Writing Tips: Copyrights and Trademarks.  Have you ever wondered what you can and cannot use in your writing regarding copyrights and trademarks? The Institute for Writers blog post, “Can I Say This?” addresses this topic.

The post starts off with: “Writers often look at trademarked products or song lyrics or bits of poetry and ask, “Can I put this in my book?” The answer to that question can be complicated and rests in two fairly different areas of intellectual property law: copyright and trademark. These two areas serve two very different purposes and this is important when we consider whether something can be used. The article also addresses what publishers prefer on copyrights and trademarks. Go to the above link for more details.

Submissions:

The Fun for Kidz magazine is accepting submissions. Take a peek at their upcoming themes.

Humpty Dumpy and Jack and Jill magazines are also accepting submissions. Visit their website for guidelines.

KidLit Humorous Fiction Contest

And … this past weekend, I had the pleasure of participating in the local 2017 StoryFest event where authors, illustrators, puppeteers, and even a book fairy were in attendance. The topic was “Splash Into Reading.” The crowd loved it and so did I.

“Writing is a gift to yourself and it is also a gift of giving a story to someone.” – Amy Tan

2017 StoryFest Event. I will be one of the authors participating at the 2017 StoryFest event being held on Saturday, May 20, 2017, from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. at Stinson Middle School, 13200 Skyhawk Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78249.   The event is sponsored by the Northside Independent School District and the Friends of Northside Libraries. There will be author readings, a book fair, puppets for the children, bookmark making, a book walk, and much more. If you live in the area, come on by.

Writing Short Stories – I write picture books, poetry, and have started writing middle grade. I’ve also recently become interested in writing short stories. Here are a few tips to help those wanting to write short stories like me.

The Institute for Writers blog post, “7 Questions to ask yourself about your short story,” is a good start.

A more thorough description of the short story is available on the ElectricLiterature blog post, “How to Escape the Slush Pile: A self-editing checklist for Short Story Writers.”

And here’s the annual fiction writing contest sponsored by Pockets. I already submitted my story a few days ago. Wish me luck.

I also just submitted an essay to an anthology contest after reading several magazine articles on writing essays. Keep writing and submit! Do not give up!

And Happy Mother’s Day! I just received this beautiful bouquet of flowers from my children.

Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader. Not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon. – E.L. Doctorow