Miscellaneous Monday

Does it feel or look like spring in your neighborhood? I hope you've had at least a glimpse of sunshine and warmth so far. To celebrate spring, I thought I would share a few links - perhaps they'll spark a little creativity. :)

In the mood for a contest? Check out the Writer's Digest 85th Annual Competition. Grand Prize is $5000, among other goodies, and the twelve categories include inspirational, magazine articles, poetry, children/young adult, and more. Entry deadline is May 6. Check out the details here.

Many of you know that I took courses from The Institute of Children's Literature years ago. Despite my initial hesitation, (I'd found their brochure at the grocery store.) the classes were excellent. They covered the writing and submission process from A to Z, in a professional and friendly manner. ICL combines top notch instruction with quality materials. I'd highly recommend them to anyone considering writing for children.

The Institute of Children's Literature has a sister school, the Long Ridge Writer's Group, that features writing classes for adult fiction and non fiction. While I haven't had personal experience with Long Ridge, I've heard good things and suspect they maintain similar standards as ICL. I've seriously considered taking classes there as well.

Even if you aren't interested in taking classes, both schools offer help for writers on their Rx for Writers page. You don't have to be a student to subscribe to their newsletter, which offers articles with tips, advice, and success stories for all writers.

Has spring weather hijacked your creativity? Jennifer Brown Banks offers advice on how to get back on track with Has Your Muse Become a Recluse...?

Fiction writers - having trouble nailing the conclusion to your story? Author Jerry Jenkins shares his thoughts in Secrets to Writing a Captivating Ending.

Are you a fan of uncommon vocabulary? Jean Fischer of Something to Write Home About invites us to guess the meanings of 26 interesting words in Quiz: Can You Guess the Meaning of These Unusual Words?

What are you working on this week? Are you enjoying spring weather?

Happy writing,

Karen


Photo credit: Free Images

Writing Resources

I often get questions about how to get into freelance or other writing, so thought I'd share some of my favorite writing resources. There are so many great sites, blogs, newsletters, classes, and other treasures available for all genres.

Here's a small sampling.

Funds for Writers is the brainchild of Hope Clark, and features newsletters, books, markets, contests, and grants for writers. FFW has been voted as one of Writer's Digest 101 Best Web Sites for Writers since 2001.

Writing for Dollars  is another stop chock full of articles, markets, books, a newsletter, and even a daily cartoon.

Long Ridge Writer's Group offers courses for writers, articles, chat rooms, forums, and helpful links.

LRWG is the sister school of The Institute of Children's Literature, where I took several courses (which were excellent, btw). ICL's site also has great links, chat rooms, markets, a bookstore, contests, and more.

Writing, Etc., where Beth Ann Erickson is in charge, has articles, e-courses, books, advice, and a newsletter.

Writer's Digest not only has a great magazine, their website boasts articles, tips and info, courses, and a weekly newsletter.

Coffeehouse for Writers offers t-shirts, mugs, and other gifts for writers, as well as online courses, critique groups, newsletters, links, and a blog.

This list barely scratches the surface of the resources at our fingertips, but perhaps a link or two will inspire or help on your writing journey. You know me, I'll share more links in the future. :)

What are some of your favorite writing resources or tips? What advice would you give to someone just jumping into this writing life?

Have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings,
Karen

Blurbing for Structure

What exactly does Blurbing for Structure mean? I wasn't sure, but I was curious when I saw the article title in the Long Ridge Writers Group's enewsletter recently. Long Ridge Writing Instructor and author Mary Rosenblum is kind enough to explain what she means by this phrase. Ms. Rosenblum shares how to remedy issues with story lines by using a blurb to identify exactly what the plot is and where it is headed.




She starts out by explaining how this is a helpful tool for novice writers, but I think that she outlines a good method for all writers, novice or not. She compares blurbing to the description on the back cover of a book - the interesting, yet brief summary of the story. I liked her suggestions and think that they will be useful for all types of writing. Check it out, I'd like to hear what you think. What structure will you be blurbing today?



Happy Writing!


P.S. Last call for the Fields of Grace book giveaway. It ends tonight, so if you'd like to participate, click here for details.