This weekend (March 14-15), I will be in Newport News, Va., presenting at the Christopher Newport University Writers' Conference. If you're around the area, pop on over. Children's agent extraordinaire Michelle Andelman will be there, and so will Virginia's poet laureate, Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda.

Submit your work today to the Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition.  WD runs several contests, but this is the big one.  It includes numerous genres and categories (from literary fiction to screenplays) and the grand-prize winner gets a trip to NYC to meet with agents and editors. The entry deadline is Thursday, May 15.

If you've ever considered going back to school for writing but don't have the time, consider one of many Writers Online Workshops. The online classes usually last six or 12 weeks and are taught by Writer's Digest staffers and contributors.

This weekend, at the Space Coast Writers' Conference, I sat down on a large panel of agents and editors.  During the panel, we pretty muched talked about everything.  One particular subject of interest that came up was online writing contests, and whether or not winning such contests was a good way to hook an agent.

The bad news is that all five agents said they never looked online at published contest winners, such as the winners of any Amazon.com contests.  Both audience members and agents remarked about how such contests were gaining popularity and Internet buzz; however, the agents aren't looking online at the winning stories.

The good news is that a few agents present did mention that when they judge a competition, they may indeed contact winners and ask about representing them.  This is not new news, exactly, but it was promising to hear agents confirm that contests will still lead to a contract for representation. (You just have to make sure some awesome agents are the judges.)

And remember: Just because agents are not reading online contests, that doesn't mean that the accolades are worthless. On the contrary, including these awards in your query letter will show an agent that you're a serious and skilled scribe.

Christine Fugate, a friend of mine, has a cool new contest for mothers out there, so I figured I'd spread the word. The gist is below. Click on the links to learn more.

"The contest is the 2nd Annual Mothering Heights Mother's Day Essay Contest. This year's topic is 'What do you know now as a Mom that you wish you'd known before giving birth? What wry, witty, honest and personal observations would you share with Mothers and Mothers-to-be everywhere?' Last year's contest was so successful and fun that we have a deal to publish a book from this year's submissions! In order to make this Mothering Heights Mother's Day event a success, I need your help."