Friday, November 6, 2009

Not So Cynical Christmas Contest

The Cynic Online Magazine is looking for not-so-cynical short stories for their Christmas contest.

According to the site:

"What we want in our stockings this year is for you to write uplifting stories, stories of hope and stories of peace. We want stories about love, joy and the spirit of the season. If you've wanted to write that masterpiece about the fluffy white snow bunny that saved Kwanzaa, now's your chance! If you think you can bring us the holiday cheer this season then please help us! We're so desperate for a little holiday cheer, we might even pay you for it!

That's right folks, for a limited time only, submissions that we deem to be the best have a chance of winning up to seventy-five US dollars. That's right baby! What's more in the spirit of the holidays than us giving you some greenbacks -- See? Even money is Christmassy. It's green like the tree."

Entrants must be 16 years of age or older and residents of the USA, Canada or Europe. Entrants under the age of 18 will require a parent or guardian's signature if chosen for prize or publication. All prizes will be paid via PayPal and must be accepted by 1 March, 2010.

Winners retain all rights to their work and allow The Cynic Magazine to publish their winning entries online in the December 2009 and 2010 issues.

All submissions must be the work of the entrant and can not have been previously published. Word count must be less than 8,000.

All submissions should be sent to holidaycheer@cynicmag.com with a subject line reading "Not So Cynical".

Further details on the contest, rules and requirements can be found at the Not So Cynical Christmas Contest Rules page.

Good luck!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Bits and Pieces from Twitter

If you're not yet acquainted with Twitter, I suggest you check it out soon because you're missing out on LOADS of great resources.

I did a post awhile back on Writers and Twitter, so I won't bore you with more "hows" and "whys" of setting up an account. Instead, I thought I'd tempt you into further exploration by sharing just a small sample of the gems I've found via Twitter in the last few weeks.


- An MFA Programs Database of low- and full-residency graduate creative writing programs in the USA and other English-speaking countries at Poets & Writers.


- Online plagiarism checkers at ArticleChecker.com and Copyscape.com.




- NaNoWriMo Rebels (particularly good for nonfiction writers who want to be a part of the NaNo spirit).

- PiBoIdMo as an alternative to NaNoWriMo for picture book authors.




Enjoy!

(And if you do decide to take the plunge, I'm @HOHWWriter - don't forget to say hi!)

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Why I Write Essay Contest

Editor Unleashed is teaming up with Smashwords to host an essay contest with the theme "Why I Write".

Submissions should be essays of no more than 750 words, and will be ranked at the online forum as well as judged by an editorial team. Entrants grant Editor Unleashed and Smashwords non-exclusive digital rights. Entrants keep full rights to their essays.

The 50 best essays will be published in a free "Why I Write" anthology available at Smashwords and in other online bookstores where Smashwords ebooks are distributed. One grand prize winner will receive a US$500 cash prize as well as promotion on both sites.

Entries must be submitted to the Editor Unleashed forum. Membership to the forum is required, but is free. Only one entry per writer.

Entries may be posted from 9 November until 31 December. Popular ranking will take place between 4 January and 29 January. Winners will be announced 1 February.

Good luck!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Special Guest Post With Claudine Wolk


Thanks to WOW! Women on Writing we have Claudine Wolk, author of It Gets Easier! And Other Lies We Tell New Mothers... here with us today.

Claudine has nicely agreed to talk about interviewing, so if you have any thoughts on this topic please leave a comment!



Tell Me Your Secrets: Interviewing Tips
Claudine Wolk


Beth has asked me to share a few tips for developing a bang-up interview. By way of example, I have created a mini-interview for myself, the author of It Gets Easier! And Other Lies We Tell New Mothers, a fun practical guide for becoming a new mom, with instruction/commentary on each interview question to do just that. Before we get to the sample interview, though, there are three important issues to nail down before you begin any interview:

1. Who is your audience?
2. What message do you want to share with your audience?
3. Why is your message important for your audience?

If you keep the answers to these questions in mind, your interviews will stay on track and be fresh, interesting, and relevant.

I’ve decided that my audience is new moms. My message to new moms is that there are other moms out there just like them and that there are some things new moms can do, today, to make motherhood a bit easier. This message is important for new moms because new moms need help and are quick to keep their feelings to themselves for fear of being called a bad mum at the first sign of frustration. Hearing the author’s experience may help new moms to realize that they are not alone and gain some practical tips and confidence.

As way of example, here are three interview questions of me interviewing me:

1. Hi, Claudine, thanks for speaking with us today. Can you tell us your motivation for writing your new book, It Gets Easier! And Other Lies We Tell New Mothers?

Here I give the interviewee an opportunity to tell the audience that she wrote the book because she has been in their shoes and has experienced some of the frustration that they may be feeling. Furthermore, she decided to do something about that frustration by seeking and finding help and then sharing the help with the new moms who come after her by way of the book.

2. Each chapter of your book has a humorous personal experience. Was it difficult to share your personal story with such honesty? Why did you feel it was so important to include these details in your book?

Here I am doing two things. I am letting the interviewee know that I have actually read her material to get her plugged in to the conversation. Secondly, I am allowing her the opportunity to tell the audience how her book differs from the other books out there in its honesty. The author has put herself out on a limb with this book and so it is therefore a worthwhile read.

3. Can you give us an example of a lie you were told as a new mother and how you coped with that lie?

Here I am giving the interviewee a clever question that plays on the title of the book and gives her the opportunity to talk about a personal experience that will most likely be in the book. The audience will see the humorous side of the author and get a teaser preview of what is in the book, hopefully leaving them thirsty for more.

Here is a quick summary of the techniques included above.

1. Know your audience
2. Determine the message
3. Know why the message is important
4. Craft questions that get the intended message to your audience, show you know the material, aid the interviewee to showcase her material, and that leave the audience curious for more information.

Happy interviewing! Come visit me at my website at www.Help4NewMoms.com for more information about me, the book, or interviewing.

---
Claudine Wolk, a mom-blogger, columnist, speaker, mother of three and author of It Gets Easier! And Other Lies We Tell New Mothers (AMACOM, July 2009, 978-0-8144-1502-3) knew there had to be an easier way. Over a period of 12 years and while raising her young children on both the East and the West Coast, Wolk interviewed hundreds of mothers, gained insight from participants of her workshops, visited and participated in countless online messageboarding conversations and blogs and blended that valuable information with her own experience to create this witty book for new moms.

Her strategy - employ a little humor and lots of practical advice to help moms help themselves. “Forget about playing nice and pretending that everything is normal and fine,” Wolk says, “Motherhood is hard! A new mom wants to know the insider secrets of new motherhood and what really works.” A little honesty and laughter can be just what the doctor ordered.
Wolk also spreads her empowering message through her popular “new mom” workshops. The workshops are fun and interactive. In many instances, Wolk acts a facilitator to get moms talking to share their experiences and ideas. Wolk has presented at countless International MOMS Club meetings as well as to community-based groups and book clubs. Claudine is the keynote presenter at this year’s Bellies & Babies Expo in Indianapolis in September. Her workshops have helped hundreds of women in their quest to share the truth about motherhood and make it a bit easier!

Wolk writes freelance newspaper columns and articles for mom magazines including Hybrid Mom Magazine. She is also an active writer on the web. Her own website, www.Help4NewMoms.com, is a “safe” place for new moms to go to answer their “new mom” questions and share a bit of themselves in the process. In addition, her own blog www.Help4NewMoms.blogspot.com enjoys an active following where moms share Wolk’s take on current events, mom book reviews, and dynamic new mom help. She is a featured blogger for the nationally syndicated website HybridMom.com , and contributes to the websites Grumpymoms.com, Babyspot.com, and Mother-Talk.com.

Wolk is a frequent commentator on some of the most popular “mom-messageboards” on the internet where she chimes in with her advice for new and expecting moms on new mom issues. Some of these websites include (cafemom.com, babyzone.com, Justmommies.com, ivillage.com, msn.com, urbanbaby.com, discoveryheath.com, Parents.com, etc). Wolk’s frequently visited Truth about Motherhood and New Mom Book lists as well as her Amazon blog on Amazon have made her one of the “new mom experts” and a sought after new mom/parenting source.

Claudine graduated Summa Cum Laude from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia with a dual major in Accounting and Finance. She was recruited by the Big Six firm Coopers & Lybrand in 1989. After becoming a CPA, she worked in industry for 4 years, thereafter creating her own accounting firm, where she continues to work today. She lives in Bucks County, PA with her husband, Joe, and their three children.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Book Reviews at Lunch.com

Since writers tend to be readers, I thought I'd let you know about Lunch.com, a new website that allows users to review books - and just about anything else - as a way to share information and opinions.

I haven't used Lunch.com myself because I keep all of my notes on books at LibraryThing and made a solemn promise to stay there (my library is just too big now for me to mess with breaking it up and posting bits and pieces on other sites). But Lunch.com seems like it's based on an interesting concept, that we all have opinions we can contribute to a great community.

They also have FAQs posted so if you have any questions I would head there first.

Anyone here used Lunch.com? Any hints or tips?


*Please note, I'm not putting this up as a freelance market, just a new site/community that some readers may want to explore.*

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Call For Austen Related Submissions

Prospera Publishing is now looking for Jane Austen related submissions.

From a prequel to 'Sense and Sensibility' to a travel guide of Jane Austen's world, Prospera is looking for anything you might have to offer.

Submissions should include a cover letter with information on the author's contact details and bio as well as an outline of the proposed book. Submissions that include a PDF of the first 3 chapters will be prioritised.

Submissions should be sent to yannick@prospera.co.uk.


This is a fairly niche call, but it looks like it could be a lot of fun for the right author.

Good luck!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Writing and Ireland

Hello to my new readers!

I see that quite a few of you have found me recently with search strings including the terms "Ireland" "Irish" and "Dublin" so I assume you're interested in writing in Ireland (or at least writing and Ireland).

To help you on your way, check out some of these fantastic Irish resources for writers*.

Courses, Workshops, Retreats In Ireland
The Creative Writer's Workshop (Various Locations, Ireland)
Patchwork Ireland Retreat (Meath - 2010 - Women Only)

Irish Booksellers and Bookshops
Chapters (Dublin)
Cathach Books (Rare books - Dublin)
Raven Books (Dublin)
Village Books (Dublin)

Irish Publishing

Literary Agents In Ireland

Irish Libraries
BorrowBooks.ie (for members of Irish public libraries)

Festivals
Children's Book Festival (Various locations)

Masters Programmes In Ireland

Twitter
Check out David Maybury's massive list of "Irish (tw)bookies on Twitter" for info on Irish writers, readers, booksellers, bloggers, publicists, editors and more.


*By no means exhaustive lists, just some good starters. If you have more resources you'd like me to add just let me know in the comments or email me at hellorhighwaterwriter (at) gmail (dot) com.