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Last week I drove my son to buy art supplies he needed for a new class. We picked out the few items we didn't have at home already, including a very important sketchbook.

He hovered near the shelf, studying the different styles of sketchbooks, caressing the different types of paper. He held two or three of the books in his arms before he made his choice.

On the way home, he sat next to me. His eyes opened wide, he lifted the sketchbook out of the store's bag and ran his hand over the cover, then opened to the first untouched page. Page after page, he sighed over its pristine nature.

I smiled, quietly knowing how he felt. (And thrilled that he'd inherited at least one personality quirk from me.) I walk to the store every once in a while just to buy a new notebook. Spiral-bound on the side, with three or more sections – that's what I look for. I tend to prefer purple or blue covers but have been known to mix it up with a composition notebook, or green or red covers.

And just like my son, as soon as possible I hold the notebook on my lap, caressing the cover. I open the notebook slowly, happily sighing over the empty pages. I know they won't stay empty for long, and that is their magic. The pages beckon me to write down my hopes, dreams and wild ideas. I write statements of intention and lists of deadlines. I outline stories and magazine articles, and rumors about calls for submissions by magazines and anthologies.

If you are a writer looking for up-to-date market news for writers of all genres, here are two fantastic ways you can be the first on your block to know who needs what written.

- Subscribe to discussion lists for writers. There are many lists that are moderated and only solid leads get sent out. Others are loaded with lots of chatter (which can also be beneficial) with the odd call for submission included.

Want to keep your email from filling up with lists? Use a free email address (hotmail, gmail, yahoo) for your discussion list subscriptions. Find these lists by doing searches on Yahoo, Topica, or Google groups. My favorites are MWmarketslist (you have to apply to join MomWriters-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. After acceptance you may join the MomWriters Market list). Another list packed with support and information, and regular calls for submissions, is WritingMothers (Writingmothers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com).

- Find websites that are rich with calls for submissions and market information. Wooden Horse Publishing is a subscription-based website with a searchable database for market information. It also publishes a no-fee update on new publications and those seeking writers. Go to http://www.woodenhorsepub.com/archives.html to read back issues. There is also an opt-in box on the home page if you want the newsletters to be sent to you.

Anthologies Online is another website that lists calls for submissions from anthology publishers: www.anthologiesonline.com.

Keep searching lists and sites for new markets for writers and your notebooks will never be bare.

About The Author


About the Author: Pamela White is the publisher of The Writing Parent, the free bi-weekly ezine that supports and teaches (and provides writing markets to) parents who write. As a parent of three children, five cats and one dog, Pam understands the challenges of creating a writing career in the midst of family life and invites you to subscribe to the ezine at www.thewritingparent.net.

© 2006 Pamela White

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