Do you have any womag news?
Any market news? Are you researching, writing, subbing? Had any acceptances or rejections? Still waiting to hear back on outstanding submissions? Do you have a question? Can you offer tips or encouragement to other writers?
Any other writing related news, questions and comments are also welcome.
Feel free to use these photos as picture prompts. If you'd like written writing prompts, short exercises and story/scene suggestions then you might find this book useful.
Free entry writing competition news
Thanks to Fiona for sending the link to this short story competition which offers publication and a cash prize.
This short story competition has a £100 prize.
Thanks to everyone for your comments. As well as allowing us all to share information, help and encourage each other, comments also show editors, competition organisers and others that the blog is read and will therefore be more likely to provide information for me to share with you.
The next scheduled post is next week - 22nd July.
19 comments:
Thanks Patsy, fab photos as usual & great information re possible competitions. I'm slowly getting down to writing again after a bout of thinking about it. My ability to write is no doubt being aided by the relentless rain outside at present.
My good news after a dearth is that I've had two stories accepted (& paid for) by the Peoples Friend within the past fortnight which I'm very happy about and which helps to keep the writing spirit up as does this blog. In the absence of being part of any writing group I regularly check in on the blog to see if any new comments. Good or bad it gives me that important feeling of being part of a writing community. Keep up the good work Patsy.
Thanks, Patsy for the competitions. The Tide one looks interesting and I'll give it some thought.
Congrats to @Sheelagh on your acceptances. I've also had a story (A Christmas one) accepted this week from TPF. I'm very happy to know the new editor is accepting the same things as Angela did! I was fairly sure things would remain the same but you can never be certain.
I've still not heard anything from April Madden at Best of WW. She wrote to me in March asking if a story was still available...
@ados123 congratulations on TPF acceptance. Similarly to you, I have heard nothing further from April since getting the same email in March. Just keeping fingers crossed that it will eventually be used.
Thanks for the competitions, Patsy.
Congratulations to @Shelagh and @Alyson on your acceptances. And congratulations to @Eirin - a lovely feature on you and other TPF writers/novelists in Lucy's TPF editor's blog this week.
HB
Congratulations to Sheelagh and ados123 on your acceptances :) Another quick (very!) rejection from TPF yesterday. I have just subbed a third (last two a while ago) to April. There are no further updates on requirements other than what we had outlined here. I wonder if there are any timescales for assuming rejection? Some on here had some contact... any more news on Best of WW?
I sent a comp entry to Beaglenorth and today's two comps are looking good. Thank you, Patsy and Fiona.
Congratulations to those who’ve had acceptances. No real news from me, though I did sub a story to BOWW a week ago. To my surprise, I received a bounce back email saying I’d sent it to a non existent address. (I did correct it before sending it off to what I think is the right one - it didn’t bounce back again). Still waiting to hear from one I subbed there at the end of March. Like Marguerite’s just pointed out, the timescale for assuming rejection. But with not receiving any acknowledgment, I can’t be sure that April has received my stories. Does anyone have her correct email address? The only one at WW I can find is Andrew Shaw’s.
I have a story in in Yours Year Book 2024, which I believe is out in August and not September as I was originally told.
Thank you for the competition info and pictures, Patsy. As always, it’s appreciated.
Michael
@ Sheelagh – Congratulations on your acceptances! That's a lovely thing to say about the blog.
@ Alyson – Congratulations to you too!
@ HB – I've not seen that, I'll take a look.
@ Marguerite – Bad luck on the rejection. They're never fun, but I reckon it's better than not getting a reply at all.
@ Michael – It's so frustrating not to hear, isn't it?
The last time I contacted April (not sure how long ago that was as I don't sub to BOWW, because of them taking all rights) her email was the same as Andrew's, but with her name, not his.
Just realised I didn't add my news to the post! I've had an acceptance from Kirstyn, the new fiction ed at MW. She seems to be working through, scheduling and sending acceptances as she goes, so those who've not heard back yet about recent submissions might do so in the next few days.
Oooh, thank you, Michael for flagging up August - yes, my email had said Yours Yearbook out in September too. I assume available at most outlets? I have been sending to: april.madden@futurenet.com not forgetting the dot in the middle.
Congrats on the MW, Patsy!
Thank you, Patsy and Marguerite for the correct email address. That was the one I used the second time round.
And congratulations to Patsy on your acceptance from MW’s new editor. (If only they’d reopen their list).
Michael
Congrats on all who have had acceptances, I’ve got nothing new to share, got a story out with yours fiction next month but that’s it. Sent three stories to April at BOWW back beginning on year and still silence - very frustrating. Charlie.
Haven't seen many competitions but sure they will pick up even more come fall.
Thank you very much for the competition news. I've also had an acceptance from TPF (also for a Christmas story) which I was thrilled about. I'm just about to submit some other stories, but I still find it very hard to actually press that send button, I always think I ought to have one more re-through!
Thanks Patsy and congratulations to everyone who’s had acceptances.
My news is I’ve had two stories accepted by TPF - first in ages. Both were originally written for Globe Soup competitions, didn’t get anywhere, and then tweaked. It’s the first I’ve had accepted that weren’t specifically written with TPF in mind and my first historical ones.
And thanks also to whoever shared about the Queen’s English Society Poetry Competition on Facebook (I think I read it here!). My poem didn’t win but was highly commended, so that was lovely.
Congratulations to all who have had acceptances. Many thanks for the tide comp,I have a story that may suit.
I find with April that you need to gently chase. If you've sent a story and then just left it,assuming you'll get a quick decision,you won't. Chase it up! Don't feel intimidated by pestering.
It's the way of the womag world now.
I don't feel bad about it,especially as some mags hang on to accepted stories for 2 years or more and we're expected to wait all that time for publication and payment.
By the way, Your cat mag has featured a novelist's story in their latest
issue. If they are returning to that,our work won't be in demand much there.
Congratulations to everyone who's had acceptances.
I had an acceptance from TPF for a Christmas story a couple of weeks ago, and am currently working on another feature for them.
I've also just hit 'send' on the first short story I've written this year! It's a long crime read for TPF. I've been really busy this year, and my fiction has been on the back burner. But I have a few ideas, including for a new serial, and I'm really looking forward to writing more fiction over the next few months.
Congratulations to all those above who have had successes with magazines and in competitions. I'm among those who have had Christmas stories accepted recently, so am thrilled about that. Thanks to HB for the comment on Lucy Crichton's blog post - I sincerely believe that writing magazine fiction is every bit as valid and important as writing books, but I also sincerely believe that if you can write a successful short story, you can write a novel, and would encourage anyone with the inclination to have a go. I am also insanely pleased with some full colour bookmarks I've had produced to promote my two recent mystery novels, I Know I Saw Her and Closing In - best-selling author and womagwriter Glenda Young was kind enough to share details of her printer, who did a brilliant job at an extremely reasonable price.
Yes, I agree that anyone who can write a successful short story can write a novel. But will the novel be as successful?
I suppose it depends on how you define success.
I've had 2 cracks at writing a novel (both done years ago, when I didn't have a clue about what went into a good, gripping story) I admit that I hated it.
It took too much time and effort and I found dredging through the chapters very draining - and it was for all for nothing.
Plus, the novel market is vastly overcrowded now, no matter what genre you choose.
Even if I was lucky enough to clinch a deal with a small publisher, or even just an e- publisher, I don't think I'd make megabucks.
For me, the risk has to be worth taking that 'step up' and for me, it isn't.
Self publishing doesn't appeal, either.
I'm inclined to agree with you Sharon. I'd love to write a novel if I thought I had a winner of an idea for it & that I would really enjoy the writing process so I wouldn't feel so bad if I failed to get it published afterwards. However I imagine having a published novel to your name would improve your acceptance rate with some magazines at least.
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