Spring 2024 Submission and Reading Opportunities for Veterans, Graduates, and More

It's almost May, that time of year to gear up for high school and college graduations, as well as honoring our Veterans.  It's also an opportunity to enjoy some extra time reading, or prepare a submission for a few anthology calls:

1) Southeast Missouri State University Press and the Warriors Arts Alliance have joined together once again to create the 13th volume in a series of anthologies about military experiences. The deadline for this issue is April 26, 2024
. They accept fiction, nonfiction, poetry, photography, essays, and interviews. I was fortunate enough to be included in the second volume with my interview of award-winning author Tim O'Brien (The Things They Carried). For more information on supporting these great Americans or to learn more about the Proud to Be series: http://www.semopress.com/events/proud-to-be-writing-by-american-warriors/

2) Interested in a graduation flash fiction? Read mine here, or try writing your own. You can also see my list of 5 Books for Graduates.

3) Chicken Soup for the Soul has a call out for six different anthologies right now. To learn more, check out: https://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics

4) Challenge: Compose a letter of thanks to a soldier you do not know or donate books to the troops. For more ideas on how you can help: http://www.give2thetroops.org/

Have you ever written for veterans or graduates? Does this seem like something you might want to try?

2024 National Library Week

It's the annual National Library Week (April 7 - 13, 2024) in America. This is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and library workers and to promote library use and support. From free access to books and online resources for families to library business centers that help support entrepreneurship and retraining, libraries offer opportunity to all. The theme for National Library Week 2024 is "Ready, Set, Library!"

Libraries are full of stories in a variety of formats from picture books to large print, audiobooks to ebooks, and more. But there's so much more to the story. Libraries of Things lend items like museum passes, games, musical instruments, and tools. Library programming brings communities together for entertainment, education, and connection through book clubs, story times, movie nights, crafting classes, and lectures. Library infrastructure advances communities, providing internet and technology access, literacy skills, and support for businesses, job seekers, and entrepreneurs. National Library Week 2024 will be a great time to tell your library’s multi-faceted story.

National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and Newbery and Pura Belpré-award winning author Meg Medina will serve as 2024 Honorary Chair.

“I’m thrilled to serve as the honorary chair of National Library Week for 2024! Libraries connect our communities and enrich our lives in ways we may not realize, and one of my greatest pleasures is discovering the unexpected and beautiful things libraries offer. From book groups to lending sports equipment to providing a safe after-school hangout space and so much more, libraries support us wherever we find ourselves on the roadmap through life’s journey. Join me and the American Library Association in celebrating the gift of libraries everywhere and the adventures and opportunities they unlock for us every day. Ready, Set, Library!”

For more ways to celebrate, visit: http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek

- First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and observed in libraries across the country each April. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate.

Most writers and readers adore their local libraries, and it's often an included vacation locale. However, many don't realize the full range of services a good library offers. For great examples, check out this article at The Write Life.

Do you celebrate this event? What is your favorite aspect of libraries?

IWSG: Using Social Media

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

APRIL 3 QUESTION - How long have you been blogging? (Or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram?) What do you like about it and how has it changed?

MY ANSWER - My first Blog post was in October 2010. I joined Facebook around the same time. I was hesitant about both. A friend encouraged me to start the blog as a way to get back into my writing which I had given up for a time. I finally joined Facebook because my daughter's ballet studio only had a Facebook account instead of a web page and it was the easiest way to keep up with information about her classes and performances. While I quickly became comfortable with both platforms, I've used them to varying degrees since. Some months, I blogged nearly every day while others I only blogged a couple times a month. Sometimes I'm on Facebook and posting multiple times a day, and other times it may be weeks between visits. I joined Twitter sometime later but have barely every utilized it. I joined Instagram and Pinterest in the years that followed but utilize them in much the same pattern as Facebook. I like Facebook for keeping up with friends and family, and for checking out what other professionals are doing. I enjoy Instagram and Pinterest for checking creativity and sharing design ideas as well.

What about you? How long have you been blogging? (Or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram?) What do you like about it and how has it changed?

Easter 2024

We just finished Spring Break here. I spent the majority of it ill. I've been sick more in the last nine months than I have been in the previous few years combined. I'm hoping the upcoming long weekend will offer me a chance to finish recuperating.

I hope you are all able to enjoy some much need time of relaxation, fun, and love this weekend as well.

Looking for a great Easter read? Check out This Easter Reading List.

For a little Easter writing inspiration, check out one of my former posts 4 Easter Inspired Prompts, or this list I came across: Easter Journal Prompts.

Do you celebrate Easter? How are you celebrating this season? Have you tried writing anything Easter inspired, or similar to the above prompts? Do you want to share anything that you have felt pulling at your heart lately?

Reminder of A to Z and Twitter Pitch

 It's nearly time for the 2024 "Twitter Pitch" as well as he 2024 "A to Z Blogging Challenge". If you're interested in either:

#IWSGPit Twitter Party

The next #IWSGPit will be March 27, 2024.
10:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

Create a Twitter-length pitch for your completed and polished manuscript and leave room for genre, age, and the hashtag. On Wednesday, March 27, 2024, Tweet your pitch using #IWSGPit. If your pitch receives a favorite/heart from a publisher/agent check their submission guidelines and send your requested query.

Many writers have seen their books published from a Twitter pitch - it’s a quick and easy way to put your manuscript in front of publishers and agents.

For hashtags and guidelines, visit our #IWSGPit page.

Do authors really find agents and publishers through a Twitter pitch party? Yes they do! Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. has found FIVE authors from this event, including one of our best sellers, Damien Larkin.

So, get your pitches ready for March!

It's also almost time for the annual "A to Z" blogging challenge. Most repeat participants have already begun planning their posts for this April and will soon be posting theme reveals. Are there any themes you would particularly care to see, or learn about in April?

Sign-ups usually begin in March.  Followed by a schedule similar to below:

Theme reveal sign up: March 8
Theme reveal closes: March 20
Master list opens: March 29
Master list closes: April 7
After-survey: May 1-8
Reflections: May 3-8
Road-trip: May 10

To learn more about this challenge, or what you can expect to see this April, be sure to follow their website http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ 

 Will you be participating in #IWSGPit? Have you had success with a Twitter pitch party? Have you ever participated in the "A to Z" challenge? Will you be taking part this year? What other hops or challenges do you enjoy? Are you attending any this year? Do you have a favorite that we haven't listed here?

Happy St. Patrick's Day

March 17 is the traditional day to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. If you're interested in participating, but not quite sure how, check out this article I shared a couple of years ago: Irish Classics, Prompts, and Party Tips.

Feeling Lucky? Check out the post about where I and a few other writers get their inspiration: https://iwsganthologies.blogspot.com/2022/03/feeling-lucky.html

Some additional educational and fun holiday ideas include:

• Streaming Irish jigs and songs.
• Watching traditional Irish dance on YouTube or chrome cast to your TV.
• Adding green food dye to your short bread cookie recipes.
• Sewing or gluing crazy Green Irish hats, ties or belts using felt, ribbons, or fabrics.
• Cooking Irish Stew, scones and clotted cream or butter from scratch or from cans. 
• Telling Irish fables about leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold, or gnomes.
• Reminding your children about the “kiss of the blarney” and the folkloric tradition known today as “the gift of the gab”.
• Research the real St. Patrick.

How about you? Are you celebrating St. Patrick's Day? How are you spending this time?

IWSG: AI Use

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

MARCH 6 QUESTION - Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?

MY ANSWER - We had a similar discussion in our October posting if you'd like to look back at those. My only interaction with AI as a writer has been to address using it in the classroom. As soon as ChatGPT released more than a year ago, I saw a huge use of it by students to attempt writing assignments. We spent time actually looking at instances where you could use it, but the software was creating sadly horrible and oftentimes completely incorrectly factual writing. This helped to dissuade plagiarism in that first year. However, as AI software increase in reliability so too does it's use, not just by students but also by teachers and writers. Some only use it as a means to see examples (a learning or confidence building tool). However, I believe we may see an increase in reliance on this technology, and an outright substitution for individual authentic creation. In response, more schools and legal systems will attempt to define what is allowable and what is not (refer back to Hollywood/writers/actors strikes last year).

What about you? Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?