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Submissions are open at Calyx - Flash Fiction contest & Poetry contest

     

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Challenge : O is for Outlandish Ostrich Orthotics

 O is for Outlandish Ostrich Orthotics

Yes, it looks like it's storytime, again. I was thinking of "O" words and many came to mind. I let them loll around in my head, Orating and Oozing and Ogling each other. I thought I was going to settle on One thing and then the Other popped up and cried, "Me, Oh, pick me."

And here I am, with another tale to tell and, look, it too has an animal.

I wonder what her story is? Let's find out.

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Olivia the Ostrich was walking along the dirt road. The day was still early and the spring sun had yet to show its glowing orange head above the horizon. The glow from the edge of the world reached up toward the place where Senor Sun would land later in the morning, but for now it was still a deep turquoise blue fading to gold trimmed in near white.

photo from The Princess and the Pump

Far off deep in the clumps of trees Olivia could hear the little birds singing to each other. Talking of their plans for the day and the things they had to do. There was a pair somewhere nearby overhead whispering about a near escape he'd experienced with a big wild cat recently and his friend seemed to listen intently, with only an intermittent peep.

There was no sign of her sister; they were supposed to meet today to talk about what to do for their brother's birthday. Which was only a couple of weeks away. Olivia increased her speed and bobbed her head from side to side, wondering if maybe her sister was playing a joke and would jump out to scare her or something. She'd done that once in the past; she might do it again.

The clumps of trees eased away and the birds' voices faded. The top of Senor Sun's head was emerging on the edge of the world and Olivia could see farther around her now. Still no sister. She stopped on the road and listened. Hearing only the roar of an engine in the recesses of the other side of the trees, she opted to leave the open road.

There were thickets of bracken and clumps of trees smattered across the landscape. She mentally mapped a path of safety to get her out of sight of the road but so she could still keep her eyes on it in case.

In case? she thought. In case, she told herself, her sister appeared. Because their brother's birthday was getting nearer by the minute. Or so it seemed.

But she didn't want to get caught by the car beings because they could be unreliable and mean.

So she hid.

And as she hid, she dozed. The rising sun faded. The lightening sky faded. The grasses and trees which now hid her were the last to go and all was dark or non-existent.

Olivia dreamed of dancing on the sun with her sister. Of catching fireflies with her brother in the moonlight next to a river. Although in truth she didn't know how she'd hold a jar into which to put the bugs; but in her dream it didn't matter.

Then she noticed it. In her dream she was wearing glitter covered red shoes. Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Only these shoes had wide toe boxes and the thick heels were rubberized and comforted her feet with each step. They were beautiful and solid and she felt like she could dance all night.

Olivia opened her eyes. She thought she opened her eyes but everything was still dark. And then she noticed a figure standing near her and she jolted wide away and shook her body from side to side.

"Who?" she started. "What?" and prepared herself to run.

photo from deviantArt

"Hey, chill, sis, it's me," came the voice and Olivia felt her body relax. "Lil Joe just want us to play a game of catch a falling star for his birthday. That's all. And his birthday is in ...well, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... now! You're it!"

And her sister ran away and joined a slightly smaller ostrich, Olivia smiled and chased after them. Slowly. Being the oldest, her stride was longer and she'd catch up to them in no time. But she wanted the game to last so they could be together, so she took her time.

Ostriches in the dark, playing catch a falling star. And Olivia imagined she was still wearing her own ruby red slippers.

Radical Writing Advice: A Challenge

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On Monday I was the new member in a writing group. There are four other women writers who've been meeting for ... a while. I realize I don't know how long they've been meeting and that isn't relevant, anyway.

An online writing friend - via Ariel Gore's Literary Kitchen - is becoming a 3-D writing friend since moving (back) to Portland. I mentioned her a couple of week's ago. She and I met for coffee - now a decaf soy latte for me -and talked about writing and getting to know each other in a bigger context.

And she asked me if I wanted to join this writing group, as they were wanting another member or two. She gave an online introduction and I answered the group questions and submitted a short piece, all as application to being a member of the group.

It seemed a good fit and now I've met everyone in person. And it still seems a good fit. Unfortunately I had to leave early to get to work; but I loved the pieces I heard and the sharing feedback style was great and is highly compatible.

One member was talking about writing and mentioned there were some good online resources for flash fiction. One of them stood out for me, probably because of her high recommendation and because it seems like an active and energetic group of people are attracted to this site.

The website has regular flash fiction challenges. There is one up right now which, ahem, closes tomorrow (9/21) at noon EST. Give it a try! Or wait until the next one.

Oh, and I do want to give you a heads up that there is profanity on the website. For those who are sensitive to, or don't like to see, profanity - best stay away. And if you don't mind, click on over to TerribleMinds.

Challenges can be good writing motivators. Block breakers. Or attic clearing devices. Challenges can help move stories through or get something out of the way or spark an idea you didn't know you had. I know they're not for everyone - but they can also be just plain fun.

Try TerribleMinds. Or check out WritersWeekly for their next 24-Hour Short Story (they just had one, so the next is probably winter). NaNoWriMo (write a 50k+ novel in 30 days) or NaPoWriMo (write a poem a day for 30 days). And more.

Know of other writing challenges online? In print? Do share *smile*.

Find a challenge which inspires you and give it a try.
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Flash Memoir Posted

Ariel Gore has posted my flash memoir on The Literary Kitchen. This piece was developed under Ariel's guidance in her Lit Star Training online class.

Thank you, Ariel, and all of the Wayward Writers for your feedback.
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workshop: "Tiny Kingdoms: Writing Flash Fiction"

I received this announcement in an email from a writing group today:

Indigo Editing & Publications still has a few spots open for Saturday's workshops on short form. This two-fer deal brings you three hours of writing insight for just $50. Register before we fill up.

Saturday, June 18
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Tiny Kingdoms: Writing Flash Fiction with Alissa Nielsen

Short, short stories—some have described them as vignettes, sketches, anecdotes; they’ve been given multiple names such as flash fiction, sudden fiction, mini fiction, quick fiction, or micro fiction. Joyce Carol Oates compares flash fiction to “Chopin’s brilliant little preludes,” and Mark Strand claims they “can do in a page what a novel does in two hundred.” In this workshop we will write from prompts geared toward this condensed form of storytelling and discuss strategies for revising longer pieces to create a successful flash. Through exploring several compelling flash fiction examples, we’ll investigate how these authors use lyricism, subtext, and the element of surprise to create tiny kingdoms that contain multitudes.
A Winning First Impression: Making the Most of Your Query Letter with Ali McCart

The query letter is one of the most daunting pieces you as a writer will ever take on. It’s your first impression with the publisher, and the final draft could come across as a soggy handshake or an impressive, firm grip. In this workshop, we’ll examine what makes a well-crafted query letter and what dooms it for rejection. Then we’ll draft and critique our own queries so you can leave with the confidence to stand up straight, make eye contact, and smile wide for your literary introduction.
All classes take place at Indigo Editing & Publications, 519 SW 3rd Ave., Portland.
www.indigoediting.com/workshops
503-629-9216

Ali McCart

Executive Editor & Director of Business Development
Indigo Editing & Publications
http://www.indigoediting.com/
Facebook, @indigoediting
Director
Sledgehammer Writing Contest
http://www.sledgehammercontest.com/
Facebook, @sledgehammerwri

Submissions

I've been keeping a calendar of submission deadlines for myself and a few writing friends. As I was adding a few upcoming deadlines I decided to make it more widely available. Below is what the page looks like - feel free to come back and check it at any time. I will be making updates to the calendar as I find submission opportunities. Feel free to send some my way! The page also has a couple of submission websites (Duotrope, Poets & Writers, CWROPPS (a Yahoo resource group for writers); I know there are more - and I can add more links.

The views should change month by month; and the information will be updated as I make changes and additions.

Here is what you will see on the submissions page when you click on the link above!

      SUBMISSIONS CALENDAR      

Feel free to look through this calendar of upcoming submissions. These are from resources across the web, through email, from friends, and so forth. I am not endorsing specific publications, submission opportunities, or contests (unless I specifically say so!) - these are some that caught my attention, that friends have submitted to or passed along to me, and so on. I will also put some other links below the calendar so you can look at other resources. There are many publications out there and many good resources to see what's happening. I keep my own calendar of upcoming sources I'm interested in submitting to, so I thought I'd share it.

If you have a Google/Gmail account and would like to have this information show up on your calendar, you can subscribe to it by searching for Writing Vein Salon calendar in Google calendars, or you can click on the specific submission announcement and then click on "add to my calendar."




Other publication submission resources on the web:

Duotrope
Poets & Writers
CRWROPPS Yahoo Group


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submission: Ooligan Press Flash Fiction Contest

Flash Fiction Contest

Write to Publish 2011 Flash Fiction Contest

Presented by Ooligan Press

Deadline for Submissions: Sunday, April 24^th, 2011
Submission Guidelines:

• Please submit one flash fiction piece of five hundred words or less. While there is no specific theme, we are not seeking genre-specific work, such as romance, westerns, or sci-fi.
• Any submitted work should not have been previously published.
• The winning authors will retain all rights to their stories.
• Each submission should include a note about your interest in Ooligan Press’ Write to Publish conference, and an optional, brief bio in the body of the email.
• All submissions should please include “Flash Fiction Contest” in the subject line, and be sent as a Word document attachment to: events@ooliganpress.pdx.edu

There is no entry fee for the contest. We are, however, encouraging contestants to donate to the Ooligan Press Offset Fund. The Offset Fund was created as part of Ooligan’s effort to promote sustainable printing practices. All money donated to the Ooligan Press Offset Fund will be used for the production and publication of Ooligan’s sustainable Open Book Series, to send students to workshops and conferences where they can learn and teach about sustainable publishing practices, and to help the press make more sustainable choices. Go to the PSU Foundation to get started.
Prizes:
All three contest winners will be given the opportunity to read their stories on the author stage during the Write to Publish Open House Day, Sunday, May 22^nd. The three winning stories will also be posted on the Ooligan Press website and at the Write to Publish conference.

• First Prize 1) One full day pass to Workshop Day, Saturday, May 21^st; 2) two tickets to Open House Day, Sunday, May 22^nd, and 3) copies of both of Ooligan’s most recently released books, The Portland Red Guide by Michael Munk, and Rethinking Paper & Ink: The Sustainable Publishing Revolution by Ooligan Press.
• Second Prize 1) Two tickets to Open House Day, Sunday, May 22^nd, and 2) a copy of Rethinking Paper & Ink: The Sustainable Publishing Revolution by Ooligan Press.
• Third Prize 1) One ticket to Open House Day, Sunday, May 22^nd, and 2) a copy of Rethinking Paper & Ink: The Sustainable Publishing Revolution by Ooligan Press.

Write to Publish
Open Books: Open up your book to the possibilities.
May 21^st & 22^nd, 2011
Organized by Ooligan Press, Write to Publish aims to demystify the publishing process for writers. Write to Publish is different from other writing conferences in that it does not focus on the craft of writing, but rather on the process of getting published via lectures, workshops, and industry professionals available to answer your questions. Speakers for the 2011 Open House Day author stage are soon to be announced.
For more information about Write to Publish 2011, please visit the website at: www.ooliganpress.pdx.edu/w2p.

small stone: January 1

tiny hands waving
inside dangling pink pajama sleeves
smiling at the new year
and nana


small stone #1
by dot

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Welcome 2011 and NaSmaStoMo

I'm participating in the National Small Stone Month (NaSmaStoMo) starting today.

First of all, here is an introduction to this new 31-day adventure from one of the creators:

Writing your own small stones
What is a small stone?

A small stone is a very short piece of writing that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment.

There are no strict rules for what makes a piece of writing a small stone, as there are for forms such as haiku. The process of finding small stones is as important as the finished product – searching for them will encourage you to keep your eyes (and ears, nose, mouth, fingers, feelings and mind) open.

I have been writing a daily small stone at a small stone for several years. I have recently started collecting other people’s stones at a handful of stones.

Click on the title to read more about this meditative writing to help boost creativity and boost a positive outlook during January.

This icon will help you more easily find my small stones, and those of my guest and writing friend, Deb, throughout the month of January. Look for this icon:

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Oh - I like it!

I did make it to Wordstock for a couple hours. Things have been so busy and I have a play I'm preparing to interpret - but I did give myself a treat and went by the Wordstock Expo for a couple of hours on Sunday. There were some interestng things and, to be honest, probably more interesting things than I had energy to explore. But I was glad I went, even if it was crammed in between script translation work and work-work.

One thing I stumbled across is a prompt website that seems really fun. I need to look into them more - but at the outset, it seems like a good idea. And, yes, I signed up.

It's called "typetrigger." The premise is that they post a new prompt every six hours. So you have six hours to write up a maximum 300 words piece and post it. Fun! Genre doesn't matter.

I just completed my first installment and here's the link - "her conundrum" - not that I need more writing assignments (wink). But maybe this will be a help when it comes to NaNoWriMo. Could be. Get myself stuck for something to write, pop on over and login to Typetrigger, get a prompt and go. Really - 300 words? That's about a fifth of my daily minimum total.

submissions: NPR's Three Minute Stories

The basics:

Round Five Rules:
Your story must begin with the following line: "Some people swore that the house was haunted."

Plus, your story must end with this line: "Nothing was ever the same again after that."

Including these lines, your story must be 600 words or less. One entry per person. Your deadline is 11:59 p.m., EDT, on Sept. 26.

Three-Minute Fiction Round Five Official Rules

For more details, click on over to the NPR website.

The judge is Michael Cunningham.
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my Wednesday's Word...

So what did Wordsmith hand out at midnight for me to play with?

bread and circuses

Click on the words above to be transported to Writing Under Pressure to see the flash fiction I wrote in response!
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prompt and one Flash Fiction definition

From the Internet Writing Workshop, a definition offered for a flash fiction story:

"...A flash story must begin immediately and move quickly toward the end--no long descriptions, no unessential words. The goal is to present a single effect resulting from a single cause. The character(s) must experience and react to events, and the outcome must be swift. ..."

PROMPT: write a flash fiction story from one of the following. Decide whether to use a character sketch, a photo, or words; set a timer for 10 minutes, and write. ... At the end of 10 minutes, take a break. When you come back, revise the story for 30-60 minutes. Then let it marinate overnight and check it in the morning. Repeat as necessary.

[character sketch] blue jeans with a hole in the left rear pocket, faded t-shirt with a scrawled A in a circle on it, blue headband, keen water sandals, safety yellow messenger bag.

OR

[photo]

photo from Zooborns

OR
[words] Through the open window she saw...
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submissions

Click on the links to get more information.

Boulevard

Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers
http://www.richardburgin.net/1boulevardsfcontest.htm
$1,500 and publication in Boulevard awarded to the winning story by a writer who
has not yet published a book of fiction, poetry, or creative non-fiction with a
nationally distributed press.


Mangrove Review
/ FGCU Sanibel Island Writers Conference Writing Contest
http://www.fgcu.edu/SIWC/contest.html
Three awards—one each in Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction
Winners to be published and acknowledged in Mangrove Review, Spring 2010, FGCU's literary magazine, and given free admission to the 2009 FGCU Sanibel Island Writers Conference.


Hackney Literary Awards
http://www.bsc.edu/events/hackney/Guidelines.pdf
The Hackney Literary Awards, sponsored by the Cecil Hackney family of Birmingham, Alabama, were established in 1969. The annual competition awards $5,000 in prizes for poetry and short
fiction ($2,500 national and $2,500 state levels: 1st place, $600; 2nd, $400; 3rd, $250); a $5,000 prize is also sponsored by Morris Hackney for an unpublished novel.

Thank you to Creative Writers Opportunities List
for compiling this information.
You can join CRWOPPS on YahooGroups

submissions: Hint Fiction

from Robert Swartwood

hint fiction (n) : a story of 25 words or less that suggests a larger, more complex story

Anthology Guidelines

Tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2010, W.W. Norton will publish an anthology of Hint Fiction. What is Hint Fiction? It’s a story of 25 words or less that suggests a larger, more complex story. The thesis of the anthology is to prove that a story 25 words or less can have as much impact as a story 2,500 words or longer. The anthology will include between 100 and 150 stories. We want your best work.

It’s possible to write a complete story in 25 words or less — a beginning, middle, end — but that’s not Hint Fiction.

The very best Hint Fiction stories can be read many different ways.

We want stories we can read again and again and never tire of. Stories that don’t pull any punches. Stories that make us think, that evoke some kind of emotional response.

Click on the originator, above, for more details, including format and payment.

call for submissions

Have a short memoir piece lying about or want to write up a piece of flash fiction ... related to haircuts? Go to Ariel Gore's website to read more about her call for submissions by clicking on this link to her post, Get a haircut. (Deadline 4/13)









graphic above from Brainstormers!