Week #174

Bill had never ridden a horse before, but today was turning out to be a day of many firsts.

Week #173

I noticed she had her mother's eyes, but they were not as cold.

Quote

“When I was five years old my mother told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment. I told them they didn’t understand life.”

~ John Lennon

This Little Writer Went to the Market...

If you are looking for places to submit your fiction to here are a few of my favourite sources:

New Pages (note: I am experiencing a blogger glitch and can't get the link to New Pages to work so go to: www.newpages.com)

New Pages has a great, "Call for Submissions" page that is regularly updated. There is also plenty of info on the site about literary magazines, contests, conferences and publishers.

Duodrope.com

Prepare to be overwhelmed. With 4,153 markets for fiction writers and poets, you are sure to find a home for your disco-inspired vampire love story set in outer space.

Places for Writers

A Canadian site with calls for submissions. Not as big as the previous two but I've been a huge fan of this site for years now. And I'm not just saying that, eh.

The Practicing Writer e-newsletter

Do yourself a favour and click on over to Erika Dreifus' website and sign up for her free monthly e-newsletter, The Practicing Writer. It is chock-a-block with great info on contests (with no fees!) and calls for submissions (to paying markets!). It is also filled with interesting goodies about the craft and business of writing. I look forward to reading it every month. And a bit of insider information here: I found the publisher for my novel, The Last River Child through Erika's newsletter. No lie!

Remember to read all submission guidelines and observe them. Good luck and let me know when you get that sweet acceptance letter so I can congratulate you!

Dialogue Exercise

Use this as the first line, last line or any line in between of a short story:

"You never would have done that when we were married."

World Happy Day

Did you know that February 11th is World Happy Day? It was news to me so I thought I would pass it along. Learn more here.

I thought this was a great opportunity to give some thought to what makes you happy. Too often we fill our days with endless 'to do' lists. I suggest making a list of the small things that bring you joy and then see what happens if you skip a few items on your 'to do' list and instead do something from your what makes you happy list.

If we all make a commitment to do that, think how we might change the world.

Be happy!

Quote

"People say that what we are seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think this is what we're really seeking. I think what we're seeking is an experience of being alive."

~ Joseph Campbell

Dialogue Exercise

Use this line of dialogue in a short story. It can be your first line, last line or any line in between!

"If you can guess my middle name I'll let you buy me a drink."