Read to Write: Screenplays

If you're considering writing a screenplay, you probably already know that it's a highly technical field with strict formatting rules. But just like writing in any other genre, you'll want to read lots of examples as you begin working in the genre.

IMSDb, an online script database, will help you get started.

Poetry and Prose in Amsterdam

If you missed the Zürich Writers Workshop last weekend, then you might want to register for The Amsterdam Creative Writing Weekend, which features both prose and poetry and runs 20–22 July. Registration is open now.

Getting into Print (or Pixels): One More for May

Ellen reminded me about another great publishing opportunity: Glimmer Train. The quarterly accepts unsolicited stories and reports "86% of the stories we accepted last year came to us directly from the writer. That’s exactly how we like it."

In general the press looks for previously unpublished stories and pays $700 on acceptance of a standard submission. There is no reading fee for standard submissions, but competitions require a modest fee (and pay out more). For more on submitting to Glimmer Train, see the guidelines.

An Anaconda Eating a Rat? From Idea to Publication

We talk a lot about how our ideas can become books. Here's the lowdown from Weldon Owen on how this really happens. Well, at least 74 percent of the time.

Show Me the Money

If you're exploring self-publishing, you've probably already noticed that it's not cheap, especially if you've decided pay for professional editing, cover design and book design. The good news is that now there is a way to reach out to friends and strangers for support. Kickstarter provides a platform for artists of all kinds, including writers, to raise funds through the magic of crowdfunding.

By offering a small benefit and sense of participation in the project, artists are able to raise thousands in small amounts, often asking for contributions as small as a dollar. Benefits can be an advance copy of a book, a special edition just for contributors, or some kind of experience tailored to the book's theme. One of the most successfully funded projects right now is a YA series, Wollenstonecraft.

This is the made up story about two very real girls – Ada, the world's first computer programmer, and Mary, the world's first science fiction author – caught up in a steampunk world of hot-air balloons and steam engines, jewel thieves and mechanical contraptions.  For readers 8-12. (Wollenstonecraft on Kickstarter)

In fact, this is a book I would support. If you have a story (or magazine or website) that you think others would like to see become a reality, check out Kickstarter.

Update 6 June: I've just learned that Kickstarter is restricted to those with a US address, US bank account and credit card, and a US driver's license. But there are also European crowdfunding sites: Indiegogo and Ulule. In Australia, check out Pozible. Find even more info on crowdfunding in this post.

Back to School?

I just came across a master's program in creative writing at the University of Edinburgh that I wanted to share. It's an online, three-year, part-time program leading to an MSc in Creative Writing. You can take a certificate at the end of the fist year if you decide not to continue. The cost is GBP 3000 per academic year, and the program starts in September.

I don't think that anyone needs a creative writing program to write professionally, but for some the academic setting is productive, resulting in both finished projects and industry contacts. Has anyone enrolled in (or graduated from) an MFA program in the States or Europe? How did it help (or not help) you?

Getting into Print (or Pixels): Three for May

We all already know about most of the local opportunities to make a splash in the small pond of our local English-language publications, but it takes some research and luck to find other opportunities. I will post opportunities to get into print (or pixels) as I find them under the "Getting into print" header.

All of the following accept unsolicited queries, and all of them use an online submission system called submishmash. It's pretty easy to use if you already know how to use Word and attachments.

First up, an opportunity to get your short fiction or poetry published (max 1500 words) with Monkeybicyle. This online magazine is also published in print twice a year. You won't get paid by this tiny literary magazine, but you will be in the company of some talented writers, including Matt Briggs, Annam Manthiram, and Aaron Burch.

Next [PANK] Magazine, a free online, nonprofit literary monthly, looks for emerging writers engaged in experimental poetry and prose. Their submissions page includes a great recommendation for all writers looking for a home for their work: "First, read [PANK]. If you don’t love what you read, it’s very unlikely we’ll end up in bed together." Perhaps it goes without saying, but this is not a paying gig.

Finally, the cottage industry that started as a tiny literary mag, McSweeney's. They don't care about your MFA or your clips, according to the submissions guideline for Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern. They don't accept poetry, however. They do pay, but don't expect big bucks.

McSweeny's also accepts book manuscripts. Currently they are accepting cookbooks and poetry collections.

Great American Fiction Contest

The Saturday Evening Post has launched the Great American Fiction Contest. The Post's publisher says, "We are looking for stories with universal appeal touching on shared experiences and themes that will resonate with readers from diverse backgrounds and experience." The contest is a great opportunity for previously unpublished authors.

Stories must be 1500–5000 words, and the deadline for entry is July 1, 2012. Find out more here.