Happy all the things!

This will be the last blog post until 2025 (unless there's exciting news which can't wait) so Solstice Greetings, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and best wishes for anything and everything else you may celebrate as one year ends and the next one starts.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on the writing year just gone, hopes and plans for next year, and (by far the most important) every terrible cracker joke and festive pun you come across.

My news

Two of my books are currently free to download. There's the short story collection A Clean Bill of Health, and romance novel Firestarter (there's a bit more heat in that one than in my other books!) If you enjoy them, or any of my other books, a review or rating on Amazon and/or Goodreads would be very much appreciated – it'd make me at least as happy as an extra slice of cake!

Over to you - and well done to one of us

In case you missed seeing the comment - Marguerite, who regularly contributes to this blog, has won the latest Best competition! 

Congratulations, Marguerite! It's lovely news that one of us has been successful.

Do you have any writing news?

Do you know any market news? Have you heard about any free to enter writing competitions? Or come across calls for submissions or other opportunities?

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 and appreciated. As well as allowing us all to share information, help and encourage each other, comments show editors, competition organisers and others that the blog is read and will therefore be more likely to answer my questions, or provide information for me to share with you.

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 competition news.

The BBC national short story award is now open. Max word count 8,000. You have to be British and have a prior record of publication to enter - what qualifies is fully explained on the site. Top prize is £15,000. 

Tuesday top tip

Today's top tip - use your local library if you possibly can. If they're not used we might lose even more of them. 

Libraries are a valuable resource for many. Of course there are books and magazines, but they're also a warm, safe space where people are able to go without being expected to spend money.

If you visit your local library, what do you use it for?

This tip was brought to you by me, Patsy Collins. My books can be requested from libraries. There's no guarantee that requested books will be stocked, but it's worth asking. Some people have been successful and it makes me very happy to know those books are on the shelves where they may be discovered by new readers.

More competitions, writing course and an cover reveal

Free entry competition news

Thanks to Suzan who supplied the link to this short story competition. You do need to register to enter, but there's no charge. The prize is £150 plus publication.

If you're a playwright in the Portsmouth / Southampton area Google Bench Theatre Supernova for an interesting opportunity.

Free writing courses / retreats

Thanks to Vivienne Moles for telling me about this free winter writing sanctuary . She says she's done the summer version and 'They are good for getting the creative juices flowing'. It sounds like a kind of virtual writing retreat. I've signed up for it myself.

Vivienne also sent the link to this Future Learn Introduction to writing fiction. This one seems more like a workshop, as it offers 'feedback from your peers'. It might be quite basic, but that doesn't mean we couldn't either pick up something new, or be reminded of things we've forgotten.

My news

Today is the last day to get this ebook for free.

The third book in my cosy crime series is now finished and the proof copy ordered – and I can reveal the cover. I'll be sending ARCs in a few weeks, if you'd like to join my review team please let me know.

Tuesday Top Tip

Today's top tip is - read lots!

I hope we all realise it's important to read current issues of any magazines we wish to submit to, in order to get a feeling for the kind of thing readers want and expect. The same thing applies with books. Of course we don't always have to do what's expected, but it's helpful to know whether our idea is something fresh and new, or has already been done to death.

Some writers don't like to read while creating fresh stories as they worry they'll be too strongly influenced. The answer is to read outside your genre or market at those times. By reading widely  and thoughtfully, we'll learn a lot. If something stops you reading, or confuses or annoys us, we might want to work ot what the problem is so we can be sure to avoid it in our own writing.

There's a lot more to reading than research though. It broadens our vocabulary, introduces us to new ideas, gives us distance from our own writing (and worries) and is generally very enjoyable.

This tip was brought to you by Patsy Collins. Her short story collection Keep It In The Family is FREE to download until 7th December.

If you'd like to contribute a tip to this blog, here's what to do.

A littlun

Sorry, not much for you this week. Just a little competition and a small, but vitally important, example of British wildlife. I've been busy with 'stuff'. I expect you all know how much time 'stuff' takes up.

Free entry writing competition

Thanks to Fiona for telling me about The Welkin Mini. They want creative non-fiction of up to 100 words and offer a £50 prize.

Note – I've been contacted to say that comments aren't posting. Sorry about that. I don't know what the issue is, as I've not changed anything. Hopefully it's just a temporary glitch.

Tuesday top tip – reasons for rejection and how to avoid (some of) them.

Editors don't generally tell us why stories (or books, poems, essays etc) are rejected. Let's face it, they don't always even send a rejection, we often have to assume that after waiting until all hope has gone. Competition judges rarely tell people why their pieces didn't win.

Because of this, we often guess at the reason. We might analyse our work and make an assumption. If we've not yet had many, or any, acceptances or competition placings, or none for a while, we might conclude the story wasn't good enough, or we're not a good enough writer to get our work accepted / win prizes. Of course that's a possibility, but there are many other reasons for rejection or not winning. These include –

Not submitting correctly. If you don't send the work in the right format to the right place it most likely won't get considered. If you're asked for a Word doc attachment, or the text in the body of the email, or for a postal submission then do that – not assume they'll print it out themselves, or copy and paste into the format they want. Don't rely on someone in a different department sending it on to where it should have gone.

Wrong timing. If the competition is closed, or the magazine have already selected their Christmas stories before you've sent yours, then your work won't be considered.

Wrong material. Don't send poems if stories are wanted, 2,000 words if 600 are asked for, romance when horror was requested. If your work isn't something the publication prints, or it breaks competition rules, it won't be considered.

Careful reading of the submission guidelines / competition rules and double checking you've complied with everything will help avoid rejection for the above reasons.

Wrong tone. This is harder to get right, and more likely to apply to submissions than competition entries. Try reading a few pieces published in recent issues of the magazine, then yours – does it stand out for the wrong reasons?

There are other reasons for rejection we have little control over. The main one being that our work won't be the editor / judge's only option. However good the entries, there can only be one winner. Magazines can only publish a limited number of pieces, even if they get ten times as many perfectly good submissions. There used to be many more markets and there was never a problem getting them filled with work worth publishing. Now there are at least as many writers competing for a far smaller number of opportunities. Of course some good writing will have to be rejected. The reasons might seem, or even be, arbitrary. That same piece might get a different response elsewhere.

My first ever magazine publication was a failed competition entry. Back when reasons were given I was told the editor loved my latest submission, but had just accepted one with a similar plot detail so didn't feel able to take it (I later read that other story and although it was very different, I saw her point - and I later sold the story to another mag). One story was rejected as 'predictable' and accepted elsewhere with the comment 'great twist' even though I hadn't changed a single word.

As I said in my last post, a story which didn't make the cut for the weekly edition of a magazine was accepted for the annual. Presumably it would have been good enough for the weekly, there just wasn't space for it.

Now that reasons are rarely given for rejection, when I get a no, or the competition results are announced without my name appearing, I read the story again. It's easier to spot weaknesses at that point! If I see a way to improve it then I make the change(s) before submitting elsewhere. Often I'll need to make other changes to suit the requirements of the new competition or potential market. Sometimes I submit elsewhere with no changes at all.

What I've just used a lot of words to say, can be summed up with - don't let rejection or failure to be placed put you off, or make you think you're not good enough. Keep writing and making your work the best you're able to produce. Keep looking out for suitable markets and competitions to submit to (I'll do my best to help you there). You can give up, or take a break – but only if you actually want to. Don't stop writing simply because your efforts don't always, or haven't yet, been accepted or won a prize. That disappointment is just one aspect of being a published or prize winning writer, not an indication you don't deserve to be one of those people.

Those of you who have received rejections / failed to be placed in a competition yet also achieved success with that, or another, piece of writing, please share your experiences in the comments as encouragement to those who might need it.

One last thought – the work you don't send out won't get rejected. Neither will it get accepted. You have to risk the former in order to have any chance of seeing your work and name in print.

This tip was brought to you by me - Patsy Collins. You'll find lots more of my writing tips and advice in this book, and lots of encouragement to get writing in this one.

If you'd like to share a tip, on any aspect of writing, with this blog, here's what to do.

More free writing competitions

Free entry competition news

The latest mini competition from On the Premises is to write a story of 25 - 50 words without using the letter R. That doesn't sound too difficult - but I've not tried it yet! Funny how often things seem easy until we give them a try.  There's a $35 prize. 

Thanks to Sharon Boothroyd for finding out about this crime novel competition. There's a £3,500 prize, plus an an offer of representation from AM Heath. The novel must be unpublished (self published is OK). You'll want to read the rules yourself, but it does seem anyone over 18 living in Britain or Ireland is eligble, published or not.

Here's a short story competition from Irish Country magazine. Thanks to whoever left the link in the comments - Sheelagh?) Thay want between 500 and 1,200 words on the theme of slowing down. The prize is publication plus 'an amazing gift worth €300' for first place and online publication for second.

This competition offers a £500 prize for the best essay on George Elliott.

Thanks to Kate Hogan, for providing the link to the Never Too Late competition. It's for writers over 60, and you can submit poetry, a short story, novel or flash fiction. The prize is £500. (Sorry - just discovered this one isn't free!)

My news

It had been planned for authors to give readings at the book fair I attended last week. Unfortunately the acoustics in the building made that impossible. As I'd prepared something and nerved myself up to do it, I read to a camera at home. Here's the result.

This week I had a notification that a story I'd entered in a competition didn't get placed, and an acceptance for a story previously rejected by that same editor (it was a no for the weekly mag, but a yes for the annual).

Over to you

 Do you have any writing news?

Do you know any market news? Have you heard about any free to enter writing competitions? Or come across calls for submissions or other opportunities?

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 and appreciated. As well as allowing us all to share information, help and encourage each other, comments show editors, competition organisers and others that the blog is read and will therefore be more likely to answer my questions, or provide information for me to share with you.

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.

My news

I'll be at a book fair in Aspex, Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth tomorrow 11-4. If you're in the area, do come in and say hello.

One of my many talents is taking books out of a box. Well, talent might not be quite the right word...

Tuesday top tip - make friends with other writers.

I missed one week's top tip as I was away visiting my writing buddy, Rosemary J Kind. We met online years ago and get together whenever we can – that's slightly easier since she moved and is now only a 5 hour drive away!

Our friendship started as a comment now and again on each other's posts in a writers' forum and we've been helping and encouraging each other in a variety of ways ever since. 

I'm really lucky to have many other writing friends – almost all of whom I initially met online. My writing, and life in general, is better for knowing them. With that in mind, this week's tip is to make contact with other writers in any way you can.

Some ways to include connecting with other writers are - 

Comment on their posts on social media (btw, I'm trying out BlueSky I'm on there as myself and we're there as @Womagwriter )

Make your own social media posts about your writing

Attend events such as book fairs (I'll be at on this Sunday 17th Nov at Aspex, Gunwharf, Portsmouth. It's free entry – please do come and say hello if you're in the area.)

Comment on their blog (warning – watch out for ones with campervans, they might pop round for a cup of tea.)

Join a physical writing group

Join a virtual writing group

Attend workshops and courses

Attend author talks, book signings, launches etc

If you have more suggestions, please say so in the comments!

If you know of any writing groups (physical or virtual) which are currently accepting members, please put details in the comments - and do share any other methods you've used to make contact with writers.

This tip came from Patsy Collins who has written two books for writers. A Year of Ideas:365 sets of writing prompts and exercises, and From Story Idea to Writer, co-authored with Rosemary J. Kind.

Yes, that's the two of us. Yes, it does look quite a lot as though we're in a bar. In our defence, it was closer than the cake shop.

Loads of free entry competitions

 

Sorry, I've been so busy writing and editing as well as with lots of non writing stuff that I'm not keeping up with the blog very well. I'll try to get more organised, but in the meantime, here's a link to loads of free entry writing competitions which close this month. Thanks to my friend Sheila for making me aware of this site.

Here's a list of calls for submissions, kindly supplied by Marguerite.

Update from Lucy Crichton on People's Friends contracts

I've had an email from Lucy Crichton, fiction editor at The People's Friend. She contacted me in response to comments on my last post, about rumours of all rights contracts being issued to some Friend authors. Although I have absolutely no doubt that information was passed on in good faith, it seems there has been a misunderstanding somewhere along the line.

Lucy says, "Just to confirm - no authors have been issued all rights contracts by DCT. 

If any author believes they have been issued an all rights contract, I'd ask them to contact their assigned editor in the first instance."

Lucy's advice to seek an explanation about any parts of a contract you might be unsure about is excellent. We should all read any contracts we're issued, and be sure we understand and agree with the terms before we sign. Make sure you keep a copy too, in case you need to refer to it.

A challenging November?

Good luck to any of you who are attempting NaNO this month. I'm not doing it, but I've challenged myself to write a few more short stories and enter lots more competitions this month than has been the case recently. That shouldn't be difficult as since starting my cosy mystery series I've done very little of either. The third book is now with my beta readers, so I've run out of excuses!

You're very welcome to join in my challenge if you'd like to, or to help me by finding interesting competitions for me to try.

Free entry competition news

(Some of these may have been mentioned in previous posts, but the challenge hadn't been issued then.)

Thank you to Fiona for telling me about this competition with a £1.000 prize. It's for unpublished and emerging authors over the age of 25, and open to fiction and non fiction. They want writers to 'grapple with the spirit of adventure'. We all do that, don't we? 

I do have an excuse not to enter that one, as I'm not eligible. Obviously I would if I could...

One I have entered is the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. You have to be a Commonwealth citizen to take part. My chances of landing the £5,000 are extremely low, but sending something in will have raised them just a little.

The Happiful Poetry Prize is for "poems that explore the topic of mental health and wellbeing in unique, engaging, and empowering ways." That will be a real challenge for me as poetry isn't a strong point, but I will at least try. First prize is £100 with book tokens for runners up.

Debut crime novelists could try this competition with a publishing contract with a $10,000 advance as the prize. I've previously had a novel published after winning a crime novel writing competition (even though it's a romance with just a hint of crime and now self published) so I'm not eligible.

This competition is for science fiction short stories and offers a prize package including paid publication. They want the stories to be realistic - my grasp of science isn't up to that!

Here's another one for crime novelists, (British, Irish and Channel Islandish) Sadly I don't think I'm eligible for that one.

Over to you

Do you have any writing news?

Do you know any market news? Have you heard about any free to enter writing competitions? Or come across calls for submissions or other opportunities?

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 and appreciated. As well as allowing us all to share information, help and encourage each other, comments show editors, competition organisers and others that the blog is read and will therefore be more likely to answer my questions, or provide information for me to share with you.

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.

Thanks to Sharon Boothroyd for letting me know Best are again running their Christmas short story competition.

I squinted at the small print and couldn't see the rights grab clause they used for the last one. Hopefully that was just a blip.

Tuesday Top Tip

If you don't have one already, you might like to create an email address just for writing stuff. Make it something 'sensible' and clearly connected to you (to avoid confusion). If your writing name isn't available on its own, perhaps add something like writer, author, fiction etc.

Those people with websites will probably have the option to create an associated email, which can be reserved just for contacts via the site, or more generally.

At one time I worked in a recruitment agency. People sometimes applied for jobs with email addresses such as 'sexybabe' or 'weedsmoker'. It didn't fill us with confidence! A silly email address is unlikely get your work rejected, but why take the risk? An editor / agent / publisher is more likely to take you seriously if it looks as though you behave like a professional. A straightforward email address looks better on business cards too.

This tip came from Patsy Collins  who writes short stories and cosy crime novels. You can buy all of her books, or read them through kindle unlimited, here.

Yet more free entry writing competitions!

Blue iris today, instead of poppies. Other flower colours are available. Maybe you'll get them next week.

Free entry competitions

Thanks to Alyson for this short story competition, which has €100 in book tokens as a prize. She says 'Free to enter but look at t's and c's on right to publish... ' It looks OK to me, but that caution is always good advice.

Alyson also reminded me about the latest OTP competition. It's for flash fiction and has a $35 prize.

Thanks to Vivienne Moles for this flash fiction / short story competition with a 400BGN prize (that's Bulgarian lev, as if you didn't know!) If you can't write, don't bother with this one, as AI isn't allowed.

Free entry competition result

Earlier this year, this blog ran a competition to win a book cover design. That was won by Elizabeth McGinty who has been in touch to show me the finished result. Isn't it pretty?

Elizabeth says, "I thought you and your followers might want to how it worked out. Needless to say I am absolutely delighted with it and hope to use it on my self published my book."

Tuesday top (guest) tip

Start small; aim high!

It’s easy to feel you need to meet the needs of others - your family, your friends – before you can make time for yourself. 

But, if you are anything like me, being creative makes you tick. So, it’s important to recognise, and encourage others to recognise, that writing is an important part of your life.

Start small: tap into opportunities to meet and write with other writers. Join online write-ins. Just for an hour. Enjoy quality time with other writers. Doing what you want to do: write! And, aim to do that every day?

Aim high: imagine escaping for a weekend to attend a writers’ retreat. By the sea …

Writing and writing and writing, in beautiful surroundings. 

Discussing the writing process, and gaining a greater understanding of how other writers write (while enjoying the view!). 

Sharing your writing and listening to that of others, and giving and receiving helpful feedback (while enjoying a cream tea!). 

Meeting new writers and forging friendship that can help your writing to progress.

Just once a year? Start small, but aim high …

This tip came from Anne Rainbow AKA ScrivenerVirgin who hosts (free) daily RedPen Write-Ins, the Wednesday Writers Creative Writing online workshops and the Hope Cove Writers’ Retreat 14-17 November 2024. 

Three free entry writing competitions

Ooops. I nearly forgot to post today - the novel I'm currently editing really is that engrossing! (It's the third in my cosy mystery series.)

Free entry writing competitions

If you're over 18 and a commonwealth citizen you can enter the commonwealth short story competition and be in with the chance of winning £2,500 if you're a regional winner or £5,000 if you're overall winner. 
I know it can see as though we'd have no chance with these big competitions, but people really do win. I've had tea and cake a couple of times with one of the previous regional winners (and also have several other very tenuous claims to fame!) 

Here's a playwriting competition with a £20,000 prize! 

The Writer's and Artists Yearbook short story competition offers and Arvon course worth £850 as its prize.

My news

I'm editing! I'm happy with how it's going, except that it's taking longer than I'd anticipated. That happens to me a lot.

I'm taking part in another of those promotions which offer readers free books, stories etc in return for signing up to the author's newsletters. This will, almost certainly, be the last one of this precise form of promotion I do.