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Poetry competition
deadline delayed
 With the deadline for firstwriter.com's
Ninth International Poetry Competition fast approaching
(October 1, 2010), firstwriter.com has announced a
last-minute delay to allow for final entries to be submitted. If
you haven't yet entered your poems for your chance to win £500
(that's over $750) plus a free licence for WhiteSmoke
2010+ (worth $99.95) you can enter online now in seconds
by going to
https://www.firstwriter.com/competitions/poetry_competition.shtml.
As well as the £500 first prize
there are prizes of $150 for the best US runner-up, and £100
for the best runner-up from the UK. All winners and
ten special commendations will also receive firstwriter.com
vouchers worth $36 / £24, which can be used to take out an
annual subscription to firstwriter.com for free, giving full access to
our database of over 850 literary
agencies, over 1,300 magazines,
over 1,300 publishers,
and over 200 constantly-changing competitions (you can start
enjoying all these benefits now by clicking
here).
Short
story contest winners and new issue of magazine
This month, firstwriter.com
has announced the winner and special commendations
of its Sixth
International
Short Story Contest, as well
as releasing Issue 17 of firstwriter.magazine,
To Coin a Phrase.
Douglas Bruton of West Linton,
United Kingdom, was announced as the winner of the competition for
his short story "Barken, Mad Sometimes", and wins £200.
The winning story can be read online at https://www.firstwriter.com/competitions/poetry_competition/previous_winners/6thstory.shtml.
The story will also be
published in a future issue of firstwriter.magazine, and
the winner will also receive a firstwriter.com voucher worth
£24 / $36 – as will the ten Special
Commendations:
- Ann Mullen-Martin,
United States, "Love Doesn't Stop at the
Grave";
- Tonya Mitchell, United
States, "Glimmer";
- Mark Frankel, United
Kingdom, "When the wind blows . . .";
- Joanne Weck, United
States, "Lost Sister";
- Anne Skelly, Ireland,
"The Lonely Orbit";
- Joshuah Pursley, United
States, "Hiding Hussien";
- Stephen Lundy, United
States, "Open Your Eyes";
- Warren Paul Glover,
United Kingdom, "Escaping to Venus";
- Michael Richardson,
United Kingdom, "Frank Buckley";
- Roger Jones, United
Kingdom, "The Cook's Tale".
The Sixth
International Short Story Contest is currently underway. To submit your work for
the chance of winning £200 (that's around $300) click
here
Why do you write?
By Marcella Simmons
I must have written a hundred articles on
"why I write" so I won't attempt another article of this nature – this one is about you. Why do you
write?
There are so many different reasons why we write: for business, for
pleasure, to see our name in print or just because we have little else to do
but scribble in a diary or journal or write poetry –
whatever it is we're
doing, at least we're writing.
Let's assume that you are writing to become published, and go from
there. Where and how do you start? What do you write and how do you submit
your manuscript to publishers? Who will you send it to? Will it be accepted
or rejected? When do you submit? How will you react if it is rejected? What
do you do with a piece that an editor rejects but suggests advice on a
rewrite? Do you need an agent? These are legitimate questions that need a legitimate answer.
1) First, you need something to write about. You can wait for an assignment
from an editor or better yet, you can browse several back issues of a
particular magazine that interests you – read articles that you are
interested in writing about or if you have an idea of an article or story
that might be of interest to the editor and readers of a magazine, start
with that. Do the necessary research on the publication of interest –
request writers guidelines and get a feel of the interests and needs of that
particular publication. That way, you'll know exactly how to slant (or how
to write) your article or story.
2) Once you have done the initial marketing research above, and know what it
is that you need to write, get busy. Lay it aside for a few days, revise and
edit it. When you feel that it is ready to be submitted, follow the
guideline submission rules, and submit it. The internet has afforded us such
a luxury these days that it might be easier to email it. But be sure of what
the writers guidelines says about internet submissions.
3) There is no way of knowing that a piece will be accepted or rejected but
you will never know if you don't submit your work to the editor. Give it at
least 6 to 8 weeks before contacting the editor about your piece if you do
not hear from them during that time.
4) If you receive a letter from an editor accepting your work,
congratulations! Enjoy the ride! If they request a rewrite, it will be up to
you to do the work required and again, you must wait for their response once
you resubmit your rewrite.
If it is then accepted for publication, again, congratulations.
If not, the best thing to do is keep trying until you get it right. Put
the piece away for a while until you feel that you can come back and edit and
rewrite it with a different perspective. Sometimes we writers think our work
is perfect and can't see it in any other way. If you let it set
a while, you'll be able to see it in a different light. Then is the time to rewrite
and resubmit it.
In the meantime while that piece is cooling off, keep writing –
having something simmering on the back burner will always keep you well stocked or
"well fed". I remember back in the day when my grandmother use to simmer
beans on the stove all day long. We'd nibble around on food all day but when
it came suppertime, we had a feast of beans and rice or whatever it happened
to be simmering on the back burner. Though we were poor, we always had a pot
of delicious food cooked for us each day. The same applies to writing –
keep working on different writing projects between submitting and waiting for an
answer. You will always have a stock pile of submissions and possible
acceptances.
5) You do not necessarily need an agent to get started in writing. I never
had one. But I do not have a book published yet so I will not answer that
until that day comes. But in the beginning of my writing career years ago, I
never had an agent, and still don't today. It really depends on what you
write. The choice is yours.
Now that you have a clear idea of why you write, get busy –
stock up the stories and articles and get those pots on the back burner
simmerin'!
Start writing!
About the author
Simmons is the leader of the Ark-La-Tex Writer's Circle in Logansport
(www.arklatexwriterscircle.com). She recently started a website to attract
travel writers called The Sisterhood of Traveling Writers
(www.SisterhoodTravelWriters.com). Travel writers are encouraged to stop by!
Simmons is also an active member in the Shreveport Writers Club
(www.shrevewriters.blogspot.com).
"Inspired by science" – new screenwriters' competition launches
The London Screenwriters' Festival has announced the launch of the "Inspired by Science" Treatment Award, a new competition for TV and film screenwriters in association with the Wellcome Trust.
The competition is aimed at encouraging the development of film or TV drama, which engages the audience with issues around biomedical science, in an innovative, entertaining and accessible way.
"Writers have an amazing ability to bring ideas, thoughts and knowledge to life in a way that's exciting and entertaining as well as being informative," explains David Chamberlain, Manager of the London Screenwriters' Festival. "This new award recognises their talent and encourages them to look to biomedicine as a source for fresh, exciting and distinctive ideas."
"Biomedicine offers an embarrassment of riches in terms of inspiration for screenwriters," says Daniel Glaser, Head of Special Projects at the Wellcome Trust. "We look forward to building links between the winning screenwriter and experts in fields as diverse as global pandemics, the ethics of genetics and consciousness and the human brain."
The award will enable a drama idea to be developed into a high impact, well-researched proposal – known in the business as a "treatment" – to be utilised in securing further development.
The winner of the award will be announced at the inaugural London Screenwriters Festival, sponsored by
firstwriter.com. The winning writer will receive £5,000 and will be assisted over a period of six months by the Wellcome Trust Broadcast team in developing their proposal. They will be given access to some of the UK's leading scientists to aid their research and fulfil the promise of their best ideas.
Ten shortlisted finalists will each receive complimentary invitations to the Festival, which runs from October
29–31, 2010.
The deadline for entries is midday on October 15, 2010. Application forms can be found on the website for the London Screenwriters' Festival.
fwn readers can
enjoy a £37 discount on the price of passes to the
festival by clicking
here and entering the code "firstwriter".
For over 200 other
competitions, click
here.
New poetry magazine requires submissions
Kaffeeklatsch is a new poetry magazine looking for verse that shows a certain inventiveness with language. They are open to poetry in many forms and guises, though perhaps showing a certain tendency toward the more experimental side of things. The magazine will be a print mag and the publishers are hoping to split any profits evenly amongst the contributors, who will also receive a free copy. Submissions can be sent by email to
manualpoetry@gmail.com, or by post to: Kaffeeklatsch
38 Palatine Road, Flat 1
Withington
Manchester
M20 3JL For details of over
500 other poetry magazines, click
here.
Competition to see your short story become an App
Scheduled for release early in 2011 is "Travellers Friend", a new Short story and Puzzle App created by the team at M-Y Books Exclusively for the Apple Ipad. The App will feature interactive puzzles, travel information, and short stories. Paid for solely by advertising from some of the biggest names in travel the App (interactive Ebook) is expected to be downloaded thousands of times in the first 3 months alone.
M-Y Books is holding a competition for writers to enter their short stories for inclusion in the first volume in the series, with the winners not only having publication of their short story but also an advert for their book or author website of choice with live buy links.
Entry to the competition is £10 and is by email only (please attach a text document to the email or put the story in the body of the email). The word count can be up to 10,000 word approx – and tales with a travel theme will be favoured (although all will be read and judged according to merit).
Contact Jonathan@m-ybooks.co.uk
in the first place.
For over 100 other
fiction contests, click
here
CALYX Journal opens to submissions
CALYX, A Journal of Art and Literature by
Women, will open for submissions of poetry, short fiction, and creative
nonfiction on October 1, 2010, through to December 31, 2010.
Prose (including essays) should be double-spaced and not exceed 5,000 words. Interviews should be double-spaced and limited to 2,500 words. Poetry submissions are limited to
six poems.
Book Reviews should be double-spaced and from 500 to a maximum of 1,000 words. Reviews of chapbooks should be limited to 50-100 words. If you are interested in reviewing books, send a resume, published samples of review writing, and an SASE. After reviewing these, you will be contacted about the book review list. The journal is always open for review submissions.
All submissions should include the author's name on each page and be accompanied by a brief (50-word or less) biographical statement, a SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope with “forever stamp”), phone number, and email address. Even if you indicate that it is unnecessary to return your submission(s), enclose a SASE for your notification. Prose and poetry should be submitted separately with separate SASEs for each submission category.
A contributor’s payment for publication in
CALYX Journal includes copies of the issue and a one-volume subscription following that issue.
Sample copies of CALYX Journal are available for
$10 plus $4 postage (US) and handling; see website or front page of
CALYX Journal or write for subscription information.
CALYX Inc. is a nonprofit 501(C)3 organization; all donations are needed and gratefully accepted. To make a donation you can use the website at
www.calyxpress.org
or mail donations to support CALYX Journal and CALYX Books to Box B, Corvallis, OR 97339.
For the details of over
1,300 other magazines, click
here
Get Your Stiletto in the Door competition
The Chick Lit Writers of the World RWA chapter 2010 Get Your Stiletto in the Door writing contest is open, this year with two divisions, two new categories and an impressive slate of final round judges.
Prizes will be awarded in separate divisions for unpublished manuscripts and published novels. The first place winner in each category will receive a $50 Amazon gift card. Winning authors' names and book titles will be published in RWR®.
Red Hot and Women's Fiction are new categories, joining Single Title, Thrill, Paranormal, Inspirational, and Young Adult.
Whatever the category, the judges anticipate reading a compelling story that demonstrates a strong grasp of the craft of writing.
Agent Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency, a Red Hot final round judge, expects the winning entry to include more than a heroine who's willing to jump the hero's bones.
"I am looking for characters that leap off the page," Bradford says. Her top choice will be a manuscript that "reinvents the chick-lit sensibility in a fresh, fun and contemporary way."
Pacing is crucial in a well-told story, says Agent Kelly Mortimer, Mortimer Literary Agency. A final round judge for Inspirational entries, Mortimer can spot pacing issues at a glance. "If there's no white space, too much exposition, which means slow pacing. If there's too much white space, too much dialogue, which means the pace is too fast."
Inspirational qualities shine in other categories, as well. "I want stories that women would sit around and discuss, sharing how they felt about the things going on in the story," explains Agent Scott Eagan, Greyhaus Literary Agency, a Women's Fiction final round judge. "Women's fiction has nothing to do with the amount of romance in the story. It is a study of the female character."
A character needs a distinctive voice to attract the attention of Editor Megan Records, Kensington Publishing Corp., a final round judge in the paranormal category. "I want to be dragged into the story and kept there for the duration," Records says. "I'm looking for the entry that I think about the next day and go, `Yeah, that was awesome. I really need to get that full because I'm dying to read the rest.'"
Get Your Stiletto in the Door by polishing the first 5,000 words of your unpublished manuscript and submitting it electronically by Oct. 1. Member entry fee, $15; non-member, $25.
Published novelists must submit four printed and bound books by
October 15. Entry fee, $25.
For rules, an entry form and updates on judges, go to Get Your Stiletto in the Door--
http://chicklitwriters.com/home/get-your-stiletto-in-the-door/
To sign on as a first-round judge, contact Stiletto Contest Coordinator Brooke Wills,
contest@chicklitwriters.com.
Other final round judges include:
Single Title—Editor Amanda Bergeron, Harper-Collins
Agent Paige Wheeler, Folio Literary Management
Thrill—Editor Kathleen Gilligan, St. Martin's
Agent Stephanie Kip Rostan, Levine Greenberg Literary Agency
Red Hot—Editor Sharon DeVita, Red Sage Publishing
Women's Fiction—Editor Leis Pederson, The Berkley Publishing Group
Paranormal—Agent Chelsea M. Gilmore, Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc.
Inspirational—Editor Beth Adams, Guideposts
Young Adult—Agent Mandy Hubbard, D4EO
Editor Emilia Rhodes, Simon & Schuster
New England Book Festival
The 2010 New England Book Festival will hold its annual awards ceremony for its annual competition honoring the best books of the holiday season on January 15, 2011, at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston.
The competition will accept entries in the following categories: nonfiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children's books, young adult, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, photography/art, poetry, spiritual works, compilations/anthologies, gay, unpublished stories and wild card (for books that don't neatly fit elsewhere). All entries must be in English.
The grand prize for the 2010 New England Book Festival winner is $1,500 cash and a flight to the awards in Boston in January, 2011.
Submitted works will be judged by a panel using the following criteria:
1) General excellence and the author's passion for telling a good story.
2) The potential of the work to reach a wider audience.
Entry forms are available online at www.newenglandbookfestival.com.
New quarterly e-journal
Spilling Ink Review is a new, quarterly e-journal in search of quality prose. The aim is to create an environment where the unexpected can thrive, where the serious and the humorous can sit comfortably side-by-side, and where both the process and the product of creative writing can be celebrated.
The magazine is also running competitions for short stories, flash fiction and prose poetry, and creative
nonfiction.
For more information click here or visit the website at
http://spillinginkreview.com
For details of over 500 other
magazines publishing fiction, click here
10th Poetry Plus Festival
Poets Anonymous are celebrating 20 years of poetry with the 10th Poetry Plus Festival, Saturday, October 16, 2010, 10.30am–8.00pm at the CVA Resource Centre, 82 London Road, Croydon CR0 2TB.
The festival will feature Emile Sercombe, Myra Schneider, Janice Fixter, Poets Anonymous, Poetry Workshops, the return of the Aeronautical Poetry Competition, Music, and Floor Poets.
Cost is £10 for the day, £7.50 Concessions. £2.50 for the Poetry Workshops (spaces are limited for the workshops).
For further details contact poets@poetsanon.org.uk
Straitjackets Magazine open to submissions
The autumn issue of Straitjackets Magazine is now available online. Submissions are open for the winter issue, closing December 1, 2010. The issue is scheduled for publication by December 15, 2010.
For more information click
here, or visit the website at http://www.straitjacketsmagazine.com
For the details of over
1,300 other magazines, click
here
Resources for
writers at firstwriter.com
Visit firstwriter.com
for the following invaluable resources for writers:
To advertise
on this newsletter for as little as $30 / £20 click
here
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