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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS

WE ARE ALL BUSY

Why is it we worry about whether we think other people think we are busy? If someone asks what we've been doing, we have to make sure it sounds terribly busy. Too-much-to-do-in-a-day-type busy.

We feel we have to sound like we've been too busy to write, or that we've been hard at it, just not published yet. A nonwriter usually thinks of writing as synonymous with publishing, and we feel inclined to make it sound like we sweat feverishly over a keyboard 20 hours a day with publishing right around the corner. 

Everyone who wants to be busy is busy. But are they productive?

Busy is doing, one minute to the next. Productive, however, is strategic. And productive means you reached a goal, producing something of value. 

Do not confuse being busy with being productive. In many cases, the former interferes with the latter.

"A writer writes. Always." - Billy Crystal in Throw Momma from the Train

That is the first mantra. Once you develop that habit, then you decide what's considered productive. 

Polishing a Harper-Lee-type, once-in-a-lifetime novel is perfectly fine, as long as that is your goal. Some work on the same novel because they are afraid of doing anything else. Some just don't make the time to write more. 

Earning X dollars per month is another type of writing goal.

Writing 1,000 words a day is yet another, with an end game, of course.

The point is we are all busy. But you are the one who decides what you are busy doing and to what end. Nobody else but you. 


(14057173 © Gan Hui | Dreamstime.com)

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Especially audio . . . read by the author. 

  


 

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

 SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

Hi Hope,

Thanks to your tip in the Jan. 2021 FundsforWriters, my short story, My Father's Messiah, won First Prize in the Katherine Paterson Young Adult Literature competition from Hunger Mountain Journal.


Evelyn Krieger
Author of the award-winning novel, One Is Not A Lonely Number
www.EvelynKrieger.net 


 - - - 

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






 

Featured article

Can I Write About Parenting When I Don't Have Kids?

by Sue Fagalde Lick 

A friend recently emailed a link to an essay that he had published in Motherwell, an online parenting magazine. The essay was about an old dish and how it got passed down through the family and repurposed over the years. I could write something like that, I thought, but shoot, Motherwell is for parents, and I am not a parent. 

But wait a minute. The guidelines state, "Motherwell is a publication that tells all sides of the parenting story." They list a number of topics for which they're currently seeking articles or essays. Even though I don't have kids, I found many of them intriguing. And doesn't "all sides of the parenting story" imply that I can come at it from a non-mother point of view? 

Hundreds of publications aimed at parents offer a big paying market for writers. National, regional, Christian, special needs kids, special interests. Are we barred from writing for them if we're not parents? We are not. Writers can write about anything as long as they can gather the necessary material by interviewing the right people and asking the right questions. Maybe we don't have our own children to write about, but we can certainly weave someone else's experiences into our stories. 

Years ago, when I lived in California, I was a regular contributor to Bay Area Parent. Although I was learning a lot about teens through my husband's kids, I was pretty clueless about babies and younger children. If people asked me about my childbirth experiences or what my kids were like as toddlers, I didn't have anything to offer, but here's the thing. We are surrounded by people who do have children and would be happy to talk about them. I could do research. I could ask questions. 

While I was writing for Bay Area Parent, I also wrote home and garden pieces for several publications. I lived in a mobile home at the time, but found myself touring mansions. It was my job to ask questions like, "What do you call that kind of sink?" and "Where did you get that antique chair?" Over the years, I have written about carpets, fences, and asbestos ceilings, as well as beer-brewing, taffy-making, and competitive weightlifting, subjects about which I had minimal knowledge when I started. I didn't have to be the expert; I just had to find someone who was. 

If you don't personally have children, there's no reason you can't write about the challenges that face your friends, family, or co-workers' families. Most parenting publications are looking for advice on how to handle the many different aspects of raising kids. Over the years, I have written about "only" children, left-handed kids, gymnastics, picky eaters, and school lunches. You're a writer, and you were a child once. You can do this. 

Most publishing magazines and newspapers prefer that writers send queries rather than completed manuscripts. As with any other kind of publication, read a few issues to get a feel for what they publish, follow the guidelines, and give it a shot. 

We aren't limited to writing about what we know. We can write about what we'd like to know. Sometimes, with the curiosity of a newcomer, we get an even better story. 

Here are some helpful links to explore: 

"29 Parenting Blogs and Magazines That Pay Freelance Writers" https://thewritelife.com/parenting-blogs/

"Parenting Publications" https://www.freelancewriting.com/writers-guidelines/parenting-publications/ 

Brain, Child Magazine https://brainchildmag.submittable.com/submit 

Atlanta Parent https://www.atlantaparent.com/writers_guidelines/ 

Thriving Family (Christian) https://www.focusonthefamily.com/ 

Adoptive Families https://www.adoptivefamilies.com/about-us/writers-guidelines/ 

Family Fun Magazine http://images.meredith.com/parents/pdf/WritersGuidelines2013.pdf 

Green Parent https://thegreenparent.co.uk/downloads/Writers_Guidelines_2010.pdf 

BIO: Sue Fagalde Lick, a former California journalist, is a writer/musician/dog mom living with her dog Annie in the woods on the Oregon coast. Her books include Stories Grandma Never Told, Freelancing for Newspapers: Writing for an Overlooked Market, and Love or Children: When You Can't Have Both. She blogs about childlessness at https://www.childlessbymarrigeblog.com and life on the Oregon coast at https://www.unleashedinoregon.com.









 

COmpetitions

FURIOUS FICTION
https://www.writerscentre.com.au/furious-fiction/
NO ENTRY FEE. Next opening August 6, 2021. On the first weekend of every month, you are invited to put your storytelling skills to the test in the ultimate writer-takes-all short story competition. Armed only with our simple brief, your job is to race the clock and in 55 hours come up with your best 500 words-or-fewer story and be in to win a tasty $500 AUD – every single month. Entry must be in English and is open to entrants worldwide aged 17 years and over. 



LEVAR BURTON READS WRITING CONTEST
https://www.fiyahlitmag.com/levar-burton-reads-origins-encounters-writing-contest/
Deadline August 31, 2021. Do you write speculative fiction (scifi, fantasy, horror)? Do you love the podcast? Have you dreamed of getting your work in front of THE LeVar Burton ever since the days of Reading Rainbow? Well, here’s your shot. We are looking for one special story to be featured in Season 10 of the podcast. We are interested in stories that examine the magical joys and tragic pitfalls of blended civilizations and cultural exchanges in all their forms. The First Place Winner shall receive $500 and First Place Winner’s submission shall be published on Tor.com and read by LeVar Burton on an upcoming episode of the LeVar Burton Reads podcast. The Second Place Winner shall receive $250 (two hundred and fifty dollars) and the Second Place Winner’s Submission shall be published on Tor.com. The Third Place Winner shall receive $100 and the Third Place Winner’s Submission shall be published on Tor.com.



MEDIUM STORYTELLER CONTEST
https://blog.medium.com/introducing-the-medium-writers-challenge-f8a95f6d17f
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 24, 2021. The four finalists will be announced on September 21, 2021 followed by the grand prize recipient announcement on September 23, 2021. At Medium, we’re all about discovering and nurturing great writing. This challenge is a chance for you to share your best ideas with an esteemed panel of judges and millions of Medium readers — plus, an opportunity to win $50,000. We’re providing four prompts to help guide your writing. Select one or more to write to, then publish your 500-word story on Medium with the relevant tag. At the end of the four weeks, and with the help of our judges, Medium will select four winners — one for each writing prompt — who will be awarded $10,000 each. One grand prize winner will receive $50,000. Additionally, 100 honorable mentions will win $100 each.



HELEN ANNE BELL POETRY BEQUEST AWARD
https://slamsydney.submittable.com/submit/193455/the-helen-anne-bell-poetry-bequest-award-2021
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 20, 2021. Presented by the Department of English at the University of Sydney, the Helen Anne Bell Poetry Bequest Award is funded by the generous bequest of former student of the University, Helen Anne Bell. This year the award offers an increased prize of $40,000 for a collection of poems by an Australian woman poet and its publication by Vagabond Press. We invite women poets to submit a collection of poems between 50 to 80 pages to the award. The work should broadly deal with Australian culture in some way; otherwise there are no restrictions on subject matter.



JACK GRAPES POETRY PRIZE
https://www.culturaldaily.com/jack-grapes-poetry-prize-2021/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 31, 2021. Three winners will receive $500 each, plus publication. Nine finalists will receive $100 each, plus publication. Winners and finalists will be announced in mid-October. You may submit ONE, previously unpublished poem. If the poem has appeared in any book, magazine or edited website, including Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, then it is published. 



LEE SMITH NOVEL PRIZE
https://blair.submittable.com/submit
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 1, 2021. Winner will receive $1,000 and publication. Submissions should be full-length, literary fiction novel manuscripts of at least 25,000 words. Please note that Blair does not publish genre fiction. 



THE WRITER SUMMER FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://www.writermag.com/contests/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 12, 2021. Grand prize $1,000 and publication. Word count 1,000 words or less. The second-place winner will receive $500 and publication on the website, writermag.com; and the third-place winner will receive $250 and publication on writermag.com as well.



MONSTER - A SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://onthepremises.com/current-contest/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 3, 2021. For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which someone or something is considered to be a monster… and maybe that’s accurate! Maybe you’re writing a straightforward horror story. Or maybe the “monster” label is terrible and undeserved. Or is the truth somewhere in between? That’s entirely up to you.
 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

WALLACE STEGNER RESIDENCY GRANT
https://stegnerhouse.ca/program-information
Deadline August 31, 2021. Artists and writers from around the world are invited to create and explore the land from Wallace Stegner’s historic childhood home as part of a one-month residency program. We are accepting submissions for the month of December 2021 and 11 monthly residencies for 2022. Writers, visual and performing artists from around the world are invited to apply for this residency. Writers must have had their work published; visual and performing artists their work in a public show or gallery to qualify for residency. Applicants must have Canadian citizenship. Applicants must be published writers (self-publication does not qualify). This Grant consists of a $500 grant and one-month free residency. 



MACCOLL JOHNSON FELLOWSHIP - RHODE ISLAND
https://artistcommunities.submittable.com/submit/196682/maccoll-johnson-fellowships-2021-writers
Deadline August 9, 2021. The fellowship program awards $25,000 grants to as many as three local emerging or mid-career writers to enable them to devote time to the creative process, focus on personal or professional development, expand their body of work, and explore new directions. Three more will receive $3,000. 



AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN - NEVADA ARTISTS
https://www.nvartscouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/FY22-GUIDELINES-ARP-GRANT-IND-FINAL.pdf
Two cycles: August 1-December 31, 2021 and January 1-June 30, 2022. The Nevada Arts Council will award ARP funds to individual artists throughout Nevada to support the production and presentation of artistic projects across all disciplines and help artists rebuild after the impacts of COVID-19. Examples of eligible projects include art exhibitions, performances, readings, concerts, the creation of art, and portfolio creation. Virtual/online projects are also eligible. Must be a current Nevada resident and have been in residence for at least one year prior to the date of the grant application and not be a student. These are $1,000 grants.



ARTIST SUPPORT GRANTS - DURHAM ARTS COUNCIL
https://durhamarts.org/artist-support/
Deadline September 3, 2021. The Artist Support Grant was created to provide direct support to individual artists during and following the COVID–19 pandemic. The initiative will fund professional and artistic development for emerging and established artists to enhance their skills and abilities to create work or improve their business operations and capacity to bring their work to new audiences. Artists must live in Durham, Orange, Alamance, or Person Counties to apply.

  

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER'S OPINION SECTION
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/philadelphia-inquirer-op-ed-opinion-pitch-submission-20191129.html
The Inquirer is looking for op-ed pieces that are well-written with a fact-based viewpoint. That primarily takes the shape of commentary on news events, but we also strive to publish reflections on cultural trends, and the occasional personal or explanatory essay. Length - 650 words is a good length. Specifically looking for pieces about climate and energy. Pitch to [email protected] , Elena Gooray. Freelance op-eds typically start at $100, depending on length, reporting, and research.



5280
https://www.5280.com/
Pitch stories about Colorado/Denver (travel, outdoor recreation, urban development, business, etc.). Rate is around 75 cents per word, or $300-$375 for pieces of 400-500 words. Nicholas Hunt, Senior Associate Editor, [email protected]. 



THE FULLER PROJECT
https://fullerproject.org/pitch-us/
The Fuller Project is interested in excellent and enterprising stories on issues that affect women in the United States and globally. We are not looking for profiles, essays, or op-eds. There are several ways The Fuller Project publishes work, including our website and newsletter as well as with respected news outlets and media organizations in the U.S. and around the world to publish, cross-publish and feature our reporting. We are taking pitches on labor/economy, environment/climate, health, politics/policy, etc. through a gender lens. Pays up to $1/word. 



FLYING CAT MARKETING
https://flyingcatmarketing.com/write-for-us/
We're an SEO-driven content marketing agency, so knowing about SEO is a plus, but it's not necessary. We provide multi-lingual content. Although we mostly need writers with a native level of English, our needs for writing in other languages, like Spanish and French, are growing considerably. Nearly all of our content is long-form blog content, but we do sometimes also create newsletters, landing pages, and email campaigns. You'd work with a dedicated strategist, editor, and project manager who are smart and great to work with. We create content for the following niches: B2B tech (data quality, proptech, travel tech, martech, fintech—please specify which you're most familiar with in your application); Hospitality & travel tech (property automation tech, channel managers, property management software); Sales; Product management; and Customer support management. Pays €250 per piece. 



CANOPY ATLANTA
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfRS54MVQtL0ER-czz05xl10dErUeefv9asd7Tbqo8t3R0SzQ/viewform
Deadline August 15, 2021. Our Bankhead issue will be released in late fall. Your story idea must be rooted in some way in or about Bankhead or Grove Park—maybe it's an issue specific to the area; a piece of its history; or a way in which something happening Bankhead is representative of a bigger issue. We commission written stories (short and long form), photo essays, audio, graphic ideas, and more. We pay competitively and prioritize pitches from journalists with Bankhead or Grove Park connections (though that's not required to work with us). You can also email a pitch to [email protected]. Pay rate starts at $.50/word. 



DARKLIGHT ART
https://www.darklight-art.com
We're looking for freelance art writers to join our team. Email a writing sample to [email protected]. Pays £100 per written piece [900 words] or £125/day for a more consistent role one day per week writing content and comms.



ATMOS
https://atmos.earth/
Madeleine Gregory, Associate Editor at Atmos, seeks pitches on climate change with a cultural view. Pays $1 per word. 


 
LIFE BEYOND US - AN ANTHOLOGY
https://laksamedia.moksha.io/publication/european-astrobiology-institute-presents-life-beyond-us/guidelines
Deadline August 20, 2021. The anthology will address strange new worlds here on Earth and beyond ours in at least 28 scifi stories. Each story will be accompanied by a companion essay (written by scientists working on the origins of life, habitability and life detection) about the science behind the world that the authors include. Length: 1,000-5,000 words. Payment: eight cents USD/word. 



DIRT: A SPECIAL ISSUE
https://www.guernicamag.com/about/submissions/
Deadline September 1, 2021. In  this special issue of Guernica, edited by Michele Moses, we want to examine dirt at the intersection of the societal, the personal, and the ecological—dirt as metaphor and dirt as substance. We are looking for submissions—essays, journalism, poetry, fiction, illustration, and  beyond—that explore the emotional, interpersonal, and political meanings that hide inside our ideas about uncleanness and hygiene. Dirt is also sex, and dirt is gossip. Soil is homeland and a final resting place. Guernica offers honoraria of $50 for poetry, $100 for original essays, and $150 for original fiction and for reportage. See regular guidelines for word count for long-form, short-form, poetry, and prose.



THE NEW LESBIAN PULP: AN ANTHOLOGY OF SHORT FICTION
https://sarahfonseca.com/the-new-lesbian-pulp
Deadline September 1, 2021. We will consider all works between 1,500 and 10,000 words, though we ask that you query us in advance if your submission exceeds 5,000 words. Honorariums for accepted authors will be somewhere between $500 - $1,000, depending on how institutional funding shakes out; rest assured we're aiming high. 



SILENCE IN THE CITY - AN ANTHOLOGY
https://www.foundershousepublishing.com/2021/07/silence-in-city-open-call-for.html
Deadline September 15, 2021. Word count 2,500-5,000 words. Pays six cents/word. Silence in the City is an anthology of speculative tales asking what happens when a city—and all of modern civilization—is plunged into darkness.



THE NEW TERRITORY
https://newterritorymag.submittable.com/submit/153049/here-submissions
The Here section is devoted to short (200-750 words) personal essays situating the personal in a sense of place, whether that be a specific location/building, a community/region, or even a specific object/animal/photo. You should have a tie to the lower Midwest (primarily, but not exclusive to Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska)—whether that means you grew up in, are a transplant to, or have had a meaningful experience in the region. Although we prefer completed essays (200-750 words)when choosing Here pieces for publication, we will be happy to consider pitches or photo collections that fit the section guidelines. Payment is $75. 



TECHRADAR
https://www.techradar.com/
Submit to [email protected]. Pays $200/£140 per 1,000 words. TechRadar is the largest UK-based consumer technology news and reviews site (and now rapidly growing in the US and Australia), our editorial independence backed by the weight of technology publisher Future plus objective test data from the TechRadar Labs. TechRadar talks about the coolest new stuff. Right now accepting freelance pitches on small appliances like coffee machines, blenders, juicers, and more. 



BUSINESS INSIDER
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-write-for-business-insider-2020-4
On a case-by-case basis, we accept one-off posts from outside contributors that fit in seamlessly with the areas we cover: Business News, Tech, Finance, Markets, Healthcare, Transportation, Retail, Strategy, Real Estate, and Politics. We're looking for submissions that offer unique, thoughtful analysis, engaging commentary, and authoritative advice. We welcome pitches of personal essays, as-told-tos, diaries, profiles, how-tos, reported features, and more. Rates start at $300 and are set based on topic, length, and amount of reporting. 



REAL LIFE
https://reallifemag.com/contributors/
The editors of Real Life are always looking for thoughtful, individual, and original work about living with technology, especially as it intersects with culture, society, and politics. We’re commissioning essays with a strong conceptual core and a novel thesis or argument. Pays $800 for 2,000-2,500 words. 

 

Publishers/agents

BLAIR PUBLISHING
https://www.blairpub.com/about
Blair is a small, independent press interested in publishing voices from beyond the mainstream. We publish prose and poetry by underrepresented writers such as women, people of color, authors with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ authors. We are also interested in nonfiction works, particularly those by underrepresented writers, authors working on subjects of cultural, natural, and historical interest in the American South and beyond. Prospective writers should study our existing title list to see how their subjects might fit within the interest and mission of the press. We do not publish plays, translations, or genre fiction such as detective novels, crime novels, fantasy, or science fiction. We do not publish religious tracts, self-help books, or academic theses. We do not publish books that have already been self-published or published in their entirety. We no longer publish unsolicited children’s books. We prefer literary agent submissions but welcome unsolicited fiction and memoir submissions via our three contests. 



ISLANDPORT PRESS
https://www.islandportpress.com/submissions
Islandport Press typically publishes 15 to 20 new titles per year and we receive more than 500 unsolicited submissions annually. We do accept and review unsolicited completed manuscripts as well as agented submissions. We do not accept or review a project based on a query only. Please review our catalog closely when considering whether to submit a book. We are a regional publisher. We publish books about the Northeast. Submissions should reflect a New England sensibility and primarily be set in and tell stories about this region, as well as characterize the culture and people.



CALKINS CREEK PRESS
https://boydsmillsandkane.com/about-us/
Calkins Creek introduces children to the many people, places, and events that shaped our country’s history. Our nonfiction and historical fiction picture books, chapter books, and novels combine original and extensive research with creative, energetic writing. History is key at Calkins Creek—front and center. Our authors transport their readers back in time to recognizable places with living and breathing people.



WORDSONG PRESS
https://boydsmillsandkane.com/about-us/
Wordsong is the only children’s imprint in the United States specifically dedicated to poetry. Wordsong titles capture the vibrant, unexpected, and emotional connections between text and young readers.  



KANE PRESS
https://boydsmillsandkane.com/about-us/
Kane Press is an award-winning publisher of illustrated titles for children ages 3 to 11. Connecting fiction and nonfiction stories with authentic content and relating that content to a child’s everyday experiences is the focus of all Kane Press books. 

 

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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 2000-2021, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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