SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

I’ve been writing all my life and self-publishing  for more than a decade. With Masters Degrees in both Professional Writing and Education, I’m well suited to nurture your project.

Testimonials:

• Carla King: Sheri’s editorial eagle eye identified typos and other small errors other beta readers didn’t find. She also called attention to concepts that needed further clarification and marked difficult-to-read sentences. Thank you Sheri! Self-Publishing Boot Camp for Authors, 4^th Edition
• Suzanne Blaney: I give my special thanks to Sheri [Editor and Designer] for editing the rough manuscript and creating what I consider a fine book. Impressionism: Inspiration and Evolution, Runner-up, Photography/Art category, San Francisco Book Festival 2019
• Betty Fulcomer: You have made this a non-threatening experience. Thank you. My Friend Doc is a Veterinarian.

Visit my website for more information or email [email protected] directly.

IT'S SYMBIOTIC

When someone thanks me for being there for them, I am even more grateful for them being there for me. It's not a pretense. I am just as sincere as I can be. 

As writers, we are in dire need of readers. Readers crave good writers. One is nothing without the other, and each needs to feel the gratitude.

But often a writer takes issue with readers. Readers can leave negative reviews and critical comments on social media which strike a nerve with writers. And the biggest mistake a writer can make is to take issue with the negativity. 

When I see writers upset with readers, and expressing their disappointment, or anger, I become disenfranchised with that writer. And we see it all over Facebook. I can immediately see that the writer is not focused and might have forgotten that they themselves chose to thrust their work in the public's eye for said feedback. 

If a reader gives negative remarks, as a writer you should take note, weigh it for merit, and move on. . . with no answer to the reader. First, you don't want to fuel the remark. Secondly, simply by publishing, you gave that reader the authority to make remarks. You look foolish reneging. 

But the bottom line, the more you respect your readers, the more they respect you. Answer every remark with a kind response. Everyone wants to be treated well. Bashing a reader will only alienate them further. Thanking them for even the worst remark, just may entice them to read you again.
 











Due to popular request, you'll find autographed versions of both the Carolina Slade Mysteries and The Edisto Island Mysteries at my website, or through the online store.
 

SUPER SPONSOR WORTH NOTING

Give Your Writing a Strong Start in 2020
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You're invited to Twenty, an online writing journey to spark your curiosity and begin the year with a commitment to your creative practice. Entirely online and open to writers of all experience levels. Get 20 days of exercises to fill the blank page... plus a live kickoff session and monthly guidance to connect with your writing life as the year unfolds.

Twenty is led by Emily Stoddard, an affiliate of the Amherst Writers & Artists Method and founder of Voice & Vessel. Learn more and register now.


 

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

 
SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

I want to THANK YOU for your weekly newsletter. I read it weekly and over the years it's helped me to narrow my niche' market (Christian, Inspirational). Because of you regularly posting contests, I bit the bullet and submitted to Chicken Soup for the Soul. They accepted my short story ("Fifteen Years") about my daughter's adoption and return trip 15 years later. My story is also referenced on the back cover, in the last slot!

It comes out in February. Thanks, thanks, thanks...from a once beginning writer to one making a publishing dent thanks to your influence!  

Dr.  Lynn  M.  Jorgenson 
Writer, Speaker & Blogger                    
[email protected]
https://authorlynn.com/

---




Send us your success story, telling us how FundsforWriters made a difference, opened a door, helped you get someplace you wanted to be. 

Email [email protected] 

 

Featured article

Six Ways to Rethink Rejections  

By Dan Brotzel

For obvious reasons, writers often find rejection difficult. Even the word feels unnecessarily harsh. When that dreaded notification arrives, most forget that it’s only a collection of your words – and not you yourself – that’s been turned down.  

Here – from a serial rejectee – are some ways to reframe the concept of rejection in a more positive light. 

Rejections are acknowledgements. Apart from acceptance, the alternative to rejection – still all too common – is deafening silence. I know of writers with poems or stories in submission queues for three or four years. Personally, I’d rather know asap if someone wants to say No. Then I can move on and decide what to do with it next. So: thank you very much for letting me know. 

Rejections are just preferences. Many editors and publishers go out of their way to explain that they have to turn down loads of great work because they just don’t have the capacity to publish it all. Sometimes your work is fine, it just doesn’t fit with the reviewer’s taste (or their unconscious biases). Maybe it’s too similar to something else they’re running, or it just got pushed out by something they thought even better. 

Literary judgments are notoriously subjective. You can improve your chances by making sure you’re familiar with who you’re subbing to and looking for a likely preferential fit. Do they publish people who write in a similar style or genre to you? Could you imagine getting on with them at a party? 

Rejections are lessons. We must also add that sometimes work gets rejected because it isn’t good enough. True, I once wrote a story that was rejected 27 times before winning a competition. But I’ve also had several rejected loads of times and show no sign of being accepted any time soon. 

Look again at the work, see what you can do differently. In some cases, you may have to let the piece go and work on something else. Understanding the difference between work that wasn’t a good fit and work that wasn’t good enough is the lifetime job of a serious writer.

Rejections are reward and motivation. ‘I love my rejection slips,’ wrote Sylvia Plath. ‘They show I try.’ Because rejections show that you’re writing hard and chasing your dream, they are a cause for motivation and even celebration. If you’re serious about being published, you have to keep submitting. That means more rejections – but also, more chances of an acceptance. 

Some people even target #100rejections per year, on the grounds that there’ll have to be a few acceptances in among all those too. One writer adds a pretty bead for each rejection to a necklace that they’ll wear once their book is published. Some add a buck to a jar and save up for a nice bottle of wine or bourbon. ‘Rejections are fuel,’ as the writer Jason Jackson puts it. 

Rejections are acceptances. When you receive a rejection from a dream mag or publisher that is full of constructive feedback and urges you to keep on, it’s almost as good as an acceptance. An honest to goodness editor gave you their feedback for no charge.

Rejections are fun. Once you can start to dance with rejections, they become a great source of humour and creativity. Take Author Greg Levin’s hilarious ‘Rejection letter rejecting a rejection letter’: 

Unfortunately, I am unable to accept your rejection at this time. Please understand I receive a high volume of rejection notifications and must be highly selective in choosing those I'm able to handle.

Rejections are part and parcel of the writing life. If we can have a little fun with them, we can learn to take them less personally and grow a little more resilience. 

BIO - Dan Brotzel (@brotzel_fiction) is co-author of a new comic novel, Kitten on a Fatberg (Unbound). To pre-order Kitten on a Fatberg for a 10% discount, quote KITTEN10  

 

COmpetitions

FIRST PAGES PRIZE
https://www.firstpagesprize.com/guidelines-and-termsconditions
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 2, 2020. Extended deadline February 16, 2020 with $35 entry fee. Guest Judge: Award-winning author Sebastian Faulks. Enter the first FIVE pages (1,250 words max) of a fiction or creative nonfiction manuscript. Open internationally to un-agented writers, whether published previously or not. We support emerging writers with cash awards $1,000, $750 and $500, partial developmental editing and travel stipends plus lodging to be in Paris, France for prize-giving events June 9-10, 2020. Opens January 1, 2020.



CODHILL PRESS POETRY AWARD
http://www.codhill.com/submissions/codhill-press-poetry-award-guide/
$30 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 30, 2019. Prize is $1,000 and 25 copies. Codhill Press will consider all finalists for publication. Poets should submit, by electronic submission manager or ground mail, 48-70 pages (no more than one poem per page).



THE MOTH POETRY PRIZE
http://www.themothmagazine.com/
€15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2019. The prize is open to anyone (over 16) as long as the poem is previously unpublished, and each year it attracts thousands of entries from new and established poets from over 50 countries worldwide. First prize is €10,000 for one unpublished poem. Three runner-up prizes of €1,000. The Prize is open to anyone (over 16), as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. There is no line limit, and the poems can be on any subject.



OMNIDAWN PUBLISHING POETRY CONTEST
http://omnidawn.com/contest/poetry-contests.htm
$27 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 18, 2020. This contest is open to writers worldwide who have either never published a full-length book of poetry, or who have published only one full-length book of poetry, so that the winning book would become a poet's first or second published full-length book of poetry. Writers who have published two or more full-length books of poetry are NOT eligible. Winner receives $3,000 and publication. 



RUBERY BOOK PRIZE
https://www.ruberybookaward.com/
ENTRY FEE £37 or $60. The Rubery Prize is a prestigious international book award seeking the best books by indie writers, self-published authors and books published by independent presses, judged by reputable judges. There is no publication date restriction. Accepts fiction (all genres), young adult, children’s, biographies, nonfiction, self-help, cookery, poetry, photography etc. There are no limits on the type. The Rubery Book Prize is an international book award organization offering one grand “Book of the Year” prize, which includes £1,500 as well as publishing consideration from a top London literary agency. Smaller prizes are also awarded for finalists.



ORWELL PRIZES
https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-prizes/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 13, 2020. The Orwell Prizes aim to encourage good writing and thinking about politics. Honors exceptional fictional and nonfictional works that “make political writing into an art.” Only in its second year, this prize awards £3,000 to its winners. Books must be submitted by their publishing house, and the book must have been first published, or published simultaneously, in the UK. The Orwell Prize asks shortlisted publishers to contribute £150.



YEMASSEE INAUGURAL FICTION CHAPBOOK CONTEST
https://yemassee.submittable.com/submit
$18 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 15, 2020. The author of the winning fiction chapbook will receive $1,250 and 25 copies of their chapbook. Author input on cover art will be considered. The editors will select ten finalists and pass those submissions on to the guest judge. The ten finalists will receive acknowledgment. To enter, submit one chapbook with 20-40 pages of a complete novella or novelette, a collection of short stories, a collection of flash fiction, a collection of both short stories and flash fiction, or a collection with a complete novella or novelette and accompanying short stories/flash fiction. 



YEMASSEE POETRY CHAPBOOK CONTEST
https://yemassee.submittable.com/submit
$18 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 15, 2020. The author of the winning poetry chapbook will receive $1,250 and 25 copies of their chapbook. Author input on cover art will be considered.  The editors will select ten finalists and pass those submissions on to the guest judge. The ten finalists will receive acknowledgment. To enter, submit one chapbook with 20-26 pages of poetry (title page, dedication, etc. does not count). 



BUTTON POETRY CHAPBOOK CONTEST
https://buttonpoetry.submittable.com/submit
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 6, 2020. The winner will receive publication, 50 free author copies, a $500 honorarium, and roundtrip travel to Minneapolis to perform at a release show and be filmed by Button’s video crew. This competition is open to writers ages 18+ from anywhere in the world. Submit a previously unpublished, chapbook-length (20-30 pages, 8.5x11 page-size) manuscript of poetry. 



WICKED WOMAN BOOK PRIZE
https://brickhousebooks.wordpress.com/submissions/wicked-woman-book-prize/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 3, 2020. Prize: $250 and publication of your book by BrickHouse Books, Inc. The WWBP is looking for book-length poetry collections thematically connected by the “wicked woman” theme. Both “wicked” and “woman” can be interpreted in many ways; poet’s choice. Submit 42 and 64 pages of poetry.  

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS
https://sarweb.org/iarc/native-american-artist-fellowships/
The Indian Arts Research Center (IARC) offers three artist-in-residence fellowships annually to advance the work of established and emerging Native American artists. Each fellowship includes a monthly stipend, housing, studio space, a supplies allowance, full access to the IARC collections, and travel reimbursement to and from SAR. These fellowships provide time for artists to explore new avenues of creativity, grapple with new ideas to further advance their work, and strengthen existing talents. The fellowships support diverse creative disciplines and can include sculpture, performance, basketry, painting, printmaking, digital art, mixed media, photography, pottery, writing, and film and video. Location Santa Fe, NM.



I-PARK RESIDENCIES
http://www.i-park.org/2020grp
Deadline January 15, 2020. I-Park is a rural artists-in-residence program offering fully funded residencies to creatives. Creative writing includes playwrights, writers working in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, literary criticism, and mixed media. All 2020 residencies are four weeks in duration except for an experimental six-week residency in September/October. Artists need only pay for their art supplies and transportation to and from the area. Location Connecticut. 



SWEDEN RESIDENCY FOR FICTION, CREATIVE NONFICTION, PLAYWRITING
https://balticwritingresidency.submittable.com/submit
Deadline January 21, 2020. The writer chosen for the Baltic Writing Residency in Sweden receives $1,000, and a free stay in a furnished cottage, based on a completed application. Applications are chosen by an anonymous peer-review committee, including a fiction writer, a poet, and a member of Harvard University's English Department. The Sweden Residency is located in Stockholm, and the writer resides, for three to four weeks at a time most convenient for them in a furnished cottage. 



PLYSPACE
https://www.plyspace.org/residency-about
PlySpace is an artist-in-residence program dedicated to offering visual artists, writers, performers, designers, and other creative individuals time and space to investigate and pursue their own practices. Location Muncie, Indiana. PlySpace Residents will be offered living quarters, studio amenities, and will be paired with a community collaborator based on their personal and collaborative project proposals and interests. Residents are expected to complete a public talk about their work and complete a project in partnership with their Community Collaborator. Resident Artists will have full access to the PlySpace studio spaces at Madjax as well as limited access to the School of Art (SOA) facilities at Ball State University. They will receive a $500 travel stipend and a $500 food stipend for their residency period, between four and twelve weeks. PlySpace Resident Fellows will be offered living quarters, studio amenities, and will be paired with the Ball State University School of Art as their community collaborator. Resident Fellows are expected to conduct multiple public programs connected to their practice through their partnership with the SOA. Resident Fellows will have access to the SOA facilities necessary to complete their projects as well as the PlySpace studio spaces. Resident Fellows will receive a $1,500 stipend provided by PlySpace to be used for travel and living expenses and up to $1,000 in funding toward their proposed collaborative project and supplies. Resident Fellows must plan a nine to twelve-week residency stay.



KEROUAC PROJECT RESIDENCIES
https://www.kerouacproject.org/submissions/
Deadline March 15, 2020. Opens for application January 1, 2020. The Kerouac Project provides four residencies a year to writers of any stripe or age, living anywhere in the world. In the past we have accepted writers with no formal writing education alongside those with MFA’s and impressive résumés. You will be judged on the quality of the writing sample you submit. Each residency consists of a three-month stay in the cottage where Jack Kerouac wrote his novel Dharma Bums. Utilities and a food stipend of $1,000 are included. As writer-in-residence, all you are required to do is live in the Kerouac House during your residency, work on your writing project, and participate in two events: a Welcome Potluck dinner for you, and a Final Reading of your work at the Kerouac House at the end of your residency. Location Orlando, FL.



BRUSH CREEK
https://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 1 and September 1 each year. Located on 30,000 acres of scenic splendor at the base of the Medicine Bow National Forest outside of Saratoga, Wyoming, the camp is situated right next to Brush Creek, in between the Sierra Madre and Snowy Mountain ranges. Writers, visual artists, performance artists, musicians and composers are encouraged to apply for our three-week artist residency programs, complete with lodging, meals, working facilities and incredible natural beauty.



DORLAND MOUNTAIN ARTS COLONY
https://www.dorlandartscolony.com/
Dorland Mountain Arts Colony is a beautiful retreat where artists, writers, musicians and composers can create in a secluded, natural setting. The colony is located near Temecula Valley Wine Country, about 100 miles south of Los Angeles and 60 miles north of San Diego. Residency stays may be as short as one week or as long as three months, based on requests and availability. Residency fees are $325-$450 per week with discounts for residencies of four or more weeks.

 

FREELANCE MARKETS

WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS NEEDS BLOGGER
https://diversebooks.org/about-wndb/careers/wndb-blog-contributors/
WNDB is seeking contributing writers to support the creation of blog content to promote the mission and programs of WNDB.  WNDB is looking to contract with four contributing writers to provide approximately three posts per year to our blog. Contributors will be compensated based upon the length of the posts and reporting requirements.  Compensation will start at $100 per post. Contributors will work closely with the Communications Manager to decide topics and scheduling. Submit a cover letter and resume along with links to writing samples. Email application to [email protected]. (Thanks erikadreifus.com) 



RED CARPET FASHION BLOGGERS
https://ed2010.com/job/freelance-fashion-writers/
Celebrity fashion website, RedCarpet-FashionAwards.com, is looking for freelance fashion writers to help cope with the increasing busy workload during awards season. To be considered, candidates must possess: 
– Experience.
– Ability to work under pressure during live events with a quick turnover.
– Proven ability to write intelligent, well-researched articles in a writing style that is conversational, engaging, and most importantly, cohesive with the tone of the site, with an average word count of 150 to approximately 300.
– WordPress skills are essential. If you are not familiar with WordPress Gutenberg, please do not apply.
– Ability to use Google Docs.
– Please confirm you are available on the following dates:

Sunday, Jan. 5: Golden Globes ceremony
Sunday, Jan. 19: Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony
Sunday, Jan. 26: Grammy Awards ceremony
Sunday, Feb. 2:  BAFTAs
Saturday, Feb. 8: Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony
Sunday, Feb. 9: Oscars ceremony & Vanity Fair Party
This is a remote position, so it would suit a freelancer with knowledge of celebrity fashion who can speak with authority.



ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER - SOUTH CAROLINA
https://www.journalismjobs.com/1657352-reporter-the-associated-press
Beat: State legislature and the politics of climate change. This beat includes deep reporting into the decisions and proposals at the capitol and local levels on how to address climate change, including rising sea levels and inland flooding events. This reporter works with other AP journalists in bureaus and on the national health and science beat teams to produce high-end journalism that breaks news. 



FREELANCER BLOGGER FOR WELLNESS CENTER
https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Wellness-Center/jobs
We are physicians who have a wellness center, and for that we are looking for someone to help us write our blog. Most of the time, content will be provided in a dictation form and you should be able to write it in a blog form. Please submit a 200-word sample of your writing. Salary: $20 to $100 /hour.



TRAVEL WRITER & EDITOR
https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=fairytrail&l=united+states
Fairytrail is a travel app that makes dating safer and more fun. Users can book an adventure with someone they like. Learn more: https://www.fairytrail.app/ You will help the team scale the startup through sourcing original article ideas, conducting extensive research, and creating excellent content for people passionate about world travel. Other responsibilities include:
- Interviewing and researching current and potential users to develop strategy and content
- Contacting and collaborating with other blogs and influencers
- Interacting with the media and supporting PR activities
- Traveling internationally to meet tour guides and partners in order to generate editorial and marketing content 
This is a part-time contract role to start and may evolve into a full-time employee role depending on how well we work together. At least a dozen locations seeking writers. 
 

 

Publishers/agents

PARACLETE PRESS
https://paracletepress.com/pages/about-us
Paraclete Press Books show the richness and depth of what it means to be Christian. While Benedictine spirituality is at the heart of our identity, our books reflect the Christian experience across many cultures, time periods, and houses of worship. We have many series, including Paraclete Essentials; Paraclete Fiction; Paraclete Poetry; Paraclete Giants; and for children and adults, All God’s Creatures, books about animals and faith; and San Damiano Books, focusing on Franciscan spirituality. Others include Voices from the Monastery (men and women monastics writing about living a spiritual life today), Active Prayer, and new for young readers: The Pope’s Cat. We also specialize in gift books for children on the occasions of Baptism and First Communion, as well as other important times in a child’s life, and books that bring creativity and liveliness to any adult spiritual life.



BETHANY HOUSE
http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/bethanyhouse
Recognized as the pioneer and leader in Christian fiction, we publish over 75 new fiction and nonfiction titles annually in subjects including historical and contemporary fiction, Christian living, devotional, family resources, and theology. Our titles are frequently found on Christian bestseller lists.

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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
http://www.fundsforwriters.com

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

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