WVU This Week September 22, 2011

WVU This Week September 22, 2011

*** Quote of the Week

The ideal view for daily writing, hour for hour, is the blank brick wall of a cold-storage warehouse. Failing this, a stretch of sky will do, cloudless if possible.

Edna Ferber (1885 - 1968) submitted by benning

If you have a favorite Writer's quote you'd like to share for Quote of the Week send to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Be sure to include name of author, birth/death date, and your name.

*** A Birdie Told Me. - Writing Markets

by Birdie

The 2012 Adventure Writers' Competition

http://www.cusslersociety.com/writers_competition.html

$1,000 grand prize: The Grandmaster Award

Unpublished writers in the adventure genre can vie to be the next Clive Cussler by submitting their original fiction manuscripts for a chance at the $1000 grand prize.

Panel members for the 2012 Adventure Writer's Competition include authors:

Jeff Edwards

Ian Kharitonov

Sean Ellis

J.D. (Jimmy) Gordon

Clive Cussler Collector's Society members Pete Ragan, Lara Marchesi, Morgan Yates, John Vinson, and Lynn Rice

Manuscripts will be accepted electronically in either Word of PDF format beginning at 12:00AM EST October 1, 2011.

They must be sent to the following email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it The first 25 manuscripts received that qualify per the rules will comprise the body of the competition.

Competition Rules:

Manuscripts will be accepted beginning October 1, 2011. The competition deadline is January 1, 2012 with a maximum of 25 entries/manuscripts. The competition will be closed with the receipt of the 25th manuscript.

Eligibility:

(a) Participants must be 18 years of age by October 1, 2011.

(b) The Adventure Writers' Competition is open only to unpublished writers.

An “unpublished writer" is defined as: an author whose fictional work has not appeared in book, magazine, or periodical format via a Fortune 500 recognized publishing firm. Self-published/Vanity Press authors are eligible as long as their work has not appeared in any of the formats listed above.

(c) Clive Cussler Collectors Society' Officers, Panel Judges, and their families/relatives are not eligible for the contest.

Rules & Submittal Requirements:

(a) Full-length submittals must be original and cannot include characters from another authors' work - i.e. fan-fiction is not allowed.

(b) The length of the manuscript shall not exceed 130K words or less than 50K words.

(d) Writers may only submit one manuscript.

(e) Submitted manuscripts must be of the action-adventure genre. The story must have action and conflict, and the reader must identify with the character(s) in order to draw them into the plot. Fantasy and Science Fiction entries will not be accepted.

(f) The deadline of the competition is January 1, 2012.

(g) Attendance to the Clive Cussler Collector's Society Convention is not required to claim the Grand Prize.

(h) A minimum of 10 entries/manuscripts will need to be submitted by the deadline for this competition to take place, with a maximum of 25 entries/manuscripts.

Judging:

The first 25 submitted manuscripts (which meet the requirements of the competition) will be judged by a select panel composed of recognized authors and members from the Clive Cussler Collectors Society. The manuscripts’ opening chapters will also be posted on the competition’s Facebook page for fans to vote for their favorite Top 5. Voters will do this by hitting the “like button”. The panel members input will be weighted heavier than the votes from the Facebook site. From a compellation of these votes, the 25 will be down-selected to the top three finalists.

Competitors' Rights:

(a) By submitting a manuscript to the competition, the author (i) certifies their eligibility per the contest eligibility rules, (ii) grants the Society the right to publish excerpts on the web site, Facebook page, and in conference material, (iii) grants the Society the right to forward the winning manuscript to participating Literary agents for consideration, (iv) represents or warrants their work to be original and to have not used licensed material owned by someone else - thus being libelous, or infringing or violating the rights of any third parties, (v) and agrees to not submit their work to any other publisher, competition or self-publish until notified of their elimination from the contest.

(b) By entering this competition, the author (i) acknowledges the competition will be conducted in good-faith by members

of the Clive Cussler Collectors Society acting as judges and overseers of the process, and (ii) agrees to not hold the

Society responsible for violating copyright infringements both during and beyond the competition.

The Prize:

(a) The Clive Cussler Award winner will receive a $1000 cash prize and additional amenities to be named at a later date.

(b) The winner will be announced at the 2012 Clive Cussler Collector's Society Convention. The location and date of the event will be announced at a later time.

How to Enter:

Information on the contest can be found on the Adventure Writer’s Competition Facebook page or solicited through Kerry Frey - c/o the Clive Cussler Collectors Society.

***Upcoming MFA Courses

MFA Courses are always free to annual, 3-year, and lifetime members.

Classes starting September 22 Registration ends September 24

MFA 217 Magical Realism, Rules and How to Break Them

Classes starting September 29 Registration ends October 1

MFA 218 Adding Humor to Fiction

Classes starting October 6 Registration ends October 8

MFA 219 The Purpose and Practice of Revision

Classes starting October 13 Registration ends October 15

MFA 220 Editing and Polishing

Classes starting October 20 Registration ends October 22

MFA 102 Sentence Structures: Propositions, Subtext and Syntax

Classes starting October 27 Registration ends October 29

MFA 103 Creativity and the Cumulative Sentence

***Advanced MFA courses

Thursday, October 14, 2011

MFA1002: Metaphor Facilitated by Bob Hembree

Prerequisite: MFA1001

Course Description: In MFA1002, we'll continue our study of the conscious and unconscious significance of metaphor and frames, while exploring their practical applications for writers, including how to better connect with our readers on the emotional and conceptual levels, how to write with pin-point precision, and using metaphoric frames in character interactions with story elements. The companion book for this session will be Salmon Rushdie's novel, Midnight's Children.

***F2K Free Creative Writing Course

Be the first to know when registration opens again, and have some fun.

It's free.

Join F2K Social at http://writersvillage.com/free

***Upcoming WVU Classes

Classes Starting September 21 Registration ends September 24

B164 Personification

F246 Writing Historical Fiction

F174 Writing Boosters - Opposites #1 facilitated by Joni Zipp

N106 Writing Short Non-Fiction Part 2, Prerequisite Part 1

Classes Starting September 28 Registration ends October 1

Fiction 255: Write Fright

F262 How to Write Killer Fiction

N142 Journal-Keeping

P166 Poetry Triggers - Line Breaks in Poetry facilitated by Joni Zipp

Classes Starting October 5 Registration ends October 8

B126 Lights, Camera...Wait a Minute, Where Are We?

F102 Romance Writing

F110 Where Creativity Lives

N114 Writing for Magazines Part 2, Prerequisite Part

Classes Starting October 12 Registration ends October 15

B103 Grammar, facilitated by Janet Smith

F142 Short Story Workshop - Free Form

F128 Taking the Intimidation Out of Theme

P170 Poetry Triggers - Using Points of View in Poetry, Part 2, Using Time Perspectives facilitated by Joni Zipp

Classes Starting October 19 Registration ends October 22

B101 WVU Orientation, facilitated by Melissa Anne

B142 Blockbusters

C114 Comedy Workshop: Working With Alternate Meanings

F136 Mythic Structure Part 4 Prerequisite Part 3, facilitated by Priscilla Fagan

F152 Horror Writing

Classes Starting October 26 Registration ends October 29

B128 Opening Hooks

F126 Story Structures

F178 Writing Boosters - Recipe #2 facilitated by Joni Zipp

N124 Writing for a Living<

P172 Poetry Triggers - Using Music as an Inspiration to Write Poetry facilitated by Joni Zipp

***Help is an Email Away!

For answers to many WVU questions, contact Support.