Short Short Fiction = Big Big Winning

Oh. My. 78 words. Can you write short fiction? 'Cause this contest is AMAZING.

The Aspen Writers' Foundation and Esquire Magazine want your short fiction. Not just any short fiction. Your 78 words of short fiction. Yes, it must be 78 words. 78 really amazing words.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Writing 78 brilliant words is tough. Really tough. But if you can pull it off, you can win something big. Really big. TEN writers will be flown to New York for a fiction workshop taught by Colum McCann. And the grand prize winner will win a full scholarship to the advanced fiction workshop at the Aspen Summer Words in 2012.

78 words. No entry fee. No fancy formatting. Just 78 winning words. (By October 7th)

LAST (Contest!) CALL

The last few days of the month are always a mad dash for me...I look up at the calendar above my desk and think &^*%! Two days? I'll never make it!

Maybe it's a conference I need to sign up for (along with a formal manuscript critique), or a writer-ish bill to pay. (Okay, The Beneficent Mr. Hall is going to pay that bill. But I still have to remind him.) And then there are the CONTESTS. So as it's August 30th (OH MY GOSH, IT'S AUGUST 30TH!), we really don't have time for dilly-dallying about if we want to make these deadlines:

The 2011 Good Housekeeping Fiction Contest on a theme that reflects some aspect of women's lives today. Good news? That's practically anything (including Zombies)! Bad news: You've only got till September 1st. More good news? It's online entries, so you can wait till the last possible minute! More bad news? There can be only one (winner). Okay, there can be three, actually. I just like to use the Highlander line.

The 2011 Family Circle Fiction Contest on a theme...hmmm. There appears to be NO theme. Wheee! But I'd suggest a quick look see at some of the past winning stories to get a handle on what Family Circle likes. Good news? You have till Septemeber 9th for this contest! Bad news? You have to mail the entry. But you can send TWO entries!

Now, off you go, my little writers. TIME'S A-WASTIN'!

Tuesday Tip on a Submissions Goldmine

I cannot tell a lie. (Well, I can. And have. Many times. This is not one of those times.) Um, where was I? Oh, yeah. I did not want to share this rich vein of submission deadlines. Truly, Sally Clark's blog is that good and the little devil on my shoulder said, "Now, Cathy C., here's a goldmine you can sit on, and cash in big."

But the little angel on my shoulder said, "Shame on you, Cathy C.! Now you get your little boomerosity in that chair, go to your blog, and share what you found." Well, I don't need to tell you that when your angel starts talking about your boomerosity, you better listen.

So if you're looking for one blog to check regularly for a ton of submission opportunities, then you shouldn't miss the Christian Writers Submission Information. And if you want to catch up on deadlines, then zip over to this page and check out the month.

There's enough there to keep you busy writing all month long. And that's a good thing. Because as you know, an idle mind is the little devil's workshop.

LOTS of Tuesday Tips: Getting Your Writing in Shape

So, whilst engaging in my early morning marketing (Okay, checking Facebook), I realized that the newest issue of WOW! Women On Writing was out. Wheee!

There are TONS of great articles, as always, but I'm a little partial to Get In Great Writing Shape for FREE! When I found all those university classes for free, I knew that info would make an exciting article. Because who doesn't want FREE stuff?

So, I added a few more resources for FREE stuff for writers: conferences, books, professional memberships, and all those great giveaways that make me go wheee! Wheee! Wheee!

I hope you'll go wheee, too. Because really, who doesn't love free stuff?

Starting the New Year with a B-B-B-Bang!

You know how I think of the most scathingly brilliant things in the shower? I just toweled off so fast, my hair is still dripping. BUT, I had to share my scathingly brilliant way to start 2011.

In checking my calendar of last year, I noticed an alarming trend. To wit, I start with a bang and fizzle out. So, I thought I'd capitalize on my Big Bang nature and bang out a couple of goals in the first few weeks!

Introducing the Big Bang B & N Followers Contest! Here's how it works: You tell your followers about Cathy C. 's Hall of Fame and her brilliant contest. They scurry over here and follow me, telling me who sent them (and leaving contact information). One lucky NEW follower will win a $20 gift card from Barnes and Noble! And there's more...the faithful follower who sent them ALSO wins a $20 gift card! YAY! I'm ending the contest on January 24th; new followers can post a comment on any post during that period, as long as they fill me in. So spread the word, my faithful friends and followers. I'm in a hurry to bang out my goal of getting over 100 followers. Because let's face it. By May, I'll be all "followers, schmollowers."

If you're like me, you start the year thinking of all the submissions that will fly out from your brain and into an editor's hand. Except that your brain's still in an eggnog-induced, turkey-overloaded fog. You need something short to get the old brain ball rolling. Here's TWO competitions, with NO entry fee, that just happen to begin with B. Brilliant!

For fun and games, try the Binnacle Ultra-Short Competition. Even if you don't win (Um, you should know that they get about a gazillion entries), you'll jumpstart those sluggish neurons, working on your 150 word poem or prose. And lots of folks get Honorable Mentions. Why not you?

The Bevel Summers Prize for the Short, Short Story is accepting stories of 1,000 words till March 31, 2011. Now, I know it's from Washington and Lee University and you're thinking it's all hoity-toidy (is that how you spell that?), but honestly. I know many of my followers are gifted short story writers who could win this competition and 250 bucks. So brush off your best short story and send it. I'm sending one of mine.

That's how you get to be a better writer-and how you eventually get published. Oh, and don't forget to send me your followers for a chance to win big bucks and bust my budget for the year. Now, let the New Year begin with a B-B-B-Bang-and let me go dry my hair.

P.S. Couldn't start the year without a word from Cathy-on-a-Stick. She says, "Hey."

Finding Something Friday on the FFW Contest

Okay, my essay writing friends, this contest's for you!

It's the Annual FundsForWriters Essay Contest (I told you it was for you!) with this year's theme: When Writing Made A Difference. (Seriously. Could you find a better writing contest?)

You've got 750 words to make your point, and you can choose either the fee ($5.00) or no fee contest. The cash prizes are higher for the fee contest, but that's only fair. And you've got till midnight on October 31st to get the essay emailed to C. Hope Clark.

Yes, you heard me right. October 31st. Which gives you two whole days to get your scathingly brilliant thoughts organized, written and sent off.

You do work better under pressure, right?

Finding Something Friday: Mozark Press

So, here's the thing. Friday is my "Catch Up on All Things Bloggy" day. And generally speaking, I start out the day, zipping from blog to favorite blog, reading about what my creative buds have been up to in their little corners of the writing world. It's all very interesting, but exhausting, in an "information overload" kind of way.

That's why I have to go out to lunch on Fridays. It helps me process all that information. I know it may look like I'm talking about my neighbor while inhaling chips and salsa, but trust me. I'm processing.

Except that today, I happened to stop over at Becky's blog and read somewhere among the last week's posts about this submission call out at Mozark Press. Which had, if I remember what Becky said correctly, originally popped up on Donna's blog, who knows when.

Well. I could barely concentrate on my quesadilla fajita or eavesdropping on the table next to me. All I could think about was a flash story I'd written that I knew would work for this A Shaker of Margaritas: Hot Flash Mommas anthology.

One teensy, little thing. I needed about 700 more words, a 40-ish protagonist and a totally different middle and ending. So, that whole writing thing took longer than I planned. Which explains my Finding Something Friday post at a few minutes before Saturday.

Oh, and one more thing. You only have till June 15 if you've got a story stuck in your head now. And really. You don't have time to be lolly-gagging at lunch dates.

Catching Up is Hard To Do

Long, long ago, in a radio station far, far away, I worked as a copywriter.

Now, I loved writing commercials. But I hated taking a vacation. Because I knew when I got back, first thing Monday morning, 87 gajillion work orders would be sitting on my desk. That meant 87 gajillion commercials would have to be written, produced and scheduled. By the end of that Monday.

Flash forward to today. You'd think being a writer, working at home, AND having a laptop computer that one can tote everywhere, would sidestep that vacation pile-up on Monday. But you'd be wrong if you were Cathy C. Hall. Apparently, I cannot bring myself to work while I'm on vacation. So, I've spent the entire morning culling emails. (I caught up on the writing stuff over the weekend. Sorta.)

Mostly, I zipped through submission call outs, writing opps, and contests. All the newsletters that have been piling up in the old Inbox. To be honest, I zipped through them at record speed because I'm pretty particular. But halfway through my zipping, I started to wonder about contest entry fees.

You know I like my contests. But I'm very particular when it comes to entry fees. Or maybe just cheap. The point is, I rarely send anything off if a fee is over 12 bucks. But what I'm wondering is if I'm letting my cheapness stand in the way of opportunity. So, I'm asking you to weigh in on contest entry fees. What will you pay? And why?

And now, Monday's pile of writing is singing. "They say that catching u-u-u-p is hard to do." (That's what happens when you've worked in a radio station.)

Finding Something Friday: A Few Hot Spots to Visit

Here's the thing about the South: One minute, you're sitting out on the porch, as cool as you please. The next minute, it's so hot, the only way to beat the heat is to stuff your face into a watermelon. So, to celebrate 90 degree temps in my sunny backyard, I offer you a few writing hotspots you might want to visit. They won't exactly cool you off, but they're definitely cool.

Karen, one of my writing online buddies, sent me a note about her new blog, The Absinthe Road. She's planning to post a prompt every Monday to inspire your writing mind, body and soul. Sometimes a prompt is exactly what you need to get those writing muscles moving, and besides, Karen is quite the interesting person. So, why not check out her interesting blog?

And Donna, over at her Book Pub, is sponsoring a short story contest to motivate us during May, which just happens to be National Short Story Month (who knew?). You can write whatever you want, but there is a word limit and a no whining rule (I'm assuming she means no whining to her). There's a prize, too!

Wait a minute! I've just had the MOST splendiferous idea! Why not zip over to The Absinthe Road, get your writing groove on, then zip over to Donna's Book Pub and send in your prompt- inspired short story?

Off you go and no whining. (I just find cool stuff. The hot mess writing's up to you.)

Phot courtesy of stock.xchng

Thursday's Three: Freebies! (Newsletters, that is. Writing Gold.)

Do you ever wonder how something like The Beverly Hilbillies became such a hit? I mean, besides the fact that the show had one of the all-time greatest theme songs? It was a simple premise: the old fish-out-of-water story. Plus, the show had colorful characters. Which just goes to show that's it all about finding the gold.

So, here's a few newsletters where you can find writing gold. All for free!

1. Writing-world: Moira Allen's terrific site is jam-packed with tons of resources, and she always throws in a few submission opportunities, as well as a great how-to article.

2. Funds for Writers: C. Hope Clark's free newsletter says it all in the name: she's giving you ways to make your own gold! Plus, Hope always throws in grant opportunities. She also has a paid newsletter, which if you're savvy, you can get at a bargain price when she runs specials. (Hint: Now would be a good time to check it out here. And get a free Tweetbook, too!)

3. Children's Writer E-News: If you write for children, or want to write for children, get this nifty newsletter. See where writers are getting published. Pick up great tips, and find out about contests. You never know who you might read there. (Okay, you do know. I was going for coy.)

The best thing about these newsletters is that someone else is doing the investigating work for you and delivering it to your Inbox, twice a month. All you have to do is the writing work. Assuming you want to make gold.

(So they loaded up their truck and they moved to Beverly. Hills, that is. Swimming pools, movie stars. Cue the banjos. And if you have a favorite free newsletter, why not share the wealth?)

Finding Something Friday : Springmingle 2010!

I can't be lolly-gagging away here at the Hall of Fame. I'm off to Springmingle (the Southern Breeze chapter of SCBWI regional conference in Atlanta)! I'm sure I'll find all kinds of fabulous writing stuff. And I'll take notes, too. Then I'll come back here and share with you!

Okay. I cannot tell a lie. I will intend to take notes. But most likely I will listen real carefully. Um, actually, I might not listen that carefully. I start watching people and then my mind wanders. Before you know it, the session's over and what have I got to show for it?

That's probably why they give out a few pages of notes at these conferences. I'll bet there are tons of writers who have lolly-gagging brains.

(Wait! Check out this contest going on over at The Happy Accident! You could win a free social media consultation-Greg Pincus usually provides these at conferences- if your name is chosen. BUT, even if you're not interested in the social scene, you'll pick up a ton of great blog reading in the comments! Don't lolly-gag. Contest ends the 28th!)

Finding Something Friday: Me and Dear Lucky Agent Contest

I slogged out to my mailbox today, through snowflakes a-flyin', to find my new business cards! (And because I'm a ham, my new sticky notes to go along with!)

Just between you and me, I seem to have the same thing going on with business cards that I have with bathing suits. (Hmmmm...they both begin with B's. Coincidence? I think not.) Namely, I'm on a mission to find perfection. And yet, since both business cards and bathing suits involve Cathy C. Hall, in either the flesh or a likeness thereof, perfection is a tad difficult to come by. Hence, the whole thing taking on that "Mission: Impossible" status.

Oh, well. I kinda like these cards better than the last. And the sticky notes are swell (probably because they're fuzzy-ish). So I'm feeling pretty lucky today. Lucky enough to enter The Dear Lucky Agent Contest going on over at Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents Editor's Blog.

Wow. That's a mouthful. But the contest is pretty simple. Send 150 to 200 words of your middle grade or young adult unpublished manuscript to wherever Chuck said. And don't forget to follow a few of the other rules listed if you want your entry to be valid. Go right here and read it again, just to be on the safe side. Then zip that entry out before February 21st.

I wish I could put one of my new sticky notes on that entry:

"Dear Lucky Agent,
If you think this sticky note rocks, wait til you read my WHOLE manuscript!
Yours in anything but a bathing suit,
Cathy C. Hall"

Finding Something Friday: First Round Finalists at Reading Writers

If I'm being perfectly honest, I didn't find the First Round Finalists in the Reading Writers contest just today. Today, I found that my new laptop has a dark side. I still love PC, but the bloom is off the rose, if you catch my drift.

Speaking of drifts, the Reading Writers Flash Fiction contest involved a snow theme. Which must have struck a chilly but brilliant chord with the Hall of Fame followers. Because when I saw a tweet saying the first round of finalists had been posted, I recognized quite a few names when I dashed over to the contest cafe. (What's that? You didn't know Reading Writers was on Twitter? Go sign up. Wait! Read this post, then sign up.)

There was Donna! And there was Linda! And there was Lisa, too (who can now relax, knowing her entry made it to the contest, after all)!

So, pooh-pooh to the snow! I'm all warm and fuzzy inside, sharing "Excellence in Milieu" (gosh, doesn't that have a grand sound to it?) with these fine writers! Best of luck to us...and if one of y'all win, do I get a finder's fee?

Finding Something Friday on Snow and Contests

Snow! Glorious snow! How happy you make me! When I am inside, and don't have to take you!

Yep, me and Oliver are singing our hearts out about snow here in my cold corner of Dixie. I realize that for those of you who do have to actually go out in the snow, perhaps even blizzards (brrrrrr!), this might not be a singing occasion. Um, sorry.

BUT, I've found a glorious snow contest for you, and that should be worth something, right? It's brought to you by ReadingWriters (I found it in The Verb ezine, which is the monthly newsletter of ReadingWriters. You can find out all about these fine folks here.) As for the contest, you must write something scathingly brilliant which somehow incorporates snow. And you must be brilliant in 500 words or less. Now, if you're stuck in your house, snowbound, so to speak, you've got plenty of time to be brilliant. So, you see I had your back all along.

One more eensy, teensy thing. You only have till January 15th. So put down the hot chocolate and start writing. Wait! You'll need details! Go to the Contest Cafe here. And sign up for that ezine while you're there. Elizabeth Guy, Verb editor, always has something worth reading!

(Snow! Glorious snow! Give me inspiration! My brain is so cold! It's in hibernation!)

Tooting My Horn Tuesday on TH Stuff

The Nano Lament (Sung to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad")

I've been working on the novel, all the livelong day.
I've been working on the novel, and I've got a lot to say.
Don't you see your shouting hubby? He's starving and he's mad!
Don't you see I've got to finish? Peanut butter's not that bad.

First TH: 30, 000 words on my novel-in-progress! Count 'em and weep, fellow writers. (Come to think of it, the Beneficent Mr. Hall is almost on the verge of tears himself. Perhaps for an entirely different reason. Perhaps it has something to do with my personal hygiene. Perhaps I've shared a little too much.)

A quick word about Thin Threads, which is a new book series based on stories about thin threads or life-changing moments. Many moons ago, I sent a story and forgot all about it. Until I received a recent email saying, Whee! You're a finalist! (I'm paraphrasing, but it was something along those lines.) Then, I received another email saying, Whee! Your story's been selected for a Thin Threads book or whatever we decide to do with it! (Second TH) So, check out their recent contest if you've got one of those thin thread moments.

Finally, when I looked back at the Tooting My Horn Tuesday posts, I realized I had more toots than last year (Um, you know what I mean, right?). And I'm darn thankful for the throngs (Third TH) of folks who put up with my tooting, and always have such nice things to say. (Okay, maybe throngs is stretching it. But I'm all about the THemes.)

Oh! And have a blessed and bountiful THanksgiving! (Gee, I sure hope the Beneficent Mr. Hall picks up a turkey for us or it's going to be a very peanutty holiday at the Hall house!)

Finding Something Friday : Soul-Making Literary Competition

The annual Soul-Making Literary Competition is calling my name this Friday. And not a moment too soon. 'Cause entries need to be postmarked by November 30th!

There are 12 different categories for which you can send your own soulful entry, and you know what I really like about this contest? Previously published works are okay-dokay! So, shake off that scathingly brilliant piece you love, add the five buck entry fee, and send it to the fine folks all the way in San Francisco. Oh, and make sure you include enough postage.

A wing and a prayer might help, too.

Finding Something Friday: Words, Words, Words

I found the funnest contest for you word lovers! (Um, is funnest a word? The red line thingie is not showing up under it, so I guess funnest is okay. But P.S. Thingie is not.)

The Georgia Review decided to honor Ambrose Bierce with a Devil's Dictionary for the 21st Century. Now, you may recognize old Ambrose as the guy who wrote that short story you had to read in high school ("An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"). But he also penned The Devil's Dictionary, a dictionary of common terms with some rather uncommon, not to mention, satirical definitions. Take his definition for Dictionary: A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work.

Oh, that Ambrose was a hoot and a half. Until he took off for Mexico and disappeared. Still, I'm sure Ambrose regaled the local ruffians with his usual wit right up until the moment that they, well, made him disappear. But you want to know about the contest. Send in your new and satirical entries by December 1 (maximum length, 200 words) and if your word is chosen, you'll receive a lovely honorarium, or perhaps even the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place prize. You have to mail that submission, so start thinking and writing. Get all the details here.

If you read about the Abilene Writers Guild contest over at Finders & Keepers, then you can skip ahead because you already know that the contest has a category for children's writers. But if you write short stories, poetry, flash fiction, articles, or even novels, there's a category for you, too. And prizes! And an entry fee (but it's only 5 bucks, unless you're sending in your novel excerpt). You only have till November 30th, so go check out the details here and jump on that contest!

And finally, a quick update on that National Novel Writing Month. Yes, I signed up. That would explain the neat little badge I added to my blog (I'm not gonna lie. I'm a sucker for blog stuff like that. Not enough of a sucker to add the word count widget, though). And I've written a ton of words. They may not necessarily be good words, but they are words (and not words like thingie, either). Which reminds me of Ambrose Bierce's definition for novel: a short story padded.

Which brings me to the end of this rather wordy post. I'm sure you're wondering about that picture of the monks, working on the sand painting. It's simple, really. A picture's worth a thousand words. (Wonder if the nanowrimo folks will let me throw in a couple of pics?)

Finding Something Friday on Saturday Writers and Shameless Promotion

I found an email or two this week from friends who are members of the Saturday Writers, letting me know that their contest deadline has been extended.

It's a very good thing that friends send little reminders out to friends like me. Because I plumb forgot to post about that contest in the first place! But there's still time to get your first place in the 8th Annual Short Story Contest. Now you have till November 15th to get your open genre story into the hands of their fantabulous judges, and don't forget to send your $7.00 entry fee with that 2009 word story. Get complete details at Saturday Writers (saturdaywriters.org). Oh, and I wouldn't mind another little reminder so that I, you know, actually get that entry in the mail.

And now, since Halloween is nigh, I'm thinking you might be in the mood for a spooky tale. So, creep on over to Cathy-on-a-Stick for pumpkin shenanigans. Or you might want to read Mary Beth's Prophecy, if you forgot to read that frightening fable when I posted it in the Hall of Fame.

Isn't it funny how I never seem to forget the shameless promotion? Bwahahahaha!

Finding Something Friday on Cup of Comfort Competition and Connections

So, let's say you have this GREAT story. A story that really happened, and maybe even changed your life. A story that grabs the heart strings and makes folks smile or gasp or take a hankie out. That's a story that could win the Cup of Comfort Reader's Choice Competition.

Finally, here's an opportunity for that GREAT story that didn't quite fit into any of the categories of Cup of Comfort books that were published (or to be published). Yes, there's an entry fee. But there's also some great prizes, including your story in the Cup of Comfort Reader's Choice Edition. And best of all, people vote. (Okay, I realize that editors are people, too. But editors can be the teensiest bit picky. Whereas reader people are just looking for a GREAT story.)

So, write that GREAT story, join the C of C community, and submit by January 15th. Read more details here to improve your chances. And when your story is chosen and people get to vote, let me know. Because I'm reader people, and I'd love to smile, gasp, or yes, grab a tissue or two and vote for your story.

Oh, and you can tell everyone about your GREAT story when you sign up with Networked Blogs. It's a Facebook application that allows you to network your blog all over the Facebook Kingdom. So, if you're already the social type, chatting up friends and family on FB, sign up your blog and get the message out. 'Cause you're writing GREAT stories every day. Might as well share the wealth!

Finding Something Friday on Spinetinglers Contest

There's just something about October that really gets my spooky senses tingling. It could be that whole Halloween thing. It could be that the Beneficent Mr. Hall takes to the couch during football season and turns into a kind of bubbling mass, indistinguishable from the cushions. Whatever.

The point is, my fingers are itching to write something creepy. And I found the perfect site to send my macabre masterpiece: Spinetinglers (Woooooooooo-ooooooo).

Each month, Spinetinglers sponsors a contest (no entry fee!) and chooses the top five stories (prize money!) and then showcases them on their website (publication credit!) They seem to be especially keen on guy writers (Four out of the last five winners were men. Although Tony could be a girl, I guess. Or an alien...).

Anyway, I know quite a few women writers who can scare the bejiminies out of me. With their stories, I mean. I'm sure their stories would scare you, too. So I really hope they submit a few to Spinetinglers and help us women represent. As I plan to do, as soon as I think up a hot mess of a horror story (Woooooooo-oooooo).