SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

 

WRITER INTEGRITY

"To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight." ~ E. E. Cummings

In a world where everyone is yelling at you to do what they believe is right, we fear being ourselves. Because being ourselves might mean being different, and being different draws attention to yourself. Finger pointing. One-star reviews. Trolls on Facebook. Wannabes berating other wannabes for being better than they are. 

The creative person has an even tougher battle because they are, after all, attempting creativity that hasn't been done before. They are eager to express themselves sincerely, breaking loose of any previously defined mold. 

This effort is a fine line to walk. To be different is to be considered genius or dumb, and the pressure on an artist is intense. Do they totally break free of any pre-designed tethers or run with the flock? After all, running with the flock may mean sacrificing one's originality to a degree. Or do they run their own course, willing to be ostracized in hope that all that criticism will one day morph into brilliance?

It takes a lot of courage to create and not conform. 

Strive to fail at being the best rather than achieve being the best semblance of someone else.

SUPER SPONSOR WORTH NOTING

Kate Meadows Writing & Editing

Connecting people through story and expression

I am a published writer and proven editor who helps people tell stories. I work with individuals, small business owners, writers’ groups and corporate employees, offering:

• comprehensive editing
• proofreading
• manuscript critiques
• submission advice
• resources for writers’ groups
• web content

My work has appeared in Writer’s Digest, Chicken Soup for the Soul, River Teeth, USAA Magazine and numerous trade publications. I earned an MFA in Professional Writing in 2010 and have since published two books. How can I help you bring your project, book, idea or brand into the world? Don’t be shy. Contact me today for your free 30-minute consult!

[email protected]
www.katemeadows.com





 

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

 


SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

'I have much to thank Hope and FundsforWriters for. Hope has been a wonderful editor to work for, always open to ideas, and helpful and encouraging with her feedback on both ideas and copy. In the newsletter - which I read religiously every week - I have come across a whole swathe of new markets to approach, a few of which I am currently hopeful of writing for (fingers crossed). But above all, I enjoy the voice of these regular bulletins - Hope's calm, can-do mindset, her wisdom, humour and encouragement, and the way in which she makes aspiring to write for a living feel like a realistic and worthwhile goal - but also balances it with the even bigger priority of being a decent human being.'

All the best,

Dan Brotzel
KITTEN ON A FATBERG: They've all got a book in them. Unfortunately.
Pre-order your copy today - https://unbound.com/books/kitten-on-a-fatberg/

 

Featured article

Writing with My Pal, The Dragon

by Bill Vossler

When I couldn't type or write any longer due to injuries, the five magazines who depended on a piece from me for each issue still needed my work. And I still needed the money, as I make my living by writing.

But how could I provide articles when I couldn't physically write?

Luckily, I had my pal, the Dragon. Not an intelligent scaly fire-breathing beast, but a computer speech recognition (SR) program called Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which allowed me to "write" articles even though I couldn't use my hands.

Once you've set up the program - 30 to 45 minutes - Dragon provides many writing advantages:

1. Easy First Drafts.

Just speak into the microphone at normal speed and the words of your draft appear seemingly-magically on the screen.

2. Increased Production.

Because speaking writing is faster than writing, you get more writing done in a shorter time. The disadvantage is that my speaking writing is looser and requires more rewriting work - sometimes a lot more. But at least I am producing writing.

3. 99 Percent Accuracy.

Lower when you begin, but accuracy increases with continued use, until, as DNS claims, you will attain a 99 percent accuracy.

However, beware of overconfidence. Because Dragon writes sentences on the screen so easily and quickly, it's easy to believe every word you've said into the microphone has been transcribed perfectly. Not so. And remember, 99 percent accuracy of 2,000 words still means 20 errors.

And some errors never seem to get corrected. "A" instead of "an," "then" for "than," "an" for "and," and vice versa, as well as dropped past tenses - unless you slow down and enunciate properly. Dragon will capitalize words like Internet or Coliseum when they should be lower case.

One time I spoke a query letter, and after glancing over it emailed it to an editor. As I saved it, I discovered with horror two spelling errors - "effect" for "affect," and "there" for "their." No assignment came forth. I've always wondered if those errors turned off a busy editor.

The program saved my bacon for a rush job. Normally I type interviews, but this time I had to tape. Dragon transposed it into readable prose.

That draft contained many more errors than normal, but due to its particular topic - a collector's 1913 International Harvester tractor - I could figure out many "misheard" words by context and my familiarity with tractors without re-listening to the tape.

Sometimes errors are easy to spot and hilarious. For example, once when I said "wearing a shador..." Dragon wrote, ...carrying a shed door." Others include, "He's in cahoots..." became "he's into quotes..." While "tractors pulling mowers..." became "tractors pulling molars," which creates quite a mental picture.

4. Simple and Fast Corrections.

To make corrections, say "insert" (before, after, words on the screen) or "select" (one word, a series, or a paragraph, or body," and the cursor instantly obeys and makes corrections you tell it to make. Say "correct that," and you get a list of choices.

You can train wrong words to come correctly onto the screen regularly.

Dragon does not work with every word processing program, but its dictation box function allows you to speak your words and transfer them into the word processing document.

Slow-or non-typists will find Dragon highly useful, I think.

Dragon - and other voice recognition programs - provide many options, but the main one is that they allow you to write when you can't and make the process easier.

But the biggest advantage of using Dragon is that it allows you to continue making money when your brain still works but other parts of your body might not.

BIO: A full-time writer, Bill Vossler has published 17 books, and 3,500 articles in 237 magazines, including The Writer, Writer's Digest, Writer's Journal, Reader's Digest, and many more. 


 

COmpetitions

The Missouri Review invites entries to its 29th annual Jeffrey E. Smith Editors' Prize!
www.missourireview.com/contests/jeffrey-e-smith-editors-prize/
Winners in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry will be awarded $5000 each, plus publication and an invitation to a reading and reception to be held in their honor. In return for the entry fee, each writer who enters will receive a 1-year digital subscription to TMR and a print copy of Jason Brown's new collection of linked stories, A Faithful but Melancholy Account of Several Barbarities Lately Committed. For guidelines, please visit the TMR website. Deadline: October 1.



SAN MIGUEL WRITER'S CONFERENCE WRITING CONTEST
https://sanmiguelwritersconference.submittable.com/submit
$30 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 4, 2019. The contest is open to anyone writing in English who has not yet published or self-published a book that has sold over 1,000 copies in the genre of application. The Award: “Full Conference Package” fee waivers, including housing, and one agent pitch session will be granted to one writer in each of the following genres: poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and international Spanish short story. Transportation to San Miguel de Allende is not provided. The award is valid only for the specific year of the contest and may not be transferred or exchanged. 



JOY BALE BOONE POETRY PRIZE
https://www.theheartlandreview.com/page3
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 16, 2019. We are seeking original, unpublished work for the contest. All finalists will be published in THR’s spring 2020 issue and invited to a special reading at ECTC in honor of poetry month. Grand prize $500. 



OMNIDAWN FABULIST FICTION CHAPBOOK/NOVELETTE CONTEST
http://omnidawn.com/contest/fiction/
$18 ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 15, 2019. The winner of the annual Omnidawn Fabulist Fiction Chapbook / Novelette Contest wins a $1,000 prize, publication of the perfect bound pocket series chapbook / novelette with a full color cover by Omnidawn, 100 free copies of the winning chapbook / novelette, and extensive display advertising and publicity, including prominent display ads in Poets & Writers Magazine, Rain Taxi Review of Books and other publications. For this contest, Fabulist Fiction includes magic realism and literary forms of fantasy, science fiction, horror, fable, and myth. Stories can be primarily realistic, with elements of non-realism, or primarily, or entirely non-realistic. Open to all writers worldwide. 



HEKTOEN INTERNATIONAL WRITING CONTEST
https://hekint.org/special-issue-submission-instructions/?highlight=contest
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 15, 2020. Hektoen International invites you to send an essay of under 1600 words on the subject of Blood. The contest honors the achievements of the Red Cross, locally, nationally, and globally. Two prizes will be awarded: $3,000 for the winner and $800 for the runner up. Essays that are accepted for publication in the journal may also be available to readers before the winners are announced. The contest is open to participants 18 years or older. Entries should be no longer than 1,600 words and must also include at least one image. 



TWO SYLVIAS PRESS WILDER SERIES POETRY BOOK PRIZE 
http://www.twosylviaspress.com/wilder-series-poetry-book-prize.html
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2019. The Wilder Series Book Prize is open to women over 50 years of age (established or emerging poets) and includes a $1,000 prize, publication by Two Sylvias Press, 20 copies of the winning book, and a vintage, art nouveau pendant. Women submitting manuscripts may be poets with one or more previously published chapbooks/books or poets without any prior chapbook/book publications. Length: 48-80 pages of poems 



WILDA HEARNE FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://bigmuddy.submittable.com/submit
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 1, 2019. Award: $500 and publication in an issue of Big Muddy: A Journal of the Mississippi River Valley. Submit a maximum of 500 words. 



MIGHTY RIVER SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://bigmuddy.submittable.com/submit
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 1, 2019. Award: $1,000 and publication in an issue of Big Muddy: A Journal of the Mississippi River Valley. Submit a maximum of 30 pages, double-spaced. 



ERNEST HEMINGWAY FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://fictionsoutheast.com/ernest-hemingway-flash-fiction-award/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2019. Entries for the Ernest Hemingway Flash Fiction Prize should be approximately 1,500 words or less. Winner – $200 and publication in Fiction Southeast. Finalists – publication in Fiction Southeast. 



MEMOIR PRIZE FOR BOOKS
https://memoirmag.com/literature/the-memoir-prize-for-books/
$95 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2019. We will award the Grand Memoir Prize of $2,000 for a book-length memoir of exceptional merit in any style, sub-genre, or state of publication. Pays $1,000 to the First Place winner in each category of publishing: Traditional, Self-published and Unpublished Manuscript. Seven Honorable Mentions will receive $200 each (any category). The only contest of its kind dedicated exclusively to the Memoir genre. This is a real opportunity for outstanding independently and self-published memoir authors to gain the recognition they deserve. Unpublished manuscripts will have the remarkable opportunity to be presented as a prize-winning manuscript for consideration by agents and publishers. Writers of all nations may enter. The works you submit must be in English. Otherwise, there are no restrictions on subject matter, length, age of author, type of publisher, or on year of publication. Entries will be evaluated on content, writing quality and overall quality of production and appearance. Entry fee: $95 per book. 



EVENT NONFICTION CONTEST
https://www.eventmagazine.ca/contest-nf/
$34.95 ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 15, 2019. Genre: Creative Nonfiction. Prizes: $1,500 First Place, $1,000 Second Place, $500 Third Place plus publication in EVENT. Limit 5,000 words. 


 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

LEON B. BURSTEIN/MWA-NY SCHOLARSHIP 
https://www.mwany.org/program/the-leon-b-burstein-mwany-scholarship-for-mystery-writing/
Deadline October 9, 2019. The Leon B. Burstein/MWA-NY Scholarship for Mystery Writing offers financial support to aspiring mystery writers. Awards will cover actual expenses not to exceed $1,000 and may be used toward classes, conferences, or research for a mystery work in progress. The Scholarship was named for avid mystery fan Leon B. Burstein, to create new works in his favorite genre. Associate and affiliate members of MWA are eligible to apply; active MWA members are ineligible. Non-members may apply if they do not meet the criteria for active MWA membership.  Applicants must live in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia. Two scholarships will be awarded in 2019, announced on or about November 6, 2019.



LIGHTHOUSE WORKS FELLOWSHIPS
https://www.thelighthouseworks.com/fellowship-program/
Deadline October 15, 2019. The program accepts artists working in a wide range of disciplines, but we are best able to accommodate visual artists and writers. Fellowships are six weeks in length, occur year-round and provide fellows with housing, food, studio space, a $250 travel allowance and a $1,500 stipend. Artistic excellence is the primary criteria for acceptance as a Lighthouse Works fellow. While in residence, our fellows’ primary obligation is to the solitary pursuit of their work but we do ask every fellow to participate in an artist talk on the first weekend of the fellowship and to open their studio for an afternoon at the session’s conclusion. We are located in the Annex Building on Fishers Island, NY. The Annex is just west of Silver Eel Cove, where our ferry makes port. 



SOUTH CAROLINA ARTS COMMISSION INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIPS
https://www.southcarolinaarts.com/grant/fel/
Deadline November 15, 2019. Grants are $5,000. Fellowship awards are made through a highly competitive, anonymous process and are based on artistic excellence only. The Fellowship awards bring recognition that may open doors to other resources and employment opportunities. The applicant must be a practicing individual artist (duos, collaborative works, and other ensembles are not eligible), working in one or more of the disciplines eligible for the application year. Up to four Fellowships are awarded each year (maximum of one in each discipline), with artistic disciplines rotating from year to year. The next eligible disciplines will be: FY21 - Prose, Poetry, Dance: Choreography, and Dance: Performance (apply fall 2019).



CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS GRANTS IN THE ARTS
https://www.cambridgema.gov/arts/Programs/Grants
Deadline October 15, 2019. Creating & Presenting Grants support the development and/or presentation of visual arts, dance, film/video, literature, music, theater, multidisciplinary, and new media arts. Education & Access Grants promote in-depth understanding of and participation in the arts. This category also supports projects that increase participation of populations with limited access to the arts.

 

FREELANCE MARKETS

GRIT
http://www.grit.com/guidelines
GRIT publishes feature-length articles on topics of interest to those living in rural areas, on farms or ranches, or those interested in the rural lifestyle. Articles will be from 800 to 1,500 words. Departments and columns are generally 500 to 1,500 words. GRIT Gazette items are 350 to 700 words. Rates vary depending on experience and expertise. Fees are negotiated on an individual basis. Payment will include two contributor’s copies.



GREEN PRINTS
http://greenprints.com/writers-guidelines/
The wish the best, personal garden writing they can get. Expressive, thoughtful, humorous, angry, contrite, flippant, searching, witty, observant, sad, inviting. They focus on the human, not the how-to side of gardening. On the people as well as the plants. Pays up to $150 for articles less than 2,000 words.



MOUNT BAKER EXPERIENCE
http://www.mountbakerexperience.com/contributor-guidelines/
MBE is a quarterly magazine that covers the people, sports and activities, and the gear of outdoor recreation in the Pacific Northwest. Our motto is, “If you can see Mt. Baker, you are part of the experience.” We cover skiing (both downhill and Nordic) and snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, hiking, kayaking, biking (both road and mountain biking), and scuba diving – any sport or activity that takes place outdoors. While our primary focus is local, we occasionally run out-of-area stories. Pays ten to fifteen cents per word.



EXPLORE
http://www.explore-mag.com/contributor-guidelines
Explore is a magazine for active outdoor enthusiasts. We cover a wide range of topics-hiking, mountain biking, climbing, canoeing, kayaking, winter sports and more. And as our tagline suggests, our content is largely Canadian.



PROVIDENCE
https://providencemag.com/guidelines/
Providence publishes widely on matters intersecting Christian faith and theology with national security and foreign policy, international relations, political theory, defense, war, terrorism, global economy, energy, etc. Website: We prefer to publish 500-1,000 words but are willing to publish longer pieces so long as they are highly readable. Print journal: Book Reviews: 800-1,200; Essays: 1,500-3,000; Lead features: 3,250-4,000. Website pays $100 per post. For print journal we pay $250 for book reviews and $500-$1,000 for essays and features.



KING FEATURES
http://kingfeatures.com/contact-us/submission-guidelines/
King Features is always interested in looking at new columns and features for possible syndication. We place great importance on reviewing new material. Without exception, every column or feature submitted to us is carefully considered. In order to help you present your work in the best possible light, please follow these submission guidelines: Five sample columns circa 600 words each. These may be submitted as tear sheets or in manuscript form. Some information about yourself, and any additional published articles and materials you believe to be relevant; your bio or CV. You will be contacted if there is interest in syndicating your material.



BUZZFEED NEWS READER
https://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelysanders/how-to-pitch-essays-to-buzzfeed-reader
READER is BuzzFeed News’s home for cultural criticism, personal essays, fiction, and poetry, as well as BuzzFeed’s Emerging Writer Fellowship. Personal essays can deal with almost any topic; some to think about are money, family, food, religion, sexuality, relationships, disability, illness (mental or physical), hormones, race, body image, drugs, travel. The bottom line is that you should know why you’re writing about whatever you’re writing about. A critical essay could be about almost anything — books, technology, sports, entertainment, celebrities, politics, fashion — or it can connect the dots between examples in multiple categories. 



DEEP MAGIC
http://deepmagic.co/submissions/
What you first need to understand is that we aim to be the dominant magazine for clean fantasy and sci-fi stories. It’s our tagline. If you can tell a gripping story that doesn’t rely on sex, swearing, and graphic violence — you’ve come to the right place. For first world-wide rights, we pay $.08 per word for the first 5,000 words and $.06 per word for each word between 5,001 and 16,000 words, with payment capped at $1,060 for stories longer than 16,000 words.



NEBRASKALAND
http://magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/guidelines-writers-photographers/
NEBRASKAland Magazine is published ten times a year by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Subject matter includes all varieties of outdoor recreation including camping, travel, canoeing, hunting, fishing, Nebraska’s state parks and recreation areas, wildlife, natural history, unique personalities, art, culture, history and personal reminiscence. All articles have a strong Nebraska association. The magazine welcomes freelance submissions and pays $.15 per word of edited text. Freelance submissions for photographs are also welcome, and pay the following rates: Front cover, $250; Inside front cover, $150; Back cover, $100; and $125 per individual page.



THE NEW QUARTERLY
https://tnq.ca/submit/
Fiction / Nonfiction – $275. Poetry / Postscript – $50 per piece. Plus a complimentary copy and a special contributor subscription rate. All contributing writers to The New Quarterly are either: Canadian citizens living in Canada or abroad, or identify as a member of the First Nations, Inuit, or Métis peoples, or are current residents of Canada (i.e. newly-landed immigrants, temporary residents, and refugees). The New Quarterly aims to provide a varied and balanced representation of literary excellence in contemporary Canada.


 

Publishers/agents

WATSON, LITTLE LTD AGENCY
https://www.watsonlittle.com/about/
Watson, Little Ltd handles an unusually wide range of fiction and nonfiction for adults and children. As a general rule, a submission should include a cover letter, synopsis and writing sample. Please send the synopsis and writing sample in a Word document (not pdf), double-spaced and in 12 pt font. We do not represent poetry or screenplays for film, television, radio or theatre (though our associate agencies work in many of these areas). However, if we agree to work with you on a book, we will represent all rights, including dramatic, for that book.



A. M. HEATH LITERARY AGENCY
https://amheath.com/submissions/
Our online form will ask you for your contact details and for some information about your submission (for example, what genre it falls into, whether it’s finished or a work in progress). It will then ask you to insert a covering letter (maximum 500 words) and a synopsis of the work (maximum 1,500 words). 



ANDREW NURNBERG ASSOCIATES
http://andrewnurnberg.com/submissions/
We look at everything we are sent and do not charge a reading fee. We represent fiction, nonfiction and children’s fiction. We do not represent children’s picture books or scripts for film, TV, radio or theatre.



GRAHAM MAW CHRISTIE AGENCY
http://www.grahammawchristie.com/
One of the UK's leading literary agencies handling nonfiction: from memoir, autobiography, parenting, and self-help to popular philosophy, science, food, creativity, history, and smart thinking. We welcome originality, contemporary voices and engaging and accessible writing. Our hope is that our books will make a difference to people's lives, either by giving them practical tools to help themselves or others or by inspiring them to think about this complicated world of ours in new ways.

SPONSORS

www.fundsforwriters.com/advertising 

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 2000-2019, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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