on Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity:

This December there are more than five dozen writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and short plays.

Prizes range from a gold medal to $25,000. None charge entry fees.

Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

Get Full Details HERE

on Anne R. Allen:

When Love and Need Become One

So here comes a heaping helping of what’s good for my soul. I’ve always told tales. I just had trouble, the first fifty years or so, believing that people would pay me to tell them.

But I had a revelation recently, the kind that comes with advancing age and wisdom, with an insight that I deserve work that makes me happy, and above all, with getting laid off. And for the better part of the past three years, this is what I do. Up early, look for auditions, record and edit the words of other fine authors and try to bring them to the ear.

Bottom Line: I could be richer, but I don’t think I could be happier.

I believe audiobooks are the most exciting aspect of your writing that you might not be paying attention to. I’ll try…

on The Creative Penn:

Language is powerful.

We choose words carefully in our written works because we understand their impact. They carry a message from one mind to another. They shape ideas. They can change lives.

But writers often use language carelessly when it comes to the business side of being an author, and it shows that many still don’t understand copyright, and how rights licensing can impact your publishing choices, as well as your financial future.

I’ve run across several examples of this recently in discussion with author friends and also online, so I thought it was time for a refresh on intellectual property (IP) — and how important it is to define terms as we move toward Web 3 and a new iteration of what ‘digital’ even means.

Continue reading HERE

on Helping Writers become Authors:

It takes a lot of scenes to make a novel.

Not only do we need enough scenes to progress the plot and get the characters from Point A to Point B, we also need to reach a certain word count so the book can be a novel. (Or the movie can be a movie. Ya know.)

So how can you make sure you’re not just filling out that word count with repetitive scenes?

Continue reading HERE

on Jane Friedman site:

Every writer’s brain contains an analyzer switch. The switch regulates analytical thinking, which is the part of brain that dissects drafts and figures out how to improve projects during revisions. Conversely, it regulates ideaphoria—which is the quality that helps us bang out a first draft in record time because ideas are flowing at an exponential rate.

Most of us have no idea the switch is there. We assume our brain is hardwired at its current static setting. This assumption keeps us saying things like, “I love drafting, but revisions are the worst!” While our critique partner says, “First drafts are stab-my-face-off awful to write. I can’t wait until I have enough words to start revising.” We mope over the skills we seemingly don’t possess (which others have clearly been naturally blessed with), which slows our writing process and triggers a slew of mindset issues.

If any…

on Career Authors:

It’s the inescapable question in writer world: plotter or a pantser? In other words, do you outline? Or not?

We all know who we think we are, but sometimes we try to change. I did. And here’s the crazy thing that happened along the way. They say you can only learn from experience, but it does not have to be your own.

Here’s what I learned from my experience in outlining.

The good news and the bad news and the good news.

Continue reading HERE