $150
Two Honorable Mention Prizes: $100 each.
Three FLASHPOINT prizes of $100 are also offered. Awards
will be determined by a panel of judges. Final authority
rests with the Editor-in-Chief, Susan Bono.

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5th ANNUAL NYC MIDNIGHT SHORT STORY CHALLENGE
http://nycmidnight.com/Competitions/SSC/Challenge.htm
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$49 ENTRY FEE
The 5th annual NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge is now
open for registration! This fun writing challenge is open
to writers around the world. There are two rounds of
competition. 1st Round (February 4-12, 2011):  Writers are
placed randomly in heats.  Each heat is assigned a genre
and a subject.  Some examples of past genre and subject
combinations are: Comedy / Hunting, Fantasy / Steps,
Horror / A family reunion, and Sci-Fi / A blind date. 
Writers have eight days to write an original short story
(2,500 words max). Winners are chosen from the 1st Round
to advance to the 2nd Round and compete for thousands in
cash and prizes. (First prize = $1,500; Second prize = $500;
Third prize = $250; Fourth prize = $100). 2nd Round (April
1-2, 2010):  All of the writers receive the same genre and
subject at midnight (EST time) and have just 24 hours to
write an original short story. A panel of judges review
the final round stories and winners are chosen.
Deadline of Wednesday, February 2, 2011. Use the discount
code SHORTAW to receive $5 off!

 
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GRANTS
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GRANTS FOR CALIFORNIA ARTISTS IN VISUAL ARTS, CRAFTS,
AND LITERARY ARTS
http://www.cciarts.org/grantsprogram.htm
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The program is inviting grant applications from California
working artists for Round VII: Visual Arts, Craft, & Literary
Arts. For the purposes of the program, eligible "working
artists" are defined as adults who have received training
in an artistic discipline or tradition, spend ten or more
hours a week on their artwork, self-define as professional
artists, and attempt to derive income from work in which
they use their expert artistic practices and skills.

Grants are available in two categories:
1) Artistic Equipment and Tools -- This category provides
one-time implementation grants of up to $10,000 each for
individual artists to acquire tools, materials, or equipment
that will strengthen their long-term capacity to create work
2) Artistic Innovation -- This category provides one-time
grants of up to $10,000 each for artistic innovation projects
for individual artists to create new work that pushes the
envelope of an artist's creative process, explores new
artistic collaborations, or supports artistic growth.
Deadline January 14, 2011.

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ADVENTURES IN FICTION APPRENTICESHIPS - UK
http://www.adventuresinfiction.co.uk/apprenticeships/
---
Apprenticeships in Fiction is a national scheme designed to
nurture emerging writers at a key stage in their careers. It
is aimed at aspiring novelists who have already made a
considerable commitment to the development of their practice
and would benefit from a year of transitional support.
In its first four years, the scheme resulted in three publications
and referred a further eight writers to literary agents. Every
year, apprentices successfully secure funding from a range of
sources including Arts Council England. The financial assistance
of Arts Council England has enabled us to offer an award of
£1,000 towards each apprenticeship. Deadline May 31, 2011.

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KACHEMAK BAY WRITERS' CONFERENCE 2010
http://writersconference.homer.alaska.edu/scholarships.htm
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A limited number of partial and full scholarships are available
for application covering the $325 registration fee only.
Transportation to and from Homer and conference activities,
housing and incidentals are the recipient's responsibility.
Location Homer, Alaska - June 10-14, 2011. Deadline March 14,
2011.

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FREELANCE MARKETS
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BIG SKY JOURNAL
http://www.bigskyjournal.com/bsj/submission_guidelines.php
---
Our content is as diverse as backcountry adventure, fine dining,
architecture, ranching, rodeo, fly-fishing and hunting. All of
our features, columns, poetry, fiction and photography focus on
the Northern Rockies landscape, culture, people, places and
wildlife. Scroll down the page to see the specific columns
that are open to freelancers to include fiction as well as
nonfiction.

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COMMON GROUND
http://commongroundmag.com/main-page.html
---
Covers environment, progressive nonprofits and activists in
the San Francisco Bay Area. Deals with socially responsible
businesses, stories about spirituality and personal growth,
healthy food and living, organic farming, innovations in
education, cultural creatives. Always looking for pithy,
local news shorts for Mindful Living (350-450 words) at the
front of the book. Longer features run 1,500-2,200 words.
Pays up to 75 cents/ word.

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NORTHERN MICHIGAN, TRAVERSE, NORTHERN HOME & COTTAGE MAGAZINES
http://www.mynorth.com/My-North/Contact-Us/Writing-Submission-Guidelines/
---
When shaping an article for us, consider first that it must
be strongly rooted in our region. Traditionally we covered
the Northwest Michigan counties of Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix,
Crawford, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Manistee, Otsego,
Cheboygan and Mackinac. We now regularly venture beyond our
traditional turf, however, and run pieces based in the
northeastern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula.
General categories of interest include: