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DO YOU PRACTICE SUCCESS OR FAILURE?

It's all in the mind, really. I'm normally a positive person, seeking the good stuff, then when finding it, studying how I can keep it coming. 

But in the last two years, I've been inundated with crappy family stuff I could not turn away from. I found myself sitting up at night, insomnia taking over, thinking about how to dodge all the bad stuff. How to redefine it. How to avoid it. How to run from it. 

My paradigm had shifted. My work gravitated around negative instead of positive. Not fun at all. 

Then I came across a post by motivational giant Seth Godin. Briefly, he asked in what circumstances do we say, "Here we go again."

Are we saying it when bad stuff happens or when good stuff happens? Because whichever one we choose is our expectation. Are we expecting bad or seeking good?

No fence straddling here. This is an either or. 

Most of us are afraid to think of success, think positively, or expect good, because we are afraid of being blindsided by any bad that comes along. 

The point is to focus on the good, notice the small stuff, seek to win, and plan to do well. Even if it's baby steps at a time. Like writing 500 words a day. Reading one how-to-write piece daily. Publishing a short story. Having someone give you a good review or compliment your writing. We climb, one step at a time, toward good. 

Why would we want to think about what could go wrong more than what could go well? 

"We get what we expect. And we expect what we get." ~Seth Godin

Make your life happier. You may not do it overnight, and I've darn sure struggled with it for two years, but you can do it. One day at a time think about the good you dream for, strive for, and yes, grab hold of. That's the energy you need.






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Featured article

Tapping into Local Businesses for Writing Work

By Jill Pertler 

Here's an optimistic thought: writing is a necessary part of every business. You read that right. Every business – big and small – has the need for written language.

More good news: most businesses don't have a full-time or even part-time writer on staff. Hint: here's where you come in.

Local businesses need your skills. They just don't know it yet. It's up to you to tell them. 

Identifying potential clients

First you have to find them. Take a walk or a drive and make a note of locally-owned businesses in your town and the writing needs they might have. Browse the Yellow Pages online at yp.com. Identify potential clients by joining the chamber of commerce. Local rotary clubs also give you access to small business owners. (I've found small businesses better targets than large businesses, which are more likely to have in-house writers.) 

Compiling your information

Once you've identified potential businesses, it's time to give them something – for free. I'm not advocating you work for free. Instead, put together a brochure or letter that includes helpful writing-related information: how email newsletters benefit businesses, ways to generate social media content or writing for your target audience. 

Then remind them of your skills and availability. Use a bulleted list to show the plethora of writing tasks you can take off their shoulders. Be sure to include website, social media and blog entries along with brochures, letters, press releases, newsletters, ad copy, etc. 

Include contact options – email, website, social media and phone number. Make communicating with you convenient for them.   

End your piece with a thank you. It's just courteous and polite. 

Method of contact

You can reach out in a number of ways, depending on the business. Start by compiling email addresses. You may only have a few at first but the list will grow over time. 

Social media is another way to keep in touch with potential clients. Ditto that for your website. 

I also suggest utilizing the old-fashioned way: snail mail. This isn't a mass mailing. You want to choose a dozen, perhaps two dozen businesses to target. Snail mail provides prospective clients with something physical to hold – and hopefully keep – until they have the need to contact you. 

Wait about three months and follow-up with a similar message. Repeat after another three months. Think quarterly contact. You want to establish yourself as a consistent presence, but not a nuisance. Potential clients aren't going to need your services immediately, but they will eventually. When they do, whom will they think of? The nice writer who's been sending free and helpful information. 

Free press

Consider doing pro bono work for a charitable organization that can give you free press. I do this for a local foundation that has a quarterly newsletter where my logo is printed in every issue. 

I've been utilizing this technique for years and have worked on a variety of jobs for a variety of businesses:
• Coffee shop – menu writing
• Insurance company – quarterly newsletter
• Locally-owned bank – ad copy
• School district – referendum campaign
• Gift shop ­– catalog descriptions
• Medical clinic – ghostwriting a monthly medical column
• Library – website copy
• Grocery store – social media presence
• Home builder – sales brochures
• Not-for-profit organization – annual report
• Local charity – letter to potential donors
• Bed and breakfast – radio ads
• Mayoral candidate – door hangers and press releases
• Legal firm – blog posts
And the list goes on. 

These were all paying gigs. I've found once a business is aware of your skills and the convenience you provide they're likely to hire you again for future jobs. There's another optimistic thought. 

Bio: Jill Pertler writes for businesses as a partner of the design company, Marketing X Design. She is an award-winning syndicated columnist of "Slices of Life," published playwright, author of "The Do-It-Yourselfer's Guide to Self-Syndication" and member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Her business writing feeds the checkbook. Her columns and plays feed her soul. https://www.marketingxdesign.com/

COmpetitions

CHRIS O'MALLEY PRIZE IN FICTION
https://madisonreview.submittable.com/submit
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 1, 2018. The finest unpublished short story is awarded $1,000 and publication in the fall issue of The Madison Review! Limit 30 pages. 



FIDDLEHEAD LITERARY CONTEST - SHORT STORIES AND POETRY
https://thefiddlehead.ca/contest
$30 ENTRY FEE (Canadian). $36 ENTRY FEE (Outside Canada). Deadline December 3, 2018. Pays $2,000 first prize in each category. One short-fiction entry is one story (6,000 words maximum). One poetry entry is up to three poems; no more than 100 lines per poem. The winning entries and honourable mentions are published in The Fiddlehead’s spring 2019 issue and on our website. 



STROKESTOWN INTERNATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION
https://www.strokestownpoetry.org/strokestown-international-poetry-prize-2019/
€6 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 7, 2018. Short-listed poets will be invited to read a selection of their work at the festival, for which they will receive a reading fee of €300. First Prize €2,000 plus a week-long residency at Anam Cara Writer’s and Artist’s Retreat. Second Prize €700. Third Prize €500.  Poems must not exceed 70 lines (excluding title and stanza breaks). 



HAMLIN GARLAND AWARD FOR THE SHORT STORY
https://www.beloit.edu/bfj/garland/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 10, 2018. Award of $2,000 and publication to the top unpublished story on any theme. Limit 7,000 words. 



DANAHY FICTION PRIZE
http://www.ut.edu/TampaReview/TRDetail.aspx?id=12481
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2018. The Danahy Fiction Prize is an annual award of $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review. All entrants receive a one-year subscription to Tampa Review. We generally prefer manuscripts between 500 and 5,000 words, but stories falling slightly outside this range will also be considered. 



NOWHERE FALL WRITING CONTEST
https://nowheremag.com/contests/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2018. We are looking for young, old, novice and veteran writers to send us stories that possess a powerful sense of place. Stories can be fiction, nonfiction or essay, but please indicate which genre at the top of your manuscript. The winner will receive $1,000, with publication in Nowhere granted under First North American Serial Rights (FNASR). Up to ten finalists also will be published. 



RIVER STYX MICRO-FICTION CONTEST
http://www.riverstyx.org/submit/microfiction-contest/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2018. Accepting 500 words maximum per story, up to three stories per entry fee. First prize $1,500 and publication. 



THE LASCAUX PRIZE IN SHORT FICTION
http://lascauxreview.com/contests/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2018. Stories may be previously published or unpublished, and simultaneous submissions are accepted. Winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication in The Lascaux Review. The winner and all finalists will be published in The 2019 Lascaux Prize Anthology. Length should not exceed 10,000 words. All genres and styles are welcome.



JAMES KNUDSEN PRIZE FOR FICTION
https://bayoumagazine.org/writing-contests/fiction-contest-guidelines/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 1, 2019. The contest winner will receive $1,000 and a year’s subscription to Bayou Magazine. Finalists will be named on our website, and all entries will be considered for publication. Submissions must be original, previously unpublished work of fiction, no longer than 7,500 words.



GAMES! CREATIVE NONFICTION CONTEST
https://www.creativenonfiction.org/submissions
Deadline November 19, 2018. Creative Nonfiction, in partnership with the Center for Games & Impact at Arizona State University, is looking for new work about the role of games and play in our everyday lives. For this special issue, we’re seeking true stories that explore the ways our society integrates games, and especially games whose impact transcends entertainment and changes us in ways outside of the gaming context.

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

FRONTIER NEW VOICES FELLOWSHIP
https://frontier.submittable.com/submit/104433/the-frontier-new-voices-fellowship
Deadline November 30, 2018. Twice a year, we will award a poet with the Frontier Fellowship: $500 grant meant to be used toward covering industry submission costs, multiple publications (original poetry and prose) in Frontier, participation in our editorial community, and introductions to agents and presses. We customize our fellowships to meet the needs of our chosen fellow: hours per month, number of publications, and publication involvement will vary based on our fellow's availability. For the Winter Fellow of 2019, we are accepting applications from poets who are from native nations and/or identify as an indigenous writer.



EDITORIAL FELLOW, GASTRO OBSCURA
https://www.atlasobscura.com/jobs/gastro-obscura-editorial-fellow
Deadline November 9, 2018. Atlas Obscura is hiring two editorial fellows to write for Gastro Obscura, our food and drink vertical devoted to culinary wonders and curiosities. As a Gastro Obscura fellow, you’ll write short daily articles as well as longer, more deeply reported pieces, and contribute to our database of unique food and drink. You may write about a tiny Wisconsin Island that’s the world’s biggest consumer of bitters, an astronaut whose career was nearly derailed by smuggling a sandwich into space, or a fruit that tastes like peanut butter. You don’t need a background in food—just insatiable curiosity. Recent graduates are encouraged to apply. This entry-level position is paid, and lasts six months, from a start date of January 2, 2019. It is based in our offices in Brooklyn, New York. Please note that this fellowship is distinct from our general Editorial Fellow positions. 



CONFERENCE ON CHRISTIANITY AND LITERATURE TRAVEL GRANTS
https://www.christianityandliterature.com/Awards-and-Grants
Deadline November 15, 2018. This is a competitive fellowship program open to members of the Conference on Christianity and Literature who demonstrate a need to travel to undertake their research and writing. Grants may be used to support scholarly research that will lead to the publication of an article or book-length study. They may also be used to support the writing of creative works of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. The maximum grant for travel, research, and writing will be $2,000. The committee evaluating proposals may choose to award the entire amount to a single applicant or to divide the sum between two or more recipients. Location Wheaton, IL.



YOUNG ADULT LIBRARY SERVICES ASSOCIATION (YALSA)
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/awardsandgrants/yalsaawardsgrants
Each year YALSA offers more than $195,000 in grants and awards to members who work with or on behalf of teens. Please click on the individual grant for application information. YALSA members are also eligible for scholarships, awards and grants from the American Library Association. There's also an award honoring the best writing in YALSA’s blogs and journals. Prizes will be given for a winning article in each of the journals and blogs.  As of 2018 they are: Young Adult Library Services, the Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults, the YALSA blog, and The Hub: YALSA’s YA Collections Blog.



PATRICK HENRY WRITING FELLOWSHIP
https://www.washcoll.edu/centers/starr/fellowships/patrick-henry-writing-fellowship/
Deadline November 15, 2018. The Center’s Patrick Henry Writing Fellowship includes a $45,000 stipend, health benefits, faculty privileges, a book allowance, and a nine-month residency (during the academic year 2018-2019) in historic Chestertown, Md. Applicants should have a significant book-length project currently in progress. The project should address the history and/or legacy – broadly defined – of the American Revolution and the nation’s founding ideas. It might focus on the founding era itself, or on the myriad ways the questions that preoccupied the nation’s founders have shaped America’s later history. 

 

FREELANCE MARKETS

MOTHER JONES
https://www.motherjones.com/contribute/writer-guidelines/
While much of our content comes from staff writers and freelancers with whom we’ve had long-standing relationships, Mother Jones magazine and MotherJones.com will consider solidly reported, hard-hitting, groundbreaking news stories. We’re also open to thought-provoking, timely opinion and analysis pieces on important current issues. We’re interested in just about anything that will raise our readers’ eyebrows, but we focus especially on these areas: national politics, environmental issues, corporate wrongdoing, human rights, and political influence in all spheres. Web pieces are generally less than 1,500 words. Magazine pieces can range up to 5,000 words. 



PARK CITY MAGAZINE
https://www.parkcitymag.com/pages/writers-guidelines
Park City Magazine happily accepts Park City-specific story pitches for full-length features, medium-length department stories, and short, snappy sidebars in the following categories: localized national trends; news; arts and culture; nightlife; history; food and drink; outdoor recreation; and local resident profiles. Location Park City, Utah. 



TRIATHLETE
https://www.triathlete.com/writers-guidelines
Triathlete magazine, established in 1983, is the largest newsstand publication covering the sport of triathlon. Triathlete readers range from novice and competitive amateurs to professional athletes. Full-length features generally range from 800 to 1,200 words. Any news pieces, training articles or nutrition pieces range from 200 to 500 words. All text must be submitted with an appropriate title and 10- to 20-word summary.



CURE
https://www.curetoday.com/write
Our magazine brings the latest cancer updates, research and education to patients, caregivers and health care providers. Cancer is a complex disease both scientifically and personally. Our approach is to provide scientifically based information for the lay reader. This requires special care taken by our writers in accuracy and tone. All writers MUST have medical writing, preferably cancer-related, and interviewing experience. 



MILWAUKEE MAGAZINE
https://www.milwaukeemag.com/writers-guidelines-milwaukee-magazine/
Milwaukee Magazine is a monthly magazine covering the people, issues and places of Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin. We are interested in timely stories about current issues, local personalities, area business, sports, health care, education, politics, arts and culture, architecture and urban life, history, food, shopping, music and nightlife, recreation and the environment. We are particularly looking for writers who can deliver brightly written, well-researched service stories but are also interested in in-depth narrative features (from profiles to investigative stories) from qualified reporters. Full-length feature stories run 2,500-5,000 words. 



MIDWEST LIVING
http://www.midwestliving.com/midwest-living-writers-guidelines/
Our articles focus on travel, food, home and garden. Article lengths are generally between 100 and 1,000 words. We define the Midwest as Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas (we also sometimes do stories in bordering states such as Kentucky and Arkansas). We strive for a tone that is fresh, knowledgeable, fun and sophisticated. We include writer bylines on features, but most of our freelance opportunity lies in scouting and research. A writer working with us for the first time could generally expect up to $150 for a short scouting assignment or for a website article.



CURVE
http://www.curvemag.com/Curve-Magazine/Contact-Us/Article-Submission-Guidelines/
Curve, the nation’s best-selling lesbian magazine, spotlights all that is fresh, funny, exciting, controversial and cutting-edge in the lesbian community. Our editorial content profiles lesbian heroes and icons, illuminates trends, and offers a lesbian and woman centered perspective on issues and events. Please note that Curve does not publish fiction, poetry, unsolicited first-person anecdotes and stories, book, music and web reviews (these are written in-house) or explicit material.

 

Publishers/agents

BROWER LITERARY MANAGEMENT
http://browerliterary.com/submissions/subrightsmgmt/
Typically, as a self-published author, all rights excluding your eBook rights. You can opt to exclude other subrights; however, this will have to be disclosed prior to signing with Brower Literary & Management and may impact our decision whether or not to take you on as a subrights management client. We actively pursue deals and opportunities to maximize your income from licensing subrights for your backlist and frontlist. We work directly with various audio publishers and producers, whether you want to sell your rights or exploit them yourself. In addition, we work with print distributors to help expand your reach in print beyond Amazon CreateSpace. We also handle all foreign rights in house, so that your books get the most attention it deserves. And finally, we have various contacts in Hollywood to help manage your film/tv rights. Please note that while we do have these contacts, there is no guarantee that these rights will be optioned or licensed.



TRIADAUS LITERARY AGENCY - DR. UEW STENDER
http://www.triadaus.com/agents.html
Literary Agent Dr. Uwe Stender is a Full Member of the AAR (Association of Authors' Representatives). He is interested in all kinds of nonfiction and fiction. In nonfiction, he is completely open to any project, from Memoir, Pop Culture, and Health to How-to, Gardening, History and everything in between, including nonfiction for children. In Children's fiction, he is looking for YA, and MG. In adult fiction, his tastes trend towards Women's Fiction, Psychological Suspense, and Mysteries. As an immigrant to the USA himself, he is always eager to bring projects from underrepresented voices into the world. (NOTE: There are other agents seeking other genres at the Triada US website.)



THE KNIGHT AGENCY - MELISSA JEGLINSKI
https://knightagency.net/submissions/
Seeking thrillers with a female protagonist. Historical Fiction set during either WWI or WWII or Historical Fiction about the Romanovs. Cozy Mystery with an innovative approach, no paranormal elements. A humorous Middle Grade with a female detective protagonist. (NOTE: There are other agents seeking other genres at the Knight Agency website.)



PARK LITERARY AND MEDIA
http://www.parkliterary.com/
Representing fiction and nonfiction with a unique, boutique-style approach, Park Literary & Media was founded in 2005 by Theresa Park. PLM is a full-service agency that manages all aspects of an author’s career with focused personal attention and the highest professional standards. With a robust foreign rights department and dedicated marketing, retail and client promotions, plus deep relationships with film and television entities in Los Angeles, we bring top-tier resources and a wealth of experience to every client, every day.



LAURA DAIL LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.ldlainc.com/
The Laura Dail Literary Agency Inc., incorporated in 1996, is a small, full-service literary agency, representing fiction and nonfiction, commercial and literary, for both adults and children. We represent a wide range of diverse authors, including bestselling authors of children’s fiction, award-winning journalists, historians, chefs, and humorists.



MORHAIM LITERARY AGENCY - KATE McKEAN
http://www.morhaimliterary.com/agents/
For adults, she is primarily interested in contemporary women's fiction, literary fiction, historical fiction set in the 20th Century, fantasy, magical realism, and science fiction. For children, she is looking for projects in middle grade and young adult in the areas of horror, romance, LGBTQ issues, contemporary fiction, sports, magical realism, fantasy, and science fiction, as well as picture books of all kinds, especially nonfiction picture books. In nonfiction, for adults or children/teens, she represents books by authors with demonstrable platforms in the areas of pop-culture, memoir, sports, food writing, humor, design, creativity, and craft. She is also interested in graphic novels and memoirs for all ages - adult and children. (NOTE: There are other agents seeking other genres at the Morhaim Literary Agency website.)



FUSE LITERARY - MARGARET BAIL
https://www.fuseliterary.com/margaret-bail/
Margaret is interested in adult fiction in the genres of romance (no Christian or inspirational, please), science fiction (soft sci-fi rather than hard), mystery, thrillers, action adventure, historical fiction (not a fan of WWII era), and fantasy. In nonfiction, Margaret is interested in memoirs with a unique hook, and cookbooks with a strong platform. Fiction genres Margaret is NOT interested in: YA, MG, children’s books; steampunk, Christian/religious literature, chick lit, women’s fiction, literary, poetry, screenplays. (NOTE: There are other agents seeking other genres at the Fuse Literary Agency website.)

 

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E-mail: hope@fundsforwriters.com
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