2014 Contest | Knoxville Writers' Guild.
Still time to enter. Deadline has been extended to August 15th.
Categories include Creative Nonfiction, Crime/Mystery. Science Fiction/Fantasy, Novel Except, One Act Play, Short Story, Poetry, Romance, Screenwriting, Young Writer’s Fiction Prize, and Young Writer’s Poetry Prize.
Details located at: http://www.knoxvillewritersguild.org/contest
Filed under writing contest, writing tip
[Editor’s note: I admit that this is a bit of a stretch in terms of a writing tip. However, writing your own obituary might be you last chance to say something about yourself in the way that is uniquely you. The man below, Kevin McGroarty, did just that, and his obituary became a minor Internet event. I guess you could call it your final selfie.
You could also use the obituary “format” as a way to write obituary for the characters in your novel or short story. You could even have your character(s) write his, her, or their own obituary notice(s). So, read this and I hope you enjoy. I did. And it made me think what I might say about myself. I put together a poem, which I may post at some point.]
Link to obituary and guest book:http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timesleader/obituary.aspx?n=kevin-j-mcgroarty&pid=171858898&fhid=4786
Kevin J. McGroarty
Kevin J. McGroarty, 53, of West Pittston, died Tuesday, July 22, 2014, after battling a long fight with mediocracy.
Born 1960 in the Nesbitt Hospital, he was the bouncing baby boy of the late Lt. Col. Edward M. McGroarty and Helen Jane (Hudson) McGroarty, whom the New York Times should have noted as extraordinary parents.
He was baptized at St. Cecilia Church, Exeter, which later burned to the ground, attended Butler Street Elementary, which was later torn down, and middle school at 6th Street in Wyoming, now an apartment building.
He enjoyed elaborate practical jokes, over-tipping in restaurants, sushi and Marx Brother’s movies. He led a crusade to promote area midget wrestling, and in his youth was noted for his many unsanctioned daredevil stunts.
He was preceded in death by brother, Airborne Ranger Lt. Michael F. McGroarty, and many beloved pets, Chainsaw, an English Mastiff in Spring 2009, Baron, an Irish Setter in August 1982, Peter Max, a turtle, Summer 1968; along with numerous house flies and bees, but they were only acquaintances.
McGroarty leaves behind no children (that he knows of), but if he did their names would be son, “Almighty Thor” McGroarty; and daughter, “Butter Cup Patchouli.”
McGroarty was a veteran of the advertising industry since 1983. McGroarty was a pioneer in Apple computing, purchasing one of the first in the Wyoming Valley in 1985. He would like to remind his friends: “Please, don’t email me, I’m dead.”
McGroraty was a founding partner of Pyramid Advertising, and finally principal owner of award-winning Rhino Media until 2006. He was also an adjunct instructor at Luzerne County Community College, from 2005-2009.
He will be laid to rest at Mount Olivet Cemetery, section 7N. He asks to please make note of his new address. McGroarty’s headstone reads: “I’ll Be Right Back,” one of his favorite sayings. He leaves this world with few regrets, one being told in grade school, his adult life would see the Hershey candy bar rise in cost to over a dollar. He maintained given the resources and initiative, he would rally the good citizens of the Commonwealth to a revolution that would force that price to its original 35-cent market value, a dream he was not able to fulfill, by his own admission the reason: “I was distracted by many beautiful women.”
In lieu of flowers, friends are asked to please give generously to the Pennsylvania State Police Troop “P” Camp Cadet Fund.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Monday in St. Cecilia Church of St. Barbara Parish, 1700 Wyoming Ave., Exeter, following a brief rant of how the government screwed up all of the Bugs Bunny cartoons trying to censor violence. This will be presented by his attorney, Bret Zankel, Esq. Friends may call from 9 to 10 a.m. Monday in the church.
McGroarty leaves behind a thought for all to ponder, given years of gathering wisdom from different religions and deep study of the Greek philosophers: “It costs nothing to be nice” and “Never stick a steak knife in an electrical outlet.”
Arrangements by the Metcalfe-Shaver-Kopcza Funeral Home Inc., 504 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming.
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Whitley Abell
Whitley is primarily interested in Young Adult, Middle Grade, and select Upmarket Women’s fiction. She likes characters who are relatable yet flawed, hooks that offer new points of view and exciting adventures, vibrant settings that become active characters in their own right, and a story that sticks with the reader long after turning the last page, be it contemporary or historical, realistic or supernatural, tragic or quirky.
Details and how to contact at: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/new-literary-agent-alert-whitley-abell-of-inklings-literary?et_mid=680502&rid=239626420
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Alexander Slater
Alexander is interested in children’s, middle grade, and young adult fiction and nonfiction, from new and established authors. As he says, “I’m looking for projects that will rise above the rest…characters you’ll remember well past childhood…books that translate well to film because within them contain incredible stories, not because they’re the latest trend.” He particularly loves authors like Frank Portman, Jim Shepard, Jenny Han, and Rainbow Rowell.
Details and how to contact at: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/new-literary-agent-alert-alexander-slater-of-trident-media-group?et_mid=680502&rid=239626420
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Glimmer Train’s Very Short Fiction Award
Glimmer Train
Deadline: July 31, 2014
2nd place wins $500, or, if chosen for publication, $700.
3rd place wins $300, or, if chosen for publication, $700.
Details at: http://www.glimmertrainpress.com/writer/html/index2.asp
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Source: http://www.stilljournal.net/contest.php
Contest deadline is August 31, 2014.
Contest Rules:
Submitted contest entries must be unpublished and should not have previously appeared in print or online in any form, including personal blogs and websites.
Simultaneous entries are accepted as long as you let us know if your submissions will be published elsewhere before the contest ends.
We accept ONLY electronic submissions and fee payment through Submittable.
The contest reading fee is $9 per entry, payable through Still’s Submittable account, which can be accessed below.
An entry is defined as:
one short story,
or one creative nonfiction piece,
or three poems.
Multiple submissions in multiple genres are acceptable as long as you pay a separate entry fee for each submission. Contest entry fees cannot be refunded under any circumstances.
Manuscripts should be typed in a standard 12-point font and should have numbered pages. Prose must be double spaced. Poetry should be single spaced. Prose entries must not exceed 6,500 words. Poetry entries should not exceed 80 lines per poem.
All contest entries are processed and read on a “blind” basis; therefore, your name or any other identifying information must not appear anywhere on the manuscript(s).
Submissions should be sent as a Word document, rich text file, or PDF file only.
Deadline is 11:59 p.m., August 31, 2014.
Winners will be notified by September 30, 2014. Winning entries and finalists will be announced publicly in Issue #16 Fall 2014, Still: The Journal.
All entries will be acknowledged.
Failure to follow any of the above guidelines will result in disqualification. No entry fees can be returned.
Inquiries or questions should be directed to contest@stilljournal.net
Contest Prizes:
Winners of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction receive $150 each and publication in Still: The Journal #16: Fall 2014. All other contest entries will be considered for possible publication. Previous first prize contest winners are ineligible to enter 2014 contests in the same genre but may submit to other genres.
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7 Things Every Twenty-First Century Writer Needs To Do | PHOENIX Magazine.
Writing can be a lonely business, and the fragmentation of the publishing industry can leave aspiring authors feeling unsure as to whether they’re got more or less opportunity of getting their work read than ever before.
Last weekend’s Writing In The Digital Age conference – an event organised by leading manuscript assessment service The Literary Consultancy – was a rare opportunity for the UK’s leading publishers, editors, agents, writers and digital innovators to gather in an atmosphere of honesty and openness to swap experiences, perspectives and practical advice.
From a blistering keynote by journalist and sci-fi author Cory Doctorow to a panel about what book reviewing means in the twenty-first century, it was a rollercoaster ride through the opportunities and challenges on offer for those of us mad enough to cobble together careers based on words.
If you fall into that category, here are seven things you need to know.
1. Take control of your own career.
Whether you choose to self-publish or pursue the traditional route, it is no longer viable to shut yourself in a garret and expect the royalty cheques to come. Orna Ross, founder of The Alliance of Independent Authors, got it in one when she said that “every writer should be an indie [independent].” Define why you want to write, what sort of things you want to write, how much money you want to make, and the lifestyle you want to live while you’re doing it. Make it into a proper business plan, with a timeline, marketing strategy and KPIs. Then go out and find the tools and partners that are the best fit.
2. Self-publish, at least once.
Ross also insisted that even trade published writers should experiment with self-publishing at some point. It’ll give you a much better understanding of the full range of publishing services and tools out there, and will encourage you to get over the mental barrier of sharing your work. Beware of making anything public too early – you still want to thoroughly polish before you slap an ebook onto Amazon – but genre novels, specialist non-fiction, short stories and experimental formats might get more traction on niche platforms than in the traditional marketplace. You won’t learn until you start producing, and there’s real value in overcoming your ego and learning how to ‘ship.’
Other points covered:
3. Turn one manuscript into multiple streams of income.
4. Think beyond books and experiment with multimedia storytelling.
5. Get creative with funding.
6. Don’t sacrifice editing for marketing.
7. Never give away your DRM.
Details at: http://www.phoenixmag.co.uk/culture/7-lessons-every-twenty-first-century-writer-needs-to-learn/
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John D. MacDonald
Pulp Serenade: John D. MacDonald on Words and Writing (2).
Recently, I came across an in-depth article on John D. MacDonald from around the time of the movie adaptation of Darker Than Amber. “The man who writes those Travis McGee stories: A look at John D. MacDonald” was written by Mike Baxter and was published in The Washington Post Times Herald on Feb 1, 1970. It was a fairly lengthy article, but below are excerpts of some of the most insightful parts:
[Mickey] Spillane visits [John D.] MacDonald’s home at intervals, and both write mysteries. As craftsmen, however, they are as close as Eldridge Cleaver and Sam Spade. Even Spillane can recognize the gulf. “I am a writer; you are an author,” The Mick once told MacDonald. There is more in that than semantic nonsense.
MacDonald writes on a beige IBM Selectric as if Doom were about to unplug it in the last great denouement…He devotes a business-like seven-to-nine hours a day writing, doing it until the lunch hour, then doing it again until the cocktail hour. Fast subtraction shows that this leaves “too little time, dammit” for other pursuits.
More at: http://www.pulpserenade.com/2011/10/john-d-macdonald-on-words-and-writing-2.html
Filed under John D. MacDonald, writing tip, writing tips
6 Subtle Things Highly Productive People Do Every Day – Business Insider.
Ever feel like you’re just not getting enough done?
Know how many days a week you’re actually productive?
About three:
People work an average of 45 hours a week; they consider about 17 of those hours to be unproductive (U.S.: 45 hours a week; 16 hours are considered unproductive).
We could all be accomplishing a lot more — but then again, none of us wants to be a workaholic, either.
It’d be great to get tons done and have work-life balance. But how do we do that? I decided to get some answers.
And who better to ask than Tim Ferriss, author of the international bestseller The 4-Hour Workweek.
(Tim’s blog is here and his podcast is here.)
Below are six tips Tim offered, the science behind why they work, and insights from the most productive people around.
1. Manage Your Mood
Most productivity systems act like we’re robots – they forget the enormous power of feelings.
If you start the day calm it’s easy to get the right things done and focus.
But when we wake up and the fray is already upon us — phone ringing, emails coming in, fire alarms going off — you spend the whole day reacting.
Read more: http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/06/most-productive-people#ixzz36520CACY
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Writing Fiction: 5 Tips to Get More Creative
Source: http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-fiction-5-tips-to-get-more-creative?et_mid=637949&rid=239626420
1. Start with tension
Time and time again you’ll hear fiction writers and instructors tell you to start with action. This is flawed advice. Why? What good is the action if it isn’t grounded in context that’s important to the story or draws you to the main character? It’s better to start with tension, like a character falling short on getting something he wants—can’t save the life of a loved one, can’t beat a rival in a race, etc.
2. Know what your characters’ wants are
Interesting stories come from characters who want something. Romeo and Juliet want each other. Harry Potter wants to beat Draco Malfoy and Slytherin in Quidditch. Hannah Baker wants the people who led her to commit suicide know how they hurt her. Writing a fiction book requires that you have compelling characters, and characters who have strong wants and desires are the most compelling kind there are.
3. End each chapter on a cliff
OK, you don’t have to end each chapter on an actual cliff, but you do need to leave them with unanswered questions. This doesn’t mean you can’t answer questions during the book, it just means you need to create new ones as you go along. Be creative. Fiction is built on the curiosity of readers. If you don’t spark their curiosity (especially at the end of a chapter), what incentive do they have to start the next one?
4. Give your characters obstacles and 5. Understand your audience Information on these is available at: http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-fiction-5-tips-to-get-more-creative?et_mid=637949&rid=239626420
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Kurt Vonnegut
(1922 – 2007)
He also noted: The greatest American short story writer of my generation was Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964). She broke practically every one of my rules but the first. Great writers tend to do that.
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Booker's Blog 