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.
Congratulations, Marguerite! It's lovely news that one of us has been successful.
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.
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.
Well done to all with comp wins, story acceptances and positive news.
ReplyDeleteWonderful news for Marguerite & for the blog. Now I'm extending my search beyond my local shops this weekend to get my hands on a copy, I'm looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteMy news is that I had a St. Patrick's Day themed story accepted by TPF which I'm really pleased about as its set on the Hill of Tara near my home place.
Many congratulations, Marguerite. I enjoyed reading your story in Best, a worthy winner. I've had an email to say my entry in the recent On The Premises mini comp has received an honourable mention which is more than I expected!
ReplyDeleteI've just discovered how to reply to an individual :) (Seriously? Taken that long?) Thank you, Suzan. Unfortunately, I can't find the OTP one. It must be published or Alyson couldn't have read it? It doesn't seem to be in the recent issue?
DeleteWell done, Suzan and Marguerite! Not much news from me. Things seem very slow, or maybe it's just me!
ReplyDeleteAlyson
Thanks to this blog, I know about rights, but as I have mentioned before, if you are 'mature', there are only so many avenues left in this world! (not that I'm ancient!) and the prize was significant! I think that was Sheelagh above? How lovely to have such a personal link to a story printed :) Congratulations. And great to have an honourable mention, Suzan. I was mentioned in a Furious Fiction list a few years ago and knowing how international these things are, I was quite chuffed. Thanks to everyone for their good wishes and hope we have many more 'blog' winners.
ReplyDelete@Suzan Just read your OTP entry. Very good. Made me chortle!
ReplyDeleteAlyson
@Alyson Thank you :-)
DeleteHuge congratulations to Marguerite - lovely news for you for the festive season, and for all of us who follow each other's ups and downs via Patsy's wonderful blog. I will be out tomorrow looking for a copy. Congratulations to Suzan, too, on the honorable mention. Sheelagh - I think that's you up there - I look forward to reading your St Patrick's Day story in the 'Friend'. After what felt like a quiet year for me on the acceptances front, I've had a welcome boost in recent weeks with some Christmas stories appearing in print and an encouraging cluster of acceptances. May the magazines thrive in 2025 and we all have successes to share here.
ReplyDeleteGreat story. Loved the ending!
ReplyDeleteSorry yes, anonymous was Sheelagh. I'm still having some trouble contributing to the blog from my mobile so have to log in into laptop. Marguerite when is your story being printed in Best, the magazine I found in the shop seems to be an earlier version published before results were out.
ReplyDeleteIt was published 10th December, Sheelagh but has 17th December on the cover (always confusing: why do they do that?) issue 50. I know I can read magazines on my library card no. I expect copies dwindle after last Tuesday as the next one is due out... Thank you for trying.
DeleteCongratulations to everyone on wins and acceptances.
ReplyDeleteI’m not feeling festive, but I am having a go at writing a Christmas story for TPF.
Sadly, I couldn’t get a copy of Best Magazine this week. Does anyone have the details of the latest fiction competition?
HB
I had a copy ;) Maximum 1200 words on a Valentine's theme by 20th January, 2025. Name, email address and phone no. to bestfiction@hearst.co.uk with 'Valentine's fiction 2025' in the subject title. The all rights issue does seem to be only the winners but do check. Good luck with TPF :)
DeleteOf course 😁
DeleteThanks, Marguerite
HB
Congratulations to Marguerite. My submissions numbers have been the lowest for years (hmm maybe something to do with taking on the presidency of a state-wide writing organisation here in Australia. Doing lots for the membership and not so much for me (violins please.) No luck in any of the competitions I entered, just one longlisting! (more violins.) Thoroughly enjoying the research about my family building on a piece I had published a while back.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to everyone on their successes and acceptances. I haven’t got any news myself - like Alyson, it’s very quiet for me.
ReplyDeleteI've only had acceptances for little things, mainly for non- paid projects. It's hardly worth mentioning! At least I am still writing and subbing stuff out.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations everyone on all the successes and near misses! And thank you all for being so supportive and congratulating / commiserating / encouraging others as appropriate.
ReplyDeleteIt's been quiet for me lately - at least partly because working on the novels means I've not subbed a lot of stories. Odd how they never buy the ones we didn't get round to writing, isn't it?
Brilliant news Marguerite! And to Suzan. Gives us all hope. Well done.
ReplyDeleteWell done Marguerite, and all who've had wins or acceptances. Great news. Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas & All good things in the New Year. All good wishes. Kate Hogan
ReplyDeleteMarguerite, I found a copy of Best (dated 17th December) yesterday, in a supermarket near me. Loved your warm and witty story - I take it Vivienne Moles is a pen-name? Well done, again!
ReplyDeleteI am on here with my second name :) Thank you, Eirin :)
DeleteWell done Marguerite - and may I wish you and everyone who reads Patsy's inspiring and encouraging blogs a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year and lots of grateful Editors!
ReplyDeleteBut please can someone point me in the right direction?
TPF used to run The Fiction Editors Blog by Lucy every Thursday, now it seems to have vanished. I googled Fiction Editors Blog and came up with something from 2022. Where am I going wrong, that was so useful; I should hate to think it has vanished. Any ideas? Thank you very much.
I'm pretty sure that TPF fiction Ed's blog has been phased out. I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas and a happy New year and I wish writing success for us all!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Marguerite and everyone else who has submitted or published this year. Thanks for all the links Patsy. To Anon re TPF Fiction Editors Blog, I think they updated the website and a lot of the content is no longer there. I agree I hate to think it has vanished forever. In my own writing news I'm delighted to finish off the year with a Pocket Novel sale to My Weekly which, was a surprise email sent to me yesterday. Best wishes to all.
ReplyDeleteJust a last thank you to everyone's support on this blog and all the good wishes. I was trying not to hog it, Patsy ;) but needed to say a big thank you. Anyway, perhaps it's now obvious why I'm not a natural TPF writer ;)
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Marguerite! Liz
ReplyDelete