Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction

Writing Contests could be a great way of kick starting a career in writing. Personally, I have participated in some writing contests in the past, but given the fact that my writing career has passed what I'll call the 'puberty stage', I recently have directed my writing efforts on my novel, blogs and other writing activities.

Since I started this blog, I've posted a few writing contests for readers who might be interested in taking a go at writing fiction, non-fiction, poetry, short stories, etc View the posts here.

Thus, if you are interested in creative non-fiction, you might want to participate in the Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction here.

Annie Dillard is best known for her nature-themed writing. She has explored her past and present dealings with nature through poetry, essays and novels. Her best-known work, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, has been described as a “book of theology.” While her more autobiographical book, An American Childhood, explores her early childhood years through nature. In 1975 she was awarded the Pulitzer for general non-fiction. Dillard continues to write and is now an adjunct professor of English and a writer-in-residence at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

New York Times Notable Books of The Year 2007

The New York Times has released the 100 Notable Books Of the Year which will run in the Dec. 2 print edition of the Book Review. The list which comprises Fiction & Poetry and Nonfiction books includes J.K. Rowlings' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Graham Robbs' The Discovery of France.

The 10 Best Books of 2007 will be released on the Web on Nov. 28. So watch out for this space! View the 10 Best Books of 2006 here

Do Authors A-u-t-o-B-i-o-G-r-a-p-h in Fiction?

You know, I kind of believe that writers, if not all, have written something about themselves in their books without giving themselves credit for it. From my research, I've seen a link between the past of some authors and their works and as a writer, I wouldn't be surprising myself if I write something about my past in one of my books.

For an author whose works often examine the link between past and present, it's hardly surprising that Elizabeth Hay, author of the novel Late Nights on Air, had a flashback to her childhood when she won The Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada's premier prize for fiction.

When she was about 5, she won a doll as a prize at a movie theater and the next day wrote her name in big, ballpoint letters around the doll's neck. Now, 51 years later, Hay took to the Giller stage to sign an enlarged copy of her book cover and reminded herself of the time she signed her doll. If only that prize-winning doll knew that her owner now has an award-winning "doll".

A former radio broadcaster, Elizabeth Hay describes the lives of a cast of characters at a small radio station in Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories in her book which was inspired by Hay's own experiences living in the north when she was a radio broadcaster - all in a way to take her small life and put in fictional use - for something larger.

Hay's works have a distinctive Canadian feel, particularly because of their geographical settings. Her debut novel, A Student of Weather, which was nominated for the Giller in 2000, follows a family from a farm in Saskatchewan to urban Ottawa. Hay also documented her exploration of the country's cultural identity while she lived in New York in the non-fiction work Captivity Tales: Canadians in New York.

Elizabeth Hay's award-winning novel Late Nights on Air was No. 2 on the Globe and Mail newspaper's bestseller list for fiction for the week of November 17, and has been difficult for stores to keep in stock since it won the Giller.

Mommying and Writing at MWLM

Writing is not an easy task! In my experience, I've had to juggle with other activities while keeping up with the research, writing and editing of my book. But how about mommying and writing? No small feat!

Firstly, I'm not a mother! I'm not even a woman:-) But, having read articles and books from mom writers (mothers who are writers), it just makes me respect them more.

As a mother and writer, (mom writer, if you like) Paula Schmitt, founder of Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine has shown remarkable strength in being an editor and publisher. Her award-winning book, Living In a Locker Room: A Mom’s Tale of Survival in a Houseful of Boys is a fast, light and funny tale of the life of motherhood particularly raising boys.

Founded in 2005, Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine is a publication written by moms for moms across the globe who come together to share their stories. The online magazine publishes creative nonfiction essays, fiction, columns, book reviews, profiles about mom writers and visual art.

If you are a mom writer and interested in submitting a material for consideration, click here for guidelines.

The Fourth Annual Writing Contest for Study Abroad

The University of New Orleans, the pioneer in writing programs abroad, is pleased to announce the fourth annual writing contest for study-abroad in the summer of 2008. Full fee waivers and transportation costs will be granted to one writer each in the genres of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction. Partial awards and honorable mentions may also be granted.

Anyone writing in English who has not yet published a book of 45 pages or more in the genre of application, except faculty and administrators employed by the University of New Orleans is eligible to participate.

For more details, visit: http://lowres.uno.edu/contest.cfm

Grisham's next legal thriller - The Appeal

John Grisham's readers would be waiting eagerly for Grisham's next legal thriller (with a political twist) after The Broker coming out January 29, 2008. The book, The Appeal will be Grisham's 20th work of fiction. Here's the storyline:

In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it.Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided?

The chemical company is owned by a Wall Street predator named Carl Trudeau, and Mr. Trudeau is convinced the Court is not friendly enough. With judicial elections looming, he decides to try to purchase himself a seat on the Court. The cost is a few million dollars, a drop in the bucket for a billionaire like Mr. Trudeau. Through an intricate web of conspiracy and deceit, his political operatives recruit a young, unsuspecting candidate. They finance him, manipulate him, market him, and mold him into a potential Supreme Court justice. Their Supreme Court justice.

The Appeal is a powerful, timely, and shocking story of political and legal intrigue, a story that will leave readers unable to think about our electoral process or judicial system in quite the same way ever again.

Grisham's work inspires me to write

I've been reading John Grisham's novels for some years now and have come to admire his style of writing. On my reading list, I have: The Client (1993), The Street Lawyer (1998), The Brethren (2000) The Summons (2002),and The Last Juror (2004). That's not really bad for a dude who does more of writing than reading:-), even if I wish I could devote more time to reading all of his 20 books to date.

Recently, I started reading The Broker (2005), his most recent legal-thriller. In this book, Grisham tells a story of Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years in solitary confinement at a Federal Prison. In his power broker days, Backman it seemed, may have obtained secrets that compromise the world’s most sophisticated satellite surveillance system and was seen as dangerous to national security.

With enormous pressure from the CIA, the outgoing President of the United States pardons Backman and within hours he is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, after he has settled into his new life, the CIA leaks his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Saudis.

With it's twists and turns, the book leaves the reader wondering who really will kill Backman. Reading this book has given me an idea of a good story to develop and I've been working my brain for results:-)

A compelling read!