Kick the COVID slump – winter writing contests abound

(Updated January 14 to show dates of Writers' League of Texas Manuscript Contest, possible updates to WRiTE CLUB contest)

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I did a lot of posting in 2020 about writing contests that go marching on despite pandemic quarantines. If 2021 looks like a lot of the same, the good news is still that contests aren’t dependent on masks, social distancing, or vaccines. A click of a keyboard can still send them on distant journeys without fear of contagion. Read on for some ways to stretch our writing skills!

Now - April 30: Writers League of Texas Manuscript Contest is now open. Writers don't need to live in Texas to enter in multiple fiction and nonfiction genres. We don't even need a completed manuscript -- only the first 10 pages and a synopsis that describes the rest of the planned book. Winners receive free registration to the conference (now scheduled for September 17-19) in Austin, Texas, plus one-on-one critiques (in person or by phone call) from a top literary agent in each category. Fee: $55 for WLT members, $65 for nonmembers (includes written critique) or $25 for WLT members, $35 for nonmembers who prefer not to receive a critique. See the site for details.

January 15 -29: #10Queries, not exactly a writing contest but a chance to find out if our queries and first five pages have what it takes to hook an editor’s/agent’s/reader’s attention. Writers submit their names in a random drawing via Rafflecopter. If selected, their query and first pages will be randomly assigned to an editor who will tweet comments using the Twitter hashtag #10Queries. Writers must have a compete query letter and first five pages of their manuscript to enter but will not submit these unless their name is drawn. Free. See the Revise & Resub site for details.

Now – January 31: The Masters Review Winter Short Story Award for New Writers contest for fiction up to 6,000 words. $20 entry fee, celebrity judge, cash prizes and potential for publication and agency reviews. See the site The Masters Review | Submissions for details.

Now – January 31: The early pricing deadline ($25) for Book Pipeline’s Book Pipeline Unpublished Contest.  Cash prizes and distribution to selected agents and publishers for unpublished manuscripts in nonfiction and multiple fiction genres. 

Now – February 26: Crime Writers’ Association competition for unpublished writers. No completed novel needed to enter, but writers must be able to send their first 3,000 words and a 1,500-word synopsis. Cash prize for winner. Entry fee: £36, payable through PayPal, which will be happy to convert your currency. See site  for details for this and the following:

Now – February 26: Also from CWA, the Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition. Submissions limited to 3,600 words and must pay homage to the Golden Age author’s definition of a mystery, “The Mystery remains box-shaped, at once a prison and a refuge. Its four walls are, roughly, a Crime, a Mystery, an Enquiry and a Conclusion with an Element of Satisfaction in it.” Cash prize plus perks for winner. Fee: £12. See the site for details.

Now – April 1: Early bird deadline for entry in Writer’s Digest 2021 Self-Published Book Awards. $99 for first entry, $85 for each additional entry.  See the Writer’s Digest WD Competitions - Writer's Digest site for details.

Now – May 7: Early bird pricing deadline for entry in Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition. $20 for first poetry entry, $15 for each additional poetry entry. $30 for first prose entry, $25 for each additional prose entry in multiple categories. See the Writer’s Digest site  (WD Competitions - Writer's Digest for details.  

Although DL Hammons has said his WRiTE CLUB readers’ choice contest is still on for 2021, he hasn’t announced dates yet. This may be due to the contest’s association with the DFW Writers Workshop conference. I learned at the January 13 evening meeting of the DFWWW that the conference is now schedule for October 22-24 as an in-person event. I'm waiting to hear back from Hammons about how this affects the dates of his contest. 

In the meantime, of course we still want more contests! Check out the listings on Ralan.com, Kotobee, Erica Verrillo’s Publishing. . . and Other Forms of Insanity blog , and Reedsy.

2020 countdown – readers’ favorite posts, day 4

 Continuing the countdown of top posts for 2020, here’s: 

Never write alone – there’s a critique group for that! 

Has anybody else ever been in this situation? I found an adorable premise for a story – actually, stole it, but that’s a tale for later – only to have critique partners shoot it down. And thank dog they did! 

It seemed so lovely. My fingers flew over the keyboard until the workshop members at the Writers Guild of Texas said, in the politest possible way, really? Would anybody in the character’s situation think like that? Part of the problem, I realized, was that the style wasn’t a good fit for me. The rest of the problem was that my eyes willingly overlooked whatever I didn’t want to see. Hello, rewrite. And a much happier me with the resulting version. 

But what would have happened without those other sets of eyes on my story? And how can a writer find those other eyes and voices in a time when writing workshops probably aren’t included in our states’ list of “essential” activities? 

If there’s a bright side to a global pandemic, it’s the plethora of online activities it’s given rise to. Once, writers in places without in-person workshops were isolated from their peers. Now those peers are little more than a click away. 

I live in North Texas, home to WORD (Writing Organizations ’Round Dallas) whose site includes a map of member groups, including those with critique and discussion groups. You’ll need to contact groups that catch your attention, because not all websites have been updated to show which offer online activities. But for those that do, distance is no problem. 

I’ve even joined another critique group since first writing this post, at the DFW Writers Workshop. 

Image: Pixabay

Or maybe you’ve decided your writing skills could use a brush up during this time of sheltering at home, but cost, distance, or safety prohibit in-person classes. Hello, internet again. Besides WORD’s interactive map, check out the likes of Writing Workshops Dallas, a brainchild of multi-published short story author Blake Kimzey, for its online offerings. And don’t overlook the Writers’ League of Texas for ongoing, online classes. 

Yes, I am partial to Texas events, but again, with the internet, residence is not an issue. Writer’s Digest, for instance, offers its own school of online courses, as does The Write Life (which also helps with finding critique partners). There are also many other online courses listings that I haven’t had an opportunity to vet but would welcome reader feedback on.

WLT’s unconference – agents in their living rooms!

The program notes for the Writers’ League of Texas virtual “unconference” last weekend proclaimed, “it wouldn’t be an unconference without an agent or two.” WLT’s executive director, Becka Oliver, cornered two, Jennie Dunham of Dunham Literary, Inc., and Kirby Kim of Janklow & Nesbit Associates to ask what they do and what they hope to see from authors.

First, both agents want to see manuscripts that are as polished as possible, while still hoping writers will realize their “well-polished” is probably still several drafts away from what an editor at a publishing house will want.

“When I go out on submissions,” Dunham said, “I’m thinking about what an editor would like to see – which isn’t necessarily what the writer sees.”

clockwise, top left: Oliver, Dunham, Kim

Kim agreed. “Editors need to have it at a more camera-ready point.”

This doesn’t mean it’s her job as an agent to fix a manuscript, but “it’s important for (agent and writer) to be on the same page. . . sometimes that means asking the right questions” of an author.

Kim agreed that helping authors shape their pages was one of his goals. “I rarely take on a project that I don’t see couldn’t use some more work.”

However, he was adamant that “some work” has its limits, aiming to “get it to submission (with an editor) within four drafts, just because I have finite resources of time. . . A lot of times we sign on promise – on potential – but may get to a place where I just can’t finish.”

Because agents work on commission – they don’t get paid until a writer does -- a rejection may not mean a manuscript doesn’t have great stuff in it, as Kim noted, but only that he (and probably other agents) will pass if they can’t expect to get it ready for submission to a publisher within a financially-viable time frame.

Dunham noted, “Rejection doesn’t mean it’s not well-written. It just means I’m not the right agent for it. I have a saying, if I’m on the fence (about a manuscript) the answer is no.”

So, Oliver asked, when does an agent know when the answer is no? How far does he or she need to read?

“I read until I know the answer,” Dunham said. “Sometimes it’s the first paragraph and sometimes it’s halfway through the book.”

Her answer may reflect the more literary nature of her agency’s tastes, compared to Kim’s more commercial ones (although his page at Janklow & Nesbit indicates that he’s most interested in manuscripts that straddle the upmarket/commercial fence).

Writers should note that Dunham’s agency only requires a query letter and the first five pages of a fiction manuscript for initial submissions. Agents may request additional pages later, although Dunham cautions that if she provides authors with extensive notes, she expects resubmissions to be exclusive to her – within a definite time period.

Kim's agency requires a cover letter plus a synopsis and a manuscript’s first 10 pages, so most of his rejections take place within that limit. “The first line and first paragraph are really big signals for me.”

When he requests additional pages, “I like to ask for the same amount (from each author) because it gives me a sense of the pacing.”

Given how many submissions each agency receives (36,000 per year, Dunham notes for her own), does a nonresponse mean a rejection, Oliver asked.

Kim noted that his agency says yes, nonresponse is a rejection “but it’s OK to check back in a month” just in case he’s behind on his emails.

Dunham’s agency website doesn’t specify that nonresponse means rejection, but she noted that the volume of submissions means it isn’t always practical to send rejection letters for each submission. She will respond if an author has received another offer of representation, in case she needs to clear time to read their submission to Dunham Literary.

Since the guided discussion dealt almost exclusively with novel manuscripts, viewers also had questions about nonfiction and short story collection submissions.

Although both agents “theoretically” (in Dunham’s words) will represent short story collections, they admitted these are a tough sell to publishers.

Note that, except for memoirs, nonfiction submissions typically require a proposal and sample chapters rather than a completed manuscript. And Kim stated, “For nonfiction, I rarely sign from the slush,” preferring to reach out to writers for specific projects.

How about the importance of social media for writers, viewers asked.

“Go on social media to be a part of a discussion, boosting other things or replying to others. It’s not necessary to be on all (media platforms). Make it make sense for who you are as a writer.”

“For me,” Kim said, “for fiction, social media is not determinative but for nonfiction it is. It’s also something that publishers will want to scrutinize.”

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I’ll post further on why well-known writers actually want to write – and the tools at their disposal to do it. First though – a few words from the sponsor of this blog: me. I’m a fairly well- published author of short stories who has been dismayed to see many of them go out of print. To remedy this, I’m bringing my scattered, already-published stories together at a single site, Wattpad. Currently, you’ll see four of my stories at my page, somewhat refurbished and with new artwork. I’ll be moving another dozen or so as time permits. And if you also write at Wattpad, let me know so I can read and follow you!

Never write alone – there’s a critique group for that!

Has anybody else ever been in this situation? I found an adorable premise for a story – actually, stole it, but that’s a tale for later – only to have critique partners shoot it down. 

It seemed so lovely. My fingers flew over the keyboard until the workshop members at the Writers Guild of Texas said, in the politest possible way, really? Would anybody in the character’s situation think like that? Part of the problem, I realized, was that the style wasn’t a good fit for me. The rest of the problem was that my eyes willingly overlooked whatever I didn’t want to see. Hello, rewrite. And a much happier me with the resulting version.

But what would have happened without those other sets of eyes on my story? And how can a writer find those other eyes and voices in a time when writing workshops probably aren’t included in our states’ list of “essential” activities?

Image: truthseekers08 from Pixabay

If there’s a bright side to a global pandemic, it’s the plethora of online activities it’s given rise to.  Once, writers in places without in-person workshops were isolated from their peers. Now those peers are little more than a click away.

I live in North Texas, home to WORD (Writing Organizations ’Round Dallas) whose site includes a map of member groups, including those with critique and discussion groups. You’ll need to contact groups that catch your attention, because not all websites have been updated to show which offer online activities. But for those that do, distance is no problem.

Or check out resources at The Write Life for finding critique partners. I’ll also put in a promo for WRiTE CLUB, run by one of my critique partners. Pitch in to critique writing samples for the contest currently underway, then peruse the other readers offering critiques for potentially congenial souls to work with.

Or, maybe you’ve decided your writing skills could use a brush up during this time of sheltering at home, but cost, distance, or safety prohibit in-person classes. Hello, internet again. Besides WORD’s interactive map, check out the likes of Writing Workshops Dallas, from multi-published short story author Blake Kimzey, for its online offerings.

And don’t overlook the Writers’ League of Texas for even more online classes. (The Writers’ League still lists its annual Agents and Editors Conference in Austin, Texas, as ongoing, but I keep checking the site for updates.)

Yes, I am partial to Texas events, but again, with the internet, residence is not an issue. Writer’s Digest, for instance, offers its own school of online courses. There are also many other online courses listings that I haven’t had an opportunity to vet but would welcome reader feedback on.

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And after writing, polishing skills, and getting feedback, how about adding contests to those to-do lists? A friend reminded me of a venue that doesn’t usually come to mind when I think of contests – the Dallas Museum of Art’s Arts & Letters Live program. It’s currently requesting submissions for its 2021 Texas Bound series of short fiction to be read aloud. Entries must either be from authors who have lived in Texas or have a Texas character, setting, subject, or theme. See the site for details. DMA encourages entries by June 15 but will accept them throughout the summer. Authors whose pieces are chosen will receive $150 plus two complimentary tickets to the reading. No entry fee.

The indefatigable Arthur Klepchukov also offers his seasonal contest list – Fiction Writing Contests Worth Your Time in Summer 2020.

Blogger Erica Verillo’s Publishing . . . and Other Forms of Insanity posts about 48 absolutely free writing contests for June. And as always, check Ralan.com and Reedsy for more, more more contests!

Have a great, productive, and safe summer, writers!

Writing while marooned on a desert island

It seems as if the pandemic quarantines have marooned each of us on our tiny islands, far from shore and friends. But writers are luckier than most—we can write anywhere! Give us a computer, paper and pencil, a stretch of sand and a stick, and we’re good. But we’d be even better if we could share that writing with others, get some recognition, maybe even cash. (Hey, coconuts aren’t free!) 

And though I’m picking my way carefully through the Texas-centric coconuts that have dropped, cancelled by COV-19, there’s still a lot of online fruit, conventions, contests, even parties, to keep us busy through the summer. 

Conferences. I’m treading warily here. Some favorites, including the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, have already been cancelled, but others are still open—or have gone online:

May 2-3: The Austin SCBWI 2020 Writers &Illustrators conference on children’s books goes online with breakout sessions for writing, professional development and illustrations, critiques, pitches and more. Nonmember prices from $110-$200. See the site for details.

Julius Silver from Pixabay

June 26-28: 2020 Agents & Editors Conference of the Writers League of Texas is still up and running, at the Hyatt Regency Austin, 208 Barton Springs, in downtown Austin, Texas. Panels and workshops, networking, plus one-on-one conferences with agents for writers with finished manuscripts. Registration: $529 nonmembers, $469 members. See the site for details.

August 7-9: ArmadilloCon may be the best little conference for writers of science fiction, fantasy and horror. At the Omni Southpark Austin. Its writers’ workshop covers a wide range of topics, with small group, instructor-led breakout sessions to exchange critiques. Workshop participants must present a writing sample of speculative fiction. Cost is $95, which includes membership for the entire conference. The due date for submissions is still to be determined as of this writing, but from past experience will probably be mid-June. Write like the wind!

Contests:

May 4 – June 13: DL Hammons’ WRiTE CLUB runs on schedule, despite the cancellation of its sponsoring DFWCon conference. As one of this year’s slushpile readers, I’m scrambling to submit my top 30 picks from the scores submitted by this year’s contestants before the bouts begin in this readers’ choice contest. Writers are pitted anonymously each week, hoping for enough votes from readers to advance to the next week’s round. Leave a brief critique for the contestants and you, too, may be eligible for prizes.

May 4: Early bird deadline for the annual writing competition of Writer’s Digest. The competition's nine categories offers chances for cash prizes, interviews and a paid trip to the Digest’s 2021 conference in New York City. Early bird entry fees: $15 per poetry entry, $25 per manuscript entry. See the site for details.

May 15: Dallas-based Carve Magazine’s annual Raymond Carver Short Story Contest offers chances for publication across five writing formats. Cash prizes and publication of prizewinners in the magazine’s October issue. Up to 10,000 words. Entry fee: $17 (online), $15 by mail. See the site for details.

May 31: The Masters Review Flash Fiction offers a $3,000 cash prize for the best story under 1,000 words, plus additional cash prizes for second and third-place winners. Prolific author Sherrie Flick will select the finalists. Entry fee is $20 (allows for two story entries), and all stories are considered for publication. See the site for details and submission portal.

June 4: #PitMad is the Twitter party where writers tweet a pitch for their completed, polished, unpublished manuscripts to agents and editors. 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. EDT. Free. See the site for details. 

July 31: The theme of the 2020 Ageless Authors contest is “Coping with Crisis.” Cash prizes available in categories of creative nonfiction (essay), short story, and poetry. But take care—writers must be at least 50 years old to qualify! Entry fee is $20 per prose or poetry entry. See the site for details and submission guidelines.

July 31: Christopher Fielden’s to Hull & Back contest for any style of fiction—with humor! (This item from Ralan.com caught my eye after I read some of the amazing humor submissions from the WRiTE CLUB slushpile.) See Ralan’s contest page for details, entry fees and prizes.

Weather frightful? Online classes & contests still delightful!

‘Tis the season – for ice, snow and crazy holiday traffic. Never mind, there’s plenty for writers to do during these wintry days. Instead of fighting the weather, try a sampling of contests – not to mention craft-sharpening online classes. (And wouldn’t they make great gifts for the fellow writers on your ‘nice’ list. . . )

I’ll start with contests, because they’re coming up as fast as blizzards on the prairie.

From Writer Unboxed blogger Arthur Klepchukov, check out the winter 2018 version of “Fiction Writing Contests Worth Your Time.” (Worried that 2018’s fast coming up in the rearview mirror? Klepchukov kindly includes contests through February 28, 2019.)

Yes, I’m behind on some of these (see my December 8 post for excuses), but these are currently open: Nowhere – Fall 2018 Travel Writing Contest, with a December 31, 2018, deadline. Fee: $20, cash prize and publication. International writers welcome! See the site for details.

Before Columbus Foundation – American Book Awards. No cash, but a chance to support a noble, inclusive cause. No fee, but you’ll have to submit two copies of the book to the foundation by December 31, so make tracks for the post office! See the site for details.

Boulevard – Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers, $16 entry fee, cash prize and publication in a prestigious journal. (And did I mention it’s emerging writer-friendly?)

And – final on Klepchukov’s list for December 31 – River Styx – 2019 Microfiction Contest. Entry fee: $10-$20, publication and cash awards.

mage: pixabay

Want more? Keep reading down Klepchukov’s list for January and February! Or take a look at these listings from New Pages including:   Tartt First Fiction Award for writers who have not yet published a full story collection. Deadline: December 31, 2018. Entry fee: $20. See the site for details.

StoryQuarterly Nonfiction Contest, with a January 12, 2019, deadline. Cash prize and publication. See the site for entry fee.

2019 Colorado Prize for Poetry, for book-length collections of poems. Cash and book publication. Reading fee $25 (plus $3 for online submissions). Due date: January 14, 2019.

Also from New Pages – Rattle Chapbook Prize, Palette Poetry Spotlight Award, Kenyon Review Inaugural Short Nonfiction Contest, and more. See the New Pages site for details.

Oh, you say, you’re more of a genre writer? Check out the contest listings at Ralan.com for horror, science fiction, fantasy and mystery.

Or the previously mentioned, but still open manuscript and book contests from the Writers’League of Texas for works in a variety of genres. There’s a January 31, 2019, deadline for the manuscript contest, which doesn’t even require a completed manuscript, only the first 10 (or so) pages plus a synopsis, and offers a chance to win entry to the League’s 2019 Agents and Editors Conference. Entry fee for the manuscript contest is $55 for WLT members, $65 for nonmembers (includes written critique). Or opt to skip the critique and pay only $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers. WLT’s book contest (for books published in 2018) closes February 28, 2019. See the site for rules for both book and manuscript contests.

And, sharpen your writing skills with online classes and seminars at the likes of the Writers’ League of Texas  (no state residency required!) and Writing Workshops Dallas.

You can attend in-person classes at both the WLT and Writing Workshops Dallas, but check out Writer Workshops Dallas’s array of 8-week long online classes beginning January 14, 2019, in personal essays, crime/suspense writing, kidlit and more at $495 for new students, $470 for returning students. (Writing Workshops Dallas also offers gift certificates, hint, hint.)

Not ready for an eight-week commitment? Try the WLT’s lineup of one-day (usually three-hour long) online classes for $49 for members/ $109 for nonmembers. And check out the limited time offer, four-class packages for $160!

The clock is ticking on these literary events!

Tick, tick, tick. . . Some wonderful literary events are at hand, but like Cinderella’s carriage, they have a limited time span.

image: pixabay

Events like today’s literary deal for readers in my own part of North Texas: four local authors gathered to discuss a subject dear to my heart, “Building Your Writing Community: How to Find Writing Groups & Support Other Writers.”

Panelists include Kathleen Kent, whose latest novel, The Dime, is a nominee for Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar award; Blake Kimzey, prolific short fiction author and founder/director of Writing Workshops Dallas; Melissa Lenhardt, author of both the Jack McBride mysteries and historical fiction; and Arianne “Tex” Thompson, fantasy writer, speaker, and organizer.

The foursome joins the Writers’ League of Texas at Interabang Books, 10720 Preston Road, Suite 1009B (in the shopping center at the corner of Preston and Royal), in Dallas from 7-9 p.m. tonight. Free. See the Interabang site for details.

And segue from that panel to the discussion tomorrow (Wednesday, January 24) on “The State of the Literary Arts” at 7:30 p.m. in another independent Dallas bookstore, The Wild Detectives, 314 W. Eighth Street, Dallas, in the Bishop Arts District. The forum on opportunities and barriers to success as a writer, publisher, bookstore owner and editors, is part of a citywide effort to develop a Dallas cultural plan.

As reported by Dallas Morning News editor (and fiction author) Michael Merschel, information gathered at the meeting will affect decisions about the arts in Dallas for the next decade or more. See the Dallas Cultural Plan site for a complete list of these arts-related events.

Speaking of literary communities, WORDfest, that smorgasbord of writing groups in and around Dallas returns in a 2.0 version March 24 at the NSTU Building on Tarrant County Community College’s Northeast Campus, 838 West Harwood Road, in Hurst, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.  Register for free tickets at WORDfest.

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And for those of us who want not only to talk but to write, here are some contests to start getting  those literary muscles flexed: 

Author DL Hammons’ WRiTE CLUB returns for 2018. With a panel of slushpile readers in place, start revving your engines for the popular readers’ choice contest. Will there be prizes? Probably. Will there be excitement? Definitely! As writers compete to wow readers with their best 500 words. Hammons promises the official announcement of wheres, hows, and wherebys February 12 at his site. 

Finally (for now), here’s another contest with a limited time offer, the Bumblebee Flash Fiction Contest sponsored by Duotrope's Digest, that compendium of publication sites for all things literary. Duotrope’s sponsorship means a gift certificate to its site ($50 value) for first place winners, and promotion of the contest for the publication.

The Bumblebee contest is a project of Pulp Literature, which adds its own sweetener of the chance to win $300 and publication in the journal. Entry fee is $15, which also buys a one-year digital subscription. Or add another $20 to receive an editorial critique of your story. 

The prompt: “The bumblebee looks soft and cuddly but hides a venomous sting. Entice with your inviting prose that serves up a pointed ending,” the editors say. And yes, keep it no longer than 750 words! Editors are seeking stories that are both fun and literary, “with emphasis on the fun!” But hurry – the deadline is February 15, and entries are limited to the first 300.

See Pulp Literature’s site for submission details. 

When the weather’s frightful, make tracks for lit events

Readings, conferences, contests – let the new year of Texas literary events begin! I’m listing a sample, in order of urgency. Don’t let frightful weather keep you from venturing out.

Now – March 18: Dallas Mavs winter reading challenge for kids 0-18. Family members can help kids too young to read by reading to them. Register here or at any Dallas library branch for fun and prizes.

January 18: Authors LIVE! continues with its first author appearance of 2018. Melanie Benjamin will discuss and sign The Girls in the Picture at 7 p.m. at Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane, Dallas. Free, or choose a reservation-only reception at 6 p.m. for $30, which includes a copy of the book. Contact 214-523-2240 for reservations/more information, or visit the site for additional Authors LIVE! programs.

image: pixabay

January 18: Love PBS’s drama series, “Victoria”? The Dallas Museum of Art presents “Victoria” producer Daisy Goodwin at 7:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of Dallas, 1928 Ross Ave., as part of its Arts & Letters Live series. This one will set you back $40. Discounts available for museum members, KERA members, students and educators. See the DMA’s site for tickets and more Arts & Letters Live appearances.

January 23: Interabang Books, 10720 Preston Road, Suite 1009B (in the shopping center at the corner of Preston and Royal), Dallas, hosts a panel of local authors from 7 – 9 p.m. on “Building Your Writing Community: How to Find Writing Groups & Support Other Writers.” Free, courtesy of the Texas Writers’ League. See the League’s site for a complete list of programs.

January 27-28: Need more bookishness? The Dallas Central Library, 1515 Young St., hosts its gargantuan semi-annual book sale. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. January 27, 1-4 p.m. January 28. Or join the Friends of the Dallas Public Library for a January 26 first dibs preview.

January 31: This is the deadline for the Texas Writers’ League’s 2018 Manuscript Contest. Show them the (approximately) first 10 pages of your unpublished manuscript, get written critiques and a chance to win both free admission to the League’s 2018 Agents and Editors Conference this summer and a session with a literary agent in your genre. See the League’s site for details and contest fees.

February 8-10: Lone Star Ink  hosts its premiere literary conference at the Dallas Central Library,1515 Young St., Dallas. Cost is $125 for two full days of workshops plus Friday keynote address. And remember – if you’ve already signed up for Lone Star’s first pages contest, entries are due January 20! See the site for details and a list of instructors and editors.

February 16-18: North Texas science fiction/fantasy conference ConDFW welcomes author guest of honor Charlaine Harris (Southern Vampire series), at Radisson Fossil Creek hotel, 2540 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth. Three-day tickets for adults $35, kids (ages 6-12) $15, with discounts for educators and military members. See the site for details.

February 22:  The Highland Park Literary Festival hosts Pulitzer Prize-winning author Adam Johnson (The Orphan Master’s Son) at Highland Park High School, 4220 Emerson, Dallas. Johnson gives the festival’s keynote address at 7 p.m., with book signing to follow from 8-8:45 p.m. Free and open to the public.

February 28: Deadline for the new book award contest of the Writers’ League of Texas, for books published in 2017. See the site  for details and contest fees.

March 12: DL Hammons announces the return of WRiTE Club, the readers’-favorite, knock-‘em-dead contest writing contest. He’d also appreciate a little help from his friends – judges to sort through the slushpile of 500-word contest entries. See the WRiTE Club site for details.

Whew – that’s all for now, folks! Stay warm, and I'll see you later at this site for spring events.

Wordcraft – Winter is the new spring for literature

So many literary events coming up, especially in North Texas, I can’t wait for the new year to start announcing them. Here’s a list of upcoming contests, conferences, and readings, in order of urgency. I’ll post more later in the year, once spring really arrives. . .

image:wikimedia commons

December 16-18, 2016: Here’s one for us bloggers! From DL Hammons, the guy who brought you the WRiTE CLUB writing challenge, it’s Déjà vu Blogfest. Sign up at his site. Then during the weekend of December 16-18, re-post your favorite blog offering from earlier in the year, or one that you believe failed to receive the exposure it deserved. No fee, no writing required!

December 31, 2016: The final “Dear Lucky Agent” contests of 2016 from Writer’s Digest blogger Chuck Sambuchino focus on memoirs and historical fiction. All they cost are two mentions in any form of social media. See the sites for rules and sample wording for your social media mentions, using this TinyURL for historical fiction and this for memoirs.

January 1-June 1, 2017: Moonlight Mesa Associates’ Cowboy Up contest is back, with this year’s entries including both fiction and nonfiction. Fee: $25. Cash prizes. See site for details.

January 10, 2017: Authors LIVE! Presents a conversation with four great Texas writers, H.W. Brands, Stephen Harrington, S.C. Gwynne, and Lawrence Wright, at 7 p.m. in Wesley Hall of Highland ParkUnited Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane, in Dallas. Free. No registration required. Some books will be available for sale and signing afterward. Sponsored by Friends of the Highland Park Library, Friends of the SMU Library, and Highland Park United Methodist Church.

January 12, 2017: The Writer’s League of Texas opens its 2017 season of Texas Writes – programs for rural libraries, in Edna, Texas. I’ll mention some later in my home region of East Texas, but see the site for complete schedule and details.

artist: van Gogh

January 14, 2017: Dallas Museum of Art opens its 26^th season of Arts & Letters Live with the appearance of Zadie Smith, discussing her new novel, Swing Time. In the DMA’s Horchow Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. $40 for the public, $37 for DMA members, students and educators. All tickets include a hardback copy of the book.

January 15, 2017: Closing date for the Writer’s League of Texas manuscript contest. Submit your first 10 pages plus synopsis for chances to have your work professionally critiqued and meet with a literary agent of your genre. Cost: $55 for WLT members, $65 for nonmembers. See the site  for details.

February 4, 2017: Writers’ League of Texas presents “Texas Writes” program at Mt. Enterprise Library, 201 NW 2^nd St., Mt. Enterprise, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Pre-register at 903-822-3532.

February 10-12, 2017: ConDFW, a literary science fiction and fantasy convention, at Radisson Fossil Creek hotel, 2540 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth. Adult 3-day memberships $40 through January 31. Single day and children’s memberships also available. This year’s author guest of honor: Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires).

February 16, 2017: Writers’ League of Texas presents “Texas Writes” program at Lillie Russell Memorial Library, 200 E. Hubbard St., Lindale, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Pre-register at 903-822-1900.

February 23, 2017: Highland Park Literary Festival, with guest author Jamie Ford (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet). Book signing 5-6:15 p.m., Highland Park High School, 4220 Emerson; keynote address by Ford at 7 p.m. in the HPHS Palmer Auditorium. Free and open to the public.

February 28, 2017: Deadline for Writers’ League of Texas Book Awards Contest for books published in 2016. Fee: $40 per title for WLT members, $60 for nonmembers. See the site for details.

Wordcraft – A character type for our age: the psychopath

At first I wondered whether it’s because I’m a writer perpetually in search of characters that the most recent type to catch my fancy seems to pop up everywhere? It’s the psychopath, a personality no longer limited to drooling serial sex murderer incarnations. In this age, psychopaths, who comprise a surprisingly high percentage of corporate employees, have come to seem so nearly normal that they even have their own media spokesperson.

I refer, of course, to the handsome actor in a brawn suit who stars in a series of commercials for organic hot dogs. I can’t even remember the brand of hot dogs, but whenever the actor appears, assuring the conscientious mom-type opposite him that his hot dogs are safe for her kids to eat, my attention is glued to the screen.

Is he all natural? mom-type asks. He is, he assures her, flexing his obviously plastic pecs, his mesmerizing, unblinking eyes fixed on hers.

But isn’t he chock full of growth hormones, mom-type persists. After all, isn’t that a needle stuck in his, uh, haunch? Without even a glance at the supposed needle (mercifully not visible to the television audience), he wills mom-type to gaze deeply into his soulfully soulless eyes. “That’s not mine,” he says.

All the while, I’m mentally checking off the points on the PCL-R (psychopath checklist, revised) as formulated by Canadian psychologist Dr. Robert Hare. (Glibness and superficial charm, cunning and manipulation, pathological lying, failure to accept responsibility for own actions, etc. Numbers 1, 4, 5 and 15 on the PCL-R. Yes, yes, yes!)

But tempting though it is to run through the list, with weighted responses for each its 20 categories, in an attempt to diagnose public figures, acquaintances, even ourselves (which Dr. Hare strongly advises against), this blog is about literature, not criminal psychology.

Even if we’re not willing to give our characters full points on every item of the PCL-R (criminal versatility or failure to meet conditions of probation, for instance) dribbling in even a few can sharpen the focus either of a story’s antagonist, or more surprisingly, its main character.

On that last point, I’ll give a public thank you to mystery writer Mark Pryor, who I met at this year’s Writers’ League of Texas conference in Austin, Texas. By day, Pryor, an English ex-pat, is an assistant district attorney. His alternate job, however, is writing, both the Hugo Marston series and the stand alone Hollow Man whose scarily charming main character is also an English ex-patriate assistant district attorney in Texas.

Pryor denies any other points of resemblance between himself and his character, a psychopath who describes in detail how hard he tries to repress his nature and fit in with what he terms the “empath” world. Not because he likes those empaths, but because it’s easier to con them if they think you’re one of them.

Even while I admired the character, I wondered how a psychopath could possibly fit into any literature except that of crime and suspense. Surely a more literary genre wouldn’t have a place for psychopaths. Then I found Eligible, Curtis Sittenfeld’s recent retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and Jasper Wick, Sittenfeld’s glib, lying, manipulative, parasitic, sexually-promiscuous, impulsive and irresponsible (items 1, 4, 5, 9, 11, 14 and 15 on the PCL-R) villain.

Wick in many ways resembles his original Austenian alter-ego, George Wickham, who briefly fascinated Austen’s heroine, Elizabeth Bennet. Now I’m keeping an eye open for psychopaths in and out of literature, and merrily ramping up the psychopathology quotient of the villain in my own work in progress. If psychopaths were good enough for Jane Austen, how can the rest of us resist them?

(For more about psychopaths, see Dr. Hare’s book, Without Conscience, and Pryor’s Hollow Man, both of which I reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon. Although Dr. Hare’s full PCL-R is only available to medical personnel, I found his 20 criteria by Googling “PCL-R images” and saved it to the Pinterest board for my novel in progress, The Ugly Man.) 

Wordcraft – What do agents mean when they say ___?

In last Tuesday’s discussion of comparison titles, an agent described a book as, among other things, “women’s upmarket fiction.” And I thought, “upmarket” is such a weird term, maybe I define it? But then I’d need to define lots of other things agents tell authors. And considering that the 2016 Writers’ League of Texas conference hosted a separate hour-long panel on weird literary terms, I decided the topic of agent-speak deserved its own post. So here it is, with agents Ann Collette of Rees Literary Agency, Claudia Cross of Folio Literary Management, Ethan Bassoff of Lippincott Massie McQuilkin and Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media Group bravely attempting to put definitions to what agents really mean when they say [fill in the blank].

Commercial, too: How, exactly, can a book be too commercial, I wondered. And perhaps the agent/panelists did too, floundering a bit. “Maybe not developed enough,” Cross said. “Or,” Bassoff added, “maybe the agent specializes in works that are more experimental.” Or “maybe it was just too trope-ie,” was Gottlieb's suggestion. (I'll jump in here to mention that "trope" as a figure of speech, tends to mean figures, sometimes verging on cliches, unique to a particular genre.) All in all, probably not a good thing for an author to hear, even if the agent was trying to soften the blow.

Didn’t connect: Speaking of trying to soften the blow, Collette’s take on this is “a nice way of saying it’s amateurish.” With a possible side dish, in Bassoff's words, of “I didn’t give a (expletive deleted) about the character.” Another ouchy.

High concept: On the positive side, ‘high concept’ implies not so much that the manuscript contains a large number of explosions as that it’s “something that breaks with the norm,” Gottlieb said. “Mario Puzo’s Godfather was high concept for its day because it was the first novel to have a villain as the hero.” On the other hand, “Can we as agents define ‘high concept’” Collette asked. “I usually leave it to the publisher to define,” Bassoff said. All in all, probably not a term authors should use to describe their own work, even if they think it is.

Narrative arc: “The trajectory of the story – beginning, middle, end,” Gottlieb said. Added Bassoff, “Every book needs to end a chapter – not a cliffhanger, but on a question the writer is going to answer. That type of progress is what I look for.”

Not right for me: It might seem that this is a variation of “didn’t connect,” but agents said not. More likely, it means the agent might have liked the book, but not enough to carry him/her all the way through the process of publication. “We all want to feel passionate about a book,” Collette said. And remember, “you want a good chemistry with your agent,” Cross said.

Platform: “It depends on whether you’re talking about fiction or nonfiction,” Gottlieb said. “Let’s go with fiction,” moderator Suzy Spencer told him. Then, he said, ‘platform’ means “that you’re an active member of your community.” “For romance,” Cross said, “you may not have won awards, but if you’re a member of a community (platform) could be a blurb from a well-known author." Turning the subject to nonfiction, Gottlieb said, “people are going to look at whether you have authority in your area. It can’t be just a good idea. It has to be – why are you the person to write this?”

Plot driven: “Sounds more like category fiction,” Collette said. 

Send me your manuscript when you’re ready: “What I mean is, when the book is ready,” Bassoff said. “When you feel that you can’t do any more work, if you find yourself changing a hyphen for a semicolon.” “But don’t polish the passion out,” Cross added. “Send me your best work, not your fastest,” Collette said, raising a question from the audience, “If it’s been six months or a year, how do you reintroduce yourself?” “Mention that we met at the conference,” Cross said. “We’ll remember the broad strokes.

Upmarket: “‘Upmarket is a fancy way to say ‘literary’ in my opinion,” Gottlieb said. “It’s difficult to sell literary fiction. Upmarket gives the idea that it’s literary but still has commercial viability.”