SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

At FanStory you'll get:

• Feedback for everything you write.
• Contests with cash prizes. Over 50 every month!
• Fun. Be a part of a writing community that supports writers of all skill levels.

Find out More  | Watch Our Video 

Here are some of the Upcoming Contests with cash prizes. 

3 Line Poem  
Write a three-lined poem. We are looking for an unrhymed poem of 17 or 19 syllables. It has the following syllable counts: 5/7/5 or 5/7/7.  Deadline is Monday, Sep. 26th

Acrostic Poetry 
Write an acrostic poem where the first letter of each line spells out a word (downwards). Deadline: Oct. 1st.

Character  
Write a story about the character pictured in the contest announcement.  What's going on here? Deadline is Oct. 5th.

Faith Poetry Contest
Share a poem about your faith. Deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 11th

This is just a few of our contests. View our full listing here. Find out more about FanStory here. 

Editor’s THOUGHTS

WHY YOU HAVE TO WRITE

I read a piece in Marie Claire titled "I Published My Debut Novel to Critical Acclaim - and Then I Promptly Went Broke." And I caught my head nodding in agreement with the writer. http://www.marieclaire.com/career-advice/features/a22573/merritt-tierce-love-me-back-writing-and-money/

About once a year I find myself at a crossroad in my writing. I love freelancing, and FundsforWriters, and novel writing. I wish I could do just one of them, but the fact is these days you cannot just do one. You must diversify and spread your name (and talent) around to reach all the pockets of readers out there. It takes diversification to earn a living. 

Look at the names out there other than the mega-authors like King, Grisham, or Patterson. Joanna Penn comes to mind. She writes novels, but I guarantee that she makes more money with her speaking, freelancing and affiliate connections. They all feed off each other. That is how a writer makes a full-time living. 

And if your heart is in writing novels, well, read the above article in Marie Claire and you'll pull up short. That author explains that having a bestseller sold through a New York agent to a New York publishing house still doesn't bring in enough money to pay the bills. 

So . . . back to the crossroad I mentioned earlier. When I receive a disappointing royalty check, or lose sleep trying to put the finishing touches on Chapter 20 while trying not to think about the royalty check I just received, I make myself take a moment. 

What do I do with that moment? I allow a while to mourn. Mourn that writing isn't exactly as I hoped it would be. Mourn that I have to do administrative and other writing work that don't exactly feed my muse. Then I always ask myself the following question: "Why do you write?"

Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, 
but all the happiness and growth occurs 
while you're climbing it.

~ Andy Rooney

That's right. It's about the journey. When you are rushing through a manuscript, you miss that experience. When you write for the dollar, you get distracted from the enjoyment of the expedition. Recall why you started writing in the first place . . . for the thrill of story, the pleasure of seeing words come together in remarkable ways. And the legacy of putting your thoughts down for others to read after you.

To master the sweat and pain, to weather the disillusionment, recall why you started writing. 




 

PS - 
Come to the quarterly Writers Chatroom (www.writerschatroom.com) on Sunday night at 7 PM Eastern time. Sign in and enjoy the chat with Hope! We always have a ball at these things. And there's always a giveaway.


PPS -
C. Hope Clark has a newsletter just about herself and her fiction. Join now to learn about giveaways, new releases, and appearances. Here's where you can raise your hand for review copies (and she does this a lot). Here's where you might find insight on the next book, or what direction Hope might be taking a character. Sign up at http://chopeclark.com/  - see SUBSCRIBE at the top.



WE HAVE 2 NEWSLETTERS - THE FREEBIE and THE PAID SUBSCRIPTION . . . 

Remember that FundsforWriters, this newsletter, is free. Send it to whomever you like and share it liberally. But if you are serious about writing income resources, and your time is limited, consider subscribing to TOTAL FundsforWriters. It comes out biweekly, with 70 contests, markets, grants, retreats, publishers, freelance gigs, magazines and more, It's huge, but it saves you a lot of time searching. It's $18.75 for a year, or 26 issues. To subscribe, simply go to www.paypal.me/chopeclark/18.75 . It will be sent to the email you used unless you specify otherwise.

NOTE TO THE WISE: Send a receipt for one of Hope's books and receive TOTAL for free.    
(**and feel free to steal this graphic for your own site!)


 

 WORDS OF SUCCESS

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

- Nelson Henderson

 

Success Story

Hi Hope,

I wanted to thank you for your Total FundsforWriter's newsletter. A couple of months ago you posted a contest for an anthology on the site. I had never submitted anything for a contest or an anthology before. I took a chance on it. Being busy with other writing projects I forgot about the submission. The other night I was stunned to find an acceptance email for my submission. I couldn't believe it. I could barely breathe when I read it. I would never have known about the contest if I hadn't had your Funds for Writers and Total Funds for Writers in my email box. Thank you for helping us newbies out. 

Carrie Thatcher 
http://findingfitzgerald.com/

featured article

Mridu Khuller Relph: My Favorite Freelance Writing Teacher

By Laura Yeager

The best way to jumpstart a writing career is to take a writing course. And the best kind of writing course to take is an online course where you don't have to leave the house.
 
I take online writing courses every chance I get. I've been an online Creative Writing Instructor at Gotham Writers' Workshop since 2003. A great perk of working there is that teachers can take Gotham classes for free. Over the years, I've taken at least a half dozen courses both online and live. One of my favorite things to do is fly to New York for the weekend to take a one-day, intensive Gotham writing class in the city. Rubbing shoulders with other writers and listening to a writing expert energizes me like nothing else.
 
Musicians do this all the time.  They take what's known as "master classes," where they study with a renowned, often very famous, musician. No matter what their musical level, even professional musicians realize that they can always learn more - more nuances, more technique, more beauty.
 
I've adopted the professional musician's perspective.
 
The best online class I've taken recently was taught by Mridu Khuller Relph. 
 
Mridu Kheller Relph is a 32-year-old, Indian-born freelance writer with over 700 bylines to her credit. Check out her website, "The International Freelancer."
 
Mridu's class was entitled "30 Days, 30 Queries." As the title suggests, the course was a month-long course.  Students were emailed a lecture every day from Mridu and were given daily exercises to complete from the comfort of their home. This fabulous learning experience was reasonably priced at $249.
 
In a nutshell, this class taught me how to freelance. I've got three degrees in writing, but I'd never learned how to write a killer query letter, the backbone of freelance writing. Writers advance their article ideas to editors through query letters. Mridu's philosophy is to send out lots of queries; in fact, during her course, the students were encouraged to send out a query letter a day. I can't say that I sent out all 30 queries, but I did send out over a dozen. And my success rate was pretty good. Out of the dozen queries I sent out, I got five acceptances. The following magazines purchased my completed stories:  Skirt, Guideposts Magazine, The Liguorian Magazine (a Catholic publication), dogster.com and Whole Life Times.
 
So what were some of the important concepts from Mridu's online course? A big takeaway was to compose query letters in the style and voice of the intended article. In fact, Mridu told us to begin the query just like we'd begin the article. After having used this technique for about a year, I believe wholeheartedly in it.  When the writer does this, it whets the editor's appetite for more of the piece.
 
Another important thing I learned from Mridu is that writers should always follow up on their query letters. There's a huge debate about following up. Some writers feel that it's a useless task.  Others feel it's important. In my experience, Mridu is 100 percent right. Following up can land you lots of assignments that you would have missed out on if you hadn't followed up.
 
Long story short, if you're looking into breaking into freelance writing, consider taking Mridu's "30 Days, 30 Queries." No writer ever knows everything.  By continually keeping up her writing education, she will grow and flourish as a writer.
 
Take it from the musicians...an occasional master class is not just something to consider, it's a must.

BIO
Laura Yeager has been writing for over 35 years. Some of her favorite topics include writing, religion, mental health, parenthood and her day-to-day life. Her articles about writing have appeared in The Writer Magazine, The Toastmaster Magazine, writersweekly.com and authormagazine.org. She is a mental health writer for PsychCentral.com.  Her spiritual writing has been featured in several venues including Aleteia USA, Busted Halo, The Liguorian Magazine, Canticle Magazine and Guideposts Magazine. A graduate of The Writers' Workshop at The University of Iowa, Laura teaches writing at Kent State University and online Creative Writing at Gotham Writers' Workshop.

 

COmpetitions

FLAMBARD POETRY PRIZE
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ncla/competitions/flambard
£5 ENTRY FEE (for five poems).
First prize: £1000. Second prize: £250. The Flambard Prize is awarded annually to the best group of five poems submitted by a poet who has not yet published a single-authored pamphlet or collection. Each poem should be no longer than 40 lines. Deadline October 31, 2016.



THE WRITER SHORT STORY CONTEST
http://www.writermag.com/writing-resources/contests/
ENTRY FEE.
Write a 2,000-word fictional short story using any nuance, definition or understanding of the word "dark." Deadline November 15, 2016. Grand prize $1,000 and publication in the magazine. 



FIRE RIVER POETS CONTEST
http://www.fireriverpoets.org.uk/competitions/competition-2016/competition-rules-2016
£4 ENTRY FEE. 
1st Prize £200. 2nd Prize £100. 3rd Prize £75. Deadline October 31, 2016. Poems can be on any subject, in any style. Maximum of 40 lines per poem. Work must be unpublished. 



LARRY BROWN SHORT STORY AWARD
https://pitheadchapel.com/the-larry-brown-short-story-award/
$10 ENTRY FEE. 
The winning author will receive a prize of $250 along with publication in the January 2017 issue of Pithead Chapel. Deadline October 31, 2016. The submitted story must be less than 4,000 words. 
 

GRANTS

TREEHOUSE GRANTS
http://www.fondation-janmichalski.com/en/residence-pour-ecrivains/
The Jan Michalski Foundation is inviting applications for its inaugural writers’ residencies. The program is based at the foot of Switzerland’s Jura Mountains and the selected writers will each live and work in newly constructed treehouses. The Jan Michalski Foundation lies at the foot of the Swiss Jura Mountains in Montricher. The village is around 30 minutes away from Lausanne and 45 minutes from Geneva. Residents’ travel costs to and from their home address will be covered by the Foundation. Residents will be granted a monthly allowance of CHF 1,200. Bikes are available for residents. Deadline September 30, 2016. 



WOMEN'S STUDIO WORKSHOP - ART-IN-EDUCATION ARTIST BOOK RESIDENCY
http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/rfps/rfp6775-women-s-studio-workshop-invites-applications-for-art-in-education-artist-book-residency
The eight-to-ten-week residency is awarded to two emerging women artists in support of their efforts to create a new artist’s book and teach young people. Generally, residents dedicate their first month to producing a limited edition artist’s book, which is hand-printed and bound in the studio. WSW can provide technical advice; training on new equipment, techniques, and materials; and production assistance. During the second half of the residency, residents work with young people in WSW’s studios, teaching one to two days/week for three to four weeks, and visiting the students twice in school. Studio space and equipment is reserved for students during program hours, but artists may work at any time outside of AIE. The program provides a stipend of $350 per week for up to ten weeks, up to $750 for materials, up to $250 for travel within the continental United States, free onsite housing, and 24/7 studio access during non-AIE sessions. All applications must be physically mailed to Women's Studio Workshop and postmarked no later than November 15, 2016. 



SMALL PRESS TRAFFIC - ELEVATE: AN URBAN RESIDENCY
https://smallpresstraffic.submittable.com/submit/59965
Deadline October 1, 2016 for November-December residency. ELEVATE grants selected experimental writers, at any stage in their career, free studio space (no housing) in a decommissioned elevator at Real Time and Space in Oakland, CA, as well as an opportunity to perform creative and critical work. One resident will be chosen for each session. The duration of each residency will last for two months, includes an opportunity for the resident to perform creative work and give an artist talk. Residency candidates local to the Bay Area in California will receive a $250 stipend for the duration of the residency; out-of-town candidates will receive a $500 stipend. Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that consider the notion of community, although this is not required.



NEBRASKA GRANTS
http://www.artscouncil.nebraska.gov/grants/how-do-i-apply.html
October 1 deadline grants. For projects that will take place between January 1 and June 30: Artists in Schools/Communities Sponsor Grants (more than $2,500); Annual Series and Events Grants; Arts Project Grants; and Arts Learning Project Grants. Floating Deadline Grants. For small projects occurring at any time. These applications are submitted at least four to six weeks in advance of the project or event: Mini Grants (6-12 weeks prior); Artists in Schools/Communities Sponsor Grants (less than $2,500, six weeks prior); and Nebraska Touring Program Sponsor Grants (six weeks prior). 
 

FREELANCE MARKETS

DELTA SKY
http://www.deltaskymag.com/About-Delta-Sky/Writers-Guidelines.aspx
We are looking for expertly executed stories about travel, lifestyle and business. Whatever the topic, writers should bring a fresh new perspective and an ability to convey the subject in vivid detail. Readers should feel as if they’re sitting down with a profile subject or wandering through the streets of a travel destination. The more in-depth, the better. We use AP Style, with some variations (i.e. italicize movies, books, etc.) and we have a four-month lead-time. Features range from 600–2,000 words. Departments include very small 100-word pieces to longer 500-word columns.



ALASKA AIRLINES
http://www.alaskaairlinesmagazine.com/contributor/guidelines/
Alaska Airlines Magazine is the monthly in-flight magazine for Alaska Airlines, reaching more than two million travelers each month in nearly 100 destinations, including Alaska, California, Washington, Oregon, Hawai‘i, Arizona, Nevada, Western Canada and Mexico. Additional cities added in recent years include Chicago, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, St. Louis and San Antonio. Rates begin at $150 to $250 for short articles in the Journal section (200 to 600 words); $150 for business shorts (500 words); $500 for columns (1,600 words); and $700 for features (2,000 to 2,500 words). 



WESTJET MAGAZINE
http://www.westjetmagazine.com/write-us
Dedicated to inspiring travel and enriching trip experiences, WestJet Magazine features well-crafted, informative stories about WestJet destinations in Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. 



HANA HOU!
http://www.hanahou.com/pages/about.asp?PageID=2#WritersGuidelines
In general, we are looking for creative nonfiction that takes a fresh approach to aspects of travel, culture, people and life in general in Hawaii, and occasionally in one of the other destinations served by Hawaiian Airlines.  We stress an "insider's" point of view, so a background of extended residency in the place you're writing about is preferred. With a new writer, we generally want to start with a short piece for our front-of-the-book "Native Intelligence" section (250 words or less). If we do accept your piece for publication, rates paid will be as follows: Native Intelligence $175; Features and departments 40 cents per word; Best of the Islands $50.
 

JOBS

WRITER-EDITOR
Location Fort Knox, KY.
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/449900400/
Edits a variety of military documents and assignments that include staff action summaries, standard operating procedures information papers, reports, and spoken announcements delivered to mass audiences. Develops, analyzes, and selects appropriate information and present the information in a form and at a level suitable for the intended audience. Applies basic design principles and effectively uses appropriate software to produce high quality graphics. Employer Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army. Deadline September 26, 2016. 



WRITER-EDITOR
Location Pentagon, Arlington, VA. (4 positions)
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/450306800/
Deadline September 26, 2016. This position is for a Writer-Editor, GS-1082-13 position, with the HQDA, Office of Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, located at the Pentagon in Arlington, VA. This is a TERM position NTE 30 September 2018. Write, staff, and adjudicate personnel policy for revision and reissue of G-1 Army regulations, DA memos and DA pamphlets to ensure regulatory compliance of these publications.



ACADEMIC SPECIALIST - WRITER/EDITOR
Location Fort McNair, DC
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/448866600/
Deadline October 7, 2016. Employer National Defense University. The primary purpose of this position is to perform and coordinate complex duties associated with the editing and production of postgraduate-level publications in the fields of national security strategy, defense policy, and national military strategy. The incumbent edits manuscripts at all levels, from basic copy-editing to substantive editing/rewriting – depending upon their condition, complexity, format, intended audience, distribution, and production schedule. 

 

Publishers/agents

THE BOOKER ALBERT LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.thebookeralbertagency.com/about-us.html
Brittany Booker Carter is looking for novels that keep her  up at  night and transport her into the pages. In YA and new adult she is looking for well-written contemporary romances, fantasy romances and sci-fi romances. As for adult works, she's looking for contemporary romances and romantic thrillers. Jordy Albert is interested in fun, witty Middle Grade. Contemporary or action/adventure (think awesome 80s movies), YA contemporary romance. Sci-fi, fantasy and thriller/suspense - MUST have romance, and smart, sexy contemporary romances with fantastic chemistry between the characters that sizzles right off the pages. She is also looking for Historical Romances. Steve Mancino is looking for adult Science Fiction/Fantasy. Jen Hunt seeks historicals: historical romance, historical time travels, historical fantasy, historical inspirational, historical paranormal, historical mysteries. (Nothing post the 1940s.) Science Fiction/Space Opera – must include world building and well detailed environments. (Prefer a hint of romance.) Fantasy – same as above. Military Sci-Fi, Dystopian/ Post-Apocalyptic, Steampunk/Gaslight/ Diesel-punk/ Cyberpunk with some romantic element.



KT LITERARY AGENCY
http://ktliterary.com/submissions/
We’re thrilled to be actively seeking new clients with great writing, unique stories, and complex characters, for middle grade, young adult, and adult. Kate is looking only at young adult and middle grade fiction and selective nonfiction. Sara seeks authors in middle grade, young adult, and adult romance, erotica, science fiction, and fantasy. Renee is looking for young adult and middle grade fiction only. Hannah is interested in speculative fiction in young adult, middle grade, and adult.



THE SEYMOUR AGENCY
http://www.theseymouragency.com/Submissions.html
Nicole Resciniti accepts queries in the following genres: Action/Suspense/Thriller, Mystery, Cozies and Amateur Sleuth, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and YA/Children's/MG and all Romance, Women's Fiction, Inspirational and Cookbooks. Julie Gwinn accepts queries in the following genres: Women's Fiction, Romance (contemporary, historical, suspense, inspy. Amish) Spec Fiction and Fantasy, Mysteries and Suspense, Inspirational Fiction and Nonfiction, Historical Fiction, YA. Tina Wainscott accepts queries in: prescriptive, self-help and spirituality. 



THE NEW RIVERS PRESS 
https://newriverspress.submittable.com/submit/43065
$20 ENTRY FEE. 
Deadline October 1, 2016. New Rivers Press is seeking manuscripts from new and emerging authors in the genres of Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller/Suspense, Westerns, Young Adult, Inspirational and all sub-genres within and across those categories, for The New Rivers Press Electronic Book Series, an ebook-only series that publishes popular fiction titles with literary value. Each author selected for publication will receive a $500 honorarium and a standard electronic book contract. All books will be distributed internationally in ebook formats.
 

SPONSORS

The 26th Annual Missouri Review Jeffrey E. Smith Editors' Prize

Awards $5,000 and publication to the prize-winners in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Now open for submissions! Deadline: October 1. Learn more and enter here: http://www.missourireview.com/tmrsubmissions/editors-prize-contest/ 



 

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MENTION THIS AD AND GET 10% OFF (NEW CLIENTS ONLY)
EXISTING CLIENTS EARN 8% REFERRAL FEE FOR SENDING IN NEW CLIENTS 

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A few testimonials from happy clients:

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http://wagnerjulia.com/
http://lisakwinkler.com/
http://kbhyde.com/
http://meredithwargo.com/










Click here to visit Book Design Templates.- Instead of trying to decide what your books should look like, we've made all the decisions for you. Just follow our friendly instructional guide, pour in your text and your book will be ready to go. All your styles and formatting needs are coded into our templates for easy use. Enthusiastically endorsed by Hope!





 

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 2000-2016, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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