Becoming and Staying Productive with Writing

We’re ending the fifth month of the year. Back in January, many writers had manuscript ideas popping and cracking as if trying to explode onto paper. The passion was sizzling. But as we write and the sentences don’t flow quickly or in any semblance of rhythm, the flame of passion for writing can cool to an ember, if that.

This happens to many writers, including me. If it also happens to you, take time to figure out why you’re writing. Do you have an appetite for storytelling? Do you write because you love it? If so, the words will come. Perseverance leads to success. Along the way, you face heartbreaking moments, those times when you KNOW, you are certain the editor will contact you with great news because you’ve been exchanging emails and phone calls; then the unbelievable happens. After all those rewrites and time and anxious moments, you receive a rejection. Pain as real as a punch shoots clear to the heart and hammers it.

Perseverance also brings joyful surprises. You may have sent out a manuscript so long ago, you simply forgot about it and gave up hope. Then out of the blue, an editor contacts you with a YES. 

The day-to-day writing schedule can be more hum-drum than kicking-up-heels exciting, but those moments when your writing connects with an editor or a fan contacts you stating that your book, your literary baby, was her favorite, takes the mere ordinary into the extraordinary stratosphere. That’s the magic of writing, the magic that fires a writer’s passion to produce more and better storytelling.

Persevere and you will find success in writing. Persevere and experience the magic.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Skipping Stones. Writings (essays, stories, letters to the editor, riddles and proverbs, etc.) should be typed or neatly handwritten and limited to 1,000 words and poems to 30 lines. We encourage writings in all languages with an English translation, if possible. And, we love illustrations! Please send originals of your drawings, paintings, or photos to our post office box address below. Include your name, age, and address along with your submission.

Submission guidelines at http://www.skippingstones.org/submissions.htm

Since schools are dismissing for summer, I’ll discontinue Call for Submissions for Young writers until September.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Skipping Stones. Our readers, ages 7 to 17, hail from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. We want to make their reading of Skipping Stones an active experience, relevant to issues confronting them locally and globally. Writing and artwork by adults should challenge readers to think, learn, cooperate and create.

We encourage adults to submit creative informational stories rather than pure fiction. We prefer submissions focusing on your own culture or experiences. No adult poetry, please. 

Submission guidelines at http://www.skippingstones.org/submissions.htm#adult

I’ll resume Call for Submissions for Young Writers in September.

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 50+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK. Check out her blog at www.nancykellyallen.com

At this year’s Kentucky Book Fair, I met a writer, James Ray Coffman, who is just beginning his journey in the publishing world. He illustrates and writes graphic short stories for middle grade and young adult readers. His three volume series, ARAURA, is a hero’s journey and challenges the reader’s view of right and wrong.

What I gleaned from the conversation with James:

A positive approach serves as motivation. He is extremely motivated to learn more about the industry and his upbeat attitude is contagious. I’m motivated to write every morning at 8:00 whether I feel like it or not, whether I know what I want to write or not. I just do it. It’s habit. It’s routine. It’s productive.

Writers need to believe in themselves. It’s so easy to get bogged down by rejection letters, but beginning writers haven’t dealt with years of “No, thank yous” so they believe publishers will want their work. It’s refreshing to meet these writers who WILL make their dreams come true for a number of reasons: talent, perseverance, hard work, and a strong commitment to follow a dream.

Enjoy what you do. James certainly enjoys his craft. He worked on an illustration during slow moments, which were few, at the book fair, but the attendees saw his work in various stages of production. People love demonstrations by illustrators, and they flocked to his table to talk with him. If writers are not enjoying the process, readers probably will not either.

Find ways to stay positive, believe that you will succeed, and most of all, enjoy the journey.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Ember is a semiannual journal of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction for all age groups. Submissions for and by readers aged 10 to 18 are strongly encouraged.

Poetry

Most forms are considered, both metered and unmetered, traditional and experimental. Poems from 3 to 100 lines have the best chance of acceptance. You may submit up to three poems at a time, but a separate submission form must be completed for each poem.

Short Stories up to 12,000 words will be considered. However, more important than word count is the quality of your work: we are looking for excellent, polished writing that pulls us into an engaging story.

Flash Fiction. The ideal length for Flash Fiction submissions is about 500 to 750 words, but pieces up to 1500 words may be submitted in this category. Remember that Flash Fiction is not the same as “vignette;” even very short works should still present an interesting and compelling story.

Creative Non-Fiction is the beautiful union of exposition and literature. Tell us a true story, and tell it well. Word count limits are the same as for Short Stories.

Submission guidelines at http://emberjournal.org/submission-guidelines/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

 Highlights for Children. Fiction should have an engaging plot, strong characterization, a specific setting and lively language. No series or continuing stories.

·         Stories for younger readers (ages 3 to 7) should have 500 words or fewer and should not seem babyish to older readers.

·         Stories for older readers (ages 8 to 12) should have 800 words or fewer and should be appealing to younger readers if read aloud.

·         Frequent needs include humor, mystery, sports, holiday and adventure stories; retellings of traditional tales; stories with urban settings; and stories that feature world cultures.

·         For stories that require research, such as historical fiction, please send photocopies of key pages in references and of any correspondence with experts.

·         We prefer characters that set a positive example.

·         We avoid stories that preach.

·         We avoid suggestions of crime and violence.

·         We seldom buy rhyming stories.

Submission guidelines at https://www2.highlights.com/contributor-guidelines

Writing a Middle Grade Novel, part 11/Calls for Submissions

Today, I’m resuming the series,Writing a Middle Grade Novel.

AMAZING GRACE, my first middle grade novel, was just released. This book’s road to publication is somewhat unusual in a couple of ways.

First, the story began as a picture book but the subject matter was too advanced for that age group. I rewrote it as a chapter book. Again, the subject matter worked better for an older reader. What can writers learn from this? Know your audience. When writing, imagine a particular age, or even a particular child. As you write, continually ask yourself, does this (dialog, character action, word choice, plot) work for my audience.

The second unusual aspect of the book is the length of time—15 years—the story percolated in my mind. I began the book 15 years ago. That’s right, fifteen loooooong years ago. I never gave up on the story but it took me years to learn how to write it. What can writers learn from this? Perseverance is the key to a successful career in writing. Don’t give up. I’ve seen so many writers work hard and through the process begin to excel, only to become so frustrated with rejection, then quit writing.

For years, I’ve written picture books and now have 30+ published. I love writing for that age group, but it’s also fun and an exciting learning experience to move away from my comfort zone and write for an entirely different audience. If we try writing in a genre new to us or for a difference audience, we’ll grow as writers.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Storybird. Your words. Our art. Amazing stories. Simple tools help you build books in minutes. Let the art inspire and surprise you as you write. Readers will encourage you along the way.

Submission guidelines at http://storybird.com/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Clarkesworld Magazine is a Hugo Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine that publishes short stories, interviews, articles and audio fiction. We are currently open for art, non-fiction and short story submissions.

Submission guidelines at http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/submissions/

Writing a Middle Grade Novel, part 2/Calls for Submissions

My inspiration to write about a spunky female character came when a good friend displayed such a spunky attitude when diagnosed with a serious illness. I created a spirited, courageous protagonist, threw her into a tension-filled plot, and enjoyed seeing the character rebound in the end, all this in the form of a picture book. The manuscript shipped out into the world to seek a contract. I wasn’t surprised with the rejections, but I was thrilled with the offer for publication. A few weeks later, the publisher withdrew the offer due to changes within the publishing house.  

Another rejection suggested that the material would work better as a chapter book. I agreed with the editor and revised the manuscript into ten 1,000-word chapters. Once again, my “baby” shipped out in the big world to seek a contract. Rejections came with similar advice given by a different editor: The story would work better as a middle grade novel.

Back to the keyboard. I wrote and rewrote, enlarging my story to encompass subplots and shipped it out into the big world to seek a contract. Rejections came but so did an offer for publication. This time, the editor suggested I add two more chapters on specific information. Editors’ insights have always made improvements in my writing, so I take their suggestions to heart. Now, 15 looooooong years later, a tribute to a friend is finally coming to fruition in the form of my first middle grade novel.  

Moral #1: perseverance is the key to a writing career.

Moral #2: Don’t get in a hurry.

Call for submissions for young writers:

GREYstone is a subsidiary of BRICKrhetoric, which publishes works of
poetry, artwork, flash fiction, photography and scientific art from
students and teachers {K-12} quarterly online in the months of February,
May, August & November.

Details at http://mygreystone.wordpress.com/ 

Call for submissions for adult writers: 

MAIN STREET RAG Publishing Company will be accepting submissions of poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction for 3 upcoming anthologies. Themes: (1) Cars, (2) Crossing Lines, (3) Home & Houses. Reading period: January 1 through February 28. No reading fee. Submissions by e-mail only.

Submission guidelines ats: www.mainstreetrag.com

or e-mail: editor@mainstreetrag.com. 

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/

Perseverance Part 1, Famous Writers' Rejections, Calls for Submissions

Perseverance is that catch-all word that means commitment, hard work, patience, and endurance. These qualities improve the job performance of many workers, and writers are no exception. For most writers no shortcuts exist in the publishing business. A writer has to hone writing skills. The best way to learn to write is to do just that, write. And read other authors’ works. Writing and reading take time, perseverance. Also, a writer needs to learn the market in order to submit the manuscripts. What types of manuscripts do particular publishers want? Spend time figuring out which publishers develop books similar to the manuscript you’ve written. After you ship out one story, begin another. If you keep at this, your writing will improve, you’ll have a good grasp of what books are already in the marketplace, and you’ll learn the editorial needs of various publishers.

Above all, understand that your work will get rejected. Most writers get manuscripts rejected, even those with years of experience and a shelf full of books with their names on the covers. Rejection is part of the growth of a writer.

It’s easy to become discouraged when every story shipped out is shipped back. The following list of books and the number of times they were rejected add perspective to the importance of perseverance.

And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss, 27 rejections.
Carrie by Stephen King; 30+ rejections.
Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, 140 rejections. [See what perseverance can do?]
A Time to Kill by John Grisham, 45 rejections.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, 38 rejections.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, 18 rejections.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, 26 rejections.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding, 20 rejections.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling, 12 rejections.

David Baldacci received rejections for 15 years.

The reason these famous writers are published is because they persevered.

Check out next week’s blog for part II of this article.

Calls for Submissions

Nashville Review publishes the best in literary fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and comics. Both distinguished and emerging writers are encouraged to submit.
Fiction Guidelines: We welcome flash fiction, short stories, and novel excerpts of up to 8,000 words. No genre or children’s fiction.
Poetry Guidelines:Up to five poems may be submitted at a time.
Nonfiction Guidelines:Creative nonfiction only, please.
Details at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/english/nashvillereview/submit.

“The Last 72″ Writing Contest

What would you do if you were told you had only 72 hours to live?
Share your real stories and be a part of a life-changing social experiment!
Everest Productions together with The Fountain: Magazine of Scientific and Spiritual Thought, are searching for 13 winners who will get to appear in a brand-new TV series, receive up to $5,000 in cash prizes and more.
Live life like it really matters.
Guidelines:
Participants in the writing contest and The Last 72 TV show must be 18 or older.
Your entries must be 1,000-1,500 words written in English.
Express your own experiences and intentions and not the idea from another work of fiction. Move readers with its originality and your unique personality. Describe actions that you could realistically achieve in 3 days.
Send your 1,000-1,500 words entries to contest@last72.com
Deadline: JULY 30, 2010.