Victoria A. Hudson's Blog, page 13

Emerging Writer Prize Honorable Mention

This year there were 26 entries for the Emerging Writer Prize. This is about half from previous years. Hopefully, next year entries will pick back up. The three finalists have been selected. Their responses to the writing prompt Why I write as well as their writing samples are undergoing evaluation. There are a few honorable mentions: Kristina Tong, Rosie Sorenson, and Denise Larson all made it through several rounds of evaluation.

There are still a couple other SFWC scholarship competitions open for another week or two. All those who were not selected are encouraged to attempt some of the other competitions.

Next year’s competition opens September 1st. I hope this year’s entrants will try again. Just a word of advice. If you do enter again, make sure you send new, original work. Someone who entered last year entered again, and what was exceptional last year was just stale this year.

Primary Lessons by Sarah Bracey White

Sarah loves to learn and as a joyous, clever toddler she is growing up in her Philadelphia Aunt’s home where the future is bright. She can be anything, do anything, her Aunt Susie tells her. When her friend starts kindergarten, she wants to follow, and talks her way into the neighborhood Catholic school – even though she’s only four. She’s advanced to the next grade at the end of the year. Except her mother returns and takes her back to South Carolina. She leaves the only home she’s known. A place where she was encouraged to ask questions, seek out answers, and aspire to become whatever she could dream. Dreams are dust in a place defined not by ability, but the color of your skin.

Primary Lessons is the true story of Sarah Bracey White’s childhood and coming of age. This is a personal story reflecting the struggle and trauma of systemic cultural racism and its cousin classism in mid 20th century America. While the setting of Philadelphia is a small part of the book, this provides a comparative backdrop for all that follows. In those crucial early years of 0 – five, Sarah lives in a nice middle class home in a big city, enjoys the ease of indoor plumbing and is encouraged in her creativity and questioning about the world. In Sumter, South Carolina, she is brought back to a family she’s never known. Despite her single mother’s quite respectable position as school teacher, the family lives in poverty, crowded in a small shack compared to Aunt Susie’s home, without plumbing and an outhouse for a toilet. The once distant mother is now ruling her every movement, older sisters perceive her in the way or a nuisance and she has no friends to play with except her paper dolls. Instead of encouragement, she now hears she isn’t old enough. Instead of school she plays alone. Instead of possibility, her life is defined by what she cannot do because of the color of her skin, aggravated by the perception her mother has about what is proper and respectable all driven by her mother’s own demons fueled by the inequities of Jim Crow south. Where a question once brought learning and discovery, now it can as easily bring a slap for endangering the family or future.

Singular events define Sarah’s life. The story presents well how young children learn to interact with their world based upon those decisions they make when small about how their world works and how to protect themselves from hurt. There is a great deal of hurt in Primary Lessons. The harsh impact racism had and continues to have in this country is ever-present.

There is also a great deal of perseverance. Sarah rebels and chafes against the restrictions of southern society and segregation personified in her mother. She grows up longing to belong, for a real family that would envelop her in the love she remembered from her time with Aunt Susie. She will not give in to fate. She will prevail. In the process, she will learn how close love and hate are in a family, hope often wears the mask of despair for its own survival and that every dream requires sacrifice.

About the author:

Sarah Bracey White was born in Sumter, SC. She is a librarian, teacher and motivational speaker. As a long-time arts consultant to the Town of Greenburgh, she designed and manages a creative writing program for children, edits an annual edition of their short stories and sponsors an annual poetry contest. The author of a collection of poetry, Feelings Brought to Surface, her creative essays are included in the anthologies Children of the Dream; Dreaming in Color, Living in Black and White; Aunties: 35 Writers Celebrate Their Other Mother; Gardening On A Deeper Level and Heartscapes. Her essays have been published in many regional newspapers and on the internet. Her memoir, Primary Lessons, was published by CavanKerry Press in September, 2013. She lives with her husband in Westchester County, NY.

Sarah was interviewed for Three by Five in July.

Breadcrumbs to Blogs

There is so much to read on the web! Think of these as breadcrumbs, leading to a banquet of selections for your plate of experiences here in the wild internet.

First up – Molly Greene: Writer.

Molly has six previous books  and launching now, her latest mystery novel Rapunzel. Find out more about her books on her site. She blogs on writing and the writing life several times a week. Check out her post Self-Publishing: 6 Valuable Lessons I Learned Between Book #1 & #2 for some helpful hints post publishing that first book. The one that really stood out for me? Number 3 – “Confidence and experience strengthened my personal filter.” The key take away: There is a great deal of information out there, use other opinions on what to do as a guide but do what is best for you as long as you cover the basics – “You must have a well-written, well-edited, well-proofed and well-formatted book with a professional-looking cover.”

Second – O-Dark-Thirty.

O-Dark-Thirty is the literary journal for the Veterans Writing Project. The Veterans Writing Project provides no cost writing workshops and conferences for veterans, service members and military family members. Combining both print (O Dark Thirty) and online (The Report), the site offers opportunity for members of the military community to publish their work and for those without military experience to gain insight and perspective on what our service members and their families go through. The print journal publishes 4 times a year. The Report updates often with new work. Make this one of your must read stops when surfing the net and order a print subscription. For a sample read, Kevin Neirbo’s Later explores a Marine’s coming of age.

Third – Beyond The Margins.

Truly a smorgasbord of writerly edification options. “Think literary magazine run amok,” is how the site describes itself. A dozen contributing writers plus guest posters present diverse voices and experiences on the craft of writing and business of publishing. A recent post by Randy Sue Myers entitled Manners for Writers has some useful hints about writer behavior in the literary community. A key point not enough bloggers and tweeters understand – “Most readers…don’t want to hear complaints about how tired you are, how much you hate writing, and what a grind it is to revise. It’s better not to show how the sausage is made.” Yep,  and I’ve done this too, it’s easy when it’s time to log on and make a new post to fall back to what isn’t working. I see more than a few updates that are complaints and there is nothing in a complaint that encourages me to keep writing. If you can take that complaint and turn it into a useful piece of reflection, well, that’s another story.

Three breadcrumbs to follow, and each will lead you to other resources and readings. Enjoy.

Poet Mildred Achoch – Interview Part IV

Three by Five  with a Glimpse into the Writing Life of Poet Mildred Achoch

Mildred Achoch writes poems and screenplays and has two blogs – Kenya Rock Film Festival Journal and Lost in Cyberspace and Other Found Poems. In 2013, she was a participating poet with the Found Poetry Review’s Pulitzer Remix Project. Welcome back to this last installment with Poet Mildred Achoch.

VAH: Any thoughts on the Master of Fine Arts for writing?

MA: I don’t have an MFA in writing but I do have a Bachelor’s degree in International Business Administration. I wouldn’t mind getting an MFA.

VAH: Do you have a favorite inspiring quote?

MA: I love this quote by Pearl Buck because it is a near perfect portrait of me. “The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanely sensitive. To them… a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create — so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off… They must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating.”

VAH: An excellent statement about the powerful drive to create that inhabits the artist. Would you share some less than creative insights now. What are three random not related to writing facts about you?

MA: a) I am a born again Christian b) I can play any song on the piano by ear. c) I am short sighted.

VAH: And one more fact that might amaze or amuse?

MA: I can sing jazz, opera and the blues.

VAH: If you had to choose a last meal – what would you want?

MA: French fries. They are my favorite and for a last meal, what better food than your favorite?

VAH: So true. Thank you Mildred for taking part in this interview series.

Thank you for stopping in at Three by Five, a way station on the information highway with a glimpse into the writing life.

Three by Five is on hiatus in December and January. Return February 3rd for the next interview of an emerging writer, independent author or just an interesting person in the writing community.

Poet Mildred Achoch – Interview Parts II and III

Three by Five  with a Glimpse into the Writing Life of Poet Mildred Achoch

Three by Five returns today with a late Part II and in penance for that, combined with Part III.

VAH: When did you begin to see yourself as a Writer?

MA: When I wrote my first novel when I was sixteen. I began writing it during the school holidays then took it with me to (boarding) school and has my classmates read it as I completed writing it. It was their comments that helped me to see that I was good at writing. But more importantly, it was the fact that I immensely enjoyed reading my own writing!

VAH: What’s your best advice for emerging writers?

MA: Best advice for emerging writers? DON’T EMERGE! Just stay in your closet. In fact, give up writing! Don’t even think of making it your career! Get a nice, safe, 9 to 5 job! However, if all the above words went in one eye and came out your other eye, then congratulations! You are a writer. And nothing anyone tells you will make you quit!

VAH: “A nice, safe, 9 – 5 job!” That’s a great way to sum up what writing is not for so many of us. Now, the writing community – do you have a favorite writing conference or retreat?

MA: I haven’t had a chance to attend any conferences or writing retreats/seminars but I have attended several workshops on screenwriting. I would love to attend a screenwriting conference or retreat.

VAH: Mildred, you’re a full time writer, if not writing, what would you be doing?

MA: Yes, I am a full time writer, to the horror and great disappointment of those near and dear to me! If I wasn’t a writer, I would be the lead singer/songwriter of a rock ‘n’ roll band.

VAH: Certainly still an expression of your creativity. When reading for yourself, what type of books do you most enjoy reading?

MA: I LOVE paranormal romances. I also enjoy science fiction.

VAH: Rock star or Author, who would play you in the Life and Times of Mildred Achoch?

MA: I don’t know who would play me but the theme song would be “Beautiful Day” by U2 because it’s such an uplifting song and I can’t get enough of it!

VAH: You suddenly gained a super power – what is yours?

MA: Speed. So that I could write and type faster!

VAH: Writers read, what kind of reader are you?

MA: I’m the kind of reader who can read three books at a go. One day, I may be in the mood for paranormal romance. So I wold begin to read that kind of book. Then the next day I could be in the mood for science fiction, so I would begin reading a science fiction book. The next day a biography. [Reading] just depends on my mood. And sometimes the location. I would carry the biography with me and read it “on the go” but the paranormal romance and science fiction novels I would prefer to read in the comfort of my home.

VAH: Writing every day as your paying job, what gets you over writer’s block?

MA: The rent being due!

VAH: Accounts due certainly have a way to motivate. Thank you Mildred Achoch for the glimpse into your writing life. The final installment with Mildred will post on November 30th.

Mildred Achoch writes poems and screenplays and has two blogs – Kenya Rock Film Festival Journal and Lost in Cyberspace and Other Found Poems. In 2013, she was a participating poet with the Found Poetry Review’s Pulitzer Remix Project.

Thanks for joining us Mildred. We’ll be back later in the month with more from this young writer.

Editor – Hate my Work!

Want an Editor to hate your work – be boring, stiff and too formal! This is just one of five “recommendations” posted today at Write Nonfiction Now, hosted by Nina Amir. The guest poster is Linda Formichelli with a humorous look at what not to do if you want to publish nonfiction journalistic writing. Surf on over to today’s posting at Nina Amir’s Write Nonfiction Now and discover the rest of Linda Formichelli’s 5 Surefire Ways to Make an Editor Hate Your Article.

Find out more about Linda at The Renegade Writer.

Find out more about Nina Amir at Write Nonfiction Now!

 

Three by Five Introduces Poet Mildred Achoch

Three by Five welcomes Mildred Achoch, a Poet and Screenwriter in Kenya.

Mildred Achoch writes poems and screenplays and has two blogs – Kenya Rock Film Festival Journal and Lost in Cyberspace and Other Found Poems. In 2013, she was a participating poet with the Found Poetry Review’s Pulitzer Remix Project.

VAH: Welcome to Three by Five, Mildred! Why do you write?

MA: I write because I can. I found out early enough that I could skillfully combine words so as to communicate creatively. I also write because I cannot not write! They say it takes about 21 days to form a habit. Well, I have been writing for way more than 21 days! I’m hopelessly hooked!

VAH: Tell us about your first story?

MA: My first story was an interracial teen romance novel. I wrote it in longhand and I still largely write in longhand. I wrote this story when I was sixteen. I still remember the song that inspired it. “I love you always forever” by Donna Lewis, specifically the line that goes: “You’ve got the most unbelievable blue eyes I’ve ever seen.”

VAH: Do you have a favorite literary character?

MA: My favorite literary character is Bella Swan of the “Twilight” series. I think it’s because I can relate to her on so many levels. We are both introverts, love books so much that we’d rather go to a bookstore than shop for clothes and we both love vampires Also, we come from broken homes.

VAH: A gift of books is how they provide both reflection and relief of our reality. If you were stuck on a deserted island, what books would you want with you?

MA: The Twilight books of course! Because I literally never get tired of reading them! They are so well written, the characters are well developed and the themes are very close to home: loneliness, sacrifice, love.

VAH: What has impacted you the most in your development as a writer?

MA: Working as a freelance writer on odesk.com, a portal for freelancers. Working with strict deadlines really helped me to improve my speed in writing and even in thinking. I discovered that, at least in my case, writer’s block is largely just an excuse for me not to write! I also have had the chance to work on diverse writing projects: novels, children’s stories, screenplays, world creation, articles, e-books short stories and so on.

Thanks for joining us Mildred. We’ll be back later in the month with more from this young writer.

 

Jered W. Alexander – Part III

Welcome back to Three by Five for the third and final installment of an interview with Jerad Alexander.

VAH: Jerad, when the blank page stares back at you, what gets you over writers block?

JWA: I rarely have a moment when I’m at a loss of words when writing. If I do get to that point, however, I’ll typically stop and go right to work on something else, and then take another look at what has jammed me up and see if I have unraveled any of it. Considering my need to be writing… if that piece doesn’t want to cooperate, then another piece will.

VAH: That’s a very effective redirection. Not giving in to the blank page but working on something else. How do you then track what you send out for consideration and keep up with the results of your submissions?

JWA: Along with sites that use Submittable, I track everything with Excel spreadsheets. It seems to work great!

VAH: Jerad, what little known fact about you will amaze and or amuse?

JWA:     When Anthrax was delivered to the Capitol Hill mail facility and Longworth Hall just down from Congress, I was a sample gatherer and decontamination team member. While in Longworth Hall, which was a ghost town akin to The Andromeda Strain, a friend of mine smuggled out individually wrapped cigars from a senator aide’s office. We decontaminated them and my friends and I shared them in the shade of the capitol building.

JWE:     Following a horrible fad at the time, I did the “Harlem Shake” with a full car of friends at a stoplight here in Atlanta at around 2:30 am. Drinks may or may not have been involved. The only regret I have is I did not have my horse mask at the time. Anything to expand on the already-stunned and horrified expressions on the older couple in the car next to us…

VAH: Jerad, thank you for your service and welcome home.

Do you have a favorite, inspiring quotation?

JWA: I’ll give you two that have struck me of late:

“As things stand now, I am going to be a writer. I’m not sure that I’m going to be a good one or even a self-supporting one, but until the dark thumb of fate presses me to the dust and says ‘you are nothing’, I will be a writer.”  – Hunter Thompson

“All you have to do is write the one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know.” – Ernest Hemingway

VAH: Both excellent touchstones for any writer. Now, drawing our conversation to a close, what are three random non-writing related facts about you?

JWE: I love German cars, specifically Audi and older-model BMW’s and Mercedes. I’d love to one day own a late 80’s 560SL.

While I like spring and summer, autumn is my favorite time of year. It feels like I come alive more in the fall than any time of the year.

I have a huge love and respect for the art and craft of standup comedy. It is a jealous craft, and if I could devote more time and energy to it, I’d love to give that a serious go. But… writing is jealous enough.

Jerad W. Alexander – thanks for the insights and words of encouragement and spending a little with with Three by Five.

Jerad W. Alexander is a writer and the associate editor of the upcoming literary journal The Blue Falcon Review, an annual collection of military fiction. His novella, The Life of Ling Ling, was a finalist in the 2012 Serena McDonald Kennedy Prize for Fiction. His essay “On Our Next Stop in Modern War” was a finalist is the Narrative Magazine Spring 2013 Contest. From 1998 to 2006 he served as a U.S. Marine infantryman and combat correspondent, deploying to the Mediterranean, the Horn of Africa, and Iraq. Since leaving the U.S. Marines he has earned a BA in English Literature from American Military University and is pursuing a Masters of Professional Studies in Strategic Public Relations at The George Washington University. He currently lives in Atlanta, Ga. His novella, The Life of Ling Ling, A Novella about Iraq, is available on Amazon.com. He can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Three by Five – Five questions answered by authors, artists and interesting people published on days that end in three.

Annual Emerging Writer Prize

2014 and the 7th annual emerging writer prize!

This year the Victoria A. Hudson Emerging Writer Prize goes electronic with online submissions via submittable. The submission manager for entry is here.

The Victoria A. Hudson Emerging Writer Scholarship will award a registration scholarship to one emerging writer of any genre to attend the San Francisco Writers Conference, February 13-16, 2014. http://www.sfwriters.org/ Scholarship covers registration fee only, does not include transportation, lodging, food (except what is included with registration) or speed dating with agents.

Again in 2014: The winner will also receive a BookBaby Standard Ebook Publishing package ($149 value) generously donated by BookBaby. http://www.bookbaby.com/services/ebook-publishing

Emerging writer is defined as: Does not have an agent or book contract, writing is not your primary occupation or generating income greater than $500/month. If self published, less than 500 copies sold. You know if you are emerging. This is for the many still struggling and dreaming.

If selected for another SFWC scholarship, you may not also receive this scholarship.

Submission period is 8 September – 1 December, 2012. 

To Enter:

Submit three pages of writing, any genre plus an essay on the topic “I write because…” not to exceed 600 words.  Poets should submit 3 poems.

No identifying information should be on any page. The writing sample must identify if Fiction, Nonfiction, or Poetry on the first page and by title and genre in the cover letter.

Please includes your contact information and a short bio with your cover letter.

Judging methodology:

Each entry is first evaluated by the quality of the essay. This is the preliminary stage of evaluation and each essay is evaluated on its own merits. Those essays selected during this stage are read again in round two, where they are evaluated individually and collectively with all entries that have proceeded to this round. Only the best of the round two essays are selected to move to stage three. In stage three, the entered writing sample is also read and evaluated. The finalist list is selected during stage three. Historically, about 50% at each stage move forward. The previous year’s winning essay may be found at http://vickihudson.com/sfwc/.

Enter the 2014 Victoria A. Hudson Emerging Writer Prize here.

November is a Writing Month

Once again, it is almost National Novel Writing Month! This is where with the help and encouragement of a community of other like minder writers, you crank out a first draft of a novel of at least 50,000 words. Find out more and sign up at the National Novel Writing Month site.

Not to be left in the cold, there is also a National Write Nonfiction in November campaign with a challenge to produce 50,000 words of any type of nonfiction or to complete a nonfiction project.  Find out more at the Write Nonfiction in November site.

Both sites offer forums, community discussion and opportunity to learn from the pros in the writing world.

These aren’t contests, more like crowd support for the individual attempting to get over the bar of 50,000 words. Curious? Visit the websites for each program to find out more.