We filled up a table at Symposium Restaurant last night. It was great to see the regulars and two newcomers: Sarah and Nathaniel. The conversation was an animated one as we discussed high concept, ebook vs traditional publishing, and nailing that first page of the novel. Cindy Carroll talked about the Bloody Words conference she attended last weekend in Toronto.
Upcoming contests...
June 30
Writers of the Future Contest --There is no entry fee. They welcome all types of science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy up to 17,000 words in length.
July 31
Sheldon Currie Fiction Prize--Sponsored by Antigonish Press.
Submit stories on any subject. Total entry must not exceed 20 pages.
Entry fee is $25 in Canada, $30 in the United States. All other
countries: $40 (U.S. Funds)
Arborealis Prize for Poetry--Open
to Canadian poets only. All prize-winning entries plus up to 60
additional runners-up will be published in an anthology. Entry fee is
$15 for up to three poems. First prize--$200, Second prize--$150, Third
prize--$100, Three $50 Honourable Mention Awards
August 31
Great Blue Heron Poetry Contest--Sponsored by Antigonish Press.
Submit poems on any subject. Total entry must not exceed four pages.
Maximum length: 150 lines. Entries could be one longer poem or several
shorter ones. Entry fee is $25 in Canada, $30 in the United States. All
other countries: $40 (U.S. Funds)
The 1812 Essay Writing Contest--Open
to residents (all ages and abilities) of Canada and the U.S. Write an
essay on one of the following topics: The War of 1812: Who Really Won or
Our Canada: Rocks and Roots.
Written by Joanne Guidoccio
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Happy May!
Last evening, five of us met at Symposium Restaurant for our
monthly dinner meeting. We discussed our respective writing journeys and
covered a variety of topics, among them Twitter, Facebook and
tattooing. We ended with a Twitter exercise. Each of us composed a tweet
pitch for our upcoming novels.
I left inspired to continue writing and editing my work.
Upcoming contests...
May 15
Writers Digest Competition--Enter your best fiction, nonfiction, poetry and more in this annual contest hosted by Writer's Digest. You could win $3,000 in cash, get an agent and a paid trip to the Writer's Digest Conference in New York City. The contest fee is $25. Save $5 and take advantage of the early bird deadline--May 1st.
May 28
Peter Hinchliffe Fiction Award--The $1000 top prize will be awarded for a work of short fiction by a Canadian writer who has not yet published a first novel or short story collection. All submissions will be considered for paid publication ($250) in The New Quarterly. Entry fee is $40.
May 31
Poetry Anthology Contest--The Niagara Branch of the Canadian Authors Association is holding its Poetry Anthology Contest for Ontario residents. The entry fee is $15 for up to three poems and $4 for each additional poem.
Sheldon Currie Fiction Prize--Sponsored by Antigonish Press. Submit stories on any subject. Total entry must not exceed 20 pages. Entry fee is $25 in Canada, $30 in the United States. All other countries: $40 (U.S. Funds)
June 30
Great Blue Heron Poetry Contest--Sponsored by Antigonish Press. Submit poems on any subject. Total entry must not exceed four pages. Maximum length: 150 lines. Entries could be one longer poem or several shorter ones. Entry fee is $25 in Canada, $30 in the United States. All other countries: $40 (U.S. Funds)
Writers of the Future Contest --There is no entry fee. They welcome all types of science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy up to 17,000 words.
Written by Joanne Guidoccio
I left inspired to continue writing and editing my work.
Upcoming contests...
May 15
Writers Digest Competition--Enter your best fiction, nonfiction, poetry and more in this annual contest hosted by Writer's Digest. You could win $3,000 in cash, get an agent and a paid trip to the Writer's Digest Conference in New York City. The contest fee is $25. Save $5 and take advantage of the early bird deadline--May 1st.
May 28
Peter Hinchliffe Fiction Award--The $1000 top prize will be awarded for a work of short fiction by a Canadian writer who has not yet published a first novel or short story collection. All submissions will be considered for paid publication ($250) in The New Quarterly. Entry fee is $40.
May 31
Poetry Anthology Contest--The Niagara Branch of the Canadian Authors Association is holding its Poetry Anthology Contest for Ontario residents. The entry fee is $15 for up to three poems and $4 for each additional poem.
Sheldon Currie Fiction Prize--Sponsored by Antigonish Press. Submit stories on any subject. Total entry must not exceed 20 pages. Entry fee is $25 in Canada, $30 in the United States. All other countries: $40 (U.S. Funds)
June 30
Great Blue Heron Poetry Contest--Sponsored by Antigonish Press. Submit poems on any subject. Total entry must not exceed four pages. Maximum length: 150 lines. Entries could be one longer poem or several shorter ones. Entry fee is $25 in Canada, $30 in the United States. All other countries: $40 (U.S. Funds)
Writers of the Future Contest --There is no entry fee. They welcome all types of science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy up to 17,000 words.
Written by Joanne Guidoccio
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Update
The following contest entries are due May 1st. Good luck!
Break-up Contest–Sponsored by the Alaska Chapter of RWA. Enter your best black moment, all-is-lost or break-up scene. Entry fee is $30.
CBC Writing Contest –Submit your best original poem or poetry collection. The first prize winner will receive $6,000 and a two-week residency at the Banff Leighton Artists’ Colony. His/her poetry will also be published in enRoute magazine. The four runners-up will each receive $1,000. The contest fee is $25. The contest is open to all Canadians.
Canadian Stories Contest–Submit your art, poetry or short story. Over $3000 in prize money. Entry fee is $20.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Happy Second Anniversary
It's hard to believe that two years have passed since we started this group.
While the original group came from Dennis Fitter's creative writing class (February 2010), we have been joined by Cindy Carroll and other members of Guelph Write Now.
Last night, we shared our writing experiences and encouraged each other to start twittering, join Facebook, send out query letters, write more regularly...All in all, it was an enjoyable evening and we left inspired to write and send out our work.
A reminder...Dennis Fitter's book, Mexico City, is now available.
Written by Joanne Guidoccio
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Happy March!
Seven of us gathered at the Symposium Restaurant last night for our monthly dinner meeting. Welcome back to Dennis Fitter who has been away for three months. Since that time, he has edited and completed his novel, Mexico City: The Golden Years. It will be launched tomorrow in 13,400 ebookstores worldwide. Congratulations and best of luck!!!
Upcoming Events and Contests...
Upcoming Events and Contests...
- On March 18, Cindy Carroll and the Guelph Write Now group will have a poetry workshop at Lucie's Restaurant. The session starts at 1:00 p.m.
- The deadline for the Gemini Short Story Contest is March 31st. The contest fee is $4 and there are no restrictions on content, style, genre or length.
- The deadline for the Ten Stories High Short Story Contest is March 31st. The stories can be of any genre and between 1000 and 3000 words in length. The entry fee is $15.
- The deadline for the Grain Magazine Writing Contest is April 1st. The contest fee of $35 includes a free subscription to the magazine. They are looking for poetry (up to 100 lines) and fiction (up to 2500 words). $4500 in prizes to be won!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Literary Fiction vs Commercial Fiction
At our monthly dinners, we have often discussed the differences between literary and commercial fiction. While we have shared many ideas, we haven't been able to pin it down and come up with a satisfactory explanation.
I would like to share Brian Henry's explanation which he gave at Saturday's editing workshop.
He started by asking the question: Is your writing closer to that of Margaret Atwood or Danielle Steel? These authors represent the extreme ends of the continuum.
He then went on to explain the difference between the two types of writing.
Literary fiction deals with deeper and more accurate psychological coverage. There is also more original use of language. The reader gets to know the characters very well.
Commercial fiction has fast-moving plots and the writing is seamless. The author does not want the reader to stop and think about it. She wants the reader to continue reading and not be able to put it down.
Any thoughts?
Written by Joanne Guidoccio·
I would like to share Brian Henry's explanation which he gave at Saturday's editing workshop.
He started by asking the question: Is your writing closer to that of Margaret Atwood or Danielle Steel? These authors represent the extreme ends of the continuum.
He then went on to explain the difference between the two types of writing.
Literary fiction deals with deeper and more accurate psychological coverage. There is also more original use of language. The reader gets to know the characters very well.
Commercial fiction has fast-moving plots and the writing is seamless. The author does not want the reader to stop and think about it. She wants the reader to continue reading and not be able to put it down.
Any thoughts?
Written by Joanne Guidoccio·
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Happy February!
Last night, six of us met at Symposium Restaurant for our monthly dinner meeting. The conversation was a lively one as we discussed our writing journeys and shared advice on writing query letters. As always, I left inspired to continue writing.
Upcoming events and contests...
Upcoming events and contests...
- On Wednesday, February 8th , the Friends of the GPL present Zumba in the Pool with Carlos! at the main branch of the Guelph Public Library. The play starts at 7:00 p.m.
- The deadline for the Postcard Story Competition sponsored by the Writers' Union of Canada is February 14. Use humour, poetry, dialogue...to create a short, snappy piece of 250 words. The winning entry will receive $750 and publication in Write. For an example of a winning entry, read "The Invasion of the Snotty Badgers" by Karin Weber. Get more details about submission here.
- The deadline for The Binnacle's Free Ultra-Short Competition for prose or poetry is February 15. All entries must be no more than 150 words or 16 lines per poem. There is no fee. Full contest details can be found here.
- On Thursday, February 16th, the Guelph Guild Storytellers presents The Art of Storytelling, starting at 7:00 p.m. at the main branch of the Guelph Public Library.
- On Thursday, February 23rd and Friday, February 24th, the University of Guelph presents Writers Workshop 2012.
- On Thursday, February 23rd, Melinda Burns will facilitate a Poetry Workshop, starting at 7:00 p.m. at the main branch of the Guelph Public Library.
- On Monday, February 27th, there will be a Grant Writing for Community & Multidisciplinary Arts, starting at 7:00 p.m. at the main branch of the Guelph Public Library.
- The deadline for the Toronto Star Short Story Contest is Sunday, February 26th. The winner will receive $5000 plus tuition for Humber's 30-week writing correspondence program. Second and third prize winners will receive $2000 and $1000 respectively.
- The deadline for the Grain Magazine Writing Contest is April 1st. The contest fee of $35 includes a free subscription to the magazine. They are looking for poetry (up to 100 lines) and fiction (up to 2500 words). $4500 in prizes to be won!
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