Word Choice

In writing, word choices and how we phrase them are vital. Have you ever gotten something back from your editor saying "awkward", "unclear", or "too techy" and wondered why or how to fix it? Here's a nice article that goes a bit more into detail on how we can choose our words to best suit our material and our intended audience: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/word-choice/

Publishing opportunities

• Dragon's Roost Press is doing an anthology to benefit canine rescue. See more info here: http://thedragonsroost.net/styled-3/index.html

• Mundania Press and its imprint Hard Shell Word Factory are accepting full-length manuscripts. They're currently actively in the market for urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and steampunk.  http://www.mundania.com/index.php

• The Women on Writing (WOW) quarterly flash fiction contest is currently open to submissions. Max 750 words. Easy peasy. ;)  http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php 

Tips!

• A great description of subplots and ideas on how to use them:http://authorculture.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/subplottin.html
• 5 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Start Building Your Fanbase:http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2013/06/5-ways-to-stop-procrastinating-and-start-building-your-fanbase/

A couple of new publishing opportunities.

• The anthology Upgraded is looking for cyborg-related short stories: http://neil-clarke.com/books/submission_guidelines/
• Not One Of Us quarterly magazine is always on the lookout for good short stories (under 6k words). Have a gander: http://not-one-of-us.com/guidelines.php