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SPONSOR OF THE WEEK
Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest - Last Call!
12th year. $3,000 in prizes will be awarded, including $1,000 for a poem in any style and $1,000 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. Both published and unpublished work accepted. All entries that win cash prizes will be published on WinningWriters.com and announced in the Winning Writers Newsletter, with over 50,000 subscribers. Entry fee is $16 for 1-2 poems of any length. Deadline: September 30. Winning Writers is one of the "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest, 2005-2013). See guidelines, past winners, and enter at www.winningwriters.com/
tompoetry
Editor's THOUGHTS
TODAY IS TOMORROW
This has been a week when little has happened that I could call progress, or success. It's not fun on those days. It's all work with no accolades.
There are blog posts to write, a novel to write, chapters to edit, and a newsletter (this one) to prepare for Friday. No exceptional messages on my Facebook page, and my Twitter followers seem stuck on 5,732.
On top of that, rabbits ate my newly planted fall garden. Don't get me started on the yard, or the almost invisible cobwebs in the corners of my bedroom.
Yet these are the days we are supposed to write. The meaningless, uneventful days when even social media seems stuck on trivia not worth watching.
But these are the days that magic seeds are planted. Don't be lulled into thinking these days don't matter. When you think writing has lost its sparkle, make yourself write. When your story isn't fun, write something else, but write. People . . . these ho-hum moments are when you are free to compose, try new ideas, or beat that hard-fought story into submission. You aren't trying to publish, reach a word count, or increase your social media clout.
You are just writing.
When was the last day you just wrote words . . . for the sake of writing words? For the joy of it. For the exercise. To see if a silly idea works. To take your chapter in a new direction that at first feels totally stupid.
Every single word counts. Each is a step forward. The effort you put into your writing today is the fruit of tomorrow. The very piece in front of you MIGHT be the manuscript accepted by an agent, the story chosen for first prize in a contest, or the indie book that goes viral.
But if you don't make yourself write on those days when writing feels like it's headed nowhere, you'll never know.
Write each and every day. It matters.
-Hope Clark

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Mystery Writers of America University (MWA-U) is a
full-day, low-cost writing seminar designed to teach participants the essential
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published writers and experienced teachers. The core curriculum includes:
After the Idea - Jess Louery
Dramatic Structure & Plot - Laura
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Setting & Description - Richie
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Character - Carolyn Haines
Writing as Re-Writing - Hallie Ephron
The Writing Life - Hank Phillippi
Ryan
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Westin Peachtree Plaza, Chastain D & E, 6th
Floor
210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA
Cost: $50 for members and $75 for nonmembers
To register, go to: http://mysterywriters.org/mwa-university/mwa-university-atlanta/ |
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WORDS OF SUCCESS
We should not look down on work nor look down on [our early works] as failures. To fail is to give up. But you are in the midst of a moving process. Nothing fails then. All goes on. Work is done. If good, you learn from it. If bad, you learn even more. Work done and behind you is a lesson to be studied. There is no failure unless one stops. Not to work is to cease, tighten up, become nervous and therefore destructive of the creative process.
~Ray Bradbury
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Available September 24 . . .
MURDER ON EDISTO
A big city detective
A Lowcountry crime
When her husband is murdered by the Russian
mob, Boston detective Callie Jean Morgan suffers a mental break and
relinquishes her badge to return home to South Carolina. She has no idea how to
proceed with her life, but her son deserves to move on with his, so she relocates
them to the family vacation home.
But the day they arrive on Edisto Beach, Callie
finds her childhood mentor and elderly neighbor murdered. Her fragile sanity is
threatened when the murderer taunts her, and the home that was to be her
sanctuary is repeatedly violated. Callie loses her fight to walk away from law
enforcement as she becomes the only person able to pursue the culprit who's turned
the coastal paradise into a paranoid patch of sand where nobody's safe. But what
will it cost her?
Purchase any of Hope's books and receive a one-year subscription to TOTAL FFW free. Send receipt to [email protected] |
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Success Story
Hope-
Having so often read testimonials of other readers about leads you supplied that led to writing success, I can now share one of my own. In a recent FFW newsletter, you listed Women in Higher Education as a market. When I clicked on the link, I saw that this publication was perfect for an article about women doctoral candidates based on a chapter my forthcoming book Challenges in Writing Your Dissertation: Coping With the Emotional, Interpersonal, and Spiritual Struggles (Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2015).
I queried the editor about this article. She responded positively and reminded me what would serve her readers best. Then I sent the article, incorporating her suggestions. She responded with minor edits and major enthusiasm.
So, this piece will appear in either the October or November 2014 Women in Higher Education. The piece will help women in the throes of dissertation writing and will also provide fine pre-pub promotion for my forthcoming book. So, an unoriginal but heartfelt THANK YOU.
Very Best,
Noelle Sterne, Ph.D.
www.trustyourlifenow.com
Author, Trust Your Life: Forgive Yourself and Go After Your Dreams. Unity Books, 2011.
Why Not Us? Author Magazine, August 2014.
Challenges in Writing Your Dissertation: Coping With the Emotional, Interpersonal, and Spiritual Struggles. Forthcoming 2015, Rowman & Littlefield Education.
featured article
Fellowship Opportunities for Writers in Berlin
By Bernadette Geyer
Berlin has long been known for its thriving international arts and literary communities. It is equally known for the support that exists for writers and artists in the city. Centrally located within Europe, it is an easy train ride or flight to other major cultural destination cities, including Barcelona, Florence, Paris, and Prague, and serves as a font of inspiration for creative people from all artistic walks of life.
Many are familiar with writers such as Christopher Isherwood, Franz Kafka, and Robert Walser, who found inspiration for their stories in Berlin, and musician David Bowie, who recorded three albums while living in the city. Since moving to Berlin in July 2013, I have immersed myself in the local literary community and have found the following resources for international writers seeking short-term residencies here.
American Academy in Berlin
http://www.americanacademy.de/
Located in the lakeside Hans Arnold Center in the Wansee neighborhood of Berlin, the American Academy offers annual Berlin Prize fellowships "to scholars, writers, and artists who represent the highest standards of excellence in their fields." Past Fellows include poets Susan Howe, Tom Sleigh, and C.K. Williams, and novelists Kiran Desai, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Ha Jin. The upcoming class of Fellows for 2014-2015 includes writers Mary Jo Bang, Tom Drury, and Adam Ross. Fellows commit to spend one academic semester (fall or spring) at the Academy, and the prize includes a monthly stipend, partial board, and a residence at the Center in Wansee. The deadline for applications for 2015-2016 is September 29, 2014.
Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst/German Academic Exchange Service
DAAD North America
http://www.daad.org
The Artists-in-Berlin Program (Berliner Künstlerprogramm) of the German Academic Exchange Service (commonly referred to as DAAD) provides about 20 grants to international artists in the fields of visual arts, literature, music, and film, for an approximately one-year stay in Berlin. The grant includes a monthly stipend, an apartment, workspace (studio), and funds for projects. U.S. writers who spent a year in Berlin through the program include Eugene Ostashevsky, Robert Creeley, and Rosmarie and Keith Waldrop. The deadline for applications to the program is January 1, 2015.
ZK/U-Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik
http://www.zku-berlin.org/
The ZK/U-Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik (Center for Art and Urbanistics) provides residencies of two to eight months "for artists, scholars, and practitioners (curators, activists, autodidacts, etc.) interested in cross-disciplinary theory and practice dealing with 'the city'." Recent participants include poet Stephen Motika and novelist Alan Cunningham. For individual fellows selected for the program, depending on the studio-apartment and the length of the stay, costs can be between 500 and 800 Euros per month. ZK/U will work with selected fellows in support of efforts to obtain funding to cover the cost through external grants. The deadline for applications for the Autumn-Winter 2014-2015 residency is July 27, 2014.
American poets who wish to spend time in Berlin, Germany (or other cities abroad), can also consider applying for the competitive Amy Lowell Traveling Scholarship (http://www.amylowell.org/), which awards one scholarship of approximately $54,000 to an American poet who agrees to spend the entire year abroad. The deadline for applications for the scholarship is October 15, 2014.
Inspiration can be found everywhere. But sometimes, the opportunity to travel can bring you out of a rut and lead your writing in unexpected, and exciting, directions.
BIO: Bernadette Geyer is a freelance writer and editor living in Berlin, Germany. She is the author of the poetry collection The Scabbard of Her Throat, and recipient of a Strauss Fellowship from the Arts Council of Fairfax County. Her nonfiction has appeared in Go World Travel, Freelance Writer's Report, and elsewhere, and her poems have been published in journals including Oxford American, Poet Lore, and on Verse Daily. Geyer also teaches creative writing workshops online through The Writer's Center. You can find out more about her freelance editorial services and workshops through her web site at http://www.bernadettegeyer.com
competitions
PRESS 53 AWARD FOR SHORT FICTION
http://www.press53.com/Award_for_Short_Fiction.html
$30 ENTRY FEE.
Awarded to an outstanding, unpublished collection of short stories. This contest is open to any writer, regardless of his or her publication history, provided the manuscript is written in English and the author lives in the United States. Winner receives publication by Press 53 of winning short story collection, $1,000 cash advance, travel expenses to Press 53 headquarters for a reading/book launch party in Winston-Salem, NC, on Friday, October 16, 2015. Also, attendance as our special guest to the Press 53/Prime Number Magazine Gathering of Writers on Saturday, October 17, 2015. Deadline December 31, 2014.
WILLIAM DICKEY MEMORIAL BROADSIDE CONTEST
http://www.mrbebop.com/
$10 ENTRY FEE.
First Prize: $1,000, plus the publication of a limited edition of letterpress broadsides. One entry per poet (may be previously published). Poems must be between 12-30 lines. Include a separate cover sheet with your contact information. Do not put your name on the poem. Deadline November 30, 2014.
CHRISTOPHER DOHENY AWARD
http://centerforfiction.org/the-christopher-doheny-award
NO ENTRY FEE.
Deadline October 30, 2014. Recognizes excellence in fiction or nonfiction on the topic of serious physical illness by a writer who has personally dealt or is dealing with life-threatening illness, either his or her own or that of a close relative or friend. The winning book-length manuscript must demonstrate high literary standards while exploring the impact of illness on the patient, family and friends, and others. The award includes a $10,000 prize and publication and promotion of the book in print and audio editions. The award will be presented annually for a manuscript that is in process or completed but not yet published. Only unpublished manuscripts written in English are eligible. Both adult and YA manuscripts are eligible for the prize.
APR/HONICKMAN FIRST BOOK PRIZE
http://www.aprweb.org/news
$25 ENTRY FEE.
The prize of $3,000, with an introduction by the judge and distribution of the winning book by Copper Canyon Press through Consortium, will be awarded in 2014 with publication of the book in the same year. The author will receive a standard book publishing contract, with royalties paid in addition to the $3,000 prize. The prize is open to U.S. citizens who have not published a book-length collection of poems with a registered ISBN. Deadline October 31, 2014.
EVERETT SOUTHWEST LITERARY AWARD
http://www.uco.edu/la/english/everett/index.asp
$15 ENTRY FEE.
The fifth bi-annual Everett Southwest Literary Award opens October 5, 2014 and accepts unpublished poetry manuscripts of 75+ pages through December 5, 2014. Poets living in or writing about Oklahoma, New Mexico, or Texas are eligible. The winner will be announced in spring 2015.
GRANTS
WILLAPA BAY ARTIST IN RESIDENCY
http://www.willapabayair.org/
We offer month-long, self-directed residencies to emerging and established artists, writers, scholars, singer/songwriters, and musical composers. Rotating committees of artists and professionals in their field and discipline select participants from a broad spectrum of creativity - from visual, musical or literary arts to environmental or scientific projects. The Residency provides lodging, meals, and work space, at no cost, to five residents each month from March 1 through September 30 of the year. Location Oysterville, WA.
BRUSH CREEK ARTS FOUNDATION
http://www.brushcreekarts.org/
Brush Creek Arts Foundation enables artists to professionally develop their work in a relaxing and inspiring setting. Deadlines for application submissions are March 15 and September 15 each year. Location Saratoga, WY.
BLUE MOUNTAIN CENTER
http://www.bluemountaincenter.org/
Blue Mountain Center is a working community of writers, artists, and activists set in the heart of the Adirondacks, the largest state park in the continental U.S. As a part of our cultural commons, the center exists to provide a peaceful and comfortable environment in which guests are able to focus on their work, free from the distractions and demands of normal daily life. Next deadline February 1, 2015. Location Blue Mountain Lake, NY.
MARTHA'S VINEYARD RESIDENCIES
http://writersresidency.com/marthas-vineyard-writers-residency/apply/
To apply for the Martha's Vineyard Writers Residency, fill out the online application. Then send a statement of purpose specifying the project you plan to work on, a work sample of no more than 20 pages or 6 poems, include a short bio, the weeks you'd like to attend and a $100 application fee.
WRITERS COLONY AT DAIRY HOLLOW
http://www.writerscolony.org/writers_colony/Welcome.html
The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow is a unique residency program for writers, artists, composers, architects, and chefs in the historic arts village of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Nestled on a beautiful bend in the road known as Dairy Hollow, the Colony hosts more than 50 established and emerging writers a year for residencies that vary in length from one week to three months.
FREELANCE MARKETS
2016 WRITER'S MARKET
http://blog.writersmarket.com/whats-new/call-for-submissions-2016-writers-market
Beginning today and running until 11:59 p.m. (Atlanta, Georgia time) on October 20, 2014, I'll be accepting pitches for articles in the 2016 Writer's Market. Sometime in the end of October, I'll start making assignments. Anyone familiar with the book will know that I'm looking for articles that will help freelancers find more success from a business perspective.Previous articles have tackled queries, book proposals, taxes, record keeping, business management, and more. If you're an experienced source and can interview other sources, that is ideal. However, I'm unlikely to assign featured interviews with writers (as I tend to tackle those myself).I'm also not interested in articles on the craft of writing. While I think those pieces are extremely valuable, they're just not a good fit for Writer's Market.
2016 POET'S MARKET
http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/call-for-submissions-2016-poets-market
Running until 11:59 p.m. (Atlanta, Georgia time) on October 15, 2014, I'll be accepting pitches for articles and poems in the 2016 Poet's Market. Sometime soon after, I'll start making assignments. If you're interested in pitching an article idea or three (or a poem!) for the Poet's Market book, I'm interested in instructional articles for the following three categories:
Craft of Poetry. Articles on creation, revision, meter, etc.
Business of Poetry. Articles on submitting poems, reading poems, etc.
Promotion of Poetry. Articles on finding and connecting with readers.
THE ATLANTIC
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/09/adventures-with-technology-addition-and-subtraction/379830/
The Atlantic magazine has posted a third announcement asking freelance writers to submit story pitches for a new monthly feature for the website's Technology Channel. This month's theme is called, "Addition and Subtraction"--short stories of how we use more or less of technology to improve ourselves and the way we live.
LAMP LIGHT
http://lamplightmagazine.com/submissions/
Small press publisher Apokrupha LLC is accepting fiction stories for the Winter issue (vol. 4) of Lamplight (est. 2012), a quarterly literary e-zine of dark fiction tales. Needs flash fiction (under 1K words) and short story fiction (2K-7K words). Stories should reflect the style of "weird fiction," a subgenre of speculative fiction, and rely more on terror and fear than excessive blood and erotica. Writers are paid $150/story and $50/flash fiction. Deadline October 15, 2014.
CLOUD ON
http://jobs.problogger.net/view/8643
Write one 900 - 1,200 word blog posts per week about mobile productivity, work-life balance, working tips on technology, and other related topics. Typical assignments pay $100 - $200 depending on the length of the article and the content.
JOBS
RAZORFISH - COPYWRITER
Location Austin, TX
http://www.simplyhired.com/job/ehjae7ttgz
The Copywriter works closely with the Art Director and/or Senior Copywriter and members of the Studio or project team at all levels to generate and execute concepts for interactive media. This includes web sites, online advertising campaigns, e-mail marketing, viral and other online marketing initiatives. The copywriter is expected to actively contribute to the development of original solutions and create polished, final deliverables whether working solo or under the guidance of a more senior creative. A solid familiarity with trends in online marketing, advertising and the interactive digital space is required.
publishers/agents
VALERIE NOBLE - DONAGHY LITERARY GROUP
http://www.donaghyliterary.com
Valerie Noble is an Associate Agent at Donaghy Literary Group. Valerie is seeking Young Adult, and New Adult in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Historical Fiction.
GENEVIEVE NINE - ANDREA HURST AGENCY
http://www.andreahurst.com
Genevieve seeks YA and MG in the following: Fantasy (no game-related), Science Fiction, Mystery, Historical Fiction Retellings (classics, fairy/folk tale, myth), Contemporary, Realism (especially humor), Also seeks the following on Adult and NA: Mystery (detective/PI, amateur, cozy, historical, comic, caper), Thriller (supernatural, Historical, disaster, ecological), Gothic/Hauntings/Quiet Horror, Historical Fiction, Retellings (classics, fairy/folk tale, myth), Romantic Comedy, Magical Realism, Food Memoir, Travelogue/Travel Memoir. (thanks www.publishedtodeath.blogspot.com)
SUNBURY PRESS
http://sunburypress.com/CallforAuthors.html
Sunbury Press is a rapidly growing publisher of a wide range of categories. We are always seeking new titles to publish including: history, historical fiction, police procedurals, crime thrillers, horror, steam punk, young adult, children's, current events, science, reference, art history, ANY local/regional history, humor, spiritual/metaphysical, self-help, professional, memoirs, etc. If we didn't mention your category - try us anyway! We typically receive approximately 1000 proposals a year, publishing roughly 70 of them (about 7 percent).
SUNRISE RIVER PRESS
http://www.sunriseriverpress.com/about-us
Sunrise River Press is an award-winning publisher of groundbreaking health and medical resources. We are continually searching for compelling manuscripts written by experts that deal with a wide range of self-help subjects including weight loss, nutrition, diet, food and recipes, family health, fitness and specific diseases such as cancer, anorexia, Alzheimer's, autism and depression - especially as they relate to the baby boomer generation.
SPONSORS
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Contact Cynthia M. Gayton, Esq. at [email protected].
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Admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia.
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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
Copyright 2000-2014, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326
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