Windshift for Writers:
A resource of markets, tips and courses for writers of fiction and nonfiction
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September Newsletter
September is one of my favourite months. I love the contrasts in weather, colour and texture in the natural world. It is at this time of year that I am reminded of the oft-quoted lines from John Keats's poem Ode To Autumn.
"Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;"
I'm off to conspire with my creative spirit to see if she will load and bless my writing with some true inspiration or something fit for a future Booker shortlist. …. Sandra
Writing Tip: - Fashions change in writing as in everything else. At one time, you could get away with a leisurely descriptive beginning to a story or a novel. You can't do that now. Readers are used to movies, TV and music videos where a whole picture is conveyed in seconds. The single image does the work of 1,000 words. Always make sure that your first paragraph contains a hook that will make a page-turner out of your reader.
Markets:
Meadowside - is seeking submissions of books for readers up to the age of six. Contact: Simon Rosenheim, Meadowside Children's Books, DC Thomsom, 185 Fleet Street, London, England, EC4A 2HS
Crème de la Crime invites authors to submit a synopsis and 10,000 words of their 70,000+-word thriller together with a £10.00 fee by November 1, 2003. The top 20 submissions will be invited to work with the editors to hone their novel for publication. Contact: Crème de la Crime, P O Box 170, Chesterfield, England, S40 1FE; E-mail: mailto:info@cremedelacrime.com Website: www.cremedelacrime.com
Northcliffe Electronic Publishing has launched its ninth on-line non-fiction writing competition. They are offering £1,000.00 for the most compelling, tear jerking, funny or well-written story. Closing date is January 14, 2004 so you have time. Full details at http://www.toowrite.com
Sand is looking for poetry, prose and reviews. Submissions to editor, Kevin Cadwallender, P O Box 1091, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, SR2 8WD; E-mail: mailto:sandpoems@aol.com; Website: http://www.sanwriting.co.uk
Alchemy pays 5 cents US per word for fantasy stories up to 8,000 words. Submissions to Steve Pasenchnick, Edgewood Press, P O Box 380264, Cambridge MA 02238, USA
Chapman, Scotland's quality literary magazine seeks submissions of four to ten poems or short fiction of less than 3,000 words. Contact Editor, Joy Hendry, Chapman, 4 Broughton Place, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH1 3RX; E-mail: mailto:editor@chapman-pub.co.uk; Website: http://www.chapman-pub.co.uk
Acorn Magazine - is launching a competition with the first prize of having 100 copies of a novel printed. Writers should submit three chapters of their novel before September 30, 2003. The two main characters must be over 50 and should be portrayed as 'lively, active and even sexy'. Contact: Acorn, South Scarle, Newark, Nottinghamshire, England, NG23 7JW; Website: http://members.aol.com/Acornmag Entry fee is £5.00.
Obadiah Press - Christian Writers Contest 2003 seeks a 1,000 - 2,000 word article or essay based on the theme: Hope for a chance to win $500.00 US. The top 50 entries will be published in an anthology. Entry fee is $25.00. Contact: Obadiah Press, 2003 Writers Contest: HOPE, 607 N. Cleveland Street, Merrill, WI 54452, USA; E-mail: mailto:submissiosn@obadiahpress.com
Ursula Le Guin Prize for Imaginative Fiction - seeks entries of unpublished fantasy, horror, mystery and science fiction. First prize is $1,000.00 US. Send your story of 3,500 words or less with a fee of $10.00. Deadline: October 1, 2003. Contact: J Roderick Clark, Editor, Rosebud Magazine, N3310 Asje Road, Cambridge WI 53523, USA; E-mail: rodclark@smallbytes.com
Cardiff International Poetry Competition - seeks poems of less than 50 lines for a prize of £5,000.00 [over $10,000 Cdn]. Deadline January 30, 2004. The entry fee is £5.00 but they do take credit cards. The rules for entry are quite strict so do make sure that you have read them. Too many competition entrants are disqualified on that alone. And no, there is no mistake in the amount of the prize money! Contact: Academi Cardiff International Poetry Competition, P O Box 438, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 5YA, UK; Website: http://www.academi.org
Cue Time - Every month we include a couple of writing ideas to
help you kick start your writing sessions.
1. If you could change just one thing in the world, what would it be? Incorporate it into something you are writing.
2. Go to or watch a sporting event. Picture yourself as one of the athletes. Write about your life.
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Industry News: It's Booker season again. Seen as the gold standard of international prizes I was pleased to note that several Canadians have made the long list. The shortlist will be announced September 16, and the winner will be named on October 14. Here's the list: Monica Ali for Brick Lane, Martin Amis for Yellow Dog, Margaret Atwood for Oryx and Crake, Carol Birch for Turn Again Home, Melvyn Bragg for Crossing the Lines, JM Coetzee for Elizabeth Costello, Julia Darling for The Taxi Driver's Daughter, Gerard Donovan for Schopenhauer's Telescope, Damon Galgut for The Good Doctor, Barbara Gowdy for The Romantic, Mark Haddon for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Zoë Heller for Notes on a Scandal, Francis King for The Nick of Time, Shena Mackay for Heligoland, Clare Morrall for Astonishing Splashes Of Colour, John Murray for Jazz etc, Julie Myerson for Something Might Happen, Tim Parks for Judge Savage, Caryl Phillips for A Distant Shore, DCB Pierre for Vernon God Little, Jonathan Raban for Waxwings, Graham Swift for The Light of Day, and Barbara Trapido for Frankie & Stankie.
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. I've just had a rejection letter from a publisher who says that
my characters lack convincing motivation. What exactly do they mean? -
Toni M. -
A. Good fiction is always character driven. No matter how ingenious your plot is, your readers will soon realize that you are manipulating your characters to suit the plot rather than having a plot that results from your characters' desires and drives. A reader is intrigued by what motivates the characters to be the way that they are in a story. This is what makes your book a real page-turner.
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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: This is a busy time for Windshift Press so I am not
scheduling as many workshops this autumn. I am still available to do 'dining-room
table' workshops in the Vancouver Island region. Contact me if you and
your writing friends/group would like to organize one to kick start your
autumn writing season.
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Tel: 250 246 1888
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