Finding Something Friday: Words, Words, Words

I found the funnest contest for you word lovers! (Um, is funnest a word? The red line thingie is not showing up under it, so I guess funnest is okay. But P.S. Thingie is not.)

The Georgia Review decided to honor Ambrose Bierce with a Devil's Dictionary for the 21st Century. Now, you may recognize old Ambrose as the guy who wrote that short story you had to read in high school ("An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"). But he also penned The Devil's Dictionary, a dictionary of common terms with some rather uncommon, not to mention, satirical definitions. Take his definition for Dictionary: A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work.

Oh, that Ambrose was a hoot and a half. Until he took off for Mexico and disappeared. Still, I'm sure Ambrose regaled the local ruffians with his usual wit right up until the moment that they, well, made him disappear. But you want to know about the contest. Send in your new and satirical entries by December 1 (maximum length, 200 words) and if your word is chosen, you'll receive a lovely honorarium, or perhaps even the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place prize. You have to mail that submission, so start thinking and writing. Get all the details here.

If you read about the Abilene Writers Guild contest over at Finders & Keepers, then you can skip ahead because you already know that the contest has a category for children's writers. But if you write short stories, poetry, flash fiction, articles, or even novels, there's a category for you, too. And prizes! And an entry fee (but it's only 5 bucks, unless you're sending in your novel excerpt). You only have till November 30th, so go check out the details here and jump on that contest!

And finally, a quick update on that National Novel Writing Month. Yes, I signed up. That would explain the neat little badge I added to my blog (I'm not gonna lie. I'm a sucker for blog stuff like that. Not enough of a sucker to add the word count widget, though). And I've written a ton of words. They may not necessarily be good words, but they are words (and not words like thingie, either). Which reminds me of Ambrose Bierce's definition for novel: a short story padded.

Which brings me to the end of this rather wordy post. I'm sure you're wondering about that picture of the monks, working on the sand painting. It's simple, really. A picture's worth a thousand words. (Wonder if the nanowrimo folks will let me throw in a couple of pics?)

For the Veterans

It's not enough, to just say thanks
to men and women in the ranks

who served so well, and gave their all,
and answered swiftly to the call.

It's not enough-mere words, a nod.
Unless you're sending prayers to God

for the veterans.

Finding Something Friday: Dark and Light Connections

This week, a friend asked me about Linkedin. She wanted to know a little something something about this business network, and since I'm on LI, she thought I could answer her questions. Namely, what do I use it for?

Hmmmm. So, I had to think a minute. What DO I use it for? Well, connecting with other writers, and interesting folk. This week, I joined in a discussion about the noir genre, and met Mike, who edits the Noir Journal. Which I zipped over to check out, and found lots of fantabulous stuff about Noir.

Now, I don't write Noir, but I enjoy a good, dark, nobody wins read every once in awhile. And I like when folks kindly link to me in their publications. So, go read Journal 4 (www.noirjournal.typepad.com/noir-journal)and find something dark to read. And if you're on Linkedin, give me a shout and we'll make a connection.

And now for something completely different, and a bit lighter. And all about the dog connection. I'm not gonna lie. This video made my day.

What Not to Do Wednesday When Publishing a Book

I'm excited to have a guest here today at the old Hall of Fame! And not just because it gives me a day off.

Claudine Wolk is the author of It Gets Easier! and Other Lies We Tell New Mothers, so you can see that she and I already share a similar world view. But she also had some deep thoughts to share about the "behind the scenes" stuff with her book. As you know, I'm always looking for insider writer info. And you are, too, right? Take it away, Claudine! (Presumably she's telling the truth here...Okay, I'm kidding. Claudine would never lie to fellow writers in the trenches, right? Right????)

"Publishing is a tricky field. There are a few ways around the land mines, though. Below are a few of the most important things NOT to do when trying to find a publisher.

Don't ever send a manuscript without doing your research on the publisher. Each publisher has a specific set of submission requirements. If you think that your Manuscript is so great that those requirements do not apply to you, think again! There is no bigger turnoff to a publisher than an author who can't follow their requirements. Failing to follow these requirements to the letter is an easy way for a publisher to weed you out as a potential author. Look at it from their side-How can you work for a publsiher when you can't follow the first instruction they ever give you?

Don't ever submit a manuscript to a publisher without knowing the meaning of the following five terms: Author Platform, Marketing Plan, Book Proposal, Hook, and Chapter Summary.

Don't ever go to a publisher without the answer to the question: Why are you the right person to write this book? The publisher wants to know why you uniquely are the right person to write this book. What do you bring to the table to sell this book? Do you have commitments for sales for this book in hand? Do you have a target market already in store for this book? Do you already have a vehicle to reach this target market? Do you have a special skill that lends credence to your book? Are you willing to speak, promote, and online market this book? Can you do the artwork for this book? Do you have a rich cousin who has promised to buy cases of this book? (In case you were wondering, I've just defined "Author Platform" for you!)

Don't ever go to a publisher without knowing your competition. You never want to be caught with your pants down in this area. You need to do the research. Make sure the title of your book is not taken. Make sure you know similar books in your genre and how yours is different. By the way, never diss another book; it's bad karma and it's unprofessional. Simply let the publisher know that you know that the book is out there and how your book is better and different.

If you are starting to think that finding a publisher is going to be tough, you are right. As my mother used to say, birthing the baby is the easy part, the raising of the kid is a challenge. So, too, with book publishing-writing the darn thing is indeed the easy part. Which leads me to my last "don't."

Don't ever give up. As monumental a task as publishing may seem, it is doable. Never give up on your message and the need to get that message out there. Consider all the work and potential rejection as part of the landscape of the journey and keep on going. You owe it to yourself and the audience who will benefit from your expertise. Go get 'um."

That, grasshopper, is about as good as it gets when it comes to publishing your book. Big thanks to Claudine Wolk for stopping here on her blog tour!

Claudine is a mother of three (Wow! So am I!) who writes columns and magazine and newspaper articles (Wow! So do I!) on the subject of new motherhood (Um, never mind). She's got a very spiffy website (help4newmoms.com) and a witty blog. And if you've got a new mom hanging about somewhere, you should get Claudine's book, It Gets Easier! And Other Lies We Tell New Mothers. Maybe even give the book to the new mom.

Or, you know, you could give the book to an old mom (Wow! Just like me!).

Tuesday Tip: So You Wanna Write A Series

You don't have to start out writing a series to end up with a series.

That's the tip I got from Fiona Ingram, who's over at Finders & Keepers today, discussing her book, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab. Well, technically, she's discussing the writing of the book, and it's good stuff.

Fiona started out to write a simple book about two boys and their adventure in Egypt and ended up with a series. How does that happen? I could explain it, but Fiona does a much more eloquent job. So give her a visit, ask her a question or two. She's a lovely person (really, she's kinda gorgeous), and quite the interesting writer. Oh, and she self-published her book (and then got a contract from a traditional publisher...how'd that happen?)

Um, I should probably dash over to my other blog and ask Fiona myself! Follow me...cathychall.wordpress.com

Finding Something Friday on Saturday Writers and Shameless Promotion

I found an email or two this week from friends who are members of the Saturday Writers, letting me know that their contest deadline has been extended.

It's a very good thing that friends send little reminders out to friends like me. Because I plumb forgot to post about that contest in the first place! But there's still time to get your first place in the 8th Annual Short Story Contest. Now you have till November 15th to get your open genre story into the hands of their fantabulous judges, and don't forget to send your $7.00 entry fee with that 2009 word story. Get complete details at Saturday Writers (saturdaywriters.org). Oh, and I wouldn't mind another little reminder so that I, you know, actually get that entry in the mail.

And now, since Halloween is nigh, I'm thinking you might be in the mood for a spooky tale. So, creep on over to Cathy-on-a-Stick for pumpkin shenanigans. Or you might want to read Mary Beth's Prophecy, if you forgot to read that frightening fable when I posted it in the Hall of Fame.

Isn't it funny how I never seem to forget the shameless promotion? Bwahahahaha!

Tuesday's This 'n That Other This

I've been meaning to share This:

If you're not signed up for Writing-World's newsletter, then zip your cursor over to this wondrous writing site and fill in those blanks. The site and newsletter are seriously packed with great writer stuff, as well as funny writer stuff. And the editor might buy your writer stuff, if you have something to share.

And here's the other This:

I have no business hanging out at the Unpublished Guy. I have work to do. Very Important Work. But five minutes laughing at a Monty Python clip never hurt anyone, did it? (Well, unless you fall off your chair laughing. So, don't do that.) Thanks to my Writing-World newsletter for sharing this Brit wit!

Finding Something Friday on Cup of Comfort Competition and Connections

So, let's say you have this GREAT story. A story that really happened, and maybe even changed your life. A story that grabs the heart strings and makes folks smile or gasp or take a hankie out. That's a story that could win the Cup of Comfort Reader's Choice Competition.

Finally, here's an opportunity for that GREAT story that didn't quite fit into any of the categories of Cup of Comfort books that were published (or to be published). Yes, there's an entry fee. But there's also some great prizes, including your story in the Cup of Comfort Reader's Choice Edition. And best of all, people vote. (Okay, I realize that editors are people, too. But editors can be the teensiest bit picky. Whereas reader people are just looking for a GREAT story.)

So, write that GREAT story, join the C of C community, and submit by January 15th. Read more details here to improve your chances. And when your story is chosen and people get to vote, let me know. Because I'm reader people, and I'd love to smile, gasp, or yes, grab a tissue or two and vote for your story.

Oh, and you can tell everyone about your GREAT story when you sign up with Networked Blogs. It's a Facebook application that allows you to network your blog all over the Facebook Kingdom. So, if you're already the social type, chatting up friends and family on FB, sign up your blog and get the message out. 'Cause you're writing GREAT stories every day. Might as well share the wealth!