Where can you submit your writing for free?

Published on November 8, 2017November 8, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell25 Comments

How about 30 plus places to submit your writing?

And they pay you!

Some of my scariest and most rewarding experiences as a writer happened when I stepped out of the shadows and submitted a story. Nothing beats reading, “We would like to feature your submission.”

Scary, yes, because I felt as though I were sending a piece of my soul out into the big bad world to be judged. Rewarding because acceptance is what I dream of as a writer.

Thanks to Erica Verrillo for providing us with this great list of publications looking for good writers. This month you can submit your favorite piece and get paid.

November is just getting started, so pull out that story from your slush pile, polish it till it gleams like a newly minted penny and hit send.

There is still time!

34 Calls for Submissions in November 2017 — Paying markets

I recognize a few on her list but many are new to me. There’s poetry, fiction, speculative fiction, essays and more.

Another great list is provided by Rachel Poli. Unfortunately, not all are free to submit but there are payment and prizes. So check out her post…

November/December 2017 Writing Contests

Do you find submitting scary and rewarding as I do?

What do you think?

Any of these publications look good to you?

Have you had any success with either of these organizations?

Do share your thoughts and experience in the comments.

And take a minute to follow me on social media, just click on the buttons below. I’ll leave a light on.

Get the dash right when you write

Published on November 3, 2017November 2, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell9 Comments

Not talking Morse Code.

Does the Hyphen, EN Dash, and EM Dash ever confuse you?

They have me. Thank goodness for editors who know the difference.

I wonder if I’ll ever remember everything I need to know about punctuation. Seems the more I read the more I need to read. Something like that. Joel Friedlander posted a great article about using dashes instead of commas and how we can get the placement mixed up.

What I learned about the right way to use these punctuations…

That the dash is not based on the font size.
The difference between a Hyphen, EN, and EM.
- Hyphen is shortest
- EN is shorter than EM
- EM is the longest
The three are not interchangeable.
An editors shorthand for where to put them.
And the short-cut keystrokes to insert them.
Short-cut keystrokes are a quick way to insert special characters. Of course, you can always click on the Special Characters menu but I’m a big lover of shortcut keys when writing in Scrivener or MSWord.
For blogs click on the Special Character in the WordPress Visual Editor.

This screen pops up and you can select whichever character you need.

The Hyphen key is easy. It’s on our keyboard.
The EN Dash shortcut for Scrivener or MSWord is Ctrl+Minus. Looks a bit like a hyphen and is used to connect a range, for dates or pages. Often found in indexes.
The EM Dash shortcut for Scrivener or MSWord is Ctrl+Alt+Minus. The EM dash is for a pause or parenthesis with somewhat more emphasis than a comma and somewhat less than what parentheses imply.
- The Punctuation Guide states, “Most newspapers — and all that follow AP style — insert a space before and after the em dash.”
- However, this may not be practical for fiction as it may result in a formatting nightmare—resulting in a line break where you may not want one.

To learn more, click and read Joel’s entire post.

Hyphens, Em Dashes, En Dashes—Everything You Need to Know BY JOEL FRIEDLANDER

Keep reading more info here.

How to insert special characters in WordPress.

Did any of this help clear up things for you?

Do you use EN or EM dash in your writing?

What do you think?

I really want to know so leave me a comment and talk dashes.

Also, if you can please stop by my other locations and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

OR CLICK THE “WRITE ME” TAB AND SEND ME AN EMAIL.

Looking for new inspiration for your muse?

Published on September 22, 2017September 22, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

Well, how about 50 new ideas?

If you’ve read many of my blogs, you’ll know I love prompts. My muse gets as excited as I do over a good prompt.

Jump for joy — Image courtesy of Pixabay

And finding new, different and interesting prompts gets my muse excited. So without further ado.

Check out…

50 Mystery Plot Ideas and Writing Prompts! by Bryn Donovan

Did you find one that made you think?

Prompts #4, #29, #42 and #45 just went in my story idea file.

Now you, which one did you add to your idea file?

Okay, now leave me a comment, then I hope you’ll head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can also follow me on StumbleUpon, on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

How to add a friends quirks to your character

Published on September 20, 2017September 19, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

We all have them, those irritating, funny, or lovable people who make our lives complete.

Without an aggravating co-worker, who would we bitch about?

What would our BBQ be without the life of the party friend?

Pink Panther - Life of the party

Or how about that loving friend who embraces all of our warts, and keeps us sane? Gotta have a best friend character, right?

Roz Morris refers to these everyday characters as “plot zombies.” No, not the flesh-eating kind. But people who add spice and zing to the story. Adding ‘equilibrium of irritation’ to the plot might be just what you’re searching for.

She uses an old sitcom Sienfield to show examples in the extreme. Although, I beg to differ. Because I’ve met a few of these extreme characters in real life. Which goes right to her point.

Roz explains, that time moves on and we deal with the quirks of people in our world because that’s life. “Art imitates life.” Oscar Wilde. But I contend, life also imitates art, especially in fiction.

I love her example and it really got me to thinking how I need to add a little ‘equilibrium of irritation’ to my WIP. So, now which of my characters needs spice? Hmm…

Watch and see what Roz is talking about…

Did anyone look familiar? Maybe, an aunt, nutty uncle or coworker?

Do you think there is room in your story for a little ‘equilibrium of irritation’?

Have you applied a real person quirks to a character?

Or maybe you have a favorite sit-com that inspires you. Do tell.

Click and read all about…

Fictional characters – a lesson from Seinfeld from Roz Morris at Nail Your Novel

After leaving a comment, I hope you’ll head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can also follow me on StumbleUpon, on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.