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Write 6

Published on May 22, 2014 by Jean M. Cogdell3 Comments

Join in the fun and celebration with Six-Word Memoir for Memorial Day this week

Hop over and submit six words this week.

Here is mine.

Cracked picture, missed memories, still loved.

Have you practiced today?

Published on May 22, 2014May 22, 2014 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

Thanks to Lillie McFerrin for reminding me to practice, practice, practice. Sometimes I get so busy with my WIP, and life in general, that I forget how important it is to practice my writing.

Five Sentence Fiction is a great place to do just that. So again, a big thank you to Lillie.

If you are looking for a place to work on your skills check out FSF.

Below is my Five Sentence contribution this week. Enjoy.

Let me know how you practice. Do you have a favorite site or routine? Leave a comment and the link. Thanks.

What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week I will post a one word inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word.

The word does not have to appear in your five sentences, just use it for direction.

This week: ANCHOR

All week people came to attend the celebrations.

They honored her with words like groundbreaking, innovative and pioneer.

She accepted their admiration; after all, she’d worked long hours to arrive at this pinnacle in life.

She’d dodged bullets, survived mergers and interviewed presidents.

As she listened to her well-meaning friends, she grew weary from the weight of her accomplishments, and now she just wanted to go home.

How to make your characters come alive

Published on May 15, 2014 by Jean M. Cogdell

This is a great article, and for me came at the perfect time. Enjoy!

onewildword

In his video “Make Your Characters Come Alive,” author James Scott Bell discusses the wisdom of mixing “plot” and “character.”

He says:

Plot without character bonding = action without engagement

Character without plot = overstaying a welcome

Bells also advises that plot needs to be about death. Physical death, professional death or psychological death. This applies even to comedy. Death is what raises the stakes. It can be death of a career, a job, a reputation, or the death of a way of being.

True character, he says, is revealed only in crisis—where death is on the line.

For more on Bell’s thoughts about creating characters that come alive watch his 8-minute video here:

For more tips on plot, read my earlier post, “Plotting a story is like solving a puzzle.”

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Submit your story

Published on May 5, 2014May 6, 2014 by Jean M. Cogdell2 Comments

Dust off your keyboard and submit all those great stories you slaved over all winter long.

This is May and it is National Short Story Month and the opportunities abound.

Let me know about any contests I’ve missed. There must be a zillion more out there.

Who are you submitting to? Leave me a comment and add your favorite to the list.

Get ready!

Get set!

Select and…

Good Luck!

Publications Accepting Submissions:

Six Words Stories
Don’t Do It Ezine
NANO short story 31 writing prompts
Storm Cellar Quarterly Accepts submissions year round.

Contests Open for Submissions:

Glimmer Train: 1st: $1,500 May 31, 2014 deadline
NANO: contest The sixth-annual NANO Prize $500, 300 words max, Deadline: September 1, 2014
DECISIONS, DECISIONS This contest offers free critiques.
53 Press:
Writing Maps Journal: See website for details.
Writers Village: The top 50 contestants, whether they win a cash prize or not, will also gain a brief personal critique of their stories.
Short Story Competition: Cash prize Closing date: 31 July 2014
Narrative Magazine: Cash prize Deadline June 15.
Flavor Wire: Cash Prize.
HHA short story: See website for more details.
Jotters United Deadline May 31, 2014 See website for details.
Poetry: Poetry Anthology –Submissions open until June 30, 2014
TIFERET Writing Contest $1200 in prizes, $15 fee per entry, June 1, 2014 is the Deadline.
Flash Fiction: Blue Earth Review Flash Fiction Contest Deadline August 1, 2014, $500 1^st place, 2nd-$250, 3rd-$100. Winners will be published in Fall issue. Other admirable submissions may be published. $2 fee Submit here https://blueearthreview.submittable.com/submit/24696
Crazy Horse Deadline July 31, 2014 $1000 prize, All entries will be considered by our editors for publication, and the $15 entry fee includes a one-year subscription