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Editor's THOUGHTS
GOING IT ALONE
For some reason, today's quote resonated with me. Whether introverted or extroverted, a writer has to feel comfortable being alone for hours and days on end. While we see lots of blog posts about how a writer needs his tribe or his team, the bottom line is he writes alone. He's rejected alone. He's accepted alone. There's a tremendous amount of alone time in his career, and he has to accept, maybe even enjoy, that experience or he won't last long.
All this alone time is probably why writers are indeed so introverted. We enjoy keeping company with ourselves, inside our thoughts. It's safer there.
But that also explains why writers, when they venture out of their seclusion, tend to congregate with other writers. This is a trend that is helpful . . . only to a point. After that point, however, it's detrimental.
In case after case, I see writers pitching their books to other writers when they ought to be pursuing readers. Unless they write FOR writers, in how-to books, or their fiction is about a writer, they are not reaching their targeted audience.
Writers are an incestuous lot. Conferences, promoting their books, chatting online. They gravitate to each other, but it becomes a habit because it's so comfortable, and we tend to overdo it.
And there's been a trend of late to host events where dozens of writers appear at a festival of sorts. I've been invited to several of them. This is my opinion, keep in mind, but I see these events as not being very effective, possibly even handicapping or detrimental. At least depressing. And this is why:
1) Appearing with thirty or forty authors dilutes you, your voice, your work. The faces start to blur. Attendees remember you as part of a mass, not as you.
2) Attendees can only buy so many books. Let's say two books per attendee. Do the math. Thirty authors x 2 books per attendee = 60 attendees minimum. But let's say a productive day for you means ten books. That means 300 attendees minimum assuming one or two authors don't run away with the show.
3) Such events try to snare one or two well-known authors. Those names draw readers . . . to them, not you. That's the name that will be remembered when the readers go home.
Branding doesn't mean you and others. It means you. Dare to appear alone. Dare to promote yourself as unique, powerful, intriguing and worth reading.
Embrace your aloneness. There's nothing wrong with being alone. Like I preach to shy writers across the country, learn to love who you are. Be unique, be confident in your own skin. Because attempting to blend into dozens, even hundreds, of like souls will only make you fade into the masses.
You are better than that.
-Hope Clark
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Hope signs Palmetto Poison at Edisto Bookstore on beautiful Edisto Island on Friday, June 13, 3:00-5:00 PM. |
WORDS OF SUCCESS
"Writers may be disreputable, incorrigible, early to decay or late to bloom, but they dare to go it alone."
~John Updike
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The Carolina Slade Mystery Series
http://www.chopeclark.com/
On Palmetto Poison. Carolina Slade is the real deal - Southern charm, a steely determination, and a vulnerability she'll never admit to. Slade is at her absolute best in C. Hope Clark's Palmetto Poison so hold on for the ride! ~Lynn Chandler-Willis, best selling author and winner of the 2013 Minotaur Books/PWA Best First Private Eye Novel Competition
On Tidewater Murder: Terrific. Smart, knowing, clever...and completely original. A taut, high-tension page-turned--in a unique and fascinating setting. An absolute winner! ~Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony and Macavity winning author
On Lowcountry Bribe: With a story that moves so fast you are sure to get a case of literary whiplash, LOWCOUNTRY BRIBE is almost impossible to put down. Written with grace and ferocity, I for one can hardly wait for a second helping of this unpredictably un-pretentious and hard-scrabble down-home gal. ~Rachel Gladstone, Dish Magazine
Purchase any of Hope's books and receive a one-year subscription to TOTAL FFW free. Send receipt to hope@fundsforwriters.com |
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Success Story
Here's where we post your successes!
Successes based upon what you've gleaned from FundsforWriters.
Don't be afraid...share your success so others may learn.
Submit your story to hope@fundsforwriters.com
featured article
CHOOSING THE DREADED DAY JOB
By K. Scot Macdonald
The image of the starving writer in the Parisian garret subsisting solely on a burning passion for their art is a rare reality. Most writers, even published writers, have to supplement their passion with a dreaded day job. But what sort of day job?
A teaching position provides a decent income with long winter, summer and spring breaks to write, not to mention often excellent benefits. Frank McCourt taught in New York high schools before penning the Pulitzer Prize winning Angela's Ashes. Before The Da Vinci Code changed the way we look at "The Last Supper," Dan Brown taught at Beverly Hills Preparatory School.
Other writers pursue careers in technical writing, public relations or marketing, which often pay more than teaching and offer the opportunity to write all day. But be careful; at the end of a long day writing at work, it can be a challenge to pound out a thousand words at home on your novel. Many manage it. Thomas Pynchon was a technical writer for Boeing. The information he learned at Boeing formed the foundation for his novel Gravity's Rainbow, which highlights a potential benefit of such jobs: learning about a field so you can use it in your creative writing.
Many writers become journalists, including Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway and Ken Follett. Journalism offers bylines, which raise your stature in the eyes of agents, publishers and readers. The positive effect, however, has diminishing returns. Having published a dozen articles in a given area, publishing another hundred has little effect on your perceived ability to write.
As with technical writing, public relations and marketing, journalists learn about other fields. Hemingway was a war correspondent and then wrote about war in his novels. Dickens wrote about the poor as a journalist and then wrote novels about the impoverished of Victorian England. Follett drew upon his 16 years as a journalist covering foreign affairs to write his novels of international intrigue.
Some writers go in an entirely different direction. William Faulkner shoveled coal at a power plant. During low-usage hours, he scribbled a novel on the back of an overturned wheelbarrow. The novel: As I Lay Dying. Not a bad return on shoveling some coal. John Steinbeck ran a Lake Tahoe fish hatchery, while Stephen King was a high school janitor, which inspired the opening scene of his bestseller Carrie. There are many such jobs, where the work is undemanding and there are down times for writing. As a clerk in a brokerage firm, I had to sit at a desk waiting for phone orders. When the phone wasn't ringing, I wrote.
A study showed that Americans in white-collar jobs spend scant time at work actually working. Coffee breaks, web surfing and personal phone calls all eat into the work day. Instead of pursuing such diversions, write when the boss isn't looking. Co-workers will try to befriend you, invite you to lunch and try to steal your time. If you want to be a writer, fight it every minute of the day. To paraphrase Faulkner, a great novel (or poem such as "Ode on a Grecian Urn") is worth, not "any number of old ladies," but any number of lunches out.
Selected job websites:
http://www.Teachers-Teachers.com
http://www.K-12jobs.com
http://www.Higheredjobs.com
http://www.Jobs.stc.org (Society for Technical Communications)
http://www.Flexjobs.com/jobs/technical-writing
http://www.PRSA.org/jobcenter (Public Relations Society of America)
http://www.Journalism.columbia.edu/page/60-job-hunting-resources/60
http://www.Mediabistro.com
http://www.sej.org/library/jobs/overview (Society of Environmental Journalists job links)
http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/job-websites (list of top job websites)
BIO:
K. Scot Macdonald is the author of The Shakespeare Drug, Injustice Found and two non-fiction books. To learn about him and his work, visit KerreraHousePress.com.
competitions
ALICE MUNRO FESTIVAL SHORT STORY COMPETITION
http://alicemunrofestival.ca/?page_id=306
ENTRY FEES $10 and $25.
Limit 5,000 words. Deadline August 1, 2014. Both the teen and adult categories will award first place $500, second place $300, third place $200, fourth place $75 and fifth place $25. Portions of the winning stories may be read during the gala event on September 27.
COSTA RICAN WRITING RETREAT ESSAY CONTEST
http://talktodori.com/?page_id=995
NO ENTRY FEE.
The first-place winner will accompany Sandi Ault, Kerri Flanagan, and Dori Eppstein-Ransom on a yoga/writing retreat in Costa Rica, November 15-22, 2014. This mindfulness-based retreat will explore methods of digging deep into our best writer-selves. This retreat is for all levels and genres of writers, same goes for the yoga. its purpose in this adventure is to help relax your brain so it's not fighting you while writing. In no more than two pages, please tell us: What is motivating you to join us on this adventure. What is stirring your soul, calling to you, pushing you our direction? Why and how would this journey matter to you as a person and a writer? We want to know! We are not looking for the best-written essay or the person with the greatest financial need; we are looking for a shining star in need of a little glow. Deadline June 13, 2014. The recipient will need to cover the cost of airfare, but all accommodations, 3 vegetarian meals a day, and the entire retreat cost is fully covered in this $1,980 Costa Rican writing/yoga retreat.
BARTLEBY SNOPES WRITING CONTEST - DIALOGUE ONLY
http://www.bartlebysnopes.com/contests.htm
$10 ENTRY FEE (FOR UNLIMITED ENTRIES).
Compose a short story entirely of dialogue. You may use as many characters as you want. Your entry must be under 2000 words. Your entry does not have to follow standard rules for writing dialogue. Your entry cannot use any narration (this includes tag lines such as he said, she said, etc.). A minimum of $500 will be awarded, with at least $300 going to the grand prize winner. Our five finalists will also appear in Issue 13 of the magazine due out in January 2015. Last year we awarded $945 in prize money. For every entry over 50, an additional $5 will be added to the total prize money.
THE PAYTON JAMES FREEMAN ESSAY PRIZE
http://drakewriterscritics.submittable.com/submit/14296
NO ENTRY FEE.
Deadline September 30, 3014. Submit unpublished non-fiction essays of up to 3,500 words on the subject AFTER THE UNHAPPY ENDING. The winner will be awarded $500, publication in The Rumpus, and brought to Drake University in February 2015 to read from the winning essay and speak at a public event. Must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident and must agree to attend and participate in the reading at Drake University in February 2015 to receive the award.
SPS STUDIOS BIANNUAL POETRY CARD CONTEST
http://www.sps.com/poetry/index.html
NO ENTRY FEE.
Deadline June 30, 2014. $300, $150, $50 plus online publication. Poems can be rhyming or non-rhyming, although we find that non-rhyming poetry reads better. We suggest that you write about real emotions and feelings and that you have some special person or occasion in mind as you write.
GRANTS
MINNESOTA ARTIST INITIATIVE GRANTS
http://www.arts.state.mn.us/grants/artist-initiative.htm
Grants will be awarded for career building and for the creative development of artists. Some artists may choose to request funds to create new work, but that isn't a requirement of the program. Artists working in all artistic disciplines--dance, media arts, music, photography, poetry, prose, theater, and two- and three-dimensional visual arts--may apply. Grant Range $2,000-$10,000. Deadline literary arts; poetry and prose: 4:30 p.m., June 13, 2014.
AGATE FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL PARK RESIDENCY
http://www.nps.gov/agfo/supportyourpark/artist-in-residence-program.htm
Artists of all mediums (visual, musical, theatrical, literary) are invited to apply to stay from two to four weeks in furnished park housing (either a modern 3 bedroom, shared house, or a more remote 1950s ranchstead). Artists provide their own materials and expenses and produce, at least, one product (along with its copyright) to be donated to the park for any and all future uses. Artists will also actively engage the public in some manner (occasional demonstrations, talks, school programs, or exhibits) during and possibly after their visit. Location Nebraska.
BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE RESIDENCIES
http://www.nps.gov/bicy/supportyourpark/artist-in-residence-program.htm
The Artist-In-Residence Program at Big Cypress National Preserve offers professional writers, composers, and visual and performing artists the opportunity to pursue their artistic discipline while being surrounded by the preserve's inspiring landscape. Selected artists stay in a dormitory setting, with each person having their own room, and sharing living room / dining room / kitchen and bathroom space. We do not accept pets in housing, nor do we allow for spouses within the housing area. Big Cypress primarily looks for short-term (less than one month) and long-term (one to three months) residents during our wet (May through October) and dry (November through April) seasons. In August of each year a board of people will review the applicants for the following year and select the participants for each opportunity. Location Florida.
CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK RESIDENCY
http://www.nps.gov/crla/air.htm
The program provides an opportunity for two eligible artists to spend up to two weeks of the fall, and another two artists for up to two weeks in the winter, at Crater Lake National Park to pursue their particular art form while being surrounded by the awe-inspiring landscape of the park. Artists are provided housing in the park to work on projects in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Writers, sculptors, photographers, painters, dancers, cinematographers, musicians, composers, and other visual and performing artists are invited to apply for this opportunity to draw upon the multifaceted qualities of the park for inspiration. Location Oregon.
CREATIVE CAPITAL
http://www.creative-capital.org/
Offers grants to individuals in the Performing and Visual Arts, Film/Video, Literature, and Emerging Fields. Creative Capital provides each funded project with up to $50,000 in direct funding and career development services valued at $40,000, for a total commitment of up to $90,000 per project.
FREELANCE MARKETS
ART PAPERS
http://www.artpapers.org/editorial/editorial_writersguidelines.htm
We prefer proposals to completed articles. For features, the proposal should be 125 - 250 words; for columns and reviews, 50 words is plenty. Tell us what and who you want to discuss, and what you plan to say. If you haven't written for ART PAPERS before, please include two brief writing samples (1,000 - 2,000 words), together with a short bio (40 words) describing your background and interests. Features are 2,400 to 2,700 words. Columns up to 1,000 words. Reviews are 800 words. ART PAPERS, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization, provides an accessible forum for examining, discussing, and documenting the full spectrum of contemporary art and culture, as well as the ways they affect and reflect our lives. We do so in print, online, and through public programming.
MILITARY SPOUSE MAGAZINE
http://vmimedia.blob.core.windows.net/msmedia/97088/2011writersguidelines.pdf
Deployment, PCS moves and other aspects of military life, profiles of military spouses, career and education, travel, food, health and beauty, home design/decorating, relationships and marriage, parenting/family matters, money management and other lifestyle-related subjects. Feature Stories: Each issue includes at least one main feature article. These articles require extensive reporting and interviewing. Length: generally 800-1,200 words. We also run a variety of shorter features in each issue, plus monthly coverage of major topics.
GUIDEPOSTS
http://www.guideposts.org/writers-guidelines
A typical Guideposts story is a first-person narrative written in simple, dramatic, anecdotal style. The story may be the writer's own or one written in the first person for someone else. Even our short features use this format. Full-length manuscripts (750-1500 words) pays $250-$500.
THE AQUARIAN
http://www.aquarianonline.com/online-writers-guide/
The Aquarian InPrint is a tabloid-size newsprint publication, published quarterly on the first week of March, June, September, and December, and distributed free in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and beyond. We are mostly looking for original feature articles, topical opinion pieces, interviews, reviews and book excerpts. Our features and interviews usually run 1500-2500 words; op-eds, 500-1500 words; and reviews, 300-800 words. Holistic health (natural, complementary, alternative) and progressive environmental, social, cultural, political and spiritual issues are our major focus. However anything that sheds new light on the path to greater meaning, value, purpose, and fulfillment - personal or social - is potentially grist for our mill.
ARMY MAGAZINE
http://tinyurl.com/mm4nudw
Features are typically 1,000 to 1,500 words long. Shorter articles such as sidebars to features or photo essays are 250 to 500 words. A monthly four-color magazine focusing on the activities and interests of the U.S. Army worldwide.
JOBS
SCHOLASTIC SCOPE MAGAZINE
Location New York
http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?c=jfennf&joid=166734
We are a group of talented, passionate, and energetic journalists and editors who create a best-selling, award-winning, and beloved language-arts magazine for middle schoolers. We are looking for a creative and determined writer and editor who would like to participate in all phases of creating our beautiful resource.
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Location Van Nuys, CA
http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?c=jfennf&joid=166146
DAYSPA magazine is looking for a full-time, onsite assistant editor. The ideal person has an interest in the spa and wellness industries, and the businesses that support them. We're seeking a detail-oriented person with strong writing, editing and organizational skills. This individual will be responsible for writing copy; interviewing sources; editing articles for accuracy and clarity; proofreading copy; and applying AP style rules as needed.
publishers/agents
ANTARCTIC PRESS
http://www.antarctic-press.com/html/version_01/submissions.php
Comic book press.
HARLEQUIN TEEN
https://harlequin.submittable.com/submit/29606
Harlequin Teen looks for fresh, authentic fiction featuring extraordinary characters and extraordinary stories set in contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, science-fiction, and historical worlds. Wants commercial, high-concept stories that capture the teen experience and will speak to readers with power and authenticity. All subgenres are welcome.
TILBURY HOUSE
http://www.tilburyhouse.com/authors/submissions/
We are primarily interested in children's picture books (for ages 7-12) that deal with issues of cultural diversity (global), nature, or the environment (we don't publish "general" children's books about animals, fables, or fantasy). We limit our new adult books to non-fiction about Maine or the Northeast, particularly books that are documentary or about Maine's history.
RAINTOWN PRESS
http://raintownpress.com/for-writers/submission-guidelines/
We publish middle grade and young adult fiction. Genre doesn't matter; quality of writing does--blow us away. We're especially looking for anything that takes a common trope and does it with a new and unique twist. We want to engage avid and reluctant readers alike.
RED DEER PRESS
http://www.reddeerpress.com/
Red Deer Press publishes upscale children's picture books, including illustrated children's Aboriginal titles, contemporary juvenile and young-adult fiction, drama, general trade biography, history, and sports, and science fiction and fantasy.
SPONSORS
ANTHOLOGY DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JUNE 9th!
$1000 first, $500 second, $200 third prizes.
Fiction / Creative Nonfiction Anthology, Uncertain Promise.
Multiple submissions allowed
Fee $15 per mailed entry $18 per online entry.
Up to 3,000 words--No Poetry. No previously published work.
Visit http://www.CompassFlowerPress.com.com for complete guidelines.
All submissions acknowledged, and published entrants receive a copy of anthology.
All-inclusive writing vacation in New Hampshire
Live Free And Write
August 17-22, 2014, Dexter's Inn, Sunapee, NH
Join us in New Hampshire for a supportive writing retreat. Enjoy the refreshing New England summer with plentiful writing time, encouraging workshops, homemade meals and time to relax. Spend the week writing in either "Reimagining Memoir" with Mimi Schwartz or "Free-Writing Intensive" with Douglas Goetsch.
"I've never done an overnight writing retreat before and was amazed at how much writing happened just being away from home. The atmosphere was perfect: open, honest, sincere and so encouraging. Definitely worth the money, the drive and the time!" -- Anne, Belmont, MA
Register by July 1 and save $50: www.murphywriting.com/nh
Think Something New, Write Something New
Crack Open Your Fierce, Original Voice This Summer
Just three spots remain for this unique writing retreat on a beautiful secluded island at Stout's Lodge, one of the most extraordinary historic lodges in the country. You will be guided away from repetitive thinking in order to break new ground in your work. Stout's is nestled on a wooded island all to itself amid a symphony of lapping waves and birdsong. But it's not just stepping back in time into deep peace, or the innovate writing workshops, or the daily yoga with live music, or the guided meditation that allows you to finally breathe, relax, and create. It's the journey back to your own fierce, original voice: that is the Elephant Rock Summer Solstice Retreat. All levels and genres welcome. Tuition includes 5 nights' lodging and all vegetarian meals, daily writing and yoga sessions, nightly bonfires with live music, evening of readings, private guitar concert, Solstice Eve celebration, and more. Inquire soon. This retreat sells out. For all retreat details, visit Elephant Rock Retreats at: http://elephantrockretreats.com/upcoming-retreats/
Contact: Jeannine Ouellette - elephantrockretreats@gmail.com or call 612-801-2566 612-801-2566
GET WEBSITES THAT ROCK, BOOK COVERS THAT SIZZLE
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View portfolio: http://myhouseofdesign.com/authors/
Services for authors: http://myhouseofdesign.com/services-for-authors/
A few testimonials from happy clients:
"Superb work, excellent customer service. Just marvelous overall." --C. Hope Clark, author, founder of FundsforWriters, http://chopeclark.com | http://www.fundsforwriters.com
"Thank you for the gift of your creativity, insight, and problem-solving as I threw you question after question. The site captures my spirit and passion, and it honors my dream since childhood. I feel blessed to have come across you (thanks C Hope Clark!) and will recommend you to those who are in the market for a new site." --Lyn Fairchild Hawks, author, http://lynhawks.com/
"When I first saw Shaila's work, I was struck by the fact that each site she designs is not only beautiful but also perfectly reflects the personality of the business it represents. Her suggestions, insight, and artistic talent made the final product much better than what I'd envisioned on my own." --Jacqueline Adams, writer, http://jacqueline-adams.com
A few client sites:
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http://lauraoles.com/
http://www.gwendolynhooks.com/
http://gwenflorio.net/
http://www.karenmrider.com/
http://www.katemeadows.com/
Fine print
Please forward the newsletter in its entirety. To reprint any editorials, contact hope@fundsforwriters.com for permission. Please do not assume that acknowledgements listed in your publication is considered a valid right to publish.
C. Hope Clark
E-mail: hope@fundsforwriters.com
140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036
http://www.fundsforwriters.com
Copyright 2000-2014, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326
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that FundsforWriters.com places paid advertising in this newsletter,
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