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.
Thanks to Polly (@pollygraceauthor on Instagram) for the following - ' Cwlwm magazine are looking for submissions. It’s my understanding that they are looking for pieces exploring connections with Wales. £200 for a successful submission. More info can be found at https://cwlwm.substack.com/
I've had a quick look and it seems they want creative non-fiction articles which reflect contemporary Wales. I didn't see anything suggesting authors must be Welsh.
25 comments:
Not doing much writing for the summer but more thinking about it. Had 2 acceptances recently (within an hour of each other) after a long hiatus, from TPF & BOWW fiction so that was nice. Otherwise nothing much to report, depressing times it seems for Womag writers
Well done to Shelagh and to anyone else with positive news.
Feeling somewhat depressed... have gone back to writing for competitions. Entered the Val Wood one that someone posted on here (Sharon?) and also a couple of Writing Magazine ones and now I'm looking at Globe Soup - but that is pay to enter.
Alyson
I'm not really doing any womag writing at the moment. The best I can offer is a story which Andrew Shaw at WW gave a tentative yes to 2 years ago! Not much chance of that being published now, but it'll be a lovely surprise if it does appear! In the meantime I'm working on a longer fictional piece, much of which is set in Wales, so the link to Cwlwm is great for me, even if I don't submit. That's the joy of this blog - finding out about spaces we wouldn't otherwise hear about.
As per Maisie, not a lot happening apart from an Andrew Shaw possible a couple of months ago. I'm missing 'Yours' as that was more my market. They seemed to be open to more comedy or a bit off-beam. Perhaps I should pursue the self-published collection! Yes, it is good learning about things on this blog that extend our thinking. Thank you, Polly :) Congrats to Sheelagh - if you are not currently prolific, you have been relatively recently! :)
Like other womag writers, I'm finding the current situation dispiriting. I'd had a lot of success with TPF over the past few years, and writing for them really kept me going during Melbourne's intense lockdowns. It's such a pity that DCT have alienated writers with this move, especially with the (lack of) communication around it.
I have a couple of non-womag ideas that have been brewing for a while, and I'm going to start working on them once I've had a chance to let the dust settle on all this.
All the best to everyone else, because womagland in general is not a great place for writers at the moment. Good luck with your submissions and any other writing plans you have.
Liz
Liz
Well and truly in the doldrums here, with latest TPF story rejected and still waiting to hear from Tracey about my pocket novel submitted over eighteen months ago.
Best wishes to you, Patsy and to all in the womag world .
Patricia G.
I haven’t done much writing over the last few months. I’ve nothing really ‘out’ there either as what I have submitted this year has now gone beyond any time limits for acceptance, I feel. Like Maisie, I also have a ‘maybe’ from Andrew Shaw, from three years ago.
I was going to enter Best’s halloween story competition until I read about their new T&Cs. I will write the story over the autumn, along with finishing a summer story that I started last year as well as tweaking another. That’s the good thing about seasonal themed stories: the seasons come round every year.
Like others have said, womagland seems to be going through a shaky time atm. Best wishes to everybody out there and congratulations to those who’ve had acceptances.
Michael
@Maisie; Marguerite & Michael I too have some 'old' stories going back with Andrew Shaw & checked in recently if they have an expiry date, apparently not so though he confirmed that I was welcome to place them elsewhere if I wanted & just to let him know. I have now done that with one of them after reworking the word count.
Thank you, Sheelagh. I guessed as much... but... where? Ah... there's the rub ;) Although maybe a competition :)
Thanks, Sheelagh. I did enter my story for a competition (and told Andrew), but no joy, so it's back in the 'maybe one day' pile.
@ Marguerite You could try Best of Woman's Weekly Fiction if you can get the word count to 1500.
:) Thank you, Sheelagh. Yes, I have tried a few like that, becoming a minor expert in converting 1500 into 1800 and vice versa. At least I now have a bank of stories.
Like many on here, have 4 with Andrew at WW as ‘placed on file’ some going back 2 years, i accepted last month. Keeping my fingers crossed but not getting my hopes up! Concentrating on a Christmas story at the moment and my novel, the endless task of editing… wish had better news to share. Charlie.
@ Sheelagh - Thinking is an important part of the process! Congrats on the acceptances.
@ Sharon - all positive news is very welcome, isn't it?
@ Alyson - I hope the depression is just womag related and not affecting other areas of your life. Good luck with the competitions. I plan to join you in trying more when I need a break from novel writing.
@ Maisie - I do like being able to share a mix of different opportunities. Hopefully I'll eventually find something for everyone.
@ Marguerite - It's a blow when we lose the market which seemed to be most on our wavelength. I will try to find some 'off-beam' competitions for you!
@ Liz - Good luck with the non-womag stuff. I think we'll all be considering alternatives either alongside or instead of the magazines.
@ Patricia – I hope you get some good news soon.
@ Micheal - You're right about the seasons, although going by recent weather they're a bit shaken up too!
@ Charlie - I think Andrew must have a big file - but he wouldn't put stories there if he didn't think they were good. Congrats on the acceptance.
I've got some positive womag news of my own - an acceptance from TPF. It'd been out with them a long time and I was beginning to think it had lost it's opportunity, so that was a nice surprise.
Good, Patsy! It's great to hear after all our doom and gloom ;)
I was pleasantly surprised earlier this year when a story consigned to one of Andrew's files in 2022 was published in February 2024. I've got a number of others with him on file and am keeping my fingers crossed. So let's not give up hope folks.
Long time no squeak, Phot'sMoll! I have to confess that I haven't written a short story or serial since that debacle at Woman's Weekly (and I withdrew the last story they bought in protest at their policy) and I miss writing terribly and I WANT to want to write but ... it doesn't really happen. Still got Hoss, btw, now 25 years old and still going. And Hoss Two, who is a git. Well done for all your work and publications and congratulations for keeping it all going. TTFN, Ceka
And just to cheer up the rest of you, the longest I ever waited between (paid) acceptance and publication was ... SEVEN YEARS. Beat that, anyone?
Celia, I am so glad to see your post! When I first started watching Patsy's blog, but was still too shy and inexperienced to contribute, your posts were ones I always delighted in reading. I wondered where you'd gone. Hope you come back to writing soon.
Thank you, Eirin
@ Marguerite - thank you!
@ Sue – Congrats on your publication. I'm sure all those with 'on file' stories will be pleased to know they may still get used, even if they've been waiting a while.
@ Celia - HELLO!!!! Great to hear from you.
It can be really hard to get back into writing after a break, especially if you've got lots of other things going on.
Nope - can't beat the seven years. I think three is my 'best' between acceptance and payment.
Yes! He gave me a 'tentative yes', yonks ago, too, and zero news since!
Congrats. I'll look out for it. Good to hear positive news
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