Competitions – Call for Submissions

June 27, 2018June 27, 2018 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

Trying to get through the editing process, perfecting my queries, and the dreaded synopsis (more to come on that) I plan to get back to writing short stories and flash fiction, and then I plan to submit my work to competitions. It’s a great way to get feedback.

The problem with competitions is they are often time restrictive with deadlines that don’t always meet my writing schedule. Thanks to the AutoCrit blog, I have a great list of regular online competitions, both paid and unpaid. Check them out their post, Regular Online Competitions for Writers, along with the pointers on why we should submit, as well as what to watch for.

Writing Competitions Available

FREE ENTRY:

Drue Heinz Literature (LINK HERE) – Entry Fee: Free; Word Count: 150 -300 typed pages; Prize: $15000 and publication.
New Voices Award (LINK HERE) – Entry Fee: Free; Word Count: 1500 words; Prize: $2000 and publication.
W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction (LINK HERE)- Entry Fee: Free; Word Count: Unspecified; Prize: $5000.
Friends of American Writers Chicago Awards (LINK HERE)– Entry Fee: Free; Word Count: Unspecified; Prize: Varies between $500 and $2,000.
Words & Brushes (LINK HERE)– Entry Fee: Free; Word Count: 2000 – 5000 words; Prize: $350 and publication.

ENTRY FEES:

American Short Fiction (LINK HERE) – Entry Fee: $17.00; Word Count: 1000 limit; Prize: $1000 and publication.
White review short story (LINK HERE)- Entry Fee: £15; Word Count: 2000 – 7000 words; Prize: £2500 or $3000 and feedback.
ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story (LINK HERE) – Entry Fee: $25; Word Count: 2000 – 5000 words; Prize: $7000 and publication.
Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition (LINK HERE) – Entry Fee: Varies; Word Count: Varies; Prize: Varies.

And don’t forget one of my favorite competitions:

WOW – Women on Writing – Quarterly Flash Fiction Contest – Entry Fee: $10.00; Word Count: Maximum: 750; Minimum: 250; First Place: $400.00 cash prize; Second Place – $300.00 cash prize; Third Place: $200.00 cash prize; All winners receive: a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate; Entry published on WOW! Women On Writing; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog.
Quarterly Creative Non-fiction Essay Contest – Entry Fee: $12.00; First Place:$500.00 cash prize; Second Place: $300.00 cash prize; Third Place: $200.00 cash prize; All winners receive: Entry published on WOW! Women On Writing; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog.

So, let’s get those keyboards going, dust off an old story and spruce it up, or let your muse run wild! Good luck and happy submissions.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

How to Deal With Manuscript Critiques

June 21, 2018June 22, 2018 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 1 Comment

ANNABEL SMITH

I have my manuscript out to my first beta readers and am anxiously awaiting their feedback and critiques. I’ll admit, it’s nerve-wracking. Will they like it? Were my characters well-developed? Was the plot cohesive? Was the story compelling?

I really want to hear what they have to say. I want honest opinions, but how do I handle the comments and critiques? What if it simply wasn’t their favorite genre? What if I disagree? What if, what if, what if…

Janice Hardy gives us 8 tips in her post, 8 Tips for Reviewing a Manuscript Critique.

Here’s a sneak peek:
Take comments seriously
If you agree, change it; if you don’t agree, don’t.
Not sure? Give it consideration. Why did the reviewer think or make that comment?
Grammar or punctuation – look it up. The Elements of Style by Strunk & White
If something is confusing, fix it. Clarity is essential to the story.
Do what makes your story the best.
Be objective.

Janice covers each of these in more details and provides additional resources. So, stop by and check out her post,
8 Tips for Reviewing a Manuscript Critique.

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SEO Basics: To Grow Your Site’s Traffic, Make It More Visible

June 15, 2018June 15, 2018 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 13 Comments

If you’re like me seeing the terms SEO, METADATA, or ANALYTICS, makes me dizzy. It feels as if I’m trying to decipher a foreign language without a clue how to begin. Thankfully, WordPress offers plenty of resources to help.

So, if SEO confuses you as it does me, check out this article on the basics of SEO.

via SEO Basics: To Grow Your Site’s Traffic, Make It More Visible

Feeling Overwhelmed

June 1, 2018May 31, 2018 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 6 Comments

And, I thought writing the novel was a daunting task. It is more fun, for sure, but editing is tedious mind-numbing work. It can become overwhelming especially to those of us new to the craft of writing novels.

Thank God we have experts to help us along the way. Janice Hardy from Fiction University is one such expert. She is my number one go-to resource.

Janice understands the complexities of self-editing and offers some great advice in her article, How to Edit a Novel Without Feeling Overwhelmed.

The six main points:

Decide whether you want to edit or revise. The processes are not the same.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew, so to speak. Set a word count, a number of scenes to work on and stick to it – a must when you’re working with 70,000 words plus.
Don’t try to cover all the bases, focus on one thing at a time – setting, character, dialogue, and so on.
Set a time limit – Time management is a biggy for me. It’s easy to get lost in the process, or become impatient.
Leave the advice books on the shelf while you’re editing – love this one! It’s so easy to get caught up in the ‘how-tos’ or the ‘should’s,’ and not get a thing accomplished.
Make a plan and let it be your guide – Use a calendar, spreadsheet, or whatever planning tool helps you accomplish your goal.

For more information, check out, How to Edit a Novel Without Feeling Overwhelmed.

I’d love to hear your tips. Talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.