WOW! Women On Writing | Workshops & Classes | Quarterly Contests | The Muffin

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A few years ago, I was vacationing on the Gulf Coast of Florida with my family. While I had planned to do nothing more than lie by the pool or the beach all week and read novels, by day three we had accidentally gotten sunburned. We needed an activity that would shade us from the sun for a few hours. A quick internet search showed me that we weren’t very far from The Ringling Museums in Sarasota. Because I’ve always been fascinated by the history of this circus, I was excited to tour the museum.

We walked around the gorgeous waterfront Ca’ d’Zan mansion John and Mable Ringling had built in the 1920s, admiring the architecture. Next up were the verdant gardens. Finally, we got to the part I’d been most excited about, The Circus Museum. We walked through the rooms, cooling off from the heat outside in the air conditioning, marveling at the various exhibits and a 44,000-piece model of the circus. One of the exhibits that caught my attention described a circus fire that occurred in Hartford, Connecticut in 1944. It’s billed as one of the worst fire disasters in United States history, with 167 deaths. I spent so much time reading the details of the fire I lost track of time.

The next morning, I woke up at our beach condo, opened my laptop, and wrote an almost 1,000-word historical fiction short story told from the POV of one of the fire’s survivors. At the time I had been writing marketing copy for a community theater as my day job, so getting the idea for the story was a welcome change. It’s a piece I’m very proud of, and I also came away with some beautiful photos of our visit that day.

Everyone experiences ebbs and flows in their writing. This is where a fresh perspective or stepping out of our comfort zones can inspire us. I asked my daughter (who also loves to write) how she explores different ways of creativity. She enjoys sketching in one of her many journals, drawing comics, and writing free verse poetry.

Here are a three other ideas you can try:

Author Denise Williams is an inspiration. Her second novel, The Fastest Way to Fall (2021), has been lauded as a triumph in its handling of the rarely seen theme of body positivity, but it is also a well written rom-com, adult contemporary romance that can stand on its own with all the elements that any avid romance book reader would hope to find. WOW! was able to speak with Ms. Williams amidst a busy book release schedule about her sophomore novel, The Fastest Way to Fall (2021), and the craft of writing.

WOW: Hello, Denise! Thank you for your time. The Fastest Way to Fall (2021) is a triumph on so many levels. How does this experience with your sophomore novel feel compared to your debut novel, How to Fail at Flirting (2020)? 

Denise: Thank you for having me, and thank you for the compliment! My debut novel was released in 2020, so if pandemic author is a thing, it’s definitely a good descriptor for me! Releasing my sophomore novel and now a third one, The Love Connection [a novella] (2022), has been surreal. I always loved to write, but I never thought I would be an author. My professional training is in academics. I have a PhD in education. Writing fiction was always a hobby, however. With the publication of The Fastest Way to Fall, I had this moment where I finally sat back and thought, “Whoa. I’m an actual author.”

WOW: I’m glad that moment came through. That has to be a wonderful feeling. It’s certainly a major accomplishment. Congratulations! You certainly cover subjects people care about. In reading many of the reviews for The Fastest Way to Fall, much is said about one of the main themes—positive body image—but there are other major topics worth taking note of as well, such as the importance of feeling worthy of healthy love. So, I wanted to go back to the beginning to when you first realized you were a writer and storyteller because understanding how to tell complex stories doesn’t happen overnight. How did your love of writing develop?

Denise: I’ve loved telling stories since I can remember. I wrote my first book in the second grade, and I remember writing a play in third grade. I made all the neighborhood kids act it out! It was three pages, six acts, and had about twelve plot twists. Needless to say, my storytelling has improved! I’ve always found stories to be one of the most powerful tools to share information. It’s something I use in my work, my research, and now in my romance writing. Also, my parents always read to me, and that sparked a love of books and appreciation for the power of words.

WOW: Yes. Words are powerful. Your characters grapple with interesting self-talk, which is one way I love that you display their inner and outer worlds. It’s also interesting that story structure was important to you as a child. That skill shows up in your writing, yet you took a different path career-wise. How did you find your way back to life as an author?

Denise: In 2016, I had a three-month-old, was busy with work, and busy with a research project. I felt a little buried in work and life and mom-ming. I felt like I’d lost myself a little, so one night when my son went to sleep, I sat down to write a poem or a short story or just something to hopefully feel creative again. That was the birth of How to Fail at Flirting. I sat down the next night and the night after, and I immediately felt like I’d re-connected with a part of myself. I kept writing, and I haven’t stopped.

WOW: That’s powerful. Its interesting that the connection for you was immediate. From the beginning, was it your goal to publish in the romance genre? 

Denise: Initially, I didn’t think anyone would ever read what I wrote, but I always knew romance was my genre. I’m a sucker for happily ever after, and I’ve always found the power of love to be the best part of any story. I’m an avid romance reader, and getting to create chemistry on the page always makes me smile.

WOW: It’s great that you continued to write despite not being sure if anyone would read your words. The evidence is we’re here asking about The Fastest Way to Fall. There are three additional novellas coming out this year, The Love Connection (2022) was just released this month in audiobook format with the eBook coming out next month. The Missed Connection (2022) and The Sweetest Connection (2022) will have a similar release schedule. You also have another full-length novel, Do You Take This Man (2022), scheduled for release this fall. People are certainly reading a lot of what you are writing! For some, the fast pace and deadline-driven schedules of professional writing take some time to get used to. What would you say has been the biggest takeaway lesson from your freshman to sophomore novel writing experience?

Denise: Writing with deadlines wasn’t too big a leap for me. I have regular deadlines in my academic writing, but I thought I was prepared for reviews. My first really negative review lives rent-free in my head, and going through that experience gave me insight on how I best handle feedback. The advice to not read your reviews is excellent advice all writers should follow. More than that, I learned with my debut that not all books are for all people, and that’s okay.

WOW: That’s an interesting perspective. It brings me to something you say on your website which might help in keeping the opinions of others in perspective—which is humor. In this case, of course, we are talking about humor in terms of romance. You mention, “Sometimes love is funny.” There are definitely lighthearted moments in The Fastest Way to Fall, which lends to its pleasant element of suspense and surprise. Why is laughter an important ingredient to include in a genre most people associate with heavy romance?

Denise: I love to laugh. I think I’m funny, yet there is always a touch on a heavy topic in my writing. I think most of us have heavy issues in our lives, but there’s also always humor because we all hopefully have that, too. I like to show characters shouldering burdens or living with hard things who also get to laugh, have fun, and fall in love. I like to write all those dimensions in my stories.

WOW: Definitely. It comes together nicely in The Fastest Way to Fall. There’s also something for every level of romance reader in your work. Were there formal classes or writing habits that prepared you for your writing career?

Denise: Thank you. That means so much to hear. Other than a few creative writing classes in college, I haven’t had formal training in writing, but I love to learn from craft books and fellow writers. A few favorite books are Romancing the Beat, Save The Cat Writes a Novel, and The Emotional Craft of Fiction.

WOW: Thank you for my new reading list! I’m sure WOW! readers will feel the same. Was there a specific moment when you knew you had the seed that would become The Fastest Way to Fall? For instance, the hook for me was one character I call Mr. Unattainable when he tells Britta, “Imagine how hot you'll be as you keep going.” I think we’ve all come across someone whose made us feel like we can't quite measure up.

Denise: I definitely had a spark, and I feel so lucky that it was in a moment of strength and not a moment of heartbreak or feeling diminished. I was at a retreat with a group of faculty and college students, and we asked the students to reflect on a moment they felt strong. As I joined in, I thought about being at the gym and crushing a hard workout. I imagined stepping off the elliptical machine and feeling like I could do anything. It’s such a powerful feeling to be in that headspace. At the time, I’d finished writing How to Fail at Flirting and was thinking of my next project, and I thought about being in that moment and falling in love. That’s where Britta and Wes were born; and when I doubt myself, I try to go back to that exercise. It’s far more motivating than any snide comment from some insensitive person!

WOW: I’m glad that it came from a moment of strength. It allowed for authentic exchanges between the characters that ran the gamut of emotions. The takeaway for many readers being the importance of body positivity. Yet, there was so much about the way we see ourselves and the roles we play in our day-to-day lives and our relationships, including our families of origin. The plot twists and story beats lend themselves to the question of whether your writing process begins with inspiration and then the use of an outline? It’s really a page turner that cannot be second guessed. That's to say, it's precise, well-planned, and well-executed. 

Denise: That might be the best compliment I’ve ever received! It means the world to hear because I do outline now, but when I wrote The Fastest Way to Fall, I didn’t. In fact, I wrote almost all of the first draft in about a month as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in the fall of 2018. I’m a pantser and over writer by nature. So much of this book came together in editing, both by myself, with friends, and with my editor at Berkley. If I had outlined the book, I think I could have gotten it to its endpoint much faster, but sometimes I like to see where the story takes me and go on a wild ride.

WOW: That’s surprising and comforting for those of us who still enjoy the wild ride without the use of an outline. Here’s the last question. For our readers who have yet to find and are still working towards finding an agent, can you describe your agent querying process? 

Denise: I was very green when I entered the querying trenches. I’d just finished my first book, and friends were talking about querying agents. I was googling what they were talking about, so I didn’t look completely out of touch. I hadn’t planned to publish my first book. I didn’t think it was good enough, and I wasn’t sure anyone would want to read it. But I learned more about publishing, and I started querying in earnest. I was lucky to connect with my amazing agent through a Twitter Pitch contest via #DVPit, which highlights authors from marginalized communities. Before that, though, I queried and was rejected for about three months. If you’re still in the trenches, keep going! Have people look at your pitch, and I hope you find the person who falls in love with your writing.

WOW: Thank you, Denise, for your time, sage advice, and kind words. WOW! Wishes you continued success. 

While PitMad assisted in launching the careers of many authors, including authors of diverse backgrounds, PitMad appears to have seen its last pitch war on February 14, 2022, based on a tweet posted the following day. As in all things publishing, opportunities are bound to arise again, however.

Challenges like #NaNoWriMo which encourage networking and accountability while completing your novel help you reach the first requirement—doing the work needed to be prepared when the opportunities appear. Realize it’s normal to wonder if anyone will ever want to read your words, but push through anyway. Hone your craft, and let your love for storytelling in whatever genre you choose shine through.

BOMB Magazine’s 2022 Poetry Contest is open for submissions, and Solmaz Sharif will be this year’s guest judge. Sharif will select one winner to receive a $1,000 prize and publication in BOMB's quarterly magazine. Manuscripts may contain no more than 5 poems and no more than 10 pages. Fee includes a year-long subscription to BOMB (a $48 value) for all US entrants. Fee: $25

Send your poems for their annual poetry contest. You may submit up to 3 poems per entry. Up to 10 finalists will be selected and then passed to an outside judge, who will choose the winner and runner-up. First prize winner receives $1000 and publication in Ruminate's annual prize anthology (forthcoming December 2022). The runner-up will also receive publication. Fee: $20

This prize is an award for a single poem, to be published in The Georgia Review. The winner will receive an honorarium of $1,500 and an expenses-paid trip to Athens, Georgia, to give a public reading with the judge. An entry may include one, two, or three poems, but no more than a total of ten standard pages in 12-point or larger type. Fee: $15 when submitted through Submittable or start a subscription for a free entry.

A $500 prize will be awarded for the winning poem. This year's judge is C. Dale Young. All entries considered for publication. Winner and finalists will appear in Crab Creek Review. Submit up to 4 poems per entry, 8 pages maximum. Fee: $16

The Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize honors the late Stanley Kunitz’s dedication to mentoring poets. The winning poem will appear on the feature page of the September/October issue of The American Poetry Review, and the poet will receive a prize of $1,000. All entrants will receive a copy of the magazine. Poets may submit one to three poems per entry (totaling no more than three pages). Poets must be under 40 years of age. Fee: $15

Lost Horse Press is now accepting submissions for the Idaho Prize for Poetry 2022. All US poets are eligible! Winners will be announced by August 15, 2022. The contest carries a $1000 cash prize, publication by Lost Horse Press, plus 20 comp author copies of the book. Send manuscripts of 48 or more pages of poetry, no more than one poem per page. Fee: $28

"When it comes to the Bridport Prize competition, you can write about absolutely anything but whatever your rhyme or reason, we want to read your poetry." Keep poems to 42 lines, max. You can, of course, write less. First prize: £5,000; Second prize: £1,000; Third prize: £500. The Prize is open to writers of any nationality writing in English aged 16 and over at the time of the closing date. Fee: £12 per poem

In the Tempered Dark: Contemporary Poets Transcending Elegy examines the relationship between the body in grief and the body of the poem. This collection brings together work that conveys the range of grief that feels urgent to twenty-first century, living poets from diverse backgrounds, at different stages in their careers, confronting assorted losses through various styles and forms. By pairing contemporary poems with micro-essays, wherein each poet considers the connection between their included poetry and their corresponding grief, In the Tempered Dark initiates a dialogue designed to engage teachers, students, readers, and writers. Poets should send 1-3 grief poems and one micro-essay (~500 words) that considers (creatively or critically) the relationship between their body of grief and the body of their submitted poems. No fee.

Poet Lore is a biannual print journal of poetry and translations. Published with the conviction that poetry provides a record of human experience as valuable as history, Poet Lore’s intended audience is broadly inclusive. Established by Charlotte Porter and Helen Clarke in 1889, Poet Lore is the nation’s oldest poetry journal. They publish both established and emerging poets. They also welcome all types of poems, including long poems and sequences. Send up to 5 poems. Pay is $50/poem. No fee.

Headquartered in Montreal with offices in London and Los Angeles, Reel One is a distributor of commercial television films and series. Their contest is for emerging screenwriters worldwide. “We want your fun, romantic and feel-good TV movie ideas for a love story our audiences worldwide are sure to fall for.” There are two stages. For Stage 1, submit a 2-page treatment for your romcom idea; for Stage 2, successful applicants from Stage 1 will be invited to submit an outline.

The story must be suitable for daytime television and contain no violence, profane language, or scenes of a sexual nature; The story must be female-led; The story should feature an aspirational setting; The lead characters should meet within the first act and have gentle conflict that carries throughout the first half of the story; The lead characters should not kiss prior to the climax of the story; There should be compelling subplots that add value to the primary plot of the story; The story should avoid specific holidays (outside of Christmas) and should be set in the summer or spring; There should be a warmth and charm to the story, as well as a happy ending for our leads; the concept should be fun and accessible. The winner will receive a $5000 USD cash prize and the opportunity to work alongside our experienced Development Executives with the intention of greenlighting to Production. No fee.

This Substack newsletter contains one story, and the payout for the author whose story is chosen will be $100, and 50% of subscription revenue. (Currently they are paying $320 per story, according to their stats). They also accept reprints. They have rolling deadlines; they accept stories through the month, and the chosen writer/story is announced by the 15th of next month. They are open to all genres. Word count is up to 10,000 words. No fee.

"If you think you’ve got what it takes to terrify, scar and haunt our audience of ~150k monthly listeners, then we want your stories! If accepted, we'll get our fantastic narration team to lend their voices, our editor will sprinkle some magic pixie dust on the track, and you could have your story heard by thousands of listeners each week." Submit for the theme "Ageing" by May 1 or the theme "Faeries" by May 15. Stories must be about 2,000 words (give or take 10% word count). Pay is £15 per accepted story. No fee.

Pumpernickel House is a publisher of fairytales and fabulism. "We're holding a competition to find the best fabulist stories out there today by emerging authors." The prize is $500 and publication. Stories up to 10,000 words are welcome. Fee: $20

"In November 2022, we will publish the first Red Dog Press Crime Fiction Anthology. Edited by Stephen J. Golds, this will be a collection of stories under the title GONE." They are looking for powerful crime fiction short stories, of between 3500 and 6000 words, within all sub-genres of crime fiction. All that they ask is that what you submit is a unique and powerful piece of crime fiction, clearly related to the theme 'GONE'. All selected contributors will receive £30 payment and a contributors copy of the anthology. No fee.

"Call for submissions for Kelp Books! Our annual surf noir anthology is looking for a team of talented contributors. The Dark Waves of Winter is planned for publication in Nov/Dec of 2022. We are looking for 10-12 short stories that adhere as closely as possible to the following guidelines.

1. It must take place at a beach locale

2. We are looking for noir/neo-noir so crime, capers, detective stories are a good fit. Literary stories work as well.

3. We always appreciate a surfer or waterperson as a character.

4. Word count between 3K and 6K preferred."

Pay is $35 per accepted story and a share of royalties. No fee.

This annual international writing competition open to all published and unpublished, UK and non-UK based writers. 20 stories will be shortlisted and published in Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 15. 1st prize is £1,000, 2nd prize is £500, 3rd prize is £250. 17 further prizes of £100 will be presented to the remaining shortlisted writers. The Sansom Award will be presented to the highest placed story by a Bristol writer. Entries must be previously unpublished with a maximum word count of 4,000 words, there is no minimum word count. Stories can be on any theme or subject and are welcome in any style or genre. Fee: £9

Now in its 22nd year, the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest is one of the most renowned fiction contests in the world. Prizes: $2000 (1st), $500 (2nd), $250 (3rd), and two $125 (Editor's Choice). One short story per entry. No limit to number of entries. 10,000 maximum word count. We accept entries from anywhere in the world, but the story must be English-language. Literary fiction only. Fee: $17

"We want stories that challenge our relationship with space—past, present, and future. Show us new mythologies and undiscovered gods. Show us what emerges from a black hole when its egg finally cracks. Show us the place where science becomes magic. Your characters don’t need to be human, but there should be something undeniably human in their story. We want courageous optimism in the face of despair. We love dark fiction and elements of horror, but there should be a glimmer of hope in it all. For a sense of our taste, our favorite authors working in this genre include Kameron Hurley, Nnedi Okorafor, and Tamsyn Muir." They strongly prefer stories from 1000 - 1250 words, but you can send multiple micros, as long as their total is 1250 words for fewer. Pay is $0.08 per word. No fee.

The winning writer will be awarded $3000 and publication in The Masters Review. Second and third place will be awarded $300 and $200, respectively, as well as publication in The Masters Review. So here it is: a home for your very best small fiction. "Send us big worlds in tiny packages, large ideas with a low word count. Dazzle us with your best fiction under 1000 words." Fee: $20

"Three times a year, Jerry Jazz Musician awards a writer who submits, in our opinion, the best original, previously unpublished work of short fiction." The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. Their newsletter subscribers include publishers, artists, musicians, and fellow writers. While your writing should appeal to a reader with these interests and in these creative professions, all story themes are considered. A prize of $100 will be awarded for the winning story. Open worldwide. Ideally, stories will not exceed 3,000 words but stories of up to 4,000 words are considered. No fee.

River Teeth invites submissions of creative nonfiction, including narrative reportage, essays, and memoirs, as well as critical essays that explore the impact of nonfiction narrative on the lives of its writers, subjects, and readers. No page length or word count minimum or maximum. If published, the writer will receive two complimentary issues of the journal, a one-year subscription. Fee: $3

"Summer is here, and we want to live in that golden feeling of long days, fireflies, and wildflowers. Or we want stories about the oppressive heat, that distinct despondent feeling that comes with the onset of summer. We want stories about summer as you have experienced it." They nominate for the Pushcart Prize and Best of Net. All stories must be true and about you.

Stories must follow the theme in some way, interpretations can be wide. All accepted pieces receive $20 payment. Please submit only once per theme. Fee: $3

Each issue of True Story features one exceptional work of creative nonfiction, distributed in print and digitally. Essays must be previously unpublished. Multiple submissions are welcome, as are entries from outside the United States. Submissions should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words long, on any subject, in any style. Pay is $750 on publication and 10 free copies of “your” issue. Fee: $3

New Letters is accepting submissions for the Conger Beasley Award for Nonfiction. All entries will be considered for publication in New Letters. Essay entries may not exceed 8,000 words. First prize winner receives $2,500. Fee: $24

If you have a story or poem that you think fits two of the topics below, you may submit it to both. Then let them know in the comments section that you’ve done so. Also, you may submit more than one piece for each book. Your story must be true. No fiction, no creative writing. Keep your story to 1200 words or less. The themes are as follows:

Cats: "We want your true funny stories, your heartwarming stories, and your mindboggling stories about all the simply amazing things that your cat does."

Crazy, eccentric, wacky, lovable, fun families: "Share your true stories and poems about those family members. With love and appreciation, please. No mean- spirited stories wanted. And don’t worry. You can put a pen name on your story if necessary."

Dogs: "We want your true funny stories, your heartwarming stories, and your mindboggling stories about all the simply amazing things that your dog does."

Holiday: Thanksgiving, Xmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa & New Year's: "We want to hear about your holiday memories and traditions. The rituals of the holiday season give a rhythm to the years and create a foundation for our lives, as we gather with family, with our communities at church, at school, and even at the mall, to share the special spirit of the season, brightening those long winter days. Please share your special stories about the holiday season with us."

Pay is $200 per story and ten copies of the book. No fee.

Hippocampus is looking for true tales from your life. Honesty that possesses both the situation AND the story. Intensely personal experiences that reflect universal truths about what it means to be human. Personal essays and memoir excerpts up to 4,000 words. Flash creative nonfiction up to 800 words. Pay is $40 per piece. Fee: $3

SmokeLong Quarterly publishes flash narratives--fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid--up to 1000 words. They pay $50/story, upon publication in the quarterly issue.

Bayou Magazine is a biannual literary magazine that publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction and the winner of the annual Tennessee Williams One-Act Play Contest. Fiction submissions should be 7,500 words or fewer. Flash fiction and short-shorts are welcome, but they accept only 1 story per submission. Payment for fiction of 3000 or more words is $100, less than 3000 words is $50. Nonfiction should be 7,500 words or less as well. They are looking for literary or creative nonfiction. This includes but is not limited to creative personal essays, memoir, environmental writing, literary journalism and travel writing. For poetry, send only one submission of up to 5 poems at a time. Fee: $3 for fiction; no fee for nonfiction & poetry.

Boulevard strives to publish only the finest in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. "While we frequently publish writers with previous credits, we are very interested in less experienced or unpublished writers with exceptional promise." They accept fiction and nonfiction works up to 8,000 words and pay $100-$300 (sometimes higher) for accepted work. They do not accept science fiction, erotica, westerns, horror, romance, or children stories. For nonfiction works with any element of research or reportage, please submit under the "Nonfiction--Research-Based Essays." They accept poems of up to 200 lines and do not accept light verse. Submit no more than five poems. They pay $25-$250 (sometimes higher) for accepted poems. Fee: $3

Prizes are $1,500 and publication in our Fall/Winter 2022 issue for First Place (fiction and nonfiction); $500 and publication in our Fall/Winter 2022 issue for honorable mention (fiction and nonfiction). All finalists will be listed in the awards issue. Maximum of 8,000 words for fiction and non-fiction. Fee: $2.50

Hungry is now accepting submissions for Issue 03: “Restaurants.” "We want to hear about your favourite restaurants, or the ones you hate, the ones that were closed, and the ones that were replaced, and the people and stories behind them. We want to hear about the experiences from people working in the restaurant industry, or a special moment that you experienced in a restaurant, or your favourite dish. "Types of content they are interested in: original reporting/investigative articles, interviews and profiles, recipes, poetry, personal essays, fiction, illustrations, and more! Poetry: Please submit a maximum of three poems as a Google doc or Word doc. Fiction and Nonfiction: Please submit a maximum of 1000 words as a Google doc or Word doc. Writing can include but not limited to short stories, essays, interviews, and recipes. All contributors whose work is selected will be paid $50 upon publication of Issue 03. No fee.

"We want writing that attempts to salvage something pure from the collision of warmth and cold, that says what it can about the world it finds itself in. We seek a diversity of voices speaking from visceral, lived experience. We like truth we can stare at until our eyes water, words so carefully chosen we want to reread them as soon as we have finished." Fiction: Submit short stories of no more than 3,000 words or up to 3 flash fictions of less than 750 words each in a single document. Nonfiction: Submit a single piece of no more than 4,000 words or up to 3 flash essays of less than 1,000 words each in a single document. Poetry: Submit up to 3 poems in a single document. Contributors a small payment of $25 upon publication. Fee: $3

The Canadian Authors Association—Toronto inaugural flash fiction and poetry contest is now open. $700 in prizes. Our award-winning judges are Sheun-King Aaron Tang and Terese Mason Pierre. Send in your unpublished stories between 250 to 1,000 words and two poems up to 50 lines each. Only 300 entries for each category will be accepted. Open to Canadian citizens and residents. Fee: $10 per story or poem

"We accept fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry including text-based visuals, but we especially want to see your experimental and hybrid concoctions." Check out their magazine to find out what experimentation means to them. Prose should be no longer than 5,000 words.

Poetry should include up to 6 poems, which may include high-resolution images for visual poetry and other text-based experimentation. No fee.

Exposition Review is open to flash fiction or nonfiction up to 405 words; poetry: one poem, up to 5 lines (including prose poems); stage & screen: a complete scene, up to 4 pages; and experimental: a complete short-form narrative utilizing innovative techniques and/or hybrid forms. Their associate editor and judge, Kelly Esparza said, "Tell me a story. Take me on an adventure far away from here. Whisk me away with your dreams. Give me a quick, suspenseful escape or a peaceful, uplifting poem about your safe haven, the place you go to collect your thoughts. Give me mystery, intrigue, heart." First place wins 40% of all entry fees and publication; second place receives 20% of all entry fees and publication. Submissions are read blind. Fee: $5

The Louise Meriwether First Book Prize was founded in partnership with TAYO Literary Magazine in 2016 to honor author Louise Meriwether by publishing a debut work by a woman or nonbinary author of color. The contest is open to fiction and narrative nonfiction by women of color and nonbinary writers of color between 30,000 and 80,000 words. They do not accept poetry, plays, or academic texts. One winner will be awarded a $5,000 advance (half at the time of the initial award and half upon publication) and a contract to publish their book with the Feminist Press in print and digital editions in spring 2024. No fee.

Bennington Review is published twice a year in print form, Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. "We aim to stake out a distinctive space for innovative, intelligent, and moving fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, film writing, and cross-genre work. In the spirit of poet Dean Young’s dictum that poets should be 'making birds, not birdcages,' we are particularly taken with writing that is simultaneously graceful and reckless. We pay contributors $100 for prose of six typeset pages and under, $200 for prose of over six typeset pages, and $20 per poem, in addition to two copies of the issue in which the piece is published and one copy of the subsequent issue.” Poetry: Please send no fewer than three and no more than five poems per submission. Fiction: Please send no more than thirty pages per submission; any excerpts from a longer project must work as self-contained essays or stories. Nonfiction: Please send no more than thirty pages per submission; any excerpts from a longer project must work as self-contained essays or stories. No fee.

"Ever wish, with every cell in your body, that you could run away? From home, from a person, from your job, from yourself? Physically or emotionally, on foot or purely in your own mind? We want you to write about this for an anthology we’ll be publishing in the summer of 2023." They looking for short prose—fiction or creative nonfiction—that explores the need to leave, to escape, to run. They love a speculative slant, whatever that means to you. It can mean the strange or surreal. It can mean horror or fantasy. It can simply mean it’s not what you’re supposed to wish for. They're flexible. Just keep it between 500-3000 words. You may submit 1-3 flash fiction pieces (just keep the total count under 3000 words) or one short story up to 3000 words. Payment per author: $30 & 2 print copies of the anthology. No fee.

"We’re looking for stories, essays, memoir and poetry on anything to do with western places and westward migration – not just the American West but western regions in any country, or immigration from East to West globally." Submissions are now open for Shooter’s summer 2022 issue, themed Out West. Writers should send short stories and non-fiction of 2,000-6,000 words and/or up to three poems. Upon publication, writers will be paid £25 per story and £5 per poem. Stories that fall below the requested minimum of 2,000 words will be paid at poetry rates. No fee.

Enter your first chapter into the Booksie First Chapter Contest and see how it does. You don't need to have finished the book. You don't even need more than the first chapter. "We're looking for a start that will grab our attention, that is original, that is well written, and that makes us want to beg you to see what comes next. And for those we find, we'll provide some awards to inspire you to finish writing the book or, if finished, to help get it published." Grand Prize Winner: $500 cash award, gold winner badge, a free week of promotion for any published content of the winner's choice (Promote features the content in front of Booksie’s millions of monthly readers), and a review of the winning chapter by Sol Nasisi, the publisher of WorldMaker Media. Two runner-ups will receive $100 cash, silver winner badge, and one free week of Promotes for any published content of the winner's choosing (Promote features the content in front of Booksie’s millions of monthly readers). When entering the contest, you can choose to make your work public or private. Fee: $5.95

The Emerging Writer's Contest is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have yet to publish or self-publish a book. They award publication, $2,000, a review from Aevitas Creative Management, and a 1-year subscription for one winner in each of the three genres. The winning story, essay, and poems from the 2022 contest will be published in the Winter 2022-23 issue of Ploughshares. Submit fiction and Nonfiction under 6,000 words and poetry up to 3-5 pages. The fee includes a 1-year subscription to Ploughshares and free submissions to the 2022 regular reading period. Fee: $24

"We are looking for prose and poetry to publish in our For a Friend anthology, a giftable collection of writing for oneself or a friend. We are open to a wide range of genres and styles that fit the theme. As a guide, we think we are looking for pieces that range from words of encouragement to life advice-styled poetry and prose, to love letters you might send to a friend, i.e. writing that is a source of comfort, inspiration, learning and escape. We are looking especially for work from writers of colour and working class writers living in the UK." Word Limit: 400-3,999 words for prose. Line Limit: 72 lines for poetry. Pay is £100 and a free contributor copy. No fee.

Fee: $24

The winning author receives a $1000 honorarium plus 25 copies of the published book. Two runners-up will be chosen for publication as well. The CutBank Chapbook Contest honors a book of original poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction by a single author; translations are not eligible for this award. While previously published stand-alone pieces or excerpts may be included in a manuscript, the manuscript as a whole must be an unpublished work. Translations and previously self-published collections are ineligible. Manuscripts should be 25-40 typed pages in length of poetry (a cohesive poetry manuscript), fiction (either a short fiction collection or novella), or creative nonfiction (one long essay or a collection of short essays). Fee: $20

Fiction: Fiction is generally in the form of short stories, although we often accept short-shorts, as well as lengthier pieces, which we have serialized on a couple of occasions. We also publish novel excerpts. Manuscripts should be double-spaced. Novel excerpts should be complete and self-contained; they should not require any written contextualization. No submission should exceed 10,000 words. Poetry submissions should consist of one to five poems, depending on length, formatted either single- or double-spaced. Both short and long poems of nearly any length or aesthetic bent. Essays: To complement the poetry and fiction we publish, we look for essays on a wide variety of subjects, including but not limited to literature, art, film, history, science, and contemporary thought. All we ask is that the subject be treated in a literary fashion—gracefully and in depth. Essays can take any form—creative nonfiction, memoir, biography, autobiography, etcetera. Length typically hovers around twenty-five manuscript pages, but we welcome both shorter and longer essays, not exceeding 10,000 words. Whatever the length, manuscripts should be double-spaced. Fee: $3

The Older Writers Grant, for a writer who is 50 years of age or older at the time of grant application, is intended to assist such writers who are just starting to work at a professional level. The writing application sample could be of poetry, fiction, drama, or creative non-fiction, of speculative literature. A writing sample (up to 10 pages of poetry, 10 pages of drama, or 5,000 words of fiction or creative nonfiction — if sending a segment of a novel, novella, or novelette, include a one-page synopsis as well) is part of the application. Grant: $1,000. No fee.

They are now accepting submissions for their latest issue. They accept fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Submit one short story (really, just one, no more than 5,000 words; shorter is often better, to be honest). Flash fiction, one story only, may also be submitted here. Submit only one story per reading period. Submit one creative nonfiction piece (no more than 5,000 words). Shorter works of CNF are often a better fit for us. Submit three poems. Payment for non-contest submissions is $40 via Amazon gift certificate or $40 through PayPal, if preferred. No fee.

Deadlines: May 30 (Fiction) and April 30 (Creative nonfiction). Our favorite writing community offers quarterly contests judged blindly with multiple cash prizes and more for 20 winners, up to $1,350 (fiction) and $1,175 plus a gift certificate to CreateWriteNow (nonfiction), an affordable critique option, and a 300-entry limit on each contest. What’s not to love? This season's guest judge is Literary Agent Sharon Pelletier with DG&B. Fee: $10 (Flash Fiction) and $12 (Nonfiction).

With Mother's Day on May 8th, it's a wonderful time to write a terrifying story for the day! Weird Little Worlds is looking for mother stories that will absolutely frighten them for their upcoming anthology, Mother: Tales of Love and Terror. Whether it’s an evil stepmother or a virtuous mother-to-be, there are stories inherent in the acts of mothering and being mothered. Keep it between 1,000 and 3,000 words for prose, and 3 poems up to 50 lines or less. Pay is $0.05 per word for prose. $0.50 per line for poetry. No fee. Send it in by May 15th.

In honor of Memorial Day on May 31, service members and military family members are invited to submit prose of no more than 5,000 words of fiction, creative non-fiction, memoir, hybrid content, and poetry for Line of Advance's 2022 Col. Darron L. Wright Memorial Writing Awards. Cash prizes of $250, $150, and $100 are available in each “service member/veteran” and “family” group, for a total of four categories. No fee. The submission window will be open until May 31st.

Writers are told to specialize, which makes sense. Producing quality work in one genre consistently builds a brand, so readers know what to expect. It’s easier to sell our work, whether we are pitching to agents and editors or self-publishing.

The journey becomes more challenging if we want to create something different from what readers anticipate. However, it’s possible to write amazing books and screenplays in a variety of genres.

I mainly create romantic comedies, but I’ve written a supernatural short story and co-created a fantasy/action series and an action-comedy screenplay. I’m also working on a thriller. Stretching our creative muscles this way also helps us craft more engaging work in our main genres.

So, I talked to eight accomplished multi-genre authors with diverse backgrounds on how they pull it off, from the initial inspiration to write different genres to pitching and promotion.

I’ve mostly penned romantic comedies or dramas because I’m a romantic who consumes a ton of romance content. But I’m also into crime, thrillers, and sci-fi. I’m fascinated by their original plots and twists. I get inspired by memes, my consumption of these genres, and my wacky dreams—some of which provide coherent plots.

What about these other talented authors?

Lucy V. Hay, also known as Bang2write, is a script editor, author, and blogger who helps writers. Lucy is the script editor and advisor on numerous UK features and shorts. She’s also been a script reader for over fifteen years. She started writing young adult (YA) novels when her agent suggested she write about teenage pregnancy and parenthood. She was a teen mom herself, sick of the stereotyping and false assumptions about this group. She was encouraged to write books on craft by her blog readers. Since she loved to read crime, namely psychological thrillers/domestic noir, she penned the crime novel, The Other Twin, followed by two other crime novels. Her dystopian thriller, The Coven, was recently released from Sphere Books (Little, Brown Book Group).

Daniella Levy is the author of Disengagement, By Light of Hidden Candles, and Letters to Josep. Her prose and poetry have been published in three languages, and she’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize for her short fiction. She was born in the USA, later immigrating to Israel with her family as a child. According to Daniella, writing in different genres wasn’t an active decision. “I write what comes to me, what interests me, what speaks to me. Sometimes, I’m rather dismayed to find myself in unfamiliar waters—it took me a while to come to terms with the idea of writing historical fiction, and there’s a fantasy project in my drafts folder that I’ve been too intimidated to take any further.”

Fiona Leitch is a British novelist and screenwriter living in New Zealand. She has written for magazines, been a DJ at raves, and starred in TV commercials. Her debut novel, Dead in Venice, was an Audible Crime Grant finalist. Fiona believes variety is the spice of life. Since she loves reading and watching different genres, she writes the same way. “Most of my favorite books and movies do still have that thread of humor in them.”

German novelist and screenwriter Carmen Radtke lives in the UK. She’s published several historical mystery novels, such as The Case of the Missing Bride, Glittering Death, and the Jack and Frances mystery series. She’s penned screenplays in various genres from romcom to thriller, which have been shortlisted for several competitions. Carmen grew up reading mysteries, but she has an eclectic taste in literature, film, and TV, which is reflected in her writing. “It helps that I used to be a reporter for a local newspaper, where I could cover almost every subject under the sun.”

Women’s fiction and domestic thriller author Julie Clark was born in Santa Monica. Her debut novel, The Ones We Choose, was optioned for television, and her novel, The Last Flight, was an instant New York Times, USA Today, and international bestseller. Her forthcoming novel, The Lies I Tell, will publish in June. Julie’s ideas have always been the driving force for what genre she writes in. “I know there’s a school of thought that says it’s important to build a readership in one genre before switching to another one, and I don’t disagree with that. I’m fortunate that my agent has always supported whatever I want to write, telling me to write the book and let her worry about selling it. It can be a pretty wide lane because both of my books focus on women, on their emotional journeys, character development—all of the things typically associated with women’s fiction. I think the readership for both books will definitely overlap.”

Currently residing in the Netherlands, author and blogger Karien van Ditzhuijzen writes both for children and adults. She’s also created and edited an anthology of real-life stories written by migrant domestic workers in Singapore. Her first novel, A Yellow House, was inspired by interactions with domestic workers and the issues they faced.

British novelist and screenwriter Helen Black read a lot of crime fiction and used to be a lawyer working in the care system. Unsurprisingly, her first novel was a crime novel about a northern lawyer working in the care system. More crime novels followed. “Then a couple of years ago, I decided to write a TV script. Again, I had no experience or expectations but had a few weeks of free time. And I’ve been writing for TV ever since. My own TV stuff tends to have a crime/legal side to it, but I’m always open to other things. I’m currently writing a single for the BBC that has nothing to do with crime or legal really. It’s just an issue I’m passionate about.”

Leigh Camacho Rourks is an award-winning Cuban-American author who lives in Central Florida, where she is an assistant professor of English and humanities at Beacon College. Her fiction, poems, and essays have appeared in several journals. She loved reading sci-fi, fantasy, and crime, especially sci-fi/fantasy humor; but when she took creative writing classes, the rule was no genre work. “I understood the logic (though I don’t teach that way), so I didn’t fight it. Instead, I found my own voice over the years by tapping into the voices in my communities, so there I was a writer of the working-class Gulf Coast. As I stretched into that working-class, Gulf Coast, South voice, I found that I was leaning heavier and heavier towards crime fiction. And then people started talking about the magical or mythic quality in my work, and I realized that genres didn’t have to be straight lines between things.”

Now that you decided to switch up your genres, how do you find the idea?

Fiona Leitch uses the same idea generators regardless of the genre. “I’ll listen to music. In my younger days, I really wanted to make music videos, as I could always visualize a story or a setting when I heard a piece of music. I’ll see a story in the news and think: how can I twist that? I’ll listen to people talk (in real life or on social media). Quite often, I’ll come up with a line of dialogue or even a title that I absolutely love, and I’ll go over and over it until I come up with an idea that it would fit into.”

Among other genres, Carmen Radtke has written historical murder mysteries. “A great way to come up with historical stuff is reading period newspapers, especially for the ads. It’s amazing what you can learn.” But whatever genre you are working on, Carmen reminds us of the importance of taking notes. “Because ideas can be sparked by anything, from a random snippet of conversation to something I see or read or the absence of seeing or hearing something, I always have copious amounts of notes literally lying around everywhere.”

Julie Clark gets one idea at a time. “The idea for my next book usually shows up about midway through drafting the book before it. I just let it sit there for a while; I think about it a lot when I’m driving or walking the dog. It’s usually a ‘what if’ scenario or something inspired by a podcast or news story. And I generally come up with the ‘what if’ and my main character at the same time.” Leigh Camacho Rourks’s stories usually come from a voice or a character, but occasionally, she will use dreams as writing prompts when she is working in flash fiction: “Which is to say, I am not writing a dream (dream logic is not story logic), but letting a dream be a starting place.”

For Karien van Ditzhuijzen, it’s the same whether she writes for kids or adults. “I get inspired by people I meet and places I visit. My plots usually start by putting together two very different people and seeing what happens when they interact. In A Yellow House, it was the girl and her helper; my new adult novel explores the relationship between a Dutch expat and a Singaporean Malay woman. My kids’ work-in-progress features a little girl versus a troupe of monkeys taking over her garden and is inspired by a real experience at a house we lived in.”

Ideas come easily to Lucy V. Hay, though finding the right one is hard. “I rely on my gut as well as research into the marketplace. I never write solely for the marketplace though; I have to have passion for the story, too. I would never be a hack. I use the same process for everything I write. I always write what I call a ‘baseline’ first: a short pitch or logline as a kind of foundation for my draft. From there, I’ll usually write a short outline of about a page or so (though sometimes I get carried away and write three to ten pages!). Then I’ll send it to friends and trusted beta readers as well as my agent. I call this process ‘road testing the concept.’”

To me, and most of the authors I talked to, the idea and genre come together.

Daniella Levy writes what comes to her. “No story I’ve ever written would have worked in a different genre. Occasionally, I’ve tried to ‘cheat’ and choose a different setting that might be easier to write about, but it never works!”

Leigh Camacho Rourks generally knows what genre her story will be in at the start but is flexible. “One of the large projects I am working on started as a Southern grit lit novel with a wink at magical realism, then turned into Southern grit magical realism. (Is that even a thing? Does it even matter if it is a thing?) But now, I am not sure whether it just needs to be reined in a bit.”

Karien van Ditzhuijzen’s novel A Yellow House started with a ten-year-old girl and her domestic worker from Indonesia. But things changed, as she progressed with the story. “I thought it would be a children’s book because of the protagonist’s age until I realized the themes I wanted to address were too heavy for that age.”

Julie Clark doesn’t worry too much about genre when she writes. “I know I'll be writing about women; I know there will be some elements of suspense, whether it's more domestic or thriller, depends on the story.”

As a script reader, Lucy V. Hay had to learn the importance of genre. “It’s how audiences understand what your story is about, how they find you. I also only write in genres I would personally read or watch. So, I decided from the offset to write YA, crime, dystopian. That said, I did ‘find’ I wanted to write crime organically: I was outlining another YA story and got stuck. As time went on, I realized the story I really wanted to tell was not the one I was writing. This is how The Other Twin came to be.”

Fiona Leitch might come up with a character, maybe a few set pieces or even bits of dialogue. So by the time she starts writing, the genre is clear.

Helen Black pitches her ideas to editors and producers in the same way. They have to be highly personal to her. “I need a reason to write them, and I need authority in the subject. I get really pissed off by a lack of authenticity. I regularly turn down work because I don’t think I’m the best person to tell the story.”

Fiona Leitch pitches her novels to her agent first. For screenplays, she picks producers who are looking for that particular genre and pays attention to the tone. “If I’m pitching comedy, then it has to be funny. Sci-fi has to be more serious—you need to sound like you’ve done your research, so the technology/science in your story comes across as plausible rather than complete fantasy.”

Daniella Levy believes when pitching fiction, there’s not really a difference between genres. “A query letter is a query letter, and the main point of it is to show the agent what’s appealing about the story, regardless of genre. Nonfiction is a different story. I dipped my toes into pitching a nonfiction project last year but abandoned it pretty quickly because I don't think I have what agents are looking for when it comes to nonfiction—a large platform and lots of credentials.”

Karien van Ditzhuijzen’s looking for an agent for her second adult novel, and she pitches it on its own. “I do try to query agents that represent both genres, and they can see I also write for children from my bio and list of publications.”

Carmen Radtke varies the pitch because it should always reflect the tone and genre: “The things that should not be changed are clarity, simplicity, and passion—why did I write this story and what makes it important/fun/relevant? That’s why mastering the art of the logline is an incredible skill.”

Many of these writers don’t use a pen name. As Daniella Levy puts it, “They’re [The books in different genres are] all connected and an expression of who I am as a writer. Why differentiate?”

Helen Black is the pen name given to the author by her editor, and she uses it for all her work.

Lucy V. Hay has written under variations of her name. “Lucy V. Hay, L. V. Hay for YA, nonfiction, and crime fiction.” Her publisher wanted her to pick a pseudonym for The Coven because it’s pretty different from what she wrote before. It’s under Lizzie Fry, her old freelance writing name.

Julie Clark hasn’t used a pen name, as there is a lot of crossover between her two books.

Helen Black doesn’t do much promotion. “I have a piss-poor social media presence, and I’ll tweet when I have a new book out, etc. But the majority of promotion is done by my publishers who know far more than me how to make it work. I don’t really promote myself for TV. I have a fantastic agent who organizes for me to meet producers, and from there, I can only let the work itself speak for me and my work ethic; I’m a proper grafter. I don’t think you really need a social media presence to be a TV writer, but you do need a great agent.”

Karien van Ditzhuijzen visits schools, teaches workshops, and does talks there, where she focuses on her work for children. “For my adult work, I visit book clubs; I have spoken at literary festivals and such. You need to go places where your target audience is, of course, so there is a difference. But there is also a grey area. Parents like to hear about children’s books, and I do also go to schools to speak about A Yellow House—but secondary rather than primary students.”

Since she’s traditionally published, Julie Clark’s promotion is completely dependent on the publisher. “I can do what I do on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, but that’s pretty small compared to what a publisher can do. And what a publisher decides to do for a book depends on so many internal factors that are completely outside the power of the author. All I can do is write the best book I can, and let my publisher fall in love with it.”

So far, Fiona Leitch only had to promote her romcom/crime novels. “I concentrated on the humor in them, so I’ve made my adverts funny in themselves. It’s also always good to quote any great reviews you’ve had from readers, and that, of course, works for whatever genre you’re promoting.”

Your age and background shouldn’t prevent you from forging your writing career in the genre(s) of your choice.

If anything, who you are will make your work more interesting. I’ve been creating stories since I was six.

Lucy V. Hay also started writing as a child, though she didn’t realize writing could be a career then.

Daniella Levy’s been writing ever since she could hold a pencil. However, her debut novel was published when she was thirty.

Fiona Leitch has written on and off all her life, though she’s been writing continually for the last seven years.

Carmen Radtke created poems and short stories as a kid, but she’s been writing continually since 2011.

Leigh Camacho Rourks wrote her first poem in third grade but didn’t do it seriously until her MFA.

Helen Black wrote a novel for fun fifteen years ago.

Julie Clark didn’t write seriously for publication until her mid-forties.

Karien van Ditzhuijzen started during her first maternity leave.

There are writers who started much later. It’s never too early or too late to write or give different genres a go.

As writers, we have different backgrounds, writing habits, and genre preferences. These prepare us for writing the stories only we can craft.

Whatever aspect of writing we are dealing with when we are trying a new genre, we do what works for us. But one thing remains the same: We shouldn’t be afraid to try new things!

By Margo L. Dill

Welcome to this month’s success stories. We love when you share any success with us, and we love to see how you are being published in magazines and on websites, and you are getting book deals and publishing your own work. We love that you are writing every day and finding the words flowing, and you want to share that with us and our community! As always, these are inspirational, so enjoy them. Take some time on the Facebook and Instagram posts to tell your fellow writers, “Congrats!” and then let us know your own success for next month by emailing Margo at margolynndill@gmail.com or margo@wow-womenonwriting.com or watching for the post on our social media pages, mid-month!

annkkelly writes, “My CNF essay ‘Propped’ appeared in the winter issue of Longridge Review.”

eskineleah writes, “Announced December. Won Louisiana Author Project award and first place coming of age novel Pencraft for CC’s Road Home.”

paula_cappa writes, “My novel Greylock won the Gold Medal in Occult and Supernatural Fiction from Global Book Awards.”

evelyn_krieger writes, “Won second prize in the 2022 Tucson Book Festival Nonfiction Literary Prize.”

meden_author writes, “My MG novel in verse SELAH’S GUIDE TO NORMAL is coming out next year with Scholastic!”

christina_rauh_fishburne writes, “Novel passed over by a big 5 publisher and then had my FIRST full request by an agent three days later!”

blynngoodwin writes, “The San Francisco Writers Conference quoted a line from my latest blog post for them. I found it on Instagram and wondered who the wise author was before I realized it was me.”

genalea_barker writes, “A short story was accepted for publication by Grande Dame Literary, bringing my publishing credits (current and forthcoming) to 5 stories across 4 venues since I started submitting a year ago.”

Linda Strader writes that she had a Barnes and Noble book signing event in Tucson, Arizona, for her newly released, Uprooted: A New Life in the Arizona Sun in March. They sold several copies!

Marguerite Vulfs writes, “There is a moment in time when it seems to stop and the words flow. There is not strain or stress. The words are crisp and clean, sometimes sloppy and a mess. Those moments are my success. Nothing for sale or another's delight. Just me writing what life is in the moment.”

Belinda Copeland writes, “I have a poem being published in the next issue of ArtLoveLifestyle magazine.”

Jen Payne writes, “My book, WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE: A SORT OF LOVE STORY, was just featured in “45 Books We’re Excited About from Indie Presses and Indie Authors” from Independent Book Review. AND one of my 100-word stories is a finalist in a tiny prose contest!”

Lynn Nicholas writes, “A flash fiction piece is in the queue for publication with Flash Fiction Magazine.”

With over 150 publications in the past five years, Chelsey Clammer knows the literary journal world quite well. She is knowledgeable about paying markets, journal aesthetics, and what different literary journals are specifically looking for in a submission.

Submit up to 12 pages (4,500 words) of your previously unpublished writing for Chelsey to read, assess, provide 5 or more suggestions for where to submit the piece, and to format your document according to each journal’s guidelines. If you don’t have one long piece, you may send multiple, shorter pieces, though a maximum of 3 pieces. Return time is one week. Only $25!

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