Windshift for Writers & Windshift Press

February

A month for heart health. Not only do we need to take care of our physical well being we also need to take care of our emotional well being. Writing is a hard life. Characters go off on their own and editors take months to reply to our submissions. Publishers are slow to pay royalty cheques and we see our book in a dump bin in our local chain store. In this environment, it is hard to find gratitude for our creativity. Traveling along the vein of gratitude I would like to send a huge thank you for all the terrific responses you have sent regarding this newsletter and your writing.

Writing Tip: - Are you having trouble with one of your fictional characters? Here is a test for finding flat characters and giving them dimension. Ask your character five personal questions. Here are some ideas: [1] What would John/Jane do if he/she found $20.00 in a car parking lot?; [2] What is his/her biggest secret?; [3] In what situation would he/she lie?; [4] How would he/she handle the break-up of a long term relationship?; [5] How would he/she deal with the sudden death of a loved one? I'm sure that you can think of other questions to ask your main characters.

Markets
I've done a round -up of some well-established competitions that pay serious prize money. Wouldn't it be great to start 2004 by winning one of the following competitions?

Bridport Prize - awards prizes in the sums of £3,000.00 and £1,000.00 for short stories up to 5,000 words and poetry up to 42 lines maximum. Submission date: June 30, 2004, Contact: Frances Everitt, Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, Dorset, England, DT6 3NR; Website: http://www.bridportprize.org.uk

Cherrybite Open Poetry Competition seeks poems up to 40 lines. No restrictions on style or theme. First Prize: £150.00. Submission date: February 28, 2004, Contact: Shelagh Nugent, Linden Cottage, 45 Burton Road, Little Neston, England, CH64 4AE. Website: http://www.cherrybite.co.uk

Envoi International Poetry Competition is seeking submissions up to 40 lines. First Prize: £150.00. No restrictions on style or theme. Submission date: February 20, 2004. Contact: D. Bowes, 17 Millcroft, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England, CM23 2BP.

The Alberta Prize is seeking a full length collection by a poet at any stage of his/her career for the Fence Modern Poets Series 2004. Guidelines need to be strictly adhered to. Deadline: February 29, 2004; Contact: http://www.fencemag.com/contest/guidelines.html

Mathew Prichard Award is seeking short stories up to 2,500 words. First Prize: £1,000.00. Submission date: February 28, 2004. Contact: Marjorie Williams, 2 Rhododendron Close, Cyncoed, Cardiff, CF23 7HS, Website: http://www.samwaw.org.uk

Concrete Wolf Poetry Chapbook Contest - is seeking 16 - 32 pages of poetry. Prize: $100.00 US and 50 copies of your book. Deadline: December 1, 2004; Contact: http://www.concretewolf.com

The 2004 Jasmine Contest, sponsored by the Lowcountry RWA is open to any unpublished author. Categories include: romance, futuristic, fantasy, inspirational, historical, romantic suspense for a South Carolina theme. Deadline: March 26, 2004. Details: http://www.lowcountryRWA.com

Cue Time - Every month we include a couple of writing ideas to help you kick start your writing sessions.

1. Did you experience any synchronicity this week? What was it? Use moments of synchronicity to move on a piece of writing that has been giving you trouble. Your characters will love it.

2. Quickly list your five favourite films. Is there a unifying theme? How has this affected your writing? Is there a similarity in theme, plot, ideas explored? This may give you an idea for markets for your writing.

Industry News: London's South Bank Poetry Library has just launched its online archive of poetry magazines [http://www.poetrymagazines.org.uk]. This is a great resource for poets looking for markets for their work.

The answers offered in this column are the personal opinions of the staff at Windshift for Writers. They are in no way meant to take the place of the professional advice you may need to seek for your specific query.

Questions and Answers

Q. My writing resume looks a bit sparse. I won a short story contest about ten years ago and was a runner up in a poetry contest two years ago. I've done a few writing courses and had several articles about early prairie churches published in church magazines but that was at least five years ago. I am a recently retired administrator. How can I make my resume more relevant to my writing submissions? - David J. -

A. That is a great question. You need something current to add to your previous achievements. While you are submitting to current competitions, you might consider signing up for another writing course. List your achievements as bullet points but don't put the year you gained them. Revisit your articles to see if they can be refreshed and then try to sell them again. Perhaps take a new angle with the material and sell to different publications. Good luck.

Win a FREE place at one of our Workshops - Writers who wish to host a workshop can do so by inviting interested friends and acquaintances to a venue (It could be your dining-room table.) and providing the coffee. If you host a workshop, your participation is free. Check the Workshops page for further details.

Home News:
Recently, I have been busy helping to organize the forthcoming Writers Federation of BC AGM and Conference scheduled for Nanaimo, April 16 - 18. We have secured a fabulous array of presenters. We will offer workshops for children, poets, fiction and non-fiction writers. Next month I will include workshop details, venue details and registration details so watch this space.

Windshift Press is publishing several books this month and several more in April and May. Check the Windshift Press website for details.