“I don’t need an alarm clock. My ideas wake me.” —Ray Bradbury January Free Writing Topics: What don’t you see in this picture? EX: I don’t see house or a farmer. Make a list. Write about what isn’t there but could be. Write about the people and animals you can’t see. Or write about whatever
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2023 Winter Interview
“It takes years to find one’s footing as a writer.” ~~Francine Witte The Dark Part Engages Us An interview with Francine Witte In a recent interview Francine Witte, the author of Just Outside the Tunnel of Love said, “I love to write about failed romantic relationships and family dynamics. I think there is so
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Winter of 2023 — Marketing Advice
“The kind of marketing that will get done is, for the most part, the kind that’s enjoyable.” – Lisa Velthouse So Many Books—So Little Time Whether you have an agent and a major publisher, you’re working with an indie or hybrid press, or you’re self-publishing, most of the marketing duties will fall to you. If
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Winter of 2023 — Markets and Contests
“We are enclosing a contract for your manuscript…” –Letter from a publishing company Who’s Looking for Manuscripts? Lots of indie publishers are looking for the next new voice. Is it yours? Is your manuscript complete? Was it professionally edited? Have you shared it with trusted readers? If so, it’s probably time to plunge into publishing.
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Winter of 2023 — Hooked on Books
“Style means the right word. The rest matters little.” —Jules Renard I’ve been reading books as a judge for Story Circle Network’s Gilda Awards As usual, I was delighted to do so. Do you review books? Would you like to share your reviews here? Get an idea of our style from these reviews. Then send us
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2022 ~~ Flash Prose Contest Winners
2022 Flash Fiction Winners
I’m always amazed at the range of experiences I read about in the Flash Prose Contest. Special thanks to the judges and to each of you who took courage in hand and submitted your work. We’re happy to read your pieces in any contest, so don’t hesitate to enter again. Thanks for sharing. First Place:
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Fall 2022 ~~ Writing Advice
“Today, I realize acceptances and those dratted rejections remain an integral part of the writing life.” ~~ Catherine Forster NOTE: Right now I’m adding new prompts every 4 weeks. The current ones were added on 12/05/22 and are in this color. Scroll past the top 2 articles to find them. Want me to post them
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Fall 2022 ~~ Hooked on Books
Read a good book lately? Want to review it? Please query us using the contact box. THE FAVOR: A Novel Written by Nicci French ISBN-13 : 978-0063243620 William Morrow Paperbacks (October 18, 2022) Earth Shattering Consequences Do you keep secrets? What have they cost you? Nicci French’s protagonist, Jude, looks at these questions and their ramifications
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You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
What will you do today to obtain the guidance you need to succeed? ~~Lisa Demasi NEW SUBMISSION in November. Read “Late Bloomin’ Writer.” You Can’t Make This Stuff Up We want to share your stories about your publishing journey and your writing life here. Write to entertain, to enlighten, and to advise (but not
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Fall 2022~~ Marketing Advice
“Podcasting is great. Total freedom.” ~~Bill Burr, Comedian Podcasters Are Looking for You Part of a good marketing strategy is finding podcasters that will interview you and linking those interviews to your webpage. Here are some steps to help you do that: Find podcasters that deal with your genre. A few possibilities are listed
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Fall 2022 ~~ Contests and Markets
NOTE: We add to this page about twice a month. Check back often. ✅ I found David McDannald’s post about Literary Magazines seeking long form prose on Facebook. I checked out his site and recommend you do the same. Visit https://www.davidmcdannald.com/litmags-accepting-long-prose. While I cannot guarantee that every listing is still active, I’m including 4 samples
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