Thursday, June 6, 2013
Writer's Digest 82nd Annual Writing Competition
Submission deadline for the contest is June 14th - it's not too late! I submitted my personal essay through the website this afternoon. What writer wouldn't love the chance to meet with editors in New York and get some national exposure for their writing?
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Disappointment in Majority Rule
Recently, my writer's group was given an opportunity to write for a company who owned a travel website for our city.
The offer was this:
The website generated 30,000 hits per month from travelers interested in what to do, where to eat, and what to see. The company was hoping to get some local writers to give the website an edge over the competition. How much more interesting would it be to visit a website and get personal travel tips and ideas from locals?
On the downside, no monetary compensation could be offered at this beginning stage of the site development.
Sadly, my group voted to turn down the offer. They didn't believe that "writing for free" was a benefit to them. I don't know most of the group members well, but I didn't imagine most of them were getting 30,000 monthly hits on their personal websites or blogs - I don't yet - but even if they are, they were unable to see the value of 30,000 ADDITIONAL readers.
I understand not wanting to give your work away, but I'm not sure how 30,000 guaranteed readers can be a bad thing. The company was willing to give us our own spot to promote our blogs and websites for free. Seemed to be a fair trade to me. We weren't being asked to write novels for nothing...just short pieces to give tourists an insider's view.
It seemed so easy to me. Put 250-500 words on the page, draw new readership to your blog, and increase your visibility. A half hour to an hour you've got it written and proofread. As a local, there shouldn't be much time taken up with research - we already know what we like. I recommend things to newcomers all the time.
I still don't understand the argument made against writing for this website, but I've gained a new insight into what writing should be. Let us not, as writers, ever become too big for our britches or too important to write just for the love of it. Once in a while, it's OK to give back.
The offer was this:
The website generated 30,000 hits per month from travelers interested in what to do, where to eat, and what to see. The company was hoping to get some local writers to give the website an edge over the competition. How much more interesting would it be to visit a website and get personal travel tips and ideas from locals?
On the downside, no monetary compensation could be offered at this beginning stage of the site development.
Sadly, my group voted to turn down the offer. They didn't believe that "writing for free" was a benefit to them. I don't know most of the group members well, but I didn't imagine most of them were getting 30,000 monthly hits on their personal websites or blogs - I don't yet - but even if they are, they were unable to see the value of 30,000 ADDITIONAL readers.
I understand not wanting to give your work away, but I'm not sure how 30,000 guaranteed readers can be a bad thing. The company was willing to give us our own spot to promote our blogs and websites for free. Seemed to be a fair trade to me. We weren't being asked to write novels for nothing...just short pieces to give tourists an insider's view.
It seemed so easy to me. Put 250-500 words on the page, draw new readership to your blog, and increase your visibility. A half hour to an hour you've got it written and proofread. As a local, there shouldn't be much time taken up with research - we already know what we like. I recommend things to newcomers all the time.
I still don't understand the argument made against writing for this website, but I've gained a new insight into what writing should be. Let us not, as writers, ever become too big for our britches or too important to write just for the love of it. Once in a while, it's OK to give back.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
New Women's History Blog
I'm passionate about women's history and several years ago, it was the topic of a column I wrote for Ms.Adventure. Sadly, the publication closed due to lack of funds. While women's history is becoming more mainstream than when I was in school, it seems to me, there is still a void to be filled. I hope Her Own Vision is part of the solution.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Writer's Digest Contest #41
I just submitted an entry to the Writer's Digest Contest #41. Write the first line to a story with the three words: Cinderella, midnight and behave. Deadline is April 10, 2012.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
New Home, New Writer's Group
Since moving to South Carolina in September, I've been missing one very important part of my life:
I haven't written diddly squat.
Sure, a certain amount of this can be dismissed by the stresses of a cross country move, starting a new job, and being without my husband for the first three months. Now that he's here and I'm able to find my way around without having my hand held by my GPS device, it's time to refocus.
I've joined a writers' group I found on Meetup.com. This amazing website allows you to find other people who share your interests anywhere across the United States. For writers, this is particularly valuable because writing is a largely solitary activity.
For me, the strength of these groups is in seeing how other people's minds work. For example, everyone in the group looks at the same photograph and writes whatever comes to mind. Sometimes stories are similar, but never are they the same. It opens my mind to other possibilities, other stories.
Let it open yours.
I haven't written diddly squat.
Sure, a certain amount of this can be dismissed by the stresses of a cross country move, starting a new job, and being without my husband for the first three months. Now that he's here and I'm able to find my way around without having my hand held by my GPS device, it's time to refocus.
I've joined a writers' group I found on Meetup.com. This amazing website allows you to find other people who share your interests anywhere across the United States. For writers, this is particularly valuable because writing is a largely solitary activity.
For me, the strength of these groups is in seeing how other people's minds work. For example, everyone in the group looks at the same photograph and writes whatever comes to mind. Sometimes stories are similar, but never are they the same. It opens my mind to other possibilities, other stories.
Let it open yours.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
2011 Haikus
Now that our relocation is complete and my husband has finally arrived, I am refocusing my attention on my writing. I'm beginning with a haikus writing contest in the local Charleston, SC newspaper. The Post and Courier will print the best ones in their New Year's Eve People section.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Goodreads is Good Fun.
Social networking chatter just got more literary.
Goodreads.com allows you to keep an electronic copy of books you are reading, books you have read, and books you haven't quite gotten to yet. You can even find reviews written by other members and post reviews of your own. Essentially, it's your online bookshelf. Or you could think of it as the largest book club you've ever seen. It's like Facebook for book lovers.
You can test your knowledge on everything from Green Eggs and Ham to Sense and Sensibility. If you feel lucky, enter a drawings for free books. You can even join discussion groups and connect with other users. Linking capabilities allow you to connect your Goodreads account to Facebook and Twitter.
Just for the record, I aced the Green Eggs and Ham quiz, I have 90 books on my "to be read" shelf, and one of my highest rated books is My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Come find your next book on Goodreads.com.
Goodreads.com allows you to keep an electronic copy of books you are reading, books you have read, and books you haven't quite gotten to yet. You can even find reviews written by other members and post reviews of your own. Essentially, it's your online bookshelf. Or you could think of it as the largest book club you've ever seen. It's like Facebook for book lovers.
You can test your knowledge on everything from Green Eggs and Ham to Sense and Sensibility. If you feel lucky, enter a drawings for free books. You can even join discussion groups and connect with other users. Linking capabilities allow you to connect your Goodreads account to Facebook and Twitter.
Just for the record, I aced the Green Eggs and Ham quiz, I have 90 books on my "to be read" shelf, and one of my highest rated books is My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Come find your next book on Goodreads.com.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
In Dad's Honor
Through the Trials Comes the Triumph
In honor of the two year anniversary of my dad's death.
A bittersweet smile arrived in my inbox today. It came in the form of a thank-you letter from The Blood Center of Wisconsin. My dad made a positive difference in the lives of 77 people, whether he liked it or not.
Dad died suddenly of a heart attack on October 28, 2009 at the age of 62. He had been battling diabetes for about a decade and, try as we might, we couldn’t get him to follow his doctor’s orders. Dad refused to give up his Cheetos, wasn’t interested in the treadmill, and would rather kill himself than go through the repeated surgeries and poor quality of life his own father dealt with for over 20 years.
I inherited Dad’s stubbornness, his short temper and his inability to keep his opinions to himself. He was a chauvinist and I was a feminist. Mom knew she was lighting a fuse every time he and I were in the same room. She never quite knew what she was going to get and, often, she would have had less tension in the house if she had brought home a rattle snake and set it loose in the kitchen.
When the hospital asked Mom if she wanted to donate Dad's organs, she looked at me like a deer about to be plowed over by an 18-wheeler. I probably had a similar look on my face. How should we know what Dad would prefer? He didn't really like many people. In fact, he could be quite critical of most people. In retrospect, I think Dad's impatience with others was most likely a defense mechanism, possibly caused by his time spent in Vietnam. But we didn't have the perspective of time when we were expected to make this decision. We didn’t realize his time spent in Vietnam may even have caused his death, 40 years later. During the funeral preparations, we learned Agent Orange has been blamed for adult onset diabetes, heart conditions and depression. This could explain much of his demeanor which even he may not have realized. I remembered so much anger that I couldn’t even remember the happier days of Dad’s life and I had an overwhelming feeling that he had drawn the short stick.
Wanting to do something positive and allow Dad to live on, we decided to do proceed with the organ donations.
"I hope he understands why I’m doing this," Mom said with tears in her eyes.
"I'm sure he does, Mom."
She worried about it for a long time. I have to admit, I wasn't convinced Dad would have been on board if he had been asked about donating his organs while he was still alive. In fact, just to be argumentative, he would have said absolutely not. Would he have meant it? He did donate blood on a regular basis, but he also ignored The Blood Center’s calls if he thought they were calling too often. Sometimes it was difficult to tell when Dad really felt strongly about something and when he was simply being grumpy. Of all the decisions we made, the organ donation was the one that weighed on all our minds for the first year after Dad's death.
For me, the weight lifted today. Seventy-seven people across the country and parts of Canada have benefited from Dad's bone and soft tissue donation. I thought maybe a couple of people in Wisconsin would receive donations, but I had no idea the impact our loss would have on so many other people. A 13-year-old in New York received a donation for an orthopedic operation. A 45-year-old in Wisconsin received a donation for an ACL reconstruction. A 67-year-old in Oklahoma received a donation for a dental procedure. The list goes on and on. People have had neck fusions, lumbar fusions, repaired ankles and clavicle bones, spinal fusions, and hip replacements, all with a little help from Dad. The age range of the patients is all the way from 11 to 81. Amazing.
Sadly, we often let the people in our lives slip away without ever really getting to know them. You think you know your parents inside and out, but I only saw what was on the outside; the manifestations of Dad’s illness, the seriousness of which he kept concealed even from his wife. I was amazed how little I knew about my dad and his life until it was too late to truly understand. With the additional insight I’ve now gained about the reality of Agent Orange and with some time to see the whole of Dad’s life, good and bad, I’ve come away with a new understanding of this man I thought I knew. I am no longer worried about what Dad would think about the organ donation. He might pretend otherwise, but I am pretty sure he would secretly be pleased.
In honor of the two year anniversary of my dad's death.
Dad died suddenly of a heart attack on October 28, 2009 at the age of 62. He had been battling diabetes for about a decade and, try as we might, we couldn’t get him to follow his doctor’s orders. Dad refused to give up his Cheetos, wasn’t interested in the treadmill, and would rather kill himself than go through the repeated surgeries and poor quality of life his own father dealt with for over 20 years.
I inherited Dad’s stubbornness, his short temper and his inability to keep his opinions to himself. He was a chauvinist and I was a feminist. Mom knew she was lighting a fuse every time he and I were in the same room. She never quite knew what she was going to get and, often, she would have had less tension in the house if she had brought home a rattle snake and set it loose in the kitchen.
When the hospital asked Mom if she wanted to donate Dad's organs, she looked at me like a deer about to be plowed over by an 18-wheeler. I probably had a similar look on my face. How should we know what Dad would prefer? He didn't really like many people. In fact, he could be quite critical of most people. In retrospect, I think Dad's impatience with others was most likely a defense mechanism, possibly caused by his time spent in Vietnam. But we didn't have the perspective of time when we were expected to make this decision. We didn’t realize his time spent in Vietnam may even have caused his death, 40 years later. During the funeral preparations, we learned Agent Orange has been blamed for adult onset diabetes, heart conditions and depression. This could explain much of his demeanor which even he may not have realized. I remembered so much anger that I couldn’t even remember the happier days of Dad’s life and I had an overwhelming feeling that he had drawn the short stick.
Wanting to do something positive and allow Dad to live on, we decided to do proceed with the organ donations.
"I hope he understands why I’m doing this," Mom said with tears in her eyes.
"I'm sure he does, Mom."
She worried about it for a long time. I have to admit, I wasn't convinced Dad would have been on board if he had been asked about donating his organs while he was still alive. In fact, just to be argumentative, he would have said absolutely not. Would he have meant it? He did donate blood on a regular basis, but he also ignored The Blood Center’s calls if he thought they were calling too often. Sometimes it was difficult to tell when Dad really felt strongly about something and when he was simply being grumpy. Of all the decisions we made, the organ donation was the one that weighed on all our minds for the first year after Dad's death.
For me, the weight lifted today. Seventy-seven people across the country and parts of Canada have benefited from Dad's bone and soft tissue donation. I thought maybe a couple of people in Wisconsin would receive donations, but I had no idea the impact our loss would have on so many other people. A 13-year-old in New York received a donation for an orthopedic operation. A 45-year-old in Wisconsin received a donation for an ACL reconstruction. A 67-year-old in Oklahoma received a donation for a dental procedure. The list goes on and on. People have had neck fusions, lumbar fusions, repaired ankles and clavicle bones, spinal fusions, and hip replacements, all with a little help from Dad. The age range of the patients is all the way from 11 to 81. Amazing.
Sadly, we often let the people in our lives slip away without ever really getting to know them. You think you know your parents inside and out, but I only saw what was on the outside; the manifestations of Dad’s illness, the seriousness of which he kept concealed even from his wife. I was amazed how little I knew about my dad and his life until it was too late to truly understand. With the additional insight I’ve now gained about the reality of Agent Orange and with some time to see the whole of Dad’s life, good and bad, I’ve come away with a new understanding of this man I thought I knew. I am no longer worried about what Dad would think about the organ donation. He might pretend otherwise, but I am pretty sure he would secretly be pleased.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
The Santa Claus Project
Pulled from the July/August, 2011 issue of Writer's Digest Magazine:
The Santa Claus Project is seeking personal essays about how you learned the truth about Santa Claus. Visit the website for details.
Julie Shea,
Writing my World
The Santa Claus Project is seeking personal essays about how you learned the truth about Santa Claus. Visit the website for details.
Julie Shea,
Writing my World
Saturday, June 4, 2011
WriteCamp Milwaukee
For Midwest writers, this free writing conference in Bay View promises to have some great information. Who among us doesn't need a little help building a professional web site or getting real world insights into ghostwriting? Check out their website for more information - it may not be too late to attend!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wisconsin Regional Writers' Association Jade Ring Contest
I've been a member of Wisconsin Regional Writers' Association (WRWA) for several years and I have yet to enter their Jade Ring Contest. They have other writing contests I've participated in, but for me, this is The Big One. I've held off on The Big One while I cut my teeth on the other contests. I've published a couple of pieces in their creative writing journal. I'm ready to go for all the jade.
In addition to a cash prize, the winner of each category of the Jade Ring Contest will receive an actual ring. Made with jade. Hence the contest name. Slightly elusive, like a Superbowl ring, it may arguably be the crowning jewel for WRWA members. It's got me excited this year.
Not a member? You can join! The deadline for the Jade Ring Contest is June 15, 2011. Winners will be announced at the Fall Conference in Stevens Point this September. I'll see you there!
Julie Shea
Writing My World
In addition to a cash prize, the winner of each category of the Jade Ring Contest will receive an actual ring. Made with jade. Hence the contest name. Slightly elusive, like a Superbowl ring, it may arguably be the crowning jewel for WRWA members. It's got me excited this year.
Not a member? You can join! The deadline for the Jade Ring Contest is June 15, 2011. Winners will be announced at the Fall Conference in Stevens Point this September. I'll see you there!
Julie Shea
Writing My World
Friday, May 6, 2011
New Blog About Everything Cat
Join me as I take another dip into the blogging pond! The Scratching Post is everything you've ever wanted to know about cats. You can take a peek into the life of an everyday cat (I have three in my house), learn the good and bad about feline products, and read about some of the kitties making news all over the country.
I hope it's going to be as much fun to read as it's going to be to write. Take a look, become a follower, and let me know if there's anything specific you would like to have me blog about. I look forward to hearing from you!
Julie M. Shea,
Writing My World
I hope it's going to be as much fun to read as it's going to be to write. Take a look, become a follower, and let me know if there's anything specific you would like to have me blog about. I look forward to hearing from you!
Julie M. Shea,
Writing My World
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