Earlier this year, I accepted the challenge to write a short piece with the theme of thrills and chills, and that led to “Memory Lane Park.” The Florida Writers Association (FWA) publishes an annual collection of member-written short fiction, essays, and poems related to a common theme. For 2022, the…
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Preparing for NaNoWriMo
Preparing for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) means starting now. NaNoWriMo happens every November, but the weeks leading up to it are the time to plan and prepare. This annual event is an opportunity for writers to make significant progress on a novel or writing project. NaNoWriMo In simplest terms,…
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SCBWI Summer Spectacular
Attending the SCBWI Summer Spectacular (SCBWI’s first virtual conference), earned a spot on my list of highlights for 2020. During any normal year, the SCBWI would have held its annual summer conference in Los Angeles, and I would not have attended because of the cost and distance. About 1,200 people…
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Author Mentor Match (AMM)
Author Mentor Match (AMM) is a free program that matches published or soon-to-be-published authors with unagented writers in a mentorship relationship. I learned about it this year and decided to give it a try. Round 7 This year was Round 7 for the volunteer-driven AMM. It included middle-grade (MG), young…
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Opportunities for Writers
Opportunities for writers to gain recognition prior to publication abound in the form of awards and competitions. Being selected for an award provides an endorsement that carries value when approaching agents about representation of the book. Unpublished writers should investigate organizations in their genre and geographic area for possible competitions.…