HOT OFF THE PRESS! We love to share our information with writers, and we’re happy to pass some of our INSIDER’S SECRETS along to you. This FREE e-mail newsletter may help improve your writing and your acceptance rate! Feel free to print these articles to use as a reference. This issue is packed with great information. DEADLINE-DATED lists of anthologies, theme issues, and contests are included!

* * FUNNY METAPHOR AND SIMILE CONTEST: SO BAD, THEY’RE GOOD!

* * ASK RONNIE: Is There More Money in Self-Publishing Or Traditional Publishing?

* * GENRE FICTION RULES: Find Out If Your Novel Meets Publishers’ And Literary Agents’ Criteria For Publication

* * Here is your opportunity to INCREASE YOUR ODDS OF ACCEPTANCE (AND GET A FREE CONSULTATION WITH ONE OF OUR SUBMISSION STRATEGISTS)

* * ODDS ’N’ ENDS: Entitled Versus Titled And Other Dilemmas

* * If you need help with your hook, read HOW TO WRITE A GOOD FIRST LINE

* * FREE VERSE: THE HIDDEN RULES OF FREE VERSE POETRY

* * We offer help in PREPARING YOUR NOVEL OR POETRY MANUSCRIPT

* * You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming ANTHOLOGIES, SPECIAL-THEMED JOURNALS, CONTESTS, CONFERENCES, and CLIENT NEWS

At Writer’s Relief we read a lot of metaphors and similes in poetry and prose, and we have to admit, we sometimes love bad and funny ones as much as we love good ones. We’ve decided to hold a contest to celebrate bad and funny metaphors and similes. We want to make a great list of funny metaphors, extended metaphors, and bad metaphor examples. Include your bad similes as well! We hope you’ll add to our metaphor and simile list.

One winner will get a FREE Writer’s Relief T-shirt of his or her choice!

The worse your metaphor or simile, the better!

To enter your bad or funny metaphor or simile, simply submit your metaphor or simile in the comments area below. Do NOT e-mail your entry. It MUST be posted as a comment. If you win, we’ll contact you using the e-mail address that you enter in the blog comment form.

Here are a few examples of bad and funny metaphors and similes to get you going:

The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

The toddlers looked at each other as if they had just been told their mutual funds had taken a complete nosedive.

She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

She was a couch potato in the gravy boat of life, flopping dejectedly on the sofa.

It will take a big tractor to plow the fertile fields of his mind.

See how fun that is? Do your worst. We can’t wait to read your bad and funny metaphors!

The Difference Between Metaphors And Similes

Metaphors and similes are often confused. The definition of a metaphor is (loosely) a figure of speech that suggests an analogy between objects or ideas. Metaphor example: He was a fish out of water.

The definition of a simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things, usually preceded by "like" or "as." Simile example: She swims like a fish.

Common Metaphor Mistakes To Avoid
(aka Hints To Help You Write A Bad Or Funny Metaphor)

We’ve compiled a list of three major problems in metaphor construction:

1. Mixed Metaphor. This is a metaphor that contains completely unrelated comparisons.

Suddenly, she was pinned by the spotlight, a struggling fish caught in a spider's web.

Or this, from Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities: All at once he was alone in this noisy hive with no place to roost.

2. Inappropriate Analogies. If you're writing about a European woman in the 1700s, don't say, Her eyes held the glow of a late-night laptop.

And watch out for comparisons that give the wrong mental image: The beautiful child was the center of attention, with his golden curls and tuna fish complexion.

3. Clichés. Certain metaphors have simply been done to death and, as a result, have lost their power completely. The trouble is that they’re so much a part of our everyday conversation, they tend to slip through the cracks.

Even though the job paid peanuts, Joe was pleased as punch because he had gone through hell and back, keeping a firm grip on reality the whole time, and was finally seeing his dream come to life.

Metaphors are useful figures of speech—they enliven our speech and our writing, bringing more depth and complexity to the table. If you master the art of metaphors, you can consider yourself a genius. Aristotle says so in Poetics: It is “a sign of genius, as a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity of dissimilars.” We’re looking forward to making a list with your examples of bad metaphors.

Dear Writers,

Many of you have been reading our Newsflash for years and years, and we thought it was time that you got to see the face behind our publication. My name is Ronnie Smith, and I’m the president of Writer’s Relief and creator/editor of this Newsflash.

We get a lot of questions from writers all across the country (and from faraway countries as well) here at Writer’s Relief, and we’re always doing our best to help writers in all stages of their careers. More and more we’ve been inundated with questions about self-publishing. We hope to include this Ask Ronnie column in the next few issues of our Newsflash, where I’ll be answering questions that readers send to us again and again—as well as questions that pique my imagination.

The subject of self-publishing comes up a lot these days. Last week we sent you an important article on this hot topic. If you didn’t have time to read it, here's the link: Is Self-Publishing The Easiest Way To Get Published? Decoding The Hype And The Facts. Every week we receive questions from writers who have self-published their books. Though there are many happily self-published writers out there, the writers who continually seek out our advice are those who are disappointed with the results of their self-publishing efforts and who want to know what to do next. They feel saddened that their books didn’t hit it big, that their publishers didn’t come through, that they accidentally got stuck in bad contracts with distributors, etc. They also feel concerned about how their self-publishing efforts will be received by literary agents and editors. We love that writers turn to us for answers; we do our best to develop a plan with them so they can get their submissions circulating again.

Self-publishing can be a great way to get your book in print, provided you have business know-how and your expectations are realistic. We hope our articles will help you make informed decisions about when to self-publish and when to keep trying to find a home at a major publishing house.

For our first question in the Ask Ronnie series, we wanted to tackle a question that was asked of us recently:

Q. Which makes more money: self-publishing or traditional publishing?

A. Self-publishing and traditional publishing offer very different methods of dealing with finances. The cost of self-publishing is generally absorbed by the author in one form or another; the cost of traditional publishing is absorbed by the publishing house.

With traditional publishing, authors make most of their profit up front (an advance), then, if they are able to “sell through” (sell all their copies), they’ll start making royalties. With self-publishing, there is more variety in how an author is paid, if the author is paid at all. Each self-publishing company will have its own standards. Generally, royalties on self-published books and E-books tend to be higher than royalties on traditionally published books—in part because a self-publishing company has a lot less at stake and puts less effort (and dollars) into a given project than a traditional publisher. Though self-publishing royalties are significantly higher, sales volume tends to be significantly lower in most cases. In the end, how much money you make depends on 1) how good your book is, 2) how well you market it, and 3) how widely your book is distributed.

In Other News...
I’m extremely pleased to share that, during our last cycle, our clients received 15 requests for complete manuscripts from reputable literary agencies—and most of those clients have not yet been published in book-length fiction. This morning an entirely unpublished client wrote in to tell us that a literary agent read her book (in two days) and loved it. But since the client has interest from two different agencies, she’s still figuring out how to play her cards. What a great problem to have! If you want to learn more about what our clients are up to, click here.

We hope you enjoy our Newsflash. Send your questions to me at info@wrelief.com. And, as always, keep writing!

Ronnie Smith
Writer's Relief, Inc.
http://www.WritersRelief.com/

If you have written a book or novel, you’ll want to be sure that your book meets the basic criteria of book publishers and literary agents. If your book follows the “rules” of your genre (whether romance, Western, thrillers, or horror), you will be more likely to be published.

The Rules Of Genre Fiction
Genre fiction refers to books that are published widely for popular appeal. Publishers tend to place high value on genre fiction books, especially when a writer shows a palpable enthusiasm for his or her particular genre. Usually, genre books are published in the smaller, mass-market book size.

Genre writing is all about crafting great stories that appeal to a distinct audience who have particular preferences. Do your research and learn what is expected from your genre. Read widely in your genre. Join a creative writers’ group. Research recommended book lengths and what publishers are buying—and not buying. Again, you don’t have to be a slave to the standards, but—just like with grammar and punctuation—a professional writer must know the rules in order to effectively break them.

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that the below is an overview of generalized genre guidelines: always research information about your specific project for the best results.

The Rules Of Romance Genre Novels
A romance novel ends with a happily ever after. It starts with the introduction of characters and the conflict, and at some point the relationship is consummated in some way. The story usually emphasizes the heroine’s experience, and the reader should be drawn into caring about the characters and cheering on the eventual romance.

How long is a romance novel? A single title (or stand-alone) romance novel runs between 80,000 and 100,000 words. A category romance novel (like those published by Harlequin) is generally shorter, and each “line” or “imprint” will have its own strict specifications. Save yourself a lot of trouble: Research before you write!

Subgenres of romance include: paranormal, Regency, historical, contemporary, women’s fiction, Christian, time travel, erotica, fantasy/science fiction, and more.

The Rules Of Fantasy Genre Novels
Create the rules of your fantasy world in advance and stick to them. Design the environment (geography, weather), the characters (race, creatures), and other rules, such as magic, the history of your environment (wars, etc.), and limitations of powers. Avoid clichés in your characterization (no The Lord of the Rings impersonators), and let your theme (good vs. evil?) be consistent yet subtle. Pay attention to publisher guidelines: One publisher specifically states caveats such as “no time machines, please.”

Fantasy novels can be a little longer than traditionally published novels, and they are sometimes serialized as trilogies. Fantasy novels can be between 80,000 and 150,000 words (approximately).

Subgenres of fantasy include: alternate history, urban, dark, high, historical, steampunk, wuxia, fantasy of manners, and more. Be sure you’re familiar with the subgenres before you attempt to position yourself as an expert author in your field!

The Rules Of Western Genre Novels
Westerns should be set in the Old West (west of the Mississippi River and before the year 1900). Historical details should be accurate, but the story is what really counts: Focus on three-dimensional characters and strong plots, with the hero facing some sort of conflict. While Westerns are very specialized, take care to be sure that you’re not relying on clichés!

How long is a Western book? Westerns tend to be on the shorter side of fiction books, anywhere from 45,000 words to 75,000 (loosely).

The Rules Of Historical Fiction Genre Novels
The details are important in this genre. Set the stage carefully and accurately so that your 18th-century character doesn’t wear clothing and/or use products that weren’t around at the time. Pay attention to social customs, holidays, transportation, and food, and make sure they are relevant to the period. And don’t judge your characters by modern standards—a person’s behavior should be dictated by the customs and society of your time frame. Careful research is especially important for this genre.

How long is a historical novel? Generally, a stand-alone historical may be 85,000 to 100,000 words. For first-time writers, submitting a book longer than 100,000 words is especially difficult, but historical novels have been known to be longer than 100,000 words.

The Rules Of Mystery Genre Novels
Pay special attention to plot in this genre. Introduce the murder or the crime early in the story, and research the methods by which the crime was committed (is it really possible for a five-foot woman to decapitate a large man?) and how the investigation proceeds. Research forensics, criminal justice, and detective procedures to lend credibility. Avoid supernatural or unbelievable methods of solving the case, and create a solvable puzzle for your readers—mystery novels are supposed to be fun to read and fun to solve, and if the reader isn’t provided with plausible clues to follow, they’ll lose interest.

How long is a mystery novel? Mysteries vary in length depending on subgenre. Single-title mysteries may be between 75,000 and 100,000 words. Cozy mysteries, like those in a mystery series, may be on the shorter side of the genre.

Subgenres of mystery include: hardboiled, supernatural, crime, true crime, amateur sleuth, police procedural, cozy, and more. Be certain of whether or not you are writing a mystery or a thriller.

The Rules Of Thriller Genre Novels
Thrillers are designed to do one thing: thrill. Strong characters, tight plots, and an emphasis on action over flowery prose drive this genre to daring storylines. Thrillers often feature determined protagonists and clear antagonists, and they can be set in nearly any location imaginable. Thrillers can be graphic (gritty) or somewhat more subtle, but focus is always on suspense.

How long is a thriller novel? Thriller novels hit the genre-standard sweet spot of 90,000 to 100,000 words for new writers (loosely). Thrillers tend to go a little longer as well, but new writers will tend to see better results with shorter books.

Subgenres of thrillers include: action, conspiracy, disaster, crime, eco, political, erotica, legal, and more. 

The Rules Of Horror Genre Novels
Horror novels capitalize on emotion (fears, phobias) more than plot. Create a feeling of dread for your reader, and sustain the suspense throughout until you reach a climactic conclusion. Avoid clichés, like the monster that seems dead but really isn’t.

Horror novels vary in length, but generally, a stand-alone novel will be between 80,000 and 100,000 words.

Subgenres of horror include: psychological, ghost, weird menace, erotic, body horror, occult detective, and more.

The Rules Of Young Adult (YA) Genre Novels

Young adult (YA) fiction targets boys and girls between the ages of 12-18. The tone, style, and content of YA novels changes significantly, depending on the specific age a writer is targeting. YA writers write for a specific audience without "talking down." The genre can tackle G-rated issues or it can be very edgy. In all cases YA provides a safe place for young readers to explore the challenging situations that they may face in real life.

Young adult novels vary in length depending on demographic, but generally run between 40,000 and 75,000 words.

Subgenres of YA include most of the same subgenres of adult fiction. "Edgy" YA tackles especially controversial or difficult issues.

STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO when we discuss mainstream novels, literary novels, and novels that defy convention.

Enroll in our A La Carte Service in July or August and receive a FREE CONSULTATION WITH ONE OF OUR SUBMISSION STRATEGISTS. Did you know that you can increase your acceptance rate by submitting at this time of year? Because fewer writers are submitting, you can increase your acceptance rate. If you are confused about what your next step should be, here is a great opportunity to take a giant leap forward in your writing career. We’re offering to share what we’ve learned about publishing in the creative writing industry. Take a look at the two A La Carte Services we list below, and call us to discuss whether you and your writing are ready.

$100: A La Carte Service—Get started right away! This is a more do-it-yourself service, with Writer’s Relief targeting markets and guiding you through the process. You’ll get 25+ submissions out into the world within three days. This service is simple, quick, and affordable. We provide the best market research available to creative writers. Info about our A La Carte Service may be found at http://www.WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Our-A-La-Carte-Service.aspx.

$200 - $250: A La Carte PLUS Service—Everything that’s fast and affordable about our regular A La Carte Service, with the time-saving bonus of Full Service cover and/or query letter preparation. We will target the best markets for your work, prepare mailing labels, and create 25+ personalized, professional cover and/or query letters. More information may be found at http://www.WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Want-Us-To-Create-Your-CoverQuery-Letters.aspx.

Titled vs. Entitled

“Titled” means that something has received a title, as in The movie was titled, Grammar Gurus Gone Wild.

“Entitled” means that someone has rights to something, as in She felt entitled to special treatment ever since she won an Oscar for Grammar Gurus Gone Wild.

What Are We Supposed to Do?

Don’t use “suppose to” or “use to” when you mean “supposed to” or “used to.”

I Wonder How to Punctuate That

Incorrect: I wondered how he knew that?
Correct: I wondered how he knew that.

Incorrect: I asked her if she knew that?
Correct: I asked her if she knew that.
 
Don’t Use Quotes Indiscriminately

We’ve all seen signs like these:

Today only, “free” samples!
See these “classic” cars!
Employees must “wash their hands” before exiting the restroom.

Or phrases…
It’s not really my “cup of tea.”
If you’re not careful, you could end up with the “swine flu.”

The moral of this story: Don’t use quotation marks unnecessarily or for special emphasis.

And Finally…What Is an Aphorism?

An aphorism is a short, to-the-point sentence that sums up a clever observation or general truth:

The trouble with bucket seats is that not everyone has the same size bucket.

Writers are great. They taste like chicken.

With great power comes great responsibility. With mediocre power comes a 1964 Datsun pickup truck and a power suit from Sears.

When life gives you lemons, try making a lemon chiffon cake with extra lemon.

And finally, from Mark Twain:

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.

Guest write Cindy LaPenna is a writer and librarian from Pennsylvania. She is the author of Around Bangor, a pictorial history about the town where she grew up. Her articles and poetry were published in several newspapers and various Web sites.

Good writing always starts with a sentence or paragraph that hooks the reader and makes him or her want to read more. Listed below are several examples of how writers can begin works of both fiction and nonfiction.

With A Declarative Sentence
Cultivating a winter garden is an easy, natural way to lift your spirits.

Ask A Question (Note: Some literary agents feel this method is overused.)
Have you ever looked out the window on a winter day and wished you were basking in the sun on a Caribbean island?

Summarize
Beauty, relaxation, and stress-relief are some of the many benefits you'll experience from winter gardens.

Quotation
O, Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
—Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Ode to the West Wind”

Fragmentation
Short days. Long nights. Snow. Ice. Cold. It was a season John dreaded.

We used the winter theme for a reason, and that is to show that several techniques can work not only for different writings, but also for one particular story. One specific technique, fragmentation, for example, might add more interest or inject more sincerity into a story than asking a question or stating a fact.

Read each opening aloud, along with a paragraph or two of your story, to see which one sounds the best. The gist and content of a particular piece will help you determine which technique is best.

Some other commonly used openers are:

Shock ’Em
Danny had it all—charisma, power, and fame. No one knew that at the end of the day, he made his way home to sleep, alone, in the car he called home.

Descriptive
The tiny orange kitten sat on the sidewalk, crying for its mother, its fur wet and matted.

Factual
The childhood toys known as teddy bears are named after Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States.

Hypothetical
If you could change your life today, in any way you can imagine, what would it be like?

Use these techniques as guidelines, but add your own creativity, personality, and writing style. Keep the writing fresh and original and avoid clichéd language to keep your readers reading to the end.

Guest writer Ruth Gilbo writes in Tennessee and is the administrator of Poets Contest Corner (http://poetscontestcorner.blogspot.com), a weblog dedicated to the encouragement of poets and their craft.

Free verse is not poetry without form or rules. It is not written as an essay and then broken into lines. The final form is not what makes it a poem; it is the simultaneous collaboration of vocabulary, punctuation, and line break. Proper use of the tools of poetry helps to mold a piece to its final state. Simply brainstorming, then adding line breaks does not constitute a poem.

Free verse is a challenging form that utilizes the natural cadences of common speech to create rhythm in lieu of the strict usage of meter found in classic forms. Free verse is the breaking of some old rules and the utilization of new tools, not the elimination of any and all rules.

Free verse often uses the natural cadence of speech to determine the length of each line in order to bring each new thought to its natural end or pause. The tools used to do this are the line stop (established by punctuation) or enjambment (inserting a strategic line break). Enjambment must have purpose and is not to be arbitrarily employed. It should be used to pull the reader through a short line to the next, where the thought can end on a weighty word capable of making the reader pause to absorb what has just been said. Or it will cause the line to end on an article (so on the following line be sure to use a word with some weight that is capable of carrying the reader through to the natural stop). When used skillfully, enjambment will not only carry the reader’s attention through the poem, but will create tension in the piece that complements the connotations, imagery, or metaphors intended by the author.

The authors of 20th-century free verse supervened the use of end-of-line rhyming schemes, but employed the internally natural rhyming methods of repetitive sound, such as alliteration, assonance, consonance, and internal rhyme. If used skillfully, these tools not only give the reader the sense of the poem's music, but they have a practical purpose as well. To slow the reader down, try using S-L combinations: Sally slipped through flattened sheets. To make the writer pause and digest, try hard consonant sounds: He became Canadian bound.

One more note: Articles and conjunctions, like it and and, should always be used in proportion to their use in common speech. When read aloud a poem with too many ands sounds like a 1970s Valley Girl spewing “like” as she talks. It’s not natural; it takes away from the meat of the poem; it sounds like a “filler” for use in maintaining cadence; it feels forced; and, well, it’s just plain annoying.

Read more about poetry:

Poetics: Free vs. Formal Verse

How To Publish A Poetry Book, Chapbook, Or Collection Of Poems

Jokes About Poetry

How To Get Your Poetry Published

Spotlight on Poetry

The Seduction of Poetry Contest Scams

Fostering Originality In Poetry

Poetry: Finding Your Inspiration

Have you finished a novel? Are you submitting your poetry manuscript to competitions? If so, your manuscript better be prepared to industry standards AND free of typos.

Writer’s Relief offers a book manuscript proofreading and formatting service (novels, nonfiction, and poetry manuscripts included). This service is designed to help writers prepare their manuscripts for ultimate publication for submissions to agents and publishers, as well as contests and competitions. Send us a hard copy and electronic copy of your book manuscript. Include your contact information: mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address. You may also e-mail the manuscript as an attachment to Proof@wrelief.com. We’ll evaluate the manuscript and quote a price to prepare it for you.

You will not receive a good read unless you prepare your book to the standards required in the creative writing industry. You’ve done the work, now make sure that your pages are ready to pass muster with the agent or editor who receives them. We will format the manuscript to industry standards, and we can assist with special formatting for writers’ contests and/or competitions. Remember, presentation is everything! Call us today between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. ET for details.

Please see individual URLs for complete contest and anthology information and submissions guidelines.

Upcoming Anthologies

Deadline: 08/01/09.
Submit to: The First Line. E-mail (via MS Word or WordPerfect attachment) to: submission@thefirstline.com.
Theme: Every story starts out the same: “My life is a sham.”
Type: Short stories (3,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.thefirstline.com/

Deadline: 08/01/09.
Submit to: Kaleidoscope Magazine. Gail Willmott, Editor-in-Chief. 701 South Main Street, Akron, OH 44311-1019.
Theme: Giving & Receiving Care—A Delicate Balance. MUST HAVE disability topics.
Type: Poetry (6 poems MAX), short stories, essays (5,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.udsakron.org/services/kaleidoscope/guidelines.asp

Deadline: 08/01/09.
Submit to: Alive Now. JoAnn Evans Miller, Editor. E-mail to (preferred): alivenow@upperroom.org, or mail to: 1908 Grand Avenue, Box 340004, Nashville, TN 37203-0004.
Theme: Speaking Truth to Power; MUST BE about Christian spirituality; NO adult language or sexual imagery. Theme listed on each page of submission.
Type: Poetry (40 lines MAX), short shorts (400 words MAX).
URL: http://www.upperroom.org/alivenow/writing_for.asp

Deadline: 08/01/09.
Submit to: Rattle. E-mail (via pasted-in text) to: submissions@rattle.com.
Theme: Sonnets.
Type: Poetry and essays (5,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.rattle.com/callsforsubs.htm

Deadline: 08/01/09.
Submit to: SageWoman Magazine. Anne Niven, Editor. PO Box 687, Forest Grove, OR 97116. E-mail (via attachment) to: meditor@sagewoman.com.
Theme: Finding our balance. ONLY spirituality topics written by women.
Type: Nonfiction (5,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.sagewoman.com/submit.htm

Deadline: 08/01/09.
Submit to: Workers Write! E-mail to: capitol@workerswritejournal.com, or send a hard copy to: Blue Cubicle Press, PO Box 250382, Plano, TX 75025-0382.
Theme: Tales from the Capitol.
Type: Short stories (5,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.workerswritejournal.com

Deadline: 08/03/09.
Submit to: Pockets. 1908 Grand Avenue, PO Box 340004, Nashville, TN 37203-0004.
Theme: Friendship. ONLY Christian topics for children.
Type: Stories (1,400 words MAX), poems (24 lines MAX), and articles (1,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.upperroom.org/pockets/writer_guidelines.asp

Deadline: 08/15/09.
Submit to: Cinnamon Press. E-mail (via DOC or RTF attachment) to both Holly Howitt: cinnamonanthology@googlemail.com and Jan Fortune-Wood: jan@cinnamonpress.com with "microfiction anthology" in the subject line. In the body of the e-mail, please type your name and location.
Theme: Microfiction.
Type: Prose poetry or short shorts (600 words MAX).
URL: http://hollyhowitt.com/main/?page_id=127

Deadline: 08/15/09.
Submit to: Ruminate. Submit via online form: http://www.ruminatemagazine.org/index.php?option=com_fabrik&Itemid=70.
Theme: Jest. Looking for work that “reveals the nature of Christ, in whatever form this may look like. And through this, we hope to shed light on the process of making and reading art that is witty, thoughtful, fresh, and ruminative.”
Type: Poetry (3 poems, 40 lines MAX for each poem), short stories, creative nonfiction/memoir essays (5,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.ruminatemagazine.org/submissions

Deadline: 08/31/09.
Submit to: Howl House Press. E-mail (via DOC, RTF, or TXT attachment) to: howlhouse@gmail.com.
Theme: The darkest and most heartfelt manifestations of the pain of love and desire.
Type: Poetry (up to 30 lines) and short stories (300 words MAX).
URL: http://www.howlhouse.com

Deadline: 08/31/09.
Submit to: River Poets Journal. E-mail to: judithlawrence@comcast.net.
Theme: Jukebox Junction USA: a poetic history to how music moved you. Be sure to read specifics on Web site.
Type: Poetry (1 poem).
URL: http://riverpoetsjournal.com/SeekingSubmissions.html

Deadline: 08/31/09.
Submit to: North Carolina Literary Review. Margaret Bauer, Editor. Department of English / Bate 2201, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353.
Theme: Appalachia in North Carolina Literature.
Type: Fiction.
URL: http://www.ecu.edu/nclr/submiss.htm

Deadline: 09/01/09.
Submit to: Chiron Review. 522 E. South Ave., St. John, KS 67576-2212.
Theme: Punk.
Type: Poetry (5 poems or 1 long poem).
URL: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Nook/1748/chiron1.htm

**FEATURED LISTING**

Deadline: 09/15/09.
Submit to: Lifebytes Book. E-mail (via Word attachment) to: bookeditors@lifebytesbook.com.
Entry fee: None. 
Theme: Online dating. See URL for more information.
Type: True stories (300 - 2,000 words).
URL: http://www.lifebytesbook.com/guidelines.html

Deadline: 10/01/09.
Submit to: A Cup of Comfort. Submit via online form: http://www.cupofcomfort.com/memberlogin.
Theme: For Couples.
Type: Personal essays (2,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.cupofcomfort.com/CallForSubmissions

Deadline: 10/01/09.
Submit to: Parabola. 20 West 20th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10011, or e-mail to: editors@parabola.org.
Theme: Love; MUST BE about myth, religious, spiritual, or social issues.
Type: Articles (3,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.parabola.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=164

Deadline: 11/01/09.
Submit to: Thema. Gail Howard, Poetry Editor, or Virginia Howard, Prose Editor. Box 8747, Metairie, LA 70011-8747.
Theme: Math & music. Be sure to specify theme on cover letter. (NO adult language or sexual material.)
Type: Poetry (3 titles MAX), short stories (20 pages/5,000 words MAX).
URL: http://members.cox.net/thema/submissions.html

Deadline: N/A
Submit to: PALABRA, PO Box 86146, Los Angeles, CA 90086-0146.
Theme: MUST BE Chicano or Latino writing.
Type: Poetry (5 titles MAX), short stories (4,000 words MAX), and short plays (12 pages MAX).
URL: http://www.palabralitmag.com/id2.html

Upcoming Contests

Deadline: 07/03/09.
Submit to: Frost Place Resident Poet Award. The Frost Place, PO Box 74, Franconia, NH 03580.
Entry fee: $20. First prize: $1,000 and two-month residency.
Type: Poetry (5 titles MAX).
URL: http://www.frostplace.org/html/residentpoetapp.html

Deadline: 07/13/09.
Submit to: Warren Adler Short Story Contest. Pay entry fee online to submit.
Entry fee: $15. First prize: $1,000 and online publication.
Type: Short stories (2,500 words MAX).
URL: http://www.warrenadler.com/contest09.shtml

Deadline: 07/15/09.
Submit to: Literal Latté Poetry Award, 200 East 10th Street, Suite 240, New York, NY 10003.
Entry fee: $10. First prize: $1,000 and publication.
Type: Poetry (6 titles).
URL: http://www.literal-latte.com/contests/#poetry_awards

Deadline: 07/31/09.
Submit to: Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest, P.O. Box 3141, Chicago, IL 60654. See URL for guidelines.
Entry fee: $5 per poem, $10 per short story. First prize: Poetry/$250, Writing/$500
Type: Poetry (1 poem/30 lines MAX), prose (1 short story, 5 pages MAX).
URL: http://www.dreamquestone.com/rules.html

Deadline: 08/01/09.
Submit to: FICTION CONTEST, c/o Memphis magazine, PO Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101.
Entry fee: $10. First prize: $1,000 and publication. Authors MUST LIVE within 150 miles of Memphis.
Type: Short stories (4,500 words MAX).
URL: http://www.memphismagazine.com/gyrobase/Magazine/Page?oid=21607

Deadline: 08/01/09.
Submit to: The New England Shakespeare Festival Sonnet Award, c/o Stephen Scaer, 111 East Hobart Street, Nashua, NH 03060, or send through online form: http://www.newenglandshakespeare.org/sonnet_contest/2009_sonnet_contest_entry_form.htm.
Entry fee: $3 per sonnet.
Type: Poetry (sonnets).
URL: http://www.newenglandshakespeare.org/sonnet_contest.htm

Deadline: 08/01/09.
Submit to: Teresa A. White Literary Award sponsored by Quiddity. 1500 North Fifth Street, Springfield, IL 62702.
Entry fee: $12. First prize: $500, publication, and production on a National Public Radio affiliate.
Type: Prose (500 words or less).
URL: http://www.sci.edu/quiddity/download/2009_twhite_award.pdf

Deadline: 08/08/09.
Submit to: Gival Press Short Story Award. PO Box 3812, Arlington, VA 22203.
Entry fee: $25. First prize: $1,000 and online publication.
Type: Short story (5,000 to 15,000 words).
URL: http://www.givalpress.com/

Deadline: 08/15/09.
Submit to Memoir (and) Prizes for Memoir in Prose or Poetry. Submit via online form: http://www.memoirjournal.com/submissions or mail to: PO Box 1398, Sausalito, CA 94966-1398.
Entry fee: N/A. First prize: $500 and publication.
Type: Poetry (5 poems MAX) and prose (10,000 words MAX).
URL: http://memoirjournal.squarespace.com/contest

Deadline: 08/31/09.
Submit to: Family Circle Fiction Writing Contest, c/o Family Circle Magazine, 375 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10017.
Entry fee: None. First prize: $750, publication, a certificate for one online mediabistro.com course, and a one-year mediabistro.com AvantGuard membership.
Type: Short stories (2,500 words MAX).
URL: http://www.parents.com/family-life/fitness/stress-relaxation/fiction-contest-winners/?page=12

Deadline: 08/31/09.
Submit to: Juked. Mail to: 110 Westridge Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32304, or e-mail to: prize@juked.com.
Entry fee: $10. First prize: $500 and publication.
Type: Poetry (5 poems, 10 pages MAX), short stories.
URL: http://www.juked.com/prize/

Deadline: 09/30/09.
Submit to: Dogs and the Women Who Love Them (sponsored by Angel Animals Network). Please visit this Web site for submission addresses: http://www.angelanimals.net/contestrules.html
Entry fee: None. First prize: $250.
Type: Personal essays (2,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.angelanimals.net/contestrules.html

Deadline: 10/01/09.
Submit to: Mississippi Review Prize, 118 College Drive, #5144, Hattiesburg, MI 39406-0001.
Entry fee: $15. First prize: $1,000 and publication.
Type: Poetry (3 titles, 10 pages MAX) and short stories (5,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.mississippireview.com/contest.html

Deadline: 10/15/09.
Submit to: RRofihe sponsored by Open City, 270 Lafayette Street, Suite 1412, New York, NY 10012.
Entry fee: $10. First prize: $500, trophy, and publication.
Type: Short stories (5,000 words MAX).
URL: http://opencity.org/rrofihe

Featured Books (sponsored listings)

Simple Wishes, by Lisa Dale ($6.99, women's fiction/romance, Grand Central). A young woman goes searching for isolation in the mountains, but finds so much more. Adele Matin couldn’t wait to put her lonely childhood and hometown behind her. Amid the bright lights and hustle and bustle of New York, she built a life for herself—until one terrible mistake brought it crashing down. Now Adele is running again, this time to a cottage she inherited from her mother in rural Pennsylvania. And she’s about to realize that a small town has more to offer than she ever dreamed. An artist and woodworker, Jay Westvelt knows a thing or two about living in the country. Adele is intrigued by her mysterious green-eyed neighbor, a man who took care of her house and soon cares deeply for her. But even as Adele’s steely heart begins to soften toward him, dark secrets from her mother’s past threaten to send her running once again. Can Jay convince her to stay with him? Only if she can learn an important truth: that happiness begins with Simple Wishes. CLICK HERE TO BUY.

Bang The Keys, by Jill Dearman ($11.53, writing how-to, Alpha). Jill Dearman is the rising writing guru of the modern era who has already helped legions of published, but pressured authors as well as searching yet serious new inksters to apply a method to their artistic madness. There is no problem a writer faces that she cannot empathize with and throw an armful of clever and penetrating exercises at. If you’re game to write yourself out of a corner, and re-invent your writing life, she just might be able to solve her most challenging mystery yet … you!  Four elegant steps, for when you’re ready to dance with your muse, instead of  singing the blues: •  B is for Begin with your strongest idea. •  A is for Arrange your material into a concrete form.  •  N is for nurture your project with love, so that others may love it too. •  G is for complete it, and let it GO out into the world to live independently. CLICK HERE TO BUY.

Upcoming Conferences and Events

USA

Alaska

Alaska Writers Workshop
Registration deadline: July 22, 2009. Workshop: August 22 - 23, 2009.
Seven outstanding speakers. Agents, editors, publishers, authors, publicists. Manuscript evaluations; individual time with speakers. Emphasis is on the art and business of writing. The workshop presenters will pass along valuable information about writing query letters, pitches, how to get out of the slush pile and onto a publisher's desk, when to e-mail, call, or write, what to send, and how to eliminate waste of time and money.
Contact: Jim Misko or Jen Cudmore at jim@jimmisko.com or cudmorefamily@prodigy.net
URL: http://www.alaskawritersguild.com

Arkansas

White County Creative Writers 14th Annual Writers' Conference
Registration deadline: August 24, 2009. Conference: September 5, 2009.
Key Speaker Jodie Thomas in an all-day event. Advice for both new and experienced writers. Contests too!
URL: http://www.whitecountycreativewriters.org
Contact: wcwriters@hotmail.com

Arizona

Society of Southwestern Authors—Wrangling with Writing
Registration deadline: September 20, 2009. (Register by August 1, 2009, you can get a free interview with an agent or editor.) Conference: September 26 - 27, 2009.
Workshops on writing and marketing, individual interviews with agents/editors; playwright contest.
Contact: ccstarlit@q.com
URL: http://www.wranglingwithwriting.com

California

The following four different workshops in California are through Clive Matson. He can be reached at clive@matsonpoet.com , and please visit www.matsonpoet.com/classes for more information:

1. One-Act Plays
July 11, 2009 and July 18, 2009 (10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.).
After a short discussion on play structure and elements, you’ll start a draft of at least one play on the first day. On the following Saturday, we’ll see how well the elements of the play are working in your draft as we all take part in reading it.

2. Highway 395
August 7 - 14, 2009.
Clive will lead three-hour morning writing workshops, guide writing walks and meditations as campers travel along Highway 395 between Bridgeport and Yosemite.

3. Exploring Your Creative Writing Potential - U.C. Extension Class
Thursdays, September 17, 2009 to December 10, 2009 (7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.).
Clive Matson leads this ten-week course for beginning writers helps you assess your potential, identify your strengths, and learn valuable writing techniques. Class exercises and weekly writing assignments help you discover your talents in a variety of forms: short fictional scenes, short story, poetry, and journalistic writing.

4. Lake County Crazy Child Two-Day Workshop
October 10 - 11, 2009.
With Clive Matson we’ll learn about the structure of fiction and, indeed, of most writing by looking at a selection of very short stories. Introduction on Saturday afternoon, spontaneous writing and supportive feedback sessions in the the familiar synergetic style continue all day Sunday.

Writing and Knowing: A Poetry Workshop taught by Ellen Bass, Dorianne Laux, and Joseph Millar
July 5 - 10, 2009.
"We will write poems, share our writing, and hear what our work touches in others. We’ll also read model poems by contemporary poets and discuss aspects of the craft. But mainly this will be a writing retreat—time to explore and create in a supportive community. Though we’ll focus on poetry, prose writers who want to enrich their language will find it a fertile environment."
Contact: 831-667-3005
URL: http://www.esalen.org

Foothill Writers' Conference
July 9 - 12, 2009.
Now in its 33rd year, the Foothill Writers' Conference continues to offer a high-quality, low-cost conference to aspiring writers.
Contact: svetichkella@foothill.edu
URL: http://www.foothill.edu/la/conference

Mendocino Coast Writers Conference with Ellen Bass, Charlotte Gullick, Gennifer Choldenko, and others
July 30 - August 2, 2009.
You will explore how your writing can shape the world. Whether fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, words are a powerful instrument for change. You will be enriched by the multigenerational exchange of ideas and viewpoints, made possible through youth scholarships for regional high school students.
Contact: info@mcws.org or 707-962-2600 ext. 2167
URL: http://www.mcwc.org

National Steinbeck Center’s 29th Annual Steinbeck Festival: Legends, Myth & Magic
August 6, 2009.
“Leading this year’s festival #1 New York Times bestselling author, Christopher Paolini. Over one dozen presenters lead topics related to the Festival theme. Other notable program leaders include: Veteran filmmaker and producer Ken Wales, most notable for his award-winning television mini-series based on Steinbeck’s East of Eden; Kim Moreland, Associate Dean at George Washington University, will speak on, “The Writer and the Knight”; Author and founding curator of the Joseph Campbell Archives and Library, Jonathan Young, discusses the mythic friendships between Joseph Campbell, John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts.”
Contact: colleen@steinbeck.org
URL: http://www.steinbeck.org/

**FEATURED LISTING**

Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference
August 13 - 16, 2009
The Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference has an extraordinary reputation among publishers, editors, and writers. Alumni have published books, articles, and photos—many as the direct result of lessons learned and contacts made at the conference. This year’s faculty will include Isabel Allende, Tim Cahill, Pauline Frommer, Larry Habegger, Rolf Potts and many more!
Contact: Kathryn Petrocelli at bpconferences@bookpassage.com
URL: http://www.bookpassage.com/content.php?id=45

Central Coast Writers' Conference
Registration deadline: August 21, 2009 (to receive discount). Conference: October 2 and 3, 2009.
Offers 32 workshops in all genres of writing including fiction, nonfiction, children's literature, memoir, screenwriting, humor, historical fiction, marketing, poetry, how to get published, and basic writing skills. Christian Moerk, author of the acclaimed novel Darling Jim, is this year’s keynote speaker. The faculty includes agents, publishers, and authors and a writing competition, manuscript critique service, and a special program for teens are offered.
URL: http://www.communityprograms.net/wc/wcindex.htm
Contact: (805) 546-3132

North Coast Redwoods Writers’ Conference
Registration forms are located on our Web site, and we encourage pre-registration; however, on-site registration will be available as late as 8:00 a.m., Saturday, September 19, 2009. Conference: September 18 and 19, 2009.
This year’s presenters include writers of poetry, plays, fiction, and nonfiction. Agent April Eberhardt, publisher Malcolm Margolin, and editor Anita McClellan will also give workshops and take part in panel discussions.
URL: http://www.ncrwc.org
Contact: ken-letko@redwoods.edu

Big Sur Writing Workshop
Registration deadline: October 2009. Conference: December 4 - 6, 2009.
If you have a manuscript in progress—children's, middle grade, and young adult—our workshop will provide you with the tools you need to prepare your work for publication. Add the magic and inspiration of the Big Sur setting, gourmet meals, a professional and positive faculty, and we promise you will have an unforgettable, insightful, fun and creative weekend.
URL: http://www.henrymiller.org/cww.html

Connecticut

Coveside Writing Workshop & Retreat
October 3 - 4, 2009.
Now in its eighth year, Coveside Writing Workshop & Retreat is theuniquely intensive, uniquely intimate, hands-on writing workshop forwriters of all genres. Through a pyramid of guided meditation, free-writing, editing and revision, Anita Riggio leads the writer to discover the deeply personal wellspring of images and ideas that gives resonance to writing. Established and emerging writers alike will leave this workshop exhilarated, exhausted, and brimming with stories only they can write.
Contact: info@covesidewritingworkshop.com
URL: http://www.covesidewritingworkshop.com

Florida

Writing Below Sea Level Presents The Cedar Key Project
Registration deadline: July 15, 2009. Conference dates: October 1 - 4, 2009 and November 5 - 8, 2009.
In addition to manuscript critiques, participants will take part in writing and publishing colloquies, enjoy evening studio sessions where they read from their work, and are led in a book-in-common discussion by Appalachian State Professor Emeritus Eileen Burt Carbia. Award-winning novelist Connie May Fowler will lead the fiction group. Zilpha Underwood, a top-notch magazine and newspaper editor with twenty-five years of experience, will lead the creative nonfiction workshop. 
URL: http://www.writingbelowsealevel.com
Contact: mail@writingbelowsealevel.com

Illinois

Karitos Christian Arts Conference
July 16 - 18, 2009.
Over forty teachers, 100 workshops in all areas of the arts. Featuring Bob Sorge, Keri Wyatt Kent, Vivien Hibbert, Nicole Mazzarrella, Yvonne Peters, and Jolie Williams.
URL: http://www.karitos.com/

Writers & Editors / One-on-One
July 17 - 19, 2009.
Bringing together 65 national magazine writers and eight national magazine editors for a weekend of dialogue about the magazines and their current freelance needs, plus one-on-one pitch sessions with at least four of the editors. Two developmental panels round out the event.
Contact: kmkroll@aol.com
URL: http://www.magazinewriters.com

Maine

Fifth House Lodge Writers’ Retreat: The Remembered Self: A Memoir Workshop
July 17 - 19, 2009.
You will learn a simple technique for mining your memories through writing. Discussion and guidance centers around how best to get started and how to sustain your writing project.
Contact: joan@fifthhouselodge.net
URL: http://www.fifthhouselodge.net/

Massachusetts

Nantucket Writers Studio
June - September 2009.
Kathryn Kay's workshops cover a range of topics including structure, character, description, and voice, and her background in yoga and stress management helps foster an atmosphere that nurtures the creative spirit and supports the writing process.
Contact: info@nantucketwritersstudio.com
URL: http://www.nantucketwritersstudio.com

Michigan

Maranatha Christian Writers' Conference
Registration deadline: September 19, 2009. Conference: September 21 - 25,2009.
Features sessions, electives, and one-on-one conferences with experts/publishers. Speakers include Dennis Hensley, Holly Miller, Anne Fenske, Bill Crowder, Jack Kuhatschek, Mike Wendland, and Sally Stuart. Inspiration and instruction for writers in all levels of experience and expertise.
URL: http://www.WriteWithPurpose.org
Contact: info@WriteWithPurpose.org

Minnesota

New Hampshire

Mt. Chocorua Writing Workshop
July 12 - 17, 2009.
Set in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, our non-competitive and nurturing workshops are designed for writers at all levels. Work on fiction with Ellen Meeropol or poetry with Writer-in-Residence, Sapphire.
Contact: Ellen Meeropol.
URL: www.worldfellowship.org/writingworkshop

New Mexico

Writing From the Imaginative Storm with James Navé and Allegra Huston 
August 2 - 7, 2009.
Imagine it: a cross-disciplinary writing adventure, during which you play with poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, even screenwriting… and best of all, explore the hidden corners of your own imagination. Our goal is to provide a safe, supportive environment which allows you to explore freely into every corner of your mind.
Contact: nave@thewritingsalon.net
URL: http://www.thewritingsalon.net/assets/salon_san_geronimo_schedule.html

Interactive, Irresistible You: Internet Resources to Advance Yourself and Your Creations (with Ellen Barone) and Six Degrees of Separation: Important Skills a Writer Must Have (with Sandi Ault)
August 7 - 8, 2009.
Learn to use the Internet as a tool to recreate yourself and sell your work with engaging Web sites, social networking, and much more. With photographer/travel writer and web guru Ellen Barone. Then, improve your writing with tips to help you stand out from crowd, with instructor and Mary Higgins Clark award-winner Sandi Ault.
Contact: wordharvest@wordharvest.com
URL: http://www.wordharvest.com

New York

**FEATURED LISTING**

River’s Edge Writers’ Workshops
July 24 - 26, 2009.
September 11 - 13, 2009.
New York’s Catskill Mountain region is home to a series of intensive weekend workshops in the bucolic town of Narrowsburg. From June 5 to June 7, editor Meg Storey of Tin House Books and writer Casey Kait (Digital Hustlers, HarperCollins) teach on the importance of a project’s first five pages and the art of the book proposal. From July 24 to July 26, writing coach and editor Jill Dearman (Bang the Keys, Penguin) guides participants on developing their writing practices. On September 11 to September 13, Granta "Best Young American Novelist" Jess Row (The Train to Lo Wu, Random House) leads students in a fiction workshop. All workshops run from Friday to Sunday at the Delaware River Retreat. In honor of our inaugural season, we are offering Writer's Relief Newsflash subscribers a 10% discount for 2009 workshops.  **Be sure to mention Writer’s Relief Newsflash when you register!**
Contact: riversedgewriters@gmail.com
URL: http://riversedgewriters.com

The Adirondack Mountain Writers’ Retreat
August 20 - 23, 2009.
Teacher/writer/poet Irene Sherlock will lead this four-day creative writing workshop, which includes seminars, blocks of writing time, readings, critique sessions, and private consultations. Participation limited to 10 writers.
Contact: PersisGranger@aol.com
URL: http://www.PersisGranger.com

Upper Hudson Valley Travel Writing Workshop
Registration deadline: September 15, 2009. Conference: September 16 - 18, 2009.
Learn how to be a travel writer (or just write a better blog or memoir).
URL: http://www.travelwritingworkshop.org
Contact: bobharu@aol.com

North Carolina

Blue Ridge "Autumn in the Mountains" Novel Retreat
October 4 - 8, 2009.
Morning classes, afternoon writing time and workshops, evening discussion groups. Faculty is: Janet & Ron Benrey, Eva Marie Everson, Dr. Dennis Hensley, Steven James, DiAnn Mills, Deborah Raney, Tom Morrisey, Ann Tatlock, and director Yvonne Lehman.
Contact: ylehman@bellsouth.net
URL: http://www.lifeway.com/novelretreat

Oregon

Oregon Christian Writers Summer Coaching Conference
July 27 - 30, 2009.
Kick off each day at one of 12 hands-on coaching classes, attend workshops, meet with our more than 30 editors and agents in the afternoon, and learn from keynote speakers Lisa Samson and Lonnie Hull DuPont at night.
Contact: mailto:scregistration@oregonchristianwriters.org
URL: http://www.oregonchristianwriters.org

Sixth Susquehanna Valley Writers Workshop
October 2 - 3, 2009.
Six on faculty including editors, an illustrator, and a marketing expert. Red Eye Peer Critique. Private Paid Critique Sessions with Faculty Members.
Contact: ckwriter@evenlink.com
URL: http://www.marshahubler.com

Rhode Island

**FEATURED LISTING**

The Brown Writers’ Symposium
July 19 - 25, 2009.
Brown Writers’ Symposium offers an intensive, retreat-style environment designed for serious novice and experienced writers interested in the exploration of the craft and art of creative nonfiction.
Contact: summer@brown.edu
URL: http://brown.edu/scs/adult/bws/

Vermont

Postgraduate Writers’ Conference, Vermont College of Fine Arts
August 11 - 17, 2009.
Serving experienced writers for 14 years at home of renowned MFA Programs. Small-group workshops in poetry, poetry ms., short story, novel, creative nonfiction, and young adult, plus readings, classes, and individual consultations. Outstanding faculty.
Contact: mailto:pgconference@vermontcollege.edu
URL: http://www.vermontcollege.edu/PGWConference/index.asp

Washington

Pacific NW Writers Summer Conference
July 30 - August 2, 2009.
Rita Rosenkranz (Conference Agent) describes the PNWA Conference as “well organized allowing authors and agents to connect in the best way possible." Network with fellow writers; Learn how to improve your craft; Market your work and pitch to agents and editors. Workshops & Panel Highlights: Agent Do’s and Don’ts; Going from good idea to sold idea; Key elements of the modern crime novel; Five fundamental elements of great romantic fiction; Middle Grade and Young Adult novels that sell; Roadmap to Fantasy and Science Fiction. Conference Keynote Speaker: Terry Brooks.
Contact: pnwa@pnwa.org
URL: http://www.pnwa.org

CANADA

British Columbia

Writing Our Lives, taught by Ellen Bass
September 13 -18, 2009.
“Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.” Follow this advice from the great poet Anne Sexton and leave behind your busy life for a few days. Become still enough to hear the stories and poems that exist within you, allowing the channels of vitality and creativity to open fully. Write, share, and learn how your work touches others.
Contact: 1-800-933-6339 or e-mail registration@hollyhock.ca
URL: http://www.hollyhock.ca

FRANCE

ITALY

Tell A Tuscan Story in Tuscany, Italy.
October 9 - 15, 2009
Enter the doorway to your imagination and allow your creativity to flow. Join us on a writing retreat in the rolling hills of Tuscany where you will be inspired and encouraged in your writing.
Contact: dmckew@wordsinplay.net
URL: http://wordsinplay.net/writersretreat.html

ANY LOCATION

Centenary College (New Jersey) is offering an online summer course “The Craft of Prose Writing” taught by Abraham Burickson (begins July 5). Writers may audit the course for half the cost of regular tuition. For more information visit http://www.centenarycollege.edu/cms/en/student-writing-website/creative-writing-options/poetry-writing-eng2015/. Register by June 16 with Jennilee Joost: (908) 852-1400 ex 2259 or joostj@centenrycollege.edu.

Client News

Last cycle, Writer's Relief clients had over 150 acceptances at literary magazines and journals, and 15 requests for COMPLETE manuscripts from literary agents.  

Congratulations to Steve De Jarnatt. His story “Rubiaux Rising” has been selected to appear in the 2009 volume of The Best American Short Stories!

Lucille Lang Day’s essay, “Stalked,” was one of the five works selected by Willow Review to split this year’s $500 prize money. Congratulations

Dianalee Velie will be the featured poet at Tell A Tuscan Story, a conference to be held in Tuscany in October. See our conferences section for more!

Big congrats to Suellen Wedmore, who was one of only three poets to place in the New Millennium Writings Obama Inaguration Contest.

Dorothy Brook's chapbook, Interstices, will be published July 17 by Finishing Line Press. It is available now for pre-publication orders at http://www.finishinglinepress.com/. Just click on "New Releases and Forthcoming Titles" and look for the title. The books are listed alphabetically by author's last name. The cost is $14 plus shipping.

R.M. Hora's story, “Sita's Eyes,” is part of the anthology Ask Me About My Divorce (Seal Press). R.M. and others will be reading from the book on June 7th, 8.30 p.m., at Cafe Royale, 800 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94114. Ask Me About My Divorce is a spicy, fun, riveting collection of essays by women from all walks of life. With the unifying thread “I got divorced, and the world came into view,” the words within will make readers laugh, cry, nod their heads, and feel inspired to do what they need to for themselves. These aren't stories from women tiptoeing around a difficult subject—they're about the ways divorce can be, in fact, a new lease on life. For more information or to purchase the book, visit http://www.sealpress.com/book.php?isbn=1580052762

Naomi Ruth Lowinsky has won the New Millennium Writings Obama Inauguration Contest, taking the $1,000 grand prize. Read an article about the contest here. Also, Naomi's memoir about being a poet, The Sister from Below: When the Muse Gets Her Way, has been recently published by Fisher King Press. Read more about it (or order your copy) here: http://www.fisherkingpress.com/order.html

Lucille Lang Day's The Curvature of Blue: Poems was released this spring by Cervena Barva Press. For more information and orders, visit http://www.thelostbookshelf.com/. "In Lucille Lang Day's poems, stunning transformations of language cross the placenta barrier between the worlds of science and human emotion. She thinks and feels in color, enabling us to inhabit the complexity of the universe—as experienced at breakfast with a lover, in the wild with caribou, or in meditations on acts of historical horror—all made radiant by her lyric gifts and wisdom." —Teresa Cader

Donna L. Emerson’s book of poetry, Body Rhymes, is now available from Finishing Line Press. The book is available for purchase through Amazon or directly from the publisher. Donna and her editors always appreciate readers who post reviews! "Donna Emerson is a poet who speaks eloquently and elegantly about the body, focusing on sexuality as well as on love and loss. Writing with a righteous anger yet with a tenderness toward the world, she conveys a sense that the words and actions of one person can make a difference, can be redemptive." —Susan Terris, author of Contrariwise

Thinking of self-publishing your book because you’re tired of the stress and frustration of making submissions to literary agents and editors? Feel like self-publishing is the easiest way of making your dreams of being a published novelist come true?

Self-publishing is NOT necessarily the easy route to achieving your dreams. Self-publishing companies strive to make the process of typesetting, binding, and printing your book appear stress-free and easy. But when you buy into the easiness hype, you may be opening yourself up to even more difficulties than if you’d continued trying to publish the traditional way. Here are just a few of the reasons self-publishing isn’t always as easy as it seems:

HYPE: Self-publishing is simple and stress-free.
FACT: Self-publishing is NOT simple and stress-free. First, you have to research self-publishing companies. We get calls and e-mails all the time from optimistic writers who naively got locked into bad (or just plain disappointing) contracts. To self-publish, you must be able to read, negotiate, and interpret contracts, you must research distribution packages, you must develop and implement a marketing plan…in short, you must develop as much business know-how as if you were seeking a traditional book deal. It’s not impossible develop all the knowledge you’ll need to be successful, but it’s far from easy.

HYPE: Self-publishing will easily satisfy your desire to share your story with the world.
FACT: Unless you have an amazing (expensive) book distribution company in your corner, your book won’t make it to the shelves. And even if it does physically get on the shelves, readers won’t buy your book unless they already know it’s there. Very few sales are made because readers stumble across books. Many self-publishers offer to list their books on Amazon.com; but be warned: it’s unlikely that anyone will buy your book from Amazon.com unless you’ve already enticed them to go there and buy it. You’ll have to do a lot of hard work to get your audience to notice your book; writers who are looking for the instant gratification of being an overnight success will not likely find it in self-publishing.

HYPE: Self-publishing your book could “make” your writing career.
FACT: For every self-publishing success story you hear, there are literally tens of thousands of self-published books that get no attention at all. How hard and long you work to sell books relates directly to your book’s success. For that reason, self-publishing appears easy, but is not necessairly the path of least resistance.

The Truth About Self-Publishing
If you’re trying to figure out where you’re going to get the most bang for your buck in terms of reaching your dreams, the answer may or may not be self-publishing. Our advice (based on watching industry trends) is to exhaust all avenues available to you before you decide to self-publish. If you haven’t queried 100 literary agents for your book project, you don’t have enough information to make the decision to self-publish.

If you self-publish because it seems simpler, be aware that literary agents and editors tend to be somewhat suspicious of the writer who can be tempted to take the easy way out, or the writer who chooses instant gratification over perseverance. If you self-publish, you’ll need to work extra hard to distinguish yourself and your writing. You’ll need to make some serious sales or get some truly reputable and impressive reviews in order to be taken seriously.

The Moral of the Story (aka The Good News)
Self-published books (and all early-career books) are very important in the life of an aspiring writer. Writing a book is a huge accomplishment and should never be dismissed! If you’ve written and self-published a book, celebrate your accomplishments! Literary agents will view your first books as very important life credits, even if they don’t end up being important publishing credits.

The good news is that even in these tough economic times, more books are being published now than ever before!

• Are you ready to commit to spending more time doing what you love (learning about writing and improving your techniques)?
• Can you get your submissions out effectively (can you send them to the right people in a professional format)? 

If you can do those two things, you may have a shot at getting a book published. Not all writers achieve a pie-in-the-sky book deal with a major New York publishing house, but those who quit too soon NEVER have a chance.

Visit www.WritersRelief.com if you would like to learn how we can make the submission process easier and more effective.

HOT OFF THE PRESS! We love to share our information with writers, and we’re happy to pass some of our INSIDER’S SECRETS along to you. This FREE e-mail newsletter may help improve your writing and your acceptance rate! Feel free to print any of these articles to use as a reference. This issue is packed with great information. DEADLINE-DATED lists of anthologies, theme issues, and contests are included!

In this issue:

* * INTRODUCING OUR NEWEST E-BOOK! INSIDER’S SECRETS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO PROPER PROOFREADING IN THE CREATIVE WRITING INDUSTRY. http://www.WritersRelief.com/proofreading-manual-for-creative-writing-and-publishing-industry.aspx

* * SELF-PUBLISHING: WHEN (NOT) TO INCLUDE YOUR SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK IN YOUR COVER OR QUERY LETTER BIO.

* * Here is your opportunity to receive a FREE CONSULTATION WITH ONE OF OUR SUBMISSION STRATEGISTS. Visit http://WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Increase-Your-Acceptance-Rate-By-Submitting-Now.aspx.

* * If you’re a foodie and a bookworm, you’re going to love FRENCH FOOD IDIOMS.

* * DO YOU HAVE AN ARTICLE FOR OUR NEWSFLASH? Read our submission guidelines: http://WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Do-You-Have-An-Article-For-Our-Newsflash.aspx.                                              

* * BUSINESS LETTER FORMAT: HOW TO WRITE A PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS LETTER.

* * HOW TO PUBLISH A POETRY CHAPBOOK OR COLLECTION OF POEMS.

* * THE 10 BIGGEST MISTAKES BEGINNING FICTION WRITERS MAKE.

* * You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming ANTHOLOGIES, SPECIAL-THEMED JOURNALS, and CONTESTS. Visit: http://WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Anthologies-Contests.aspx.

↓ Scroll Down to Read These Exciting and Useful Articles!! ↓

We’re so excited to tell you about our newest E-book, Insider’s Secrets: A Step-by-Step Guide To Proper Proofreading in the Creative Writing Industry! Our E-book will tell you everything you need to know to start or expand a professional proofreading business. If you’ve thought about starting your own freelance proofreading business, or if you want to hone your own proofreading skills, this E-book is for you.

If you’ve asked yourself:

• How do I start my own freelance proofreading business?
• Where do I find proofreading jobs?
• How do I expand my freelance proofreading or editing business to include creative writers, such as poets, novelists, and short story writers?
• What do I need to know to proofread my own writing?
• How do I become a better proofreader?
• Where can I learn to proofread specifically for creative writers?
• What are proofreaders’ marks (proofreading symbols)?

We have the solution for you. We know you don’t have a lot of time, so our E-book cuts through the “filler” and gets right to the point. Improve your proofreading skills and your freelance business.

Click here to learn more: http://www.WritersRelief.com/proofreading-manual-for-creative-writing-and-publishing-industry.aspx.

Have you been sitting on that book manuscript, even though it’s done? Putting off sending your novel to literary agents and editors? Perhaps you just can’t seem to stop revising, revising, and revising some more—even though your friends and family are telling you it’s time to let go and start submitting your work for publication?

Summer is one of the best times to submit your book manuscript to agents and editors. If you want your manuscript to stick out from the crowd, consider making a push to submit your book or book proposal to literary agents and editors over the next few months. Why?

1. Summertime is reading time. Like many people, literary agents read in the summer. They carry manuscripts with them on planes and subways like the rest of us carry paperbacks. They also take their books to the beach. Summer tends to have a more relaxed feel, and so it’s a great time to tap into that energy.

2. If you submit in the summertime, the competition may be less. During the summer, many people (writers included) are thinking about vacations, barbecues, and catching up on books by their favorite writers. But YOU can be one of the writers who stays on track, doesn’t lose focus, and submits at a time when the regular volume of submissions to agents may be down. Don’t wait. Submit your book this summer, and you could be seeing results by fall!

3. Even though submissions to literary agents may slow down, book deals continue to happen in the summertime. That means now is a great time for you to submit your literary book, your romance novel, or your thriller to agents and editors. Making good submissions is a numbers game, to a certain extent. The more submissions you get out there, the more likely you’ll reach your goals. It’s even better when you can submit your book manuscript at an optimum time.

4. This summer is a great time to get serious about your submission strategy. Maybe, in the past, you’ve submitted to a handful of agents only to give up because you were turned down. Maybe you queried a dozen or more, got some nibbles, but then threw in the towel. If so, you’ve only just begun the process of querying literary agents and editors. We encourage you to develop a serious submission strategy—because that’s what works! And we can help.

If you’d like assistance submitting your book to literary agents and editors this summer, Writer’s Relief is the answer. We can take care of all the pesky legwork and tedious, time-consuming paperwork and research, while you go on vacation. You can get your book to agents and editors this summer without sacrificing your free time or your fun.

If you’re hesitating about sending your novel to agents and editors, give us a call to talk with one of our submission strategists. You know that old saying “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”? Now may be the right time to get your publishing career started. Give us a call to learn how we’ve helped writers just like you reach their publishing goals.

Q: Should you tell literary agents and editors about your self-published book or novel in the biography section of your cover or query letter?

A: Self-publishing and traditional publishing are beginning to overlap, leading to new questions for writers regarding cover and query letters. Including your self-published book in the writing bio section of your cover or query letter may pose problems.

Completing a book is a big accomplishment—self-publishing a book can also be an impressive undertaking. However, unless your self-published book has garnered awards, sold over 5,000 copies in a year, or attracted some kind of positive attention from publishing professionals, it may do more harm than good to mention your self-published projects. Here are a few possible outcomes to consider before mentioning your self-published book (or books, if you have more than one) when approaching agents.

Presumption. Some writers are choosing to self-publish even before they query literary agents and editors in order to publish traditionally. Historically, there have been a number of self-published novels that were extremely well-written; many have gone on to become wildly popular.

However, if your self-published book isn’t among that throng, mentioning your project in your cover or query letter may cause agents to infer that you tried to publish but ultimately could not find any enthusiasm for your project—even if you didn’t attempt the traditional publishing route at all. To put it crassly, if you mention that your books are self-published, agents may presume your writing isn’t strong enough or suitable for mainstream publication.

Low sales = low enthusiasm. If your self-published book has not sold well, an agent may infer that you have not done the necessary legwork to promote your book; simply don’t know how to promote your book; or an editor may assume that you did promote it but didn’t get reader support (if nobody else wants to join your party, why would an agent or editor show up).

Practice books. Professional writers, agents, and editors know that it can take a writer a few tries before he or she is able to work through the many difficulties of composing a book-length manuscript. Although you rightly love your early-career, self-published book, an agent will likely consider it a “practice” book. While practice books are significant life credits, they are not always significant publishing credits.

The danger of being overeager. If you mention to an agent that you have three books self-published (but you’re pitching only one, or perhaps you’re pitching an entirely different project), the agent might think: “Oh, no. If I take on one project by this writer, he or she will bombard me with all the other books, so I’ll be stuck with all these ‘practice’ books that no one else could place at a traditional house.” If you mention all your other manuscripts, the agent may get scared off.

Other conflicting issues. An agent may be turned off by your self-published book because he or she may assume that you are the kind of person who wants to have complete editorial and marketing control over your book. Working with a traditional publishing house requires patience, a willingness to compromise, and a certain amount of “letting go.”

Q. When should you include your self-published novel or book in your cover or query letter?

A. You should mention your self-published book in your cover or query letter (or any other writing bio) if:

• You’ve sold a substantial number of copies (“substantial” varies but generally, over 5,000 in one year is worth mentioning).
• You have received great reviews worth mentioning.
• You have a great quote from another author or publisher.
• The book received an award, nomination, or other distinguishing honor. 
• You have published a regional or niche book and marketed it to great success. 
• You no longer own some or any rights to your self-published book (you must mention this because your copyright information could tie an agent’s hands).

If you’re a foodie and a bookworm, you’re going to love this list of French food idioms that we recently found on the Internet. It’s hilarious.

For example: Ça ne mange pas de pain means “it doesn’t eat bread.” In other words, whatever it is, it won’t be a pain in the neck (like a houseguest who loafs around, raids your refrigerator, and eats all your food/bread).

Read more at http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/cat_french_idioms.php.

Good news for writers struggling with query letters (for literary agents) and cover letters (for literary journals and magazines). We're cooking up some big ideas here at Writer's Relief. We're thinking of hosting a live online chat for creative writers so we can answer all your questions about cover letters for poetry, short stories, and essays AND query letters for literary agents (if you're trying to get representation for a novel or book). We have many great articles on our blog (it's a valuable resource for writers), but we know you still have questions about writing cover and query letters to pitch your writing.

Care to join our free online chat and pick our brains about how to write query letters for book submissions to literary agents? Want to know how to write cover letters to get your poetry and short stories published in literary journals and magazines? Take our poll below.

For more information on how to write query letters and cover letters, you can visit these links:

Want Us To Create Your Cover/Query Letters?

How To Write Cover and Query Letters That Get Attention

The Query Letter

Top Reasons To Query Agents First

The Query Letter—From a Marketing Standpoint

Checklist for Creating Cover/Query Letters 

E-queries

No Publishing Credits? Get Publishing Credentials: How To Build Up Your Writing Bio Super Fast

Building Publication Credits   

If you have an interesting article that pertains to an aspect of creative writing, you may be able to see it published in our Newsflash! We’re always looking for articles that make grammar easy and fun, that inspire or motivate creativity, or that clear up frustrating aspects of the writing life.

Here’s what you need to know:

Previously published work is acceptable, but you must tell us the details of the prior publication.

We acquire first-time rights or one-time rights (you can publish your article elsewhere after we post it).

Articles should be no more than 500 words.

To get ideas of our tone, style, and interests, please read through the articles posted on our blog.

Before you write your article, make sure that we haven’t already written about your topic. Use the search tools on our blog.

Our pay rate is $25 per article.

E-mail your completed article AND a short bio to Lisa@wrelief.com. No attachments, please.

We’re looking forward to reading your work!

Writing a professional business letter is important to making a good impression, and yet so many writers who send their fiction or nonfiction writing projects to Writer’s Relief don’t seem to know how to write a professional business letter. Cover letters for resumes, letters of introduction, sales letters, and pitch letters all require a professional touch. To format a professional business letter using proper layout, start by reading our helpful tips below.

All business letters contain four mandatory parts:

Heading (letterhead or return address and date)

Opening (address of recipient and salutation)

Body (message you’re writing)

Closing (complimentary closing [e.g., “Sincerely”] and signature)

Many word processing programs have several business-letter templates for you to choose from. Here are four typical style arrangements for letters:

Simplified—All lines are flushed left. The salutation is replaced by a subject line, which is in all caps; open punctuation is always used (there is no punctuation at the end of any line outside the body of the letter unless an abbreviation ends that line; e.g., Co., Inc., Jr.). The complimentary closing is omitted (no “Sincerely,” “Thank you for time,” etc.), and only a writer’s signature block in all caps is used.

Modified-Block Style (Standard)—The dateline, closing, company signature, and writer’s identification are all tabbed to and begin at the center. All other lines (body of the letter) are flush left.

Modified-Block Style (Indented Paragraphs)—Exactly the same as the standard format except that the first line of each paragraph is indented a half inch. This style is also referred to as “Semiblock Style.”

Block Style—Every line is flushed left, no indents; nothing centered except for any quotations, tables, and the like that are displayed. Also known as the “Full-Block Style.”

The Modified-Block Styles are the most popular.

Margins should be one inch on the right and left and two inches on the top (to leave room for letterhead).

If your letter will be more than two pages, make each subsequent page with a one-inch top margin.

Use single spacing, with one blank line between paragraphs.

Be sure to use an easy-to-read font (Times New Roman, Arial, Garamond, or Verdana are acceptable), in 10-12 point size.

Items in the Standard Format of Modified-Block Style:

• Letterhead or your return address
• Dateline (begin six lines down from top margin; month, day, and year)
• Inside address (name and address of the person you are writing to)
• Salutation (Dear Zujun Young)
• Message
• Complimentary Closing (Sincerely, or Truly,)
• Company Signature (optional)
• Writer’s Signature Block (your name and title, if applicable)
• Reference Initials (initials of the person who typed the letter for you, if applicable)
• File Name Notation (indicates where the document is saved in computer memory, optional)
• Enclosure Notation (indicates if you’re enclosing something other than the letter)
• Delivery Notation (if your letter is being mailed a special way)
• Copy Notation (list names of additional recipients of the letter)
• Justified right margin (optional for any letter type, makes each line in the body of the letter end at the same point)

Other variables that can be included in any letter format are:

• Personal or confidential notation (in all caps, two spaces below the date line)
• Reference notation (e.g., “In reply to”; two spaces below return address)
• Attention line (positioned as the first line of the inside address)
• Subject line (stating the purpose of the letter, two spaces below salutation)
• Postscript (for presenting a final idea or afterthought, two spaces after the writer’s signature block)

Writing a professional business letter isn’t difficult, but it does take some amount of patience and care in terms of formatting and layout. These guidelines are not designed to be inflexible and can be modified to fit specific occasions as good sense requires. But always be sure to proofread business letters before sending—don’t let oversights in spelling or grammar confuse your purpose!

If you’ve written so many poems that you’re interested in publishing your poetry as a book of poems, as a chapbook, or as a collection of poems, there are a number of ways you can get a book of poems published. But before we tell you how to publish your poetry book, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

First, poets approach Writer’s Relief every day asking us how we can help them make money on their poetry. The unfortunate truth is that it’s not very likely you’ll make a significant amount of money by publishing your book of poetry. Traditional publishing houses typically do not publish the work of unknown or moderately known poets because there simply isn’t a large audience that is willing to plunk down money for poetry. And because there’s no money in poetry, agents tend not to represent poets (with the exception of the very famous). So that’s the bad news.

But the good news is that poetry readers and writers have created a strong alternative market to big New York publishing houses. And if you’ve got time, talent, and luck, you may be able to get your book of poems published and maybe even make some money on your poetry. You’ll need to have a strong list of publication credits before you start asking people to publish your poems en masse. If your bio is strong, here are some ways to publish your poetry chapbook or collection of poems:

Enter chapbook contests. If you’ve amassed a collection of poems that might not be long enough for a full poetry book, you may want to consider entering a chapbook contest. Although the rules vary, chapbook contests generally want between 25 and 60 pages of poetry. Most chapbook contests are sponsored by universities or small presses, so while there may be an entry fee, there is also usually a payout for the winner in the form of publication and a monetary prize. If your poems are very strong, entering chapbook contests might be a good way to get your poetry chapbook or collection published.

Approach small presses. If your collection of poetry is too big for a chapbook, you may consider approaching small presses (independent publishers) with your poems. To do this, you’ll need to have strong publishing credentials. You can learn more about how to get publishing credentials at these links: Building Publication Credits and No Publishing Credits? Get Publishing Credentials: How To Build Up Your Writing Bio Super Fast. Universities and small presses are the heart of contemporary poetry, so do the proper research and send your queries their way.

Self-publish. If you have not had your individual poems published in reputable magazines, and you don’t have the patience that it takes to develop a good submission strategy, you might want to consider self-publishing. Just be aware that self-publishing requires you do all the legwork regarding distribution. Your book will not appear on bookshelves unless you do something to get it there. If you’d like a way to easily share your poetry with your family and friends, self-publishing may be a good option. But if you’re taking the self-publishing route because you think it’s an easier way to reach a large audience, think again. Unless you’re prepared to do lots of legwork and marketing (more than if you’d spent that time developing a strong submission strategy), your book will not reach far and wide. Before you self-publish your collection of poetry, read this: Is Self-Publishing The Easiest Way To Get Published? Decoding The Hype And The Facts.  

Many poets are competing to publish their poems as poetry collections or chapbooks. Even though there isn’t a strong mainstream market for poetry, the “underground” and independent markets are thriving. In order to keep publishing markets open to poets everywhere, consider subscribing to literary magazines and journals, or consider supporting the work of other poets who are publishing in the small-press market. To build more lucrative publishing markets for poetry, read and buy more poetry.

If you’d like help building up your poetry credentials, Writer’s Relief can help you develop a strong submission strategy to publish your individual poems. Our clients publish regularly in the literary magazine and journal markets. Visit our Overview of Services for more information.