IWSG - Doldrums

Into April we go. It's been random snow, rain, fog, and sunny days around here, with temperatures all over the place. Ah, spring.

It's time for another installment of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, this group serves to create a community of support for writers. All are welcome to participate. Just sign up at Alex's blog or the IWSG blog and post on the first Wednesday of each month. Be sure to drop by some new blogs and visit!

The co-hosts for this month are J.H. Moncrieff, Natalie Aguirre, Patsy Collins, and Chemist Ken! Stop by their blogs and say hi!

The optional question for April is: If you could use a wish to help write just ONE scene/chapter of your book, which one would it be?

The next IWSG anthology opens May 1! The genre is Middle Grade Historical: Adventure/Fantasy. The theme will be announced when the anthology opens May 1!

Also, this is my last post as an IWSG admin. Elizabeth Seckman and C. Lee McKenzie will be taking over the newsletter.

I'm feeling a bit frustrated right now, as I haven't sold any stories in 2019, so far. I've been through dry spells before then gotten a lump of acceptances all at once, so it will come back around. It would be nice if it happened soon, though.

My stats for the month of March are as follows:

1 submission (I had a bunch out on long response submissions)
5 rejections
7 currently on submission

Have you checked out WRiTE CLUB yet? Submissions are open through April 14. Simply submit a 500 word writing sample. The slush readers (raises hand) read the samples and narrow down the selection. The finalists will face off on DL Hammon's blog. All entries and bouts are anonymous, and you get fantastic feedback during the bouts.

Now for some links. Bear in mind I'm not endorsing these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence before submitting.

Accepting Submissions:

Nonbinary Review is seeking art and literature with the theme HG Wells. Pays $.01/word. Deadline April 22.

With Painted Words is seeking fiction and poetry. Up to 1000 words. Pays $3. Deadline April 25.

Fiddlehead is seeking fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Up to 6000 words. Pays $60CAD per page.

SinCyr Publishing is seeking romance with queer identifying characters in kilts. 3000 to 7000 words. Pays royalties. Deadline April 30.

Martinus Publishing is seeking short stories for This Never Happened! Alternate History Farce and Fantasy. 1500 to 10,000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline April 30.

Flash Bang Mysteries is seeking mystery flash fiction. 500 to 750 words. Pays $20. Deadline April 30.

Split Lip Magazine is seeking fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. 1000 to 2500 words. Pays $50. Deadline April 30.

Have you signed up for IWSG? Will you be submitting to the anthology? Have you looked at WRiTE CLUB? Are you submitting?

May you find your Muse.

Straight to the Meat: Links

Accepting Submissions:

Horror Tree is taking submissions for Nightscript, Volume 2. Strange tales. 2000-7000 words. Pays $30 and a contributor copy. Deadline February 28.

Independent Legions Publishing is taking submissions for The Beauty of Death. Horror. There are already big names attached. 4500-7500 words. Pays $100. Deadline March 30.

Pentimento is taking submissions for their journal. Essays and fiction written by someone with a disability, or someone involved in the disabled community (family member, caregiver, special educator.) Up to 6000 words. Pays $25 to $250. Deadline March 31.

MiFi Writers is taking submissions for Revolution. Speculative fiction and art. 2000 to 12,000 words. Pays $.01/word up to $50. Deadline March 31.

Chicken Soup for the Soul is taking personal stories for Dreams & Synchronicities. Up to 1200 words. True stories only. Pays $200. Deadline March 31.

All the King's Men is looking for stories matching the theme "sometimes it's impossible to mend what has been broken" and the background. No length constraints. You must pitch, not submit your piece. Pays $.04/word. Deadline March 31.

Tree Lion Press is taking submissions of speculative fiction for The Land of Dust and Bones. Weird Western stories. 500-10,000 words. Pays $5 advance, plus royalties. Deadline March 31.

The ND Review is taking submissions of prose. They like it to take on big issues. Pays a small gratuity that is not specified. Deadline March 31.

Kaleidotrope is taking submissions of speculative fiction. 250-10,000 words. Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and artwork. Pays $.01/word for fiction and nonfiction, $5 for poetry. Deadline March 31.

Contests:

DL Hammons has brought Write Club back. This is a writing competition where anonymous 500 word entries are put against each other, with readers voting on the winner. They're taking entries between February 1 and February 26. The contest begins March 7.

Anything to add or share? Any of these of interest?

May you find your Muse.

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday - Beach, Lighthouse and Helpful Links

As promised, here are some photos of Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Cobble Beach in Newport, Oregon from my trip to the Oregon coast.  I love it out there!  If you haven't been to a beach in Oregon, I should probably prepare you: the beaches there aren't warm, with soft white sand.  The temps tend to be in the 60's, with a tendency toward fog, and there was a lot of volcanic activity, resulting in black stones in some spots, such as Cobble Beach.  I find it to be just a different kind of beauty from other beaches, though, and those of us who grew up playing on those chilly beaches know that you go numb within a few minutes, so it's perfectly alright to jump on in, no matter the temperature!

 This was just a building on the hillside as we approached the lighthouse, but I loved the different sprays of flowers around it.

 More wild flowers, and a view of the bay and the big black rocks off the shore.  They were all inhabited by black cormorants, sea gulls and harbor seals (but those are for another post...)

 Yaquina Head Lighthouse.  They were doing tours, but the line was loooooong.

 A more distant view of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

 Cobble Beach and the big rocks.  Those black rocks in the foreground are delightfully smooth, and were created when lava flowed into the ocean and was instantly cooled, creating balls of lava that were then worn smooth by the waves.  It is one heck of a leg workout to walk across those!

 View in the other direction of Cobble Beach.

 Another view of Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Cobble Beach.

 A real live cave on the beach!  So cool!

 Yeesh, another shot of the lighthouse and beach.  Tons of drift wood, which is the only thing you're allowed to remove from the beach.

 Sploosh!  The tide was coming in, and I enjoyed watching the waves slam into the rocks.  This isn't a gentle coast, that's for sure.

I hope you enjoyed a little glance at a place from my childhood.  Though this coast is a little more rugged than some are used to, it's definitely worth a visit.  Other beaches in the area have sand, some have a combination of sand and lava rock, and at least one even features small sand dunes and agates (that would be Agate Beach).

Now for some helpful links:

First, some fun stuff from a couple bloggie pals:

DL Hammons of Cruising Altitude 2.0 is hosting WRiTE CLUB 2012, where writers duke it out to see who gets the most votes.  Check out the judges and consider participating.  Though it has already begun, you can still sign up to participate or vote.

Jamie Gibbs of Mithril Wisdom is having a 350 Followers Giveaway Extravaganza.  The prizes are a Moleskine Passions Book Journal and a Zombie Gone Potion Pendant.  

Now, some things I happened across that you may or may not sound interesting.  These are not things I have researched or used myself, at this time, so please be sure to research them on your own before jumping in:

Moshbag sounds interesting.  It's a platform for artists.  You can find a link to their blog for more information at the top of the page I've linked to.

Short Story America is having a contest.  1st prize is $1000.  Reading fee is $15.  Deadline is August 25.

Virtual Writers, Inc. takes essay submissions.  They don't pay, but will link to your websites/blogs/bios.  They also tout themselves as a place for writers to meet each other and get information, and they have a blog.  They seem to have prompts on the blog page, both word and picture.

Any helpful links you'd like to pass along?  This can include blog hops or contests you're running.  They will be passed along next Wednesday.  Ever been to the Oregon coast?  What did you think?

May you find your Muse.