Thanks to Suzan Lindsay for reminding me about the Scottish Book Trust flash fiction competitions. Each month they ask for a 50 word story on a set theme. You've got until the 25th to write something involving a bookcase. The prize is suitably little – but Id still be happy to win. (I'd help my chances if I remembered to enter, wouldn't I?)
I confess the photos are only very tenuously relevant – I took them in Scotland last year.
Here's an email I recieved a few days ago -
The contest is open until midnight on March 31.
--We accept only previously unpublished work, under 4,000 words, with identifying names and details omitted.
--Winners receive $600 (first place), $300 (second place), and $100 (third place), plus publication and review from a literary agent.
--Our three judges--Anise Vance, Aamina Ahmad, and Raf Frumkin--will select the winners in late April, with the winners to be announced in May.
--This year, the aim of our contest is specifically to highlight marginalized and under-represented writers. So we ask that you only submit if you consider yourself part of those categories (e.g. cultural identity, income level of your family, racial identity, gender identity, disability, or something else). We will leave it up to individual contestants to decide if they identify as marginalized or under-represented. If you’d like to talk this out with us, please feel free to reach out.
Submit your work here! As always, it's free to enter.
15 comments:
Thanks, Patsy. Don't think I qualify as marginalized or unrepresented so the bigger competition is not for me.
On another note, the Society of Authors have issued guidelines on what writers can do if they think their work may have been used by Meta for training AI. Several womag and pocket novel writers have found their work has been used. Read the article here:
https://societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/the-libgen-data-set-what-authors-can-do/
@ Alyson. My books have been used too. It's so demoralising that I struggle to find readers, yet the books are still grabbed to train AI to write books which will likely outsell mine.
I've written a post about this for Tuesday, with links to check if our books have ben used and how to complain. I'll add in that link too.
Good, thank you, Patsy. (Just seen your FB post about it too!)
Alyson
Gosh that's awful to have your work abused like that. I look forward to reading your post on Tuesday next, Patsy.
Don't think I qualify as marginalised or under-represented either so that first competition is out for me too.
Thanks Patsy and Alyson. Will check out the guidelines and look forward to reading your Tuesday post, Patsy.
Thanks, Patsy.
Congratulations to Sheelagh, TPF Writer of the Week – a lovely piece featuring you and George!
HB
Ah thank you HB, that was a bit of thrill all right.
Thank you, Suzan and Patsy. I don't think I'm under-represented either :( I'm also in the middle of a long move so might take a short hiatus from writing, unless I have something ready to go. Just seen the TPF Writer of the Week too! Lovely, Sheelagh :)
Thanks Marguerite, I'm delighted
Meant to say 'I'm delighted you liked it, Marguerite'
Lovely TPF piece, Sheelagh. Thanks, Patsy for the reminder about the Scottish Book Trust. I sometimes enjoy a little mini- competition as a break from longer writing projects.
Thanks Maisie
@ Sheelagh – I'd missed the fact you're TPF writer of the week. Congratulations!
Thanks Patsy
Yes, Sheelagh - congratulations from me, too, on being The People's Friend Writer of the Week! A lovely moment. Meanwhile, the AI copyright infringement situation beggars belief. I used the link in Liz's X post to see if I have been stolen from, and it looks like I have not. But that anyone has been is despicable - not asked, not even told, and not paid! And presumably there is nothing to stop this theft from continuing/widening. I will definitely write to my MP about this. Thanks, Patsy, for airing this issue, and I'm sorry you've been directly affected already.
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