Wednesday 27 February 2013

Secondhand Booksale Trinity College.


Trinity Secondhand Booksale 7-9 March 2013

by
The 24th Annual Trinity Secondhand Booksale opens at 5.30pm on Thursday 7th March in the Exam Hall. Admission on Thursday is €3.00.
An auction of rare books will take place at 7.00pm. The illustrated auction catalogue can be viewed at http://www.tcd.ie/booksale/.
The Sale continues on ‘Restocked Friday’, 10.00am-6.00pm (admission free) when additional material will be on sale and on ‘Half Price Saturday’ 10.00am-2.00pm. Clearance auction of all remaining books at 2.15pm when everything must go. Inquiries to booksale@tcd.ie or to 01 896-2276.

Number Eleven Magazine is seeking artwork and writing

Fresh new Irish journal Number Eleven Magazine is seeking artwork and writing: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Number-Eleven-Magazine/325489734218928

Tuesday 26 February 2013

Words with Jam Flash Fiction


Welcome to the Flash 500 Competition! When it comes to prizes, it often seems as though flash fiction is the poor relation of writing competitions. We have increased our first prize to £300, making this a flash fiction competition where the prize money truly reflects the skill required to encapsulate an entire story in just 500 words.

Now in its fourth year, this quarterly open-themed competition has closing dates of 31st March, 30th June, 30th September and 31st December. The results will be announced within six weeks of each closing date and the three winning entries each quarter will be published on this website.

Entry fee: £5 for one story, £8 for two stories
Optional critiques: £10 per story

Prizes will be awarded as follows:
First: £300 plus publication in Words with JAM
Second: £100
Third: £50
Highly commended: Choice of The Writer’s ABC Checklist or Bad Moon Rising (e-book)

NORTH BEACH POETRY SLAM

Photo: This TIME next MONDAY in the Crane Bar, Galway 
KIMBERLY CAMPANELLO.

Monday 25 February 2013

Fish Flash Fiction Prize 2013: €1,000





Fish Flash Fiction Prize 2013: €1,000

Closes 28 Feb - 3 Days Remaining



Fish will publish the ten best Flash Stories in the 2013 Fish Anthology, as chosen by the competition judge Peter Benson.

 Read Flash Fiction Stories Published in Fish Anthologies.

 Previous Fish Anthologies.

peter
Judge: Peter Benson, award-winning author of nine novels as well as short stories, poetry and screenplays. He will launch the 2013 Fish Anthology at the West Cork Literary Festival on 10 July 2013.

Closes: 28 Feb at midnight GMT

Word Limit: 300 (not including the title).

Results: 10 April. by newsletter and on the Fish website.

Anthology Launch: 10 July 2013. 

Submission Fee: €14, €8 for subsequent entries.

Enter:  online, or by post to - Fish Flash Fiction Prize, Durrus, Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland.


All of the winners will be invited to read their story at the launch of the 2013 Fish Anthology. 

The winning stories must be eligible for publication in the Fish Anthology, and therefore must not have been published previously. Please read the rules before entering.




“Not a wasted word. This has been a main point to my literary thinking all my life.”
— Hunter S. Thompson 

“There is only one plot—things are not what they seem.” — Jim Thompson       

Over The Edge Galway mia Gallagher,Dawn Wisniewski, Ruth Quinlan

Friday 22 February 2013

jgodonoghue exhibition cork

John Keats' life mask


John Keats' life mask
by Benjamin Robert Hayden, 1816,
Photo by Joanna Kane
Severn's letter announcing the death of John Keats on February 23, 1821:

Rome. 27 February 1821. 
My dear Brown, 
He is gone--he died with the most perfect ease--he seemed to go to sleep. On the 23rd, about 4, the approaches of death came on. "Severn-I--lift me up--I am dying--I shall die easy--don't be frightened--be firm, and thank God it has come!" I lifted him up in my arms. The phlegm seemed boiling in his throat, and increased until 11, when he gradually sunk into death--so quiet-that I still thought he slept. I cannot say now-I am broken down from four nights' watching, and no sleep since, and my poor Keats gone. Three days since, the body was opened; the lungs were completely gone. The Doctors could not conceive by what means he had lived these two months. I followed his poor body to the grave on Monday, with many English. They take such care of me here--that I must, else, have gone into a fever. I am better now--but still quite disabled. 
The Police have been. The furniture, the walls, the floor, every thing must be destroyed by order of the law. But this is well looked to by Dr C. 
The letters I put into the coffin with my own hand. 
I must leave off. 
J. S. 
This goes by the first post. Some of my kind friends would have written else. I will try to write you every thing next post; or the Doctor will. 
They had a mask--and hand and foot done-- 
I cannot get on--

Thursday 21 February 2013

Fish Flash Fiction Prize 2013

 
NEWSLETTER  ::  18 February  2013


Great writing deserves to see the light of day.







Fish Flash Fiction Prize 2013: €1,000

Closes 28 Feb



Fish will publish the ten best Flash Stories in the 2013 Fish Anthology, as chosen by the competition judge Peter Benson.

 Read Flash Fiction Stories Published in Fish Anthologies.

 Previous Fish Anthologies.
 
peter
Judge: Peter Benson, award-winning author of nine novels as well as short stories, poetry and screenplays. 

Closes: 28 Feb 

Word Limit: 300 (not including the title).

Results: 10 April. by newsletter and on the Fish website.

Anthology Launch: 10 July 2013. 

Submission Fee: €14, €8 for subsequent entries.

Enter:  online or by post to - Fish Flash Fiction Prize, Durrus, Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland.


All of the winners will be invited to read their story at the launch of the 2013 Fish Anthology at the West Cork Literary Festival, Wed. 10 July.

The winning stories must be eligible for publication in the Fish Anthology, and therefore must not have been published previously. Please read the rules before entering.




"The jewel of the sudden (flash) story is the gap. A lot of words are missing, not because they are extraneous, but because their absence speaks the unspeakable. The writer of the sudden story has to weigh the efficacy of each word. Knowing what to include - often the details - and knowing what not to include - often everything but the details - that's not a gift. It's a practice that involves trusting the written word more than yourself."                                  
Lori Ann Stevens                                                                                                                 

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me

Glimmer Train's

Glimmer Train's
Short Story Award for New Writers
Deadline: February 28, 2013
Follow
glimmertrain on Twitter
Prizes:
1st place wins $1,500 and, of course, publication in Glimmer Train Stories.
2nd place wins $500, or, if chosen for publication, $700.
3rd place wins $300 or, if published, $700.
Make a Submission

Other considerations:
Open only to writers whose fiction has not appeared in any print publication with a circulation over 5,000. (Entries must not have appeared in any print publication.)
Word count: Most submissions run 1,500 to 6,000 words, but can be of any length up to 12,000.
Reading fee is $15 per story. Please, no more than 3 submissions per category.
Simultaneous submissions are okay. Please notify immediately if your submission is accepted elsewhere.
Winners and finalists will be officially announced in the May 1 bulletin and will be contacted directly by April 24th.

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Words With Jam competition.

Words With Jam competition.
Our popular first page competition is back. We're looking for the most captivating first page (up to 400 words) of a story. Entries can be from a novel previously unpublished, a part written novel, or simply a first page written purely for the competition. Entries will be judged anonymously. 
Prizes
1st Prize - £500
2nd Prize - £100
3rd Prize - £50
Closing Date 
31th May 2013
Results
All three winning entries will be published in the August 2013 issue of Words with JAM.
Judge: Sue Grafton
Sue Grafton is published in 28 countries and 26 languages—including Estonian, Bulgarian, and Indonesian. She’s an international bestseller with a readership in the millions. She’s a writer who believes in the form that she has chosen to mine: “The mystery novel offers a world in which justice is served. Maybe not in a court of law,” she has said, “but people do get their just desserts.” And like Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald, Robert Parker and the John D. MacDonald—the best of her breed—she has earned new respect for that form. Her readers appreciate her buoyant style, her eye for detail, her deft hand with character, her acute social observances, and her abundant storytelling talents.
For full competition details visit our website

Bare Hands International Poetry & Photography Postcard competition 2013

The two winning poems and two winning photographs of the competition will be turned into 2,000 beautiful postcards distributed to leading independent bookshops around the world including Shakespeare and Co., Paris, Foyles Bookshop, London & City Lights Bookstore, San Francisco! Four winners will be selected and there will also be a shared cash prize of €400. http://barehandspoetry.tumblr.com/post/42556093277/2013postcardcompetition

Tuesday 19 February 2013

Molly Keane Short Story Award

Molly Keane Short Story Award

Now in it’s 16th year, Waterford County Council’s Arts Office is pleased to announce that it is currently accepting entries for the national Molly Keane  Creative Writing Award.

County Waterford Arts Office, by kind permission of the Keane family, is inviting entries for a previously unpublished short story to a maximum of 2000 words.

There is no entry fee, no age limit and no restriction on the subject matter.

A prize of €500 will be awarded to the winner at a special ceremony during the IMMRAMA Literary Festival in Lismore, Co. Waterford in June 2013.

Deadline: 4pm on Thursday 21st March 2013.

Full details and an entry form can be downloaded here : Molly Keane Entry Form 2013 (Word.doc, 404 kbs)

Dinner is served.Photo of the day.National Geographic.

Photo: A great white shark approaching divers in a cage

Monday 18 February 2013

Fish Flash Fiction Prize 2013: €1,000

Fish Flash Fiction Prize 2013: €1,000

Closes 28 Feb



Fish will publish the ten best Flash Stories in the 2013 Fish Anthology, as chosen by the competition judge Peter Benson.

 Read Flash Fiction Stories Published in Fish Anthologies.

 Previous Fish Anthologies.
 
peter
Judge: Peter Benson, award-winning author of nine novels as well as short stories, poetry and screenplays. 

Closes: 28 Feb 

Word Limit: 300 (not including the title).

Results: 10 April. by newsletter and on the Fish website.

Anthology Launch: 10 July 2013. 

Submission Fee: €14, €8 for subsequent entries.

Enter:  online or by post to - Fish Flash Fiction Prize, Durrus, Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland.


All of the winners will be invited to read their story at the launch of the 2013 Fish Anthology at the West Cork Literary Festival, Wed. 10 July.

The winning stories must be eligible for publication in the Fish Anthology, and therefore must not have been published previously. Please read the rules before entering.




"The jewel of the sudden (flash) story is the gap. A lot of words are missing, not because they are extraneous, but because their absence speaks the unspeakable. The writer of the sudden story has to weigh the efficacy of each word. Knowing what to include - often the details - and knowing what not to include - often everything but the details - that's not a gift. It's a practice that involves trusting the written word more than yourself."                                  
Lori Ann Stevens                                                                                                                 

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." 
                                                                                                                          Anton Chekhov

 

Over The Edge Galway City Library

The February ‘Over The Edge: Open Reading’ takes place in Galway City Library on Thursday, February 28 th , 6.30-8.00pm. The Featured Readers are Mia Gallagher, Dawn Wisniewski & Ruth Quinlan . There will as usual be an open-mic after the Featured Readers have finished. New readers are especially welcome. The evening will also see the announcement of details of this year’s Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition , which will then be made available on our website http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com



Ruth Quinlan is from Tralee, County Kerry. She worked in IT before taking a break in 2011 to try and scratch the writing itch and graduated from the MA in Writing at NUI Galway in 2012. She was shortlisted for the 2012 Cúirt New Writing fiction prize and longlisted for last year's Over the Edge New Writer of the Year competition. Her work has been published by Emerge Literary Journal , Thresholds , SIN , Scissors and Spackle and she is longlisted for the current Irish Independent Hennessy New Irish Writing awards. She recently contributed towards two group anthologies, Abandoned Darlings (fiction) and Wayword Tuesdays (poetry). You can find her blogging occasionally at ruthquinlan.wordpress.com .



Despite a lengthy career in the logical world of information technology, Dawn Wisniewski has carved a tunnel into the creative side of her brain, allowing her to formulate everything from poetry to fantasy worlds, and even a little artistry on the side. With the help of Kevin Higgins’ poetry workshops, she has gained not only confidence in her poetic ventures but better skills to craft her prose. Also aided by Susan Millar-Dumars’ classes, Dawn has developed a portfolio of short stories and enhancements to the series of fantasy novels she has written. With the first of the series of novels finally ready for submission, Dawn is actively seeking an agent or publisher.



Mia Gallagher is a writer and performer based in Dublin. She has written many short stories and is working on a third novel. Her short fiction won the START Short Fiction award (2005) and was shortlisted for the Fish, Hennessy and William Trevor/Elizabeth Bowen Awards. Her debut novel HellFire (Penguin Ireland, 2006) was critically acclaimed and received the Irish Tatler Literature Award. An extract from her second novel Beautiful Pictures of the Lost Homeland appeared last year in Literary Imagination (Oxford University Press). In September 2012, Carpet Theatre produced The Trick and Burning Love, two of her adaptations of plays from the classic if schlocky Grand Guignol Theatre of Horror! In 2012 she appeared as the female lead in TG4 docudrama The Enigma of Frank Ryan , which has shown at film festivals internationally. Mia was writer-in-residence at IADT/dlr Arts Office in 2009-2010.





As usual there will be an open-mic after the Featured Readers have finished. New readers are always most welcome at the open-mic. THE EVENING WILL ALSO SEE THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF DETAILS OF THIS YEAR’S OVER THE EDGE NEW WRITER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION. The MC for the evening will be Susan Millar DuMars. For further details phone 087-6431748.

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing generous financial support of Galway City Council & The Arts Council.
http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com
------------------------

AND BEFORE THAT

North Beach Poetry Nights returns

on Monday 25th February in The Crane Bar, Sea Road, Galway at the very NEW TIME of 6.30 pm

with Special Guest Kimberly Campanello (Dublin)



Kimberly Campanello was born in Elkhart, Indiana. She now lives in Dublin.

Her chapbook 'Spinning Cities' was published by Wurm Press in 2011.

She was featured poet in the Summer 2010 issue of The Stinging Fly;

her poems have appeared in magazines in the US, UK, and Ireland,

including Tears in the Fence , nthposition , Burning Bush II , Abridged , The Penny Dreadful , and Irish Left Review . In 2011, she was selected to read as part of the Poetry Ireland Introductions Series. Kimberly's first full collection 'CONSENT' will be available from Doire Press in May 2013.

Poets wishing to enter the Slam on the night need 2 max. three minutes poems. The poem for the 2nd round should be performed without script. The prize for the winner is a bottle of wine and entry to the North Beach Grand Slam in December.

Door: 5/3 euro

Info: john @091/593290

North Beach Poetry Nights wishes to acknowledge the continued support of Galway City Council.

Thursday 14 February 2013

Most romantic moments.Happy Valentines Day

"Wuthering Heights" (1939)

United Artists

“Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest so long as I live on! I killed you. Haunt me, then! Haunt your murderer! I know that ghosts have wandered on the Earth. Be with me always. Take any form, drive me mad, only do not leave me in this dark alone where I cannot find you. I cannot live without my life! I cannot die without my soul.” — Heathcliff (Laurence Olivier)

Wednesday 13 February 2013

GOODREADS POETRY CONTEST and February winner

Interesting competition here.

GOODREADS POETRY CONTEST and February winner
Want your words to reach 11 million people? Goodreads and the ¡POETRY! group have partnered to host an ongoing poetry contest. Join the ¡POETRY! group and vote each month to pick a winner from among the finalists. You can also submit a poem for consideration. This is the  February winner!


The World Was Old When We Got Here
we could see that, easy. Paint and birch
bark curling, dried up wells and leaky
faucets, weeping willows and bent windmills
shrieking in the breeze....

Read the rest  of Kara McKeever winning poem on Goodreads site

Tuesday 12 February 2013

Listowel Writers Week 2013

Can it really be that time of year again?

Listowel writers week competitions 2013

Closing Date for receipt of ALL entries is Friday, 1st March 2013.

See website for all details.

The Mechanics of Self-publishing an E-book




Course title: The Mechanics of Self-publishing an E-book
Location: Public Library, Carrick-on-Suir, South Tipperary
Reservations: course is free of charge, Maura Barrett tel: 051 640591
Date & time: 10:00 a.m. Friday 22nd February 2013

Topics that will be covered
·        What are the five main routes to market for e-books?
·        Should you publish direct or via an intermediary?
·        Live publishing of an e-book during the session
·        Considering print publishing?

About Ruby Barnes: a self-published author of four novels, Ruby has sold thousands of e-books via Amazon and other outlets. He is based in Kilkenny, Ireland and is a graduate of NUI Maynooth Creative Writing for Publication.

The Shackleton Endurance Exhibition

Shakleton Exhibition
Date:now until Sept 2014
Location:Ferry Terminal Building, Dun Laoghaire
Time:
Mon-Sat: 10am to 7pm
Sun: 11am to 6pm
Cost:€5 per adult
€3 per child
€12 family of four
Group  discounts on application
Would you follow someone to the ends of the earth?  27 men followed  Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton to Antarctica  along with two  fellow Irishmen, Tom Crean and Tim McCarthy.

Now you can witness THE most incredible survival story in Polar  history through stunning photographs, artifacts and a life boat  replica at the Shackleton  Endurance Exhibition in the Ferry Terminal 
Building, Dun Laoghaire.

Originally curated by the American Museum of Natural History in association with the Royal Geographical Society and the Scott Polar  Research Institute and supported by New Ireland Assurance, this  incredible exhibition is an initiative within the Dun Laoghaire  Harbour Company Masterplan.

An exceptionally stunning photographic exhibition not to be missed.

www.shackletonexhibition.com
Tel: 01 236 0544
Would you follow someone to the ends of the earth?  27 men followed  Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton to Antarctica  along with two  fellow Irishmen, Tom Crean and Tim McCarthy.

Now you can witness THE most incredible survival story in Polar  history through stunning photographs, artifacts and a life boat  replica at the Shackleton  Endurance Exhibition in the Ferry Terminal 
Building, Dun Laoghaire.

Originally curated by the American Museum of Natural History in association with the Royal Geographical Society and the Scott Polar  Research Institute and supported by New Ireland Assurance, this  incredible exhibition is an initiative within the Dun Laoghaire  Harbour Company Masterplan.

An exceptionally stunning photographic exhibition not to be missed.

www.shackletonexhibition.com
Tel: 01 236 0544

Monday 11 February 2013

2013 Over The Edge Poetry Book Showcase at The Kitchen @ The Museum

2013 Over The Edge Poetry Book Showcase at The Kitchen @ The Museum FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH

The 2013 Over The Edge Poetry Book Showcase featuring Mary O’Rourke, Sarah Clancy, Máire Holmes, Kevin O’Shea, Lorna Shaughnessy, Java Writers, The Tuesday Knights poets, James Lawless, The Abandoned Darlings writers, Elaine Feeney, Micheál Ó'Coinn, Away With Words writers, Michael Faherty, Merlin Park Hospital writers & Amit Mediratta will take place at The Kitchen @ The Museum, Spanish Arch, Galway on Friday, February, 15th at 8pm.

In this annual retrospective of the year just past, Galway-based poets who published a new collection of poems during 2012 are invited to read three poems from the collection in question. There will also be short readings from the anthologies Abandoned Darlings (NUI Galway MA in Writing class of 2012), Wayword Tuesdays (The Tuesday Knights poetry group), Jessica Casey & Other Works (Away With Words writers, published by Salmon), This Never Happened (Merlin Park Hospital Writers) and Infusions (Java Writers). There will also be a reading of poems from Elaine Feeney & Sarah Clancy’s poetry CD Cinderella Backwards.

All welcome. There is no cover charge. For further details phone 087-6431748.

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing generous financial support of The Arts Council and Galway City Council.

JoAnn Hughes landscape

JoAnn Hughes landscape

Romantic Poetry Competition

City Library, John’s Quay

Romantic Poetry Competition

  

To Celebrate Valentine’s Day, we invite you to write a short poem based on the theme of Romance.

Categories:
Adult & Secondary School

Closing date for entries: 1pm Thursday 14th February.

Prizes: Adult: 2 x €20 book vouchers
Secondary School: 2 x €10 book vouchers

See rules for further information.

Friday 8 February 2013

20 Ways to Stimulate Your Own Creativity: by Diana Adams at diana@bitrebels.com.

20 Ways to Stimulate Your Own Creativity: by Diana Adams at diana@bitrebels.com. Republished - refer to original article -(http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/5-things-that-should-be-on-every-writers-bucket-list)
1. Keep a notebook and pen with you at your desk, in your car, everywhere you go so you can always record your ideas as you have them.
2. Learn to ask more questions. Ask “What if?” Don’t be afraid to have what seem to be completely crazy ideas. Learn to think beyond what seems obvious.
3. Daydream. Learn to use your imagination. You must see it in your mind before it becomes a reality. Become a master at visualization.
4. Become more spontaneous. Don’t concern yourself with what others think about your ideas.
5. Follow your intuition. Follow that little voice inside; it will never let you down.
6. Do not compare yourself to others. This is a quick creativity killer. Be nice to yourself.
7. Try new things. Visit a museum, go shopping, a change of scenery will reboot your creative mind.
8. Brainstorm with your family or friends.
9. Read, read and then read some more. Whether you are reading a book, your tweets, the Internet, just read. Never stop learning.
10. Take a bubble bath.

11. Learn to become comfortable with the silence. Quiet your mind. Go within, there are nuggets of gold in there if you can quiet your mind and explore yourself. Get in the moment.
12. Try new foods. Milk, spinach, salmon, whole grain pasta, tofu and sunflower seeds are all proven to make you feel happier and more creative.
13. Sleep or lack of it. It’s funny because it is shown that sleep can recharge your batteries and make you feel more creative, but also hacking your body and not sleeping for extended periods of time can trigger insane amounts of creativity.
14. Listen to music. (This one is my favorite!)
15. Physical exercise definitely stimulates creativity.
16. Take a walk in nature, breathe in the fresh air, appreciate and become inspired by nature.
17. Stop doubting your own ability to be creative. Believe that you are inherently creative.
18. If you hit a wall creatively, walk away and do something else for a while, then go back to your project. When I do this, the answer almost always magically comes to me.
19. Learn to take more chances, put yourself out there a bit more, trusting yourself.
20. Last but certainly not least, fall in love with what you do. All creative people have this in common. For example, I love to write. I write for the same reason that I breathe, because I have to. It is who I am and I love it. Find your passion and do it. And then, do it some more.

Thursday 7 February 2013

A Writers Bucket List Dana Sitar

*****************************************************************************************************************************
question-mark-cover3dana-sitar-head-shotGuest column by Dana Sitar, a freelance blogger and indie author of “A Writers Bucket List: She shares resources, tips, and tools for writers in search of a path through DIY Writing.
*****************************************************************************************************************************

1. Do something bizarre just to write about it.

Author A.J. Jacobs (The Know-it-All; The Year of Living Biblically) is the personification of this concept for writers, and my personal inspiration for adding it to the  Bucket List. There’s little that’s more interesting to read than the experiences of someone who deliberately puts himself well out of his element just for the sake of the story.
Trying something new is one thing, but trying something new for the purpose of writing a book, article, or blog about it gives the experience a special purpose and gives you a much more interesting perspective. I learned this myself from doing stand-up after about a year as a comedy journalist. I would have easily talked myself out of it had I not promised to do it to gain a better understanding of my subjects. Re-organizing your experiences into a book or article is a great way to analyze them, learn from them, and even savor failures for the great stories they’ll make.

2. Self-publish Something

Self-publishing doesn’t have to mean publishing and selling a book or novel on your own. It can be as simple as publishing a post to a blog, writing a newsletter, or printing an informational pamphlet. The point of putting this on your bucket list isn’t to make money from sales or fill in your backlist. It’s about finding the confidence in yourself to share your work with the world.
Though a lot of people talk about the relative technical ease of self-publishing these days, they sorely under-acknowledge the self-confidence required to present your own work to the world without the requisite validation of an editor, publisher, or agent. If you can do that, and especially if you can do it so well that you actually sell books, you will have overcome a major hurdle and prepped yourself for future success. (Abbott Press is worth checking out if you’re considering self-publishing your book.)

3. Find a mentor.

No number of books, blogs, or courses can trump career and life advice tailored specifically to your dreams. A mentor is someone has already walked the path you want to take, and is willing to guide you along it. This kind of direction is most valuable because you’re able to hand-pick a guide who is exactly where you want to be, and they’re able to get to know you and offer advice that fits your unique goals.
If you know writers in person, find someone who is where you want to be, and follow her example. Sit down with her a few times a year for advice on what you should be doing to follow her path. If you don’t know many writers in person, seek a mentor online. Connect with writers through their blogs and social media, and you could strike up a real relationship with someone who can help you along your journey.

4. Edit your favorite novel.

Do you already do this sometimes while you read? Maybe you just note typos and errors in your head, or maybe you actually carry a pencil to mark them in already-published books? Those errors can’t escape your writer’s eye.
Go ahead! Correcting work you love can be a good exercise to strengthen your own writing. Noting errors that elude the editor’s eye and the sentences you would reconstruct in your favorite novel can both train you to deconstruct the story in a new way and remind you that even your favorite writers aren’t infallible.

5. Live poor for a few months (or years).

Aside from the lifestyle offering artistic inspiration, poverty will drive you to succeed. When you’re desperate and have no other way to pay your bills but to sell another article, you’ll find a way. You’ll work harder than you thought you could, and you’ll get creative. You’ll find new markets for your writing, come up with new project ideas to attract customers, and work your ass off to polish your work into something an editor wants to buy.