Finding Something Friday Quick! An Elegant Contest and a Promotion Workshop

Quick! Check out the National Association of Baby Boomer Women! They're sponsoring a contest called "The Age of Elegance" and you could win $100 if you can write really fast!

Good news: It's only a 500 word essay about what you (the baby boomer woman, that is) considers her age of elegance. Easy, right? Unless you're like me and still waiting for your age of elegance...

Bad news: The deadline's May 31st. So, you really need to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and send that tasteful, elegant essay in!

Now, catch your breath. You have a week to sign up for Annette Fix's Online Author and Book Promotion Workshop. Of course, if you sign up, I guarantee that Annette will have you working double-time on promotion! She's the Senior Editor of WOW! Women on Writing ezine, but she's also an author who has mega-promoted her book, The Break-up Diet: A Memoir.

In fact, Annette's promoted her book all the way into an option for a cable TV series! Here's what she says about her six-week intensive workshop: "By the end of this class, you will have a viable online marketing plan for your book, a platform for building awareness of your expertise/products/writing services, and a working knowledge of the vast options for online marketing."

Whew! That's a bunch of promotion-working in six weeks, but if you've published a book, or more importantly, are working on a book, this workshop could be the make-or-break difference for your marketing plan. And just in case you're worried that it might be too technical for you, relax. Annette promises that you'll get the guidance you need to navigate the social networks.

The workshop starts Monday, June 8, and you can get more info or register if you visit Annette's site. Now, quick! Sign up- and start that essay, too. Time's a-wastin', writers!

What Not To Do Wednesday on Limitations

You know that line from Cool Hand Luke...A man has to know his limitations?

I guess it's not politically correct, but I'm a big believer in that line, grasshopper. And now that May is winding down, I'm very glad I listened to that little voice in my head that said, "A woman has to know her limitations."

'Cause with state golf tournaments, movings out and movings in, graduations, birthdays, Mother's Day and the day-to-day crises that I like to call my "regular" life, I could have had a scathingly stressful month, trying to produce at my normal output. Instead, I took a look at my calendar and made a different kind of writing plan. I decided to work on a long-term, on-going project. I kinda like where it's going, even if I'm not quite finished yet.

And I worked on marketing tasks (that I can do in little chunks) and growing the business (that I can do at odd times). I'm hoping that will translate into financial gains down the road. For sure, there won't be much in the plus column on the May ledger. But that's okay. Sometimes, grasshopper, the business of raising children and family tasks can't wait for the right time and date.

Sometimes, a woman's got to know her limitations.

Oh, Say Can You Sing? Memorial Day Music

Last night, I watched the Memorial Day Concert from Washington. It was a moving tribute to our military, both those who are serving now and those who have gone before. The music and songs that are a rich tradition in our armed forces make my heart swell with pride and gratitude.

But as I watched, I wondered how many of our children know these songs that I sang in my school day years. My dad had been in the Army and served in World War II. My uncles had served, too. Most of my friends' dads had been in the Marines, the Navy, the Air Force, or the Army, also. They were the men (and women, too) who had come back to raise families and build lives in America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. So, we sang the songs we heard round the house, on the television shows, at Fourth of July celebrations.

The Marines:

From the Halls of Montezuma,
to the Shores of Tripoli;
We will fight our country's battles,
In the air, on land and sea.
First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
of United States Marine.

The Navy:

Anchors aweigh, my boys. Anchors, aweigh!
Farewell to college joys, we sail at break of day-ay-ay-ay.
Through our last night on shore, drink to the foam.
Until we meet once more. Here's wishing you a happy voyage home!

The Air Force:

Off we go into the wild, blue yonder,
Climbing high into the sun;
Here they come, zooming to meet our thunder,
At 'em boys! Give 'er the gun!

And the Army:

First to fight for the right,
and to build the nation's might,
And the Army goes rolling along.
Proud of all we have done,
Fighting till the battle's won,
and the Army goes rolling along!

Then it's Hi! Hi! Hey!
The Army's on its way.
Count off the cadence loud and strong (TWO! THREE!)
For where 'er we go,
You will always know
That the Army goes rolling along!

You know the songs. They're as powerful today as they were when my ten-year-old voice shouted out the cadence loud and strong (TWO! THREE!). We're still singing. We're still hoping and praying for peace in the world. And we're still depending on the young men and women in the military who serve our country so that we can live and laugh in America, the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Reminds me of another song. Teach your children well.

(Photo courtesy of dbking at flickr.com)

Finding Something Friday on Nanoism Contest

Oh, I found the perfect contest for a short and sweet post. 'Cause I'm not gonna lie. I'm tired. If you can remember that scene in Blazing Saddles when Madeline Kahn sings about being tired, then you know exactly how I feel right now. If you can't remember MK and her sultry song, well, I'm too tired to go into that.

I will go into the Nanoism Nanofiction Contest. If you can write nanofiction, a short, short, teeny, tiny bit of a story, then this is the contest for you. All you need is 140 scathingly brilliant characters. Not words. Not letters. Characters. That means spaces are included. If you Twitter, you're already writing nanofiction, sorta.

Heck. You don't even have to be a writer to pull this off. In fact, I don't know too many writers who can (how to put this nicely?) "zip it" at 140 characters. But hey. I could be wrong.

So, prove me wrong. The First Prize is twenty bucks...that's like a buck a word. See what I mean about short and sweet on Finding Something Friday?

Great Big Gobs of Genre Writing Advice

I'm just on a writing advice roll here at Cathy C.'s Hall of Fame! Today, it's the awesomeness known as the May/June issue of WOW!Women on Writing.

Pick a genre, any genre, and I'll bet you'll find some great tips for writing it. I haven't had time to read the whole issue yet, but I saw articles about magic realism, fantasy, mystery thrillers, and eeeeek! horror.

And as I'm a shameless hussy when it comes to promotion, I'm just going to add that eeeek! the horror article is brought to you by Cathy C. (as in Creepy) Hall. It's packed with info on all the horror subgenres as well as great big gobs of gushy, grimy writing resources. So, if you've been wondering if horror might be just what you need to rev up your writing passion, sink your teeth into my scathingly scary how-to article, "How 2 Find the Right Horror Fit for You."

Oooh. I'm a little creeped out. (But in a good, totally awesome way.)

Free to a Good Writer: Advice

I love a good deal. Nothing makes me happier than to find a bargain worth bragging about. So, I'm pretty much busting with joy right now, 'cause I've got such a deal for you writers!

The Virtual Writer's Conference begins today! Posts are going up as I type, and I can tell you they're packed with great writing advice. I just read the opening post by Leslea Harmon. She shared her thoughts about standing up for your work (she writes an opinion column) and I loved what she had to say. And I saw that Margo Dill was up next with some advice about revising and editing your children's works. Margo is an editor and has a middle-grade book due for publication this year, so I think you'll appreciate her pearls of writing wisdom.

Sometime during the day, my Top Ten Reasons You Should Have a Blog will be posted. So, zip over there and see if I've left anything out. And share your comments on the Virtual Writer's Conference blog so that all the attendees can benefit from your pearls of writerly wisdom.

New posts will be added through the 21st, and since this is a virtual conference, you don't have to worry about missing a single session! Seriously. Is this a deal or what?

Finding Something Friday on Texan Guidelines (Yeehaw!)

Okay, technically, I didn't find a contest or anthology relating to Texas. But as it happens, both of my finds today come from that great state of Texas. And when I say "great" I mean "birthplace of Cathy C. Hall."So, even though I wouldn't take a million bucks for Georgia, I have a soft spot in my writing heart for Texas. On to the writing opportunities...

First up is the NANO Fiction Contest. If you write fast and furious, this is the contest for you. Short, short fiction, micro-fiction, teeny-tiny bursts of fiction-it's all good for the NANO Fiction Contest. Yes, there's an entry fee, but the prize is pretty durn big (isn't that just like Texas?). So, send something to Houston by August 1st and win 500 bucks!

Next is an anthology or two from some fine folks in Abilene. But as wonderful as Abilene apparently is, please don't mail your submission there-send it by email. Or so say the editors of Grandma's Quilts/ Grandpa's Attic. This anthology will be produced by the Silver Boomer Books folks, who like stories and poetry, but check out the website for all the details ('cause there are a whole lot of details!). You have till September 15th, and that's plenty of time to polish up something grandmotherly or grandpa-ish. Or quilt-y/attic-ish.

Good luck, pardners! (Yeehaw.)

Tooting My Horn Tuesday for Virtual Writers Conference (And Okay, Golf. Again.)

Sometimes, people get a wild hair and the best thing to do is run for the hills. This time, my writing buddy, Gayle Trent, got a wild hair worth running to...she's coordinating the Virtual Writers Conference, starting May 19th.

Gayle has collected a fine group of people from all walks of the writing world to share their expertise. You can learn about self-publishing, marketing, social networks, fiction, non-fiction, genre writing, and a host of other subjects from writers who've been in the trenches. Writers who've fought the writing battles and lived to tell the tales. Writers like, well, me.

I'll be sharing my Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Have a Blog, and giving a few steps to get you started. I'll be funny, entertaining, and sorta helpful. So, zip over to the Virtual Writer's Conference on May 19th...the rest of the writers are bound to be mostly helpful.

And for those of you who've been missing my column, you can read May's "Golf Lessons" starring Cathy C. Hall, the beneficent Mr. Hall and Junior Hall. The editor of Modern Senior Living sometimes posts my column at the website; guess he got one of those wild hairs, too.

Finding Something Friday on Golf (Okay, and Writing, too)

Last Friday started with a golf trip. And the week just got crazier and crazier after that. But I did have time to find a contest along the crazy way.

It's the Women Who Write Contest, sponsored by the members of (what else?) The Women Who Write group in Louisville, Kentucky. I guess you can send just about anything you want, as long as it's not over ten double-spaced pages of poetry or prose writing. You'll have to send an entry fee ($10.00) and get it polished up and sent by May 31st. Check out the details here if you're a woman who writes. Sorry, guys, that's just the way the contest cookie crumbles.

Oh, I almost forgot! I found the latest issue of Modern Senior Living in the mail this week. My column happened to be about golf. And in that column, I mentioned Junior Hall, who just happened to be playing in the golf tournament from which I've just returned. Are you following all that? Anyway, I'd sent a photo of Junior Hall playing golf, just so the editor would know I don't make up the crazy stuff that winds up in my HI-larious columns. The editor added the photo and my "I don't make this stuff up" comment to the column. So, Junior Hall is kinda famous in the publishing world now. At least, along the senior set in North Georgia.


Here's Junior Hall's kinda famous pic. I'll be adding my columns to my website any day now, so you'll be able to read "Golf Lessons." And see for yourself the sorta true, kinda crazy world of Cathy C. Hall.

Finding Something Friday on Lots of Writing Stuff

So much to share today, I'm just jumping right in! Grab what you like and start writing...

If you've got a wonderful mom story, you need to polish it up and send it in for the Cup of Comfort for Mothers. They've done some restructuring over at C of C, so check out the new site for submission details and the handy-dandy submission form. You have till May 15th to get your wonderful mom story submitted, but check out the blog for other C of C happenings, like the Redbook and Cup of Comfort Silver Linings Contest (also ending on May 15th!) Plus, you'll get a feel for C of C, which definitely helps if you want to get published in this series!

Lisa (a writer's group buddy who just started a blog called Writing In the Buff, which is totally not what you're thinking), sent me a heads-up about Mind-Wings Audio, a company producing audio short stories in all kinds of genres. It's brand-spanking new, so I can't tell you anything more than what you'll find over there. I took a look around, though, and noticed lots of mystery and suspense. Which means either a. they really like mystery and suspense or b. they've got enough of that and are looking for something new. Whatever you send, it's got to be long, like 8, 000 words or so. Sheesh, that's a book where I write from.

And I know this isn't writing, but you're creative types, right? When I saw this note in the latest National Geographic, I ripped that page out (it's okay-It's my NG) because you might be visiting a national park sometime soon. I love parks, and I'm always thrilled to find a new one. So, I'm going to check this link to see what I've been missing around Georgia. And I'm going to grab my new camera and take some pictures for Your Shot in National Geographic. Wouldn't it be swell if Georgia, sweet Georgia showed up? Check out the guidelines here.

Now, here's Sally the crazy dog, who absolutely refused (again) to help me choose a winner for a book contest giveaway (Through Endangered Eyes by Rachel Dillon, remember?). Notice how Sally's actually ignoring me? Any other time, Sally would be all over a tasty piece of paper (the scraps of paper had names of the contestants). But when I need her to pick one lousy piece of paper, she's the Queen of Sheba. Hmmph. So, I'm sharing a cat story today. (It's a wonderful story by Ruth Hartman, who's a wonderful writer and, I hope, a good sport).