|
Volume 8, Issue 19
May 11, 2008
======================================================
FFW SMALL MARKETS
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
Editor: C. Hope Clark
Mailto:
Hope@FundsforWriters.com
Web Site:
www.fundsforwriters.com
FFW Small Markets is an opt-in letter here at your leisure.
FEEL FREE TO FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO YOUR FRIENDS !!!!!
=======================================================
SPONSOR OF THE WEEK
=======================================================
WAR POETRY CONTEST - LAST CALL!
Seventh year. Fifteen cash prizes totaling $5,000. Top prize
$2,000. Submit 1-3 unpublished poems on the theme of war, up
to 500 lines in all. Winning entries published online. Sponsored
by Winning Writers. $15 entry fee payable to Winning Writers.
Postmark deadline May 31, 2008. Judge: Jendi Reiter. Include
cover sheet with contact information. No name on poems. Submit
online or mail to Winning Writers, Attn: War Poetry Contest,
351 Pleasant Street, PMB 222, Northampton, MA 01060. Winning
Writers is proud to be one of "101 Best Web Sites for Writers"
(Writer's Digest 2005-2008).
More information:
www.winningwriters.com/war
=======================================================
EDITOR'S PIECE OF MIND
=======================================================
Read FFW Small Markets online at:
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/smallmarkets.htm
Read archives at:
http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?ffwsmallmarkets
=====
UNDERESTIMATING OURSELVES
We know who we are. We like certain environments, certain
books, a particular restaurant, and specific types of people.
We know our niches. We think we know what makes us cozy and
comfortable. We think those parameters define us.
We let those things lock us in a box.
I think the entire world knows I hate to speak. However,
twice a year, I make myself get out and do it. Twice a
year I return home exhausted but energized that I stepped
outside my bubble, learning, stretching, bringing back
new thoughts, acquaintances and ideas for my writing career.
People compliment me, appreciate the message.
My best friend worked 23 years in the same government agency
I did. I sit secluded on the lake bank with my writing. She
took another job with a nonprofit and volunteers with a half
dozen charities, growing with each new person she meets. She
admires me. I admire her. But each of us stands for something
the other appreciates. If not for our work, we'd have never
chosen the other as a role model because we are so different.
I write at least two editorials a week. Some days I think
they suck...big time. I sheepishly send them to my proofreader,
considering them mediocre, telling myself that I cannot
write perfection 52 weeks a year. Amazingly, those are the
weeks I receive gobs of feedback about my fabulous advice.
Three random examples of how my life taps into others...
We never know the impact we have on others. We can't begin
to assume we understand all the repercussions that take
place when we dare to write, speak, shake a hand or touch
another person's mind. Many people choose to stay within
the lines, coloring up to the black edge and stopping.
Sooner or later, they've finished all their coloring, having
filled in all the white space. There's nothing left to know.
Nothing left to learn. Nothing left to splash color on.
Each of us is unique. Don't stop developing yourself. Don't
try to forecast how bad or good you'll do when you attempt
a new venture. Take that crayon...nay, three or four crayons...
and scribble all over that page, into the margins, over the
edges onto other pages.
We never know the impact we'll have on the world. All we
can do is go out there and live...and see what happens.
Think writing fits in there?
Hope Clark
GOT YOUR CALENDAR YET FOR ALL THOSE 2008 GOALS?
Once again FundsforWriters is offering the Bylines Calendar
for your writing needs. I've used one for going on four years
now, and I'm addicted to it. Listing a writer (like Hope)
for every week along with the writer's personal points of
wisdom makes you realize you aren't alone in this struggle
to make a living at what you love. Order yours today!
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/Bylines.htm
=====
THE BLOG, THE BLOG!
http://www.hopeclark.blogspot.com
=======================================================
WISE WORDS TO LIVE BY
=======================================================
A clay pot sitting in the sun will always be a clay pot.
It has to go though the white heat of the furnace
to become porcelain.
~ Mildred White Struven
=======================================================
ARTICLE
=======================================================
WRITE THE STORY OR FIND THE MARKET?
A Chicken or the Egg Story
By C. Hope Clark
Fresh new writers scribble story after story, stacking them
up in computer files or desk drawers, hoping one day that
a market will come along that fits their tales, their ideas.
They write and write. They glance at markets, then go back
to writing, praying that perfect market will come along.
Unsurprisingly, the stories grossly outnumber the markets,
becoming a dozen, then twenty, then maybe as high as fifty
features, parables or essays, orphaned with no place to go.
You search through all those markets in FundsforWriters
and other newsletters online. Maybe you own a Writers Market.
You love the fact a magazine pays 50 cents/word, but you
can't come up with an idea that fits. Or maybe you have a
story with the right topic, but the length isn't right.
Maybe they want experts, but you just wrote about what you
know, a more general article. Gobs of articles in one hand
and tons of markets in the other. Which one are you supposed
to do first? Write the article or find the market?
If you stick with this freelance work long, you learn that
writing a complete story without a home for it can eat up
a lot of your writing time. When you take the income of
the articles you sell, and weigh in all the time spent
writing all those stories that don't fit guidelines yet,
you realize you're working for fifty cents an hour instead
of the $50 an hour you thought you made on that one story.
Efficiency is key as a freelance writer. The more time
spent writing without direction lessens your income. Here
are some ideas on balancing that chicken or the egg dilemma...
the story or the market first.
1. Jot ideas only.
When your creative genius comes up with a thought, write
down just enough to remember how brilliant it is. Write
the main theme, a list of points or resources, maybe even
a title. Carry a notebook for these flashes of brilliance.
2. Study other stories intently.
I subscribe to many magazines I aspire to write for. I keep
an eye out for a discount price, never paying over $10 for
an annual subscription. For those magazines I do not care to
receive regularly, I grab a copy at the newsstand, from a
family member or study whatever copy I see at the doctor's
office or mechanic's waiting area. With notebook in hand,
I scan the stories, testing my brain to spin off stories
from those published ideas. For instance, the story on
networking at a business conference that I see in an
executive business magazine might also work in an article
I could write for a trade magazine for plumbers, landscapers
or restaurant owners. A parenting magazine might have a
story about after-school activities, sparking a piece in your
mind on crafts for a regional magazine.
3. Dissect guidelines.
I've often tested myself this way. I sit in my recliner,
notebook in hand, reading several magazine guidelines.
I brainstorm until I have five ideas for each set of
guidelines. Then I sleep on the ideas for a few days.
With fresh eyes, I review those thoughts, select the best
one, and make a pitch to an editor in a query. Sometimes
you can pull out your ideas from Item One above and
side-by-side compare your original thoughts to the stack
of guidelines you have.
By not writing the story first, you avoid the pain of:
1. Wrong word count.
2. Wrong point of view.
3. Too many or not enough references.
4. Ill-fitting angle on the topic.
The smart freelancer works from ideas. He soon learns it's
easier to keep all those abbreviated thoughts juggled in the
air than complete stories. With a concept, you can mold,
sculpt and weave the story to fit precisely into the market,
and save yourself a lot of grief and frustration. Besides,
with a simple concept, you can spin a half dozen stories.
Efficiency is everything if you want those writing hours
to produce dollars.
BIO
C. Hope Clark loves testing herself with markets and ideas,
seeing how many ways she can twist a story.
www.fundsforwriters.com
=======================================================
GRANTS/AWARDS/CONTESTS
=======================================================
NOVEL BEGINNINGS
First Chapter novel contest
http://www.writelink.co.uk/novelbeginnings
---
£6.50 ENTRY FEE
They say everyone has a book inside them so now's your chance
to prove it by submitting the opening chapter to a novel.
You can write on any subject or genre, but you'll need to
ensure your work is a real page turner to have a chance!
Word count is 2,500 words. A brief outline of your novel
must accompany each entry. This should not be any longer
than 500 words.
FIRST PRIZE £50
TWO RUNNERS UP PRIZES £25
Plus 5 copies of the fantastic, WriteItNow novel writing software.
Deadline May 31, 2008. Limited to 100 entries.
=====
LAKE'S CREATIVE NONFICTION CONTEST
http://www.lakejournal.ca/contests.html
---
ENTRY FEE: $20, includes a one-year subscription to Lake
starting with issue #2.
Topic: Pines. Prize: $250 and publication in Issue #3 of Lake.
Deadline: June 1, 2008. Length: 2,500 words maximum.
Creative non-fiction forms include personal essay, lyric
essay, narrative essay, and memoir.
=====
SUMMERSET REVIEW FIFTY-FOR-FIFTY CONTEST
http://www.summersetreview.org/guidelines.htm
---
NO ENTRY FEE
Readers are invited to submit comments on stories and essays
appearing in the current issue of The Summerset Review. We
award at least fifty dollars and a copy of Volume One to the
person contributing the best entry over fifty words, and will
include the comment in our next issue, along with the reader's
name and hometown. (For the exact amount we pay each quarter,
see the Fifty-for-Fifty Contest for Readers page.) Reader
comments can be in any form and there is no fee. Only one
entry is allowed per person, per quarter, and the entry must
pertain to a piece appearing in the current issue. We are
particularly interested in how the story or essay affected you;
what impact it had, what memory it stirred, what idea it
precipitated. Be honest and lucid. The deadline for comments
is two weeks before release date. Issues are released on the
15th of March, June, September, and December.
=====
ON THE PREMISES SHORT STORY CONTESTS
http://www.onthepremises.com/contests/guidelines.html
---
NO ENTRY FEE
On The Premises is dedicated to publishing a diverse range
of short stories between 1,000 and 5,000 words in length.
They choose premises that can be the basis of stories set
in this world or almost any other, at almost any point in
time, featuring almost any kind of character(s), in almost
any genre. As long as a story uses the premise creatively
and is well-written, we will consider mainstream/ literary
stories, historical romances, science fiction, horror,
westerns, mysteries, fantasy, and so forth--in any combination.
Plus, stories can be deathly serious, or hilarious comedy, or
anything in-between.
1st prize: $140
2nd prize: $100
3rd prize: $70
Honorable mention: $25
Current deadline May 31, 2008. Current premise (theme/prompt):
FOUND
One or more characters *unexpectedly* find one or
more physical objects somewhere. Something about the
object(s) raises questions that the characters want answered.
=====
CADENZA SHORT FICTION CONTEST
http://www.cadenza-magazine.co.uk/Competitions%20forthcoming.html
---
ENTRY FEE £5
FIRST PRIZE - £200
SECOND PRIZE - £100
THIRD PRIZE - £50
Deadline September 30, 2008. Runners-up (2) Free four-issue
PDF download subscriptions to Cadenza. The winning stories
will be published in Cadenza Magazine. Entries should be no
more than 3,000 words and should preferably be sent via email
as Word attachments.
=====
WELSH POETRY COMPETITION
http://www.welshpoetry.co.uk/rules.html
---
£3 ENTRY FEE
1st Prize - £200
2nd Prize - £100
3rd Prize - £50
Deadline June 22, 2008.
Each poem must be no more than 50 lines in length.
Entries must be in English. Entries can be in any style
and on any subject.
=====
SHAKESPEARE'S MONKEYS SIMIAN AWARD
http://www.shakespearesmonkeys.com/section-395-contest
---
$5 ENTRY FEE
For the second year Shakespeare's Monkeys continues to seek
out the best poem of the year and it might be yours. Three
times during the year, judges select a poem from the entries,
that poem wins $125 USD and is published in the Shakespeare's
Monkey Revue. The prizes are as follows:
1st Place $125
2nd Place $50
3rd Place $25
Each of the 1st place winners is then considered by the judges
for the grand prize which is awarded in March. The grand prize
includes $200 USD and a feature in an upcoming issue of the
Revue. There are no limits on theme or form. The most important
aspects of all entries is originality and artistic merit.
Next deadline June 10, 2008.
=======================================================
JOBS/MARKETS
=======================================================
MSLEXIA
http://www.mslexia.co.uk/menu/submit.html
---
Flash Fiction: this is a new literary form that is growing
in popularity, especially on the web. The ideal piece of
flash fiction tells a complete story in as few words as
possible. The theme for your flashes of genius? Sand dunes.
The word limit? 150. Please enclose an SAE if you want to
know the fate of your submission. Deadline May 16, 2008.
£15 per 1,000 words.
Autobiography: Curious Incidents is a new non-fiction slot
that challenges you to mine your memory for true-life events
that will touch us or teach us. Issue 38's topic is Kicking
Yourself - but we will consider Curious Incidents on any
autobiographical topic. 800 words only, please, plus CV and
a brief bio. There is no need to send an SAE. Your piece
will be filed, as a sample of your writing. We will contact
you if we want to publish or discuss a commission. Deadline
May 16, 2008. £15 per 1,000 words.
Issue 39: Bugs
Six-legged creepy-crawlies, mild versus decimating viruses
and the cleverest of Q's spying implements. Any other bugs
out there. Deadline June 13, 2008. Poets, send up to four poems
(strictly up to 40 lines each). Fiction writers, up to two
stories (strictly under 2,500 words apiece). Please label
your envelope 'Bugs', and enclose a stamped addressed envelope.
Also include a cover sheet complete with your name, address,
daytime telephone number and email, the title(s) of the work
submitted and a full word count. We promise a response for
New Writing submissions within three months of the closing date.
=====
NEW WELSH REVIEW
http://www.newwelshreview.com/contribute.asp
---
From literary criticism, fiction, poetry and book reviews
to theatre, performance, film and art, New Welsh Review casts
a challenging, exuberant eye over the literary scene in Wales.
Pays in the region of £100 to £150 per feature article upon
publication. Pays in the region of £60 to £75 for a short
story and £25 for each poem, upon publication.
=====
SEEK
http://www.standardpub.com/quick_links/Information%20Desk/periodicals.asp
---
500 to 1,200 words in length. Usual rate of payment is seven
cents/word for first rights and five cents/word for reprint
rights. No simultaneous submissions, please! Articles written
for publication in Seek should be on theme in one of the
following categories: inspirational, devotional, personal,
human interest, first-person testimonies of Christian life or
experiences, true-to-life happenings, vignettes, emotional
situations or problems, examples of answered prayer.
=====
FLORIDA WILDLIFE MAGAZINE
http://www.floridawildlifemagazine.com/submit.cfm
---
All submissions are on speculation, and payment is made
upon publication. Payment varies, depending on length,
complexity and quality. In general, we pay $50 for each
photograph (up to $200 for a front cover) and $75-$250 for
articles. Florida Wildlife is looking for well-written and
exciting Florida fishing, hunting and nature-based recreation
stories.
=====
CANADIAN AVIATOR
http://www.canadianaviatormagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=38&Itemid=122
---
We buy features and contributions to our departments. Rates
vary with the amount of revision required per manuscript, and
whether or not the photography is strong enough to justify a
color spread. Features run up to 2,000 words and include color
photos. Departments run 800 to 1,000 words. We do not pay by
the word because it just encourages longer pieces. Write tight,
write short, write with the reader in mind, write to inform,
write to entertain. We also buy short (50 to 250-word) current
news items (current events, ATAC and other aviation event
updates, trade news, people news, contests, banquets, fly-ins
and festivities).
=====
WESTERN NEW YORK FAMILY
http://www.wnyfamilymagazine.com/Writers/
---
WNY Family is a 90% freelance-written, subscription and
free courtesy copy publication with a monthly audited
circulation of approximately 25,000 copies concentrated in
Erie and Niagara Counties of the Buffalo metro area.
Interested in well-researched, non-fiction articles on
surviving the newborn, preschool, school age and adolescent
years. Our readers want practical information on places to
go and things to do in the Buffalo area and nearby Canada.
They enjoy humorous articles about the trials and tribulations
of parenthood as well as "how-to" articles (i.e., organizing
a child's room, keeping your sanity while shopping with
preschoolers, ideas for holidays and birthdays, etc.)
Articles on making a working parent's life easier are of
great interest as are articles written by fathers.
Pays $35-$200 depending on type and length of article. Pays
$35 for up to 950 word articles or humorous pieces. Pays
$40-$60 for up to 1,500 word non-fiction, informational or
creative idea pieces. Pays up to $100-200 for in-depth,
non-fiction main theme articles of approximately 2,500-
3,000 words.
=====
LOVE STORIES MAGAZINE
http://grassrootsmag.com/submissions.html
---
The overall theme should involve short stories of love
and romance. These stories may be contemporary, historic,
inspirational, paranormal, or any other theme as long as
love and romance are the main thrust of the story. Story
length should range from 2,000 to 5,000 Words. After you
sign the release we will issue a payment of $300 to you
ON PUBLICATION along with complementary copies of the
magazine.
=======================================================
ADVERTISING FOR WRITERS
=======================================================
LEARN HOW TO WRITE WINNING GRANT PROPOSALS
This online course offers interactive writing exercises that
explain the entire grant writing process from finding
"perfect match" funders to writing an irresistible proposal.
Curriculum is tailored to meet the unique needs of each student.
Work at your own pace and finish with concrete parts of an
application completed.
Taught by Katie Krueger-a grant writer with 9 years experience
and a past contributor to FundsforWriters.
Go to
www.FindFunding.net/onlinecourses to enroll.
=====
EBOOKS COMING OUT OUR EARS!
The new ones are AUTHOR IN YOUR POCKET and THE SHORT STORY WRITER.
That doesn't include QUICK AS A FLASH, SHORT & SWEET: MARKETS FOR
YOUR FILLERS, and THE NO FEE CONTEST BOOK. Ebook combos include
a subscription to TOTAL FundsforWriters, our largest newsletter.
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/ebooks.htm
=======================================================
CONTACT FUNDSFORWRITERS
=======================================================
C. Hope Clark
Hope@FundsforWriters.com
http://www.fundsforwriters.com
http://www.theshywriter.com
Copyright 2000-2008, C. Hope Clark
The information is for use at your own risk. FundsforWriters
make no warranty as to accuracy or fitness for any purpose.
Use common sense and take normal precautions in how you use
any information.
-----------------------------
| 
High Hope for the Freelance Writer
