Tina Haapala, Excuse Editor

Since the last Scoop , I've come across a few more places you may want to submit your writing. Good Luck! They are sorted chronologically by deadline. September 30, 2011 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest Entry Fee: $7/every 25 lines First prize: $3,000. Second prize: $1,000. Third prize: $400. Fourth prize: $250. There will also be six Most Highly Commended Awards of $150 each. The top 10 entries will be published on the Winning Writers website. October 1, 2011 Mighty River Short Story Contest Entry Fee: $15 30 page max Prize: $500 and publication Consequence Prize in Poetry NO ENTRY FEE No More than 3 poems of any length (theme: consequence of war or social injustice) Prize: $200 Prolitzer Prize for Prose Writing Entry Fee:  £4 1500 word max Top Prize:  £130 and publication. Two runners up receive  £30 each. Do you have a book you are looking to publish? Coffee House Press is seeking submissions now through October 31. Please take a look at...

The Newest Scoop is blasting through cyberspace and into your inbox right now if you are subscribed to the Excuse Editor Newsletter (if you are not, sign up here ).  There are some unique opportunities, including a chance to get your photograph taken by a famous photographer, a no-fee novel contest  with a self-publishing package prize, and  a contest with over 50 CATegories (the entires all have a 'cat' theme). A few ideas on using the Scoop: Determine if you have something already complete that meets the guidelines, or comes close. If it meets all guidelines (genre, word count, etc.) and has no entry fee, SUBMIT! You have nothing to lose. If if meets all guidelines and has an entry fee, SUBMIT ONLY IF you feel confident in your work and you can afford the fee (see this post for more thoughts). If you have a work that is ALMOST PERFECT for one of the markets, spend some time getting it closer (always adhere to word count and genre guidelines). You may be ab...

Whew. For those of you who already have signed up for the newsletter, you should see The Scoop in your inbox. Not signed up yet? Don't worry, just sign up with the form on the right column of my blog  (or on the one that materializes before your eyes sometimes;) This month's Scoop not only includes opportunities to see your work in print, and get paid, it has some exciting prizes as well. Some contest winners could get a chance to study in Kenya. Or Canada. One even has a grand prize of $10,000-- given to a writer of a work in progress! Good Luck! 

Now that I have your attention... I just finished up the latest version of The Scoop, a listing of more than 45 writing contests and markets. One of the contests has a prize of $15,000 (hint: it's for a finished book) and has NO ENTRY FEE. If you are already signed up, you probably noticed that the deadline was coming up quickly. There are many other contests for completed books, short story  or poetry collections, nonfiction books, screenplays, flash fiction, novellas-- even slogans-- and more. I started maintaining this running list last year. I can usually find a market to submit something I've already written--often, more than one (always good to keep send to your top three markets first, as long as the market accepts simultaneous submissions. Always read guidelines carefully.) It's also been a great place to discover new markets to try out. They are often looking for something written to a theme-- it's a great writing prompt! I keep the listing in t...

From the desk of the Excuse Editor: First, I decided I wanted to write. That was easy enough. I'd kept a diary since I was a little girl. As a grown up, I attended a few journaling, fiction and poetry workshops. Great, my interest was peaked, my pen desperate to start moving. But, what kinds of writing should I start with? How long should it be? My workshops focused on self-expression, and I was rightly told: write whatever you want to, write what's in your heart, write what's on your mind. Write until it's done. OK. I agree. But... What if I want to share my writing? ...if I want to get published? ...and of course, what if I want to make some money? I started to research writing markets and writing contests. Sure, I could focus on writing the Great American Novel and send it off to Oprah and hope for the best. Or Ellen. Or maybe I could get the "Colbert Bump". Instead, I kept my head out of the clouds and put my butt in the chair. Using the...