Contests

Stretch Your Writing Muscles With These Contests

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 7 Comments

Want to stretch your writing muscles? Increase your publication portfolio? Submit to these upcoming contests (list compliments of Hope Clark’s Fund for Writers, Narrative,  WOW).

  1. Institute For Writers Sci-Fi First Pages Contest – $19 Entry Fee. Deadline March 31, 2018. First prize $650. Second prize $350. Third prize $100. Fourth prize $100. Fifth prize $100. 750 Word Limit. 
  2. First Pages Prize –$25 Entry Fee. Deadline – March 13, 2018. Submit your first five pages of a fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry manuscript.
  3. Narrative – The Winter Story Contest. Deadline: Saturday, March 31, at midnight, PDT.  $2,500 First Prize; $1,000 Second Prize; $500 Third Prize; Ten finalists receive $100 each.
  4. Wow – Spring 2018 Quarterly Flash Fiction Contest –Open prompt. Maximum Word count 750. Deadline –   May 31st, 11:59 PM. ENTRY FEE: $10.00.First Place: $400.00 cash prize; $25 Amazon Gift Certificate; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog. Second Place –$300.00 cash prize; $25 Amazon Gift Certificate; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog. Third Place – $200.00 cash prize; $25 Amazon Gift Certificate; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog. 7 Runners Up: $25 Amazon Gift Certificate; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog.
  5. WOW – Quarterly Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest. Open topic. Maximum word count-1000; Deadline– April 30th, 11:59 PM; First Place: $500.00 cash prize; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog. Second Place: $300.00 cash prize; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog.Third Place: $200.00 cash prize; Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog. 7 Runners Up: $25 Amazon Gift Certificate.

A Checklist Before You Submit: 

  1. Know your Judge and the journal – A little extra time in research will pay big dividends. Find out the genre, style, and preferred content before making a submission. Reading previous winners is an excellent way to get a feel for what the editors are looking for.
  2. Be sure to follow the guidelines! Sounds obvious, but editors say submissions which fail to follow the guidelines are their number one beef!
  3. Proofread! – Careless grammar and punctuation errors can sink your submission.

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.

Top 5 Resources for Contests and Submissions

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 3 Comments

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In my last post, I mentioned how important submitting  work on a regular basis is to writers. So, it’s only fair I share with you some of my favorite resources for the most up-to-date lists..

 My top 5 sites:

1) Duotrope: No longer free, this service now requires a paid membership. A 30-day free trial is available; after that, the cost is $5/month.

  1. The database lists thousands of markets tailored to your work and/or genre; including, fiction, non-fiction, or poetry.
  2. They offer a plethora of data on every site regarding, acceptance rates, turn around time, payment, unknown to extremely challenging markets, and other statistics.
  3. Provide a calendar of upcoming themed contests.
  4. And, track of all your submissions.

2) Every Writer’s Resource:

  1. On the home page, you will find listings for all types of literary magazines.
  2. Magazine profiles include the year founded, preferred genre,  guidelines, response time, paid or non-paying market, and names of editors.
  3. For quick reference, check out the current and updated list in the sidebar.
  4. You can search by name, category, theme, call for submissions, or print.

3) Flash Fiction Chronicles:

  1. Markets are listed according to word count restrictions;  from as little as 50-100 words  to 1500.
  2. Provides a brief summary of the magazine with links to view current issues, site guidelines and read editor interviews; one of the most informative aspects offered.
  3. Under the Resources tab, you can find additional contests list.

4) New Pages

  1. Your guide to news, literary magazines, agents, and contests.
  2. Call for submissions include, fiction, non-fiction, essay, poetry, and art.
  3. Additional resources for writers is also available.

5)  Funds for Writers

  1. Holly Clark provides a list of contests and freelance markets in every mewsletter.
  2. Information includes deadlines, the cost to enter, paid or non-paid markets, and a synopsis of the competition.
  3.  All contests listed have been researched for credibility.
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Photo courtesy of google and http://www.southwestwriters.com

I hope you will explore these sites, make a list and begin submitting. I’d love to hear what you think, and about your successes. So, drop me a line.

Happy writing and good luck on your submissions.