Tag Archives: Writing

San Francisco Writing Workshop

Per the website, the San Francisco Writing Workshop is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited seats at the event (200 total). This workshop is a full-day “How to Get Published” writing event in San Francisco, CA on October 3, 2020.

For those attending, this sounds like a great day of learning and marketing yourself. (Of course, if the pandemic worsens, they may go online like some of the past workshops. Keep an eye on their website,) Good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Bath Children’s Novel Award

The Bath Children's Novel Award Logo

The Bath Children’s Novel Award is an international writing competition for unpublished and independently published novelists. This years judge is literary agent Stephanie Thwaites of Curtis Brown literary agency. The winner will receive £3,000 (approximately $3846 US). And the most promising longlisted novel will recieve the Edit Your Novel the Professional Way from Cornerstones Literary Consultancy.

Some of the past participants and winners have gone on to getting agents and/or publishing deals. Inaugural winner Lucy Van Smit was swiftly signed by literary agent Sallyanne Sweeney. Jane Brittan attracted a Carnegie Medal nomination for her indie-published debut. Shortlistee Sophie Cameron signed a book deal with Macmillan Children’s after accepting representation with literary agent Hellie Ogden for her YA novel Out of the Blue. Struan Murray signed a six figure deal with Penguin Random House for his novel Orphans of the Tide.

Entry for the award ends November 29, 2020 (and remember, this is UK time zone)! For complete guidelines and entry fee information, go here. As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

#SFFpit Pitch Event For Writers

sffpit-contest

It’s that time of year again for science fiction and fantasy writers to polish their pitches for Dan Koboldt’s #SFFpit writing contest on twitter! It runs on July 29, 2020 between 8am-6pm EST. This contest allows 10 pitches total and Dan asks that you use them wisely! As usual, it needs to be a 280 character pitch for twitter including the hashtag #SFFpit. For all the rules, including how to properly insert the age group and category, go here. And remember to research any agents or editors that favorite your tweet because ANY ONE can trawl the feed!

As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Florida Writing Workshop

Chicago Writing Workshop

Per the Florida Writing Workshop website, this writing event (May 16, 2020) is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited seats at the event (200 total). They will inform everyone directly on the website when seats are closed.

Here are a few of this years faculty that will be in attendance:

Since the seats are limited, don’t delay in registering. Have fun and learn lots!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Ireland Writer Tours

The Emerald Forest

Oh my gosh in chocolate heaven! There is an Ireland Writer Tours not just once this year but several times! How can someone choose which one to attend?

June 28-July 5, 2020

The tour will be hosted by author, screenwriter, and forensic specialist  JENNIFER DORNBUSH and literary agent from Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency JILL MARR.

July 12-19, 2020

This tour will be hosted by multi-published & award-winning author & Writers’ Digest instructor Donna Russo Morin and agent & editor with Marsal, Lyon Literary Patricia Nelson

The tours are mini-writers’ conferences that help get your manuscript ready for publication. With dinner in a haunted castle and visits to a mysterious lake, ancient forest and a cave with eerie true stories, the tour is filled with enchantment and enough creepy to spark your writing juices.  Combine this with professional critiques and editing advise and you’ve got one helluva trip! And don’t forget you can write this off at tax time since it’s a learning event.

Get your passports ready! And happy day writing.

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Pass or Pages Contest

PASSORPAGES

Operation Awesome is hosting a Pass or Pages this month. For this round, the category is  for Adult Suspense/Thiller genre. Submissions open between March 9 (6am EST) to  March 13 (6pm EST), 2020. This is an opportunity to get feedback from an agent on your query and first 250 words of your manuscript. Peeps, this is priceless! And as a possible bonus, the agent reserves the right to request your FULL.

The participating agents:

There will be a form for submissions on Operation Awesome when the entry window opens. For complete rules and previous feedback reveals, go here. As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Virginia Festival of the Book

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The Virginia Festival of the Book brings readers and writers together for a five-day celebration of books, reading, literacy, and literary culture. The Annual Festival will be held March 18-22, 2020. Programs range from traditional author readings and book signings to children’s programs and hands-on workshops. All programs are open to the public and, with the exception of a few ticketed events, the majority of Festival programs are free to attend.

An abbreviated list of past participants includes Rick Atkinson, Edward Ayers, David Baldacci, Maureen Corrigan, Edwidge Danticat, Kate DiCamillo, Rita Dove, Alan Furst, John Grisham, Jan Karon, Jim Lehrer, Frances Mayes, Colum McCann, David McCullough, Alice McDermott, Katherine Paterson, Jon Scieszka, Lisa Scottoline, Pete Seeger, Karin Slaughter, Alexander McCall Smith, Lee Smith, Bryan Stevenson, Elizabeth Strout, Judith Viorst, and Charles Wright. For a current listing, go here.

As always, have fun and learn lots!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

2020 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award

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For all lurking contest junkies, Baen Books has a contest that was brought to my attention a few years back. You only need to create 8000 words. That’s right, a mere eight-thousand! Most thrilling? You have until April 30th, 2020 to create a wonderful story.

  • GRAND PRIZE winner will be published as the featured story on the Baen Books main website and paid at industry-standard rates for professional story submittals. The author will also receive a handsome engraved award and a prize package containing $500 of free Baen Books.
  • SECOND place winner will receive a prize package containing $500 of free Baen Books,
  • THIRD will receive a prize package containing $300 of free Baen Books.

Baen Books will announce the winner of the inaugural Baen Fantasy Adventure Award at this year’s Gen Con to the best of original short fiction capturing the spirit and tradition of great storytellers as Larry Correia, Robert E. Howard, Mercedes Lackey, Elizabeth Moon, Andre Norton, J.R.R. Tolkien, David Weber and Marion Zimmer Bradley.
All the details can be found here.

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing

Restless Books

The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing searches for stories written by a first-generation immigrant. The publisher alternates years between fiction and non-fiction. This year they are searching to publish a tale of fiction. A few of the guidelines are:

  • Completed fiction manuscript, or book-length collection of short stories.
  • Candidates must be first-generation residents of their country.
  • All submissions must be in English.
  • Fiction candidates must not have previously published a book of fiction in English.
  • Only one submission per candidate per submission period.

The Prize:

  • $10,000 advance and publication by Restless Books in print and digital editions.

For complete guidelines and information on how to enter, go here. But hurry, the deadline is March 31, 2020. And as always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst

Writer and blogger MG/YA fiction.

#FaithPitch Twitter Event for Faith-Based Fiction and Non-fiction

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A Twitter pitch event exclusively for faith-based fiction is being hosted by Little Lamb Books on February 27, 2020 between 8am – 8pm CST. This is for board books, picture books, middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction that fall under the categories of inspirational, faith-based, biblical worldview, or Christian. Different denominations, ethnicities, a POV in this niche are encouraged. Be sure to use the hashtag #FaithPitch and only pitch 4 times per manuscript during the pitch window. (Maximum of 4 manuscripts are permitted.)

As with all pitch events, any agent or editor can troll the feed. Be sure to do you research before sending off your book baby to them! For complete guidelines, go here. And as always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.