Captivation: Upcoming Writing Contests

Have I ever mentioned that I want to be a writer? I suppose if you've kept pace with me you've seen the telltale signs of my adoration of words strung together to create mosaics of story.

This afternoon I spent in the library pouring over writing magazines. I found many contests. So at the possibility of you beating me out and winning these contests, I'll share them!

Even this picture will take you to info on another writing contest. Deadline is in November!

Not Your Mother's Book
Consisting of real-life stories written by individuals 18 years and older, the series will not focus on death/dying, cry-your-eyes out sad selections, but only hip, fun, modern and very-much-today type stories that will entertain our readers.
word count: 500-2500

PNWA Literary Contest
12 Contest Categories
deadline: February 22, 2013
fee: $50 (nonmembers)
These can be book length and you get 2 critiques!

Crazyhorse writing contest
categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry
deadline: January 31, 2013
fee: $20 (includes a year subscription)

The 9th Annual Geist Postcard Story contest
word count: max. 500
a postcard that somehow relates to your fictional or nonfictional story
deadline: February 1, 2013
fee: $20

Catharsis Journal contest
topic: How creativity changed my life
category: short memoirs between 2500-10,000 words
deadline: March 15, 2013
fee: $20

So my fellow writers, grab your pens and laptops and get scribbling. If you're prolific, you could have a story to each of these contests! I'm hoping maybe I'll submit a story a month. I think my creativity and my budget might be able to support that endeavor.

"The book you want to write is the book you've always wanted to read." - Dylan Brody

Captivation: Book Publishing

I ran into an acquaintance today who has been working at getting his book published. I do dream of writing my own book and getting it published, but there's a ton of work involved.

Currently, I'm in the lowest ranks of an editorial department. I do the brunt work and the busy work and the work that no one else wants to do. And I'm totally okay with that. It's nice to know that me working on that not-fun-work opens up the editors to doing the important stuff. So my work counts for something! And the priceless experience of knowing how a publishing house works.

here

Recently, I had the opportunity to read through the infamous "slush pile". This pile is the fear of every writer, but the true reality of the writer's life. A slush pile is the stack of unsolicited book proposals that an acquisitions editor receives. I read through 20 book proposals.

here

Two of the biggest reasons that these proposals were rejected:
- no platform (aka no place to self-market their book)
- wrong subject matter for our publishing house

What we can learn from this.
Please research the publishing houses that you desire to submit your work to, making sure that they publish your genre and be ready to self-promote! Personally, self-promotion puts a bad taste in my mouth, but it is necessary.

Helping a fellow writer out.
So you interested in reading about a new author with a new book that you can get on Amazon or Barnes and Noble's? Allow me to introduce you to The Eliot Papers. Want it on the Nook or Kindle?

and The Plan is...

"So now that you're graduated, what are your plans?"

I join my fellow graduates in the starry-eyed, blank stare. We blink. We respond, "That's a great question." Quick. Check the attentivity (I am aware that this is not a "real" word) of our audience before rambling into our long monologue of options that have only a 10% chance of happenstance.

Courtesy of here

For the past 22 years of my existence, I've been riding the always ascending escalator of education. And now, I have been ceremoniously (remember that terribly long graduation ceremony with all its Pomp and Circumstance) dumped off the top of this escalator of education. I thought this education was going somewhere. Now, I'm left milling around in a vacant warehouse that leads to everywhere (ever hear the overly-optimistic admonition "the whole world is open to you"?). If the whole world is in fact open to me, where are all the employers beckoning me and travel agencies offering to fly me around the world? Oh, I see them...over there getting swarmed by other college graduate hopefuls. Hmm. Okay. Well, I could crawl through all the feet to get to Dream Employers and Travelers...or I could do something else...

Huh. What's this? I'm looking down at my feet to see bits of paper all over this echoing warehouse full of recent grads trying to find where the whole world is open. I pick one up.

"Meet Mr. Right, Get Married right out of school."

I pick up another.

"Graduate with a job offer to Random House."

And another.

"Become a teacher."

Bits of dreams scattered around this warehouse where all dreams are supposed to come true, but it only appears that these dreams have been discarded--left behind to be crushed under foot.

Welcome to Life. Dream Crusher. Reality Mover.

Depressing, right? So now that my dreams have been crushed and my plans disintegrated, where do I go from here? And I'm wandering around staggered from the sudden lack of upward climb that has been dragging me through life's existence for years--now, what.

All along. There's been no plan. My parents didn't have a plan. Ha. That's why my dad's maxim is "one day at a time." That totally makes sense.

So what's my plan? Hmmm. I'm going to get married tomorrow. To who? Eh. Whatever. One day at a time. Maybe I'll go back to school or nanny...or dance in the rain...or something. I'll do something. Nope, I'm not worried. Everyone's making it up as they go. I will, too.

So my plan. I have no plan.

Giving Life

Do you give blood? I give blood. No, not every time. When I can, I give blood. Generally when I tell girls that I plan on giving blood, they get all shivery and squirmy on me as though by saying "give blood" I have physically become the nightmarish needle.

Hey, I don't like needles anymore than the next person; however, why should I be afraid of something that I will have to deal with at least annually at the doctor's? Shots and needles will plague us so do the mind-over-matter thing. It's more or less worked for me.

I give blood when I can (usually I can't give blood because I've traveled out of the country). I give blood because why can I not suffer the pain of maybe ten minutes to an hour so maybe another person can be given some of life's blood? If I were dying or in dire need of healthy blood, I would want people to willingly donate their blood so I might live another day.

My experiences of donating blood have not been rosy - actually far from it. You see, I have small veins. A majority of the time, the needle must be moved while in my arm to get the vein since it is missed upon the first try. To say that the pain is not bad would be a terrible lie. I have a high pain threshold. The pain of that small needle being moved in my arm has taken me very close to fainting multiple times.

Why do I still give blood?

I consider my discomfort and pain small compared to the pain of the person that needs my blood.

Ask An Author: Pursuit of Dreams

Less than three years ago, my aunt decided to chase a dream. She began writing. Every time that our families got together, she'd spend a portion of her day sitting at her computer writing. It's not really until now that I actually realize the importance of chasing one's dreams.

My aunt pursued her dream to write a book.

She did it.

If you want to see evidence of this, go to Barnes & Noble.

******

To honor the pursuit of dreams, I'm going to do a giveaway.
More to come soon!

What If the Concept of College was Re-defined?

People call college "the best four years" of their lives. Thousands upon thousands of dollars are spent for board, tuition, classes, books, etc. After college ends, where do we go? How do we pay off these debts? Graduation is like a jump board out of the cozy environment that we've been living in to a world labeled "dog-eat-dog." Suddenly, graduates have to realize that life does not revolve around school. For 16 years, undergraduate students attend different academic systems to gain the education level that they want or feel that is expected. And then, school ends.

What comes after school? Real life? Family? A job?

College definitely has its perks; however, does a degree truly make one more prepared for life than real life experience? What if life experience and schooling could be combined?

Timothy Cook at The Saxifrage School has a vision to redesign college education. Not only does he have the vision, but he is putting action behind his ideas.

This is the Saxifrage School, a college redesign project with dual-majors, language fluency, and real-life skills. It's a real place that will have 400 students, 40 professors, and a $5000 tuition. The Saxifrage School is set to open in 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

p.s. Don't forget about my giveaway!!! It ends May 9th!