WritingSpirit Resources

Site Updates and New Entries

May 5, 2008

Screenwriting/Cinema Resources

• Movies About Writers

April 17, 2008

WritingSpirit.com

• Announcing the Upcoming Launch of WritingSpirit.com

Magazines--General

• Duotrope's Digest--Short Story, Novel, Poetry Market Search Enging

April 1, 2008

Classes

• Taos Writer's Spa 2008

Contests 

• Operation First Novel 2008

January 21, 2008

Publishing Resources

• London Book Fair

January 4, 2008

Split Magazine and Book Publishers sections into "General" and "Spiritual." Will be adding more general resources over the next few months.

January 3, 2008

Contests

• Updated the entire section.

Literary Agents (New Category)

• Guide to Literary Agents -- Editor's Blog

November 25, 2007

Classes

• Updated the entire section, adding over 50 new classes

Conferences

• Updated the entire section, adding 16 new conferences.

November 24, 2007

Anthologies

• Updated the entire section, adding 25 new calls for submissions

• Chicken Soup for the Soul -- 19 New Titles
• Cup of Comfort -- 4 New Titles
• June Cotner -- 2 New Titles

October 13, 2006

Anthologies

• Chicken Soup for the Empty Nester's Soul
• Chicken Soup for the Prosperous Soul
• Dare to Be Fabulous

September 22, 2006

Anthologies

• Chance Encounters: Chance Happenings

September 15, 2006

Magazines

• Hindu Magazines
  • Hinduism Today

• Holistic Magazines
  • Chicken Soup for the Soul Magazine

September 11, 2006

Conferences

• Nippon 2007 - The 65th Annual Science Fiction World Convention

September 5, 2006

Anthologies

• Announcment of my upcoming Multi-Media product:
  • Writing Inspirational Stories for Publication and Profit
• Chicken Soup for the Soul  (16 Upcoming Titles)

September 4, 2006

Contests

• British Society of Authors Writing Awards
  • The McKitterick Prize 2007
  • The Tom-Gallon Trust Award and the Olive Cook Award
  • The Eric Gregory Trust Fund Awards 2007
  • The Betty Trask Prize and Awards 2007

August 27, 2006

Anthologies

• Rainmakers' Prayers

Magazines

• Catholic Magazines
  • Canticle

• Yoga Magazines
  • YogaLife

Publishing News

• The Quill Awards

August 25, 2006

Contests

• Writers Digest Poetry Awards

August 20, 2006

Contests

• Open Door Screnwriting Contest

Conferences

• Path & Pen
• Southern California Writers Conference
  • Palm Springs
  • San Diego

August 18, 2006

Contests

• Greywolf Press Nonfiction Prize

Recommended Books

• Writing For the Soul - Jerry B Jenkins

Classes

• Writing Retreats in Mallorca, Spain
  • Meet Your Muse - Creative Writing Workshop
  • Writing Between Life and Fiction
  • Writing For Our Lives
  • Creating Sanctuary Through Writing and Art

August 14, 2006

Contests:

• 2006 Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prizes
• Writer's Digest Short-Short Contest

August 13, 2006

Contests:

• 2006 Novice Christian Poetry Contest
• 2006 Soul-Making Literary Competition
• 2006 Anna Davidson Rosenberg Awards for Poems on the Jewish Experience

Classes:

• Hal Zina Bennett: Year Long Coaching Program

August 12, 2006

• Updated Classes, Conferences, and Contests categories

The Quill Awards - Vote for Your Favorites

The Quills’ 2006 Religion/Spirituality Nominees

The five finalists in this category are:

• The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions by Karen Armstrong (Knopf)
• Mama Made the Difference by T.D. Jakes (Putnam)
• Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart D. Ehrman (Harper San Francisco)
• The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Harper San Francisco)
• The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality by Dalai Lama XIV (Broadway Books).

The 2005 winner in Religion/Spirituality was Peace is the Way: Bringing War and Violence to an End by Deepak Chopra (Harmony).

The Quill Awards, presented in 19 book categories, is supported by Reed Business Information and the NBC Universal Television Stations. Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on October 10, 2006.

For more information and a complete list of the nominees, go to:
www.thequills.org

To cast a vote for your favorite books, go to:

www.quillsvote.com

Big Break International Screenwriting Contest

Submission Deadline: February 1 - June 15, 2008
What to Submit: Feature Length Screenplay, accepts multiple entries
Entry Fee: $50
First Place Prizes: $15,000 total cash plus finalist prizes
Second Place Prizes: $4,000 total cash plus finalist prizes
Third Place Prizes: $2,000 total cash plus finalist prizes

Big Break is an annual, global screenwriting contest designed to support emerging creative talent. Big Break rewards screenwriters with cash, prizes and A-list executive meetings. Winners and finalists alike have had their screenplays optioned and produced and have secured high-profile representation as well as lucrative writing deals.

Since its inception in 2000, Big Break has awarded screenwriters with over $100,000 in cash and prizes and invaluable industry exposure. A panel of notable industry professionals conducts the final judging.

The 2007 contest brought in 3,500 entries.

Big Break Screenwriting Contest

Southern California Writers Conference

February15-18, 2008
San Diego, CA

Founded and run by professional writers the Southern California Writers Conference (SCWC) provides veteran and emerging talent with authoritative critique to help distinguish those manuscripts that are ready for market consideration, facilitating some $3 million worth of first-time authors' book and screen deals. With extended one-on-one evaluation of advance submissions and dozens of read & critique and Q&A workshops uniquely defying the "us versus them," academia-style cattle drives found at similar events, the SCWC is among the only writing conferences in the country specifically tailored to provide comprehensive feedback on your work.

Along with the read & critiques run during each session, many interactive problem-solving and assignment-oriented workshops are also available. And since the surroundings of the conference afford it, and since we most certainly encourage it, plenty of other opportunities await those attending to sidle up next to editors, agents, executives, and other writers joining us to discuss things on a more intimate level.

So whether you're a writer who can't figure why your work's not working, a writer simply in search of some answers, a writer wanting feedback on what you've written, a writer who doesn't know where to start, or just a writer who wants to hang with other writers, do yourself a favor and join us for the 22st Annual Southern California Writers Conference in San Diego.

Southern California Writers Conference

Writing For the Soul - Jerry B Jenkins

In Writing for the Soul, best-selling author Jerry B. Jenkins takes you on a personal and inspiring journey, imparting experience and wisdom gained from his impressive writing career. Unknown in his early days, Jenkins persisted in his passion to write, and his story reveals the rewards that can come to writers who put in the hard work and keep their priorities straight. Jenkins shares the honest and straightforward truth about how to find writing success and why the journey is a continuous one.

With heartfelt advice and intimate anecdotes that will satisfy writers and fans, Jenkins discusses:

* the skills and abilities required to build an exciting career
* breaking into the industry through reporting and writing for small markets
* establishing and maintaining a professional image
* how even experienced writers should continue to learn and grow (including Jenkins himself)

Writing for the Soul is filled with Jenkins’ autobiographical stories—including many of the famous people he’s written about—and the lessons he’s learned from his decades of experience in the writing and publishing world.
--from Amazon.com

Writing Retreats in Mallorca, Spain

Writing & Knowing
Dorianne Laux and Joseph Millar
April 12-19, 2008

During our week in April the key word to remember is pleasure. Pleasure in the music of language, delight in the beauty of form and the mystery of images, a deep satisfaction in simplicity and structure and the joy of storytelling-- this is what captured us when we came to literature and what makes us want to create it for ourselves and others.

But first we must have a subject and so will explore themes such as The Literature of Place, The Family: Inspiration and Obstacle and Writing the Erotic. We will also read models by contemporary American writers.


Writing Between Life and Fiction
Pam Houston
April 19-26, 2008

Pam Houston’s goal as workshop leader is to create an environment where beginning and seasoned writers become excited about taking both stylistic and emotional risks with their work. She believes that allowing the physical landscape of a story to stand in and represent our emotional landscapes is the most essential craft, the real artistry of fiction.

The workshop will begin with exercises that set the theme for the week: the way we take details from the physical world that resonate for us and translate them into words and paragraphs that will help us access the beautiful and frightening stories we have to tell. Workshop participants will learn to trust the way the physical world gives us the tools (and, incidentally, the courage) to tell our most profound truths, and to write stories that will move our readers by activating not just their minds but their senses.


Writing for Our Lives
Ellen Bass
May 3-10, 2008

The philosophy behind this workshop experience is best expressed by Martha Graham who said, 'There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.'

This workshop will help keep the channels open. It will be an inspiring environment in which to share your life and work, your support, your creativity. In our busy lives, many of us find that there isn’t as much time for writing as we long for. This week will be an opportunity to delve into your writing without distractions or interruptions, to nurture the creative voice. There will be ample time for writing and time for sharing and response, hearing what your work touches in others. You'll help each other to become clearer, go deeper, express your feelings and ideas more powerfully.

From beginners to experienced, all writers are welcomed. Whether you are interested in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or journal writing, this workshop will provide an opportunity to explore and expand your world.

Sanctuary: Exploring Self Through Writing and Art
Sharon Bray and Heidi Darr-Hope
May 24-31, 2008

To create a sanctuary for authentic self-expression is to engage creatively in a search for meaning. Whether you express yourself through words, music, dance or images, your mind, body, and soul merge, and you experience a unique way to connect with the unseen spiritual forces that guide and support your life.

In this week long retreat, you will explore your individual spiritual journey by combining creative writing with visual images created through various mixed media techniques. As you unite and interweave your writing with your art, your own personal icons emerge
as a unique testament to the profound mystery of life and creative expression.