Skip to content

Posts tagged ‘Poets & Writers’

May 6

Four contests to energize your writing life

One good way to inject some energy into your writing is by entering contests. Sending out your work helps create focus and momentum and if you win, cash and publishing credits aren’t bad either.

Here are four contests that came across my e-mail this week. For more, check out Poets & Writers Writing Contests, Grants & Awards page.

The New Letters Literary Awards
Prize: $1,500 each for poetry, fiction and essay
Entry fee: $15
Deadline: May 18, 2013
Contest details Read more

Sep 5

Too old to publish a book? Think again

Publishing can seem like an arduous process. It’s easy to think it will never happen. Your evil twin may try to discourage you with all sorts of reasons to give up, including that maybe you’re too old.

Think again. The longer we live, the more experiences and insight we gain and can use in our writing.

Here are several authors who were in their 40s and beyond when they published for the first time.

Paul Harding, author of Tinkers, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize with his debut novel, published when he was 42. Read more

Dec 19

2 Comments

Gift ideas for the writer in your life

If you still need holiday gift ideas for the writer in your life, below are a few of my favorites:

Writing Journals

Whether we type our masterpieces directly on the computer or by hand, we writers need notebooks and journals to keep track of our thoughts. My favorites are the moleskine notebooks (there are many different colors and sizes so buy your writer more than one!).

I also love the Spirit of Flight Journals. Type “writing journals” or “writing notebooks” in your search engine and you’ll have plenty to choose from.

Subscriptions to Writing Magazines

These magazines provide craft tips, inspiration, and examples of good writing: Read more

Oct 13

1 Comment

Want to get published? Take over the TV station

Have you ever noticed that one of the first things revolutionaries do when they start a coup is take over the TV station? That’s because controlling communication is key to attracting attention, managing the message, and sparking change.

If you’re trying to get published, maybe you don’t want to go that far, but it doesn’t hurt to think like a revolutionary. If you want to get noticed you have to get your work out there.

Besides sending out queries, try these tactics as part of a plan to communicate and share your writing with the world.

1. Submit excerpts of your project for publication in magazines or literary journals. It could lead to a book deal from an agent who sees it and wants more. Read more