Writing Resources

Procrastination & Productivity

2010-06-13T20:17:00.007-04:00

There are as many ways to avoid "writer's block" as there are complaints about it. Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird: Some Notes on Writing and Life talks a lot about this issue. I'll go even farther: I don't believe in writer's block as a catch-all excuse. I think writers can learn to understand the complex mix of personality, neurology, scheduling, motivation, and other factors that make the best writing schedule for each person's life. Lamott also talks a lot about how you can learn to write by writing, that it's not the "inspiration" that counts, it's writing; the page is the place you learn to be inspired.

Do you have not enough time? That might actually be a good thing for your writing. Check out this Nov. 2011 Wired article, "Need to Create? Get a Constraint."

Are you a "bad writer," or are you just lazy? :) Why telling yourself you're not good at something is a self-fulfilling prophecy. "I Suck at Photoshop; Except I Don't, and You Don't Suck at That Thing You're Bad at Either" at Lifehacker by Adam Pash, Nov. 2, 2011.

A great blog post at Student of Change about the "organized artist," featuring a video about comedian Joan Rivers' file cabinet for jokes. The post quotes Twyla Tharp's book The Creative Habit: "No matter what form it takes, a good organizational system supports you to do your best work by allowing you to put your brain power where you want and need it to be. For some people that system will be a cardboard box of ideas, and for others a card catalog of naughty jokes."

Below are some interesting readings on the subject. None of these are 100% perfect. The important thing is that each author has thought about and studied what processes and schedules work for them. What works for you?

30-Day Writing Regimens by Southeast Review
"4 Tips to Increase Writing Productivity" by Nancy Whichard
"7 Ways for Extroverts to Improve their Writing Productivity" by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen in Quips and Tips for Successful Writers
750 Words: An online place to sign in and dump 750 words a day to get started.
"Accept Defeat: The Neuroscience of Screwing Up" by Jonah Lehrer in Wired Magazine
"Are You Satisfied with Your Writing Productivity?" in Women in Wetlands blog
"Behavior Toolkit" and "Behavior Target Sample" in Behavior + Works: Learning, with the help of parrots, how rewards help in training yourself for new behavior
"Battle of the Writing Productivity Methods: Word Count Versus Timed" by Jennifer Blanchard in Procrastinating Writers, also the authors of the Butt-in-Chair workbook and newsletter
"Creative Writing Prompts"
"Bloom's Taxonomy: A New Look at an Old Standby " in Designing Effective Projects, Thinking Skills Frameworks
"Concentration: 22 Ways to Stay Focused on Writing" in Bad Language Blog, Matthew Stibbe on September 7, 2009
"Create a Morning Writing Ritual" by Leo Babauta in Freelance Switch
" 'Creative Writing'--a Caution" in "Letters at 3 AM column from Michael Ventura in the Austin Chronicle, about what it really means to be a writer
"Daily Writing Prompt" by LitDrift Blog
"Handbook for Life: 52 Tips for Happiness and Productivity" in zenhabits
"How Do I Write?"--an online photo essay from OxMag by Sonya Huber about writing process
Mind42: a free web app for mapping your ideas
"The Monster Collection of Moleskin Tips, Tricks, and Hacks" is a great list of ideas for writing routines and notebooks by Skellie at Freelance Switch
"My Type 2 Procrastination" by David Seah. Understand what kind of procrastinator you are.
Notebook Stories: A blog about notebooks!
Evernote: A free and powerful web app for collecting notes in many forms for brainstorming
"Productivity Tips According to Jerry Seinfeld," by Jay MacInnis in The Writing Toolbox
"The Whys of Productivity: Writing Things Down" describes why you need a notebook and why that great idea doesn't need any more time "brewing" in your head.
"Time, Attention, and Creative Work" in 43 Folders by Merlin Mann
"Writing and Productivity: The Power of Situation" in Silverknife by Mark Hewitt
"Writing in the Age of Distraction" by Cory Doctorow from Locus Magazine
"Writing Productivity: Using an Idea Log," in PoeWar Writing Career Center by John Hewitt
"Writing Productivity Problems," a wonderful checklist from Stanford Writing Center to help you diagnose what's going on with your writing process. Here's the same awesomeness as a PDF download: "Writing Productivity Problems"
"Writing Prompts" at Writer's Digest

Penguin Group Internships

2007-11-16T15:42:00.001-05:00

Penguin Group (USA) offers paid internship opportunities in various business areas such as contracts, editorial, graphic design, managing editorial, marketing, production, publicity, sales, subsidiary rights, and operations. In its January 2006 issue, Seventeen Magazine recognized Penguin as one of the 17 best internships in the country!

The internship program consists of three 10-week long sessions. During the spring and fall, interns work 14 hours per week. During the summer, interns work 28 hours per week.

A series of lunch events are planned for summer interns. Brown Bag lunches give interns the opportunity to learn about different departments, and group lunches are designed to allow interns to network with each other as well as employees across the company.

Semester Application Deadline
Spring 1/15
Summer 2/28
Fall 8/15

If you would like to apply for an internship, click here or mail your resume and cover letter to:

Penguin Group (USA)
Human Resources Department
Attn: Internship Coordinator
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014

Please indicate the semester and business area(s) you are applying for in your cover letter.

Albion Review

2007-10-10T10:08:00.000-04:00

The Albion Review accepts quality undergraduate submissions from around the country. Deadline is October 20, 2007, so submit quickly!
www.albion.edu/review

North Central Review call for submissions

2007-07-31T10:51:00.000-04:00

Guidelines for Submission, Updated 7.30.07
http://blogs.noctrl.edu/review/submission/>http://blogs.noctrl.edu/review/submission/

The staff of the North Central Review invites you to submit to the
national, undergraduate literary journal published by North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. The North Central Review considers all literary genres, including short fiction, poetry, drama, creative nonfiction, and mixed-genre pieces, for two issues annually.

Submissions can be made by email or by postal mail. To submit, please
send your submission(s) as a Word attachment to nccreview@noctrl.edu. Complete contact information should be included in the body of the email and in the
Word document.

Or, you can send a typed copy of your submission(s), along with complete contact
information and a SASE, to us at:

North Central Review, CM #235
North Central College
30 N. Brainard Street
Naperville, IL 60540

Each student MUST include proof of undergraduate status (.edu email address or
photocopied student ID without number) and ALL contact information
(name, postal and email addresses, and phone number) on any submission. Please submit
no more than 5 poems and 2 pieces of prose per issue. Prose should not exceed 5,000
words in length; please indicate word length on any prose submission. Submissions sent through postal mail will be recycled unless specified otherwise by the author.

The submission deadlines for the Fall and Spring issues are October
15 and February 15, respectively.

Other comments regarding submissions to the NC Review:
- Please be sure to include adequate postage on your return
envelopes; postage rates have changed recently, and your old stamps may not be enough to cover costs.
- Again, remember to include ALL contact information, particularly
email address. Due to production restraints, submissions that do not include all of these requirements will be returned to sender and will not be reviewed by the NC Review staff until such information has been received.
- The staff reads submissions from September to May. You may send
submissions at any time throughout the year, but your queries and comments may not be addressed immediately due to the schedule of the publication.

If you have any more questions, please contact us at nccreview(at)noctrl.edu
(replace (at) with @).

Porter Fleming Contest for GA writers

2007-04-18T10:20:00.000-04:00

Porter Fleming Contest for writers in GA and surrounding states, sponsored by the Greater Augusta Arts Council as part of its 2007 "Arts in the Heart" festival. Deadline for literary submissions is June 15, 2007. See website for details: http://www.artsintheheart.com/index_flash.htm.

Our Time Is Now

2007-03-16T22:11:00.000-04:00

Literary magazine for writers age 23 and younger is accepting submissions for its sixth issue. Send original, unpublished poems, essays and short fiction and nonfiction stories with bio and SASE to Kristen Wicker, Stivers School for the Arts, 325 Homewood Ave., Dayton, OH 45405 or www.ourtimeisnow.net

Oklahoma Review

2007-02-20T12:42:00.000-05:00

Call for Submissions
The Oklahoma Review is an electronic literary magazine published through the Department of English at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma. The editorial board consists of English and Professional Writing undergraduates, as well as faculty advisors from the Department of English and Foreign Languages. The goal of our publication is to provide a forum for exceptional fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction in a dynamic, appealing, and accessible environment. The magazine's only agenda is to promote the pleasures and edification derived from high-quality literature. The Oklahoma Review is a continuous publication, now in its eighth year. We publish two issues online each year, Spring and Fall. Although we accept submissions at any time, our general deadlines are as follows:
* To have your work considered for the Fall issue: October 15;
* to have your work considered for the Spring issue: March 30.
Submissions are welcome from any serious writer working in English.
Writers may submit the following:
* As many as three (3) prose fiction pieces of 30 pages or less.
* As many as five (5) poems of any length.
* As many as three (3) nonfiction prose pieces of 30 pages or
less.
All works must be submitted electronically to The Oklahoma Review. Therefore, files should be sent as e-mail attachments in either .doc or .rtf format. We will neither consider nor return submissions sent in hard copy, even if return postage is included. When sending multiple submissions (e.g. five poems), please include all the work in a single file rather than five separate files. Authors should also provide a
cover paragraph with a short biography in the body of their e-mail.
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Please indicate in your cover letter if your work is under consideration elsewhere.
Questions or comments? Please e-mail okreview@cameron.edu

Other publishing opportunities for undergraduates

2007-02-01T09:47:00.000-05:00

Other publishing opportunities for undergraduates:

* Backroads, our student run literary magazine, offers a forum for students’ original poetry, fiction, and non-fiction essays. For more information, contact upj_backroads@yahoo.com

* Wabash Review seeks excellent poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, translations, one-act plays, and graphic art by undergraduates. Prose up to 3,000 words. Send submission with cover letter, brief bio by March 15. Must state current school affiliation. Send to wabashreview@wabash.edu or via mail (with SASE) to Marc Hudson, Wabash Review, Wabash College, Crawfordsville, IN 47933-0352.

* The NFSPS College/University Level Poetry Awards. All freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors of an accredited college are eligible to enter. Visit the National Federation of State Poetry Societies' web site for full details.

Roy F. Powell Award, Deadline 2/16!

2007-01-16T16:34:00.000-05:00

Georgia Southern University’s Department of Writing and Linguistics presents:
The Roy F. Powell Award
Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction Writing Competition
$100 prize in each category!Publication in Miscellany!
The Rules:
1. The competition is open to all Georgia Southern University students.
2. You may enter one or all categories by submitting three poems and/or one short story no longer than five pages and/or one nonfiction work (autobiography, essay, editorial, biographical profile, journalistic feature story, review, historical, and other true-life material) no longer than eight pages. Include your name, address, phone number, e-mail on the cover page of your entry.
3. All entries must be original and unpublished.
4. All entries must be typewritten and double spaced on one side of 8-1/2 x 11 paper. Since manuscripts will not be returned, please do not enclose an SASE. Keep the original copy of your manuscript, and submit a good quality photocopy.
5. Send entry (indicate on the envelope whether poetry or fiction or non-fiction) to:
The Roy F. Powell Award Writing Competition, Department of Writing and Linguistics, P.O. Box 8026.
6. All entries must be received by February 16, 2007. Winners will be notified by March 2, 2007. If you have not been contacted by this date, you can assume your entry is not a finalist. We regret we cannot contact you personally. For more information: enelson@georgiasouthern.edu (poetry), or pchrstphr@georgiasouthern.edu (fiction), or shuber@georgiasouthern.edu (nonfiction).

Allegheny Review: Undergraduate Writing, Contest Deadline Dec. 15

2006-11-29T10:06:00.000-05:00

The Allegheny Review, now going into its 25th year of publication, is one of America's few nationwide literary magazines dedicated exclusively to undergraduate works of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and artwork. Published annually, the periodical showcases some of the best literature the nation's undergraduates have to offer.
Awards: The Allegheny Review Literature Awards – $250 is awarded to the best entry in poetry & prose. Literature finalists will be judged by Marilyn Chin and Christina Milletti, visiting authors participating in Allegheny’s “Single Voice” reading series.
Contributors: Currently enrolled undergraduate students only.
Genre Guidelines: Fiction – not to exceed 20 pages, double-spaced; Poetry – up to 5 poems; Creative Non-fiction – not to exceed 20 pages, double-spaced; Artwork – no limit on number of pieces submitted
Submission Information: All submissions must be postmarked no later than December 15th each year. Late submissions will be held until the following year, provided that the author will still be an undergraduate. A $5 entry fee is required, which covers a one-year subscription. Please make checks payable to The Allegheny Review. If you would like to send in more than one genre, please send separately with an additional entry fee. All literary work must be submitted in typed hard copy. Artwork may be on disk (minimum resolution of 300) or in a format that permits scanning. E-mail entries and simultaneous submissions are not accepted. Include a cover letter containing name, address, school attending, year in attendance, and e-mail address as well as pertinent experience and previous publications. A short bio paragraph is also helpful. Send a SASE for correspondence. Artwork can be returned, but not manuscripts. Those not published will be recycled.
Send Submissions to:
The Allegheny Review
Allegheny College, Box 32
Meadville, PA 16335
Ordering Information:To purchase a copy of the 2006 issue or to reserve a copy of the 2007 issue, send $4 to the above address. Please make checks payable to The Allegheny Review.Back issues, excluding 1985, can be purchased for a discounted rate of $3. Questions? For more information, please inquire at the address above or e-mail the editors at review@allegheny.edu.Information can be found on the official website, http://review.allegheny.edu, as well.

AWP Creative Writing Conference: Feb. 2007 in Atlanta!

2006-11-02T10:21:00.000-05:00

As some of you know, we are lucky to have the national conference of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs being held in Atlanta in Feb. 28- March 3, 2007. If you have not been, this is a wonderful opportunity to catch readings and workshops, talk with writers of all levels and wander through a great book fair. This is the biggest annual national event of creative writing, and they're expecting about 5,000 people. You should be one of them!
Planned events include a poetry extravaganza (not sure exactly what that is!) and featured readings by John Barth, Anne Beattie, C.D. Wright, Charles Wright, Tayari Jones, Robert Olen Butler, Michael Martone, and many others. The Georgia Review's 60th anniversary poetry reading features readings by Albert Goldbarth, Rita Dove, Paul Zimmer and Kevin Young.
The important stuff: a very reasonable registration rate for the whole conference is $35, but to get this rate you have to register before Nov. 15. After that it's $40, and $45 on-site registration. This doesn't include lodging, so you might want to start checking around for people to crash with. Or maybe the creative writing club will help organize?
For more information and registration, check out www.awpwriter.org.

Award for college writers of African descent

2006-10-31T14:28:00.000-05:00

Hurston/Wright Foundation Award for College Writers
A prize of $1,000 is given annually to recognize excellence in fiction writing by a student of African descent enrolled full time in a U.S. college or graduate school. Students who have published a book in any genre are not eligible. Submit two copies of an unpublished short story or novel excerpt of no more than 25 pages with a $10 entry fee by December 31. Send an SASE, call, e-mail, or visit the Web site for the required application and complete guidelines.

Arthur Sze reads Tues., Nov. 7

2006-10-31T13:54:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, Nov. 7, the Georgia Poetry Circuit hosts Arthur Sze, who has published eight books of poetry, and is currently Director of the Creative Writing Program at the Institute for American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Arthur Sze is a second-generation Chinese American raised in two languages. He is the recipient of the Lannan Literary for Poetry, the Asian American Literary Award, two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and many other awards.
On Tuesday, November 7, 4-5 p.m., Sze will conduct a poetry workshop in Newton 2209. At 7:00 that evening, he will give a reading in COBA 1124. Both events are free and open to the public. Call 486-7328 for more information.

Poetry Events at Sentient Bean Coffee House (Savannah)

2006-10-12T10:52:00.000-04:00

FRANTIC RABBIT
Thurs, Oct 12 @ 8pm:Open mic series is hell-bent on using poetry as its vehicle to educate, entertain, and inform the world at large as well as promote the not-so fine science of listening.

YOUTH POETRY W/ SPITFIRE
Sat, Oct 14 @ 4pm: Come hear what the youth have to say!

AWOL
Sun, Oct 15 @ 8pm: A.W.O.L Inc. is an elite organization of poets, hip-hop artists, and performers. The goal of the organization is to promote and provide self-awareness to people of all ages within the community.

New Creative Writing Listserv

2006-09-29T11:13:00.000-04:00

The Dept. of Writing & Linguistics at Georgia Southern University has started a creative writing listserv to share announcements and information. We plan on opening this up to those within and beyond the department, including students, alumni, and members of the Statesboro community and beyond who might want to know about campus events, book reviews, author visits, opportunities for publication, and whatever else seems relevant to a general audience.If you are interested in subscribing to the list--and in inviting others to subscribe--please do! Just send an email to listserv@georgiasouthern.edu with the body of the message saying, "Subscribe crwrite-l (your name)" Note that as with many lists, that final character is a lower-case "l" and not an I or a 1. Once you are a list member, you may post whatever you'd like.

GSU Creative Writing Club

2006-09-22T16:45:00.000-04:00

Next meeting is Tues., Oct. 24, 6-8 pm
Newton Building Room 1113
For more info., contact Faculty Adviser Peter Christopher, 681-5880
pchrstphr@georgiasouthern.edu

Barbadian writer Anthony Kellman, Oct. 18

2006-09-22T16:42:00.000-04:00

The Department of Writing & Linguistics is proud to announce the visit by Barbadian writer Anthony Kellman, now a professor of creative writing at Augusta State University, to Georgia Southern. He holds a B.A. from the University of the West Indies and an M. F. A. from Louisiana State University. Prof. Kellman has published several volumes of poetry, two novels, and two music CDs. His poems have also appeared in the Heinemann Book of Caribbean Poetry and in numerous journals and other anthologies. He will read from his poetry and fiction and perform some of his music in the Barbadian Tuk style on Wed, Oct 18, 2006 at 7:30pm in Lecture Hall 1004 in the IT building. The evening is co-sponsored by the Department of Literature and Philosophy and the Center for International Studies. All are invited to this event. There is no admission fee.

2007 Sylvia K. Burack Scholarship

2006-09-06T14:42:00.000-04:00

2007 Sylvia K. Burack Scholarship
www.writermag.com
Award: $500 and a year's subscription to The Writer
Judges: The Writer editors
Deadline: March 1, 2007
The Sylvia K. Burack Award is a writing contest for full-time college students. The award is made in memory of Sylvia K. Burack, longtime editor-in-chief and publisher of The Writer. Burack was known for her dedication to helping writers and editors.
Requirements: You must be 18 or older and a full-time undergraduate student at a university or college in the U.S. or Canada at the time of entry. The winner will be
asked to provide proof of enrollment.

Rules
1. Submit a 600- to 800-word personal essay in English on a topic you feel passionate about.
2. Include a cover page with the essay title and word count, as well as your name, address, phone number and e-mail address. Contact information must be valid in May 2007. Place only the title (not your name) at the top of each page of the essay. Entries must be typed and double-spaced on standard letter-size paper. Number each page. Paperclip the pages together.
3. The award is open to students in the U.S. and Canada enrolled full time in a college or university at the time of entry. (Do not send transcripts with entries.) Employees of Kalmbach Publishing Co. are not eligible to participate.
4. Only one entry per student will be accepted.
5. Send entries to: Sylvia K. Burack Award, The Writer, 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612.
6. Entries must be postmarked by March 1, 2007.
7. Entries will not be returned. Do not send originals.
8. The winner will be announced in May 2007 and will receive $500.

Current Contests for Undergrads: Atlantic Monthly

2006-09-06T14:37:00.000-04:00

The Atlantic Monthly invites submissions of poetry, fiction, and personal or journalistic essays for its 2006 Student Writing Contest. Categories: Poetry, fiction, and personal or journalistic essays.
Prizes: First $1,000 | Second: $500 | Third: $250 and one-year subscriptions to The Atlantic Monthly for seven runners-up in each category.
ENTRANTS must be full-time undergraduate or graduate students currently enrolled in an accredited degree-granting U.S. institution. Submissions should be original, unpublished work (they may have appeared in student periodicals) demonstrating superior quality of expression and craftsmanship.
SUBMISSIONS should not exceed three poems or 7,500 words of prose. No entrant may send more than one submission per category, and entries must be postmarked by December 1, 2006.
MANUSCRIPTS should be typewritten (one side only, please) double-spaced, and accompanied by a cover sheet with the following information: title, category, word count, author's name, address, phone number, e-mail address (if available), and academic institution. Of this information, only the title should appear on the manuscript itself.
PLEASE PROVIDE a stamped, self-addressed postcard for acknowledgement of receipt. We cannot provide information on the status of a manuscript until winners are announced, in the May 2007 issue. Winners will receive notification in March.
POSTMARK SUBMISSIONS BY DECEMBER 1, 2006, AND SEND TO:
Student Writing Contest
The Atlantic Monthly
The Watergate
600 New Hampshire Ave, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037
Submissions will not be accepted via e-mail or fax.