Friday Speak Out!: A Little Bit Done, Guest Post by Brittnay Buckner

A Little Bit Done by Brittnay Buckner I'll keep it short and sweet: I submitted 21 pages of my work to an online contest! It's been about two years since I've submitted any of my work to a contest or for a fellowship. Though I can easily blame this on the nine and a half months of pregnancy, the three and a half months of being a new mom, and a 10-month stint at a job where I had the boss from...

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7 comments Brittnay Buckner, Friday Speak Out, writer inspiration

Social Networking With a Goal

I am currently teaching WOW!'s Social Networking online workshop, and it's made me think more and more about how important it is to have goals for your social networking sites. I know what you're thinking: I already have goals for my personal life. I have goals for my novel and some for my daily writing tasks. I don't need another set of goals--especially for Facebook and Twitter. But I believe this...

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7 comments Margo L. Dill, social media book promotion, social networking for writers, WOW Classes

Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This

Mama said there'd be days like this. Call it procrastination. Call it mid-week slump. Today is one of those days when I have zero motivation and a laundry list of deadlines, interviews and assignments. (And it looks like I also have a pile of laundry to tackle.) How do I recapture my writing mojo on days like this? I reexamine my yearly writing goals. Are you on track? Since only three months remain in 2011, now is the ideal time to take out your list and see how you're stacking...

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Interview with Susan DuMond, Runner-up in the 2011 Spring Flash Fiction Contest

Today on The Muffin, we feature Spring 2011 Flash Fiction runner-up recipient Susan DuMond. Her story, "Lucille's Shoes", will touch your hearts. Once you've read it, come back and enjoy getting to know Susan. A brief introduction of today's author: Susan DuMond grew up in a children's home in upstate New York. Susan captures her rough and tumble experiences in her memoir, Present Tense....

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1 comment LuAnn Schindler, Spring 2011 Flash Fiction Contest, Susan DuMond

Artfully Editing Your Personal Essays

Artfully Editing Your Personal Essays by Melanie Faith Ah, the spark of inspiration—the keys clacking, the ideas flowing, the wind at your back! Shortly, however, the initial draft is finished, and it’s time to begin the more arduous editing journey. Take heart…and these tips to sculpt your personal essay: 1. Division decision— A bit of creative structuring may take a piece to an exciting...

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1 comment essay writing, Melanie Faith, online class, WOW Classes, WOW instructor

Getting Personal, Really Personal

I'm reading some writing which has made me re-consider my own writing about personal issues and how to deliver my feelings to my own readers. Often a writer is trying to get at a personal truth and hopes and dreams and wonderment. But what is left on the page is one dimensional. The in-depth soul searching is left in the writer's soul or journal. When a writer most believes she is over-reaching, in truth, she is barely reaching out. Often, as writers, we may take a shortcut. We tell...

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4 comments Elizabeth King Humphrey, personal memoir, personal story, writing for your reader

Banned Books Week: John O'Hara Story, and Win an Amazon Gift Card!

To commemorate Banned Books Week, The Muffin is participating in the Banned Books Week Blog Hop sponsored by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer. All of the posts and prizes are related to banned books so stop hopping and see which of your favorite reads might have once been banned. So after you enjoy our post, stop by I Am a Reader, Not A Writer and start hopping! Blog Hop Giveaway: If you would like to...

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239 comments Amazon gift card giveaway, banned books, blog hop, John O'Hara

Friday Speak Out!: Making It Into the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest, Guest Post by Cynthia Watson

Making It Into the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest by Cynthia Watson I haven’t won a lot of prizes in my life, which is surprising, given my Irish heritage. They say the Irish are an especially lucky lot, but not this Irish girl. I remember winning three small items in my entire life. I recollect winning a beige coloured, plastic statue of the Virgin Mary at St. Gabriel’s grade school —...

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3 comments Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest, Cynthia Watson, Friday Speak Out, writer inspiration

We're Celebrating Wicked Good People!

...Wicked Good People Join the Fun! It's a mass-blogging event! When: Monday, October 10th Where: On Your Blog Why: Joanne Lewis and Amy Lewis Faircloth’s award winning debut novel, Wicked Good, is about the unconditional love between a mother and her adopted special needs son. It has been dubbed “a different kind of love story.” In celebration on the rave reviews, The Muffin is organizing...

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Leave a Comment Amy Lewis Faircloth, blogging invitation, Everybody's Talking About Wicked Good People, Joanne Lewis, mass-blogging event, Wicked Good

Roryism Quote Writing Contest: Win a $100 Prepaid Credit Card!

Pull Out Your Pens, it’s Time for a Writing Contest! Quote Contest: "Roryisms" - Show Stopping Statements from the Viewpoint of Rory Falcon Dates: September 12 - November 30, 2011 What is a "Roryism"? Amy Lewis Faircloth, co-author of Wicked Good explains: A "Roryism" is a statement which makes the conversation stop because it is so unexpected. Joanne, at age 6, might have invented the Roryism...

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2 comments Asperger's Syndrome, autistic, cash prize, publication prize, quote contest, Rory Falcon, Roryisms, special needs children, Wicked Good, Wicked Wise, writing contest

Is Your Scriptwriting Guilty of TMI?

Is Your Scriptwriting Guilty of TMI? by Christina Hamlett How much do you really need to know about someone before you’re hooked into wanting to learn more? The process of setting up character introductions for your screenplay or theatrical script has a lot of similarities to the 1990’s matchmaking invention of speed-dating. Credited to an L.A. rabbi seeking to provide a social forum for Jewish...

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Leave a Comment character development, Christina Hamlett, online class, playwriting class, screenplays, scriptwriting, WOW Classes, writing classes

Lauri Griffin: Third Place Spring 2011 Contest Winner

The Muffin welcomes third place winner, Lauri Griffin, for her story, "The Universe's Weird Sense of Humor." If you haven't had a chance to read it yet, please do so here.  WOW: Welcome, Lauri, to the Muffin--for the second time. You were also a flash fiction contest winner in Spring 2007! What gave you the idea for this contest's winning story "The Universe's Weird Sense of Humor?" Lauri:...

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Leave a Comment Margo L. Dill, Spring 2011 Flash Fiction Contest

Kathy Handley, author of Birds of Paradise, launches her blog tour

& book giveaway contest! All hearts long for home, but home is more than a place--it is a sense of belonging. This search for belonging curves through Birds of Paradise like Route 66, allowing us to feel the unique way it touches each character’s life. The story begins with a lonely trucker named Joe-Mack who gives a lift to Freddie, a runaway from Las Vegas. He drops Freddie in Hollywood with...

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21 comments author interview, Birds of Paradise, blog tour, book giveaway contest, Hollywood, homeless teens, Kathy Handley, novel, runaway

Reasons To Use Video to Enhance Your Blog Posts

Every Monday on my blog I have a segment I call, 'MUSIC MANTRA'. Sometimes I review newly released CD's by different musicians or I have interviews with different people in the music industry. But one of my follower favorites has to be when the day's post focuses on a video I share. I even had new followers join my blog based on the addition of my MUSIC MANTRA posts. How cool is that?After awhile,...

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Leave a Comment how to enhance articles with video, Using video in blog posts, video

Friday Speak Out!: Writing From the Heart, Guest Post by Christine Molloy

Writing From the Heart by Christine Molloy I am a writer. There, I said it. It has taken some time to come to that realization as becoming a writer was something that I thought would happen, someday. What I didn’t quite realize is that as I was trying to become a writer, I already was one. I dabbled in writing when I was younger, writing a poem here and there or writing meaningful, heartfelt...

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13 comments Christine Molloy, Friday Speak Out, writer inspiration

Knowonder! A Wonderful Opportunity for Parents and Children's Writers

knowonder! is an online magazine that has been in existence since 2009. Our goal is to provide a quality story daily for children ages 3 to 10. Jane Johnson is the editor of the magazine, and she had this to say: As the editor at this magnificent children’s magazine, I have the pleasure of working with founder Phillip Chipping as we search through submissions looking for creative stories that will...

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Leave a Comment children's fiction, children's magazines, children's writers, literacy, Margo L. Dilld, short story