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Pre-Order the 2010 edition of Writing to Win for just $10.95!


Writing to Win: The Colossal Guide to Writing Contests
by Moira Allen

Want to win prizes for your writing? Look no further than Writing-World.com's "colossal" guide to writing contests around the world: Writing to Win. I've almost finished the 2010 update, and there are lots of changes from the 2009 edition -- different deadlines, entry fees, prizes, and contact info for more than half the listings, plus more than 200 NEW listings!

From now through November 30, you can pre-order Writing to Win for just $10.95 plus shipping -- saving $6 from Amazon.com's retail price. To order just go to http://www.writing-world.com/admin1/contests.shtml. (Please note that there are extra shipping costs for international orders.)

This guide includes competitions for poetry, short fiction, articles, book-length manuscripts, romance novels, scripts and screenplays. It lists competitions for writers of every interest and every level of expertise. I hope to have the book ready to ship by mid-November, but it will ship by November 30 at the latest. (This will also give you a chance to get in on a number of contests that are still available in December 2009.)

Do you host a writing newsletter or blog? Want a free electronic review copy of Writing to Win? Contact Moira Allen, Editor with the link to your newsletter or blog and I'll be happy to send you a copy.

A New Website for Historical Researchers...

The editor of Writing-World.com is pleased to announce a new website for anyone conducting historical research on the Victorian and Edwardian periods: Mostly-Victorian.com!

Mostly-Victorian.com is a growing archive of articles from Victorian and Edwardian periodicals (as well as, eventually, some periodicals that predate the Victorian period). Right now we're focusing on articles from The Strand and Girl's Own Paper, both of which date from the late Victorian period. The site covers such topics as Victorian life, women's issues, social issues, royalty, home decor, fashion, cooking, arts and crafts, nature, the Victorian countryside, Victorian London, world travel and cultures (from a uniquely Victorian perspective), history, literature and more. It's the ideal place to find out how Victorians lived, worked, dined and entertained, dressed, dealt with servants, etc. -- straight from "the horse's mouth." The site currently features more than 600 articles, with more added every month.

Nor is this site just for people interested in research -- it's fun!. It's packed with loads of articles that are worth reading just because they're enjoyable, as well as a selection of classic literature from the period.

To celebrate, we're offering a look back at the advice the wife of a Victorian editor had to offer to would-be writers of the day -- advice that is (for the most part) just as true today as it was more than 120 years ago! Here are tips for writers from the 1881 volume of The Girl's Own Paper. (I don't quite know whether it's encouraging or discouraging to know that I've been trying to give writers the same advice that has been repeated for more than a century!)

Literary Work for Girls
http://www.writing-world.com/fiction/GOP1.shtml

How to Write a Story
http://www.writing-world.com/fiction/GOP2.shtml


New on Writing-World.com!
Fall 2009

Feeling Guilty about Writing Too Much for Too Little? Shed the Guilt, Discover the Rewards, by Susie Yakowicz
http://www.writing-world.com/life/guilt.shtml

It Might Not Happen, But... (backing up/restoring your work), by Des Nnochiri
http://www.writing-world.com/rights/restore.shtml

Mixing It Up: Writing Across Genres, by Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz
http://www.writing-world.com/fiction/crossgenre.shtml

Organizing Your Writing Time, by Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz
http://www.writing-world.com/life/organize.shtml

Permanence vs. Accessibility (or Books vs. Web), by Moira Allen (editorial)
http://www.writing-world.com/coffee/coffee15.shtml

Speaking Without Butterflies, by Moira Allen
http://www.writing-world.com/promotion/butterflies.shtml

Using Letters of Introduction to Land Assignments with Trade Publications, by Denene Brox
http://www.writing-world.com/tech/lois.shtml

Write What You Want to Write! by Dawn Copeman
http://www.writing-world.com/dawn/want.shtml

Yoga, Stretching and You, by Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz
http://www.writing-world.com/life/yoga.shtml


Recent Articles
Has it been awhile since you've dropped by? Here's a list of articles posted to Writing-World.com in the last few months!

Summer 2009
Bylines from Near and Far: Travel Writing in 2009-2010, by Myrna Oakley
Feeling Like a Dinosaur (editorial), by Moira Allen
Grammar Matters! (editorial), by Moira Allen
Looking for Travel Sidebars, by Jack Adler
Making Things Harder Than They Are (editorial), by Dawn Copeman
The Midlisters: Backbone of the Publishing Industry, by Sean McLachlan
Remember Summer Vacation? (editorial), by Moira Allen
There's No Free Lunch -- But There IS Free Software!, by Des Nnochiri
What a Good Editor Can Do For You, by Patricia Fry
Writing for Family History Magazines, by Rosemary Bennett

Spring 2009
But First... (editorial), by Moira Allen
Lateral Thinking, by Ahmed A. Khan
Music to Write By, by Indra Sena
Facing Down Life Block, by Donnell King
Going Green: Green Markets, Green Topics, by Wenona Napolitano
Our Reach and Our Grasp (editorial), by Moira Allen
Recharging the Writer Battery: Six Ways to Keep Going When Times Get Tough, by Mindy Hardwick
Stirring the Nest (editorial), by Moira Allen
Why We Do What We Do (editorial), by Moira Allen
Writing in a Recession, by Dawn Copeman
Writing to Trends, by Susan Sundwall
Writing to Win, by Moira Allen
Yes, You Can Make Money Writing Fiction, by Patricia Fry

Winter 2008
Wish You Merry..., by Moira Allen
E-books from the Publisher's Perspective, by Sean McLachlan
POD Books from the Publisher's Perspective, by Sean McLachlan
The Benefit of Critique Groups, by Michele Acker
Give Me a Meter, I'll Take a Foot, by Tami Krueger
Making Your Future Out of the Past: How to Break into the Burgeoning History Market, by Sean McLachlan
Motivation, by Hank Quense
Targeting Enemy Words, by Sandra Miller


Are You Missing Our Newsletter?
If you're missing our e-mail newsletter, you're missing some great stuff that isn't found on the website, including:
  • Dawn Copeman's wildly popular Inquiring Writer column, where readers help readers...
  • Aline Lechaye's new Free Stuff for Writers column (who doesn't need free stuff these days?)
  • Moira Allen's helpful Writing Desk column, answering readers' questions about the business of writing...
  • Our Jobs and Opportunities section, listing calls for submissions, jobs, and other paying opportunities...
  • Writing contests that are free to enter...
  • News from the world of writing and publishing...

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Something Fun We Just Found...
Here's a fun "widget" from WeBook.com -- a daily writing tip or exercise. Worth a try!

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Copyright © 2009 by Moira Allen. All rights reserved. Copyright to individual articles held by authors.