by J.A. Marlow
In Remembrance of Holly Lisle: Writer, Teacher, and Inspiration
September 3, 2024 in Featured, Site News
It is with great sadness that I share the news of the passing of Holly Lisle, a beloved figure in the writing community. Holly was a prolific author and teacher who dedicated her life to crafting great stories as well as the supporting and empowering of fellow writers.
Holly founded Forward Motion for Writers as a place for writers to connect, share resources, and support one another. Today, Forward Motion continues the legacy of encouragement, teaching, and camaraderie under the guidance of Lazette Gifford and J.A. Marlow in the forms of the website and an active Discord server.
In addition to Forward Motion, HollyLisle.com offered workshops, classes, and a vibrant online forum. Both sites stand as a testament to Holly’s passion for the craft and her unwavering belief in the potential of every writer (even when she threatened to hit you with your own manuscript).
Holly Lisle is also remembered for her many articles, Writer’s Digest mail writing courses, as well as a large body of fiction across multiple genres. Many writers credit Holly’s teachings and mentorship as pivotal moments in their own writing journeys.
Though Holly is no longer with us, her legacy lives on through the countless writers whose lives she touched. Her kindness, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to the writing community will never be forgotten. Holly made an indelible mark, and her impact will continue to be felt for years to come.
As we mourn the loss of this remarkable woman, let us also celebrate the profound influence she had on the writing world. Holly’s dedication to supporting and uplifting fellow authors is a shining example of the power of community and mentorship. She will be deeply missed, but her spirit will continue to inspire us all to keep writing, keep learning, and keep supporting one another.
Rest in peace, Holly Lisle. Your legacy will live on in the hearts and works of all the writers you inspired.
We encourage everyone to share their stories about Holly Lisle in the Forum. We all have great memories of her!
by J.A. Marlow
Open for Submissions
March 5, 2024 in Site News
Baffling Magazine
“We’ll be open next in June, from the 1st to the 15th, reading on the theme of “monstrous” as well as unthemed submissions. Our submission form will be here. We close at midnight EST on the 15th.”
“Wordcount: Under 1,200 words. We would especially love to see more stories under 500 words. “
“The compensation level for original stories accepted to Baffling Magazine is $0.08/word.”
For full details visit: https://www.bafflingmag.com/submissions
Worlds of Possibility
Submissions open until March 23, 2024
“Wordcount: Under 1,200 words. We would especially love to see more stories under 500 words.”
“Fiction: 5,000 word maximum, no minimum. Worlds of Possibility loves flash and drabbles and other short short forms as well as short stories! Payment of $0.10USD / word for right to display the story online with six months of exclusivity, and eventually (within two years of online publication) publish in an anthology.”
For full details visit: https://worldsofpossibility.moksha.io/publication/1
To submit a market open to submissions, please visit this thread in the forum.
NOTE: As always, research the publisher and read the rules and terms. Protect your intellectual property. Listings here do not indicate support by Forward Motion for Writers, and are offered only as information.
by J.A. Marlow
Pirates of FM – First of Month
March 3, 2024 in Challenges
The Pirates of FM: Blank Pages Tell No Tales has been active for a little over a month now. Congrats to everyone who earned badges and Pirate Gold during the past month! It’s been wonderful seeing so many make progress on their projects.
The beginning of the month is a great time to set new goals for your creativity. See the “Pirates of FM” menu above for all the juicy details.
Register in the forum or in the “Deadline Registration” Discord room.
Come join the fun!
by J.A. Marlow
New Challenge: Pirates of FM: Blank Pages Tell No Tales
February 1, 2024 in Challenges, Site News
…we really shouldn’t be left alone in chat unsupervised…
Ahoy ye maties! Yes, you heard that right. We have a new writing challenge! Inspired by C.E. Backstrom, who said, “…the 6yo in me needed a reward based system to keep me motivated. in American schools (and possibly overseas) teachers use these “Treasure Chests/Bags” with goodies in them that you have to earn points to spend to get a goodie from the chest/bag.”
Mooseythehut introduced the name of the challenge, which turned it pirate-themed, NeciaPhoenix mentioned loving the badges in the old FM forum… and the rest is history! LOL
We wanted to make this challenge accessible to a wide variety of people who work and write in different ways. You can do one challenge and never do anything again or you can do lots of things all the time and rack up tons of rewards. This is about goals with deadlines, not numbers of words, hours, scenes, chapter, or so on. This way the challenge works for anyone at any level of effort and commitment.
After a lot of brainstorming with FM members in our Discord server we finally ironed out (most) of the details. The challenge is now live!
Here are quick links to the information pages:
Take a look in the new drop-down menu up above for yet more pages including how to earn Pirate Gold, what to spend it on (Badges on FM are back!), and a list of participants and their goals.
Have fun fellow creative pirates!
Aaaaarrrrggghhhh!
by J.A. Marlow
Welcome Returnees!
August 14, 2020 in Site News
This has been a challenging time for all of us with the pandemic impacting members from all around the world. It’s very important to take care of yourself, both physically and mentally. For some, this has been a time to return or look in on their creativity.
It’s been wonderful to see members of Forward Motion who haven’t been around in a while popping up in the forums and in live chat. Welcome back!
Both new members and returnees, by all means say hello in the Welcome Mat board. It’s so great to have you!
by J.A. Marlow
Start Out the New Year Right
December 26, 2019 in Challenges
Start Out the New Year Right
2020 is just around the corner. For many people this means goals for the coming year. How about starting out the year with a writing goal?
We are starting up the 2-month challenges again, with the first challenge will running from January 1 to February 28 (59 days). The challenge consists of several types of goals, with each goal having a tier. Choose one, two, or several!
Full post with types and tiers (Must be signed into see): https://fmwriters.com/fm/forums/topic/the-january-february-2013-challenge/
Novels:
New Material
Rewrite
Novel Submission
Short Stories:
New Material
Rewrite
Flash Fiction:
New Material
Rewrite
Poetry:
New Material
Rewrite
Nonfiction:
New Material
Submissions
World Building
Word Count
If you intend to join, post a message to the appropriate board(s) with your name as the subject. After you’ve signed up, you can post progress as additional posts below your initial ‘name’ post.
Many who are jumping in have been posting to the “2 Month Challenge” post with links to their personal ‘name’ post(s).
And remember: This is all for fun! Enjoy yourselves!