FundsforWriters - January 10, 2020 - The Rocks in Your Writing Plan

Published: Fri, 01/10/20

Volume 20, Issue 2 | january 10, 2020

Message from the Editor

I jinxed things last week. My wonderful new year wound up in the hospital with Dad. If you recall, my mother passed away in September from Alzheimer's. Dad has it as well, but not quite as bad, though it is progressing.

He fell. His Alzheimer's makes him contrary, and he's worse. I'm yelled at and cursed. Of course I have learned that a lot of that is the disease, and the nurses and doctors pat me on the back and say they understand. But...it ain't fun.

But for some reason fate threw this in my path, and if I have to, I'll put a piece of this in a story. Frankly, while sitting in the ER yesterday, watching three cops handle an inmate who came in with a head injury, fully shackled, I started thinking. My current book has a bad guy in the hospital. . . hmmm.

A technician noticed how I wrote a lot. As legal guardian of my dad, I report annually to the court, so I have copious notes of care and management, plus I did work on the novel a bit. She asked if I wrote stories. I said I did and gave her a card. "Are you famous?" she asked.

How do you answer that? "I've written ten books, am completing another with two more in its wake."

She assumed I was famous. LOL I'll take it.

So...when life messes with you, fall back on your writing. Own it, use it, practice it, and tell the crap in your lap that it takes a backseat to your writing.

C. Hope Clark
Editor, FundsforWriters
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EDITOR’S THOUGHTS

THE ROCKS IN YOUR WRITING PLAN

You've decided you are a writer. Like any profession, part-time or full-time, you have to map out your days, weeks, and months for better efficiency. Same goes for writing.

Start with your major plans.

And don't make lightweight, pie-in-the-sky goals that are, in essence, fluffy resolutions. I write two books a year. I publish 52 weekly newsletters with FundsforWriters. Those two requirements overwhelmingly drive my year. What are yours?

In a recent article with Fast Company, a quote from Amazon's senior horticulturalist strikes home this concept:

“Every night, I send myself an email with the subject line: Rocks.” —Ron Gagliardo

It sounds weird, but the senior manager of horticulture at Amazon uses this reminder to separate the important “rocks” on his to-do list from the gravel, which can get in the way of productivity. What are your rocks?

Add benchmarks to those major plans.

I write 1,000 words a day for the novels. Could I write more? Sure, but 1,000 is a requirement. I don't want to burn out, and once 1,000 is simple, I'll increase the goal for the next year.

I create chunks of the newsletters each day, with editorials and feature pieces being planned out weeks and months in advance. Letter to the proofer by Monday morning. Proofed newsletter received by Wednesday night. Advertisements in place by Thursday. Delivery by Friday at 3 PM. Do these shift this way or that? Can Friday become 9 PM instead of 3? Sure, but the rules are there to keep me on track. I'm focusing on my rocks.

Market five times a week.

Whether social media, mailings, meeting someone local, appearing at a book club, or even designing marketing material, I keep marketing at the forefront. It doesn't have to be expensive or explosive in delivery. A little bit each time adds up.

Keep a calendar.

I have a paper calendar on my desk and an up-to-the-minute calendar on my phone, synced to my husband's so that he is fully aware as well. When I have a writing event or deadline, he knows to plan around it.

I may have freelance opportunities pop up, or appearances happen in bunches, which I'll make extra effort to accommodate, but I have the foundation of my writing in place to keep me grounded. While I love writing for its independence and liberating feel, if I have no structure, little gets done.

The arts take diligence, like any other profession, which means planning. Define your rocks.

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.

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HOPE'S APPEARANCES

January 21, 2020 - 2:30 PM -Newberry Literary Society, Newberry Library, SC
March 23, 2020 - 7:15 PM - St. Andrews Women's Club, Irmo, SC
April 25, 2020 - 2-5 PM - Palmetto Scribe Event - Irmo Library, Irmo, SC

SUCCESS QUOTE

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”

– Edith Lovejoy Pierce

SUccess Story

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]

Have Your Manuscript Read Back to You on Your Computer

By Rod Martinez

Writing is a challenge. We who love to write feel joy, pain, anxiety, rage, sadness, the full gamut. After all, our work is a part of us. The stress of meeting a deadline or even just writing for fun is challenging enough, but after you've finished that first draft and re-edited and re-edited... and re-edited, how do we know we have a perfect product? If you are to follow the unwritten code of editing, you've surely heard the phrase "read your manuscript out loud."

Sure, it's our baby, why not? But we're in the 21st century, here's an idea, wouldn't it be great if your computer could read it to you – like it did for Captain Kirk?

Believe it or not, if you used Microsoft Word to create your masterpiece, the geniuses at Microsoft already did the work for you, and you don't even have to be on the bridge of the Enterprise to access this marvel. There's a built-in app for Office 2010 and newer to allow your document to be read to you. It's easy to set up and in no time you can have your words read out loud to you. Besides, wouldn't it be better for you to just sit back with a pair of earbuds and a cup of coffee and have your laptop do the work? You need to save your vocal cords for the Pulitzer and Keynote addresses you'll be making.

Follow these steps to allow Microsoft Office products to read your documents.

For users of Office 365, Word 2019 and 2016, Microsoft has a plug-in called "Read Aloud." To access:

· Open a document.

· Click or tap at the beginning of the passage you want to hear.

· Place your cursor at the beginning of the document to read the whole document aloud.

· Select Review > Read Aloud.

For Office 2010-2013 it's a little trickier, but doable. Open an Office app, like Word:

· Click FILE then click OPTIONS

· Click CUSTOMIZE RIBBON

· Click CHOOSE COMMANDS FROM" section, click down arrow and select COMMANDS NOT IN THE RIBBON

· Scroll down to SPEAK. Highlight it, then

· In the CUSTOMIZE THE RIBBON group, click the HOME (in the MAIN TABS group), click the NEW GROUP button at bottom of window, click RENAME, in the pop-up window, type Speak and choose any icon and click OK.

· Make sure SPEAK is still highlighted in the left column and click ADD in the middle of the panels

· Click OK, and the speak icon will appear on your HOME ribbon on the far right when you go back to your office product.

· Open a document, highlight a block of words, and click Speak. Enjoy your cup of Joe.

Go on, give it a try. Your laptop is your silent writing partner anyway. Give it a chance to use its voice.

BIO: Attracted to words at an early age, Rod's first book was created in grade school, his teacher used it to encourage creativity in her students. His high school English teacher told him to try short story writing, he listened, and the rest – as they say, is history. http://rodmartinez.us and facebook.com/authorrodmartinez

COmpetitions

KEATS-SHELLEY PRIZES
https://keats-shelley.org/prizes/keats_shelley_prize_2020
£10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 21, 2020. The theme of 2020’s Keats-Shelley Prize is Songbird. This marks two landmark bicentenaries in Romantic poetry. The composition 200 years ago of PB Shelley’s To a Skylark and the publication in book form of John Keats’ Ode to a Nightingale. Poems are limited to 30 lines. Essays may be on any aspect of the works or lives of the Romantics and their circles, should be no more than 3,000 words including quotations. Total prizes worth over £5,000.

WATERSTON DESERT WRITING PRIZE
https://www.waterstondesertwritingprize.org/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 1, 2020. The mission of the Waterston Desert Writing Prize is to strengthen and support the literary arts and humanities in the high desert region of the Northwest through recognition of literary excellence in nonfiction writing about desert landscapes, through community interaction with the winning authors of the annual prize, and presentations and programs that take place in association with the prize. The prize will recognize one writer with a $2,500 cash award, a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, and a residency at PLAYA at Summer Lake, Oregon.

VOCES LATINX NATIONAL PLAYWRITING COMPETITION
https://repertorio.nyc/opportunities#/nuestrasvoces-submit
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 1, 2020. Subject matter and characters must resonate with Latinx audiences and accurately depict the Latinx/Hispanic experience. Original and un-produced. Full length plays (at least one hour and 15 minutes). Written in either Spanish or English. Finalists will receive a staged reading at Repertorio to further develop the script. Grand Prize Winner: $3,000. 2nd Place: $2,000. 3rd Place: $1,000. By submitting your play to the competition, Repertorio Español shall have a right to produce the play for a period of two years.

JOE GOUVEIA OUTERMOST POETRY CONTEST
https://womr.org/annual-outermost-poetry-contest-2/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 14, 2020. Awards $1,000 to a national winner and $300 to a regional, Cape Cod-based poet. Send up to five unpublished poems, any style or subject. Limit seven pages. One poem per page.

PUBLIC POETRY
http://www.publicpoetry.net/contests/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 16, 2020. Theme is Wicked Wit. First prize $1,000. Winner and finalists are published in an anthology. Anyone can submit, including outside the USA. Limit of 40 lines per poem.

SIXFOLD STORY AND POETRY PRIZES
http://www.sixfold.org/
$5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 24, 2020. All-writer-voted and open to all, Sixfold three-round manuscript voting is the most rigorous, thorough, fair, and transparent editorial selection process available. To create each issue, hundreds of writers vote to select the best fiction and poetry manuscripts with much more discernment than any other editorial. Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Sixfold are given quarterly for a group of poems and a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems totaling no more than ten pages or up to 20 pages of prose.

THE WINTER ANTHOLOGY CONTEST
http://www.winteranthology.com/
$11 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 31, 2020. Please send as much poetry or prose as you like. Whole manuscripts are welcome. Send writings of which you are the sole author and that were not written earlier than 1999. Published and unpublished writings are equally welcome. The winner will be published in Volume 8 of The Winter Anthology and receive a $1,000 honorarium. Finalists will also be considered for publication.

CRAZYHORSE CONTEST
https://crazyhorse.cofc.edu/prizes/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 31, 2020. Submit short stories and essays of up to 25 pages or a set of one to three poems. Winners in each genre will receive $2,000 and publication. Entry fee includes a subscription.

THE TERRY COX POETRY AWARD
https://www.regalhousepublishing.com/the-terry-j-cox-poetry-award/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 31, 2020. The 2020 winner receives poetry publication by Regal House Publishing in the spring of 2021 in paperback and $1,000 prize. Minimum of 48 pages, maximum of 100 pages of poetry.

KRAKEN BOOK PRIZE
https://www.regalhousepublishing.com/the-kraken-book-award/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 30, 2020. Recognized finely crafted middle-grade fiction. Winner receives $750 and publication. Minimum of 120 pages, maximum of 350 pages.

AUTUMN HOUSE RISING WRITER NONFICTION CONTEST
https://www.autumnhouse.org/submissions/rising-writers/
Deadline January 31, 2020. The Rising Writer Contest is for a first full-length book of poetry by an author 33 years old or younger. The winner receives publication of a full-length manuscript and $1,000. Nonfiction submissions should be approximately 50-80 pages.

WRITER'S DIGEST SHORT SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/short-short-story-competition
$30 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 13, 2020. Think you can write a winning story in 1,500 words or less? Enter the 20th Annual Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition for your chance to win $3,000 in cash, get published in Writer’s Digest magazine, and a paid trip to our ever-popular Writer’s Digest Conference. First place $3,000, second place $1,500, third place $500, and fourth through tenth places $100.

CONTEMPORARY POETRY CHAPBOOK CONTEST
https://www.kallistogaiapress.org/kallisto-gaia-press/2020-contemporary-poetry-chapbook-prize/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 20, 2020. Submit 28 to 48 pages of contemporary poetry. Winner receives $800, publication and distribution by Kallisto Gaia Press, and up to $300 stipend for travel to Austin TX USA for the launch event. Also, 20 copies of the chapbook with ARCs sent to reviewers and award foundations.

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

LITERARY EVENT GRANTS OF GEORGIA
https://www.georgiawriters.org/literary-events-grant-of-georgia/
Literary Event Grants of Georgia (LEGG) supports writers’ fees for literary events in underserved communities across the state. Literary events include readings, workshops, presentations, and performances. We provide grants of $50-$250 for a literary event. We strongly encourage organizations to match our payments to writers, but this requirement may be waived if there are extenuating circumstances. The writer for whom LEGG is requested must be listed in the Georgia Writers Registry (if not registered, writers may apply to register through the Georgia Writers Association). Eligible writers include poets and performance poets, fiction and creative nonfiction writers, and playwrights.

IDAHO QUICK FUNDS DEVELOPMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS
https://arts.idaho.gov/grants/profdev-individuals/
Deadline March 9, 2020. This quarterly Quick Funds grant opportunity supports the professional development of artists and arts administrators. Applicants may receive reimbursement for attending a conference, workshop, or other form of professional development. Award amount up to $750 and requires a cash match of 1:1.

NEVADA ARTIST FELLOWSHIP GRANT
https://nvculture.org/nevadaartscouncil/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/10/FY21-GUIDELINES-ARTIST-FELLOWSHIP-V9-FINAL.pdf
Deadline April 15, 2020. Grant amount $5,000. Open to Nevada artists. In the literary arts, submit creative prose (fiction and nonfiction), dramatic writing, and poetry. Must be a current Nevada resident and have been in residence for at least one year prior to the date of the application. Must be a U.S. citizen or have legal resident status. Must be at least 21 years old. Must not be enrolled as degree-seeking student. Individual artists applying for an Artist Fellowship must be actively practicing in the discipline reflected in their résumé/biography and have an ongoing commitment to their art form.

DOBIE PAISANO FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
https://dobiepaisano.utexas.edu/
Deadline January 15, 2020. The Dobie Paisano Fellowship Program provides solitude, time, and a comfortable place for Texas writers or writers who have written significantly about Texas. The retreat is on a 250-acre ranch about 20 minutes west of Austin. The Jesse H. Jones Writing Fellowship will be aimed at, though certainly not limited to, writers who are early in their careers and who would benefit from an extended period at the ranch. This coming year, the residency will be from January 7, 2021 - April 30, 2021, with a $4,500 per month stipend. The Ralph A. Johnston Memorial Fellowship is aimed at writers who have already demonstrated some publishing and critical success. This coming year, the residency will be from September 1, 2020 - December 31, 2020, with a $6,000 per month stipend.

BARBARA DEMING MEMORIAL FUND
https://demingfund.org/
Money for Women is the oldest ongoing feminist granting agency. Small artist support grants ($500-$1,500) to individual feminist women in the arts who are citizens with primary residence in the U.S and Canada. Interested in funding projects which have begun or are well underway and for which you have substantial work to show. Film, video, theatre, dance, music and performance projects, scripts and compositions are not eligible. We do not award work which is or will be self-published.

NYC EMERGING WRITER FELLOWSHIP
https://centerforfiction.org/grants-awards/nyc-emerging-writers-fellowship/
Deadline January 31, 2020. The Center for Fiction NYC Emerging Writer Fellowship offers grants, editorial mentorship, and other opportunities to early-career New York City-based practitioners who are at a critical moment in their development as fiction writers. During the one-year fellowship period, grantees will receive: $5,000, the opportunity to have their manuscript revised and critiqued by an experienced editor, access to write in our Writers Studio, the opportunity to meet with editors, authors, and agents who represent new writers at monthly dinners, two public readings as part of our annual program of events, a professional headshot for personal publicity use, inclusion in an anthology distributed to industry professionals, tickets to our First Novel Fete and/or Benefit & Awards Dinner, and complimentary admission to all Center events.

FREELANCE MARKETS

CHICKEN SOUP: LISTEN TO YOUR DREAMS
http://www.chickensoup.com
Deadline February 28, 2020. We want to know about your dreams. What have you learned from your dreams? Did you listen? Did any of your dreams come true? Did a dream strengthen your faith or help you change the direction your life was headed in? Did some miraculous insight serve as a warning about something that was going to happen? Please do not submit stories about realizing your dreams, as in aspirations or hopes. We are talking about dreams while you are asleep! Pays $200 and ten copies for up to 1,200 words.

KANSTELLATION
https://www.kanstellation.com/submissions.html
Deadline January 15, 2020. The theme for the second issue is the nuance of scientific discovery and the pitfalls of scientific progress. This edition does not seek to showcase how science interacts with the genre of horror. We’re looking for writing and art that explores the unintended side effects or consequences of scientific advancement, including but not limited to the areas of biology, physics, chemistry, and geology. What does progress erase? How are our emotions infiltrated in the failures of science? Send up to four poems in one Word document. Flash fiction/flash nonfiction of 500 to 1,000 words. Send up to two flash pieces in one Word document. Short Fiction/Creative Nonfiction/Essay pf 1,000 to 2,500 words. Send up to two pieces of prose in one Word document. We are offering $60 for each poem, illustration, or photograph, $100 for each flash piece (fiction or nonfiction), and $120 for each essay accepted for publication paid via PayPal upon acceptance.

2020 LESBIAN HISTORIC MOTIF PODCAST FICTION SERIES
https://www.alpennia.com/lhmp/essays/call-submissions-2020-lesbian-historic-motif-podcast-fiction-series
Deadline January 31, 2020. We will accept short fiction of any length up to 5,000 words. We will be buying a total of five stories. If we get some really great flash fiction, there’s the possibility of more. Stories must be set in an actual historic culture - i.e., a specific time and place in history - and the plot and characters should be firmly rooted in that time and place. (No time-travel or past memories, please.) Pays eight cents/word.

MYSTERION
https://www.mysteriononline.com/p/submission-guidelines.html
Open to fiction submissions each year during the months of January and July. Stories can be up to 9,000 words. We pay eight cents/word for original stories (or original translations of stories that have not previously appeared in English), and four cents/word for reprints. The story must have a speculative element. It needs something beyond the everyday. We love science fiction and fantasy, enjoy good ghost stories, and think there's great fiction material hidden in the mysteries of Christian theology - cherubim, leviathan, Nephilim, visions, prophecy, and more. The story must engage with Christianity.

Publishers/agents

ANNIE BOMKE LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.abliterary.com/Submissions.aspx
Annie Bomke Literary Agency is interested in representing a wide variety of adult and YA fiction and nonfiction, including commercial and literary fiction, upmarket fiction, mysteries (from hilarious cozies to gritty police procedurals and everything in between), historical fiction, women’s fiction, psychological thrillers, literary/psychological horror, self-help, business, health/diet, cookbooks, memoir, relationships, current events, psychology, and narrative nonfiction. Especially looking for books that feature diverse characters.

FUSE LITERARY
https://www.fuseliterary.com/submissions/
Fuse Literary represents both fiction and nonfiction in a variety of categories and genres. The agency does not represent poetry or screenplays. Do not send attachments with your query. Do not submit a full-length manuscript or proposal unless requested. Do not query multiple agents at Fuse simultaneously. Sign up for their newsletter to keep up with what they are successful at and what they are seeking.

NORTHBANK TALENT
https://www.northbanktalent.com/contact/
We are actively seeking new clients and welcome all submissions, whether from debut or established talent. Northbank Talent Management is a talent and literary agency based in central London representing thought leaders, broadcasters and writers across all media throughout the world. Our team has decades of collective experience in the publishing, broadcast, brand licensing and corporate speaking industries which makes for a powerful offering in full-service talent representation. Location London.

HANDSPUN LITERARY AGENCY
http://handspunlit.com/about/
Handspun is a boutique literary agency located in San Diego, CA. We take a hands-on, editorial approach to our clients’ work and careers. For adult fiction, Handaspun represents only mainstream fiction (including historical fiction and women’s fiction), romance (all subgenres except inspirational), mystery novels, and speculative fiction. For nonfiction, Handspun represents work targeting all age groups (children and adults). Though she will consider nonfiction on any topic, work that deals primarily with issues of religion or spirituality is unlikely to be a good fit. Not currently accepting new middle-grade, early reader, or picture book submissions.