Today's Excuse: Writing Contest Fees (and Bonus Contest Announcement)

I know how it is, you see a contest in The Scoop or somewhere on the internet that is Perfect for your story, poem, essay, song... whatever. And then you see the Dreaded Entry Fee.

Forget it...Why should I risk my hard earned cash? Why can't they just read it for free?

The Risk 

• Submit your Best Work...and the Best Fit
• You should feel your writing warrants a cash prize, not just your wallet. Otherwise, spend the 10 bucks on some lottery tickets instead. Your submission should be typo and spelling error free. Of course, it should follow their guidelines (word count, genre). Take a look at their past contest winners. Is your writing comparable in style?
• Return on your Investment
• Determine your tolerance. You've already spent the time and energy writing the piece, now you are also spending money. Combined, this is your investment. Are all the prizes offered--money, recognition, etc-- enough of a return for you?
• A common guideline: Only pay fees that are around 10% of the First Prize Amount, or less.
• Never risk money you can't afford to lose
• Writing for contests is competitive. There are many talented writers out there. Your submission may be the best you've ever written. With another set of judges, your entry would have come out on top, but often, it is the luck of the draw. Because of this, even with an acceptable entry fee and a flawless piece of writing, entering a contest is a gamble.
• If entering fee-based contests is adding stress to your life, your writing will feel stressed as well. When you don't have the money to spare, or haven't considered entry fees as an expense in your budget, avoid paid contests until it makes sense. Use the time to submit to free contests, perfect your query-writing skills for your break into the magazine market, and/or work on your novel!

Something for Nothing

• Just like most things in life, running a writing contest takes time and money. Reading, judging, administrative tasks... Your contest entry helps support the staff as well as the writing and reading community. In order for writers to have places to publish, we need places that are publishing-- and we need people to read our work. Many times, an entry fee includes an issue or subscription of their literary magazine, or something similar. Or, they offer a discount for contest participants. This is a great way to support other writers and to get a feel (if you haven't already) of what is getting published.
• On the flip side, occasionally there are "contests" that are held as strictly fundraisers. They may not choose a winner at all. Always read the guidelines carefully. If they mention that entry fees are non refundable even in the event of not enough entries or not enough quality entries, I would suggest passing it up.

Think of writing contests as the icing on the cake. The bulk of your writing is reflection, editing, sharing, creating...it fills you up, makes you content. Winning a contest, while not necessary, has the potenital to make your writing life that much sweeter! Good Luck!

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A current blog writing contest from ING Bank started me thinking about the money we set aside (or don't) for our passions. The contest, which ends February 23, 2010, is looking for someone to write a blog post a month about the ups and downs of becoming "A Saver". In addition to writing on that theme, they also ask that the writer commit to one year of Saving. If you are chosen, ING will add $200 a month to your savings account!

You must be an ING Direct customer. There is no minimum to set up a savings account (also no fees or no minimum balance that needs to be maintained), however if you email me for a referral link, and set up a savings account with at least $250, ING will give you $25 (and they'll give me $10 for sending you there)!
If you are a writer who has been trying to save money for contest fees or anything else, this sounds like a great opportunity-- you could start putting away money for the new computer you really need, and write all about the struggle for a chance to meet your computer buying goals that much quicker!
In addition to being an ING Direct customer, you must also be a US Resident over the age of 18.
Check out the We, The Savers Blog, and email me (tina (at) excuseeditor.com) if you are ready to become an ING customer and start hiding your money from yourself before your next Target trip!


If you email me for a referral link, please make sure you send me or use the email address you plan to use when you sign up, as well as your first and last name. Good Luck!

Today's Excuse: I Get Distracted

The simplest writing advice, and possibly the best, is some verson of Keep Your Butt in The Chair. With your butt in the chair, you have nowhere to go but to the screen or to the page. If you've set aside your time, and you have finally made it to your writing space, you should be halfway there. Your writing potential is suddenly alive and well.

Your butt is in the chair.

Hmm...that Excuse Editor lady says this is the best advice-- so where's my great writing?!?

DISTRACTIONS

Take a look at where your fingers and eyes travel once you sit down:

• 
  
  "You've got Mail!" How can you ignore that little envelope on the screen? It could be really, really important...
• 
  
  "ThatChickYouMetThatOneTime is Following you on Twitter, or SomeDudeFromHighSchoolWhoNeverTalkedToYou wants to be your Friend." Tweets and Posts are like potato chips, you can't stop with just one...
• 
  
  "Down with O.P.B." --Other People's Blogs. Yes, there are some great ones out there, but are your readers looking for yours?
• 
  
  "Beige, I think I'll paint the ceiling Beige." Looking around the room for inspiration won't kill your Writing Muse, but what if your Redecorating Muse wants to join the party?
• 
  
  "Flashback." Your inner editor makes a visit and starts picking apart your last writing session...
• 
  
  "Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe." You have reams of great notes and ideas to work on. It doesn't seem fair to pick a favorite.

EXCUSE EDITOR TIP:

FIND YOUR FOCUS

What works for you may not work for the Writer Next Door. The trick is to discover the path that lands you smack dab in Your writing moment.

• 
  
  Ease into it.
• 
  
  You need to get comfortable in your chair, test it out, relax a bit before you start writing. Besides, you're the Princess. And that email that came in? Totally your boulder-sized Pea. You won't be able to concentrate on anything until you open it. Catching up with your Facebook friends will help your mood. You can't start your writing day without checking Excuse Editor? OK, I won't stand in your way;)
• 
  
  Don't get too comfortable. Before you know it, your allotted writing time is gone. All of your Preparing to Write turned into Not Writing at all.
• 
  
  Set a Limit-- and a timer, if necessary, to "adjust to writing temperature". Make sure it only takes up a small portion of your writing time. If you have set aside an hour and a half for writing (and that is really all you have), don't get lost in Farmville. You have real stories to grow.
• Jump Right In!
• You are Ready! Pencils sharpened, laptop warmed up-- you begin. Words are showing up on the page so fast you are trying to keep up.
• Come up for air. You jumped in so quickly you are splashing everywhere. Sure, you can edit for a life preserver later, but take a breath now. Your mind is a bit scattered, and it shows. Take a few minutes to make sure your writing will be able to be saved later:
• Morning Pages or A Freewrite-- Julia Cameron is credited with the Morning Pages tool, a way to begin your creative day. Morning pages are three pages of stream of consciousness with No Inner Editor allowed. They are usually done in the morning. I've found that after the three pages, I've either written something inspiring that helps me focus on that day's writing, or I'm glad I got such nonsense out of the way, so I can get to the work of the day (if there's something else going on in my life, I can leave it scribbled on the page for now, and focus on something else.)  Even if you decide to do a freewrite into a word document, and your writing time is at night, it helps clear out some of the clutter.
• Watch for Sharks
• You need to be aware of your surroundings, but trust you will be safe with your butt in the chair. You are sitting there for your writing. Only if you dangle yourself over the edge will your writing be in danger.
• Life Preserver is available at all times. Do whatever it takes to keep you away from the predatory distractions. Close your email, facebook, the internet. Sure, if you use online dictionaries, that's fine, but be aware of how long you linger. Decide on a writing project when you schedule your writing time, so you don't get lost swimming through your pages of ideas. Pick one and stick with it. Also, decide if your writing time is for writing or for editing-- you need both, but you may have trouble doing it at the same time. Be careful of waiting to be inspired. After a time, all that waiting adds up to a wimpy word count and a character who has been stranded in a off the highway bathroom for weeks!

Not all "writing" takes place in the chair. Even before you make it there, you are thinking of ideas, trying out scenerios. However, when you do make it to the chair, make it worth your time and allow your work to move forward.

Guest Blogger Ginger Earle discusses Tips to Break out of Screenwriter's Block

Beating Screenwriter’s Block
by Ginger Earle

http://www.whythisisgood.com/

Screenwriters, like all writers, are often plagued with fear of the blank page, or writer’s block. Advice for beating writer’s block is often to just do it in spite of a lack of inspiration, or fear of writing the wrong thing. This is good advice, however there are some specific techniques that screenwriters can use to beat our own particular form of writer’s block. Writers of all genres can use these ideas to complete their stories and stop making excuses.

Some writers detest the idea of structural rules and outlines because they find them limiting and stifling. They like to approach writing as a purely creative art form, where ideas and words flow freely and magically form a coherent story. But this desire for freedom is often what leads to the second-act morass that screenwriters are all too familiar with. You envision how the story begins, who the characters are, and maybe even have an ending in mind. But getting from page one to page one hundred and twenty can leave a screenwriter feeling lost, and therefore blocked. You approach the first act with inspiration, introducing characters, setting the scenes, creating goals and anticipation. You know where you want to end up, but how do you get there? Without an outline, screenwriters often find themselves stuck and unsure of where to go, what should come next and how to resolve the questions posed early in the story.

Take the time to write an outline. This will not limit your creativity or stifle the creative process, in fact it will make your ideas flow more freely, because you won’t have to worry about what happens next or if each scene will work in the overall arc of the story. Instead of focusing on plot points and when each major turn and revelation should occur, you can concentrate your energy on finer details like the dialogue, the action description, and the language you use to vividly convey your ideas. An outline is not limiting, it is actually very freeing. When you’ve laid the foundation the pieces fall into place easily, and give you the freedom to write without obsessing over when each even should occur. The guide has been created and it can be used as a roadmap to keep you on track and help you realize the full potential of your writing.

An outline is not set in stone. You can move pieces and scenes around as you go if you decide they will work better in a different order. If it helps, write each beat on an index card or small piece of paper so that you can rearrange them if you choose, adding in new scenes and deleting others as needed. This outline will help you avoid writer’s block because you’ll always know where your story needs to go next. You’ll have the assignment all laid out clearly from the beginning. The outline will serve as a map that keeps you from wandering and feeling lost and avoiding writing in frustration. Detours and deviations from the outline are welcome, but without this guide, you’ll be more likely to decide to give up and turn back.

Another cause of writer’s block is fear and doubt. Most writers are intimidated with the idea of having others read their work and plagued with doubt about how good our writing really is. We are afraid to write because we are afraid to fail. If we never try we can never be rejected. We always think our script isn’t ready, it’s polished, and we’d be embarrassed to put it in the hands of a professional for fear they’d laugh at our inept writing. Overcoming this fear and self-doubt can be the key to overcoming writer’s block. One of the best ways I have found to undo this nagging fear is to read other scripts. Not just good scripts from already produced films, but terrible ones as well. If you can get an internship or job as a reader, this will greatly improve your writing and your motivation to write. Just like watching terrible movies will make you think, hey I can do better than this, reading horrible scripts will show you what your competition is like, and inspire you to put your own work out there, because you will see how truly awful your competition is. If you can get your hands on screenplays submitted to a studio, you will gain confidence in yourself by realizing that some truly abysmal writers are able to obtain agents and managers and have their scripts taken seriously. If they can do it, you certainly can. Bad scripts are abundant, and if you aren’t able to get a job as a reader, focus on reading the screenplays of badly reviewed movies. These scripts are sometimes awful, and yet the writer was able to get their story produced. This isn’t discouraging, it’s encouraging because it shows you that you aren’t up against thousands of phenomenal Oscar-caliber screenplays, and it reveals the real lack of talent and need for good stories and good writing. This understanding of what terrible writing you’re up against will make the task of writing your own script much less daunting. When you see what else is floating around, the idea of submitting your own work will be infinitely less intimidating, and confidence in your ideas and your ability as a writer will undo the fear and insecurity that often cause writer’s block.

Another very effective method of unblocking yourself is to join a writer’s group or take a writing class. With the abundance of online and traditional writer’s groups and classes on writing and screenwriting, there’s no excuse not to get involved in a group, and it should be easy to find one near you. This will accomplish two things: you will have a chance to read other work, which as explained above, will help motivate and inspire you, and you will have deadlines.

When writing on spec, you have no set due date, and this often leads to procrastination. If you had a writing assignment and were forced to hand in a draft by a certain date, you would. The excuses would be overcome and you would make it happen and turn it in, whether it was perfect or not. Your desire to get paid and keep your job would force you to overcome your writer’s block and just get it done. A writer’s group or a class will create these deadlines for you. If your group meets regularly for critiques, you will be expected to bring work to the meetings, and this will force you to write something. You’ll have people you are accountable to, and deadlines will make you write. A screenwriting class will also provide you with these goals and deadlines, as you’ll usually need to complete an entire script within a semester. A well-structured class should break down the process into manageable chunks, with a certain number of pages due at different intervals. Whether you care about your grade or are just taking the class to grow as a writer, you will benefit from the knowledge of the teacher and the classmates, as well as the deadlines and due dates that will force you to write and get your story on paper. It’s easy to make deadlines, goals and resolutions for yourself, but if you aren’t accountable to another person or group, it is easier to find excuses, give yourself extensions, and make up reasons why you didn’t meet your own deadlines.

The Challenge of the Writing Journey

“I've learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.”

If everything in our writing happened seamlessly, without struggle or challenges, we'd all be excruciatingly bored. And our writing would be as dull as the safety scissors in kindergarten class. We fantasize about the quiet room to focus on our plots, the pages filled with words ready for the world without as much as a missing comma, the publisher eagerly awaiting your novel with open arms...but if that was a constant reality, what would we be striving for?

Each writing project reflects a writer's "because it's there" opportunity. The mountain climber scales a mountain with sheer skill and determination and arrives at the peak, heart pounding with the sense of accomplishment. If the same climber would have just taken the train to the top, he would feel a sense of loss. Yes, either way he gets to experience the beauty of the vistas, to breathe in the crisp, clean air. But he hasn't embraced the journey. He didn't get the chance to learn anything about himself. How would he have dealt with the sudden downpour that morning? What would he have done if wild animals found and ate most of his food? He'd never know. The "climber" wouldn't have an adventure to share with friends, he could only point out the spot on a map.

Making Time to Travel to your Destination

• Sure, you can move forward in your writing with a few minutes here, a few minutes there. But there will come a time for the hard climbing. Use that time to string together all of those short jaunts into something that really covers some writing ground.

Preparing to Climb that Mountain

• You'll make it much farther if you don't show up at the base empty handed. Have your tools at the ready: your comfy chair, your best pen, your style guide. Don't ignore your support systems. You may need a boost up at some point. Keep your writer's group or online community standing by for any emergencies.

Losing Sight of the Trail

• Your typing fingers are tap-tap-tapping down the path, the light of the screen guiding your way. Suddenly, your words seem random and out of place. This certainly can't be the right way to go! Maybe your story has ventured out in wild territory, without permission from you. Or you took a turn in the trail that seemed great at the time, but it ended up leading you to the edge of a cliff. This wasn't the cliff-hanger you were looking for.
• How you deal with this is the essence your writing adventure. Do you panic and just leave your mountain, your campfire smoldering? If so, how sure are you that your work will be in any condition to accept you when you come back? It may be fine, but are you willing to take that risk? Instead, decide if it's time to create a new path, or turn back and find the missing trail. Whatever you do, don't panic. Take a look at your surroundings, use your skills, and write your way into the next path. You may find you enjoy the new-found path more than you expected.

Falling Down

• Know ahead of time that this is a challenge you won't come out of unscathed. Does a rejection feel like a skinned knee-- or a broken arm, cracked skull, AND a million little paper-cuts? Build up your safety gear. A tough skin will help you to see the rejection for what it is-- an expected slip in an area so full of obstacles.

Being pulled away from the Mountain

• The helicopter lands. You are needed somewhere else. They have tracked you down. Even if you live and work at the mountain, other things in life need your attention. Sometimes you've hidden yourself away enough to where they can't penetrate your writing life, but more often you find that your writing will suffer if you don't take care of those other things.
• Most of us think we would be perfectly happy if we had unlimited time to write. But if you take a step back and look at your writing adventure objectively, you'll understand how important it is to get off of the mountain sometimes.
• You need to support yourself. If your writing isn't income producing (yet), you likely have a job to go to. Allow yourself the luxury of a paycheck; your writing will feel less desperate and hurried.
• You need to maintain your relationships. There's time to be the writer, alone. Don't fall into the trap of the lonely writer.
• You need material! You can't experience all life has to offer from your desk chair. Your non-writing jobs, your relationships, the weather... all these are things that must be observed "out there" before you venture back into solitude. When you return, you'll have more to reflections ready to be shaped onto the page.

How are you under pressure? How did you deal when you've lost sight of the trail? Pack your bags, and enjoy the climb!

The Scoop! Writing Contests with Prizes Up to $15,000

Now that I have your attention...

I just finished up the latest version of The Scoop, a listing of more than 45 writing contests and markets. One of the contests has a prize of $15,000 (hint: it's for a finished book) and has NO ENTRY FEE. If you are already signed up, you probably noticed that the deadline was coming up quickly.

There are many other contests for completed books, short story  or poetry collections, nonfiction books, screenplays, flash fiction, novellas-- even slogans-- and more. I started maintaining this running list last year. I can usually find a market to submit something I've already written--often, more than one (always good to keep send to your top three markets first, as long as the market accepts simultaneous submissions. Always read guidelines carefully.) It's also been a great place to discover new markets to try out. They are often looking for something written to a theme-- it's a great writing prompt!

I keep the listing in the Scoop until the deadlines pass because I don't want to forget about something I saw in January with a May deadline. If it stays in front of me, I can remember that I should be working on it.

Use the Scoop whatever way it works for you! Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions-- I just started sharing this recently. Once you sign up, you'll get the Scoop every month.

If you get something published that you read in The Scoop, please tell me! I would love to share your success here, along with a link to your blog or website.

If you are not signed up to get The Scoop yet, just use the order form for the Excuse Editor Newsletter on the right side of this blog-- And Good Luck!

P.S. If you have signed up and did not get your Scoop today, check your junk mail folder, then make sure info (at) excuseeditor.com is in your safe list.

Thanks to all the new subscribers!

Constructing a Writing Life: Brick by Brick

Many writers have a vague idea about wanting to write, but don't know how to get started. Or they get started, and wonder, what now?

In the beginning, it's best to keep it simple. You'll be overwhelmed quickly if you sit down to write the-next-big-hit-sure-to-be-a-major-motion-picture-in-no-time. To borrow Anne Lamot's analogy (Bird by Bird:), allow your writing to evolve in its own time: brick by brick. Create a shelter for yourself and your characters to feel safe in.

Step One: Write

Better to get your project out of your head, no matter how unprepared and raw it seems. You've been thinking about it for a week, a few months, even YEARS. Lay your groundwork. It's like building a house, you have to start with a frame. Don't wait for all your materials to be there before you start, or your "land" may be swept right up from under you. You have to begin with what you have now. Just start writing, there will be time to set aside the any scrap later.

Step Two: Keep Writing

Don't be like the first little piggies, throwing together your weakest material and thinking it will hold. Have patience with yourself now. You have your idea, you've started to build your frame. Choose your words carefully, but at the same time don't paralyze yourself into thinking that the wrong word at this point will cause your whole house to collapse. Right now, you are just making sure you have all of your bricks available. You're preparing your rough draft. Next you are going  to come back to reinforce it.

Step Three: Edit

This is when you come back to build the walls of your writing project. You edit. Make sure the overall themes are sturdy enough to hold up the ceiling of your story. Does each sentence, each setting, each character help the walls of your story stand tall, or are they slightly out of place, threatening to cause cracks and confusion?  Take a step back and ask yourself what can be done to make it better. Get rid of the clutter. Decorate with your favorite words and phrases. Take your time, make your writing a place you can call home.

Step Four: On the Market

You've built your work from the ground up, and now it's time to allow others the chance to enjoy it. Invite readers into your home. You may want to try and get help with your "showing". Tell agents and publishers all about your work. Make sure they are the right kind of agents. If they usually sell country style farm homes, they probably wouldn't be interested in your upscale modern studio loft. For your story of modern day love and adventure, find an agent who is at home with romance, not living in a space station with sci-fi clients.

In this day and age, many people are going the "for sale by owner" route. Without the expertise of an agent or publisher on your side, you will need to find your readers by yourself. Location, location, location are the three most important words in real estate. How will readers find your book? Will you have it available to anyone with internet access or a Kindle by using Smashwords? Will you use a print on demand service like Createspace to have your little piece of home delivered via FedEx or UPS? Will you travel the back-roads and byways with a trunkful of your books and sell them one by one? With any of these ways, you will need to provide a map to your work-- they need to be guided to the places your book is available.

Of course, there are places that are looking for work to bring in readers. Literary magazines, consumer magazines, and anthologies are constantly looking for works to include in their communities. Find your type of work among them and submit, following their "home owner's association" rules-- the guidelines.

There are going to be times, no matter what you do, that the big bad wolf of rejection will be trying to blow your house down. Even if you sustain some damage, you'll be fine. You are learning the tools to remodel your work and reenergize yourself with each room you build.

Some handy tools:

Take a look at the construction of a short story, from idea to publication: Ron Carlson Writes a Story

Must-have for any writer:The Elements of Style

To find agents, publishers, magazine/newspaper/screenwriting markets, and more: 2010 Writer's Market Deluxe

What is a literary agent, anyway?: http://www.agentquery.com/writer_la.aspx

Current Contest and Markets: Right Here! The Excuse Edtior Scoop has over 35 places looking for your writing right now. Get it every month by signing up for the newsletter right here at http://www.excuseeditor.com/.

Mini-Scoop! Writing Markets with Upcoming Deadlines

Here's a jumpstart on your resolution to submit your writing this year. You may have some writing ready to go, or you may be inspired enough to prepare something in time. These are examples of what comes in The Scoop, the monthly guide of 30-50 current paying writing markets and contests you get for FREE with your subscription the the Excuse Editor Newsletter.

The new edition of The Scoop will arrive in a few weeks. Until then, enjoy the current one (or sign up if you haven't yet) and Keep Writing!

Deadline: 1/7/10
Novellas/short story collection contest
26 to 150 double spaced pages
Carpe Articulum Novella Contest
$25 entry fee
Prize range--$200-$1000


Deadline: 1/15/10
Poetry (Group of Poems)
10 pages
"Discovery"/Boston Review Poetry Prizes
$10 Entry Fee
Snail Mail Entry-- DEADLINE IS RECEIPT DATE, SEND EARLY
Prizes: Four prizes of $500 each and publication; winners also receive one night hotel stay in and transportation to and from New York City to read at the 92nd Street Y Unterberg Poetry Center.


Short Story Prize
8000 word max
Literal Latte
$10 Entry Fee
Snail Mail Entry
Prizes: $1000/$300/$200

Short memoir
1000 word max
Leaf Books
Entry Fee: £4 per submission; 3 submissions for £10
Payment: £200 and free copy of anthology

Short fiction
2500 word max
Writer's Trust of Canada
NO ENTRY FEE
See website: Entrants must be under 35, Canadian citizens or residents and more restrictions.
Prize Range-- $1000-$5000

Poetry
10 pages max
Julia Peterkin Award
$15 Entry Fee
Snail Mail Submission Only
Prize: $1000 and travel expenses for a reading at Converse College

Creative Nonfiction
6500 words max
William Allen Creative Nonfiction Prize
$10 Entry Fee
Snail Mail Entry
Prize: $500/publication

Deadline: 1/30/10
Fiction Contest
5000 words max
Writer's Journal Fiction Contest
$15 Entry Fee
Snail Mail Entry
Prizes: $500/$200/$100

Good Luck! Please let me know if you have any success with any of the markets you find on Excuse Editor, or the Fan Page, or The Scoop. I will announce it here with a link to your blog or website!