Write or Die: Writing Contests for the Summer of 2014

I have a wonderful friend who has begun to write seriously during the past few years, I've written about him on this blog previously. Two years ago, he didn't even believe that it was possible that he could finish a short story, let alone see it published. Now he's publishing a story almost every other month and even getting paid for some of them. When we first started talking regularly, he found it inspiring that I'd published a book and this inspiration, in part, propelled him to start writing. These days, he is the inspiration for me and the truth is that his secret is very simple. He writes. He writes stories, edits and submits them and he does something nearly every day. We writers love to lament our many reasons for not putting the pen to the page, but give yourself permission to drop the excuses, find a space of stillness today and just write...


Pressgang Prize: Deadline 5/30/14

Cloudbank Poetry and Flash Fiction Contest: Deadline 5/31/14

Creative Nonfiction The Memoir Issue: Deadline 5/31/14

American Short Fiction Short Story Contest: Deadline 6/1/14

Split Lip Magazine Chapbook Contest Deadline 6/1/14

2014 New American Fiction Prize: Deadline 6/15/14

Pulp Literature Magpie Award for Poetry: Deadline 6/15/14

Jewish Literary Journal Competition for Fiction, Poetry and Creative Nonfiction: Deadline 6/15/14

Vallum Magazine Award for Poetry: Deadline 6/15/14

Lucille Clifton Poetry Prize: Deadline 6/15/14

Literary Juice Flash Fiction Contest: Deadline 6/30/14

Bacopa Literary Review: Deadline 6/30/14

Blue Lyra Review Contest for Nonfiction and Long Poem: Deadline 6/30/14

Matrix LitPop Awards: Deadline 7/1/14

The Rattle Poetry Prize: Deadline 7/15/14

Fairy Tale Review Prose and Poetry Contest: Deadline 7/15/14

Stone Canoe Journal Annual Prize: Deadline 7/31/14

Blue Earth Review Flash Fiction Contest: Deadline 8/1/14

The Geist Tobacco Lit Writing Contest: Deadline 9/1/14

I didn't start out writing to give children hope, but I'm glad some of them found it.
-Beverly Cleary

Michigan Writing Jobs

Writing is about so much more than making money; however, if you want to make writing your livelihood or at least supplement your income through the craft, check out these Michigan jobs:

AAPS News Editor: Ann Arbor

Marketing Communications Specialist: Ann Arbor

Freelance Writer:  Detroit

Proposal Writer: Detroit

Health Information Writer: Detroit

Writer: Detroit

Social / Digital Marketing Specialist: Grand Rapids

Digital Marketing Director: Grand Rapids

Social Media Manager: Lansing

Creative Director: Madison Heights

Instructional Designer/ Creative Writer: Troy

Online/Telecommute Writing Jobs

Freelance Writing Position

Theme Park Blogger

Social5 Hiring Freelance Writers

Tech Savvy Article Writers

Hamptons Magazine Freelancers

I'm lucky because the strongest emotion I have ever felt is being in love, and that definitely informs my writing.

Ben Elton

Write On...

Mark Your Calendars for Michigan Writing Retreats

If you're looking to spark some creativity and find a fabulous way to connect with other Michigan writers, attend a retreat. The following are a few upcoming writer's retreats in 2014.

Peninsula Writer's Winter Retreat - February 2014

Retreat from Harsh Reality - April 2014

Interlochen Writer's Retreat - June 2014

Bear River Writer's Conference - June 2014

The answer to all writing, to any career for that matter, is love.

Ray Bradbury 

The Many Perks to Writing Contests

I have to be honest, I don't participate in many writing contests. Life has taken me on a journey that seems to plummet toward and then dramatically swerve away from the public world of writing. I've gone from blogging daily and submitting several stories or articles to contests monthly, to working at a Digital Marketing Agency and Writing Copy, to focusing solely on writing and marketing my novel Ula published in 2012, to these days, journaling and slogging through my sequel while also substitute teaching and teaching yoga. It's an unpredictable life - something I love about it - but writing is always alive within me. It transforms, finds pools of thriving life and then recedes and dries in the desert sun. Despite the changes that my writing has undergone in my life, I return to it in one form or another and I am grateful when a unique opportunity to share my perspective, or craft a new story, comes along.

Several months ago, I submitted a very short piece of writing to Spirituality and Health Magazine as they were offering a contest to win a trip to Maui. Essentially, they asked readers to write about a spiritual practice and I wrote about nature. Nature is near and dear to my heart and I am never lost for words when it comes to waxing poetic about the trees and flowers and lakes that surround me. Much to my surprise and delight, I won the contest. Thus a few weeks ago, I spent an absolutely majestic ten days in Maui with my boyfriend. The prize included a five night stay at the tranquil, yoga-retreat center Lumeria and offered us a wonderful opportunity to relax, unwind and get centered during our visit. I wrote about meditation in my previous post and the powerful affect it can have on our writing. I felt this even more strongly as I pondered the winding path that life takes us on and how writing had taken me to a community designed to help us connect with the consciousness that lives beyond our individual identities. For me, it was evidence that my writing is most poignant when it is truly a reflection of my heart, and the writing contests that I have won have nearly always reflected this.

My good friend Jon loves science fiction. He began writing just a couple of years ago and hesitantly at first. A single father, in his late thirties, he did not necessarily feel capable of entering the mysterious and oft frightening world of writing. Despite his apprehensions, he began to write. He wrote science fiction stories and submitted them to flash fiction contests online. He got a few rejections and then he started winning. Suddenly, every time I talked with him, he told me about his latest contest win. The prizes ranged from $10 to $50, but ultimately the joy for Jon had nothing to do with winning some cash and everything to do with realizing his dreams and knocking down the walls he'd built around them. Since then he has written stories for published anthologies and in November he participated in NaNoWriMo (National novel Writing Month) and completed 50,000 words to a future novel.

When we open ourselves to the possibilities of where our writing might guide us, the whole world becomes available. There is no telling who will be touched by your words and what dark path, that you'd never gazed upon, might suddenly become illuminated. If you're searching for an opportunity, a contest, an inspiration, anything - try out one of the contests below; perhaps you will discover a new path awaiting you.


Inspiration Travel Writing Contest - No Entry Fee - Deadline: 2/14/14

Disquiet Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry Prize - $15 Fee - Deadline: 2/15/14

Penny Fiction Flash Fiction Writing Competition - No Fee - Deadline: 2/17/14

SF/LFA Short Fiction Contest - No Entry Fee - Deadline: 3/4/14

theNewerYork Press Kissing Flash Fiction Contest - Fee ? - Deadline 2/28/14

Shanti Arts Inspired Stories Competition - $15 Fee - Deadline 3/1/14

Phoebe Winter Writing Contest - $17 Fee - Deadline 3/8/14

Ginsoko Flash Fiction Contest - $5 Fee - Deadline 3/1/14

Lunch Ticket Creative Nonfiction - No Fee - Deadline 3/30/14

Writing criticism is to writing fiction and poetry as hugging the shore is to sailing in the open sea.

John Updike 

Stillness First: Mediation and Writing

Writing may seem like a relatively silent endeavor. However, we need only tune into the mind's internal dialogue to recognize it is anything but. When we are brainstorming ideas, writing an article, researching or simply chastising ourselves for not reaching our 1,000 word goal today; our brains are talking a mile a minute. In a half hour, we can move from complete confidence in our project to abject fear and failure. Despite the frightening swings of our thoughts, they are not our reality. Arriving at a deeper space of knowing shows us how to find freedom in stillness, which ultimately crumbles the many walls (or blocks) that prevent us from touching our authentic creativity.

Meditation is a process that guides us out of the chitta vrtti, as we call it in yoga, which is a sanskrit term meaning chatter of the mind, and into a space of peaceful awareness. It is not in our experience of meditation that we sit down to write, but merely to exist. Here the incessant growling recedes to a gentle murmur and then, if you really let go, ceases all together. Gone are the to-do lists, the feelings of laziness, the fears of failure and even all that existed before and all that might exist at some future point. When we connect to the infinite now in a mindful way and consciously choose to allow thoughts to merely be one ebb in an endlessly flowing tide - here and now gone - we reach the self that lives deeper than our material world. It is this self that is freed of the limitations of our dense form, our constructs of reality and our attachments to this identity whether that be a job, a hobby or even an image in the mirror. It is learning to hear the voice that is voiceless and when you return to the world of thought, the world within is much richer and more prepared to discover writing anew.

I have been meditating for several years and though I believe it's important to not approach meditation with a goal in mind - such as being a better writer - I know in my heart that our endless determination to improve ourselves is often what leads us to meditation. The same holds true for many writers. We want to be better, more devoted, more in touch with our characters, our narrative and our audience. All in life is connected and when you integrate mediation into your daily life, connection begins to permeate elsewhere. Connection unfolds in your writing, your relationships and your interactions with the world.

So I ask only that you consider it with an open mind. Perhaps you ask the question: How might meditation affect my writing? Maybe take it further: How might meditation affect my entire life? And then try it. Find a quiet place (I love the woods) and sit comfortably, palms up if it''s comfortable and bring your awareness to your breath. Other stuff will come at you - sounds, thoughts, physical discomforts - acknowledge them and then let them go. I like to imagine encapsulating thoughts in a  bubble and blowing them off of my fingertips, letting them drift away. Maybe try this for five minutes a day, more if you're feeling adventurous. Perhaps that is as far as you go or maybe you sit down to write after your meditations - a journal entry or just a half hour on your writing project of choice - and see what new ideas appear. When we meditate, we find openings that were previously closed, inspiration that before was dormant.

Meditation is the tongue of the soul and the language of our spirit. - Jeremy Taylor

2013 Writing Contests

Writing contests are a fantastic way to discover new genres and reveal your writing to both the reading and writing communities. When searching for a writing contest, consider submitting something in a genre outside of your norm. It helps you to broaden your skills as a writer and also allows you to flex your craft and discover other interests beyond your typical stories or poetry. Many writing contests have specific themes, which can also bring focus where otherwise you might feel conflicted about what story to write. Choose a few contests below and make it your personal writing goal to be more open, more intuitive and more flexible with your writing. And perhaps most importantly don't take it too seriously. Writing is an inward journey so be gentle with yourself and allow the words to flow...

2013 Autmumn House Poetry Contest: Deadline 6/30/13

2013 Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize: Deadline 6/30/13

Hunger Mountain Howard Frank Mosher Short Fiction Prize: Deadline 6/30/13

Literal Latte Short Fiction Contest: Deadline 6/30/13

Teachers and Writers Collaborative 2013 Bechtel Prize Essay: Deadline 7/1/13

Bard Fiction Prize for Published Authors: Deadline 7/15/13

The Cincinati Review Robert and Adele Schiff Awards in Poetry and Prose: Deadline 7/15/13

The 2013 Rattle Poetry Prize: Deadline 7/15/13

The 2013 Wasafiri New Writing Prize: Deadline 7/26/13

Dream Quest One Poetry and Writing Contest: Deadline 7/31/13

2013 Northwind Short Story Contest: Deadline 7/31/13

Subito Press Book Prize: Deadline 8/16/13

When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature.

Ernest Hemingway