CLASS Christian Writers Conference Scholarships

CLASSEMINARS is providing several writer scholarships to attend their November conference at the Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico during November 10-14, 2010. Application deadline: September 15, 2010.

ONE FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIP (Scholarship does not include travel and lodging).
Write a personal essay about what or who has had the greatest influence on your decision to become a writer. Word count 600 words or less. Send a cover page with your name and contact information. Do not put your name on inside pages but number them consecutively. Use Times New Roman 12-point font and double-space all pages. Please send one letter of recommendation from your pastor, ministry leader, church leadership, or employer who knows of your desire to write and how you would benefit from receiving this scholarship. Email entry and letter with Penwell Scholarship in the subject line.

TWO HALF-TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS of $300 are also offered. (Scholarship does not include travel and lodging. The $300 scholarship will be applied to your tuition. No checks issued.)

THREE MINI SCHOLARSHIPS of $200 are offered. (Scholarship does not include travel and lodging. The $200 scholarship will be applied to your tuition. No checks issued.)

For these smaller scholarships, submit a one-page letter stating why you want to attend and what benefit you expect from the conference. Please describe your ministry activities and/or writing aspirations and the reason for financial need (job loss, kids in college, limited income, etc). Tell us how you plan to use what you learn at the conference to benefit the Kingdom. Include two letters of recommendation from pastors, church leadership, ministry team directors, community leaders, or employers who know you well and are familiar with your ministry. Email entry with Penwell Scholarship in the subject line.

THE DIANN MILLS FICTION SCHOLARSHIP - $400 Scholarship (Scholarship will be applied to tuition when you register for the conference. No check will be issued.) Write a personal essay of 450 words or less telling why you want to write fiction. Send a cover page with your name and contact information. Do not put your name on inside pages but number them consecutively. Use Times New Roman 12-point font and double-space all pages. Email entry with DiAnn Mills Scholarship in the subject line.

Questions? Email Linda Gilden or call 1-702-882-0638.

NOTE: I adore New Mexico. I've visited it several times. There's something about the spirit of that state that draws me. This sounds like a wonderful experience, and the application is simple as pie.

DOUBLE NOTE: It was Chapter 27 in my first book. It was Chapter 19 in the second. Chapter 12 in the third book is driving me up the friggin' wall!

WORKERS WRITE JOURNAL - TALES FROM THE COURTROOM

http://www.workerswritejournal.com/

Issue seven of Workers Write! will be Tales from the Courtroom and will contain stories and poems from the
legal worker's point of view (lawyers, judges, court reporters, bailiffs, and so on). Yourstory should be set
anywhere legal work is performed, but we are not looking for stories about court cases or whodunits. Deadline for submissions December 1, 2010 (or until the issue is full). Submit your stories via e-mail courtroom@workerswritejournal.com or send a hard copy to:

Blue Cubicle Press
P.O. Box 250382
Plano, TX 75025-0382

Word count: 500 to 5000 words. Payment: Between $5 and $50 (depending on length and rights
requested). We will consider previously published material.
 
NOTE: Blue Cubicle Press has some neat little anthologies. I have a friend who published in one, and he was happy with the experience.
 
DOUBLE NOTE: Just told my husband to start jotting down ideas. He was a federal agent for 30 years and spent many moments in a courtroom. Heck, he could write a book of his own!

Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Residencies

VCCA is nestled away in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The VCCA offers a chance to work privately but in proximity to more than twenty other artists with fresh insights, new ideas and stimulating conversation away from everyday life in quiet, spacious, light filled studios. Imagine horses in a pasture, barns, rolling pastures, foothill mountains, foggy mornings and cool evenings at a picnic on the grass.

June to September Residencies Deadline: January 15. Notification: mailed by March 31.
October to January Residencies Deadline: May 15. Notification: mailed by July 31.
February to May Residencies Deadline: September 15. Notification: mailed by November 30.

Artists are accepted at VCCA without consideration for their financial situation. The actual cost of a residency is $180 per day per Fellow. They ask Fellows to contribute according to their ability. With the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, VCCA also is offering a fully funded residency and a stipend to four highly accomplished artists, allowing them to focus on their creative projects. There are also fellowships offered for ethnic minorities. For the last two sets of residencies, the artists will be provided with a private bedroom, private studio and all prepared meals along with a stipend of $200. Artists will have no responsibilities or obligations other than to themselves and their creative work. There are also several other sponsored fellowships, with specific and diverse requirements.

NOTE: You will, of course, have to confirm you are a writer, probably with some published credentials or educational background. This is not a retreat for new writers.

DOUBLE NOTE: These are great getaways, but you do know that you can make your own retreat. Take time away to a national park, a room at the library, or even a cabin in the mountains or house at the beach. The key is to separate the time and place away from your normal world. If you are serious about your writing, you find a way to make this time to rejuvenate your writing efforts.

No Such Thing as Nothing or Nobody

I receive emails from around the world. Some want money. Some want instant publication. But some struggle to connect to the writing world, eager to soak up information. Many state they have no  means to make a living as a writer in their geographic region. Often I hear comments along the line of:

• I live in the middle of nowhere. There are no writers here.
• There are no writing groups in my town.
• My area has no writing markets.

First, unless you have no neighbors for twenty miles, someone writes. If you live in a town, someone writes. If you live within an hour of a town, someone writes. Just like you have to make an effort to find the right agent, publisher or market, you have to fight to find a writing partner. And if you're on the reclusive side, the thought irritates you. So you claim to be the only writer in town. With 85% of the US claiming to have "write a novel" on its bucket list, what are the odds none of them live near you?

Second, you can't tell me that there isn't a group of people meeting in your town that discusses writing, reading, or books. Truth is, you haven't found it. If you still swear there is no group (I'm still not convinced), refer back to my first point. Since there are other writers, it behooves you to create a group. If you aren't adamant enough to create a group for your needs, then maybe you aren't adamant . . . about . . . writing?

Third, writing markets exist if you have doctors, lawyers, a chamber of commerce, businesses, newspapers, magazines, schools, social groups, nonprofits, or real estate companies. I'm sure there are more, but these come to mind first. I've learned over the years that writing markets abound. If you think nothing exists in your reach that you can write for, you aren't comfortable in your writing skin or you haven't been doing it long enough to be flexible to the needs of the markets. If someone needs writing/copy/stories in any way, shape or form, then pitch it.

I'm trying to say that if you have a need to earn a living as a writer, you create or find the means to do it. When you say you can't, you're right. But when you say you can, you can be right, too.

Discovering New Mysteries Contest

NO ENTRY FEE
Discovering New Mysteries is now accepting submissions of original plays, screenplays, teleplays, and short stories for both adult and youth audiences. Deadline October 31, 2010. The final selection of mysteries, thrillers, who-dunnits, cops-n-robbers, courtroom dramas, suspense or adventures, will be produced and presented before live audiences on several stages within the RiverPark Center, home of the International Mystery Writers’ Festival, in Owensboro, Kentucky. Audience members cast ballots during the festival and select the winners for The Angie Award categories. "The Angies" are named for the legendary Angela Lansbury, Kentucky's First Lady of Mystery 2007.


BEST NEW WORK, $2,500 prize
MOST PROMISING NEW WRITER, $1,000 prize
OUTSTANDING SCREENPLAY or TELEPLAY, $1,000 prize
BEST WORK FOR YOUNG ADULTS OR CHILDREN, $500
BEST SHORT MYSTERY (1-Act plays, short screenplay, short story), $500

ENTRY FORM

NOTE: Very fun contest. I adore mysteries, my favorite genre. There aren't nearly enough competitions for them, and I'm thrilled to find this one. And a screenplay at that!

DOUBLE NOTE: Okay, the graduation and wedding are over in our family. Time for me! I'm SO behind in my fiction goals.

Big bucks for your real story

REAL PEOPLE

http://realpeoplemagazine.co.uk/Tellusyourstory.PHP

This publication in the UK wants your real story. Whether it's traumatic, inspiring, endearing, heart-breaking or courageous, they want to consider it for Real People Magazine. If your tale will make people cry, fume, or laugh out loud, then they want to hear it. They pay up to £1,000 for the ones they print. E-mail: vicki@realpeoplemag.co.uk Also, pays £25 for every letter in the Trash or Treasure department and £15 to £25 for tips to save time, stress and money. They offer no word count, but my suggestion would be 1,000-1,500 words.

NOTE: Yeah, you may be thinking that everyone has a story. The key is how well you tell it? One writer can take an uncomplicated divorce and raise the ante on it while another might have a life-threatening event with break-ins, weapons and cops yet write it boring as oatmeal.

DOUBLE NOTE: My husband interrupted a rape years back, and I was held hostage in someone's home once. I might need to give this one a go myself.

Hint Fiction Writing Contest

Gotham Writers' Workshop sponsors this unique competition for Hint Fiction. Hint Fiction is a story of 25 words or less. The judge is Robert Smartwood who is editor of the Anthology Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories of 25 Words or Fewer (scheduled release November 2010). Mr. Smartwood emphasizes that the title is important, adding complexity to the story. It's also important that the 25 words stand alone as a complete story, which can be quite challenging.

Deadline October 11, 2010. Limit 25 words. Prizes include a 10-week Gotham Writing Workshop, $100, a one-year subscription to "The Writer," publication in the Gotham's Winter 2011 course catalog. The five finalists also receive a copy ofSmartwood's new release as well as a copy of Gotham's Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide.

NOTE: I've got to try this one. No entry fee, too. See the examples at the contest website. The title is REALLY important.

DOUBLE NOTE: We have a few new Tweetebooks at FundsforWriters. You might find one of interest. www.fundsforwriters.com/tweetebooks.htm . They are short, like the Hint Fiction Contest, only mentioning what needs mentioning. They have become a favorite for a lot of writers.

Annual FundsforWriters Essay Contest

Time for the annual FundsforWriters Essay Contest. I adore this contest. Few contests allow the essay form (i.e., opinion, real experience, nonfiction event), and each year a few writers blow me away with some marvelous ideas, and equally marvelous writing.

Theme for 2010: "When Writing Made a Difference"


We want to know how someone's words made a difference. You could address another author of years long past, whose writing affected you, a classroom or an entire population. You might talk about a mentor's writing. Maybe your writing impacted someone else and altered one person's life or the lives of thousands. Did your writing finally sell and pay off the wolf at the door or send you on a grand retreat or vacation? Did your writing impact a child, a senior, a lover, a friend, or a complete stranger?

Here and now or sometime in the past? You or another author? Did you read the words or write the words that made a difference? You can take this topic and spin it in all sorts of directions, but the point we want to make is that words impact people. Let's hear your take on it.

We offer the same two categories as always - the $5 FEE category and the NO FEE category. Many writers do not believe in paying while others have no contrary opinion about an entry fee. Here we offer both so everyone has a choice. This way no one has an excuse not to submit.

Remember...this is an essay, a nonfiction entry. No fiction, no poetry. Entries are welcome from any race, religion, gender, nationality or other diverse group. Prize money will be forwarded via PayPal or check. (NOTE: If outside the US and inaccessible to PayPal, we refuse to spend more than reasonable postage to send it to you. No wires.)

Prizes:

$5 ENTRY FEE Category
First Place - $300
Second Place - $100
Third Place - $50

NO ENTRY FEE Category
First Place - $50
Second Place - $30
Third Place - $20

Lat year we broke a record with 250 entries. The contest has grown, much to my delight. As as a result, the prize money keeps going up as well. And how many contests offer six paying prizes? This is a win-win contest if there ever was one.

Co-sponsored by Literary Database

Toss the Writer's Market. Target and Time your submissions with LITERARY DATABASE. At a glance, you’ll know when, where and how to submit your short stories, essays, and poetry. Literary Database has hot links to each publication’s website. It’s designed by writers, for writers. http://www.literarydatabase.com/






Gold sponsors
 
 

 

 http://www.phyllisring.com/

 
 






http://www.enlightenededits.com/

Blogging Rocks . . . If You Let It

Everyone has pointers on blogging, especially professional bloggers. Professional bloggers? Yes, there are people out there making a living with their writing, ads and products . . . on their blogs. I subscribe to several of them, since as freelancers, they live a parallel life to my own as a freelance writer. Amazingly, I find many common lessons spewing from the mouths of these experts. I've tried to compile a few of them. Not only do they apply to your blogging, but they apply to your writing as well.

1. Your blog first.

Most of us easily find ourselves caught up in reading the latest on our favorite blogs. We watch for the latest post from celebrity blogs, like agent Nathan Bransford and business guru Seth Godin. Then we realize we haven't posted to our own blog for two weeks. No time, you say. However, it's amazing how those blogs you read manage to post five or more times a week. It's all in your priorities, and as any agent, editor or publisher will tell you, as a professional/freelance writer, you better have one. And it better work.

2. Your reputation second.

Put your best face forward. You have opinions, but will airing all of them make a positive impact on your freelance career? Can you stand behind your blog post? Does it represent you well? Do others enjoy your blog, your presence? Edgy is one thing, but nasty is another. On the other end of the spectrum, are you boring as cream of wheat? Your blog is you. How do you want to preserve that reputation for eternity online?

3. Consistency is everything.

Forget your blog for two weeks, and readers drop like flies, moving on to find other bloggers who respect them more. To acquire regular readers, you must be a regular blogger. Notice how some bloggers have guest posts, or favorite past posts repeated. When they have other obligations keeping them away from their blogging station, they create posts ahead of time or ask others to write in their place. This effort is to maintain a consistency,  because they cherish the readers who come back daily for information. When I visit a blog for the first time, I glance at the earlier posts. When I see four posts in July and three in June, I recognize a blogger who is doing it because she has to, not because she feels a need to embrace her readership and further her career.

4. Promote without gimmick.

Yes, we all have something to sell. But the successful blogger gives to the reader more than he asks from the reader. Don't be a used car salesman. Make readers walk away feeling the visit was worth their time. Make them feel worthy in your eyes. But if your site is all about the sale, you'll lose the majority of any potential repeat visits. "Give and ye shall receive." And that includes being honest.

5. Be original.

Plagiarism is a killer. Do not copy other blogs or insert verbatim articles from other sites or newsletters. I've had my material lifted. Some give me credit, some don't. I remember them, and will never endorse them. Go back to the reputation point above. When you copy material, your credibility becomes trash. Any reader catching you at plagiarism is a reader gone for good, and no telling who else she'll tell as she walks out the door.

Give me one reason for not blogging, and I'll counter with ten reasons why you should. It's a way of Internet life, especially if you intend to make a living on the Internet. As with writing, however, there are no shortcuts. Just do it . . .and do it right. My goodness, it's free and one of the easiest promotional tools in the world. And you know it.

What's Wrong with Writing Books

If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
 
Often people ask me what are the best writing books. Most are starting out as writers, others returning to the craft after a decade or two furlough. They want to bone up on the rules from the experts then hit the ground running. I admire them for wanting to dig in and improve themselves. I did the same thing the first few years I returned to writing back in the 90s. Hungry for all the right tools, I built an instant library and carried one of the books everywhere I went, studying during patches of time throughout the day.
 
Other than the works by Anne Lamott and Stephen King, however, the material for the most part seemed too . . . academic, instructive, informative . . . oh what's the word . . . not creative. Surprising considering writers are right brain folks. Something was missing.
 
The gut-burning, anxious eagerness to put pen to paper was missing. Don't do this . . . don't do that. Make sure you do this. . . and do that. This person knows best . . . that person knows best. But most of the books never made me want to leap into the profession and run with it!
 
In reality, it takes that leaping and running, and subsequent stumbling, to get your footing. You need to write crap and throw it away. Then write more crap. Untethered, unreined, I wanted my mind to fly.
 
I think that's why I no longer read how-to-write books. They are good to start, but sooner or later you have to drop those anchors and leave the ground, flying with the power of your own wings.
 

Validation Reality

Ever had a writer come up to you and ask, "Would you read this and tell me if it's any good?" Ever said it yourself?

When you constantly ask others to validate you, before you give yourself credit, you are handing over a tremendous amount of power over you to those people. You are letting people who have not invested their time, emotion and creative spirit into your work, decide what you should do with it. Even decide whether you should keep going.

Hey, I'm all for critiques. Those who think they can do without them are deceiving themselves and asking for failure. However, the opposite is just as confining, even devastating. Don't think you can't move forward without validation, either.

I've been in critique groups where someone has submitted a chapter, then as soon as he received a couple of feedbacks, he rewrote it . . . exactly as the critiquers suggested. Then two or three critiques later, he rewrote it again. Before long, depression set in as he realized he had no clue about the quality of his work . . . whether he was improving or just spinning in circles.

Validation is a powerful drug. But you have to control it or you become a puppet to feedback. The best writer accepts any suggestions and treats them as such . . . suggestions. The strong writer reads the comments for change, then picks and chooses what makes the work stronger. He doesn't ignore all changes and he doesn't accept all changes. He feels comfortable enough in his own skin to pick and choose, with the results being positive, making the writing better.

What if you don't know what's good and what's bad feedback? Write a lot, read a lot and study a lot. And when someone offers a critique, you step back, analyze your work with and without the change, then move on to the next item in the critique. This self-study makes editing lengthy and trying, as it should be.

In the rest of our world, we often wait for validation as if we needed it to move on. We want the dentist to compliment us on our flossing, our friends to notice the weight loss, our spouses to accept the haircut. We hold our breath for the boss to endorse our work. We seek agents/editors to tell us our story stands out.

Well, not all dentists, friends, spouses, bosses and agents recognize what is best for us. They tell you what they think is best, but they do not have the investment in you that you do. They don't have to live with the decisions.

Do your writing long enough, often enough, well enough and hard enough to improve. Validation is nice to have, but use it to help you, not hold you back. Others aren't going to recognize as well as you are that your work matters. I have news for you. It's the ones who keep moving regardless of the feedback, who make a mark on the world.

No Snap Decisions

We often question the sanity of publishers, bookstores and agents. We see a new decision, new school of thought, a diversion from the norm, and we shake our heads. Blog comments pepper the blogosphere. List groups rev up and inundate email boxes as writers fuss over the logic (or apparent lack of).Examples:

1. When Harlequin decided to open a self-publishing imprint, the world went nuts. Professional organizations banned their products and authors from being acceptable for membership (i.e., MWA, RWA, SFWA).

2. When Dorchester Publishing decided to stop mass paperback in lieu of electronic publishing (at least for now), people Twittered and Facebooked and wrung their hands, wondering what other publisher would follow suit.

3. When Amazon and a string of publishers fought over fixing prices for ebooks, leading some to gravitate to Apple, everyone felt they had to pick a side and lamblast the other.

4. When traditionally published authors took their backlists and self-pubbed them in ebook form, less-seasonsed authors everywhere got excited about a new venue for them outside of the traditional market (i.e., avoiding rejection yet again).

We are so quick to watch the major players and make quick assumptions. Listen, people. Those entities are making decisions that suit THEM. They are not thinking about you. Your situation is not theirs. Let the dust settle before passing opinion.

AND . . . do not make a decision based upon someone else's conclusions.

With the industry bouncing around like a pinball game, you have many more options. That also means you have more chance for mistake. And whatever the change, this does not give you a short cut to publication!

Slow down. Breathe into a paper bag. Then go back and write - with blinders on to the fray around you. Good gracious, you'd think this was a soap opera or something. Frankly, someone ought to write a book about such a writer - the one who can't publish for changing her mind on how she ought to be doing it - to the point she never publishes. Or the opposite - where she publishes each book for a different reason, via a different method, resulting in different ends. To the point she has no clue what she's doing. In the midst of all the hoopla, she forgets the fact she is a storyteller, and alienates the public she initially meant to please.

You Don't Have to Know it All

With information so readily available, we often fret about not keeping up. Current events, technological advances, publishing shifts, marketing expectations. The mountain of change is enough to make a writer quit. Many have.

Don't think you have to know it all.

First, learn how to write. The Internet has convinced a lot of people that they can be instant writers before they've written long enough to know better. Anyone can keep a journal, a blog. Not everyone needs to publish. I would love to find my grandmother's diary, but who's to say it should have been a book?

Write and write. Fall in love with the process. Awaken each day wanting to write . . . without thinking about publishing. Be best friends with your keyboard (or pen), letting your creative side fly free. Write dozens of stories, long and short, entertaining the various genres. One day, or one year, you'll find a particular story that will rise above the others, giving you a reason to think about publishing.

Or write nonfiction, submitting to local periodicals. Practice locally, then expand your territory. As you enhance your ability with practice, endeavor to capture larger markets. But become grand and comfortable in one arena before graduating to another.

Online, in writing magazines and all over the blogosphere, we are told to market, Twitter, blog, prepare newsletters, create press releases, speak. New writers see those lessons and think they have to jump in the middle of them, and do it now. Older writers think they have to drop what they are doing and become PR experts.

I've pushed writers to market themselves as well, and yes, it's a necessary evil at some point in the career. However, writers have to reach a crossroad before taking all that guidance seriously.

First and foremost, write until you have a distinct voice. If you market yourself too hard, too prematurely in your career, you confuse your public and lose the impact of making a name for yourself. It's like showing your art before you know how to blend colors or define your subject matter. It's like teaching Calculus before you've mastered Algebra.

What does your writing say about you?
Can people pick out your writing without your name on it?
Can people describe your writing style?

When you've refined yourself and your commodity, you better understand what you are selling. Nobody sells a prototype. Imagine selling Coca Cola or Kentucky Fried Chicken without the secret recipe.

Is the Paperback Losing its Grip to Ebooks? Does it Matter?

Dorchester Publishing has canned the mass market paperback and gone digital. You could feel the tremors across the publishing world as publishers, editor, agents and authors jockeyed for their one-line retorts or endorsements. Oh the horror . . . or it's a sign of things to come . . .

I shake my head every afternoon when I glance over the current events of the publishing world. It's change . . . it's growth . . . it's adaptation to both. And grown men and women are turning gray and wringing their hands at the sudden upheaval.

Dorchester did what was good for Dorchester. They are looking at the bottom line . . . in their pocketbook. They aren't contemplating what this means for other publishers, for Amazon, for Apple, for anyone else. With the majority of their works in the romance genre, they've recognized that the romance reader has embraced the e-reader. Why not go the ebook route?

But I read comments in chats and forums from published authors reminiscing about their typewriters, their days before the Internet made everyone a writer, and now they cry about ebooks.

It does not matter what the medium is. Seriously, people. Sell the dang book in whatever format sells.

Once upon a time, people adjusted to paperbacks, to noir then mystery, to graphic novels. One format doesn't make you more or less an author.

Avoiding the assembly line novel

Inside Higher Ed recently spoke about how college students today study an average of 14 hours per week compared to the 24 of their parents. According to an Associated Press poll in 2007, one in four people read absolutely no books. The average person read four books in an entire year. As a writer, you should be striving to tilt that average and raise the statistic. My guess, however, is that the average writer is like the average reader, only using the busy-ness of writing as the excuse to having no time to read.

In other words, people spend less time looking at books. Yet here we are, churning out books like they are soft drinks on an assembly line. Take an empty bottle, fill it, cap it, and send it on its way. Repeat process. Some get drunk, some age out and get tossed in a dumpster or poured down the drain, some are opened and half-consumed, ultimately going flat.

If we are studying less, we are less knowledgeable about writing. And if we are reading less, we are less qualified to write books. Our writing means less, sucks more.

Writing isn't just about slinging words on paper. Reading isn't just about reading news and Facebook on your iPad.

Shut off the world and read. Then shut it off to write. Then shut it off so you can study how to be a better writer. If you say you are too busy, then write for yourself . . . and be happy with that. Just don't try to sling yet another book on the market before you and the story are worthy.

The statistics already show that fewer people are reading and even those are reading fewer books. So instead of inundating the world with another book that won't be read, hold back. Breathe, slow down, read. Study and analyze. Make your book one that the 25 percent who read want to buy . . . and actually finish.

Hallmark - It's a Teen Thing Contest (not just for teens!)

Hallmark is accepting entries for their teen line of cards, particularly birthday.

Create a card for a teen's birthday. It can be to a girl or a guy or one that works for both. Use photography, drawings or graphic design. Just make sure its a funny birthday card for someone 14-18 years old; applicable to many people; and cohesive (writing and images work well together).

You could win $250 and publication in the Hallmark line online. You could earn $250 more if they decide to distribute your card in stores nationwide.

Deadline August 22, 2010. Winners selected by August 31, 2010. Nationwide announcement made in October. Cards would be available in stores June 2011.

NOTE: If you are a YA author, this is a fantastic way to get your name known. Gives you a good chance to practice your YA speaking skills, too. AND . . . if opens doors to Hallmark for future card assignments.

DOUBLE NOTE: Hallelujah . . . my son graduated from Clemson University this weekend . . . no more children in college . . . time is my own for writing. Oh my gosh, I'm stunned. Don't know where to start first.

You don't want them to cut you any slack

With a little luck, you say. You pray for that famous stroke of fate that propels you into publication. If only you knew somebody. If only . . .

If you want a solid footing in this business, you want to work your way up - with all the blood and sweat that comes with falling on your face and failing, over and over. You want to become one of those successful writers who weathered scars. You don't want the shortcut.

Why the heck not? Because those who've earned their stripes know how to endure the hard times, overcome obstacles, and regroup to zip past others competing for that bookshelf spot/headline/magazine byline. Experience tells you how to adapt and overcome. Fast track to bestseller might sound marvelous, but if you don't understand how to scratch and clamor your way up, you won't know what to do when they knock you down.

Trust me . . . people won't take care of you when the spotlight falls on someone else - when you struggle with subsequent success -  when that second story just doesn't gel as well as the first.

Work hard to establish your foundation. Know the basics. Understand how the business works. Make friends and weave that fantastic network you're supposed to. Know what's supposed to happen when and for how long. See what's coming before it hits you.

Those who rise to fame via bullet shortcuts usually fall hard just as fast. Most of the time they never understand what hit them, and as a result, don't know how to regain their footing.

Take your time and create yourself into something long-lasting.

Past Loves Day Contest

http://ourpastloves.com/contest.html
To foster awareness of PAST LOVES DAY, SEPTEMBER 17, Spruce Mountain Press sponsors an annual Story Contest. The Contest, and the Day, offer an opportunity to acknowledge a truth that lingers in your heart. Nearly everyone has memories of a former sweetheart. Write your true story of an earlier love, in no more than 700 words. First Prize: $100. Second Prize: $75. Third Prize: $50. Winning stories will be posted (anonymously, if requested by author) on this website. Some stories may also be selected for inclusion in an upcoming anthology, to be published by Spruce Mountain Press. Deadline August 17, 2010.

NOTE: Hmmm, this could be a fun writing exercise. Only 700 words, and on a topic most people can relate to. I remember my first date . . . age 15. I remember my first husband . . . never mind.

DOUBLE NOTE: In spite of pending relatives for a big shin-dig this weekend at my house (my baby child is graduating college - thank goodness!), I'm striving to write, to keep up, to make sure I don't forget to feed my creative soul. Heaven knows I need the release.

It's not how you look at it - it's how you respond

We read self-help books about how to change our attitudes. If we think positive, we reap the benefits. While attitude can make your life easier and sweeter, I argue that it's more in how you respond to your environment. It's how you take action that matters most.

People respond to us like a mirror. It's hard to be sweet to an angry person. It's hard to be passionate to an ass. It's hard to be comical with a sour puss. So when we meet people at a conference, when we answer the phone, when we query, when we email or post on social media, we receive what we deliver.

Of course this isn't a 100 percent, fail-proof theorem. Some people are naturally chipper (i.e., morning people are like nails on a chalk board to me, so I keep to myself until noon), and others wouldn't know a smile if it smacked them in the chin. But I'd guess that 90 percent of the time, if you greet someone warmly, they reply in kind.

So, what does that mean to your writing career? It means if you are positive in your human connections, in personal, via voice or in writing, you raise your chances of receiving a posistive response. For instance:

• A well-written, positive, go-getter query letter is more likely to receive a reply, even if it's a rejection. At least you'll receive feedback. Plus someone is more likely to read your submission twice.
• A positive phone conversation with a potential client leaves a lasting impression that will increase your odds for a project down the road, if not immediately.
• A positive outlook on your blog or Facebook page will draw readers like flies to a Coke. The public enjoys associating with happy people. Happiness turns into sales.
• A positive presentation exudes confidence, whether you are self-assured or not. Again, more sales.

Best of all . . . even a temporary positive personna rubs off on you. Eventually you not only realize it opens more doors for you, but it actually makes your life feel great.

Writer's Market needs pitches

The 2011 Writer's Market is in bookstores. Now they need pitches for articles on the business of writing for the 2012 edition. If you have access to a truly great writer interview, then pitch , but mostly they're looking for articles on the nuts and bolts of freelancing (i.e., negotiating contracts, handling taxes, and making pitches that never (or almost never) fail). Deadline August 31, 2010. Submission deadline August 31, 2010. Submit pitches to Robert Brewer at robert.brewer@fwmedia.com  with the subject line: Pitch for 2012 Writer's Market. No attachments. Send your pitch and a little information about yourself (that explains why you're the person to write the article).

NOTE: These chapter assignments normally pay pretty well. (I received payment for a piece in the 2011 edition of their WM Guide to Literary Agents.)

DOUBLE NOTE: I dreamed I had more chickens hatch out in my coop - chickens everywhere! The chicken hurt by the neighbor's dog is about recuperated. I even bought a cloth back saddle for her, to cover up where she was injured so the other chickens don't hurt her. My other neighbor says he wants to come back in another life as one of my chickens.

Become a Lennon Poet

Liverpool Lennon Poet Contest

Performance Poet:

Can you not only write, but perform a poem at our Poetry Slam that celebrates the life of John Lennon? The Beatles Story is looking for a Performance Poet worthy to receive the prestigious title of Liverpool Lennon Performance Poet 2010. Deadline: September 10, 2010. Poetry slam: November 6, 2010. Entries to: poetry@beatlesstory.com . Prizes: 1st £1000, 2nd £250, 3rd £100. No entry fee

Paper Poet:
Whether you live in Liverpool, Australia or the North Pole everyone can enter the Paper Poet competition. Capture our judge's imaginations, by writing a poem of up to 40 lines about the life of John Lennon.  Deadline: September 10, 2010. Finalists announced by Friday, October 8, 2010. Winner announced: Saturday, November 6 (at the Performance Poet event). Entries to: poetry@beatlesstory.com
Prizes: 1st £100, 2nd £50, 3rd £25. No entry fee

NOTE:
No entry fee, y'all. Also, you don't have to be in the UK on November 6 for the Paper Poet category. Who hasn't been affected by John Lennon? Everyone has a favorite song of his, and some of us remember when he first became famous in the 60s. (Gasp, did I just say that?)

DOUBLE NOTE:
I'm beginning to feel that publishing has turned into politics. All squabble and no common sense. Self-pub or traditional? Ebooks or paper? Agent or no agent? Kindle or Nook or any of a dozen others? Ever feel like it's no longer about the writing?