TOP SPONSOR 

EDITOR'S THOUGHTS

IWRITING ABOUT YOUR LIFE

Each week someone (or several someones) writes me with something similar to the following:

"I want to write about my life. It is very colorful and . . ."

That color consists of abuse, drugs, alcohol, homelessness, bad marriages, adoption, traveling, rags to riches . . . you get the idea. Someone has overcome an obstacle and wants to shout it to the world if not teach others how to do it. 

The requests are usually:

1) How do I publish the story?
2) How do I get funds to pay for me to spend time writing my story?
3) How do I get funds to hire someone to write my story?

No one has ever asked me how to learn how to write to get the story recorded properly. The assumption is if the story is a good one, it will sell. Trust me . . . it will not.

Novice writers want to start with writing about themselves. The problem with writing memoir is the lack of market. My first question to anyone who wants to write memoir is, "How many memoirs have you read to learn how a successful memoir is constructed?" To this date, nobody has answered that they have indeed studied other memoirs. 

For a memoir to find success, it must have at least two of these three traits:

1) Be written brilliantly, especially if the author is an unknown. Someone will read Ron Howard's, Michelle Obama's, or Frank McCourt's memoir because of their name. If you have no name to prime the pump with, so to speak, no one will see the incentive to buy it. Therefore, the writing must be incredible, the lyrical prose captivating. That is not a God-given talent. That is a well-honed skill that doesn't happen overnight.

2) Be written by someone who has credentials or has been in the spotlight. In other words, famous in some capacity. 

3) Be an incredible story that can barely be imagined it is so unique. The intrigue of the situation draws in the reader with a one-liner that takes one's break away. Like Captain Chesley Sullenberger's memoir Sully: My Search for What Really Matters, by a man catapulted into the limelight by his landing of Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, saving all 155 passengers. Before that event, in spite of his admirable career, why would anyone want to read about him? 

Before writing a memoir do the following:

1) Learn how to write.
2) Read dozens of memoirs. 
3) Try to write something else first. 

We are all special, of course, but not everyone wants to read a book-length about the journey . . . unless the author goes all out to make the WRITING special first. 

17978938 © Candace Beckwith | Dreamstime.com

SUPER SPONSOR 

Want to set your writing goals for 2023 in stone? Join me, Kate Meadows, for a FREE webinar on Jan. 7, 2023 to get specific about the writing goals you have for the new year, and walk away with a personalized road map for your 2023 writing goals!

• Name 2 or 3 writing goals you want to accomplish in 2023
• Identify potential hurdles that stand between you and those goals
• Brainstorm with Kate and other attendees ways to overcome those hurdles
• Walk away with a step-by-step plan for how to accomplish your writing goals for 2023

Register at https://event.webinarjam.com/register/22/vggw2s0.

Questions? Email [email protected].

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

 
SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

Hope - 

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I wrote a five-book series of comic mysteries set in the equestrian world of dressage. Dressage was something I participated in, but I was always aware of how funny even conversations about it were.   (A reverential "He gave me his back today!" followed by girlish squeals and a flutter of applause.)

Of course these books went out of print.

But then, on the tail end of one of your FundsforWriters, the part where you list various opportunities, I saw that Sapere Books of London sought candidates for a series. I contacted Sapere and they were interested in reprinting all five! I offered to at least footnote some of the anachronisms, but Sapere felt they anchored the books in time.

Not making them more contemporary made me nervous. One book has the heroine, Robin Vaughan, buying a plane ticket from a classified ad in the newspaper. Another talks about VHS tapes. And payphones! One book hinges on them!

But each of the five books was reprinted by Sapere under the heading of "Robin Vaughan's Equestrian Mysteries," and are available on Amazon. They are Death by Dressage, Groomed for Death, Murder Well-Bred, Death on the Diagonal, and A Horse to Die For.

I thank Sapere, of course, but I also want to give a huge shout out and thanks to you and FundsforWriters for making this out-of-the-blue deal possible. I would never have heard of Sapere if it weren't for you.

Carolyn Banks
https://saperebooks.com/authors/carolyn-banks/
- - - 


If you have a success story you believe was prompted by FundsforWriters, please share with us! Send to [email protected] 

Featured article

Diversify Your Writing Skills to Earn More

By Dawn Colclasure 
 
A market I come across states it wants poetry, so I sort through my collection of unpublished poems and find one or two to submit. The same goes when I see markets requesting essays or short stories; I usually have one matching their need.
 
Opportunities for more sales await the writer who writes a variety of content. There's no guarantee each submission means a sale, but it can, at least, open doors to more markets to submit work to.
 
If you want to have these opportunities as well, consider becoming a writer of assorted types of content.
 
Two things are required in order to get started on this path:
 
1. Being the kind of writer capable of writing a variety of work
2. Having a collection of work ready to submit
 
To achieve that first requirement, start writing other types of content that you don't normally write. Poetry, essays, short stories, articles and blog posts. If you don't know how to write them, books and online courses available to help you get started, not to mention reading those writers already successful in these areas.
 
Take some time to learn how to write different kinds of content, and write it well, but once you start selling your work, you'll see how the effort was time well spent. You'll become a diverse kind of writer who can submit a variety of work with a better chance of an acceptance – plus a nice payment.
 
Write these other kinds of content as often as possible. Got an idea for a poem? Write it. An idea for a short story? Write it. Even if you feel you won't be able to sell it, write it and hold onto it. You can always revise it later when you sense you’ve found a home for it. 
 
After time spent writing these other kinds of work, you amass a small collection. Keep them organized and easily found for the next time you come across a potential market. Make sure you are certain the work has not already been sold elsewhere. I usually make notes on files if an item has been published somewhere. I also keep track of where work has been submitted, and whether or not it was accepted or rejected. C. Hope Clark keeps a spreadsheet for her submissions to avoid sending a piece to more than one market at a time or sending a duplicate to the same market.
 
In order to find the markets for your work, subscribe to newsletters that provide this information. FundsforWriters is just one such newsletter with markets and publishing opportunities. You can also get markets through Duotrope, Authors Publish Magazine and The Writer's Job Newsletter. Twitter is also a great resource for finding markets, calls and writing jobs. Follow accounts such as @job_writers, @Mediabistro, @FreelanceWJ and @jobs_content for such tweets.
 
If you can't find a market for your work, save it. I have had poems and short stories I couldn't find a home for right away – but I found somewhere to submit them later. When rejected on one piece, don't despair; another market will come along. An essay I wrote was rejected on one day, but I found somewhere else to submit it the next.
 
Once you develop the habit of writing a variety of content, you will find that this kind of routine keeps you busy. There are hundreds of markets out there eagerly accepting submissions from writers, and with a variety of content at your disposal, you'll be one of those writers constantly finding homes for your work.
 
Being the kind of writer who writes a variety of content won't hurt your ability to write one particular kind of work. In fact, it just might strengthen your skill as a writer. You'll write better, faster, and acquire more work ready to submit.
 
BIO - Dawn Colclasure's poetry, essays and short stories have appeared in newspapers, magazines and anthologies. She has been writing for over two decades, garnering credits in magazines such as SUCCEED and WRITERS' Journal. She is also a ghostwriter, having written many ebooks for clients, as well as a book reviewer and content writer. You can check out her work at her website https://www.dmcwriter.com/ and follow her on Twitter @dawncolclasure or @dawnwilson325. She lives in Oregon with her husband, children and fur babies. 

 

COmpetitions

THE ELIE WIESEL FOUNDATION FOR HUMANITY
https://eliewieselfoundation.org/prize-in-ethics/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 30, 2022. While we suggest relevant topics each year, applicants are encouraged to choose any subject they feel strongly about, provided it is related to the domain of ethics. We appeal to college students to send us their essays. We promise you they will not be ignored. In fact, we shall be proud to be your first readers. And perhaps your first critics and publishers. First Prize $10,000. Second Prize $5,000. Third Prize $3,000. Two Honorable Mentions $1,000. In 3,000 to 4,000 words, you are encouraged to raise questions, single out issues and identify dilemmas. 

LILITH MAGAZINE ANNUAL FICTION CONTEST
https://lilith.org/contact/writing-for-lilith/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2022. Lilith magazine—independent, Jewish and frankly feminist—seeks quality short stories with heart, soul and chutzpah, 3,000 words or under, for our Annual Fiction Contest. First prize: $300 and publication. We especially like fresh fiction with feminist and Jewish nuance, and are eager to read submissions from writers of color and emerging writers of any age.

THE FOUR QUARTETS PRIZE
https://poetrysociety.org/awards/four-quartets-prize/four-quartets-prize-2
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2022. The Four Quartets Prize is for a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the United States in a print or online journal, chapbook, or book. Three finalists will receive $1,000 each. The winner will receive an additional $20,000. Fourteen pages of published poems unified by subject, form, and style is the minimum per submission. Self-published work is ineligible.

ELIZABETH ALEXANDER WRITING AWARD
https://sites.smith.edu/meridians/awards/elizabeth-alexander-creative-writing-award/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2022. The award is open to all genres, including: poetry, fiction, play scripts, and nonfiction. Manuscripts of three to five poems should be typed and formatted according to genre conventions. Please include all poems in one document. Prose and non-fiction manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman font, and no longer than 25 pages or 7,500 words. Works engaging with feminism, race, and transnationalism will be prioritized. Translated works and manuscripts in languages other than English are encouraged as well. Play scripts should be typed, Times New Roman font, and 15-20 pages or 5,000 words. Prize is $500, reading and retreat at Smith College, and publication in Meridians. 

NEIL POSTMAN AWARD FOR METAPHOR
https://www.rattle.com/awards/postman/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2022. The purpose for the award is simple and two-fold: To reward a given writer for their use of metaphor and to celebrate (and, hopefully, propagate) Postman’s work, and the typographical mind. Each year the editors of Rattle choose one poem from the content published online or in print during the previous year, and all poems that were submitted to the magazine are eligible. There are no entry fees or special guidelines involved. The author of the chosen poem will receive $2,000.

ANISFIELD-WOLF BOOK AWARDS
http://www.anisfield-wolf.org/submissions/#guidelines
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2022. Awards are given for fiction, poetry and nonfiction. Books must be written in English and published and copyrighted in 2022 to be eligible for the 2023 prize. Award recipients traditionally receive $10,000 from the Anisfield-Wolf fund. Winners are required to participate in media interviews and publicity opportunities in conjunction with the prize. Self-published works (including works printed by vanity or subsidy presses) are not eligible for consideration. There are four awards: one for a work of fiction, one for poetry, one for nonfiction and one for lifetime achievement.

THE WRITERS COLLEGE
https://www.writerscollegeblog.com/my-writing-journey-competition/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2022. Write us a 600-word piece on the theme:  The best writing tip I’ve ever received. We’ll publish the best piece in our newsletter and on our blog, plus the winner receives $200 (R2 000 or £100). Use the subject line ‘My Writing Journey Competition’ in your email. Entries must be no more than 600 words and must be the author’s original work.

SHADY GROVE LITERARY CONTEST
https://shadygroveliterary.wixsite.com/shadygroveliterary/submissions
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2022. Submit 300 words maximum. One submission per competition. Any style, genre, tone, etc of flash fiction. First prize $100. 

THE ANTHOLOGY SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://anthology-magazine.com/awards-awards/anthology-creative-awards/short-story-competition/
ENTRY FEES €10 to €18. Deadlines December 31, 2022, April 30, 2023, and August 31, 2023. The winner will receive a €1,000 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology. The winner will also receive a one-year subscription subscription to Anthology. Second prize is €250. Third prize €150. To enter, submit an original, unpublished short story, written in English with a maximum of 1,500 words. 

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

 

OUTPOST RESIDENCY
https://www.outposttheresidency.org/
Deadline January 15, 2023. Outpost is a residency for creative writers of color from the United States and Latin America. Each September, two writers are awarded a $2,000 stipend as well as complimentary travel, lodging, and meals to spend a month cultivating a generative writing community in the mountains of Southern Vermont. In addition to the time spent in residence, Outpost Fellows will engage in organized interactions with the community of local universities and bookstores, allowing space to share their work and expand their networks.

JACK HAZARD FELLOWSHIPS
https://www.newliteraryproject.org/jack-hazard-fellowship-apply
Jack Hazard Fellows are fiction, creative nonfiction, and memoir writers who teach full-time in an accredited high school in the United States. We provide a $5,000 award that enables these creative writers who teach to focus on their writing for a summer.

OLIVE O'CONNOR FELLOWSHIP
https://www.colgate.edu/academics/departments-programs/department-english/creative-writing-fellowship
Deadline January 6, 2023. This annual fellowship is designed to support writers completing their first books. It provides a generous stipend, office space, and an intellectual community for the recipients, who spend one academic year at Colgate. In return, each fellow teaches one creative writing workshop per semester and gives a public reading of their work.

MASS MOCA FULL FELLOWSHIPS
https://www.assetsforartists.org/financial-aid/
The Studios at MASS MoCA will offer multiple full fellowships that do not have geographic or demographic limitations. This means that anyone who wishes to can apply for one of these fellowships, regardless of discipline. The fellowship funds all residency fees for up to four weeks in residence. 

MASS MOCA FELLOWSHIP FOR BLACK OR INDIGENOUS ARTISTS AND WRITERS
https://www.assetsforartists.org/financial-aid/
Recognizing the additional barriers faced by Black and Indigenous creators of all disciplines, the Studios shall award a number of additional fellowships to artists and writers working in any discipline who identify as Black or Indigenous. These fellowships fund all residency fees for up to four weeks in residence, and also include a stipend of $200 per week. 

MASS MOCA MASSACHUSETTS FAMILY FELLOWSHIP
https://www.assetsforartists.org/financial-aid/
At the Studios, we recognize the barriers parents of young children face when looking to attend artist residencies. Because of this, in 2023, we will award one family fellowship for a Massachusetts-based artist(s) and their kid(s) who are entering grades one through five at the time of the residency. The awarded artist (or artist-couple) will receive a fully funded two-week residency where they will have full run of a three-bedroom apartment, and the use of up to two studios on the MASS MoCA campus. The selected artist will receive a $1,000 stipend. We have also reserved slots in MASS MoCA’s “Camp Kidspace” to provide care and entertainment for the artists’ children on weekdays during their two-week residency. 

WRITERS' ACCESS SUPPORT STAFF TRAINING PROGRAM - THE WRITERS GUILD FOUNDATION
https://www.wgfoundation.org/programs/writers-access-support-staff-training-program
The program’s mission is to provide writers who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled writers, and writers over the age of 50, with tools and education to become a writers’ assistant and script coordinator, ultimately resulting in meaningful employment opportunities. Graduates of the program will be included in an ongoing list of trained writers’ assistants and script coordinators (WA/SCs) primarily from underrepresented groups, which will be made available to studios, networks and showrunners, in order to increase the pool of eligible hires in the movie/television industry. This program is free thanks to financial support from WarnerMedia. Current sessions are hosted online via Zoom. NOTE: The door just closed for the quarter ending in November. Sign up for the newsletter to be informed when this opportunity opens again.

  

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

LONG ROAD MAGAZINE
https://www.longroadmag.com/pitchcontact
New publication plans to publish one to two deeply reported, longform stories about borders everywhere each month. Pitch [email protected]. The stories need to be deeply reported, and should demonstrate a passage of time and give a strong sense of place. Pays around $1,500 for stories around 3,000 words. Although we want stories full of voice, Long Road isn't the place to pitch an op-ed or an analysis piece.

INSIDEHOOK
https://www.insidehook.com/
Pitch Bonnie Stiernberg, Managing Editor at [email protected]. Open to pitches. Rates generally $350-$400. With a team of editors, writers and contributors spread across the globe, InsideHook features both short, digestible takes on the most relevant topics of the day, as well as longer reads that give you a deep look at the various facets of culture, wellness and leisure. 

SMART MAGAZINE 
https://www.smartbylighthouse.com/submit
smART Magazine is now accepting submissions and pitches for Issue No.11, from writers, illustrators, and photographers anywhere in the world. itches (100 words or less, including links and social handles where appropriate) can include your personal connection to the pitch/why you find the story compelling. We are also in need of assistance in transcribing and preparing pre-recorded interviews for publication - please indicate in your email if you are interested in contributing in this regard. smART Magazine is now accepting submissions and pitches for reviews anywhere in the world. Reviews are being accepted for the sections: Concerts / Stage Productions of any kind, Theatre, Dance, Exhibits, Album releases.

PORTLAND MONTHLY/HOUSTONIA
https://www.houstoniamag.com/
https://www.pdxmonthly.com/
Looking for longform (investigations, profiles, essays, histories) about these two cities of Portland and Houston in the neighborhood of 2,500-5,000 words. Send pitches to Benjamin Cassidy, Features Editor at [email protected]. Pays $0.75 to $1 per word.

BACK WHERE I CAME FROM
https://bookhugpress.ca/backwhereicamefrom/
Deadline January 30, 2023. An anthology of twenty essays by diasporic writers about travelling to their motherlands, ie: their families’ places of origin or their own, in cases of early childhood immigration. Seeking essays os 1,500 to 2,500 and offers $200 honorarium and two copies of the finished anthology. Send submissions to [email protected].
 

Publishers/agents

JACK LEG PRESS
https://jacklegpress.org/info
JLP is primarily focused on poetry and short story collections. We also consider select literary novels and creative nonfiction. We publish between 6-11 titles a year. JLP offers competitive royalties (excluding author purchases). Authors receive five free copies and get a 50 percent discount on all JLP books. We publish between 6-11 titles a year. JLP offers competitive royalties (excluding author purchases). Authors receive five free copies and get a 50% discount on all JLP books. 

GIBBS SMITH
https://www.gibbs-smith.com/submissions
Our main emphasis is on interior design, architecture, children's, and cookbooks. Additionally, we accept submissions in the following subjects: arts and crafts, western humor with general appeal, general humor, and gift books. We accept submissions for children's activity books, board books, and picture books. We are NOT accepting poetry submissions at this time. We are NOT accepting fiction submissions at this time.
 

FUNDSFORWRITERS CONTACT INFO

FINE PRINT

Please forward the newsletter in its entirety. To reprint any editorials, contact [email protected] for permission. Please do not assume that acknowledgements listed in your publication is considered a valid right to publish.

C. Hope Clark
E-mail: [email protected]
140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036
http://www.fundsforwriters.com

Copyright 2000-2022, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

**Note that FundsforWriters.com places paid advertising in this newsletter, ALL ads being related to writers and the business of writing, screened by FundsforWriters to make sure the information is suitable for writers and their endeavors to improve their careers. But the mailing list is not sold to third parties. You will not receive this newsletter without your permission. It's physically impossible since recipients must opt-in, giving us permission to send the newsletter. If at any time you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, click the UNSUBSCRIBE link at the bottom of each newsletter. We want you to enjoy this newsletter at your pleasure, not be forced to read anything you do not wish to receive. The website is not advertised using unsolicited messages by Aweber, affiliates or other third parties. Direct any complaints, suggestions, and accolades to Hope Clark at [email protected]. We are an anti-spam site.