All Posts By: Kay Castaneda

My favorite poet Emily Dickinson sent her poems to The Atlantic Monthly Magazine in 1862. Editor Thomas Wentworth Higginson promptly rejected them. Emily suffered deeply from the rejection.  What did Emily do when she received the news that the editor was not interested in her writing? She wrote even more poems! Emily turned something negative into something good. The communication between the editor and writer turned into a relationship based on poetry that lasted for many years.

If there`s a chance the winner might only receive a virtual pat on the back, why do people enter writing competitions? They might lose. Sending your writing to a competition involves risk. What if no one acknowledges you and you contact the magazine to see who won? I did that. (I still do!) Sometimes, only Grandma and your husband will know you won that gift certificate or a Famous Writers tote bag. Do it, even if all you win is a note saying your work is promising.

A writing competition is where a person submits a piece of writing by the deadline following the submission guidelines and paying a fee. Different publications and contest sponsors have varying standards. The judges likely have favorite things to look for or that one thing that catches their eye. Judges may have diverse lifestyles, experiences, or education. Submissions are often read first by assistants before sending their choices to the judge. Prizes may include money, from ten dollars to thousands. Your writing could win publication. The prize could be a subscription to the magazine or a free course. Don`t forget that part where your name appears in print. If you`re lucky, your photo could be featured. The word "winner" looks good on a resume.

One of the best things I said to myself after I lost a prestigious contest was "I`ll show them! Just wait until next year. "

Even losing a competition for creative writing at the county fair caused me grief. "They`ll be sorry. The State Fair has a better prize anyway!"
   continued on my blog https://bookplaces.blog ...

The Importance of Setting in a Story

http://bookplaces.blog/setting-2/ ...

Literary Quotes-Who Said This?

http://bookplaces.blog/literary-quotes-who-said-this/ ...

Hi! Welcome to Day 4 of the Wordcrafter "The French Winemaker’s Daughter" Book Blog Tour. Today we have a guest post by the author, Loretta Ellsworth. I haven`t had the chance to read Loretta`s book yet. I plan to read and review it soon. Here is Loretta`s guest post. About The French Winemaker`s Daughter Set during World War II, an unforgettable historical novel about love, war, family, and loyalty told in in the voices of two women, generations apart, who find themselves connected by a mysterious and valuable bottle of wine stolen by the Nazis....

http://bookplaces.blog/day-4-of-the-wordcrafter-the-french-winemakers-daughter-book-blog-tour/ ...

The author reflects on participating in Tanka Tuesday, exploring the Shadorma poetry form while expressing profound concerns about war, its history, and personal experiences....

http://bookplaces.blog/tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-specific-form-shadorma-11-19-24/ ...

Veterans Day, November 11, 2024.
The poem In Flanders Fields, was written during WW1 by Canadian physician and soldier Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, 1872-1918.  Publication date of the poem was December 8, 1915. Flanders Fields is located in Belgium. The famous war memorial poem is associated with Veterans Day. Poppies have become a symbol of remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime, especially in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other Commonwealth realms.
#veteransday #inflandersfieldsthepoppiesblow #warmemorialpoem #poetjohnmccrae #november11 #wearethedead #worldwarone #warishell #donotforget #bravesoldiers❤️ ...

National Authors Day #nationalauthorsday

"I once told my wife I was going out to buy an envelope: “Oh",  she said, "well, you`re not a poor man. You know, why don`t you go  online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet?" And  so I pretended not to hear her. And went out to get an envelope because  I have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope.
I  meet a lot of people. And see some great looking babies. And a fire  engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And I`ll ask a woman what  kind of dog that is. And, and I don`t know. The moral of the story is -  we`re here on Earth to fart around. And, of course,  the computers will do us out of that. And what the computer people don`t  realise, or they don`t care, is we`re dancing animals. You know, we  love to move around. And it`s like we`re not supposed to dance at all anymore. Let`s all get up and move around a bit right now... or at least dance."

Kurt Vonnegut
Our hometown Indianapolis author

Born: November 11, 1922 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Died: April 11, 2007 (aged 84) New York City, U.S.

Kurt Vonnegut was an American author known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfiction works over fifty-plus years; further works have been published since his death.

https://www.vonnegutlibrary.org/2022/01/rachels-suggested-vonnegut-reading-order/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut_bibliography ...

Hello everyone! We are on Day 7 of the WordCrafter Midnight Garden Book Blog Tour. The tour is scheduled with guest posts and readings from contributing authors at every stop. There`s a fun giveaway. If you missed any of the stops on the tour, you can go back to any day on the schedule. Let`s meet the authors and their stories....

http://bookplaces.blog/wordcrafters-midnight-garden-where-dark-tales-grow-book-blog-tour-day-7/ ...