Sibylla Nash

CBS Diversity Offers Two Writing Programs

Judging from my last couple of posts, good things, or at least interesting things, come in twos. CBS Diveristy Institute is offering two programs for writers: 

Writers Mentoring Program
This  six-month program is focused on opening doors: providing opportunities to build relationships with network executives and show runners; to support new and emerging writers in their efforts to improve their craft; and to develop the interpersonal skills necessary to break in and succeed.

Each participant will be teamed with two different mentors.

• One is a CBS network or studio executive with whom they will meet on a regular basis, to discuss their work, get creative feedback on their material and get advice and support in furthering their career.
• The other is a show mentor who is a senior-level writer on a current CBS drama or comedy series. This relationship builds over the course of the Program and is focused on helping the participant with creative feedback on their writing as well as help and advice on career goals. Read more here.

Daytime Writers Initiative
The Daytime Writers Initiative will provide qualified diverse writers with mentorship, career development and access to daytime decision makers including network, studio and production company executives as well as the executive producers, head writers and writing staffs of CBS’ Daytime dramas, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS and/or THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. The goal is to provide an immersive, educational experience of the writing process of daytime dramas and to foster relationships within the CBS daytime family. 

The 12-week Program is divided into two six-week phases: The first six weeks include a characters/story lines immersion process and weekly workshops and the second six weeks is mentor-supervised practice script writing.  Read more here. 

 

Two Writer's Conferences to Check Out

If you're serious about the craft of writing and want to up your game, you have to check out these two conferences coming up. There is an application process, so be ready to submit your best work.

Yale Writers' Conference - 2013

Running June 10 - 19, this 10 day conference at Yale consists of workshops, master classes, individual conferences and readings. They also have a second session for three days devoted to specific genres, June 21 -23. Throughout the program there will be discussions with agents, journal and independent press publishers, and editors from major imprints. Not to be overly fawning, but the faculty is amazing and includes, ZZ Packer, Susan Orlean, Trey Ellis, Tom Perotta and more. Go here to apply and for more info.

Vona Voices

This conference runs June 23- 29 and is a lot like the Yale conference except that it is specifically for writers' of color. Held on UC Berkely's campus, they also have an impresssive roster of faculty including Junot Diaz, Ruth Forman, Mat Johnson and more. Go here to apply.

 

Two Writing Contests

Here are some interesting writing contests and better yet, they're free! 

Kobo is sponsoring hte Jeffrey Archer writing contest. If you have a knack for brevity, this one's for you: 

the Jeffrey Archer Short Story Challenge sponsored by Kobo and Curtis Brown Creative is the contest for you! One lucky winner will be awarded the grand prize of free enrolment in an upcoming Curtis Brown online novel writing course and 20 semi-finalists stories will be included in an anthology.

Authors should submit a 100-word short. The short can consist of any genre of fiction, as long as it stays within the 100-word limit. Go here to for more information.

This isn't so much a contest to get you writing as it is to get you exposure for the novel you've already written. It's that's time of year for Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award:

The 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest entry period opens January 14, 2013. All entries can now be submitted, through CreateSpace, and must be received no later than January 27, 2013. Log in to enter today ! For best results, we recommend using Firefox or Chrome browsers to complete your entry form.

Exciting changes for the 2013 contest include: 

• Up to 10,000 entries will be accepted
• One Grand Prize winner will receive a publishing contract with Amazon Publishing and a $50,000 advance
• Four first prize winners will each receive a publishing contract with Amazon Publishing and a $15,000 advance
• Get contest details and review the official rules

Log in to enter today . This could be your year! 

 

 

Book Chick City's 100 Books in a Year Challenge - I'm In

Book City Chick's hosting the 100 Books in a Year Challenge, I'm in. Are you?  Check out the details below:

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2013 – 31 Dec 2013
• Rules: Read 100 books in 2013 (any genre)
• You don’t have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.
• You can join at anytime. All books read in 2013 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.
• At the beginning of Jan 2013, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews.
• Audiobooks are accepted.
• Only fiction, no non-fiction.
• This challenge can crossover to other challenges.
• You DO NOT have to write reviews of the books you read, but if you decide to then a place will be available each month 
   for you to link up your reviews.
• You don’t have to have a blog to join in – for those without a blog but who use Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing etc, you can add the URL to where you track your books. If you don’t have a URL at all then choose a name you would like to use and then copy and paste the following link: http://wp.me/p2wdqf-6ZI

One of my goals this year is to read more and this challenge dovetails quite nicely with it. I used to be such an avid reader but now there never seems to be enough time. I used to love curling up in bed with a good read now I just curl up in bed and slip into a coma for eight hours.

I have made it halfway through Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century. Reading this is reminding me just how much my vocabulary has dwindled, thank goodness for the dictionary feature on the Kindle app.

Today's the 4th, plenty of time to squeeze in a hundred books before the end of the year. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

From my family to yours, wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving! 

 

Celebrate Picture Book Month

How cute is this? November is a whole month dedicated to celebrating picture books?  I LOVE picture books and remember when my daughter wasn't even born yet (and I didn't know she was going to be a girl) that I browsing around at BEA and saw, Dirt Boy, which became one of my favorite books.  Together we discovered Knuffle Bunny and so many others. I'm happy to say she has developed into an avid reader and is always recommending books for me to read.

Whether or you have children or not, this is a good month (any day is a good day really) to get reacquainted with your faves or discover some new ones. Check out the video below to get the skinny on Picture Book Month.  Share your favorites in the comments. 

What to Do After NaNoWriMo? Submit Your Novel to Avon Impulse

Did you sign up NanoMoWriMo (umm, you know National Novel Writing Month) this year?  I meant to but of course, didn't. Although, I am happy to report, I am busy writing. I actually found pretty cool app for my iphone called Story Skeleton. It's an index card app that can be exported as a Final Draft and Scrivener files via Dropbox. Very cool. It's on sale this month for only $.99. It's been great for me to capture ideas while I'm on the go. 

For those of you who are romance writers and signed up for NaNoMoWriMo and are well on your way to completing your manuscript, I saw this on GalleyCat and thought it was pretty cool. Avon Impulse is accepting submissions:

Are you writing a romance for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)? You can submit your manuscript to Avon Impulse after the writing marathon.

Editors at HarperCollins’ Avon Books are looking for NaNoWriMo romance novels, sponsoring “National Romance Writing Month”–encouraging writers submit their work directly to the imprint. Read entire story here.

 

Listen to Sibylla Nash on NPR's Tell Me More

Check Me Out On NPR

I just left the NPR studios in Culver City (very cool looking digs!) where I joined Michel Martin (I think she was in DC) of Tell Me More on NPR for a segment on my co-signing debacle. It was an interesting interview. Should air tomorrow. Check your local listings for times.

Got a great tip from the money coach on the show, John Ulzheimer, about paying down credit cards before school loans - if you have a choice. Apparently, paying off credit card debt counts more (credit score wise) versus school loan debt.

I also got a great tip from Mike Citron, who found me by way of MSNBC. He pointed out that there is civil code that states creditors must contact co-signers before posting negative information on their credit reports.  

Repairing your credit is a journey, but fortunately, you don't have to reinvent the wheel. There's a lot of information out there and I'm happy to share whatever I find out.

 

Wow!

So, I wake up this morning and I have all these supportive emails in my inbox about my misadventures in co-signing. I originally wrote the piece for LearnVest and it also appeared on Huffington Post and MSNBC. Well, this morning it was on the front page of MSNBC in their Business section! It's a slow news cycle and I'm not complaining. 

I've been writing for 20 years (that would sound so much better if I could add something like "even with winning the Pulitzer" or "being on the New York Times best-seller's list") and have published in national magazines, newspapers, on other websites, but this is by far is the largest response I've ever gotten for anything I've written - including (sad to say) my novels. 

As tough as this situation is, especially knowing that I pretty much have no one to blame but myself for co-signing in the first place, it has been especially heartwarming and touching that so many people have reached out to me to share their stories. There are so many folks in similar situations now or have been in the past. It shows me that we're not alone as we think we are in this and we'll all get through it. One way or another.

This has been a nice way to start the weekend! Thank you!