My work is being Podcasted!

A couple weeks ago I submitted a 100 word (including the title) story to a flash fiction competition given by the Brigham Young University Writing Center. The stories had to be 100 words or less, and the top stories would be read aloud on the Writing Center podcast, 'Word of Mouth'. Today I got an email saying that my story, called 'Diamonds Are' is a finalist! That means my story, along with 4 others, is going to be read aloud on the podcast sometime in December. The five stories are passed along to a professor, and the author he chooses as the winner will get to come read their story themselves, and answer a few questions about it. We'll see how that goes. But regardless, my story is going to be read aloud on the podcast, which is way exciting.

Don't miss out on local opportunities! I already mentioned Craigslist as a great source, and iGigz is another good source if you live in the west. Check your local news, meet with writers and book groups in your area to find these opportunities.

Happy writing!
Sarah Allen

Audio books: What creative writers should have on their iPods.

I recently uploaded the last few chapters of 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows' onto my iPod and have been listening to them as I walk to school. Not only has it made the walk more enjoyable, but I've noticed that hearing the words out loud has helped me be aware of J.K. Rowling's voice, phrases and word choice in a way you just don't pick up from words on a page. I think listening to music is great too, and there are some incredible lyricists out there, but why not try shaking it up with some audiobooks, and using your iPod time to be taught and inspired by the greats.

Now, audio books are pretty expensive, and writers aren't typically known for their vast financial resources, so unless you have parents or friends with an awesome audio book library that you can mooch, there are a few things you can do to keep expenses down. I've been haunting the 'Free on iTunes' section of the iTunes store, and have found a few gems. I've found excerpts from newly released novels, and even a section of 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' read by Roald Dahl himself. And if you don't mind unprofessional readings, LibriVox has a huge audio library of public domain books. Here is a list of sites that offer free public domain audio books but LibriVox is the main one. Also, iTunes offers free podcasts of some of the classics, and that might be worth checking out.

If there are better/more sources for audio books out there, I would love to know. Happy listening!

Sarah Allen