Over To You and some from me

Womag news

The People's Friend seem to be working through their backlog – I and others have recently received replies on work submitted two or more years ago. 

Do you have any womag news?

Are you researching, writing, subbing? Had any acceptances or rejections? Any other news?

Feel free to use the photo as a picture prompt. If you'd like other writing prompts, short exercises and story/scene suggestions then you might find this book useful.

Free entry writing competition news

I'd love to hear your competition news.

Do you have writing tips to share, questions to ask, or suggestions for this blog?

Here's some I've found –

Six Word Wonder are looking for entries of any type of writing as long as it's really short. The prize is $100. I'm definitely going to have a go.

ServiceScape want more words, but they're offering a bigger prize – $1,000. You can enter fiction or non fiction.

If you're an 'early career' writer who can produce 'new writing on innovation and experimentation in the moving image' you could try winning £500 with the Michael O'Pray Prize.

Publication opportunity news

Do you know of any markets (paid or unpaid) looking for submissions?

Here's one I've found –

Short Fiction magazine is a new publication looking for short stories and poetry. They don't pay for most submissions, but if your piece gets the most reader votes you'll receive a £1,000 prize.

Personally I think it would be better to divide that money between all contributors, but then I'm not a fan of popularity type contests (because I never win!)

Thanks to Marguerite who has passed on a link to this paying market for work connected with the moon, plus the news that Secret Attic is back!

My news

I'm doing a book marketing course. As part of that I've republished my small, free, short story collection Not A Drop To Drink. 

You'll be doing me a favour and make me happy if you download it from Amazon, Apple or one of the other places it's available.
You might even enjoy reading it! In that case leaving a review would be an even bigger favour – thanks to all those who've already done that.

A change to the blog - plus the usual free comps and womag news

The photos are all from trips in the mobile writing retreat, as I've not been anywhere for AGES and am missing it.

There still seems to be an issue with subscribing to this blog. People report they can do it (by using the link in the right hand column, just above the links to all my lovely books!) but they get a scary message saying it's insecure and that their email address can be seen by anyone. I don't think that's the case – I don't have access to any details about my subscribers. I don't even know how many there are! I've subscribed myself to test it out and other than the warning there have been no problems. However I totally understand people being reluctant to click on it.

To make things easier for non subscribers I'm going to try posting regularly, every Saturday morning. That will mean some posts are rather long, and others light on information, but at least you'll know when to look for what I do have.

In case you're wondering – the only advantage to subscribing is that you get an email when there's a new post. You don't need to subscribe to see posts or comments, or to comment yourself, and subscribing doesn't benefit me or the blog in any way. (If you want to help the blog, please leave comments, share info or tell others who might be interested that it's here.)

This issue doesn't apply to my newsletter. You're welcome to sign up for that if you'd like updates on my writing.

Free to enter writing competitions

It's not all that often getting a rejection can be seen as an advantage, but it can happen. If it's a poem you've had rejected then you might like to enter it into this competition which has a $100 prize. (I'm sure any poetry I submitted would get rejected, but as I've not written any in a very long time, I'm not eligible.)

There's $1,000 on offer for the winner of this new media competition. (Usually anything I consider current is old hat, so I'm going to pass.)

This themed short story competition has a £100 prize. (I've already sent in my entry.)

Storyhouse are running an animal themed non-fiction writing competitions, for unpublished writers, each with a $200 prize. (I'm not eligible - otherwise I'd be very tempted to have a go.)

Here's a competition for comedy horror. The prize is $750. (I don't think this is one for me.)

Publication opportunities

From The Horse's Mouth accept submissions of just about anything – videos and photos as well as writing. I don't think there's a fee.

Storyhouse welcome submissions from unpublished authors. No fee appears to be offered.

Although I don't personally submit work where's no fee, I know that some people are happy to do this occasionally, so I'll post details of such opportunities when I find them. I'll also look out for paying markets.

Womag news

I did update my last post with a link to this blog post from Lucy at The People's Friend. All those who've already had work accepted by TPF, have had an editor assigned to them, and currently have five or more stories under consideration should contact that editor before submitting anything else.

The procedure for those who've not yet been published by TPF, or who have fewer than five stories waiting for a response is unchanged.

Places to send your work

I'm currently putting together a new collection of flower and garden related short stories like this one. That's all the justification I need to flood this post with random flower photos!

I know that not everyone wants to self publish their writing, so here are some other things you can do with it.

Free entry writing competitions

Jerry Jazz Musician have a short story competition with a $100 prize. You don't have to write about jazz or any other kind of music, although that is an option.

You do have to write about music for this short story competition. The prize is £500. That's tempting, but I'm not at all musical so am unlikely to come up with an entry which hits the right note.

The theme for the W&AYB short story competition is love, and the prize is a place on a residential Arvon course. I've heard great things about these courses and I understand they serve cake!

Other publication opportunities

As well as running a competition, Jerry Jazz also accept submissions of all kinds of things including non-fiction, poetry and poetry. There's no payment for these - which means I won't be submitting. There are some valid reasons for having work published without payment, but none apply to me in this case.

Gordon Square Review are open for submissions of poetry, prose and non fiction. They pay $10 and $25 respectively. They encourage submissions from, "women, writers of color, writers with disability, LGBTQ writers, and previously unpublished writers."

Are you interested in hearing about more non womag publications which are open to submissions? I'll look for more such opportunities if enough people comment to say they'd like that.

I got a rejection! Womag news and free competitions

Last week, on Twitter I posted this – 

I got a rejection yesterday. I'm mentioning it for two reasons.

Firstly because it proves I wrote and submitted something, which in itself is an achievement. Secondly to remind other writers this is a perfectly normal part of the process which most of us regularly experience.

I was surprised by the response. If you're receiving rejections, or entering competitions without getting placed, please don't think you're the only one or that it means you're a failure. Most of us experience this quite regularly. (I've had another since that tweet.) Even those who don't now get many rejections probably had a fair few when they started submitting work.

Womag news

I may have spoiled the surprise element here, but I've had some responses from The People's Friend - not all of them positive! No commiserations needed as I'm pleased to have definite answers. From what others have said responses from TPF are starting to come through a little more promptly now. Hopefully the issues which caused the backlog have been overcome or at least eased and waiting times will reduce. UPDATE – The People's Friend are taking action to reduce waiting times!
I didn't have an email from TAB at the end of the month, saying one of my stories would be in Fiction Feast, so assumed that wasn't the case. I was partly right as I actually have three in the October issue! Just occasionally a lack of news isn't bad news. (I did know they'd been accepted, just not when they'd be used.)

Free entry competition news

Here's a novel writing competition and here's another. Both are for debut novels and both offer good cash prizes. The first is for writers under 35 and the second for those over 60. I can't enter either – and not just because I already have published novels.

This competition is for new 'underrepresented voices' in the 16-30 age range, writing fiction non fiction or poetry. The prize is a publishing contract. That one's not for me either. If anyone sees a fabulous prize for middle aged people who've been at this writing lark a fair while, please let me know!

Here's a poetry competition, open to all writers and offering a £1,000 prize. I'm tempted to try, particularly as one judge is hoping for 'a little strangeness'.

Wergle Flomp are again running a poetry competition with a $2,000 top prize.

I've mentioned Globe Soup's challenges before. What I didn't say then, because I didn't know, is that there's also an opportunity for free feedback via their Facebook group. You can just post something up and hope for comments, or take part in feedback exchanges which are arranged after competition entries have been submitted. 

These are entirely optional. I've not got involved with that aspect myself, but I can see that it has the potential to be useful.