Clarion Call for Publishing

Do you remember what the clarion call means?  It's time to roll up your sleeves and get writing. Here's your call to action, friends, with several potential opportunities in one!

Chicken Soup for the Soul 

There's hardly a person you will talk to you who hasn't heard of the long-standing popular series Chicken Soup for the Soul.  So I've done a little investigating to see what kinds of submissions they accept, and I'd like to share my findings with you.

Currently, they have several topics for which they are taking submissions.  I've listed them below with approaching deadlines first.  You can find all of these in much more detail if you click here.

My Very Good, Very Bad Cat 
Notable stories regarding the cat in your life
Deadline: September 27, 2015 (NEW DATE)    
  

My Very Good, Very Bad Dog
Notable stories regarding the dog in your life
Deadline: September 27, 2015 (NEW DATE)

Angels and Miracles
Intriguing stories and poems regarding supernatural encounters and events you've experienced
Deadline: Sept. 30, 2015

Alzheimer’s and Dementias Family Caregiving  
Encouraging stories and poems based on caring for a loved one with one of the above conditions 
Deadline: Oct.30, 2015.  

The Joy of Less
Encouraging stories regarding simplifying your life for a greater cause
Deadline: October 30, 2015
    
Military Families
Encouraging stories and poems based on your living the military life
Deadline: November 30, 2015

The Spirit of America
Stories that show the essence of being American
Deadline: November 30, 2015

Chicken Soup for the Soul has very specific story-writing guidelines.  As I've noted before, make sure you read those guidelines carefully before you submit your story.  A few of their expectations are as follows:

*Show don't tell (I'll be doing my own series on this very soon)
*Stories should evoke emotions and appeal to the senses
*Stories should always be non-fiction and written in first-person point of view
*Stories should be 1200 words or less
*Poems should tell a story and avoid forced rhyming (they only accept narrative poems)

Also, most of their stories (depending on the topic) are heartwarming, encouraging, and/or inspiring so keep this in mind as you consider submitting.

You can find more guidelines and tips on their website.  I highly encourage you to pick one or two topics and try it.  And remember, before you submit, find someone else to help you edit and revise.  If you don't have anyone to help you, it's time to get some writing buddies.

Something else you should realize is that you won't get a rejection letter if you're not selected, but you will be notified if they choose to publish your piece. However, know that the wait time could be quite long. If they do choose your work for publication, congratulations! And you can expect $200 and ten free copies of the title that your work appears in.

What are you waiting for?

Even if non-fiction is not your genre, this would be great practice for writing regardless.  Remember that the only way you will ever get published is if you finally tiptoe out of your den and start taking some risks.

If you're already knee-deep into the publishing scene, this could be an opportunity for even more experience and add more writing credits to your bio. Not to mention getting a box full of Christmas presents to give friends and family.

And what happens if you don't get selected?

You brush off that rejection, go to your writing closet, and try again.


Image of chicken soup borrowed from RedWordSmith at the English language Wikipedia

5 Reasons Writers Need Each Other

One of my friends, Linnette Mullin, references a quote in her book Finding Beth that describes writers as “blue monkeys living in a brown monkey world.”  I don’t know about you, but that describes me.

We writers are unique creatures.  Many of us are introverts who prefer to be locked in a room with a computer or pen and paper for hours without interruption—we thrive on alone time.  In contrast to social butterflies, we draw our energy, not from socializing but from internalizing and thinking.  We have a lot to say, but not necessarily through our mouths.

 

But that doesn’t mean we should live as if on an island.

The first time I connected with other writers, joy rippled through me.  These people are just like me, I thought.

 

Now we get together regularly, but not for games or football.  We connect to share our writing and learn.  I’ll be the first to admit, we can be nerds.  Normal people don’t get excited over words, but we do.  Pass the coffee anyone?

Finding others who share my passion and understand my struggles and goals has relieved me of feeling isolated and continuously grows my gift .   Based on my experience, here are 5 reasons you need to find more writing buddies today.

Connections .  The more you know, the more places you’ll go.  Networking with other writers will open unexpected doors.  I found my first critique group through friends at a writing conference.  The more connections you have, the more opportunities you will find.

Growth.  My writer friends push me to be better and go farther.  We constantly learn from each other and grow as a result of constructive feedback.

Support.  I would venture to say that all writers struggle at times.  I haven’t met a writer yet (published or unpublished) who hasn’t admitted to struggling.  Many of us question ourselves and our abilities regularly.  When rejection comes knocking, we want to quit.  Surely we need each other for encouragement to push through those dark, daunting times.

Platform.  As writers, we help each other out when it comes to building a platform, or a fan base.  We read each others’ works, and we tell our friends in order to get the word out there.  We like and share each others’ posts and promote each other regularly.

Accountability.  If I know I’m meeting with my writing friends consistently, then I have to make sure I write something by certain dates.   Having a regular schedule keeps me on track with my goals.

    

Look around and take an inventory.  How many of your friends share your passion to write?  Do any of them help you revise and edit your writing?  Do they challenge you to write more and write better? 

I’m not advocating trading in your friends for new ones.  We all have friends that enhance different parts of our lives.  But if you don’t have many writing friends, it’s time to seek out some.  The best place to start is through critique groups (click here for suggestions on one of my previous posts), social media, and school. 

Trust me.  You need more writing friends.  Seeking out friends who share my passion to write was the best step I ever took as a writer.

How do you connect with other writers?  Start the conversation below!

Spotlight Website: Help for Writers

Occasionally I'm going to spotlight helpful websites for writers.  

It’s vitally important for writers to constantly find places to learn about their craft.  Good writers are constantly learning how to improve.  

This week on July 1st, a new website launched for writers called Almost An Author or A3.  

Today I’m going to give you the highlights of this brand new hit.

Need expert advice?

With about 30 authors, editors and writers who contribute columns to the website each month, there is a variety of talent, creativity, genre and experience.   Many of the contributors are award-winning writers who have been published several times.  Their books are listed on the site as well.

Also, there are ongoing articles each month spotlighting bestselling authors from around the nation and their advice for aspiring writers.  How valuable is that.

You can find help with just about every genre, including science fiction, romance, poetry, magazine articles, and children’s books.

Experienced writers also give you helpful advice on the craft of writing.  

Do you need help with characters?  They have information on that.  Do you want to create an extraordinary world and setting for your fiction?  They have that too.  And there are so many other topics they cover.

One column in particular for young writers is called "Dear Young Scribes."  Written by an author who published as a teenager, she offers advice to other teen writers who have hopes of being published.  Make sure you check that one out for sure.

Are you discouraged?  

Almost an Author offers several columns specifically devoted to supporting writers with encouragement.  

Writing can be very hard on a person.  Writers face battles unique to their passion and calling.  Many of those battles stem from feeling under confident in our ability and cause us to second-guess if we should even do it at all.  Sometimes it helps to read the encouraging words of others like us.We need coaches when we feel like quitting.  

Also, if you're in need of ideas, you'll find them here.  Lots of tips and tricks abound throughout the website.  You find help with editing, social media and blogging, using your time wisely and more. Several columnists also offer creative inspiration to writers and even useful things such as how to fend off writer's block and other diseases of writing.

Want to win an award?

The website even offers awards to emerging writers.  

The Blue Seal Awards focuses on internet writing, such as blog posts and articles for the web.  The contest closes September 1st.  

The Fresh Voices Writing Contest is a contest for writers of every genre.  This contest will open October 1st and close December 1st.  But don't wait.  Go ahead and start thinking about this one now.  

So what are you waiting for?

If you subscribe to the site you will get email updates.  That way you can feel connected.

And make sure you don't miss my own poetry column called "A Pinch of Poetry."  I'm honored to be included among so many great writers.  

Now, take a few minutes to tour Almost An Author, and then share some of your thoughts below.      

Choosing the Right Word

As a writer, one of the most important things you need to learn is that every word counts.  

Today's topic is word choice, or diction. Diction is the process by which a writer uses to choose the exact right word for the piece he or she is writing.

What’s so important about choosing the right word?

Word choice affects so many things in your writing, but specifically we are going to look at tone and imagery.

Recently, I had a student who wanted to improve her word choice.  She wanted to use unique words rather than simple ones. However, when she started picking words, they that didn’t quite create the impression she intended.  In her story, she was trying to show that she was worried about moving and leaving her friends.  One of her sentences was this:

I might have to flee, maybe migrate or take off without any sincere goodbyes. 

Let’s break this down.  

First of all, the word flee means to escape.  She intended her tone to show worry about leaving, but instead the word flee made it feel more like she wanted to run from them.  This is the opposite of what she meant.    

Next, migrate conjures the imagery of geese flying south for

the winter.  While it is similar to moving, it’s not the image she was trying to convey.  Certain words bring specific pictures to mind whether we intend it to happen or not.

Lastly, sincere is a great word choice.  It clearly communicates that she clearly cared about her relationships.  Paired with goodbyes, the phrase sincere goodbyes creates the feeling of true sorrow, which is exactly what she meant.

Sometimes keeping it simple is best.  Here's a revision that would capture the essence of her feelings: 

I might have to leave without any sincere goodbyes.  

Every word has it’s own unique meaning.  

One of my favorite authors Steven James mentions in his book Story Trumps Structure that there is no such thing as a true synonym.  At first, this seems contradictory.  

However, I found the same idea from another famous author named Gustave Flaubert, a French Author who lived in the 1800’s. According to an article I read, "he often repeated that there was no such thing as a synonym and that a writer had to track down le seul mot juste, 'the unique right word,' to convey his thought precisely."  

Dictionaries define Mot juste as a French phrase that means the exact right (or appropriate) word.  Every word has it's own unique meaning.

So the lesson is that when you go to choose a word, make sure you choose the right one.  You have to be sure that each word you choose reflects the tone you wish to convey and creates the imagery to fit your piece.  

And be careful when using a thesaurus.  Never use a word that you don't know.  There are few things worse than using the wrong word in your writing.  And your readers will always know it.

Have you ever used exactly the wrong word by accident?  Or do you have a story about finding just the right word?  Tell me below.

"Gustave Flaubert". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 26 Jun. 2015
<http://www.britannica.com/biography/Gustave-Flaubert/Later-years>.

When Tragedy Strikes, Write

In light of the recent Charleston tragedy, I wanted to take a moment to reveal writing as a healing agent.

This week, communities around South Carolina and the nation are reeling at the horrible massacre that happened at the church in Charleston.  The tragedy is beyond explanation, and many are seeking answers to something unanswerable.

When tragedy strikes, it's a good time to sit down and write.

I'm not talking about fictionalizing the event and making an entertaining story out of it.

For now, I'm talking about searching for emotional healing through writing.  Working through tough questions, anger, and sorrow on paper.

I have been advised numerous times by counselors and people in leadership who are not writers to use the pen to release my frustrations.

There is something very healing about the release of emotions on a page. 

On more than one occasion, writing has helped me work through very difficult and dark times in my relationships.  Instead of blasting another person with my anger, I took it out on the paper. And somehow, I felt like I had released enough of it to move forward with forgiveness and work out whatever the problem regardless of whether the person even apologized.

Here is a disclaimer about writing to release anger: if you do this, be sure to throw it away.  It will do no good to show it to the person.

The events of this week have stirred up much anger.  I'm angry that someone would do something so heinous.  But instead of publicly attacking the killer, it would be best to attack the page and then throw it away.  Keeping rage circulating is only going to stir the pot further, possibly even causing others to retaliate violently.  Yes, of course we want justice, but that will come eventually and not by our hands.

We don't want retaliation.  We want healing.

It's inevitable that we will all face loss.  Loss is especially hard if it's unexpected like what many are facing this week.

I've found that poetry and journaling helped me to express those sorrowful feelings that I couldn't express verbally.  Once it was out on paper, it felt like I was released more and more from my grief each time.  Whenever depression tries to creep back in, I have found that expressing my feelings through writing helps to curb those hopeless feelings.

Take note that I'm not saying I walked away completely healed in each of these instances.  However, on the road to complete healing, writing has been extremely instrumental.   And I believe it can be for you.

If you are struggling, even if you are not a writer, try to use writing to find healing this week.  Your anger, grief, or sorrow may be totally unrelated to the shooting.  It doesn't matter.

Here are five ways to use writing to deal with tragedy:

1. Freewrite all your thoughts and words.  Let it all out.  This doesn't have to be in complete sentences.  Write anything and everything until you feel you are done. 
2. Write a letter to the offending person.  As long as you don't plan to give it to him or her, freely write all your feelings and emotions in letter form.
3. Try poetry.  Think of an image, such as a familiar object or a nature scene, that expresses how you are feeling and use figurative language to bring that image to life.  Use words that reflect your current emotions.
4. Journal your daily thoughts and emotions.  Take time each day while you are experiencing tragedy or loss to write it out in a journal.  Reread your entries occasionally to see your progress.  
5. Write a letter to the lost loved one.  Tell him or her everything you wished you had done or said and work out unresolved issues.

I'm not going to promise that writing will heal all of your wounds, but I can tell you that it will help you on your road to healing.

How have you used writing to find healing?  Tell me your story below.

So You Want to Get Published Part 2

The Clarion Call

Whenever there is a publishing opportunity for you, I am going to send out what is known as a "clarion call."  The dictionary defines this as a strongly expressed demand or a call to action.

The clarion was a medieval war trumpet that sounded the alarm and called people to prepare themselves immediately for whatever was happening at the moment.  

In other words, when I send out a clarion call, I am urging you to action as a writer.  Each clarion call will spotlight a publishing opportunity or a contest.  Be sure to read the details carefully.

Today's clarion call is for Starsongs Magazine.

The following information was advertised in a recent email from Kristine Pratt, the owner of Written World Communications.

Starsongs is looking for writers age 9-19.  They accept short stories, poetry, artwork, and photography from young people.  Stories and essays should not exceed 1200 words.  Poetry should be no longer than one page.

The current theme for summer 2015 is travel and faraway places.  Even though the submissions page says the deadline is June 15, they have extended the deadline to June 25, 2015, so make a note!

Get this:  Starsongs does pay for selected submissions.  It varies between $5 and $25 per piece depending on length and genre.  You also will have a byline so your name will appear with your published submission.

Submission guidelines can be found by clicking here.

This is a great way to start getting your work out there.  Especially at a young age, your participation in opportunities like this will set yourself up for a bright writing future.

Before you submit, remember these things from last week's post:

• Be sure you take the time to fully explore this opportunity.  Check the submission guidelines carefully before you send anything in.
• You may want to read more about other opportunities offered by Written World.
•  Have someone review your work and make sure you revise it before you submit.  

Above all else, don't pass up your chance to be published.  Do you want to be writer?

The time is now.

Comment below what you plan to submit to Starsongs.

Contact me using the form at the right of this page if you have further questions.  

So You Want to Get Published? Part 1

Five Things to Remember

Are you one of those writers dreaming of getting published one day?  
I am.

But I’ve found it’s not that easy.

There’s so much more to publishing than many realize.  It’s just not as simple as submitting your work somewhere.

This is not to discourage you, but to prepare you, so you will see yourself published one day. 

Here are five things to remember when considering publication.

Get connected to a writing group.

It’s first for a reason. 

As writers, we need each other.  If you are serious about publishing, the very first thing you need to do is find a group of like-minded writers.  A good critique group that meets regularly will grow you up as a writer.  Constant feedback on your writing will improve it more than just self-editing.  If you can’t find a group, try forming one.  For example, high school students could form a writing club at school by finding a teacher sponsor. 

Here are two links to several known critique groups.

Word Weavers International—Word Weavers also offers online critique groups.

South Carolina Writer’s Workshop

Decide what you want to start publishing.

Are you writing a novel?  Do you write short stories, Manga, or poetry?

Spoiler alert: Book publishing can be one of the most intensive and lengthy routes to publication. 

For new writers, I would recommend finding smaller venues to publish shorter works. Many well-known authors got their start by publishing small.   Doing this will help you get used to the business of publishing as well as give you experience as a writer. 

Also remember that not all publishing opportunities pay.  However, the experience is well-worth the time rather than the money.  And don’t discount that high school or college literary magazine.  That’s a great writing credit you can add to your resume. 

Meanwhile, work on that bestseller.

Here are a few links to some possible places for publication, but know there are many more.

The Citron Review

Splickety Magazine

            Read publications which publish your genre and style of writing.  

This is extremely important.   If you write poetry, find magazines or publications that publish poetry.   And read them. 

Don’t try to submit your work without actually taking time to read previously published works in the publication.  You might find that there are certain themes or tones in the published pieces.  If you align your work with those threads, you will be more likely to get published.  If you don’t bother to read the publication, you might get rejected simply on the fact that your work doesn’t quite fit their style or needs.   

   

Read the submission guidelines.

Duh. 

It seems obvious, but if you want to get your work out there, you have to follow the rules.

Make sure you read everything carefully and ensure that you use the proper formatting, length, genre, etc… 

Most publishers have certain requirements and will not bother to even look at your work if it’s not formatted properly.

Revise.  Edit.  Repeat.  

Writing is about 75% revision in my opinion and experience. 

First drafts are easy.  What’s more difficult is writing those words in the exact, right way.  Revision is the most critical part of the writing process.  While it’s the part that matures you as a writer, it can also be the most frustrating. 

Just remember this: No one ever published their first draft of anything.

Run the spelling and grammar check.  Let someone proofread and edit your work (see step 1 above).  Revise and rewrite.  And then do it all over again.  

I tell my students that writing is never absolutely finished.  Final drafts are figments of your imagination.  You can always improve it even after publication. 

The more you revise, the better writer you will become. 

It’s your turn. 

So which area do you need to work on in order to get published?  Tell me below.   If you have been published, feel free to chime in with more tips!