Getting Personal – Writing Essays for Contests
‘I find the contest, you write the entry.’
by Grace Tierney
Writing
can be the most personal expression of our thoughts. As writers we
explain facts we’ve researched, we entice readers with plots invented
in the silence of our brains, and entertain them with characters from
our hearts. The most personal writing can be a personal essay. Classic
examples come from humor columnists Erma Bombeck and Dave Barry in
North America and others worldwide.
The personal
essayist or memoir author takes the bare-bones of her daily life and
spins the tale with a dash of humor, a grain of universal home-truth,
and a pinch of nostalgia to create a story that readers enjoy as if
hearing it from their best friend. Autobiographical writing attracts
many writers, particularly those who take ‘write what you know’
strongly to heart or those who dread research. It can be created purely
for fun or to record history for grandchildren. Some essayists write
their memories to heal themselves or others. The reasons for essaying
are myriad but the results should always be intimate, inspiring, and
saturated with a strong narrative voice. If you reach even one of those
goals you will have improved your craft.
So this
year, try something new, get personal with your writing. I’ve listed 13
personal essay contests below and regular markets for such essays
include Good Old Boat magazine (www.goodoldboat.com), ByLine Magazine (www.bylinemag.com), Cup of Comfort (www.cupofcomfort.com), Chicken Soup Series (www.chickensoup.com), and Woman's Day (www.womansday.com).
Failing that, send some copies to your relations with your next letter,
or paste it into your diary or journal for a rainy day.
Absolute
Write run a class for beginner essayists seeking help with the genre
(www.absoluteclasses.com/Rosien/lettinglight.htm)and other centers run
similar courses, particularly in North America where the genre is very
popular.
In other news, remember that February 14th isn’t just for romantics these days, it is also World Short Story Day (http://vision1.eee.metu.edu.tr/~metafor/wssd.htm), so this year, instead of waiting for the florist to arrive, pull out your story notebook and create a soul-mate for yourself!
Don’t forget to scroll down to the 23 contests in my regular round-up for the month of February.
Happy Writing in 2005!
PS.
Sonya at The Ghost Road Press has informed me that their contest,
mentioned in my November edition, has extended its deadline to February
1. So there’s still time to enter. See http://ghostroadpress.com/contest.htm for more details.
All contests are annual unless otherwise noted and all are open to international writers
TooWrite non-fiction writing competition
www.toowrite.com
non-fiction/personal essay
regular deadlines
A Woman's Write Monthly Writing Contest
http://www.awomanswrite.com/
story, essay, memoir or book chapter
January 31 and other regular dates
'Florida Review' Awards for Best New Fiction, Memoir, and Poetry
http://www.flreview.com
fiction, memoir, and poetry
February 15
Erma Bombeck Writing Competition
http://www.wcpl.lib.oh.us/adults/erma.html
personal essays in the categories of humor or human interest writing
February 18
Caketrain Non-Fiction Competition
http://www.caketrain.org
creative non-fiction essay or memoir
February 22
Memoirs Ink Writing Contest
http://www.memoirsink.com/docs/contest.html
personal essays, memoirs, or creative non-fiction stories based on personal experience
August 1
The Subway Chronicles
http://www.thesubwaychronicles.com
personal essay about the New York subway system
November 30
The Mona Schreiber Prize for Humorous Fiction and Non-Fiction
http://home.pcmagic.net/brashcyber/mona.htm
or www.brashcyber.com
humor, comedic essays, articles, short stories, poetry, shopping lists and other forms
December 1
Central PA Writing Contest
http://www.centralpa.org/writingcontest.html
fiction or non-fiction, humorous or serious, personal essay or short fiction
December 15
Pen and Page Writing Contest
http://www.penandpagemag.com/contest.html
short fiction, poetry, non-fiction or essay, play
January 10
Coming Soon to the Writing Contest Department
Forthcoming
features will focus on plays, screenplays, haiku, quirky contests,
non-fiction writing, no-fee contests, humor writing, short story
contests, travel writing, writing for children, speculative fiction,
contests with unusual prizes, mystery writing contests, romantic
writing contests.
I’m always looking for new
contest types to research so if you’re looking for a particular type of
contest for your writing, just drop me a line. I’d also love to hear
from you if you win a contest you read about here or if you have a
contest to suggest for inclusion. Please note that I will only include
contests that are open to writers anywhere in the world as our readers
are geographically dispersed.
Contest Deadlines from February 1 to 28
February 2
GSU Review Poetry and Fiction Contest
poetry and short fiction
http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwrev/
February 14
Pikes Peak Branch Annual Flash Fiction Contest
Flash fiction on the seasonal theme of Love including the word love or heart
http://www.americanpenwomen.org/writingcontests.shtml
February 15
"Seven Deadly Sins" Writing Contest
horror fiction
http://www.soulengravings.com/
February 15
Dreamcatcher Short Film contest
Screenplay
http://www.cloudcreek.org
February 16
RaggedEdge Short Fiction Contest
short fiction on the theme of Fire - sci-fi, fantasy, horror, or a blend of all three
http://www.raggededgepublishing.com/ (there’s audio on this Web site, open with caution)
February 18
Erma Bombeck Writing Competition
personal essays in the categories of humor or human interest writing
http://www.wcpl.lib.oh.us/adults/erma.html
February 22
Caketrain Fiction Competition
short fiction
http://www.caketrain.org/
February 22
Caketrain Non-Fiction Competition
creative non-fiction essay or memoir
http://www.caketrain.org/
February 28
Children's Writer Profile of a Contemporary Young Person
essay / profile where the subject should be a role model or have lived
or done something of interest to readers aged five to nine years old.
http://www.childrenswriter.com/
February 28
Chistell Publishing Writing Contest
Short fiction and poetry
http://www.chistell.com
Grace Tierney
is a freelance writer who lives in Ireland. When she’s not researching
writing contests, she enjoys gluttony, reading, gardening, and travel.
Her short stories have been published in the US and UK, and her
non-fiction has been published in Ireland, the UK, America, and
Australia. She is a staff writer with Writer Online and Netsurfer Digest. Contact Grace via www.gracetierney.com |
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