As always, feel free to use my photos as writing prompts. If you prefer words to images for that purpose, take a look here.
Free entry competition news
On the premises are back! To mark the occasion they're running a short story competition with a $250 top prize and lots of smaller prizes. They want 1,000 to 5,000 words about someone or something returning. Thanks to Alyson for letting me know.
Womag news
From Eirin Thompson - "Just wanted to let you know that The People's Friend has posted on Twitter/X inviting submissions of 3,000-word stories - any genre, any season. Hope this might be helpful to those not on Twitter/X." (Thanks to HB for also passing on that message.)
Fortunately I'd just had a rejection from TPF, so was able to submit something else to them. I super speedily wrote something fitting the requirements – and it was accepted two days later!
32 comments:
Congratulations on your TPF turnaround, Patsy. Interesting that you had a rejection. I just never hear back at all.
HB
Well done to all with positive news. I haven't got any news to report.
Congratulations Patsy on your TPF acceptance and making a rejection into a success, there's a story in that! Well done everyone else with acceptances or making submissions. And for those with less positive news, keep writing if you don't you'll never know what you might have achieved. I'm proof of that having just had my first acceptance by My Weekly, thanks to Alyson for encouraging me to try again. Thank you!
Thank you for all the information, and congratulations Patsy!
I sent a poem to the Wetherby Festival Comical Poem competition, I didn’t get anywhere, but it kept me amused writing it…!
I received my copy of the journal ‘Hooded: - Cosy Romance’ (Crowvus). It was lovely to read the stories, especially from those who contribute to this blog. Don’t think I’ll submit anything for ‘High Fantasy’, I wouldn’t know where to start with that one…
Dee
Congratulations Elizabeth, that is good news. Dee
Thank you Dee :)
The next Hooded submission window opens early November. There's nothing on their website at the moment about it.
Is that the next theme - high fantasy, Dee? If so, I'll be giving that one a miss. Like you, I wouldn't know where to start... this is Sharon at a quick read, but for some reason, it says anon.
Crowvus is https://crowvus.com/author-submissions/ yes, High Fantasy... hmmm. Not really me. Yes, Dee, lovely receiving the Hooded with 5 of us in it! I hope everyone finds one of the submission windows suitable at some point. The poem which was successful with the Portsmouth Authors' Collective with Victory was a failure at Wetherby from last year! Shows, you just gotta keep going! Trying somewhere else - on that, congratulations, Patsy. Thank you, Alyson, HB and Eiring for comps :)
Congratulations, Elizabeth! And does that mean My Weekly are accepting unsolicited subs? I really hope so...
Thanks Marguerite - yes it is High Fantasy, Sharon.
Dee
My weekly haven't opened their fiction submissions for new writers. It's still a closed list, as far as I know.
Sorry Marguerite it doesn't, I already had a Pocket Novel published by them,.
Ah, of course. Thank you.
Sorry, Eirin, trying to type on a tablet and failing.
I have a story in this week’s WW. Another is being published at Christmas. I entered Best’s Halloween competition, but obviously I’m not a winner or runner up. I’ve just come up with an idea for another Halloween story which will do for next year. That’s the good thing about seasonal themes. They come around every twelve months. Good luck to everybody with their submissions.
Michael
Don't give up hope, Michael, I had 8 days between finding out the Christmas win and publication date. Anyway, congrats on the WWs!
Thanks, Marguerite.
Michael
@ HB – I tend to either get quite fast responses, or nothing unless I query, which is what I did with this one. I don't mean it was rejected as a direct result of querying, just that my nudge lead to a response – I've also had acceptances after querying stories which have been out a long time.
@ Sharon – Thanks. I hope you get news, the good kind, soon.
@ Elizabeth – congratulations! The first one to a new (to you) publication is always special.
@ Marguerite – I think they'll also consider fiction submissions from people who have non fiction published with them, so if you've got any ideas for articles it might be worth pitching one.
@ Dee – If you enjoyed writing it, then it was worth doing.
@ Marguerite - it's great to be able to turn a 'failure' into a success - and shows that judging can be subjective and that a piece of writing which fails to pick up a prize / get published on the first attempt, might well have a better response elsewhere.
@ Michael – It's a sensible idea to take note of recurring themes and have work ready to submit.
Well done everyone with good news. I have a story in this week's WW and one coming up in early February. Not tried anywhere else for a while apart from my Crowvus entry. It was nice to receive a copy of the journal though I wasn't sure who was who from this blog.
Congratulations to everyone with good news to share - well done! - and thanks to those who shared comps info.
Like Dee, I had a go at the Wetherby Comical Poem competition and didn’t get anywhere, but it was fun to write.
My other news is I’ve a story is in the latest PF Special and will be Writer of the Week on the website from tomorrow.
I’m also a finalist in the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Words of the Wild competition (as Fiona Ritchie Walker).
There’s an ebook of shortlisted entries online.
https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/wordsofthewild/2025-competition/
And if anyone is in Edinburgh on Saturday November 1, tickets for the event at the Scottish Storytelling Centre are free, 1.30-2.30, and it would be lovely to actually meet!
https://scottishstorytellingcentre.online.red61.co.uk/event/913:6294/913:27721/
Many congratulations Fiona with TPF story and Writer of The Week look forward to reading your piece. Super congratulations on being a finalist in the Scottish Wildlife Trust competition, that's a huge achievement good luck for the final :)
Congratulations everyone on your various successes and entries. I haven't a lot to report, nothing recently at all though I will have an advent story in TPF in early Dec & I have a monthly piece in Ireland's Own at present. I was very interested in your rejection followed by immediate acceptance from TPF, Patsy. Well done on that. It's good to know for sure one way or the other, I have a couple of stories which went to the next level almost 3 years ago & there they have stayed!
I haven't really being doing a lot of writing recently although I'm involved in a letter writing project via my local arts centre & the writer Michael Harding at present so that is interesting & a different type of writing.
Congratulations to everyone with successes. I haven’t anything to report this week, but I had a good week the previous one and, as we always say, there are ups and downs in writing!
It was great fun reading all the Crowvus entries from people on the blog!
Marguerite...interesting about the 8 days' notice for your Best publication! Maybe people will hear tomorrow! I entered too... a spooky twist in the tale story.. though as soon as I submitted it, I realised that my title might make the twist pretty obvious!
I always have problems thinking of a title!
And I still have problems getting myself organised. It's only when I see results that I think "Ooh, yes, I entered that one!" and realise I've not been successful.
Mayeb in 2026 I'll get my act together... maybe... 😊
@ Sue – Well done on your sales.
Like you, I struggle to tie up real names, pen names, and nicknames.
@ Fiona – Ooh, well done x lots!
I might still be in Scotland then, but unfortunately not in the Edinburgh area. It would be great to meet you though - maybe on our 2026 trip?
@ Sheelagh – That seems like quite a lot to me!
I totally agree that it's good to know one way or another with our stories, and not be waiting and wondering for ages.At one time TPF did give cut off dates, after which stories should be considered rejected, but I believe both 3 and 12 months were stated, and some people got acceptances for older stories, so that didn't really clear anything up.
@ Marian – Yes, loads of ups and downs!
@ Ruth – I want to get more organised with competitions. I'm good at recording my entries when I do get them sent in, but not so hot on getting things finished before the deadlines.
Thanks Elizabeth!
Thanks Patsy, although I’m Scottish and do spend a lot of time north of the border, I’m now based in Birmingham - would love to meet up somewhere next year if we can make it happen!
Wow, lots of good news here. Congrats to Patsy, Elizabeth, Sue - and especially Fiona. Wishing you all the best for the final, Fiona.
Earlier this month, I was shortlisted for this year's Scarlet Stiletto Awards for short crime fiction, organised by Sisters in Crime Australia. I was really stoked with this, especially as my story was cross-genre, combining crime with time travel. The results won't be known till the end of November.
I think I mentioned on this blog previously that I left my stressful job earlier this year, and now have more time - and importantly, more headspace - for writing. As a result, I'm trying to experiment with different things. I recently wrote my first ghost story in response to a submission call-out, and plan to keep trying new-to-me genres. I don't know yet whether I'll get another job or not - my wallet would like that, not so much my mental health! Regardless, it's good to have time and headspace at the moment.
Congratulations on being shortlisted Liz and what a brilliant name for an award! All the best for November.
Congratulations on Writer of the Week, Fiona. A really interesting interview.
HB
I've just tried enter the 'On the premises' competition but the submittable form is so complex, I'm afraid I've given up.
I self identify as autistic and I have problems with complicated IT systems.
My hubby has spent 20 minutes trying for me, and it's really difficult.
When it's this difficult, it's not worth all the hassle and stress.
I spent ages going through my story, tidying it up!
It would be great if I could simply email the story in. Ah well, never mind.
I will send the story elsewhere.
@ Fiona - We are likely to be going near Birmingham next year. Possibly to the NEC, more likely passing through on the motorway as we head North. Hopefully we can arrange something.
@ Liz - that's brilliant about the competition. Well done. Good move about giving up the stressful job too. I know some people have no option, but I think where possible less stress, even when it means less money, is a good idea.
@ Anonymous (Sharon, I think?) I think some competitions have these systems to ensure competition entries are judged 'blind'. If we emailed they'd know who we were (assuming of course the judges had heard of us, which I admit isn't ever so likely).
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