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Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Nonfiction 101
I have to admit to being a little surprised at the light turnout for our
Dead of Winter Nonfiction Contest. With nine days left, we've only received eight entries so far. Makes
me wonder, is writing nonfiction so hard?
For those who find themselves intimidated, let me assure you, you've
probably written nonfiction before. Remember those essays assigned the first week back to school--"What I Did on my Summer
Vacation"?
Nonfiction can be a number of things. A poignant essay, such as something
you might read in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Or an anecdote. Memories, good or bad, provide a wealth of
material.
Got any opinion pieces? A pet peeve that drives you crazy and you just
have to write about it? So do it. An informative article? We'd love to see it. Beautiful descriptive writing on a topic
of choice? Send it our way.
Instead of automatically rejecting the idea of entering a nonfiction contest,
take a chance. I remember sitting at a writer's conference years ago as the awards were being handed out for best nonfiction
article. The winning title? "How to Walk Like Marilyn Monroe." This woman's sense of humor had won her first place in the
nonfiction category.
Take a chance. Write about something you know. You just might win a contest!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Contests Essential for Emerging Writers
I have talked about entering contests many times, and today I find myself
approaching the subject again. For emerging writers, contests are essential for many reasons. Contests cause a writer to produce
a manuscript ready for publication. Or, if it's not ready for publication, the writer has tested the waters through the process
of having his work reviewed and judged. (Tip: It's good to send a piece out to many contests to see whether it sinks or swims.)
Another reason I highly recommend contests and offer them as a staple of
this website is because a writer needs encouragement to keep on writing. Placing in a contest offers that much needed encouragement.
Winning money is the cream on top.
Contests also challenge a writer to write outside her comfort zone. I remember
when my writing group first offered a flash fiction contest. My reaction was, I can't write flash fiction. To be
sure, the first story I wrote didn't place. But I didn't give up. The next two times the contest rolled around, I won first
place both times. What changed? I immersed myself in flash fiction, reading stories until my mind was completely familiar
with the form and could create the style and length.
Today you have an opportunity--a very good one, in fact. Our Dead of Winter Nonfiction contest is 18 days away, and to date we've only received four entries.
That's right, four entries! We offer a cash prize of $70 for first place, $35 for second place, and $20 for third. And
to improve your odds, you can enter as many as three entries. We also offer the convenience of entering your submission online
as well as by traditional mail. The bonus is each entry receives a free critique.
For those of you who write nonfiction already, what do you have
to lose? And for those writers who aren't sure they can write nonfiction, I say, why not take the challenge? You might learn
you have a talent for writing in a completely different genre.
In the end, you might just have a finished work ripe for publishing
in a magazine.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Writer's Future Revealed
How many of us, if we could, would like to know what the future holds for
our writing career? Yet this day I have in my possession the secret of knowing your future as a writer, and it doesn't require
a crystal ball or extra sensory perception or a 1-900 hotline.
As a good web hostess I'll let you in on it. The biggest predictor of your
writing future is your daily habits. Yes, you read that right. How you spend your daily allotment of hours is the primary
indicator of what the future holds for you. If you say, "I'm going to watch American Idol tonight--but I'll write
tomorrow," the next day will come, and with it the next distraction. Stake out a part of each day for writing--and by the
way, that includes sending your work out, too. You'll find that each day builds upon the next. A few bricks here, a couple
there, will lay a foundation for your writing career.
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