I've not done much due to really bad toothache. I've had some treatment now and hopefully it will soon be much improved.
To cheer myself up I've been looking at photos of my garden in spring. Whether you need cheering up or not, I hope you'll enjoy them.
Free entry writing competitions
Thanks to Alyson for sending the link of this brilliant flash fiction competition. There's $200 on offer for the winner, but even shortlisted entries get a small prize, plus publication.
Alyson also sent me the details of this flash fiction competition which offers a £50 book token as the prize.
Papatango are offering a new script writer £7,000, a full run at The Bush Theatre and a share of box office takings. If I wrote plays I'd definitely want to give this a go.
The Curae prize has two categories - short story or non-fiction. Both have a 4,000 word limit and offer a prize bundle including a £500 bursary, mentoring, book token and magazine subscription. You must be a carer of some kind in order to enter.
If you write games, or would like to try, this competition is for you. There's a £1,000 cash prize, plus the chance to earn royalties from every game entered.
As always –
New blog posts are published each Saturday. All blog readers are welcome to use the comment section to share writing news, tips, successes, links to competitions and other publication opportunities, to ask questions and to respond to comments from others.
17 comments:
I am sorry about the toothache, Patsy - miserable - hope you have despatched it now. Thank you, Alyson for the Brilliant comp - I will certainly give that a try. I've started the year with good writing intentions... we'll see!
Sorry to hear about the toothache, Patsy. Those beautiful spring flowers cheered me up on this wet and windy day. So far this year I've been editing and resubmitting previously rejected stories...a warm- up for writing something new.
Funny this is my 2nd attempt to post a comment this morning, I kept getting an error message, no doubt something my end. Now that is not the funny part but the fact that what I had written earlier was a cross between Marguerite and Maisie's comments!
Anyway hope your toothaches abates soon, its difficult to concentrate on anything else when you're in pain. Love the spring flowers Patsy, just yesterday I noticed that some of the early snowdrops have unfurled their petals, so lovely. On the writing front I haven't done a lot but like Maisie I have started to revisit & edit some old unpublished stories with a view to getting them out out there this year so that's a start.
Thanks to Alyson for the competition links, I might try my hand at some flash fiction just to keep me on track, love a deadline to work towards regardless of outcome.
Oh, I'm very sorry to hear about the toothache, Patsy and am glad you are feeling better. Put it in a story and make the toothache the villain. It might make you feel better?
I notice we have daffodils coming up, but no colour yet. Hellebores first I think.
Thanks for the post.
Alyson
Thanks for the sympathy. The pain is beginning to ease, so I'm hopeful no further treatment will be needed.
@ Marguerite – good luck with the competition.
@ Maisie – I've done a bit of sorting and resubbing too.
@ Sheelagh – Your snowdrops are ahead of ours. My earliest ones are showing some white, but are still tight buds.
@ Alyson – I have a few hellebores in flower and lots more to come. They're one oy my many favourites, so I have lots and try to stretch their season as long as possible.
Really sorry about your tooth.
#IWSGPit is coming up - January 25.
Sorry to hear about the toothache, Patsy - hope you're feeling better now.
So glad to hear that your toothache is starting to ease. I've been looking at some old ideas for stories to see which ones I should continue with and which I should abandon - I've decided there are probably more of the latter! I did get an acceptance just after Christmas, so that gave me a boost to start the year.
Sorry about your toothache, Patsy - the pain can be horrendous, I know. Hope it's well settled, now. I love the garden pics - very cheering. Meanwhile, I'm thrilled to have the 'opener' story in the current issue of The People's Friend (this hasn't happened to me very many times) and the original artwork is gorgeous. (I don't have my print copy yet; must have got delayed in post, but I've seen it on the website. Do all your correspondents know about The People's Friend website? New content of interest to writers/prospective writers appears almost every day. Well worth keeping an eye on.) Best wishes to all for a great writing year in 2023.
That's great news Eirin, congratulations. Yes the Peoples Friend website is a great resource, there is an excellent article today re 'Where to get started with creative writing' which also works as a refresher for those already published but struggling to find the time (or if you're like me wasting lots of time!!).
Glad to hear your toothache is easing, Patsy. It can’t have been very pleasant. I agree with Eirin, The People’s Friend is very informative. Speaking of TPF, I subbed a story to them four days ago via their website for unpublished writers, and so far I’ve received no rejection. I know it’s early days, but I’m wondering if it’s ok to feel cautiously optimistic about this? Rejections from them have always arrived within 24 hours, with my last submission being rejected after only 39 minutes!
Continuing to tweak a few older stories and attempting to finish one that I started a few months back. Best wishes to everyone and to a productive writing year.
Michael D
I've waited around a week for a TPF reject via the new writers email system.
I had to chase once, as I hadn't had a response for over 3 months.
I was asked to sub it again and it was rejected within an hour!
Sheelagh! I think you have very generously read my new book and gone to the trouble of leaving a lovely review on Goodreads! I cannot thank you enough for your support and encouragement, which is hugely appreciated. Patsy, thank you so much for the opportunity to thank Sheelagh in this way. (Patsy, I'm not sure if I ever told you that you are included in the book's acknowledgements for your kindness to me.)
You are very welcome Eirin, it was a very enjoyable read, just what I needed in this post Christmas period.It's a wonderful achievement to have written and published a book (or several)& you deserve all the support & encouragement you get. I was delighted to have the opportunity to read and review it. Look forward to the next.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE. I'M TRYING TO START THE YEAR WITH SOME GOOD WRITING INTENTIONS, TOO. LIKE SHEELAGH, MAISIE AND OTHERS I'M DOING A FEW REWRITES FOR COMPETITION ENTRIES TO THE COMPS KINDLY SHARED ON THIS SITE. TO WARM ME UP FOR SOME NEW WRITING. I'VE HARDLY WRITTEN ANYTHING FOR A WHILE. LET'S HOPE WE ALL HAVE MORE INSPIRATION AND SUCCESSES THIS YEAR. GOOD WISHES TO ALL. KATE HOGAN
Hope the toothache has settled Patsy, it wears you down so fingers crossed it has resolved. Thank you for the lovely photos which have cheered me up. I am working my way through a bundle of forgotten notebooks I uncovered during a clear out, you know those ones we carry in every handbag and pocket, and rediscovering story ideas, plots and motivational quotes. Hopefully there will be a few nuggets that lead to full length stories.
@ Alex and Liz – Thanks, I'm much improved now.
@ Marian – I've got a folder of ideas I look through now and then. Sometimes I wonder what I was on about when I wrote it down, but with others the end, or whatever else was missing, will suddenly come to me. I hope that works for you too.
Congratulations on the acceptance.
@ Eirin – Well done for the opener story! You're right that there's a lot of information on TPFs website and it's a good idea for prospective writers to take a look.
@ Sheelagh – I too am guilty of wasting time when I feel I should be writing.
@ Eirin – It's lovely to get a positive review, isn't it? And lovely of people to take the trouble to write one.
@ Kate – I share that hope! Good luck to us.
@ Elizabeth – Sounds as though you've unearthed forgotten treasure!
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