Let The Writer Beware!

We've all heard of the many scams that target the elderly. Surprisingly, there are also scam artists whose aim is to target the literary-inclined. Those of us interested in earning a little money or gaining a little recognition for our written words should be careful about selecting which contests to enter. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. provides a webpage well-worth reading for poets and short-story writers alike.

A Question of Style ~ When To Use "That"

WritersDigest.com answers a few basic questions about writing style.

Writing Poetry ~ Helpful Guidelines

John Hewett, at Writer's Resource Center, compiled this list of suggestions which may help you to make your poems stronger and more memorable.

Anything You Say: Tips For Writing Effective Dialogue

Stephen D. Rogers, graduate of the Framingham Police Department's Citizen Police Academy and member of Mystery Writer's of America, Private Eye Writers of America and the Short Mystery Fiction Society, shares some informative guidelines and suggestions on writing dialogue for detective stories and mystery thrillers. Brush up on your Miranda rights and check them out.

Philip Levine Prize in Poetry

If you are not now, nor have never been a faculty member or student at Cal State University, Fresno, and have 48 to 80 pages of previously unpublished poetry that you can have in a binder clip and ready to be postmarked by September 20, 2007, gather those pages together along with a $25 entry fee and send them off to the Philip Levine Prize in Poetry for a chance to win $1500, publication and distribution by Anhinga Press, and 25 author copies.

Essay Contest: Make Us Want To Be You!!

The National Association of Baby Boomer Women and Funds For Writers is sponsoring the FFW annual essay contest with the theme: Make us want to be you. In 750 words or less, send them a remarkable promotional plan for your writing project, or tell them what you'd do with your writing career if you had a year to devote to your passion. You may choose whether or not to pay an entry fee. First prize with a $5 entry fee is $200, for no entry fee the first prize is $50. Deadline is October 31, 2007 and winners will be announced December 1, 2007.

Where Have You Been and What Was It Like?

TravelGlitter online ezine is looking for fun writers that are passionate about the places they visit. Their newsletter follows the same format every day: One city, one theme, and five things to do. If you've been somewhere you love enough to write between 300 to 500 words about, you may be able to gain $10 from your submission.

Abacot Journal Accepting Submissions of Prose Only

The Abacot Journal is looking for your best strange stories under 2,000 words for its inaugural issue.Weird is good, funny is good, dark is good. The deadline for the first issue, which will be online in January, 2008, is December 1, 2007. Check out their website for submission guidelines.

What's the Story? @ Cafe Metropol Tuesday, September 25

This just in from Look LA:

What's the Story? @ Cafe Metropol Tuesday, September 25
Come hear the bold, brave and often hilarious voices of the writer-performers of
What's the Story? Workshop. Originally founded as a solo performance workshop,
What's the Story? has expanded to include people writing for the stage, for the
screen, and for the page. You never know what you'll hear, but we promise a
fascinating mix, fabulous food and drink, and interesting folks.
The monthly Tuesday evenings at Metropol are our opportunity to see how our work
lands with you, our friendly invited audience. Without you, we have no idea what we
are writing. So we invite you to join us every month, and watch our work grow, find
out what happens next.
SEPTEMBER READERS
Jake Arnette • Melissa Bales • Trey Burnette · Marc Goldstein
Stephen Grynberg · Stephanie Stephenson • Karen Taback
Amber Willat • & friends
WHAT'S THE STORY? @ CAFE METROPOL
923 East Third Street LA 90013
Reservations: 213-613-1537
Information: 310-450-1312
whatsthestoryLA.com
Enjoy dinner and drinks and Tuesday half-price appetizers at 7pm.
The show starts promptly at 8pm.
Save the dates this fall @ Metropol
Tuesdays · September 25 · October 23 • November 27

Ladies and Gentlemen: Place Your Bets!!

Laurie Champion, an English professor at San Diego State University, is currently seeking short stories on the subject of gambling. Your stories can deal with any aspect of gambling as long as gambling is the primary aspect. Stories must be between 5 and 30 pages, and fully developed as far as plot, character, theme, conflict, etc. Ms. Champion will be seeking a publisher once she has a collection to submit. Since she's taught creative writing and American literature, as well as editing and co-editing seven anthologies, and has had twelve short stories published to her credit, why not take a gamble and see how far this throw of the dice can take you? Compensation will be negotiated as soon as a publisher has been determined.

A Plethora of Poetry Contests

The Poetry Society of America will be accepting submissions from October 1 to December 21, 2007 in a variety of categories, with a wide range of monetary prizes. PSA sponsors twelve annual awards contests with the winners being honored at their Annual Awards Ceremony, held in New York City in the spring of each year. The reading fee is $15, unless you're a high school student ($5), or a high school teacher/administer submitting an unlimited number of your students poems ($5).

A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words ...

or, in this case, up to 500 words of prose, or 15 lines of poetry. Tattoo Highway is now accepting submissions for their 16th issue, "Sidekicks and Fellow Travelers." First prize in either category is a $30 bookstore gift certificate, and the deadline is January 15, 2008.

Fifth Wednesday Online Journal

Fifth Wednesday Journal is accepting submissions now for their Spring/Summer issue, which will appear in April/May 2008. The deadline for this is February 1, 2008. Fiction, poetry and black-and-white photographs accepted for publication will also be eligible for $35 prizes.

WOW! Women On Writing Contest

This just in from Wow! Women on Writing:

WOW! Women On Writing has finally found a skirt! that fits!

Fall 2007 Essay Writing Contest
The Globe Pequot Press' skirt! books is partnering with WOW! Women On Writing for a whole new sizzling new contest!

• Deadline: November 30, 2007 Midnight (Pacific Time)
• Word Count: 800 - 1200 Words
• Prompt: Can you write a story about luck (good or bad), serendipity, a missed opportunity, or karma?
• Over $2,000 in cash & prizes!
• Entry Fee: $5
• Guest Judge: C. Hope Clark of Funds for Writers and WOW! Columnist
• Judge for skirt! Mag: Publisher, Nikki Harden
• Open Globally; entries must be in English.

The Beauty of the Grotesque

Are you up to creating something of beauty out of something decidedly not? Hayden's Ferry Review is looking for prose, poetry, and visual art that explores the humanity, beauty, and reality of the literary grotesque - the monstrous, the unusual, the abnormal. They will pay $25 per page (up to $100), two copies of the magazine, and a 1-year gift subscription to HFR. They accept submissions year round, and there is no reading fee.

Do You Play Well With Others?

Snakeskin Poetry Webzine is accepting poems or very short prose by two or more writers working together for its February 2008 Collaboration Issue. Send up to 5 collaborations by December 1, 2007 to jessyrandall@yahoo.com. Get together with a writer buddy or two and you may surprise yourselves with what you create, and find yourselves published to boot!

Love-Ins, Sit-Ins, Be-Ins ~

Where were you during the Civil Rights Movement 40 years ago? What are your memories of the day that Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed? The Martin Luther King Commemorative Issue of Passager is looking for your memories of the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, the civil rights movement, and especially the riots in Baltimore. The deadline is October 31, 2007 and results will be announced in February, 2008. They're accepting a wide range of submissions that includes poetry, fiction, memoirs, memories of family and friends, as well as group entries, so light some incense to get into that mood, and delve into the past.

Inspirational Good Deeds Contest

Point of Life is looking for the most superb Goody Two Shoe story of 2007. Have you (or anyone you know), done good deeds without any need for thanks? Well, your reward may be in the form of a $500 check and publication in the Point of Life Newsletter and on their website for one year. There's no fee for this contest, which doesn't end until December 31, 2007.

Let Us Go Then, You and I

and send between 60 and 100 pages of original poetry written in English for a chance to win the Truman State University Press T.S. Eliot Prize of $2000 and publication. There is a $25 reading & processing fee, and entries must be postmarked by October 31, 2007.

Story Quarterly Contest Deadline Extended

The Story Quarterly Fiction Contest deadline has been extended to November 30th. Check the website for details and verification.

Got Dark Poems?

Chiroscuro Webzine is accepting submissions of dark poetry for their January - March issue on the theme of "treatments of light and shade in words." Genre (SF, fantasy, horror, magic realism, dark fantasy, etc) and non-genre are okay as long as they are on theme. They publish four poems per issue and THEY PAY! $10 for each published poem. So, tap into your dark side and make it pay off for you in cold hard cash!

Your Poems on Postcards

This poetry contest is for women over forty who have not yet published a full-length book. The submission for Late Blooms - A Poetry Postcard Series is October 1, 2007. There is a $10 reading fee for up to 3 poems of up to 24 lines. Winning poems will be printed on full-color art 4 x 6 postcards, and the winners will receive 20 sets of postcards. How fun would it be to be able to mail your poems to your friends and loved ones for the price of a 24-cent stamp?!