The Work Conference Update and The Power of Positive Thinking

So, do you remember that boutique conference I talked about a little while ago? If not, here's the post:

Spreading The News--The Work Conference

Well, guess what? I'VE BEEN INVITED TO ATTEND!! (Sorry about the Caps Lock and the exclamation points, but yeah, that's how excited I am.) 

I guess this is an example of manifesting your desires through positive thinking. 

Yes, the tuition is a little steep. Yes, I'll need a hotel room in NYC. BUT just think of the possibilities! I get one-on-one time with TWO, count 'em, TWO agents of my choice, along with workshops, panels, and socializing with other authors, agents, and editors. Woohoo! I'm excited and terrified at the same time.

Needless to say, Hubby knows just how much attending this conference means to me, so after congratulating me on the acceptance, drying my tears of joy, calming my fears, drying my tears of panic, and squashing some of my self-doubt, (yes, I went through a whole range of emotions) he offered to help with the expenses. He's a good man. I told you things would work out, didn't I?

So, I've been busy utilizing the recommendations that came along with the acceptance, and changing my query and the first twenty pages. I came down to the wire but finally sent in my deposit for the conference, booked my hotel room, and am almost finished polishing the pages I will send to my chosen one-on-one agents. 

It's a bit nerve-wracking. I want to get the most out of those sessions, so I want to make sure my writing is awesome enough to grab their attention. I also don't want to embarrass myself. 

But I will say that this acceptance has breathed new life into my manuscript and my motivation. I find myself staying up late, tossing and turning in bed, and staring into space at work while I sort out new scenes and fix broken plots. I haven't been in that 'writing zone' for a long time, and I've missed being there.

Did I mention how excited I am? Squee! 

The Work Conference is doing something totally cool that I wanted to share with you--they are offering a Cyber Ticket.  Here's the info:

The Work Conference: Private Event BroadcastTickets: $125.00
Though extremely limited attendance has already reached capacity, we’re excited to introduce our fully moderated, interactive, live stream of selected panels during the weekend. Tune in Saturday, March 19th for three panel-led discussions on craft and the publishing industry, then join us Sunday morning for a 2.5-hour query letter Master Class. Cyber-ticket holders will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact (via moderator!) with our panelists, all of whom are industry-leading agents and editors.
Included panels: SATURDAY // The Publishing Process (9-10am EST), First Impressions (11:30-12:30pm), and Plot vs. Premise (2-3pm). SUNDAY // Query Letter Master Class with Carrie Howland and Becca Heyman (9-11:30 am).This is a LIVE STREAM event. Ticketholders will receive a link to a private broadcast. Access to the link, the host site, chat features and streaming content is at each ticketholder’s discretion. Please direct all questions to theworkconference@gmail.com or @TheWorkConf on Twitter.

Now, you can attend the same panels from the comfort of your own home.

Of course, I'll share my experience when I get back, complete with photos and interesting bits, but I wanted to share this opportunity with you.

I also wanted to thank all of you who wished me luck and cheered me on. Special thanks goes to Courtney Rene for helping me polish my query and manuscript pages and most importantly, for boosting my confidence. It worked!

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Spreading The News--THE WORK CONFERENCE

The other day, I was stalking agents socializing on Twitter. When I spotted this tweet:

Ever go to a conference and think, "I wish I had more one-on-one time with agents/editors?" Wish granted. #writetip http://t.co/FUuEfvsjry

— Veronica Park (@VeroniKaboom) September 28, 2015

Well, I've never been to a writer's conference. It's on my bucket list, but I can't seem to muster enough courage to go by myself, and all my writing friends live too far away. But yeah! Who wouldn't want one-on-one time with agents and editors? Especially when you've got two completed novels, and you're seeking agent representation.

So, I clicked on the link, and this is what I found:

The Work Conference--A Boutique Writer's Conference. March 18-20, 2016 in NYC

WHO WE ARE

An inaugural writers’ conference focused on giving 30 fresh voices in adult or YA literature unprecedented access to the agents, editors and industry experts who can help make dreams come true.

WHY BOUTIQUE

The Work is all about details. From attendees to agents to lunch menus, the weekend’s finer points have been carefully considered and hand-selected.

WHAT TO EXPECT

A weekend of intensive attention to your novel, innovative programming, inspired revision, strong coffee, and big fun.

They had me at 'strong coffee.' No, but seriously. They had my attention. Only 30 attendees? That's basically a private writing conference!

Of course, with such a small number of attendees, simply signing up is not an option. Writers must submit the first ten pages of a completed/almost completed novel, a query letter, and a $50 application fee. If selected, the fee will go towards the tuition of $1200. 

My first thought at seeing the fees was, "Yikes!" but honestly, I think the program is well worth the price. Of course, I don't have that kind of money right now, but that's just logistics.

So. I applied. The worst thing that could happen is that I don't get chosen. I'll still get feedback on my submission and get a discount to apply next year. The best case scenario would be that I do get chosen. 

The conference is being held in NYC, which isn't very far from me, but I moved away from Urban NJ and settled in Rural NJ almost 25 years ago. The last time I was in the city was when my Best-Writing-Friend-Forever, Courtney came to visit. Two Small Town Writers in One Big City That was three years ago!! I have lost all sense of direction in the Big Apple and considering the conference highlights start at 8 am, there is no way I could stay home and attend the conference. If I get chosen, there would be a hotel stay involved. I know, I know--that means more money. Logistics.

They say that thinking positively and imagining the desired outcome helps manifest your desires. I already have everything planned out in my head. I'll worry about the finances when the time comes. 

Want to join me? Check it out! The Work Conference Tell them I sent you. Wish me luck!

Spreading The News--Another Contest...

I received an e-mail this morning from The First Line Literary Journal. They are running a contest and I just had to pass it along to all my wonderful followers. Here you go:

The First Line First Line Contest

To celebrate our 15th year, we’re giving you a chance to inspire the world. Send us your best (original and unpublished) starter sentences, and we’ll pick four to use for next year’s first lines.

You have until August 31st to submit. The winners will receive $50 and five copies of the issue that was inspired by your first line.

The rules:
1. Sentences must be your ORIGINAL, previously unpublished creations.
2. You may submit up to two (2) sentences for consideration.
3. Send entries in the body of an email to: contest@thefirstline.com. Do not send attachments.

4. Include your email or mailing address for notification.
5. All entries must be received by 6 p.m. (EST) on August 31, 2012.

Oh yeah, there’s NO entry fee.

Good luck!

Fun Facts about May

May, named for the Greek goddess Maia, is the fifth month of the year, and one of seven months that contains 31 days.  I found this tidbit interesting--No other month begins or ends on the same day of the week as May!

May's birthstone is the emerald, which means love or success. The birth flower is the Lily of the Valley. Those born before May 20th fall under the zodiac sign of Taurus, and those born after, are considered Gemini.

Holidays and Events:

April 29-May 5--Known as 'Golden Week' in Japan. A combination of 4 national holidays gives workers up to 10 days off.

May 1--Feast of St. Joseph

            May Day

May 3--Lumpy Rug Day (Why you would celebrate this? I do not know.)

First Saturday--The annual Kentucky Derby, the most famous horse race in the US is held.

May 5--Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in honor of Mexican heritage and pride. (This is also my hubby's birthday. Feliz Cumpleanos, Juan!)

May 6--Finally seeing The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Oops! That's just me. :)

May 10--Clean Up Your Room Day (Children, this can coincide with the holiday that lands on the Second Sunday!)

May 12--International Nurses Day. (Thank a nurse!)

Second Sunday--Mother's Day in many countries. (Don't forget to honor your Mother!)

Last Sunday--The Indianapolis 500 race.

Last Monday--Memorial Day commemorates the fallen service members of the United States.

Second Week--Bicycle Week, a yearly international event advocates bicycling as a means of transportation.

May 25--Towel Day, in tribute to Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

National Month For:

The Incredible Edible Egg

Brain Tumor Awareness

Military Appreciation

Skin Cancer Awareness

Strawberries

Hamburger

Correct Posture

Share A Story

Famous Birthdates:

02 May 1903—Dr. Benjamin Spock (108) Author of parenting books.

05 May        ---Courtney Rene (none of your business) Author of Shadow Dancer and Shadow Warrior.

06 May 1868---Gaston Leroux (143) Wrote Phantom of the Opera.

08 May 1940---Peter Benchley (71) Author of “Jaws”

09 May 1873---Howard Carter (138) Uncovered the secrets of King Tut's Tomb

21 May 1916---Harold Robbins (95) Steamy novelist.

22 May 1859---Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (152) Author of Sherlock Holmes novels.

25 May 1927---Robert Ludlum (84) Wrote “The Bourne Identity”

27 May 1894---Dashiell Hammett (117) Wrote “The Maltese Falcon”

28 May 1908—Ian Fleming (103) Wrote 14 James Bond novels.

30 May 1908---Mel Blanc (103) Voice of Bugs Bunny.

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Spreading The News--April 2012

(Source)

April has been busy, busy. 

I just spent two nights at my girlfriend's house, watching her toddler while she and her hubby went to the hospital to have their second child.

Welcome to the world, little Raymond! 
Anyway, I have a ton of things to do...

I am only halfway through Robert Lee Brewer's April Platform Challenge, so my weekend will be quite full playing catch-up. (Stop by and take a look. Even if you can't catch up to be in the running for the prize, every author should do these tasks in order to build a good author platform.)

Calls for Submission

Rattle publishes poetry, translations, reviews, essays, and interviews. Now through August 1st, they are reading for a tribute to Speculative Fiction poetry. This includes Fantasy, Horror, Alternate History, etc. but they accept regular submissions year-round.

Tor accepts submissions for Science Fiction short stories and poetry. They pay .25 per word!

Celebrate Life is looking for holiday-related material and commentaries. No fiction or poetry! They pay .15 to .25 word!

Event, Canada publishes mainly Canadian writers, but are open to anyone writing fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction in English. They pay a minimum of $25 and a maximum of $500. Check out their website as they only read during certain months.

Knowonder! is still accepting submissions even though the magazine is on hold until June 1st. They have increased their pay to $25 for 500-999 word stories and $50 for over 1,000 words.

Contests

WoW! Women On Writing is having their Spring 2012 Flash Fiction Contest. Entry Fee: $10.00 and the guest contest judge is Regina Brooks, founder and President of Serendipity Literary Agency. The Theme is Open, with a word count of 250-750. There's a limit of 300 entries, so act fast!

Family Circle's Fiction Contest ends September 7, 2012. Up to two (2) entries per person, of no more than 2500 words.

On The Premises's Contest #17 is open until May 31, 2012. Make them laugh, or at least smile, in 1,000 to 5,000 words.

Writing Retreat

There are still some spots left at the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop. Join Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest, and poet and author, Jessica Bell, August 2-8, 2012 on the beautiful isle of Ithaca, Greece.
Fee with accomodation and buffet breakfast is only 1,550 Euros!

(Source)

Oh, and by the way, my blog hit 5,000 views today! I'm so excited! Thank you to everyone who visits. :D

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Spreading The News (March)

This whole week is off schedule. I can barely keep track of what day it is. Hopefully you'll find at least one tidbit of info in this post to make up for my scatterbraininess (is that even a word???)

Markets

Romance Writers:

Highland Press Publishing is looking for 12,000-20,000 word manuscripts for their Themed Romance anthologies. Visit their website to see their list of available themes.

Science Fiction Writers:

Lightspeed Magazine is seeking original science fiction and fantasy stories of 1500-7500 words. Stories of 5000 words or less are preferred. They pay 5¢/word for original fiction, on acceptance.

MG Fantasy Writers:

Cricket Magazine is looking for more fantasy with a 9-14 year old hero.

Non-Fiction Writers:

The Dollar Stretcher, USA is looking for articles on ways to help save time and money. Their monthly print version pays $.10 per word!

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Websites

The Working Writers Club is a professional club for writers, coaches, and speakers. They provide training, resources, and networking opportunities for its members. The club also offers genre critique groups, including children's.

Nan Yielding's site, The Writing Dream, offers tips and resources for aspiring book writers.

Need the perfect comparison? Simile Stack lets you search for similes based on keywords. You can even submit your own.

When you're feeling overwhelmed with work and underwhelmed with ideas, subscribe to Zenhabits. They have fantastic posts about how to be creative in today's hectic world.

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Social Media

Google + --Although Facebook is still the most used social network, Google Plus is sweeping the internet. Add Me to your circle and check out the following blog post by Robert Lee Brewer.

11 Google Plus Tips For Writers


Pinterest --The third most popular site behind Facebook and Twitter, allows people to use pictures to organize, discuss and spread ideas and interests. I hear this site is downright addicting. I still haven't gotten an invitation to this site, (Hint, hint) but if you're one of the lucky pinners, here's a great article by Writer's Digest, for you to read:

How to Use Pinterest to Market Your Book

Klout --Klout was founded in 2008 to help you measure and leverage your influence. Klout measures influence online using data from your social networks. Anywhere you have an online presence, you have the opportunity to influence people by creating or sharing content that inspires actions such as likes, retweets, comments and more. The more engagement your posts receive, the more influential you are. Klout uses this information to provide you a Klout Score that measures your overall influence. I signed up this week and my score is already a 31.4. Plus, they offer perks!

Well, what are you waiting for? Go check out one or all of these cool sites and let us know which was your favorite!

Spreading The News (February)

I went through my e-mail inbox and gathered together a whole load of cool stuff to pass along.

Dropbox

I write at home and sometimes, at work. (Shhh. Don't tell my boss! Oh, wait...I AM the boss.) Anyway, I use Word at work and Works or OpenOffice at home. Whenever I wanted to work on a document at work, I would have to copy, paste, and e-mail it to myself or use a thumb drive. Then, I'd have to re-format it and do it all over again. Until...one of our customers works for AT&T. Whenever he comes in for an oil change, he shows me the newest gadget and lets me try it out. This last time, he told me about Dropbox.

When you download Dropbox on your computer, you can create a public space for files and photos. So, I can drop Chapter 11 into the dropbox at home and open it at work. I can type where I left off and then save it. when I open Chapter 11 at home, I can continue on. I love it!! Now, there's no more excuses for not writing during a slow afternoon or during my lunch break.

Although I haven't tried it yet, Dropbox would be great for critique groups. Dropbox gives you 2GB of storage. Every time you invite a friend to join, BOTH you AND your friend get an additional 250MB of storage.

Want to give it a try? Send me an e-mail at deestan62 @ gmail (dot) com. I will send you an invite and we'll both win. Did I mention this is all FREE???

No White Space

Peter Halasz, a writer from Australia, created these cheat sheets for NaNoWriMo and they are available for download. There is one sheet for Characters and another for Plot. I printed them out and read through them once. More than a dozen story ideas popped into my head! These sheets are prominently tacked to my new gigantor-humongous bulletin board. Enjoy!

The First Line

I know I've mentioned them in another post here but that was so 'last year'. Sign up for Blue Cubicle Press' newsletters and they will e-mail you their first line prompts. Use the first line in a story (see Guidelines)

They pay $30 for fiction and $20 for non-fiction.

Here are the remaining prompts for 2012:

Summer 2012 (Submissions due May 1, 2012)--Rachel's first trip to England didn't go as planned.

Fall 2012 (Submissions due August 1, 2012)--A light snow was falling as Charlie Reardon left the diner and made his way down Madison Street.

Winter 2012 (Submissions due November 1, 2012)--Sometimes, when it's quiet, I can remember what my life was like before moving to Cedar Springs.

Writers On The Move

Sign up for their free newsletter and receive 2 free e-books! They also offer free workshops and valuable info on writing, publishing, and marketing. That's a whole lot of FREE stuff and FREE is always good.

New Agents

Carlie Webber of the Jane Rotrosen Agency:

Seeking YA (any and all genres) horror, mystery, thriller, romance. On her wish list: anything set in the grunge era, GLBTQ for YA, High-concept YA, genre mash ups (like paranormal romantic suspense.)  Read all submission guidelines carefully before querying.

Rachael Dugas of Talcott Notch Literary:

Seeking YA, MG, and adult fiction in the contemporary, paranormal, women's, and romance genres. Cookbooks with a unique perspective, beautifully written historical and/or literary fiction are also on her wish list. Read all query guidelines before submitting.

Erin Harris of Skolnick Literary:

Seeking literary novels with compelling plots and international settings, noirs, literary thrillers, and YA and MG novels that transport her to magical places. Please read the submission guidelines before querying.

PROMPTS

Here's an idea for a never-ending supply of writing prompts: Choose a completed story by another author (or use one of your own!) Use the last line to begin a new story. You can use the same characters or create new ones.

Well, that's all I have for you this month, but don't worry, I've got lots more stuff to share next month!

Spreading The News (January) A New Agency & A Great Website

On March 1, 2012, Marisa Corvisiero, formerly of the L. Perkins Agency, will be opening the doors to her own agency, Corvisiero Literary Agency, LLC.

Keep your eyes open. She will post the new website address and submission guidelines. Corvisiero Literary Agency will implement a new electronic submission system that will not only allow authors to submit queries online, but can also see status updates! No more worrying and wondering if the agent received the query. No more unanswered submissions--the site will let the author know where they are in queue and when their query is being read. This is extremely exciting!

Ms. Corvisiero is training two Junior Agents for the agency, who will work alongside her with author submissions. Don't submit anything yet, though! But when she opens for submissions, make sure you send her a well-drafted story with a unique voice and well developed characters. Here's what she's looking for:

"I love unique stories, especially in mixed genres. I will consider Romance, Thrillers, Adventure, Paranormal, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and the same for Young Adults and Middle Grade readers. In non-fiction I enjoy out of box and high concept spiritual, self improvement, parenting, science, and pop-culture."

Marisa also works closely with Literary Powerhouse Consulting. They offer a huge array of services--from writing to printing, publicity, one-on-one coaching, finding an agent, online workshops, self-publishing and distribution. They also offer "Over the Top Services" for when you earn the big bucks, such as Event Planning, Catering, Fashion Styling, and Success Coaching. The LitPow Portal, a members-only gathering place for authors, agents, publishers, etc to connect with each other, is coming soon!

Read Marisa's Blog for a sneak peek at what the LitPow Portal will offer.

__________________

I've been a Poets & Writers subscriber for about a year now, but just recently went to their website. WoW! I certainly missed out on a ton of useful information this past year!

The classifieds page is chock full of Calls for Submissions, from anthologies and books to magazines. They also have listings for conferences, contests, jobs, retreats, and workshops. Check them out and sign-up. It's FREE!

Spreading The News--Hey Publisher

I've been using Duotrope for a few years now. For those of you who have never heard of it, Duotrope is a site that lists over 3600 markets for fiction and poetry. It's free to sign up. The submission tracker allows you to enter the name, genre, and word count of your manuscript and helps you stay on top of your submissions by tracking days in the slushpile, your rejections, and acceptances.

I really like their monthly newsletter which lists publishers, their calls for submissions-including the themes, and the deadlines.

BUT...I recently learned of a fairly new website that also connects writers to publishers. At Hey Publisher, you can sign up for a free writer account and set up a profile. You can upload your work, browse publishers, and submit. Hey Publisher uses Amazon-provided servers and have a 100% guarantee your work will never be lost.

Sounds interesting and since I'll be putting my nose to the grindstone come January, I'll be signing up for Hey Publisher the first day of the new year.

Spreading The News--Scintilla Press & Publishing Syndicate

This week, I have two great markets for you to check out. The first one up, is:

Scintilla Press

The word, scintilla, means, "spark of inspiration," and the first issue of this liteary magazine is quite inspiring. See it here: Report from the End of the Twentieth Century

Scintilla Press is an independent publisher, and as of this time, they are a non-paying market. Their magazine will be digitally published twice a year, in the summer and winter, with a bound volume printed yearly. They are hoping to expand into books.

They are currently accepting fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and visual work.

Check out their guidelines under Submissions and be sure to follow them on Twitter and on Facebook

The second market I have for you this week, is:

Publishing Syndicate

Publishing Syndicate needs non-fiction stories for their two newest anthology series, "Not Your Mother's Book...On Being a Woman," and "Not Your Mother's Book...on Girls' Night Out." They also have 26 more titles waiting for stories, and that's only for the "Not Your Mother's Book..." series. And guess what else? They offer royalties for accepted stories!

"My Story is Out" and "OMG! My Reality!" are two other series currently looking for stories.

Publishing Syndicate also offers a free WoW Principles e-newsletter that offers tips, markets, and more to help us become better writers.

You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook.



Spreading The News--PUBSLUSH Press

Do you have a finished novel? Not sure where to submit it?

Well, here's a publisher I just learned about that I'd like to share with you.

PUBSLUSH Press is a youthful, innovative publishing platform for aspiring authors that connects writers directly with their readers through social media.
Sign up, submit ten pages and a summary of your book. Then, Slushers, (and you) browse the submissions based on preferences.
If you like the overview, you click through to read a more detailed description. If you are still interested, you read an excerpt. And if you're dying to read more, you support it. By supporting a book, you are pre-ordering it but you don't get charged unless the book is published. For every book PUBSLUSH sells, they're donating a book to a child in need.

Your novel can be one of three lengths in eighteen different genres, including non-fiction and poetry.

Why not check it out and let me know your thoughts on this?