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WRITER'S BLOCK

We choke out the words on difficult days or we spill them slick as oil across the page, and of course anything in between. However, I proclaim that none of the phases we wander through gives us permission to stop, raise our arms and shout "I have writer's block!" Frankly, 99.9 percent of the time that is a cop-out.

I do not believe in writer's block. I sit down and type whether it's hard or easy. And you know what? In the end, that stubborness makes the writing easier on the hard days.

Our brain is like a muscle. If we only used it when the moment felt comfortable, we would not grow or strengthen. Those hard days make us better writers. Sometimes we need to feel the stiffness and pain to recognize when we are making strides toward improvement.

“Writer’s block is just an official term for being lazy, and the way to get through it is work.” ~Tom Clancy

And as writers, we need to welcome those difficult days...work through them. They are opportunity. They are when our talents are stretched their most thin and taxed to their limit. To never write under such conditions is to write laze, as Clancy says.

What happens is you evolve. You also learn that writing becomes your solace during the obstacles in your life. It's where you go to cry and make sense of difficulty. It's where you go to analyze the whys and what fors you can't define. It's where you learn to escape . . . to find joy in the bad times. 

"If there's no joy in it, it's just no good. It's best to go on to some other area, where... the fun quotient higher." ~Stephen King

To claim writer's block is saying you aren't willing to write through the hard moments. It's admitting you aren't willing to put in the time and struggle to climb that next rung on the ladder to be better. Rather than say why you can't, just sit and show you can.








 

 


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 65 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: Purchase an autographed copy or new copy of Hope's book and receive TOTAL for free.  Send the receipt to hope@fundsforwriters.com (**and feel free to steal this graphic for your own site!)





WORDS OF SUCCESS

What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down.

~Mary Pickford
 

Success Story

Hey, reader. If you've had a success thanks to FundsforWriters, please let us know. We want to share it with ALL the readers. Email hope@fundsforwriters.com 

featured article

Long Story Short

By John M. Floyd
    
I’ve often heard writers of nonfiction complain that they’re the Rodney Dangerfields of the literary world. Not that they don’t sell a lot of books and articles (because they do) or that they don’t make money from their writing (because they do). Their complaint is that they aren’t recognized as “real” writers until they’ve published fiction.
   
The same might be said of short-story writers. Some feel they aren’t truly fiction writers unless and until they’ve sold a novel. Many people who are not themselves writers have asked me, “Why waste your time writing short stories?”


Well, I’ve written three novels—two are out with an agent and the other is sitting here at home aging like tobacco leaves, or (as I prefer to think) fine wine. But mostly I write short. One reason, honestly, is that since I’ve sold so many short stories and have never sold a novel, I just feel more comfortable with the short stuff. It’s safe ground for me, and I’m as reluctant as the next soldier to venture far from my foxhole unless someone orders me to.
    
Does that mean I’m not a real fiction writer? Maybe so. But it’s not a question that bothers me much.
     
Having said all that, what possible advantages could there be to writing short stories instead of novels? 
    
Well, here are a few:
    
(1) They can be resold. I’ve had some of my shorts published half a dozen times each, in different markets. If you’ve not signed away “all rights,” you can sell reprints over and over again.
    
(2) They give you a sense of completion. Finishing a story and writing THE END is a great feeling, to me. I can write a short story in a matter of days, and then turn around and write something else, something completely different.
    
(3) There’s less time invested. A novel takes months or even years to write, and if it doesn’t sell, you’ve spent an enormous chunk of time with those characters and that plot. 
    
(4) They can help build a résumé. Story credits in quality magazines and anthologies can make you more marketable to agents and publishers of longer works.
    
(5) They’re good practice. Crafting publishable short stories teaches you how to write “tight.” Novels might be long, but the best novels are still focused and compact, with few wasted words. Writing short also gives you experience in creating the story arc that is so necessary in novels, screenplays, etc.
    
(6) You don’t need an agent. I had a wonderful agent for several years who represented my short fiction (he passed away in 1999), but few agents now will take on short-story authors, and the truth is, you can probably do as well without them.
    
(7) It’s fun. I think the process of putting together a good plot and believable characters in only a few thousand words is a thrill as well as a challenge. 
    
A final note. Some writers don’t write short because they don’t think they can. Several novelist friends (one a New York Times bestseller) have told me they think short stories are extremely difficult to write. Lawrence Block once agreed, saying: “Novels aren’t harder; they’re just longer.” And Faulkner said he tried writing short stories when he found he couldn’t write poetry, and then turned to writing novels when he found he couldn’t write short stories.
    
I’ve also heard that writing a good novel requires a better storyteller, while writing a good short story requires a better craftsman. Is that true? Beats me.
    
It doesn’t matter anyway. There’ll always be room for both.

BIO:
John M. Floyd’s work has appeared in more than 250 different publications, including The Strand Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, Mississippi Noir, and The Best American Mystery Stories 2015. A former Air Force captain and IBM systems engineer, John is also a three-time Derringer Award winner and an Edgar Award nominee. His sixth book, Dreamland, was released in October 2016. www.johnmfloyd.com

 

COmpetitions

THE ADVENTURE WRITER'S NOVEL CONTEST
http://adventurewriterscompetition.com/index.html
$25 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline June 30, 2017. There is no synopsis round this year. Instead, there is a "Opening Round" where judges read the first 3,000 to 5,000 words and score the manuscript based on that opening section. Top ten scores (semi Finalists) will then go to the full "Manuscript Round" where judges can read as much as they want/need to score the manuscript. The top three from the manuscript round are our finalists. No science fiction. $1,000 prise, and the three finalists are invited to the banquet. The term "new" means any unpublished novel, regardless of date of authorship; alternatively, the term means any novel published by any source, but only so long as the total number of copies sold or given away, in eBook, audio, paperback, or hardcopy formats, does not exceed 5,000. 



MOTH INTERNATIONAL SHORT STORY PRIZE
http://creativewriting.ie/moth-international-short-story-prize/
€12 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline June 30, 2017. First prize is €3,000. Second prize is a week’s writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France. Third prize is €1,000. The winning stories will be published in the autumn issue of The Moth Magazine. There is a word limit of 6,000.



HOWLING BIRD PRESS
https://augsburghowlingbirdpress.submittable.com/submit/83578/2018-howling-bird-press-poetry-prize
$25 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline June 30, 2017. The competition is open to all writers in English, whether published or unpublished. Author of the winning manuscript receives a cash award of $1,000, which serves as an advance, with book subsequently published by Howling Bird Press under a standard book contract. Manuscripts should be between 60 to 80 pages long.



EMRYS CHAPBOOK PRIZE
https://emrys.submittable.com/submit/85649/emrys-2017-chapbook-prize
$20 ENTRY FEE. 
Deadline July 15, 2017. The Emrys Press Chapbook Prize honors a book of original poetry in English by a single author; translations are not eligible. The winning poet will receive a $1,000 honorarium upon publication plus 20 copies of the book. In addition, he/she will be invited as guest for one week of the Rensing Center, a gorgeous arts/writing retreat near Greenville SC, in the Appalachian foothills. Manuscripts should be 24 to 26 pages in length.
 

GRANTS

TENNESSEE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
http://tnartscommission.org/grants/professional-development-support-grant/
This grant category provides up to $750 to assist professional individual Tennessee artists and arts administrators from all disciplines take advantage of a unique opportunity that will significantly benefit their work or career development. Applicants must make a compelling case as to why their particular self-identified learning activity was selected and how it will have a substantial impact on their work and/or community. Opened effective June 1, 2017 for applications.



SCOTLAND WRITING RESIDENCY
https://balticwritingresidency.submittable.com/submit
While we accept applications all year round, the deadline for the Brora, Scotland residency is August 25. The Scotland Writing Residency is located in Brora, a coastal village in the east of Sutherland in the Highland area of Scotland. The writer resides, for one week during the summer or fall in a furnished and recently renovated, traditional croft cottage, containing three-bedrooms. The Scotland Writing Residency awards a free one-week stay in the Brora cottage based on a completed application. The residency does not come with a cash prize. Applications for the SWR are chosen by a peer-review committee. $22 application fee. Categories are poetry, playwriting, and fiction. 



KEEPER'S HOUSE WRITER RESIDENCY
http://www.islandverse.com/keepers-house-writer-residency.html
$30 APPLICATION FEE.
Keeper's House Writer Residency is a six day, five night residency (July 17 - 22) dedicated to your art.  Residents are provided with a renovated apartment on the second floor of the Burnt Coat Harbor Light Station, six miles off the north coast of Maine. Residents will host a one-hour presentation about the art they make. This residency is an opportunity to initiate or complete a project-in-progress. Deadline June 24, 2017. 



NYFA FISCAL SPONSORSHIP
http://current.nyfa.org/post/161318872988/apply-now-expand-your-fundraising-reach-with
Deadline June 30, 2017. NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship proudly supports a diverse array of artist projects and organizations from all creative disciplines and across the country. From documentary films that explore social issues, to artist exhibitions and music festivals, our Fiscally Sponsored projects and organizations provide an important value to the community. Each project should include a public benefit component. Additional requirements for NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship include having a project budget of at least $15,000 or more. Applicants must also have a US-based tax ID number.
 

FREELANCE MARKETS

PATHFINDERS TRAVEL
http://pathfinderstravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/WRITERS-GUIDELINES1.pdf
We are looking for lively, original, well-written stories that provide a good sense of place, with useful
information and fresh ideas about travel and the travel industry. Service articles such as How to Protect Your Valuable While on the Beach, 10 Best, Top 10, Round up Pieces, Looking Back, and articles for the Chef’s Table and In the Vineyard, our wine column and Looking Back, a 1,000-word article that takes a historical look at a travel destination or subject and brings it up to current day, are articles that are most likely to be accepted from freelance journalists. Payment and tear sheets for free-lance material sent within a reasonable period following publication. Feature Articles – 800-1,000 words - $150. Chef's Table/Post Cards from Home - 500-600 words - $150. Wine Column - $150. Looking Back Column - $150.



EARTH
https://www.earthmagazine.org/for-authors
EARTH is a nonprofit magazine published by the American Geosciences Institute with a mission to inform the public on the science of Earth, energy and environmental topics. Accepts pieces from scientists as well as freelance writers. Feature-length articles are 2,000-3,500 words. 



BROKEN EYE BOOKS
http://www.brokeneyebooks.com/submissions.html
Broken Eye Books is an independent press based in Seattle, here to bring you the odd, strange, and offbeat side of speculative fiction. Our stories tend to blend genres, blurring the boundaries of sci-fi, fantasy, and the weird. Original, previously unpublished short stories (3,000-6,000 words) and flash fiction (1,000 words or less). Pay rate of eight cents/word for first rights to digital, audio, and print formats in English. Deadline June 30, 2017. We are now open to submissions for the next anthology called Welcome to Miskatonic University.



CLARKESWORLD
http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/submissions/
Word limit 1,000 to 16,000 words, no exceptions. Pays ten cents per word for the first 5,000 words, eight cents for each word over 5,000. Genres:    Science fiction and fantasy. Language: English (We accept stories from all over the world. Translations are welcome.)



HAUTE LIVING
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/327567868/
Haute Media Group is looking for seasoned and highly motivated freelance writer based in NY to write 1x a week about Fashion Trends. Applicants must have a genuine interest in luxury lifestyle/fashion, writing experience, and solid Fashion PR contacts. Applicant work will go online, along with Print of Haute Living Magazine. Responsibilities include pitching and writing four to five original posts per month and covering key fashion trends, launches, and more.
 

JOBS

CONTENT WRITER
Location Alpharetta, GA
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/364888521/
If you are an experienced Content Writer/Copy Writer who has successfully worked in web marketing campaigns and content creation and who is passionate about the work you do, you may be the person we are looking for. We are seeking a talented candidate to join our Marketing team in Alpharetta, GA as a Content Writer.



RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM NEEDS WRITERS
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/call-writers-illustrators/
The Center for Responsive Schools is currently seeking experienced writers and illustrators to help create a series of books for its new imprint for students in grades K-8. These books will focus on topics such as interpersonal relationships, social and emotional skills, diverse experiences, and other matters related to the daily life of elementary and middle school students. All work will be created on a work for hire basis at a competitive flat rate. Terms to be discussed upon hire. Currently, we are focused on graphic novels for all ages between kindergarten and eighth grade. In the future, we may also be open to creating standard novels and non-fiction. To apply, please send a cover letter with: a brief bio, a list of previous publication and/or illustration credits, mention of any experience you have writing and/or illustrating graphic novels specifically, up to three pitches for graphic novel ideas. Additionally, please include: Writers - two to three writing samples (up to 25 pages) as a Word document or PDF; Illustrators - a link to your portfolio; Writer/Illustrators - Writing samples and portfolio link. Please send all application materials to submissions@responsiveclassroom.org with the subject line "Writer submission [First/Last Name]," "Illustrator submission [First/Last Name]," or "Writer/illustrator submission [First/Last Name]," as applicable. We will attempt to reply to all submissions within six months. No phone calls, please.

Publishers/agents

ROOT LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.rootliterary.com/
Literary agent Holly Root launched over two dozen New York Times bestsellers before founding Root Literary in 2017. The agency's clients benefit from our agents' proven skills in identifying talent, negotiating advantageous deals, and advocating for our books all the way from submission to publication. We offer our clients broad-based industry insights as well as individualized strategic thinking to empower each author to define and pursue their own unique path to success. Our primary focus is commercial fiction for kids and adults. We also represent select nonfiction projects. For more details on each of our specific tastes, visit the AGENTS page.



LUCINDA LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.lucindaliterary.com/about/
Lucinda Literary is one of very few hybrid literary and marketing agencies, and has newly expanded to include a lecture bureau for authors. Representing books primarily in business, health/lifestyle, popular science, and memoir, as well as upmarket fiction, we use a multi-pronged approach—representation, lecture, marketing, and publicity—to help authors identify and reach the broadest audience of readers possible. 



CAITLIN PRESS INC.
http://caitlin-press.com/contact-us/
Caitlin Press publishes books in all genres, but mainly on topics concerning or by writers from the BC Interior and stories about and by BC women. In a normal year we will publish twelve to fourteen books, most of which are regional non-fiction (e.g. pioneer history or exploration, industry, politics, guide books, contemporary creative non fiction). The remaining titles are literary selections such as a works of fiction, short fiction, poetry or prose. For the time being we are not publishing children’s fiction, but if you have an interesting children’s story that reflects life in Central BC, please feel free to send it.



CHARLESBRIDGE 
https://www.charlesbridge.com/pages/submissions
At Charlesbridge, we are always seeking new voices, new visions, and new directions in children’s literature. We are now accepting young-adult novels.   

 

SPONSORS

MarketingNewAuthors.com is making a call for short stories for its WRITERS’ CONTEST!

Submit 500 to 700 words. 
Genres include comedic, children's, fantasy, mystery, romance, science fiction and western.
Cash prizes $100, $50, and $25. 
Additional prizes include $350, $275, and $175 off a self-publishing plan. 
Deadline July 30, 2017. 

For more information, go to marketingnewauthors.com.











GET WEBSITES THAT ROCK, BOOK COVERS THAT SIZZLE

Shaila Abdullah has designed websites, book designs, marketing materials, and email campaigns for over 60 authors, writers and speakers. Being an award-winning author herself, she understands the industry, and will provide you with designs that reflect your unique style, genre, and personality. 

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

E-mail Shaila: info@myhouseofdesign.com 
View portfolio: http://myhouseofdesign.com/author-portfolio/
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://www.fundsforwriters.com

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"Shaila is a terrific designer, highly professional and extremely creative and delivers amazing results. Her sense of humor and positive spirit has made the whole process of developing and launching my web site a pleasure. –James Hutchison, playwright, http://jameshutchison.ca/

"When I first saw Shaila’s work, I was struck by the fact that her designs are not only beautiful but also perfectly reflect 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/

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











North Street Book Prize for Self-Published Books - Last Call!

3rd year. $6,000 in cash prizes. Three categories: General Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction & Memoir. The winner of each category will receive $1,500, a credit towards the high-quality publishing services at BookBaby, free advertising in our email newsletter, and expert marketing advice from Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of The Frugal Book Promoter. Gift for everyone who enters. Deadline: June 30. Judges: Jendi Reiter and Ellen LaFleche. Entry fee: $60. Winning Writers is one of "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest). Entries accepted by mail and via Submittable. See guidelines and past winners at winningwriters.com/north

Book Design Templates is having a sale this week on their new set of 8 Author Series book templates.

They developed this series of interior design templates based on authors who have inspired millions of readers—and writers—over the last 100 years. 

These templates are $30 off until Monday, June 12 at midnight Pacific time, so if the idea of publishing books in the style of these authors interests you, this is going to be very exciting. 

Here are the eight authors included in this new template collection. 

• Ernest Hemingway
• Anais Nin
• William Faulkner
• Virginia Woolf
• Isaac Asimov
• Toni Morrison
• Ralph Ellison
• Jorge Luis Borges

The best way to get a real idea of how each of these template looks—and to get inspiration about what kind of books you could create with them—is to visit the Template Gallery and check out the downloadable, full-size samples of each one. 
 

 

NOTE FROM HOPE: These Book Design Templates are recommended by so many in the industry for formatting your ebook and print books properly. Highly recommended. I own several of these, and they give your book an extremely polished look. Cannot speak highly enough about them. SIX new templates for genre authors that work for Word, Pages, and InDesign. $30 off this week!!!

How Savvy Authors Publish and Optimize their Books
for Blockbuster Sales on Amazon
Self-publishing expert Tracy Atkins has created an amazing set of tools and methods you can use to publish and optimize your book on Amazon—the right way. By following Tracy's simple, four-phase Amazon Success Method, you'll get an in-depth understand of the real Amazon, and to give your book a significant advantage over the competition.

This toolkit includes step-by-step instruction on how to publish your print book, Kindle eBook, and audiobook using Amazon’s publishing platforms: CreateSpace, Kindle Direct Publishing, and ACX.

Tracy also shows you how to use your Author Central account to take control of your book’s Amazon product page, and then tweak it to perfection.

You'll also get ten excellent worksheets and checklists to make the entire process easy to manage. You'll learn to make powerful choices that will help you sell more books on the world’s largest book retailer.

NOTE FROM HOPE! Get a special 25% off for your list with a coupon code,  AST25OFF

I LOVE THIS LADY!!!!  If you want to improve your writing, she is the person to go to. ~C. Hope Clark



 

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 2000-2017, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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