Posts tagged ‘Anthology’
Meet Words of Belief Holiday Writing Contest Winners: Interviews with Grand Prize Winner and Editor’s Selection
Now, you can meet the winners of the Words of Belief Holiday Story Writing Contest. Attracting such a diversity of voices and range of topics submitted to their first annual writing contest, their publishing team wanted to share the thoughts and emotions of the writers behind the two selected winners. Read about their experience submitting, their unbiased opinions of Words of Belief, their different writing methods and even their jumps for joy at discovering their selection by the judges.
Grand Prize Winner: Tyler Powell for “Churchmas Eve”
WOB Question: How did you feel entering the contest?
Powell’s Answer: I felt great entering the contest, not out of any thought of winning, but because it was a step for me in pursuing what I’d like to do as a career. The experience of having a prompt, developing a story, executing it and then submitting it for review was the first (and truest) reward. If I hadn’t won or been a finalist, I would still have spent time working on my craft, and I would still be a story richer for it.
Q: How did you react when you found out that you won?
A: When I learned that I had won the contest, my first reaction was pure disbelief. I had no expectation that I was going to win, though I did hold some hope that I would be selected as a finalist. I read the congratulatory e-mail two or 18 times and then double-checked what it said against the website. Then, I danced a little dance.
Q: What did you know about Words of Belief before you entered the contest?
A: I wasn’t familiar with Words of Belief prior to hearing about the contest. So far, I’m impressed with what it has to offer. I am a big fan of the possibilities of new media — as a writer, it’s wonderful to be able to have such convenient access to potential readers.
Q: How did you learn about the contest?
A: I learned about the Words of Belief contest by spending a night doing endless searches for any information regarding writing contests, or short story markets, and following link to link, looking for more. Whenever I found something that looked promising or interesting, I would keep that window open. The idea of writing a holiday-themed story really appealed to me, and the simple entry process for the Words of Belief contest kept that window open, and ultimately led to my writing my submission.
Q: Is this your first time entering a writing contest? What can you tell us about your experience?
A: Yes — this was my first time entering a writing contest. It was wonderful. I’ve held several jobs over the course of my youngish life, but so far none have engaged me so much as writing. And really, the contest for me was not much more than a good excuse to write something specific. I wanted an idea, or a theme, or a prompt to write against — I find it difficult to start with a completely blank page. (more…)
Words of Belief Announces Winners of Holiday Story Writing Contest
Back from the holiday week with a bang, Words of Belief has selected its winners and finalists for the Holiday Story Writing Contest they hosted in the previous months. Out of hundreds of submissions their judges received, only 15 were pulled for publication in their coming anthology, Tis the Season: Selected Stories of Contemporary Fiction and Nonfiction.
So please join us in congratulating the grand prize winner, the editor’s selection, as well as the 13 other finalists who will appear in Tis the Season:
Grand Prize Winner: Tyler Powell, for his story “Churchmas Eve”
Judges comment on Powell’s “Churchmas Eve”:
When reading the stories submitted to the Wordclay holiday short story contest, a theme among the submissions surfaced. What do the holidays mean? This question was a common theme that the stories explored and even attempted to explain. There was one story that embodies the search to find meaning in the holidays versus the shallow commercialization of the season.
Tyler Powell’s short story, “Churchmas Eve,” successfully distills the struggle of keeping spirituality in Christmas. However, Powell’s story is a complex menagerie of characters, all of who are at odds on how the holiday should be celebrated.
Jeanette, the overbearing mother, wants to observe the strictest definition of Christmas. She wants no gifts, Christmas lights, or carols. Her son, Bobby, like any kid, wants a version of the holiday that is more festive and embraces contemporary traditions. And Larry, Jeantte’s husband and Bobby’s father, is stuck in the middle. Larry concedes to his wife’s demands for a stern interpretation but he longs for Bobby to enjoy Christmas as well.
Regardless of the internal struggle between the main characters, Bobby finds his own meaning for Christmas. Bobby’s interaction with a homeless man helps him realize what the holiday means to him, personally.
In the end, Powell has a created a classic story that explores the internal and external conflicts surrounding the holidays. This is why “Churchmas Eve,” is a successful, endearing story.
Click here to preview Powell’s story>>
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Editor’s Selection: Judy Nickles, for her story “I Was Hungry”
Judges comment on Nickles’ “I Was Hungry”:
Judy Nickles’ “I Was Hungry: A Very Kate Christmas” was a very pleasant surprise. I’m a big fan of historical fiction, and when it’s done well, it transports you, body and soul, to the author’s chosen place and time. Such was the case with this story. (more…)
Words of Belief Launches Holiday Story Writing Contest: Fiction & Nonfiction Submissions
Author Solutions Inc. recently launch a Christian self-publishing imprint named Words of Belief, which opened its first annual holiday story writing contest on Monday, October 6, 2008.
Writers can submit up to three entries of both fiction and nonfiction for free. The only requirement is that you register with Words of Belief (which literally takes two minutes), and then you can e-mail your entries to contests@wordsofbelief.com.
Participants are also required to include a standard cover letter as well as contact information, so be certain to review the guidelines before you submit.
Read the complete guidelines here>>
Deadline for Submissions: 11:59 PM EST, November 21, 2008
Winning Prizes
One Grand Prize winner will receive…
» $500.00 check
» One printed and bound copy of the published Anthology
One Editor’s Selection will receive…
» $250.00 check
» One printed and bound copy of the published Anthology
Thirteen additional finalists will have their stories featured in the Words of Belief Anthology to be published by the end of November, which means the finalists will have their copies in time for the holidays.
All non-finalist participants receive…
» One electronic copy (e-book) of the published Anthology
How is Words of Belief different from Wordclay?
Good question, with a good answer. True, the publishing wizard is powered by the same user-friendly technology, but Words of Belief offers authors free ISBNs upon publishing, which means that all WOB authors receive free, unlimited global distribution for each title. Explore their site, and feel free to post questions or comments about WOB or their contest here whenever you desire.
Wordclay Short Story Contests: Three Weeks and Counting Down
Greetings, Earthlings,
Wordbot here, and I wanted to remind all those surfing the tsunami waves of the Internet that you only have t-minus three weeks and counting to submit to the Wordclay Single Short Story Contest and Short Story Collection Contest.
In other words, it’s not too late to e-mail your cover letters and stellar pieces to contests@wordclay.com as Microsoft Word attachments. Please double space all your entries, too. This robot’s fiber-optic implants aren’t what they used to be, and they don’t make reading glasses for androids without noses yet. So help a robot out and make your entries clear, so the judges and I can enjoy your prose.
Visit the Wordclay Contest Connection page for the complete guidelines and submission instructions.
Single Short Story Contest Deadline: May 31, 2008, 11:59 p.m. EST
Short Story Collection Contest Deadline: May 31, 2008, 11:59 p.m. EST
As the entries mount and I run submissions through my publishing-feed processor, my aluminum knees are knocking with excitement. This is your chance to register with Wordclay for free, and submit up to three stories for a chance to appear in Wordclay’s new anthology series, Best Modern Voices.
To review winning entries from the previous poetry contest, check out Volume 1: A Poetry Anthology, available in the Wordclay Bookstore.
Wordbot upload complete. Transmission ended.
Wordclay Interviews Poet Jamie Crawford, Grand Prize Winner of the Single Poem Contest
Calling all writers… Calling all writers…
Come in writers!
Jenn’s blog has been interrupted this afternoon to bring you some breaking news.
For the first time in history, Jamie Crawford, Grand Prize winner of Wordclay’s Single Poem Contest, has agreed to answer our Interview questions.
Blogger Justin Dimos is on the literary scene and reports:
Justin: How did you feel entering the contest?
Jamie: I felt a bit apprehensive because I’d never participated in a national writing competition before and realized this would mean a higher caliber of writing would be considered.
Justin: How did you react when you found out that you had won?
Jamie: I didn’t process it. I thought maybe a mistake had been made. Finally, though, I realized that I had legitimately won the single poem contest. It was an exhilarating and uplifting feeling to be recognized in this way.
Justin: What did you know about Wordclay before you entered the contest?
(more…)
What’s Happening with Wordclay? A Behind the Scenes Exposé of the Newest Online Self-Publishing Company
For those of you who haven’t been able to keep up with the seemingly organized chaos happening at Wordclay, you’re not alone. So, I thought that I would play devil’s advocate this afternoon, give our readers some casual notes and frank advice about the new Wordclay features and, hopefully, clear up any short circuits from which you may be suffering.
Up Next, This Sunday on Another 60 Minutes: What’s happening with Wordclay?
Investigative Wordclay reporter Justin Dimos give details:
Last Thursday, our judges chose the 100 Finalist and Winners of both the Single Poem and the Book of Poetry contests. Luckily, Angie and I were prepared to launch the Wordclay Writing Contest Connection, which is a place where visitors can read poetry by the winners, see the list of Finalists and (eventually) read about our new contest. Angie and I are still tweaking the Web site, but for the most part, it’s running smoothly. In the next few weeks, you should expect to see biographical information (and collection covers) from the winners as well as details on the upcoming Single Short Story and the Short Story Collection contests.
Our team also managed to launch the new Genre Lounge. “Genre what?” you may ask, and I may answer: The Genre Lounge is a place where writers and authors can frequent for genre-specific templates, marketing advice and publishing articles. We currently have Poetry, Christian and Short Stories available, but don’t worry, we constantly adding new genres. In fact, I’m currently writing Memoir for the next Genre Spot. You can make a suggestion for a new genre by e-mailing Wordclay’s customer support or by posting a comment on this blog.
Announcing the Poetry Contest Winners: Finally, Sweet Relief!
After an extremely difficult selection process, our judges have convened, argued, read, reread, brewed coffee, read some more, slept on it, dreamt on it, discussed again in the morning and have finally made their decisions.
Now, without further ado, what we’ve all been waiting for, please join me in congratulating Wordclay’s Poetry Contest Winners!
Drum roll please…
In the category of the Wordclay Single Poem Contest:
The Grand Prize goes to Jamie Crawford for the poem, “Redemption.”
The Runner-Up Prize goes to Daniel Bristol for his poem, “Devolutionist.”
For a complete list of Finalists, you can now visit Wordclay’s Contest Connection or jump directly to the listed winners here.
All the Finalists, along with Crawford and Bristol, will be featured in the upcoming Wordclay poetry anthology, tentatively titled Best Modern Voices: Words for the New Millennium: A Poetry Anthology.
Mystro, drum roll again, please…
And in the category of the Wordclay Book of Poetry Contest:
The Grand Prize goes to Brenda Mirsky for her collection titled Spare Parts.
The Runner Up Prize goes to Katherine Marie Haaheim for her collection that begins with “A Study in Personification,” pending permanent title.
Both Mirsky and Haaheim’s books should be available within the next couple of weeks, so keep an eye out for them. Lucky for me, I get to curl up at home after work and read both of them. From what little I’ve read during my break, they seem like great collections, dare I say gems.
Kudos to the winners and everyone who entered! If you weren’t selected this time around, you should definitely consider entering one of our upcoming contests. The Short Story and Short Story Collection contests are next on our list, so keep an eye out for the guidelines on our Contest Connection Web page.
Even if short stories aren’t exactly your forte, there will be other contests as well, and it won’t be long before another Wordclay poetry contest comes around again.
This is Justin, blogcasting from Wordclay, signing off.
