On Google Plus and Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

Think again. According to Adam of Too Clever By Half, there’re at least four reasons why you shouldn’t do it. Luckily, if you’re tired of your Blogger blog, don’t want to see it, etc., you have a much better option than hitting the “delete” button.

It’s November — are you writing?

Whether you’re on Blogger, WordPress..whether you blog or not, if you’re a writer, chances are you’ve set some daring writing goals for November. That’s great.

However…if you feel that NaNoWriMo isn’t your thing — you aren’t alone. It’s okay to be a slow writer. Some of them are doing quite well. Heed what Anne R. Allen has to say.

Do what feels right, and write.

Image: Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Landscape (Paysage), c. 1900–1905. Oil on canvas, Overall: 8 x 12 1/4 in. (20.3 x 31.1 cm). BF236. Public Domain.

On Author Bios, Writers of the Future, & 30 Poetry Prompts

December 21, 2017December 9, 2017 / Sasha A. Palmer

Writing Lesson (La Leçon d'écriture)

To include, or not to include in the bio: that is the question. Find your answer in this post from Robert Lee Brewer, revisit Anne R. Allen’s post on author bios, and write a bio that will help you, and do justice to you, and your work.

Attention, new/amateur writers of sci-fi/fantasy short stories/novelettes. Ron Hubbard’s Writers & Illustrators of the Future is holding a Free Writer Contest with big prizes. Submit your work now. Deadline December 31, 2017. Don’t miss out.

Missed WD November Poem-A-Day (PAD) Chapbook Challenge? Robert Lee Brewer has collected all of his prompts for this year’s November PAD. Write your chapbook now.

Image: Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Writing Lesson (La Leçon d’écriture), c. 1905. Oil on canvas, Overall: 21 7/16 x 25 13/16 in. (54.5 x 65.5 cm). BF150. Public Domain.

On Longer Poems, Writer’s Mixtape, & Easy Blogging

December 7, 2017December 5, 2017 / Sasha A. Palmer

Musician

Got a longer–min. 3 pages, max. 10 pages–poem? Consider submitting it for the Stacy Doris Memorial Poetry Award.

Check out Robert Lee Brewer’s list of 20 best songs for writers and about writing.

“…my doctor said I was going to have to choose between blogging and living to see my next birthday” — Anne R. Allen shares her own blogging ups and downs, so you may have fewer of the latter, and more of the former. Read her post on easy blogging for authors.

Image: Charles Demuth. Musician, 1918. Watercolor and graphite on wove paper, Overall: 10 3/8 x 8 in. (26.4 x 20.3 cm). BF748. Public Domain.

On $20K for a 100 Words, the Dangers of NaNoWriMo, & Nelson Algren Literary Awards

November 16, 2017November 15, 2017 / Sasha A. Palmer

The César Egido Serrano Foundation’s V International Flash Fiction Competition’s open for submissions until “24h (Spanish peninsular time) of the International Day of the Word as a Bond of Humankind (motto of the Foundation), on November 23rd.” Can you write a 100 word story worth $20K? Yes, it’s $20,000 (!) Note: they ask for ID/Passport info on the participation form, but this is NOT a required field. Consider leaving it blank.

Is NaNoWriMo a thing for you? Does it make you happy? Or miserable? Why? To find answers to these and other questions (ex. Who are “the canaries in life’s coal mines”?) read Anne R. Allen’s latest post.

“The Chicago Tribune’s Nelson Algren Literary Awards…a nationally recognized contest for original short fiction, named in honor of the Chicago literary great Nelson Algren” is open for submissions. No entry fee. Substantial prizes. Write, and submit.

On New Voices, Froyo, & Pen Names

October 26, 2017October 2, 2017 / Sasha A. Palmer

Submissions for The Masters Review New Voices category are free, and open year round. A paid market. Check it out.

Froyo–frozen yogurt–is now officially a word. The Merriam-Webster.com dictionary has gotten bigger, this time by over 250 new words and definitions.

Anne R. Allen’s post on writing under pseudonyms in the digital age. Find out if/when it’s a good idea.

Writing Rules vs. Writing Guidelines

June 1, 2017May 29, 2017 / Sasha A. Palmer

“Rules (with a few important exceptions) are rigid and come with a my-way-or-the-highway attitude. Guidelines, however, have the advantage of being flexible and customizable.”

Head over to Anne R. Allen’s blog…with Ruth Harris to read a post well worthy of bookmarking (as always.)