——– NOTE: The email issue had the wrong link it it. That is why you ended up here. The correct link for the March 11th News From The Home Office is here. ——– The kids had another snow day on Monday! Ug! At this rate, they’ll be in school all summer long just to make […]
Over the past few months, I’ve been posting a missive about the common themes in entries submitted for the previous 24-Hour Short Story Contest. We received lots of positive feedback so I’ll continue to do this for future contests.
For the past month, I’ve spent every spare moment judging the hundreds of entries submitted for the Winter 2009 24-Hour Short Story Contest. In case you’re not familiar with our quarterly contest, this is how it works. On the date of the contest, at start-time, we send out the topic for that specific contest to all registered entrants. We also post it online. Entrants then have 24 hours to write and submit their stories. The stories “must deal with the topic in some way to qualify” and they must not exceed the pre-assigned word count.
After reading the entries for each contest, we can see how difficult it is to come up with a unique plot when working with an assigned topic. But, inevitably, a few writers do manage to successfully break away from the pack.
So, take a rest from your busy day. Sit back, relax, and step into…a mysterious wedding scene?
Angela, your article in this week’s WritersWeekly (What Recession?! Plenty of Freelance Jobs for Writers!) was so refreshing. I’m getting so sick and tired of hearing about how bad it is out there. For an administration that promised hope, there sure is plenty of fear mongering going on, and the media love it.
At any rate, it was very refreshing to see your positive spin on things. While I know some people have been hit hard by the economic downturn, I also see what you see as well: Crowed restaurants, lines in stores, etc.
Americans still have so much better than the rest of the world. We just may not be able to afford flat screen TVs for a while. Well, I’d rather be reading anyway.
Thanks again for such a much-needed perspective!
Kate Wicker
Freelance Writer
https://www.KateWicker.com
TempleoftheSpirit.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/Momopoly
Trying to get a book deal? Trying to sell copies of your book? It’s not easy. Most publishing houses, even before the economic crisis, began minimizing their publicity departments. While in-house publicists still play a vital role in generating initial attention for the product, they can no longer set the wheels in motion for big marketing campaigns on a budget that typically consists largely of whatever they can pull from under the cushions of the office couch. In essence, unless you’re quite famous, you will need to go out and do your own promotion if you want a successful book. And promotion today begins with the latest buzzwords in publishing, “a platform.” Yes, you need an area in which you excel and in which people want to read what you have to say – and hear about it.
My cheapness started it.
Let me rephrase that. I wanted a (frugal) website, so I turned to blogging. Blogging in turn led to a book.
Tove Warmerdam / Seattle Dog Magazine / seattledogmagazine.com / Queen Dog Publishing – WritersWeekly is investigating two more complaints against this person.
Absolute Write / absolutewrite.com / Absolute Classes / absoluteclasses.com / MacAllister Stone – SECOND COMPLAINT. Course instructor alleges she’s owed $360 and that MacAllister Stone / AbsoluteWrite has only responded to one of her emails in the last year.
