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writer's block

Need some inspiration so you can finish your novel? Or do you want tips on how to improve your writing skills? No matter what aspect of writing you are interested in, this section of inSITES will cover it.

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Writer's Block Resources

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Writing in Color

the describer's dictionaryTired of writing drab color descriptions? A good tip is to associate the color description with other things of the same color-like a food, animal, plant, liquid or metal. So instead of saying "her hair is blond" say "her hair is a beautiful champagne color" or "her flaxen hair intrigued me".

Here are some other creative ways to say the most common colors.

White

And there I saw myself as a man might expect, except that my skin was very white, as the old fiend's had been white, and my eyes had been transformed from their usual blue to a mingling of violet and cobalt that was softly iridescent. (Anne Rice-The Vampire Lestat)red lipstickassorted red berries

Red

Blue

The one had leaves of dark green that beneath were as shining silver, and from each of his countless flowers a dew of silver light was ever falling, and the earth beneath was dappled with the shadows of his fluttering leaves. The other bore leaves of a young green like the new-opened beech; their edges were glittering gold. Flowers swung upon her branches in clusters of yellow flame, formed each to a glowing horn that spilled a golden rain upon the ground; and from the blossom of that tree there came forth warmth and a great light. (J.R.R. Tolkien-The Silmarillion)

woman with blond hairsummer wheat fieldYellow

Purple

Brown

The woman's face was Chinese, brown and withered like a Ginger root; she wore dark blue clothes, a necklace of turquoises and sharp little silver knives, and her hair in pigtails like two grey wires. (Rumer Godden-Black Narcissus)

Orange

Green

Black

Sources: The Illustrated Reverse Dictionary and The Describer's Dictionary

Online Research for Writers

Online Communities for Writers

Blogs

Websites Just for Writers

Writing Business

WRITING A PROPOSAL

WRITING A QUERY LETTER

FINDING AN AGENT

Writing Contests

PROMOTION

REVIEW SITES

Upcoming Writing Contests

Dana Awards Literary Competition

Deadline: October 31, 2009
Entry Fee: $15
Web site: www.danaawards.com
E-mail address: danaawards@pipeline.com

Three prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for an unpublished group of poems, a short story, and a novel or novel-in-progress. Submit five poems of no more than 100 lines each with a $15 entry fee, a short story of up to 10,000 words with a $15 entry fee, or the first 50 pages of a novel with a $25 entry fee.The deadline is October 31. Send an SASE, e-mail, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines.

Dana Awards, Literary Competition, 200 Fosseway Drive, Greensboro, NC 27455. Mary Elizabeth Parker, Chair.

Briar Cliff Review Writing Contests

Deadline: November 1, 2009
Entry Fee: $20
Web site: www.briarcliff.edu/bcreview
E-mail address: tricia.currans-sheehan@briarcliff.edu

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Briar Cliff Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. The editors will judge. Submit three poems or up to 6,000 words of prose with a $20 entry fee, which includes a copy of the prize issue, by November 1. Call, e-mail, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines.

Briar Cliff Review, Writing Contests, Briar Cliff University, 3303 Rebecca Street, Sioux City, IA 51104. (712) 279-1651. Tricia Currans-Sheehan, Editor.

Narrative Magazine Fall Story Contest

Deadline: November 30, 2009
Entry Fee: $20
Web site: www.narrativemagazine.com/fall09-story-contest

A prize of $3,250 is given annually for a short story, a short-short story, an essay, or an excerpt from a longer work of prose. A $1,500 second-place prize is also given. All entries will be considered for publication in Narrative Magazine. The editors will judge. Using the online submission system, submit a story or novel excerpt of up to 15,000 words with a $20 entry fee, which includes a three-month membership to Narrative Backstage, the journal’s multimedia literary forum, by November 30. Visit the Web site for complete guidelines.

Narrative Magazine, Fall Story Contest, 2130 Fillmore Street, #233, San Francisco, CA 94115.

Full list of Grants & Writing Contests from Poets & Writers Magazine

Helpful Links for writers

Writing Books I Recommend 

Screenwriting Books I Recommend

Current Fiction Bestsellers

Current Non-Fiction Bestsellers

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Marketing for Artists CD

Based on Susan Lee's successful Marketing for Artists presentation, this highly informative CD can be viewed on your pc or printed. It includes the following sections:

Order your Marketing for Artists CD now for only $15 (+$5 S&H)

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