I just discovered a new resource for writers online. Well…at least it is new to me.
This week brings the latest post of Cathy’s Comps and Calls, where Cathy Bryant presents no-fee competition and submission opportunities (and does her best to indicate which ones pay). Check it out.
On her blog, Christi Craig offers some thoughts on choosing online writing courses. I have been thinking about taking some online writing courses to jumpstart my literary workrate...so these five points to consider are helpful and timely...hopefully you find them useful as well.
http://christicraig.com/2015/12/16/5-elements-to-consider-in-choosing-an-online-writing-course/
The website Build Your Own Blog is giving away a new MacBook Air to one lucky blogger! Worth a shot by entering - a chance to start your 2016 writing endeavors off on the right foot!
http://www.buildyourownblog.net/blog/free-macbook-air/?utmx=masmal15dec
If you get a chance, please check out “An Incomplete Understanding of Love, With Footnotes” and “About This Poem” at: http://www.jetfuelreview.com/adrian-potter-fall-2015.html
If you are looking for some year-end book lists to catch up on the awesome reads you missed in 2015, you'll find an ever-updated compilation over at the Largehearted Boy blog:
http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2015/11/online_best_of_15.html
From the BookBaby blog: Here’s seven writing tips to increase your productivity. Productivity is a recurring problem for all writers, so these tips may serve as inspiration to push you towards being more industrious in your creative endeavors.
What if you knew all the common screw-ups writers make? Could that help you avoid (some) rejection notices? Maybe even make you a sharper writer?
Writers (freelancers especially) should all check out this post from the Making a Living Writing site: “Worst Writer Mistakes: 8 Editors Reveal What Makes Them Say ‘No’.”
From the Electric Lit blog: Here’s a fun infographic on day jobs that inspired famous authors.
A little bit of motivation for those of us who hold down a career while also slogging through the morass of a writer’s life.
http://electricliterature.com/the-day-jobs-that-inspired-famous-authors/
Check out bestselling novelist Warren Adler’s new website Writers of the World, an archive of personal essays from different writers about their creative processes. It is sure to inspire and motivate. And if you are so inclined, you can also submit your own personal story about why you write.
Volume 13 of the literary journal Kansas City Voices is available for purchase. Kansas City Voices’ mission is to support artists and inspire new voices to contribute to the growing cultural conversation. They publish an annual eclectic mix of fiction, essays, interviews, articles, poetry, and art.
Among the works included in Volume 13 is my prose poem “No Black People Were Harmed in the Making of this Poem,” a poem touching on past and present day atrocities that America has inflicted on African-Americans. This is my second appearance in this journal, and I appreciate the chance to contribute. Thanks to editor Jessica Conoley and the staff at Kansas City Voices for deeming my work worthy of publication.
Writing when you feel like…meh.
It is something all writers face - what do you do when it’s time to write and you just don’t feel like it? For those moments when you just aren’t feeling motivated, here are seven remedies for writer’s apathy, from a posting on the BookBaby blog. I plan to use this advice for my own writing endeavors – maybe you can, too.
Although it ended its regular posting schedule almost a year ago, the Pitch, Publish & Prosper blog holds a usefulcollection of tips and hacks on science writing. Check it out if you are into science writing.
From Blue Light Press. If you've just published a book...you can find a crash course in shameless book promotion on the website at this link: http://bluelightpress.com/promo.php.
This seems like some useful advice that I hope to be able to use once one of my manuscripts find a home.
Coming to Chicago in 2017: the American Writers Museum, a national museum celebrating American writers. Expected to be interactive and high-tech museum, and anticipated to draw up to 120,000 visitors annually.
You can check out more about this coming attraction at the AWM website: http://americanwritersmuseum.org/
I just found out that Issue 22 of Switched-on-Gutenberg is now on-line at http://www.switched-ongutenberg.org. The issue features poems on the theme of “Excuses.”
My prose poem “A Partial Inventory of Personal Excuses” has been included in this issue, along with awesome work from a plethora of talented writers. Check it out.
The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.
- Émile Zola
“The word listen contains the same letters as the word silent.” –Alfred Brendel
I am usually a decent listener. But yesterday I missed a statement by a co-worker that could’ve saved me two extra hours of work. Which would have translated to more time to write, workout, do errands, etc. I will never get those two hours back.
People don’t listen. They fail to keep their ears and eyes open, and this can leave them out of the game. Listening is like intelligence; everyone thinks they’re above average, even though that’s impossible.
We focus on formulating their response rather than listening to someone’s complete thoughts. Or fidgeting with smartphones instead of committing to conversation. Or passing judgement on the front end of a compound statement, not letting a person get to part where they agree with our sentiments.
I’m not pretending that I’m a perfect listener – as admitted at the start of this post, I fall into these traps, too. But I see this whole thing as the biggest bit of folly in modern society.
I get it - life is busy. It whirls by faster each day, and we never have a chance to catch up. We try to accomplish a billion things at once, and sometimes it works out. But active, effective listening isn’t something you can do on the fly. It requires a devoted, conscious effort.
The point of this rant - I am rededicating myself to shutting up and listening. I believe it will help me in my daily life, as well as enhance my writing. Will you join me on this endeavor?
I wanted to mention that my poem "On the Occasion of My Untimely Demise" has been published in this year’s volume of The Talking Stick. I was also blessed that this piece won first prize in the poetry category this year. Many thanks to the staff of The Talking Stick and also to judge Laura Hansen for this treasured opportunity.
Published by The Jackpine Writers’ Bloc, The Talking Stick is a Minnesotan collaboration of poetry, creative nonfiction and fiction and awards a cash prize in each category. It is written and entirely produced by writers who at least have close ties to Minnesota.
Also included in this volume of The Talking Stick is my short story called "Brandy and Merlot." I'm proud of this piece because it's a big departure from what I usually do in fiction. The story is primarily dialogue driven and is much quirkier than my usual...especially since it features a talking pet as a major character.
I had the wonderful opportunity to attend The Talking Stick 24 book release party on September 19, 2015 near Park Rapids, MN. I enjoyed the energy of the sixty or so people there and the chance to read my prizewinning poem, as well as listen to all the great work of the diverse contributors to the journal.
It doesn’t look like Volume 24 is available yet for purchase online, but it will likely be soon. If you are looking for a good read, it would be worth checking out.
Sometimes the intent to write is there, but maybe you lack the motivation needed to put words on paper. If that is the case, find inspiration by taking a quiet moment to observe the world around you and within you.
Read more about this method of stimulating yourself to write in this posting from the BookBaby blog by Jim Dempsey. Then put his advice to good use. Be inspired!
That is a question I have wondered for years. Yet I still submit. Masochistic, I know. Maybe I secretly enjoy rejection.
But I digress. You should check out this take on the merit of writing competitions by Elisa Gabbert (on the Electric Lit blog).