Insecure Writer's Support Group

It's the first Wednesday of November, which means it's time for Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group, wherein we writerly folk talk about our insecurities.  This post will be in lieu of [Mostly] Wordless Wednesday for this week, but you can still find some links below, at the end of the post.

Boy, what am I insecure about?  Everything, really.  I'm afraid to let people I know read what I wrote, because I'm afraid they'll hate it, that I'll be judged harshly.  Sending it off to an editor is actually easier than having a friend or family member read it.  I've always been like that on everything, though.  Have to give a speech?  As long as my family and close friends won't be there, I can do it.  I guess it's a fear of failure more than anything.  I can fail in front of a stranger, and it won't mean an awful lot.  But to fail in front of those close to me is to have them know that I couldn't cut it, and there's no escaping that.  Ever.  They will hold that failure inside of them forever, and when I see them I will know that they know that I wasn't good enough.

One insecurity is probably good per month, right?  

This week's links:

Contests:

The Pikes Peak Branch Pen Women Flash Fiction Contest theme is now officially up on the website.  The new theme is "Hidden Amongst These Worlds."  $10 entry, cash prizes.

Bookus Publishing's Very Short Fiction Contest deadline has been extended to November 10.  No entry fee.  Cash prize and publication.  The theme is pregnancy and/or childhood.  Readers vote on the winners.

Bookus Publishing's Water Danger Humour Novella Competition is open through November 31.  $5 Canadian entry fee.  Cash prizes and publication.  Readers vote on the winners.

Open for Submissions:

Fowl Feathered Press is looking for poetry for their chapbooks. 

The Pedestal Magazine is taking poetry submissions through December 13.  Paying market.

Other/Of Interest:

The Alliance of Independent Authors put out an article on media kits for indie authors.  It has great information for what you need, indie author or otherwise, to get your name out there via the media.

Have you ever tried Meetup.com to see if there are writers groups or critique groups meeting near you?  It's a great resource!

Random House and Penguin have agreed to merge, as detailed in this article at Publisher's Weekly.

What are you insecure about?  Any links to share?  How do you feel about Penguin and Random House merging?  Is this good or bad for authors?

May you find your Muse.

Turning the Tables

So it is official: I will be leading a workshop on social media for writers in October for the Pikes Peak Branch of the National League of American Pen Women.  Gasp!  I sent in the title and description today, which will soon show up on the website, which means I cannot flee, nor can I duck out gracefully.  ACK!

I'm a pro at attending workshops, but this will be the first I've led.  I haven't had to give any sort of speech since Speech class in college (which, by the way, was right before I got pregnant with my daughter, so we're not talking decades or anything, but six years is long enough!  It's more than halfway to a decade...)

I'm hoping I still have my handy dandy Speech textbook downstairs.  I'm pretty sure I do, as I only sold one textbook back, one which I've regretted not keeping ever since.  I can assure you that $20, or whatever pittance I received, was definitely not worth selling it back for when I could have continued using it.

While I'm utterly terrified, at this point, I'm also quite excited.  I'm already creating the workshop in my head, and I'll enjoy putting together a slideshow and handouts, but it's the talking part that will be hard.  I can assure you that my face will be bright red the entire time, because that's how I roll.  Haha!  Okay, hopefully not.  I'm actually pretty comfortable with the topic, which should help a lot.  I won't have to script anything, and can just use my notes as a guideline so I don't get off topic.  I work better off-script.

The workshop will touch on Facebook, Twitter and blogging, though I'll mention other forms of social media (LinkedIn, Pinterest, Good Reads) so people are aware of what's out there.  It's been requested as a very basic introduction, including setup of the accounts, as well as protecting oneself while putting yourself out there publicly.

Really, I talk about this sort of thing on here, so I'll just be doing it out loud, without need for spell check.  Right?  RIGHT!?

Oh, hey, and speaking of workshops, I'll be attending one presented by Brandon and Bryan of A Beer for the Shower next week via Pikes Peak Writers!  Go figure, small world, and all that jazz.  It's on blogging, which I already do, sure, but I'm betting they'll have plenty interesting and enlightening to say about it.

Any tips from you pro's out there?  What other forms of social media do you think deserve a mention?  What do you think is the A#1 most important thing newbies should know about social media?

May you find your Muse.

Image by OCAL, clker.com

Giveaways & Flash Fiction Contest: Helpful Links

Before I get into the helpful links for today, don't forget the flash fiction contest I'm chairing! It is now open and accepting flash fiction pieces with the theme "Are You Devious at Heart?" This is micro-flash, 100 words or less, with a deadline of May 1, 2012. First prize is $100. For more information, click here.

Like giveaways? There's a big one at The Grinches Who Gave Away Christmas. This giveaway ends with December, so check it out right away!

Medeia Sharif is also hosting a giveaway. You must be a follower of her blog to enter, but believe me, it's no hardship to follow her blog!

Finally, Chuffed Buff Books is accepting submissions of flash fiction and short stories for an anthology. Submission information can be found here.

Any helpful links you want to pass along? Contests, giveaways, submission guidelines? If you post a link for something that will still be active next Thursday, I will re-post with credit to you.

May you find your Muse.

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday 11/30/11 & PPW Event

I've been wanting to post this little guy for awhile. He's an Asiatic Black Bear, and I think he's adorable.

These guys are sort of hidden at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, but it's fun to visit them. The Asiatic Black Bears climb trees in their habitat, and the zoo does enrichment where they send a snack down in a paper bag on a zipline, which is always fun to watch, because the bears love it. You can visit the bears at the zoo or HERE.

These guys are found in, gasp, Asia! They like honey, just like Pooh Bear. Some interesting bear facts (not just Asiatic): A male is called a boar, a female a sow, and a group of bears is called a sloth or sleuth, which otherwise have entirely different meanings, of course. More info on bears HERE.

I'm a bit behind on responding to comments and visiting, but will catch up this week.

Also, I wanted to let people know about an event for kids and teens at the Citadel Mall, here in Colorado Springs, put on by Pikes Peak Writers in partnership with other groups. There will be crafts and creative activities for smaller kids, Hunger Games activities for teens, and visits from Santa and The Fairy Godmother. More information can be found HERE.

Lastly, I will be posting about a Flash Fiction Contest within the next couple days (Monday, at the latest). Keep an eye out! I'm excited to be helming this project for the Pikes Peak Branch of the National League of American Pen Women. The contest will be open to non-members, male and female alike, which is my favorite part! I'm not a fan of excluding any gender from events.

Any fun activities in your neck of the woods? Ever seen an Asiatic Black Bear? Aren't they the cutest?

May you find your Muse.

Grant Available, Pen Women Tea & WriteOnCon + MS Contest

Thank you for the anniversary wishes last week!

I've mentioned before that I'm a member of the Pikes Peak Branch of the National League of American Pen Women. Well, I have a bit of news to pass on:

The PPB of the NLAPW is offering a grant in the form of the Denise Pomeraning Memorial Enrichment Grant. It is open to Southern Colorado women, aged eighteen and above, who are pursuing professional growth in writing, arts, photography or musical composition. You may mail or email your application, but it must be received by no later than September 30, 2011, with recipients announced by October 31, 2011. You can find more information on theOutreach page of the PPB NLAPW website: www.ppb-nlapw.org.

Also, there is a tea on August 20th at the Blue Sage Cafe on Centennial, from 2-4pm, here in Colorado Springs. This tea is held for the purpose of introducing interested parties to the women of the branch. You can find this on the Calendar page of the PPB NLAPW website.

I realize these are very specific to Southern Colorado women, so wanted to post about the WriteOnCon occurring online this week. It's a writer's conference held completely online, entirely free! Go here (www.writeoncon.com) for more information or to register.

There is a manuscript contest being run by WriteOnCon.com and TheReadingRoom.com that goes hand in hand with the WriteOnCon. Click here for more information on that.

Will I run into any of you at the WriteOnCon? Ever attended an online conference? Let us know your thoughts!

May you find your Muse.