Do you need some writing inspiration? Contests are a great way to spark your creativity, and you may even win a prize! Get your best work together and consider entering the WOW! quarterly flash fiction contest with guest judge, literary agent Stephanie Fretwell-Hill of Red Fox Literary. Stop by the contest page, download the pdf guidelines, and read all about Leigh's preferences. The Summer Contest is open to all genres of fiction between 250 - 750 words. Only 300 stories are accepted, so enter early to ensure your spot in the contest. Deadline: August 31, 2016. MORE >>

Whether you are looking to boost your income or work on your craft, we know that education is an important part of a writer’s career. That’s why WOW! handpicks qualified instructors and targeted classes that women writers will benefit from. All of the courses operate online and are taught one-on-one with the instructor. The flexibility of the platform allows students to complete assignments on their own time and work at their own pace in the comfort of their own home. Visit the classroom page and check out our current line up of workshops: fiction writing, writing for children, screenwriting, creativity, memoir, personal essay, grammar, food writing, freelance writing, novel writing, blogging, social networking for authors, independent publishing, branding for authors, poetry writing, copy editing, literary devices, working with a literary agent, writing scenes, book reviewing, travel writing and more. MORE >>

Kelly Sundberg is managing editor of Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction. Published quarterly, Brevity features extremely brief (750 words or less) essays by well-known and emerging writers as well as essays on craft and book reviews. In addition to her role as editor, Kelly is an acclaimed author, a doctoral candidate at Ohio University, and the single parent of a ten-year-old boy. Kelly began her blog, Apology not Accepted, after receiving a court-ordered letter of apology from her abusive ex-husband. Katherine Higgs-Coulthard chats with Kelly about survival, balance, and writing short. MORE >>

Listicles are not only great staples for seasoned freelancers, but are also a good way for new writers to break into print. I have been writing these bite-sized, easily digestible articles for years. Listicles used to be called refrigerator articles, because folks would cut these informational short pieces out of the newspaper and hang them on the fridge for easy reference. Also called list articles or round-ups, these can be written on just about any theme: humor, fun facts, pop culture, or “how-to” service pieces. Want to try your hand at writing a listicle? It’s so easy! Just follow these steps by freelancer Tiffany Doerr Guerzon. MORE >>

The pressure to maintain a digital platform is real—some publishing houses won’t even look at you unless you have one. The knee-jerk reaction, then, is to build one as quickly as possible, which can result in a Frankenstein’s monster: a creation that gets out of hand fast. However, you have to determine which accounts have an “ROI”—a return on your (time) investment. So take some time to look at your work and your writing practice, and decide what is important to you. Once you decide what social media sites you need, here are five suggestions from author Cindy Eastman that will help shorten your digital time and increase your writing time. MORE >>

Thousands of historians, preservationists, and yes, authors begin their published careers writing pictorial histories. Some writers move on beyond this niche while others find themselves at home relaying the histories of their communities, counties, regions, or highways indefinitely. There are challenges with writing to the image, but with a few guidelines in mind, caption-writing can be a fine-tuned skill. Author Cheryl Eichar Jett has written six pictorial history books for Arcadia Publishing and over a hundred historical articles with captioned images, and shares her best tips for breaking into this niche market. MORE >>

When is a small fee worthwhile? When the gig is so short that the fee becomes sweet. While I never encourage fellow writers to pick up jobs that don’t pay enough, easy editing, breezy blog entries, and performing simple work can quickly add up, despite tiny fees. Veteran freelancer Deborah Jeanne Sergeant shares her best tips for making short gigs a sweet revenue stream. She also shares a helpful list of writing ads to avoid! MORE >>

Writers have a split second to catch readers’ attention. Newspapers do it with headlines and arresting images, but novelists have three tools at their disposal—the book cover, title, and taglines. A good tagline will snag readers’ attention, so they pick up the book and read its blurb or download a sample. In addition to hooking their interest, it will stick in their minds; so if they are unable to buy your novel straightaway, they will come back to it. If your tagline’s memorable enough, they will tell their friends, too. Author K. S. Dearsley shares her best tips for mastering the art of the tagline. MORE >>

Miniature Story is a social-media project that shares 140-character stories that you can read in just a few seconds and write almost as quickly. Miniature Story founder and editor Anealla Safdar says she accepts stories from writers at all levels. Find out more about this market and challenge yourself to writing a miniature story! By Anne Greenawalt. MORE >>

A major misconception for many scribes is when we use fewer words, we are somehow providing less. We are “skimping” on what we give to our audience, and doing so cheats them. Not true. Not always. Award-winning blogger Jennifer Brown Banks shows you how to “portion control” without starving your readers. MORE >>

Three deadlines coming up, dinner’s not made, and you haven’t even hit the grocery store yet? The short answer might be fast food or begging a writer friend to take over one of your assignments, but the long-term answer is to improve your efficiency. Author Gila Green shares eight tips to help you save time writing articles starting today. You’ll earn more money in less time, and you’ll be more relaxed while you’re doing it. MORE >>

Writing short devotionals is difficult. Difficult, but not impossible. If you believe you have a biblical insight worth sharing with others, it may be tempting to go into great detail to ensure readers get the point. You don’t want them to miss the takeaway. But devotional readers want to see a snapshot, not the entire photo album. Sandy Kirby Quandt shows you how. MORE >>

After you’ve written a book or two, you might be considering writing articles for extra money. (I’m a big proponent of using monies earned from writing articles to fund my promotion budget.) You’ve written a 50,000-word novel, so how hard can it be to write an 850-word article? More difficult than you might think. Author Rachel Carrington shows you how to sell your first article. MORE >>

When your to-do list overflows with ideas and projects in-progress, it’s sometimes hard to get started, and you waste time trying to figure out what to do next. The key is to manage your time wisely. Bernadette Geyer shows you how to incorporate two productivity hacks into your writing regimen, so you’ll be able to finish more of your writing projects. MORE >>

The results are in! After careful deliberation our honorable guest judge, Brooke Warner, publisher of She Writes Press, has made her final decisions. Read the winning stories of the 750 words or less open prompts Winter 2016 Flash Fiction Competition. MORE >>