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.