Glimmer Train Short Story Award for New Writers

Glimmer Train announces their Short Story Award for New Writers, deadline of May 31st: 1st place wins $1,200, publication in Glimmer Train Stories, and 20 copies. 2nd place: $500 and possible publication. 3rd place: $300 and possible publication. Glimmer Train is one of the best magazines for aspiring writers to publish in.  They are always open to new talent, and they pay significant earnings for contributors and contest winners.  Because of this, competition is also fairly stiff.

Learn to Write Fiction, Poetry, and Drama with X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia

Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, Interactive Edition (9th Edition) On the outside, it resembles a classic literature textbook - a hard cover, lots of pages, and a rich collection of stories, poems, and screenplays.  What separates this text from the others, though, are the essays on craft.  I own the 3rd Edition of Kennedy's book, and I regularly refer to it for everything from teaching meter to understanding plot.  In addition to the literary and critical essays, it offers a great selection of authors and several complete novels.  As an introduction to literature and writing, it's hard to beat this book - especially at the used-book price.  (I bought my copy for fifty cents at a used book store)

Punctuation: the Zero Tolerance Approach with Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots & Leaves

Do not underestimate the importance of punctuation in writing.  As Truss points out in this handy book, slight changes in punctuation can seriously affect the meaning of a sentence: A woman: without her, man is nothing. A woman without her man is nothing. Note, however, that this book strictly follows British conventions for punctuation.  Although still very helpful, Americans will find a few differences between standard American usage and standard British usage.  Overall, though, the examples are entertaining, helpful, and memorable.

The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron

Looking on Amazon for books on writing prompts, Jack Heffron's The Writer's Idea Book came up as a source of over 400 prompts and encouraging advice.  In the reviews, Heffron's readers dubbed the book "insurance against writer's block" for "writers of any genre."  Although almost all the reviews as of today are positive (19 of 22 readers gave it 5-Stars), one reader pointed out that the prompts tended to focus on finding inspiration from everyday objects rather than the wonderful or the unexpected.  Another reader - a poet - felt that Heffron's focus on fiction is very apparent.  She writes that the prompts tend to be helpful for narrative prose, but that there's a distinct lack of poetry exercises or the kind of inspiration that helps start a poem.

1-2-Writing Workshops Online
 

Paragons - Master Science Fiction Writers Ply Their Craft

Few things are more rewarding than a book about writing written by a writer.  In Paragons, we get the best of two worlds: a collection of twelve short stories written by some of the best authors in the genre coupled with craft essays in which they discuss the source of their ideas and the art of getting them on the page.  Besides providing excellent tips for writing well, the book delivers a good dose of perspective.  It shows us that all writers - even established writers - must rely on the fundamentals of storytelling as they face their own doubts about writing. Divided into six sections, Paragons devotes individual sections to plot, character, setting, theme, point of view, and style.