Info for writers


I. Short story contest

Of the 16-27 remaining individuals who read this blog every day (these are the actual numbers), I'm not sure how many writers are left. But here is what looks like a pretty good short-story writing contest. If you've published a book, you can't enter, so I'm out. Otherwise I woulda entered. It's $20 per entry, but the prize is $1,500, and it's legitimate.

http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/article.php?story=fictioncontest

II. Reviewing the reviewers

The New York Observer takes a snarky tone and displays some of the "credentials" for Publishers' Weekly reviewers. At one point, they look at someone's internet profile, where it says he's a professional procrastinator. (Hey, it's a joke!) The PW review is often the first one a book gets, and is quite influential. Mine is up on Amazon where my book is available (or used to be available) for purchase.

III. Revising

I did send the first chapter of a novel to a grant competition that ended this week. Even though I only had to submit 15 pages, I kept revising and revising. At one point, I realized that the chapter had a better tone in an earlier version, and I found the earlier version realized it was perfectly fine.

I have to stop revising beginnings of things so much. I want them to be perfect, but sometimes I get tired of them and add a bunch of new stuff I really don't need to add. And then I realize that it was fine months ago, before I tampered with it. Well, that's my lesson of the day.

Anyway, have a great weekend. TGIF!