Cindy Fazzi’s Blog Moves to Squarespace

Photo credit: JoanDragonfly on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA

It has been four years since I launched this blog. I’ve decided to move to Squarespace.com for a much needed upgrade in design and functionality. Read the full post »

3 Small Presses Open to Unagented Submissions for a Limited Time

As they say, spring is the time of new beginnings. It’s also the best time to submit your unpublished manuscripts. Three small publishers are open to unagented submissions for the next couple of months. Read the full post »

Six Writing Productivity Tips from Academics

Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif. (Photo by Cindy Fazzi, March 31, 2018)

Feeling envious of the academic writer? What’s not to like about a tenure? Don’t even mention the summer breaks and the cozy office in a beautiful campus with ivy-covered brick buildings and sprawling lawns.  Now that it’s out of your system, it’s time to pick up some tips from academics on how to boost your writing productivity. Read the full post »

Publishing Platform: Is Radish Serialized Fiction Right for You?

Photo courtesy of VisualHunt.

Reading serialized fiction on smartphones is very popular in Asia. Radish hopes to cultivate a similar acceptance of serialized storytelling and reading in the West through its app. Read the full post »

Study Shows Dip in Prominence of Female Characters in Novels

Metropolitan Museum Image and Data Resources (Gilman Collection, Purchase, Harriette and Noel Levine Gift, 2005)

A study recently published in the Journal of Cultural Analytics shows that the prominence of female characters in novels and the number of female novelists declined between 1800 and 1960. Male authors were “remarkably resistant to giving women more than a third of the character-space in their stories,” according to the researchers. Read the full post »

Did You Know? “Chekov’s Gun” Must Go Off

Anton Chekov was an acclaimed Russian playwright and short-story author. He was also famous for the writing concept of “Chekov’s Gun.”  Read the full post »

4 Small Presses Across the Pond Accept Unagented Submissions

Four small publishers in the U.K. welcome unpublished, unagented manuscripts in a variety of genres. Their websites don’t prohibit submissions from writers outside the U.K., but if you live in another country, it’s prudent to mention it in your query. Check out their submission guidelines below. Read the full post »

Top 8 Benefits of Attending the San Francisco Writers Conference

San Francisco hosts one of the biggest writers’ conferences in the U.S. (Photo by Cindy Fazzi, February 2018.)

Unlike Tony Bennett’s famous song, I didn’t leave my heart in San Francisco. I met new friends and found renewed hope while attending the 2018 San Francisco Writers Conference (SFWC). The event offers many benefits. Let me focus on the top eight advantages. Read the full post »

Arts Agencies & Library Services Face Defunding (Again)

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) are facing defunding under the Trump administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2019. The proposal will also eliminate a substantial amount dedicated to America’s libraries through the Library Services and Technology Act. Read the full post »

Forest Avenue Press Open to Unagented Submissions for One Month

Fiction Sign-CindyFazziPicForest Avenue Press will accept unagented, unsolicited submissions from Feb. 14 to March 14, 2018.  The Portland, Oregon-based publisher is seeking literary fiction. Read the full post »