Newport Flash Fiction Opportunity

NEWPORT REVIEW FLASH FICTION CONTEST
http://newportreview.org/contests.htm
ENTRY FEE $7
Opens for submissions June 1, 2008 and closes September 1, 2008. Short-short stories up to 750 words. The contest is open to all writers, published and unpublished, except writers personally affiliated with the Newport Review. First Prize: $150 and publication. Second Prize: $100 and publication. Third Prize: $50 and publication. Honorable Mention: Publication.
Prize-winning stories and stories receiving honorable mention will be published in a future issue of Newport Review. Other stories may also be considered for publication.

NOTE: One of the best tests of your writing is flash fiction - the ability to write tight, with clarity and with power. Everyone should try it now and again. Here's a good opportunity. 750 words is three double-spaced pages. And you can afford this one at $7 entry fee.

DOUBLE NOTE: Muscles are pleasantly tired again as I fertilized the yard since it's supposed to rain tonight. Wrote three editorials and an article for FundsforWriters today, letting the goslings and baby wood ducks in my yard serve as fodder for my writer advice. That's an exercise in itself. Sit down at the machine. Focus on something you can see from your seat. Write a complete piece about it. Don't get up until you do. Make it 500-700 words. I've been doing it for eight years, and I believe I could write on just about anything now. Sure lubricates those mental writing muscles.

$20,000 First Place for a 2,500-Word True-Life Story

FIELDREPORT AWARD FOR TRUE-LIFE STORIES

http://www.fieldreport.com/

NO ENTRY FEE

$40,000 in total prizes awarded July 1, 2008. http://www.fieldreport.com/Password: truelife FieldReport is a new web site that awards significant cash prizes for the best in personal writing. This call for submissions is for FieldReport's pre-launch beta period.The reading period for the contest is May 1, 2008 through June 30, 2008. Prizes are awarded July 1, 2008. Post 2,500 words or less by going to the web site and typing in the password "truelife." (without the quotes). To submit, each participant must create an account and rank other pieces on the site. All submissions must be true (nonfiction) stories that actually happened to the author. Authors retain copyright subject to a license granted to FieldReport as specified in the agreement on the site.

First prize: $20,000 for the top-rated story of true-life experience, as determined by quality rankings of the FieldReport community of reviewers; all bylines are hidden in the review process to eliminate bias. Category prizes: $1,000 for the top-rated story in Animal Beings; $1,000 for College Life; $1,000 for Crisis + Change; $1,000 for Food + Drink; $1,000 for Friends + Relations; $1,000 for Home + Garden + Auto; $1,000 for Life + Me; $1,000 for Love + Hate; $1,000 for Music + Arts; $1,000 for Oddball Events; $1,000 for On the Job; $1,000 for Parenting + Pregnancy; $1,000 for Spirituality + Religion; $1,000 for Sport + Challenge; $1,000 for Style + Beauty + Body; and $1,000 for Witness to History. There will be a $2,000 for the winning story in Brush With Fame, and another $2,000 for the winner of Travel + Nature.

NOTE: Very cool contest. I spoke with the contest sponsor, and yes, the dollar figures are correct. My imagination went wild as I remembered the calamities of my life. One involved a hedgehog, liquor and firearms. I just might take the time out from my novel and test this contest. Hey, even one of the many $1,000 prizes would be nice.

DOUBLE NOTE: Chapters 9, 10 and 11 got chopped, edited and combined. They are totally different animals now. And hey, what's with this sidekick character suddenly developing a romantic interest? Where did that come from? Now I've got to change more chapters to see how this plays out!

A Seven-Line Contest - What a Challenge!

OPIUM 7-LINE CONTEST
http://www.opiummagazine.com/contest.aspx
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$10 ENTRY FEE FOR SINGLE ENTRY; $17.50 FOR TWO.
Deadline August 15, 2008. Write a story that is seven lines or less within margins that are 8.5" or less. Fiction, non-fiction, prose poetry or any other excellence is allowed. The winning story, along with a handful of finalists, will appear in Opium7 which will debut on Oct. 6 and receive $1,000.

NOTE: A seven-line story - how challenging! How savvy can you be?

DOUBLE NOTE: Miss the grand baby, but I'm in my study, without distractions, and writing my fool head off. God, does it get any more satisfying than this! A partially edited Chapter 8 and 10 sitting before me with scribbled edits from my group, a deadline by this evening and stacks of magazines awaiting my queries, with notes scribbled on the covers. Barefoot, jean shorts, t-shirt and braless with a summer breeze wafting through the pines and dogwoods outside. Oh yeah.

Short Fiction Contest With No Entry Fee

MATTIA FAMILY POETRY COMPETITION
http://www.mattia.ca/competition11/rules11/rules11.html
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NO ENTRY FEE
First Place --$200 CAD
Second Place --$100 CAD
Third Place -- $50 CAD
Poems must be under 100 words. Deadline June 15, 2008.

NOTE: No entry fee and a decent first prize. All for a measly 100 words. This contest has been around longer than FundsforWriters. Note the prizes are in Canadian funds. Good challenge for your short poetry.

DOUBLE NOTE: Bogged down with Chapter 10, but my household company leaves day after tomorrow. You are going to see smoke seeping out of my study windows as my fingers burn up a keyboard once I have my free time back. Love family coming to visit, but it creates havoc with my writing. I'm chomping at the bit to get back to hammering out my protagonist's issues.

Get Your Movie Story on Lifetime TV

LIFETIME TV SWEEPS COMPETITION http://www.mylifetime.com/sweeps/ewfc/submit.php

To enter, you'll need to produce a film that's three to five minutes in length and upload it to our site. The movie you make could be aired on national TV on the Lifetime Movie Network, plus you could wind up with the grand prize of $5,000 in cash! Second place $2,500. Honorable mentionsof $1,000. The competition is open to all women who are legal residents of the United States and who, by the entry date, are at least 18 years of age. Deadline: July 8, 2008.

NOTE: I love these sponsored contests by tv networks, major magazines or retail businesses. They are not often, they usually have no entry fee, and they can springboard a career in a heartbeat. To top it all, they usually aren't advertised broadly. This one is nice.

DOUBLE NOTE: Been beating this old keyboard to death today. My house guests are visiting other relatives for four days and I'm under the gun to get my work out during that time. By the way, I'll be the guest in a chat forum tomorrow night, May 2 at 7 PM Eastern at the Catholic Writers Online Conference. It's for all writers, not just religious or Catholic writers, and it's been fairly well organized, I might add. http://conference.catholicwritersguild.org/

Cheerios Children's Book Contest

SPOONFUL OF CHEERIOS CONTEST

http://www.spoonfulsofstoriescontest.com/

NO ENTRY FEE

Cheerios® is searching for the next great children's book author. Just enter your original children's book story by July 15, 2008.Submissions are limited to 500 words, must be un-illustrated and in English to be accepted. Book must be for children ages 4 to 8. One (1) Grand Prize of $5,000 cash will be awarded. In addition to the cash prize, the Grand Prize winning story submission will be offered to Simon & Schuster for possible future publication. Publication not guaranteed. Two (2) First Runner Up Prizes of $1,000 each will be awarded. Must be 18or older as of April 1, 2008. Must be a legal US resident.

NOTE: This is the second year for this contest. Last year's winner received a contract and her books will be published by Simon & Schuster as well as appear in specially marked boxes of Cheerios. Very cool.

DOUBLE NOTE: Okay, the sweet, adorable 9-month-old granddaughter had a baby virus when she arrived...and gave it to everyone in the house. We call her Typhoid Baby now. I'm just getting to the computer after two days of enjoying the decorations in my bathroom. Finally...back to writing and the real world.

Grandparent Memory Essay Contest

FAVORITE GRANDPARENT MEMORY ESSAY CONTEST -

sponsored by the National Association of Baby Boomer Womenand GRAND Magazine

http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com/display_news.php?nid=11

NO ENTRY FEE. You have 500 words to tell us your favorite grandparent memory. Take us back. Who was there, what were you doing, how old were you, why was the event so special? Submissions should be written in a Word document and sent as an attachment to contest@nabbw.com with FAVORITE GRANDPARENT MEMORY in the subject line. Deadline - July 1, 2008. PRIZE MONEY - $250 and F-R-E-E membership or renewal in the National Association of Baby Boomer Women. Plus your story will be published in the Our Voices section at http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com/, and in the September-October issue of GRAND magazine. Please make sure to include your name, email address, and short (no more than 75 words) bio at the top of your entry. Men may also submit! (Should a man win, he can keep the $250 and give the free membership to http://www.nabbw.com/ to a boomer woman.)

NOTE: Not a bad contest for no entry fee. A wonderful time to take a moment and reminisce, and you might as well reduce it to writing for posterity. I may give this one a go.

DOUBLE NOTE: Okay, two days of no novel. Just can't get enough of that baby granddaughter loving. And the weather is gorgeous. Two great excuses for a break.

Cup of Comfort

CUP OF COMFORT ANTHOLOGIES

http://www.cupofcomfort.com/share.htm

Payment: $500 Grand Prize awarded to one story per volume; $100 (each) all other stories published in book plus complimentary copy of book on publication. Story Length: 1,000-2,000 words. Point of View: First-person or third-person (no second person). Style: Narrative nonfiction, creative nonfiction, literary nonfiction. But it must be a story. Themes are:

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR NEW MOTHERS. Nothing is as miraculous as giving birth to or witnessing the birth of your baby. This heartwarming anthology will be filled with birth stories and newborn homecoming stories as well as a wide range of stories about the various experiences, emotions, and concerns involved in adding a new baby to one’s life and family. All stories will be uplifting and positive, no matter how difficult the situation portrayed in the story might be. Submission deadline: May 15, 2008 (last call).

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR ADOPTIVE FAMILIES. The primary purpose of this book is to celebrate adoptive families and to recognize the extraordinary and challenging experiences unique to “chosen children” and their adoptive families. Submission deadline: June 15, 2008.

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR FATHERS. A Cup of Comfort for Fathers will feature inspiring and insight true stories about the life-defining and life-enriching relationships and experiences shared by fathers and their children. These personal essays will be of varying topics and tones (heartwarming, humorous, poignant, provocative, etc.); about fathers and children of all ages and varying circumstances; and written by fathers, daughters, and sons. Submission deadline: August 1, 2008.

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. Seek uplifting true stories about the ins and outs, ups and downs, blessing and challenges of parenting children with special needs. The stories will cover children of all ages (birth to adult) and a wide range of developmental, physical, and mental delays/disabilities. Submission deadline: September 15, 2008.

A SECOND CUP OF COMFORT FOR DOG LOVERS. This volume will feature both serious and humorous anecdotal stories covering a wide range of topics and perspectives and varying breeds of dogs. We do NOT want sad stories about a dog’s illness, injury, or death, though we will consider stories that weave a beloved pet’s illness or death into an otherwise positive story. The story should focus on the dog’s remarkable attributes and/or actions as well as on the special relationship between the dog and his/her human(s). Submission deadline: December 15, 2008.

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR THE GRIEVING HEART. When a loved one passes away, comfort is often fleeting and hard to come by. Yet, even a small comfort, like a personal story of how someone has faced a similar loss, does help to ease the sorrow. This volume will feature uplifting personal stories that reveal the special relationships and extraordinary experiences shared by the deceased and his/her loved one(s) immediately before, during, and after the loved one’s passing.Submission deadline: February 1, 2009.

NOTE: Rather than posting the latest call for submissions for Cup of Comfort, I grabbed them all. Surely you can find one that fits you. I shot one in yesterday.

DOUBLE NOTE: Couldn't get to the computer to write today...grandbaby and her parents came in today and I couldn't tear myself away from all that 9-month-old loving. But all the way to the airport, I did rewrites in my head. Doing that makes me itchy to get back to work.

Shakespeare's Monkeys

SHAKESPEARE'S MONKEYS SIMIAN AWARD

http://www.shakespearesmonkeys.com/section-395-contest

$5 ENTRY FEE

For the second year Shakespeare’s Monkeys continues to seek out the best poem of the year and it might be yours. Three times during the year, judges select a poem from the entries, that poem wins $125 USD and is published in the Shakespeare's Monkey Revue. The prizes are as follows:
1st Place $125

2nd Place $50

3rd Place $25

Each of the 1st place winners is then considered by the judges for the grand prize which is awarded in March. The grand prize includes $200 USD and a feature in an upcoming issue of the Revue. There are no limits on theme or form. The most important aspects of all entries is originality and artistic merit.Next deadline June 10, 2008.

NOTE: Stephan Anstey founded this poetry journal, and you won't find a funnier, more dedicated poet on the planet. He's sincere, and this contest is his way to help fellow poets. I definitely vouch for this one!

DOUBLE NOTE: Spent today saving a baby wood duck and getting new glasses corrected that had me seeing blurred. Have the granddaughter coming to visit (eight months old - she's dragging along the parents, too) on Wednesday, so the clean gene kicked in, too. Back to Chapter Nine tonight.

Diversity Script Opportunity

GREAT LAKES FILM ASSOCIATION SCRIPTWRITING COMPETITION - http://www.greatlakesfilm.org/Scriptwriting.htm - ENTRY FEE $15-$65 - Will accept all forms of religious, Christian, and spiritual scripts including African, African American, Gay/Lesbian, Black, Hispanic, Islamic, Latino and Native/Aboriginal from the United States and around the world. Prizes for the winning script will include cash award of $500. The winning script will be forwarded to agents and industry professionals for consideration. Top 10 finalists will be given exposure to literary agencies, film studios and Hollywood producers. Final deadline September 27, 2008.

NOTE: I'm not a scriptwriter, but thought this one sounded reasonable enough between the fees, the prize, and the topic matter. Very diversified.

DOUBLE NOTE: I love it when I come back from a critique session and more than one person circles a metaphor and writes "great" "very cute" and "good." I go back and read it over again, like I'm not the author, and I get so pleased with the tiny flash of brilliance on that page. You know the feeling. I know you do.