A belated Happy New Year! We had a record turnout this week for our first meeting of 2023, with writers at all stages in their writing journey. This generated a lot of discussion, and I’ve covered most of the topics with upcoming deadlines here.
One subject members found interesting was the range of contests for short and very short fiction, and screenplays. One I’ve spoken of before is the NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge. Their next contest starts tomorrow, January 20. You can read about them here.
Author Jamie Cat Callan (The Writer’s Toolbox) will be hosting a virtual four-week Zoom workshop called “Writing from the Write Side of Your Brain,” beginning Wednesday, January 25 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. EST. Cost: $120 (to benefit The Spencertown Academy Arts Center.) Jamie will familiarize you with the essential elements of good writing, including how to discover your own unique themes, viewpoints, voice, and structure, and how to develop a love story. By the end of this four-session workshop, you will have either four separate short pieces or one story inspired by the in-class and take-home assignments. To register, sign up here.
Gotham Writers Workshop, the writing school in New York, is offering several one and two-day intensive courses this winter. Some are in person, some on Zoom, and some online (work at your own speed). They include: Personal Essay Writing (January 28), Character (February 4-5), and Comic and Graphic Novels (February 28). For a complete list, and to register, check here.
Authors Publish offers a list of five literary magazines that pay for work they publish. Among them are these, with upcoming deadlines:
Old Moon – This magazine publishes “weird sword-and-sorcery fiction Deadline: 30 January Length: 1,000-6,000 words Pay: $0.08/word Details here and here.
Nashville Review – Vanderbilt University. They publish fiction (including flash and novel excerpts), creative nonfiction (across the spectrum, including memoir excerpts, essays, and imaginative meditations), poetry, translations, and art. Deadline: 31 January 2023, or until filled. They pay $25 for poetry, $100 for prose. Details here.
Pulp Literature – They publish short fiction (all genres, not just pulp), poetry, as well as art and comics. Deadline: 31 January 2023 for fiction. Details here.
Ghoulish Tales – This is a new horror magazine. Fiction and also accept nonfiction in the horror genre. Deadline: 15 February Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction; up to 3,000 words for nonfiction Pay: $0.07/word (may increase, depending on Kickstarter stretch goals met) Details here.
This is my last reminder to enter your writing work for the Connecticut Press Club Awards, because it’s closing soon. Anyone who lives or works in Connecticut is eligible to enter. Work must be published from January 1 through December 31, 2022. There are 63 different categories in which you may submit, ranging from speeches to radio & Television, to websites and social media, as well as writing of all sorts. The final book deadline is on February 1. The final deadline for everything else is at noon on February 8. You can enter up to three pieces in any given category. And up to ten entries in total across all categories. Fees: CT Press Club members: $25 for the first entry and $15 for each additional entry. The non-member fee is $30 for the first entry and $20 for each additional entry. You can join or renew your membership to the CT Press Club here.
We talked about the various roads to publishing, including the difference between hybrid and self-publishing. In some respects they are similar, so if you’re considering either, a two-hour workshop given by member Libby Waterford (both in-person and on Zoom) on February 11 should be helpful. This workshop will help you understand the areas you will need to consider as you take your first steps down the self-publishing path. She will cover working with editors, packaging your book, distributing the finished product, as well as next steps like marketing and advertising. You’ll get a clear picture of what self-publishing involves (including what it costs!) and be able to ask questions from a self-published author. Register here.
Westport Library is offering a free workshop on February 15 at 11am, entitled Anyone Can Use Social Media for Marketing. Useful for those looking to tell others about the writing they do, and a good way to promote your book. For full details, including information about which apps you should have on your computer, register here. BTW, this is happening just before next month’s Rendezvous, so you’ll have time for coffee in the cafe between the two events!
More to come on Monday!
