Finding Something Friday...SCBWI Contest, Woohoo!

It's no secret that I'm always looking for a deal. And if I can find a deal that also includes my favorite writing genre, then I think that's worth a Woohoo!

Sorry to spring this contest on you so late in the month, but you only need to write fifty charming children's lit words. Check out this month's writer's contest over at SCBWI here. Even if you miss the March 31st deadline, it's no big deal. Soon enough, another fun contest will come along. All you have to do is remember to check the site regularly.

Then maybe, one of these fine days, you'll win that free membership in the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Gee, you can save a Fortune. Or at least seventy bucks.

That's worth a Woohoo, right?

What Not to Do Wednesday: Newsletters, Magazines and Websites, Oh My!

I am a sucker for anything free. And if the freebie happens to be writing-related, well then, sign me up! So writing-related websites, and their newsletters, and occasional magazines suck me in every single day. It's like the call of the Sirens. I can't resist.

So what? you ask. Aren't you learning something writer-ly? Oftentimes, yes. But I'm also spending my time reading about writing rather than actually writing. That is what we call a Detour on the Road to Publication.

So, little grasshopper, when writing time is precious, don't spend it all reading about how to become a great writer. Take time every day to write. And if you have time left over, then check out those newsletters, websites and magazines. And don't forget blogs. (Now there's something I totally cannot resist. Especially if it's mine!)

Tooting My Horn Tuesday: Rejection has its Perks

How funny is it that the one story I finally get accepted is about rejection?

Believe me, the irony smacked me upside the head. But not enough to knock the excitement out of me! My short (very short) story about Tracking Rejection will be in the Bylines Calendar for Writers, 2009! Fame! (Positive: My picture will be in the calendar! Negative: My picture will be in the calendar.) Fortune! (Okay, it's five bucks. But I get a free calendar!) Publication! (A Calendar! That's a first.)

I suppose I owe something to all that rejection that's been piling up. After all, I wouldn't have written that little calendar story otherwise. Now, what I need is a picture of a horn, but instead I'll show you one of the pics I won't be using in the calendar. Haven't you always wondered what being smacked upside the head by rejection/acceptance looks like?





(And hey, it's for a calendar!)

Finding Something Friday...The Power of the Letter

I found something totally cool today, thanks to Sandy at Cool Stuff 4 Writers dropping her newsletter into my inbox.

HBO and the U.S. Postal Service have teamed up to bring you an opportunity to receive a free e-card. Why HBO? Because John Adams is an HBO Film, which you can watch this month, assuming you get HBO. Unfortunately, Mr. Hall's beneficence doesn't extend to providing that particular premium cable service at our house. But I'm sure I'll rent the movie someday.

And why would I watch the movie John Adams? Because I'm a bit of a history geek. And because John Adams was a prolific letter writer, whose letters to his wife Abigail provide an invaluable glimpse into colonial America and our early history.

I love getting letters, don't you? There's something extra special about the written word. And you can get a totally cool card (FREE!) to send as your next letter if you check out this website. You can also enter a sweepstakes for a free trip to Colonial Williamsburg. And even though I've been there, I'd happily go again if I won. Not so sure Mr. Hall would go with me, but that's another story.

Speaking of another story, maybe you can come up with a good one for this month's Cool Contest challenge over at Cool Stuff 4 Writers. Check out the details here and enter for a chance to win 25 bucks.

So there you go. Fame and Fortune on Friday. And something tells me the beneficent Mr. Hall is going to a get a very cool card in the mail very soon. Even if I can't get HBO.

What Not to Do Wednesday: The Query Letter Blahs

When I was perusing the March Premium Green market guide (more info here) I came across an interview of freelancer Kristin, um, gee, well, I 'll check on that later. Anyway, the point is that Kristin had tons of great ideas. And great ideas are pretty darn important if you're working towards Fame and Fortune in the publishing biz.

Smack dab in the middle of my perusing, it hit me. A classic What Not To Do was staring me in the face. Unfortunately, I was the one guilty of it. To wit: I hadn't been effectively using the old "hook" in my query letters. Kristin made an excellent point about grabbing an editor's attention. To wit: "If you haven't got a lot of clips, you have to come up with an idea that an editor doesn't dare pass up." And that idea better be the very first thing in your query letter.

So listen, grasshopper. Don't blah, blah, blah away in your query letter talking about anything and everything under the sun. Slap that editor with an idea so awesome, he or she won't know what hit 'em. And you better get right to work on that. Because I'm telling you. Kristin had tons of great ideas.

Tooting My Horn Tuesday: A Premium Green Update

I don't always spend my writing budget wisely. Or any of my budget, for that matter. But that's a somewhat unpleasant story, best left to Mr. Hall to tell. Today, my story is about a time I did spend the green well. And for that, I'm tooting my horn.

It's been three months now since I joined Premium Green, an on-line writer's guide developed by those hard-working folks over at WOW! Women-on-writing. Every month I receive an e-book stuffed with markets, writing articles, tips and advice...all for just two bucks a month.

I know what you're thinking. I could get any market guide with similar information, for about the same price. That's nothing to toot about. But hold on. There's more to PG than just a great marketing tool for freelancers. It's a wonderful writing community, too.

In my PG group, I can pick the brain of fiction writers or non-fiction writers...women who successfully run their own freelance businesses...or women just starting to call themselves writers. You can't really put a price on that kind of generous support and knowledge.

Check out PG here to find out more. C'mon, you know two bucks a month for all that writerly brilliance is a bargain. And for that kind of bargain, I'll toot my horn any day!

Finding Something Friday...Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest

I'm not gonna lie. When I found today's gem, I could hardly wait till Finding Something Friday came along to post it. And now I hear there's a tornado in the area and I may have to run like a girly-girl to the basement any minute...

So quick, here it is: The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Bulwer-Lytton is the author who immortalized that line, It was a dark and stormy night (kind of like tonight). The fiction contest is ridiculously simple. Come up with your own terribly cliched and wretchedly-written opening line.

But the easy factor is not what I love about this contest. It's reading the past winning entries. Go on and take a look at them here.

I'll tell you what's not easy. Try reading these winning lines and looking like you're hard at work. That's what I was attempting with the beneficent Mr. Hall lurking about in the office, giving me the old "what's so funny fish-eye".

Here's something else I'm not gonna lie about. I LOVE my writing job, thanks to those HI-larious competitions that come along like the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction contest. (Even if I don't win the Fame or Fortune!)

Tooting My Horn Tuesday: Of March Madness and Manuscripts

March Madness careened headlong into the Hall house, so I'm already behind this month. But maybe madness suits me since I heard from several on-going projects in the interim. That means I finally have something to toot about on Tuesday!

A little toot for my "Chicken Soup for the Twenty Something Soul" came in yesterday. The Chicken Soup folks had decided not to go forward with that title so my previously-considered story languished in a document file. Then I received a note from an editor who was looking for another home for those stories! Of course, it doesn't mean my story will, in the end, find a home, but it's a glimmer of hope. (I said it was a little toot.) And speaking of little toots, here's another.

I received yet another email saying the Silver Boomers anthology would really, truly, we're-not-kidding-this-time arrive in about two weeks. If you haven't submitted for the next edition, there's still time. Check out the details here.

No Fame or Fortune yet, but March could be a Road to Publication bonanza. Would it be worth all the first-of-the-month madness? Um, no. But it's better than nothin'.