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• Get feedback for everything you write.
• Enter contests for free with upgraded membership including all the contests below.
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75 Words Flash Fiction
Write a story that uses only 75 words. This contest has a cash prize. 
Deadline  March 18th

These are just a few of our contests. View the entire listing.

WRITE YOUR CRAP

Every writer I know has trouble writing. ~ Joseph Heller

A nice quote that speaks the truth. Writing isn't easy, and if you feel it should be, then go ahead and quit now to avoid the continual disappointment. But like anything worth being proud of, it has to be a struggle to merit the pride. 

You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence. ~Octavia E. Butler

The first manuscript of my first novel was an admirable effort but not a good read. It read novice. I even gave up and turned to freelance writing. However, in that four-year span of not writing novels and writing thousands of words for online publications and magazines, my writing improved. Not a day went by without me writing something. So that when I returned to the novel, tossing it after being so chagrinned at its quality, I was able to rewrite it on an entirely different scale. Of course, it took all those thousands of words in between to make the difference. Had a very wise literary journal editor tell me that.

Write your crap. Write tons of it. But don't expect to sell it. It's the clay you're molding, messing up, remolding and reforming before the vase is made and ready to sell. Or you can look at it like Lady Gaga does. 

When you make music or write or create, it's really your job to have mind-blowing, irresponsible, condomless sex with whatever idea it is you're writing about at the time.  ~Lady Gaga

If you don't practice with thousands of throw-away words, you'll never reach the mind-blowing moment of writing those perfect words to that perfect story. There are many steps in between. If you try to leap over the crap and skip the months and years of practice, you'll never reach the other side . . . never be respected for having honed your craft. 






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•  

 

WORDS OF SUCCESS

Every writer I know has trouble writing. ~ Joseph Heller

 

SUccess Story

Hello, Hope!

In December 2016 I planned to enter a writing competition listed in FundsforWriters, aiming for the June 2017 deadline. Content basically was in place, needing only pagination and editing.

Following a February concussion, and buoyed by your can-do spirit, I found a competition due Sept. 30 and aimed for that instead. It was a challenging, uphill journey, and I re-edited many times. But I made deadline! And while it doesn't sound like much – no recognition was gained – at 75, I'd finally formatted my book, although a couple decades later than planned. To me, that's success! 

Thank you for what you do, while encouraging and supporting others in what they do.  ;) 

Best,

CJ WOODRING
Independent Wordsmith • Editor
Investigative journalist • Published author
Fort Wayne, Indiana
OFFICE: 260.745.8180 • MOBILE: 260.602.3936
email: cjwrite@icloud.com
linkedin.com/in/cjwriteideas
 

Featured article

Making Money from Farm Magazines

by Bill Vossler

After publishing an article in N.D. REC magazine about Toy Farmer magazine, the TF editor asked if I would write for them. I said no; I knew green was John Deere equipment and red was International Harvester, but I knew almost nothing about farm toys.

“Doesn’t matter,” editor Cathy Scheibe said. “Just be accurate.”

Just be accurate! Of course! Accuracy is the hallmark of any article - if you want to get it published and make money at writing. She named two collectors within ten minutes of me. How could I refuse? 

Thus began a working relationship that morphed into writing for a dozen other farm-related magazines, relationships which continue today, thirty years later, half my writing income every month, at ten cents a word to $350 an article, depending on which magazine, pay-on-publication.

Writing for Toy Farmer at that time required photo sessions at farm homes of collections of thirty to a thousand toy tractors, combines, plows, and other miniature equipment, ranging from about 1.5 inches long to 18 inches long. Or toy trucks, which led to articles in Toy Trucker & Contractor magazine.

Invariably after the session farmers would say, “Let me show you my other toys,“ leading me to a Quonset filled with a dozen or two or more, real, big, tractors. Another opportunity, which led to articles in magazines featuring the big tractors: Red Power, Green Magazine, Polk‘s Antique Tractor Magazine, Antique Power, Steam Traction, Farm Show, Farm Times, and Farm & Ranch Living. 

But the real steady money-makers were Gas Engine (68 articles, and counting,) Farm Collector, (233 articles, and counting,) and the granddaddy of them all, Toy Farmer (293 articles, and counting.) As well as seven books about farm toys and tractors.

The key to success at selling to these markets is threefold:

1. Finding the collectors--not as difficult as it seems. Rather than going from farm to farm as I used to, now the simplest way is attending thresher shows or toy shows, held all over the U.S. Or finding neighbors or friends who collect.

2. Taking publishable pictures of collections at the shows, and if possible, getting the telephone numbers of collectors--not always easy as they are often busy elsewhere in the show. These photos alone, or plus a quick chat with a collector at the show, if possible, is your research for your query letter to the magazines. Sometimes the pictures you take don’t become an article--the life of a writer.

Right now I have 59 sets of photos--taken at a series of shows - ready to query to my regular magazine editors. Judging by my past experience, most will be accepted. 

Collectors often help with photos; for example, with my latest piece with Farm Collector, the interviewee revealed he owned a very rare tractor he hadn’t had at the show. He provided photos.  

3. Set up telephone interviews. You’ll discover farm collectors are very passionate about their collections. They often tell great stories you can use: “As kids, my brother got mad at me, grabbed my cast-iron tractors, and smashed them on the sidewalk one by one as I watched and cried.”) That's $20,000 in today‘s dollars.

These markets require basic information about the collection and collector, which they are more than willing to give. After you’ve studied a couple of the magazines, give them a try. The field is wide open.

Farm Magazines:

Farm Collector Magazine, www.farmcollector.com
Farm Show Magazine, www.farmshow.com
Gas Engine, www.gasenginemagazine.com
Green Magazine, www.greenmagazine.com
Red Power Magazine, www.redpowermagazine.com
Toy Farmer Magazine, www.toyfarmer.com
Toy Trucker & Contractor Magazine, www.toytrucker.com

BIO: Bill Vossler has been a full-time freelancer for 35 years, publishing more than 3,400 articles in 226 magazines, like Reader’s Digest, Hemispheres, Chicago Tribune Magazine, and many others, as well as 16 books. bvossler0@outlook.com

NOTE FROM HOPE: Bill's history of specializing in a niche magazine market is a prime example of what you can do in most other trade markets. And there are many other farm-related magazines like Grit, Capper's Farmer, Home Farmer Magazine, Modern Farmer (my favorite), Farmer's Almanac, and so many more. 

    

COmpetitions

INSTITUTE FOR WRITERS SCI-FI FIRST PAGES CONTEST
https://instituteforwriters.lpages.co/ifw-sci-fi-first-pages-contest/
$19 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2018. Entries can be no longer than 750 words. Target reader can be young adult (YA) through adult, and the genre is science fiction. All entrants are invited to a free instructional online workshop with our esteemed judge and the Director of Institute for Writers. First prize $650. Second prize $350. Third prize $100. Fourth prize $100. Fifth prize $100. Winning entries will be workshopped by our judge to help writers understand what worked and what could be improved to make it submission-ready. 



MARIA FAUST SONNET CONTEST
http://sonnetcontest.org/sonnet-contest/
$5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 1, 2018. Cash prizes totaling over $2,000 will be awarded in several categories, including: Top Three Sonnets; Local Area (Three Winners – Winona and adjacent counties); Best Youth (Three Winners – Age 17 and Younger); Laureate’s Choice (Fifteen Winners). Sonnets may be written in Shakespearean, Spenserian, Petrarchan or Non-Traditional rhyme schemes, but each must be in the fourteen-line, iambic pentameter form. 



THE R.T. SMITH PRIZE FOR NARRATIVE POETRY
https://coldmountainreview.submittable.com/submit/73888/the-r-t-smith-prize-for-narrative-poetry
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 15, 2018. Named for master storyteller and founding editor of Cold Mountain Review, this $500 prize honors a narrative poem on an ecological and/or eco-justice theme (broadly defined). Poems may be long or short: they may be ballads, dramatic monologues, linear narratives, lyric narratives, and other hybrids. We are as open to new ways of telling stories through poetry as we are to new narratives of environmental justice. Please submit up to three poems of no more than ten total pages.



FIRST PAGES PRIZE
http://stockholmwritersfestival.com/#menu-ffprize
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 13, 2018. Submit your first five pages of a fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry manuscript. The winner and four runners-up receive prizes, a partial development edit, and an agent/publisher meeting. First place $700. Second $400. Third $200. Fourth $200. Fifth $200. Enter your first 1,250 words (five pages) of a manuscript.

 

GRANTS

PLYSPACE
https://www.plyspace.org/
PlySpace is a new, immersive Artist-in-Residence program based in the Emily Kimbrough Historic District in downtown Muncie, Indiana. Residents are provided with personal living spaces with individual or shared bathrooms, and personal studio spaces. Residents receive a $500 stipend toward travel, paid upon completion of the program. Resident Fellows are eligible for additional project funding. Residents may stay between four and 12 weeks. Applicants should be dedicated practitioners in their field and able to work safely and independently for the entire residency period to which they are assigned. Applicants should not be enrolled in a degree-granting program at the time of application and must be over 21 years of age. 



SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE FOR INTERNATIONAL WRITING RETREAT
http://www.stockton.edu/murphywriting 
Deadline: March 8, 2018. Murphy Writing of Stockton University is offering a $1,000 scholarship to a first-time participant. The Get Away to Write - Wales program will take place July 7-14, 2018 in Snowdonia, Wales. This international writing retreat is open to poets, fiction, memoir and nonfiction writers. Join us in idyllic Wales to immerse yourself in a supportive week-long writing retreat that will energize and inspire you. Enjoy encouraging workshops, plentiful writing time, invaluable instruction, breathtaking mountain views, organic meals and excursions to castles, the coast and more. 



SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE FOR NEW YORK WRITING RETREAT
http://www.stockton.edu/murphywriting 
Deadline: March 8, 2018. Murphy Writing of Stockton University is offering a $300 scholarship to a first-time participant of the River View Poetry Getaway, May 4-6, 2018 in Garrison, NY. Join us for a writing retreat to recharge your creative spirit, awaken your imagination and breathe new life into your poetry. The retreat will offer encouraging workshops, supportive feedback, nourishing meals, morning yoga and a nurturing community. 



UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA POETRY CENTER SUMMER RESIDENCY
https://universityofarizonapoetrycenter.submittable.com/submit/102174/2018-summer-residency-contest
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 12, 2018. Open to any poets in any stage of their careers. Residency offers poets the opportunity to focus on their writing during a two-week stay in Tucson, Arizona. Residents are housed in the Poetry Center’s studio apartment, located just steps away the Center’s renowned library of contemporary poetry. Residents also receive a $500 stipend and give a public reading in the Poetry Center’s Reading and Lecture Series, ongoing since 1962. 

 

FREELANCE MARKETS

ASIA TIMES
http://www.atimes.com/write-for-us/
Asia Times welcomes unsolicited news articles, analysis pieces and op-eds. For paid content, we are seeking original reporting and analysis, but will also consider commentary from time to time. We will also consider packages or series of stories addressing a common theme or topic. If you seek compensation, please indicate this clearly in your pitch, and whether the article has been published elsewhere, and if so, in what language and in which publication. Any payment must be agreed by the newsroom in advance. With a clean aesthetic and unique functionality, Asia Times stands apart as the only all-digital, pan-Asian site aimed specifically at English-speaking users. It is widely read not only in Asia, but also in Europe and in North America, where nearly half of its readership is based, regarding it as the must-read on Asian politics and finance.



ALASKA PARENT
http://www.alaskaparent.com/write_for_us.html
Alaska Parent magazine is looking for freelance writers who demonstrate a fresh, engaging writing style and a keen sense of the topics that matter to local parents. As Alaska’s exclusive, all-in-one parenting resource, our readers include parents with children ages newborn through teens, as well as expectant moms. Features are 800 to 1,200 words. Original articles can command $40 to $200. Authors willing to localize their reprints with interviews with local parents and experts can expect more. 



INCOME DIARY
https://www.incomediary.com/write-for-incomediary
IncomeDiary provides the very best content for web entrepreneurs. We do pay up to $200 for worthy articles of the highest standard – but we emphasize that your article needs to be of the highest standard and genuinely of interest to our audience. Our most well received articles are about:
Creating great content
Interviews with experts
Buying/Selling websites
Driving traffic to websites
Search engine optimization
Creating awesome websites
Blog design features and functionality
Creating information & digital products
Making money from websites, blogs & forums
Affiliate marketing and selling things through websites as an affiliate
Social media, anything to do with Facebook & Pinterest goes down well



HOWLROUND
http://howlround.com/participate
We're looking for writers who are deeply invested in and committed to the theatre field. You could be a current student or a seasoned professional, but if you're actively involved in theatre and/or performance, we'll be thrilled to hear from you. We do not publish personal attacks, promotional material, or material that has been previously published. Essay parameters: 1,500-2,000 words. Essays are rigorously edited. Depending on the backlog of content, articles may wait as long as three to four months before publication. Upon publication of an article, we pay the author $150. NewCrit focuses on analysis of a specific show(s) beyond the traditional "thumbs-up, thumbs-down" review. Limit 1,000-1,500 words. Usually published within a month of submission. Upon publication of a NewCrit review, we pay the author $100.

 

JOBS

JOURNALIST - Respect Greece, Inc.
https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Villa-Charm/jobs/Journalist-bdc0b79c04f4e9c1
Respect Greece is an established digital forum, with online news websites dedicated to providing news to the Greek Community. We are looking to expand our team of writers and are looking for an experienced journalist to join us. As a journalist, you will work together with CEO, as a team to come up with new and exciting interviews with various personalities. Articles can range anywhere from profile pieces to investigative reports. This is a part-time position.



FREELANCERS - Village Living Magazine
http://www.freelancewritingjobs.ca/blog/2018/01/29/seeking-toronto-based-writers/
We are currently seeking several Writers for Assignments. Village Living Magazine is a monthly local Community-Lifestyle magazine which is seeking writers for local community profiles, features and Lifestyle stories related to Health, Well-being and Parenting. Writers are compensated at a word rate of $0.15 to $0.20 and stories range from 350 to 1,000 words.



CONTENT PRODUCER - Bala-Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/description/368415/content-producer/
Content Producers work closely with Show Producers and Assignment Editors, as well as Reporters and Anchors to desktop edit, write, produce and gather content on all of WCAU’s platforms, including but not limited to Out-of-Home, web and broadcast. Bachelor’s Degree preferred. Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States. Must be fluent in both Spanish and English. 



COPY EDITOR - New York City
https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/description/368431/copy-editor/
Publishers Weekly is seeking a full-time copy editor who is highly organized, dedicated to detail, and passionate about grammar, punctuation, and fact checking.

Publishers/agents

HARPER IMPULSE
http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/contact/write-for-us/
Entertaining fiction that women everywhere will love to read and won’t be able to put down. Seeking the following genres: Contemporary romance, Historical romance, Chick lit and romantic comedy, Epic and saga, Psychological Suspense, Crime & Thriller, Women’s fiction, Multi-cultural Fiction, Commercial Literary. 



ALIBI
http://www.randomhousebooks.com/alibi/
Alibi is Random House’s digital-only imprint focused on mystery and thriller fiction titles. Our digital program is centered around your brand; focused on building you as an author introducing you to readers everywhere. Our program is managed with the same attention given all of our other imprints within the Penguin-Random House Publishing Group. Every book will be assigned to an accomplished Random House editor and a dedicated marketer and publicist. Not only do our authors benefit from working with the finest cover designers to ensure irresistibly eye-catching books, but they are also offered the unique advantage of social media tools and training that will allow them to connect directly with their readers.



FELONY & MAYHEM
http://felonyandmayhem.com/committing-your-own-mayhem/
We publish mystery fiction for adults and, at this time, no other genres. All manuscripts must be a minimum of 80,000 words; 85,000 is preferable. A submission should consist of a brief synopsis (no more than four paragraphs) and one sample chapter OR a representative ten pages.



HENERY PRESS
https://www.henerypress.com/about
We publish mostly mysteries with a focus on the cozier side of life: cozies with a hook, cozies with an edge, cozies with humor, and cozies with adventure. Mysteries (all genres); 65k words - 90k words. No YA, Middle Grade, Romantic Suspense, Graphic Sex or Violence. 

 

SPONSORS

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

"The site captures my spirit and passion, and it honors my dream since childhood." —Lyn Fairchild Hawks, author, http://lynhawks.com/

"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/

Other websites:
http://bapsisidhwa.com/
http://wagnerjulia.com/
http://lisakwinkler.com/
http://kbhyde.com/
http://meredithwargo.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 2000-2018, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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