Writer Mama Riffs on Raising A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids

Comic by Debbie Ridpath Ohi from Inkygirl.com with permission. Please read the re-posting policy prior to posting here.

“A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing.”

Your sense of humor is a great gift, writer mama.  Rely on it in times of stress.  Remember it when your patience is thin. Use it to your advantage.

Receive a rejection letter with spelling errors?  An editor nit-picking over comma splices?  Choose to laugh instead of seethe. Your son cuts his hair into a mohawk?  Your daughter colors the kitchen table with magic markers?  See the funny story there.  Then write it!

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Megan Pincus Kajitani is a California-based writer mama and recovering overachiever who blogs at Having Enough (In a “Have-It-All” World).

This has been a hectic week of wrapping up old classes, starting new classes and finishing up and turning in the 2007 taxes.

I wasn’t entirely happy with the way the latter turned out, so I’ve vowed to learn from this year and take what I’ve learned into next year.

Even though, and I swear this is true, I find tax prep to be kind of fun. (What a geek!)

So, after a busy week that started on Sunday, I am regrouping today. It’s something I don’t do often enough, because it can eat up an amazing amount of time (like all day, so far).

But there’s just something in the air lately whispering regroup, regroup! Don’t put it off. Have you noticed it too?

So that’s what I’m up to. As well as rounding up every last stray e-mail that needs responding to since I went on Spring break. (Hello! That was weeks ago.)

If there is one thing I have learned as a writer mama, it’s that when it rains, it typically pours. I’ve had a deluge of work since I got back accompanied by a deluge of unplanned requests for my time. So what do I do? I just plow through.

Today, I am looking at all the ways I can better arrange my office, calendar and life, so as better manage my ever expanding workload.

Next week is blocked off for rewrites of Get Known Before the Book Deal. Yahoo!

And if none of this helps. That’s it. I’m hiring an assistant.

If not an assistant then maybe a mother’s helper.

Don’t those sound nice? We’ll see.

Back to moving my enormous desk closer to the window.

Happy weekend, mamas!

Ed Note: Heard about this fiction contest from a former student…

Entries are now being accepted for the 28th annual Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition, created to recognize and encourage the efforts of writers who have not yet achieved major-market success. Writers will compete for a $1,000 first prize, $500 second prize, and $500 third prize in this internationally acclaimed competition. Several honorable mentions are also awarded each year.

Stories in all genres of fiction are welcome. Maximum length is 3,000 words, and writers retain all rights to their work. The final deadline is May 15, 2008; winners will be announced at the end of July.

For complete guidelines, please visit www.shortstorycompetition.com, e-mail shortstorykw@aol.com, or send an SASE to the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition, P.O. Box 993, Key West, FL  33041.

$2,000 Awaits Winners of Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition

Writers of short fiction are encouraged to enter the 2008 Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition to vie for $2,000 in cash prizes. The literary competition is open to all US and international writers whose fiction has not appeared in a nationally distributed publication with a circulation of 5,000 or more. Writers who have been published on-line or have self-published are considered on an individual basis. This competition celebrates the emerging writer.

The first-place winner will receive $1,000 in cash, while the second- and third-place winners will receive $500 each. Judges will also award honorable mentions to other entrants whose work demonstrates promise.

The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition was created in 1981 to support and encourage the efforts of writers who have not yet achieved major-market success. Lorian Hemingway, the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, is the author of the critically acclaimed novel “Walking into the River,” the Pulitzer Prize nominee “Walk on Water,” and the powerfully evocative “A World Turned Over.”

To be eligible for the 2008 competition, stories must be original unpublished fiction, typed and double-spaced, and they may not exceed 3,000 words in length. There are no theme restrictions. Writers’ names should not appear on the stories, and manuscripts will not be returned. Copyright remains the property of the author. (We do not accept e-mailed submissions.)

Each story should be accompanied by a cover sheet with the writer’s name, complete address, e-mail address, phone number, title of the piece, and word count.

The entry fee is $12 for each story postmarked up to and including May 1, 2008, and $17 for each story postmarked from May 2 up to and including May 15. Entries postmarked after May 15, 2008, will not be accepted.

The entry fee may be a personal check, cashier’s check or money order in US funds. Foreign funds can be accepted if US funds are unobtainable; credit cards and Pay Pal are not accepted.  Writers can submit multiple entries in the same envelope, but each must be accompanied by an entry fee and separate cover sheet.

Winners will be announced at the end of July 2008 in Key West, Florida. All entrants will receive a letter from Lorian Hemingway and a list of winners, either via regular mail or e-mail, by October 1, 2008.

The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition has a twenty-seven-year history of literary excellence, and its organizers are dedicated to supporting the efforts of emerging writers of short fiction.

All manuscripts and their accompanying entry fees should be sent to the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition, P.O. Box 993, Key West, FL 33041.

For more information, e-mail calico2419@aol.com or shortstorykw@aol.com.

By Amy Mercer

Spring has arrived here in the south. I’ve packed away our winter clothes, opened up the windows, and re-stocked my allergy medicine. I’ve also packed away the piles of essays, article pitches and research material into binders and folders from Target. I bought a woven basket and placed it next to my desk for all the folders I need within arm’s reach. I went through my bookcase and pulled the hardbacks I won’t be re-reading (because I never read a book more than once even with the best intentions) to sell them on my amazon.com account.

Once my “office” is in order; (or my corner of the dining room) it’s time to get outside. Some of my best ideas for stories come while I am running along the trails of our neighborhood, riding bikes with my kids or pulling weeds. It might look like I’m playing, but I am hard at work; I breathe the fresh air, work up a sweat and unleash my imagination. As my feet pound a steady rhythm along the dirt trails, words flow like a rushing river. I sprint toward home and furiously type the words while sweat drips down my back and my breathing slows.

Spring has sprung and like the rushing river, my imagination has been cleared of its clutter and I sit down to write. Here’s some inspiration to get you moving:

Tips:

1.    Read Joyce Carol Oates’ essay about writing and running, To Invigorate Literary Mind, Start Moving Literary Feet, from the New York Times archives. (www.newyorktimes/library/books/071999oates-writing.html) for inspiration, “In running the mind flies with the body.”

2.    Read just a few lines  of, “Morning Poem” by Mary Oliver:

for hours, your imagination
alighting everywhere.

3.    Get outside and get moving! Then see what happens in the first fifteen minutes after you sit back down to work. Better? You don’t have to exercise vigorously to achieve positive results. Even a short walk will often do the trick.

Happy springing into action, mamas!

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Amy S. Mercer is a freelance writer living in Charleston, SC with her husband and two sons. Her writing has been published in skirt! Magazine, Literary Mama, Diabetes Forecast and A Cup of Comfort for Writers. Amy is Blog Editor for Literary Mama and Associate editor for The Writer Mama Zine. More at Dreaming About Water.

Think about it, mamas.

I’ll say it again:

A mama in the white house.

A mother in the most powerful political position in the world.

A mom. As president.

It’s amazing to even entertain such a notion…not just a woman, but a mother.

I realize it’s Hilary Clinton I’m talking about. I haven’t forgotten who she is. She’s Hilary Clinton, for goodness sakes. The wife of a former president.

But shoot. What would it mean to have a mother in the White House?

What would it mean to women, here, there, everywhere…around the world?

What would it mean to little girls? To tweenage girls? To teenage girls? To college-age girls?

What would it have meant to you at any of these ages?

Would your life be different? Would your self-esteem have been effected? Would the way you feel about being a member of this country have been changed?

What about women in their twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties?

There will be a lot more of the latter by the time we get there. I can see us all now. A bunch of writer grannies talking about the good old days.

People think they know. You and I might think we know.

But there has never been a mother in the White House before. At least not one who was the president.

Never a mom even remotely close to holding the position.

Never. Ever. In history.

I’m trying to think what to compare it to. Women getting the vote? Roe vs. Wade?

I’m not sure. This seems bigger. It feels bigger. It feels really, really huge to me.

Just the possibility of it.

I know, we’ve had and have queens. But it’s not the same.

Is it?

I asked my daughter during the debate tonight.

I asked, “Which one, of these two, would be the better president?”

She said…”I like the girl.”

I said, “She’s a mommy.”

She said, “I like the mommy to be the president.”

I like the mommy to be the president…I’m going to sleep on that.

Thanks to Sandy over at Coolstuff4writers.com for inviting me to do an interview for their newsletter/site.

You can read the interview here.

And check out their “cool stuff” while you are over there.

Here’s a cool women writers mug.

The women writers book bag is cool.

And here’s a Jane Austen mug.

Great prices!

Have fun.

Writers vs. Editors in an entertaining article by Michael Kinsley in Time Magazines. Thanks to Lori Russell for passing it along.

Maybe think twice about revealing your whole life online. You just might become as successful as Dooce, according to this recent article in the WSJ by Sue Shellenbarger.

I think I this post over at MomLogic rolled in on my Google alerts to alert me of the WSJ article.

But how many people would want what Dooce’s got? I’m not sure. What do you think?

And finally, if you haven’t read the article in the NYT by Allen Salkin that seems to have set off a chain reaction of articles on writing, authorhood and blogging, check it out.

Hey, thanks, Christian Lander! We love reading about ourselves in the mainstream media.

By Tiffani Hill-Patterson

Finally, a print mag for us!
Mom Writers Literary Magazine is a place for writer mamas to share their trials and triumphs, their motivations and madness. Editor-in-Chief Samantha Gianulis says, “What we love about our site and magazine is how many people they reach, and all of the different voices we represent.”

Mom Writer’s Regular Columns remind us of our similarities: We struggle to get the words down between diaper changes, commuting and making sure our “little ones” are ready for the world. The publication also includes profiles of the pros: The winter issue put the spotlight on our very own Writer Mama Christina Katz. Articles in the Features section will touch you and make you laugh out loud.
Grab a mug and browse awhile
Reading the Coffee & Critique Writers Group blog is like chatting with writer friends. “The blog is aimed at helping writers improve their craft, find opportunities to publish, and learn about the business of writing,” blog manager Tricia Grissom says. Put together by a Missouri writers group, the site features news on literary agencies, calls for submissions, and contests. The site also includes articles on How To Start a Critique Group that take you step by step from finding a meeting spot to managing your group. A couple of successful queries are also included. If you’re looking for information on new magazine launches, writing contests or places to submit your stories, this regularly updated blog is worth adding to your favorites list.
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Tiffani Hill-Patterson is an award-winning journalist with thirteen years of writing and editing experience. She’s a regular contributor to The Writer Mama zine and Birmingham Parent magazine, and her articles on health, parenting, fitness and pop culture have also appeared in The Huntsville Times, The Moulton Advertiser and The TimesDaily. She lives in Alabama with her husband and daughter. Read more at http://www.tiffanihillpatterson.com.

Watch this blog for details!