Couple of Writing Contests

awatkins · Apr 20, 2005

Pet-related Writing Contests

Here are a few writing contests that are looking for animal stories.

Note: I don't have any personal experience with any of these markets, so if you have questions about them you'll need to contact the editors/webmasters directly.

Dog Hero
2005 Second Annual Dog Story Contest
True stories
http://www.doghero.com/features/2005-contest-rules.htm
Deadline: August 1, 2005

Angel Animals
True Stories
http://www.angelanimals.net/stryshar.html
Deadline: No deadline for stories; runs a story contest but no new one announced for this year yet. Keep an eye on the site for contest updates.

Gehanna · Apr 20, 2005

I have a lot of stories I could tell about animals and they are real. I even learned a lesson from a spider once and there was a praying mantis who used to visit me. Have you ever talked to a praying mantis? ... they listen you know.

Now, I am a bit confused about the path I am on. I never realized that there was even that much interest in animals and nature other than for hunters. I wish I had the time to pursue some of these contests and etc. but if I start doing that then I'll be neglecting the business I am trying to establish.

I have included writing about animals for my own business but I have not written anything about my personal experiences with them. I felt it would be inappropriate to do that considering the focus is supposed to be on others and not me.

Gehanna

awatkins · Apr 20, 2005

You might want to check out the Angel Animals site, Gehanna. I browsed through it and it sounds like you might have some stories they would like. They're looking for personal stories.

GHF65 · Apr 29, 2005

Writing for "Exposure"

I just checked out the Angelanimals.net site. Am I having a moldy-brain episode, or is there no mention of payment? They're talking, it would appear, about submissions for an anthology. :Huh:

I'm not trying to stir up anything, but I'm curious. How do you fellow animals writers feel about "exposure only" submissions from which someone else will profit? I've been an animal writer (horses and cats) for several years and have found that there are LOTS of editors and site owners who love to publish free samples of someone else's writing. I did manage at one online 'zine to trade my articles for advertising space for my daughter's business, but I'm not thrilled with the fact that so many publishers seem to think we don't need to be paid for our work.

Any thoughts?

awatkins · Apr 29, 2005

Schoolmarm:

Note: I don't have any personal experience with any of these markets, so if you have questions about them you'll need to contact the editors/webmasters directly.

That's why I added that caveat when I listed the markets. That way if a writer has any questions about payment, contributor copies, guidelines, or whatever, they can go directly to the source for the scoop and then make an informed decision on whether or not to submit something. I am also trying to provide a diverse mix of markets/contests so that there might be something for everyone.

I write for a living, so guess which markets I target?

But others write purely for personal enjoyment and don't mind being paid only in copies, or by seeing their words online. I do hope that everyone will carefully consider all the angles before sending their work to a market they are unfamiliar with. That's what I do.

Glad you dropped in on this forum! I hope you'll continue to post such thoughtful comments.

GHF65 · Apr 30, 2005

Thanks, Anne.

I saw the warning, but was curious as to whether anyone else had a different take on the site. I guess I'm in the "once burned, twice shy" crowd. I'm still steaming over an encounter with a really nasty magazine editor who had the nerve to accept my article, then announce after the fact that they were only offering exposure. The site clearly stated a per-article price. I argued the point, and she got nastier with each email. Can you imagine?

I wonder if this is endemic to the animal markets.

awatkins · May 2, 2005

Good grief, she sounds like an editor I'd want to stay far, far away from! Sorry that happened to you.

You might get more of a response from the others if you posted your question in a new thread. Could be that everyone thinks this thread is just about contests. Why don't you give it a shot and see if anybody has any thoughts?

My take is that no, the problem is not just endemic to the animal markets. At least, I hope not!

GHF65 · May 3, 2005

Thanks, Anne. I'll search first to make sure the topic hasn't been done to death before I post. I don't want to be elected "Most Annoying Newbie of 2005".

Joanne

awatkins · May 3, 2005

Don't worry, Joanne. I won't let anybody elect you "Most Annoying Newbie of 2005". You're doing great! Already being so helpful to folks and making interesting, thoughtful posts. If you want to talk about annoying people, look at the tech forum. You'll see that I'm hard at work making the top of the list of most annoying question-askers. LOL

GHF65 · May 4, 2005

Anne, you're a hoot! :ROFL:

Thanks for the kind words.

Low-tech-wise, you will never top my favorite German teacher who came to me in a panic because she couldn't get her printer to print the expensive foreign-language news report she'd subscribed to. I asked the usual questions, then went to her room. The monitor screen was dark; there was no hum coming from the CPU; the printer was silent. You could almost hear crickets chirping, it was so quiet in there! I turned the computer around. There was no power cord. It wasn't just not plugged in; the cord was entirely missing. I have no idea why she thought she'd be able to receive an internet news program--let alone print the output--without a computer.

awatkins · May 16, 2005

Pet Treat Recipe Contest/May 30 deadline

**CONTEST CLOSED**

Have any interesting original recipes for pet treats? How about recipes for human food that have animal-inspired titles? Then you may want to check out this contest. There is a monetary prize for first place ($50.00) and a gift prize for second place. Check the website for complete contest details.

Deadline: May 30, 2005
No entry fee
http://www.petsbypenny.com

(They also consider manuscript submissions but are very upfront about offering no payment at this time. If you are interested in writing for clips and byline only, check out their writer's guidelines.)

Couple of Writing Contests

awatkins

Not harboring illegal parrot

Gehanna

Introvert

awatkins

Not harboring illegal parrot

GHF65

practical experience, FTW

awatkins

Not harboring illegal parrot

GHF65

practical experience, FTW

awatkins

Not harboring illegal parrot

GHF65

practical experience, FTW

awatkins

Not harboring illegal parrot

GHF65

practical experience, FTW

awatkins

Not harboring illegal parrot