Thursday, June 18, 2009

Blue Mountain Press Deadline Extended

Today's forecast for St. Peters, MO: Partly cloudy, high 99 degrees. That's not a typo--it's gonna be a scorcher today. Time to hit the pool--or better still, stay inside.

Speaking of hot--here's a hot market tip, courtesy of Dianna G.

Blue Mountain Arts is looking for inspirational stories and wisdom related to Ireland or Irish culture for an upcoming anthology. They are accepting stories and essays (100-600 words) and poems (non-rhyming; no minimum word count). Stories should include "a pithy saying at the end, which sums up the inspirational message of your story. For example: 'Laughter is brightest where food is best.'"
Payment: US $50 for anthology rights upon publication. Deadline: June 30, 2009 (extended).
Send name/address and submission in the body of an email with “Irish” in the subject line to write4us@sps.com. *
I've begun an essay about my great-grandfather that I plan to submit. The essay is under 600 words, but I want to get closer to 500 before submitting.

5 comments:

  1. Wish I had an Irish story! It's a terrific writing exercise weave a story in so few words.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Pat,
    Thanks. I wish you had one, too.
    I've got mine whittled down to just over 500 words. It's a teriffic writing exercise, but not an easy one.
    Donna

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Everyone,
    Here's an update on my submission for the Irish anthology. I've written a first draft of an essay, which is just under 600 words. Yesterday I sent the essay to some writing friends for comments and suggestions. Boy, do I have some smart--and generous--friends. They have made some marvelous suggestions on how to make my essay better. Next next week I will work on the revisions to try and narrow the focus to winnow it down to around 400 words.
    Thanks to all my writing friends who have sent spot-on suggestions. I'll keep you posted and let yo know when I hit the SEND button.
    Donna

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  4. Another update: My first draft has been revised, revised, and revised again. I've changed the title, narrowed the vocus, and shaved about 100 words off of the almost final version. I've foregone my goal of 400 words and am adhering to the "don't sacrifice clarity for brevity" rule. My final submission will most likely end up with around 500 words.

    ReplyDelete
  5. With the help of some writing friends I've revised my original version from almost 600 words to just over 500 words. I hit the "Send" button and have my fingers crossed that my essay will be included in the anthology. I'll keep you posted.
    Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions, comments--and most of all encouragement!
    Donna

    ReplyDelete

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