TOP SPONSOR 

Start the New Year with a gift to your writer-self!

An amazing opportunity for writers: "Retreat for the Writer's Soul" is a two-week online retreat that guides and inspires through daily discussions, meditations, and exercises to help you heal and let go of what doesn't nurture you, embrace your writer-self, find your voice, and be the writer you were meant to be.

Start the New Year with an investment in your writer-self! Devote 30 minutes a day for an experience participants call "illuminating," "nurturing," and "life-changing."

"Retreat for the Writer's Soul" starts January 3rd. 

Learn more about this opportunity and sign up here >>

(Scholarships are available!)

2020 WAS ABOUT WAKING UP

The year taught us that the norm can quickly change if not disappear, leaving us wondering what the heck do we do next. The year taught us that conforming can be good and bad. 

We learned that there are options to our lives with many throwing themselves in new directions. Some made bread, others read, others worked out, others protested, but the point was to take the gift of time we'd been given and mold something from it. 

I admit that when COVID first started, I saw it as two to four weeks of quarantine and time to rest and recoup and maybe write a little more. But when what might be seen as a long vacation turned into a serious, international, mind-blowing event, I had to realize what mattered to me. It didn't come easily. 

I lost a parent then lost a congenial relationship with a son, both of us probably lost in the midst of pandemic behavior we couldn't wrap our heads around. I lost touch with the audiobooks I did for the blind since I could not go in to record. I could not see people I wanted to see. 

So I decided to wake up. As Seth Godin recently posted in a blog, he said one of folksinger Woodie Guthrie’s resolutions was to “Wake up and fight.” But he wasn't being literal in terms of fists or bullying. He spoke of culture, but he also spoke mostly about changing self. 

We are born with self-doubt, and we often let it spill all over everything and everyone in our lives. One of my worst characteristics is self-doubt. Many have told me they don't believe that because I come across self-assured. I can only say that my appearance and presentation is a conscious effort to overcome the self-doubt. It's my way to “Wake up and fight.” 

This year, I had to dig down deeper and use it to overcome loss and mend fences with my son. I fought hard for politics, but distanced myself from the bullies and extreme fringe who criticized me for not embracing them. In that process, however, I made new friends and learned what I really stood for.

This year, I realized that writing makes me whole in a deeper way I had never thought of before. It's healing, and it's a tangible aspect of my sanity. 

So I worked with the state library to get back into audiobooks. I wrote more words and completed two manuscripts. I read more.

And after so much struggle, I developed a mantra: "Be Kind, Be Positive."

Culture is around us, and all too often we blame it for our choices and behaviors when in fact, we can create part of that culture by choosing who we want to be. Fighting can be an internal choice . . . fighting to make ourselves better so that the world is a better place just by coming in contact with us. 

Happy 2021. 

SUPER SPONSOR 

Open to un-agented writers worldwide, the First Pages Prize 2021 invites you to enter your first 5 pages of a fiction or creative nonfiction manuscript.

FIve (5) winners receive $5,000 in cash awards, a developmental edit and agent consultation. LAN SAMANTHA CHANG, director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, will judge.

Open worldwide, the competition is for writers who are currently un-agented. Entries must be unpublished, original and written in English.

We also partner with the memorial fund of board member, Sandra Carpenter, to present an additional prize, where a short- or long-listed entry of creative nonfiction by an American writer identifying as a woman is considered for the Sandra Carpenter Prize for Creative Nonfiction. This prize awards $500 and a developmental edit to one winner. All qualifying entries are automatically considered.

Enter Jan 1- Feb 7; extended deadline Feb 21, 2021.

For guidelines, visit: https://www.firstpagesprize.com/guidelines-and-termsconditions

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

Hello Hope:

I want to thank you for providing information about Melanie Steele's 15-Day "Retreat for the Writer's Soul."

It was a great experience (that I talked about in the opening paragraph of a blog post, "Four Ideas That Keep You from Writing (or Completing) That Novel, Article, or Script."  

In turn, Melanie graciously shared the article on her FB page.

You are a real inspiration to me. 

Recently, I began writing my first mystery novel, "Murder at Harlem General" set in Harlem, NY in the 1950s. (Hope to be as successful as you have been!)

Consequently, I intend to take the webinar you promoted, "Get Your Story Unstuck."

Continued success in all you do,

Sincerely,
Wista Jeanne Johnson
http://www.wistajohnson.com

- - -  


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

 

Featured article

Could UX Writing Be for You? 

By Dan Brotzel

UX writing is a growing area that generally pays well and is specialised without being impossible to break into. So what is it and could it be for you? 

What is UX writing? 

UX stands for usability or user experience, which is basically about how easy it is for people to use a website or app. UX writing basically refers to all the little bits of copy that guide people through processes on apps, websites, games consoles, software and more: instructional text, calls to action, labels, buttons, menu items, error messages, Help text and acknowledgment messages. 

Why is it growing in importance?

More and more of us are carrying out tasks online, from registering to vote to joining a dating app to buying foreign currency. All these interactive processes, or user journeys, involve an interface between a human and a computer. Increased use of apps and mobile has created many more such interfaces. All the big players like Google, Facebook and Apple have UX writers in their design teams.  

If people (users) don’t have a user-friendly experience when they try to navigate a business’s processes, lost customers and money could result. Businesses have realised that it’s not just the design of these journeys that matters; it’s also the words that are used to steer people on their way, explaining what happens next and what they need to do, and putting them back on the right track when something goes wrong.   

How does the UX writer work?

Typically the UX writer, whether freelance, contract or in-house, will be part of a multidisciplinary team, alongside designers and UX specialists, working on developing all the key user journeys for a specific app or service. They will be given prototypes or wireframes, and will need to provide the relevant copy for each step. 

The process is often iterative, which means that it is refined through testing on sample users. Where people stumble in a process, you will step in with new words to help the team solve the problem. 

Do you need specialist skills or qualifications?

In one way, UX writing is harder than it looks. We have experience of web forms and online processes that don’t work, and coming up with words to help businesses to do better is partly common sense. 

On the other hand, there’s a skill in writing that makes user journeys completely intuitive - setting expectations, removing ambiguity and writing with tremendous clarity in often very small spaces - and on brand too. UX writers aren’t there to sell or write lengthy content; it’s a very ego-less discipline that’s about getting people where they want to go as quickly and easily as possible. This means you have to understand the product or service inside out yourself too.

Many UX writers have a background in copywriting, IT development or e-learning. Bigger jobs and brands look for proven experience, but in smaller businesses the UX writing work may be part of the general digital-writing requirement. Many do not have a specialist qualification, but have developed a proven aptitude for the job. 

How do I get into it?

UX writing is developing rapidly. There are loads of great resources, from great books like Don’t Make Me Think to titles such as UX Collective. Here’s a good list of UX-related books, and another of UX writing articles. You can find UX writer jobs here, on LinkedIn and wherever else you look for writing jobs.  

Start by getting some experience, and you’ll gradually be able to trade smaller names for bigger ones. And with new developments all the time, such as UX writing for chatbots and voice assistants, this fascinating area is only set to grow. 

BIO: Read more of Dan Brotzel’s articles about writing on Medium and Dan Brotzel’s debut collection of short stories is Hotel du Jack (Sandstone Press)

COmpetitions

HACHETTE CHILDREN'S NOVEL AWARD
http://northernwritersawards.com/enter/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 18, 2021. The Hachette Children’s Novel Award is open to debut writers of middle-grade children’s fiction and early teen fiction. We accept all kinds of children’s and early teen fiction, including but not limited to historical fiction, crime, science fiction, romance, and fantasy. Please do not submit collections of short stories or individual short stories. The winning writer will receive a publishing contract from Hachette Children’s Books granting Hachette world rights in all languages, including audio, film, TV and merchandising, with an advance of £5,000 to be set against royalties. To enter, writers should submit a sample of 3,000-6,000 words and a synopsis of up to 600 words. Please answer the application questions.



NORTHBOUND BOOK AWARD
http://northernwritersawards.com/enter/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 18, 2021. The NorthBound Book Award, supported by the University of York and in partnership with Saraband, is open to writers of fiction or narrative nonfiction who have completed a full manuscript. New, emerging or established writers may apply for this award. There is one winner for this award. The award is for a full-length work. The winning writer will receive an advance against royalties of £5000, publication with Saraband and access to New Writing North’s development activities. Royalties will be paid on Saraband’s standard terms. To enter, writers should submit a full manuscript and a synopsis of up to 600 words. The award is open to submissions of work written in World English by writers of any nationality or descent who at the time of entering are permanently resident in the North of England. Applicants must currently live full-time in the North of England. The North of England is defined as the areas covered by Arts Council England in Yorkshire, North East, and North West.



NATURE AND PLACE POETRY COMPETITION 2021
https://www.therialto.co.uk/pages/nature-poetry-competition-2021/
£7 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 1, 2021. Poems are invited that deal with any aspect of nature and place. First prize – £1,000. Second prize – £500. Third prize – £250. You can submit up to six poems in one batch. Open internationally. 



ZIZZLE LITERARY CONTEST
https://zizzlelit.com/contest/
$5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 15, 2021. First Prize: $1,000. Second Prize: $500. Three finalists: $150 each. Every week during our submission period, we’ll post one-sentence dialogue writing prompts on our social media platforms. Choose a dialogue prompt that inspires you and write a story that includes the prompt. Length: 500 to 1,000 words. We are looking for fiction that will appeal to young readers from age 11 and even to full-on grown-ups.



WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING WINTER FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 28, 2021. Guest Judge: Literary Agent Maria Rogers with The Tobias Literary Agency. Seeking short fiction of any genre between 250 and 750 words. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, communication, and well-rewarded recognition to contestants. Open internationally. Limit: 300 entries. Prizes (20 winners!). First Place: $400, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Second Place: $300, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Third Place: $200, publication, interview and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Seven Runners-Up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication and interview. Ten Honorable mentions receive $20 Amazon Gift Card. Top ten stories are published in the WOW! Women On Writing ezine, and contestants are interviewed on WOW's blog, The Muffin. 



WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING Q2 CREATIVE NONFICTION ESSAY CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php#EssayContest
$12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 31, 2021. Seeking creative nonfiction essays on any topic (200-1,000 words) and in any style, from personal essay and memoir to lyric essay and hybrid, and more! The mission of this contest is to reward bravery in real-life storytelling and create an understanding of our world through thoughtful, engaging narratives. Open internationally. Limit: 300 entries. Prizes (20 winners!). First Place: $500, publication, interview, and gift card good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Second Place: $300, publication, interview, and gift card good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Third Place: $200, publication, interview, and gift card good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Seven Runners-Up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication, interview, and gift card good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Ten Honorable mentions receive a gift card good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store.



COPPER NICKEL EDITORS' PRIZES IN POETRY AND PROSE
http://copper-nickel.org/submit/
Copper Nickel accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, essays, and translation folios from September 1 to December 15, January 15 to March 1. Please submit four to six poems, one story, or one essay at a time, and please wait at least six months between submissions. For prose we do not have any length restrictions—but longer-than-normal pieces have to earn their space. Pays $30 per printed page, plus two copies of the issue in which the author’s work appears, and a one-year subscription. We also award two $500 prizes per issue—the Editors’ Prizes in Poetry and Prose—for what we consider to be the most exciting work in each issue, as determined by a vote of our in-house editorial staff.



THE CATERPILLAR POETRY PRIZE
https://www.thecaterpillarmagazine.com/a1-page.asp?ID=7679&page=2
€14 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2021. The Caterpillar Poetry Prize is an annual prize for an unpublished poem written by an adult for children aged 7–11. The Prize is open to anyone (over 16), as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. The poems can be on any subject.



MARSH HAWK PRESS POETRY PRIZE
https://marshhawkpress.org/marsh-hawk-press-poetry-prize-awards/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2021. The winner of the Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize receives $1,000, book publication and promotion. Winners of the Robert Creeley and Rochelle Ratner prizes, selected from finalists, receive $250 each. Manuscripts must be typed in a no less than 12-point font, paginated, and 48 – 84 pages in length (single spaced). 



BRISTOL SHORT STORY PRIZE
https://www.bristolprize.co.uk/
£9 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 5, 2021. Open to all published and unpublished, UK and non-UK based writers. Stories must be previously unpublished and can be on any theme or subject. The maximum length of submissions is 4,000 words. First prize is £1,000, second prize is £500, third prize is £250. Seventeen further prizes of £100 will be presented to the remaining shortlisted writers. All shortlisted writers will receive two free copies of the anthology.

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

SCIENCE AND THE ARTS IN LEEDS GRANTS - UK
https://www.leedsphilandlit.org.uk/grants/
Grants awarded normally range from £100 to £1,000, though larger sums will be considered. The Grants Committee normally meets three times a year, in January, May and September. The closing date for applications is the last day of the preceding month. The Society makes grants both to individuals and to organisations in support of cultural activities which increase innovation, outreach and diversity in Leeds and its immediate area.



SWEDISH LANGUAGE GRANTS
https://www.kulturradet.se/en/our-grants/grants-overview/swedish-literature-in-translation/
This grant aims to promote translation of Swedish literature into other, non-Nordic, languages. In order to apply for this grant, you must be a professional publisher who wants to publish a Swedish book translated into a non-Nordic language. (A separate grant is available for Nordic publishers). You must have a plan for a professional distribution of the translation in question. Any publishing house applying for this grant must have both well-documented experience of publishing quality literature as well as professional distribution channels. Neither translators nor authors may apply for translation or production subsidies through the Swedish Arts Council support scheme.  



MASSACHUSETTS ARTS FELLOWSHIPS
https://massculturalcouncil.org/artists-art/artist-fellowships/
Deadline February 8, 2021. Mass Cultural Council’s Artist Fellowships recognize exceptional work by Massachusetts artists across a range of disciplines. These highly competitive awards provide artists crucial validation among their peers and the public. Categories Crafts, Dramatic Writing, Film & Video, Music Composition, Photography, and Sculpture/Installation/New Genres. In last year’s (2020) grant cycle, Artist Fellowships were $15,000, and Finalist awards were $1,500.



SFFILM RAININ GRANT
https://sffilm.org/rainin-grant/
Deadline February 11, 2021. The SFFILM Rainin Grant program is the largest granting body for independent narrative feature films in the US. Grants support films that address social justice issues-the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges-in a positive and meaningful way through plot, character, theme, or setting and benefit the Bay Area filmmaking community in a professional and economic capacity. In addition to a cash grant of up to $25,000, recipients secure a two-month residency at FilmHouse and benefit from SFFILM’s comprehensive and dynamic artist development programs. The program is open to filmmakers in the US and internationally who can commit to spending time developing the film in San Francisco.



RASMUSON FOUNDATION
https://www.rasmuson.org/news/time-to-apply-for-2021-individual-artist-awards/
Deadline February 15, 2021 and March 1, 2021. The awards support artistic growth and exploration of new creative ground for artists living and working in Alaska. Project Award: $7,500 for a specific, short-term project that clearly benefits the artist’s growth. Fellowship: $18,000 for mid-career and mature artists to focus their energy and attention on a yearlong period of creative exploration. Award recipients receive a grant as well as professional development and promotion of their work. 

 

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

WRITERSWEEKLY
https://writersweekly.com/writersweekly-com-writers-guidelines
Before pitching, please subscribe to WritersWeekly (it’s entirely free), and read a few back issues to get familiar with our content and style. Publishes feature articles, marketing secrets, and author backstories. WritersWeekly.com focuses on “selling” the written word. We do not seek articles on how to write. Rather, we seek articles on how to make more money doing what you love . . . writing! We are also interested in other forms of home-based businesses and self-employment that may result from writing, such as self-publishing, corporate writing, etc. All ideas that help writers support themselves performing the work they love are warmly welcomed, provided we haven’t covered the topic in the past two years. Pays $60 for up to 600 words. 



FLASH FICTION MAGAZINE
https://flashfictionmagazine.com/submissions/
We pay $40 (USD) for stories selected to be in Flash Fiction Magazine anthologies. During the first quarter of 2021, we will be voting on our favorite story of 2020. The award is $1,000. We accept fiction stories between 300 and 1,000 words. We accept submissions from all over the world. We do not accept poetry. We do not accept children’s fiction. We do not accept erotica. 



ELLERY QUEEN MYSTERY MAGAZINE
https://www.elleryqueenmysterymagazine.com/contact-us/writers-guidelines/
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine welcomes submissions from both new and established writers. We publish every kind of mystery short story: the psychological suspense tale, the deductive puzzle, the private eye case—the gamut of crime and detection from the realistic (including the policeman's lot and stories of police procedure) to the more imaginative (including "locked rooms" and "impossible crimes"). We need hard-boiled stories as well as "cozies," but we are not interested in explicit sex or violence. We do not want true detective or crime stories. EQMM uses stories of almost every length. Preferred word length is 2,500-8,000 words. Shorter stories are also considered, including minute mysteries of as little as 250 words. Our rates for original stories are from five to eight cents a word, sometimes higher for established authors. 



PUBLIC SAFETY REPORTER
https://www.journalismjobs.com/1661010-public-safety-court-reporter-the-sheridan-press
Location Sheridan, Wyoming. If you want to work with the best and be a part of an evolving and forward-thinking newsroom, all while covering local public safety and breaking news, this is the job for you. The successful candidate will be curious and comfortable digging for truth, navigating the criminal justice system and asking tough questions of authority figures. This position also covers the Crow Indian Reservation north of Sheridan. 

 

Publishers/agents

SFK PRESS
https://sfkpress.com/submissions/
SFK Press seeks book-length fiction by fearless authors. Our mission is to tell a million tales of y’all means ALL, with a Southern accent. While SFK Press provides full-scale editorial, design, and marketing services at no cost to the author, we want to know that our authors will help us sell their books and fulfill our mission to tell a million tales of y’all means all.



GILL BOOKS
https://www.gillbooks.ie/write-for-us
Gill Books welcomes unsolicited proposals from first-time and experienced authors alike. Please note that we only accept proposals for works of nonfiction and children’s; we do not publish adult fiction, poetry, short stories, or plays. In general we focus on books of Irish interest.



DALKEY ARCHIVE
http://www.dalkeyarchive.com/submission-guidelines/
Please keep in mind as well that we publish primarily literary fiction, rarely poetry or nonfiction, and that we place a heavy emphasis upon fiction that belongs to the experimental tradition of Sterne, Joyce, Rabelais, Flann O’Brien, Beckett, Gertrude Stein, and Djuna Barnes.



INANNA
https://www.inanna.ca/publish-us/
We welcome fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and essays on ideas, society, politics, culture, and the arts that speak to the diverse lives of women around the world. While we do not restrict our always-expanding sense of what makes a contribution “feminist” — we strive for a presentation of different perspectives — we will not publish writing that is sexist, racist, homophobic, or in any other way discriminatory or harmful to women.



CHELSEA GREEN
https://www.chelseagreen.com/about/submission-guidelines/
Chelsea Green is a nonfiction publisher that focuses on publishing books that promote the “politics and practice of sustainable living.”

 

SPONSORS

www.fundsforwriters.com/advertising 

FINE PRINT

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

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ISSN: 1533-1326

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