Free entry writing competition news
I entered the tree to my door Valentine's competition, and got an acknowledgement wishing me luck. Then I got another email thanking me foe entering and spotted the words 'We regret to inform you'. I thought it was going to say I hadn't won, but it actually said they've decided not to run the competition. That's much worse! I'm rather cross, as I wrote something specifically after seeing the competition advertised on their site.
Call for submissions
Thanks to Alyson Hilbourne for passing on this from Bridge House Publishing. The theme is 'Room at the Inn' and you have between 1,000 and 5,000 words to create something for inclusion in the anthology. In theory you could earn royalties, but don't count on it.
My news
My romantic murder mystery Acting Like A Killer is currently on sale for 99p / 99c. I think that's dead cheap! ;-) Anything you can do to help spread the word will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to Alyson Hilbourne for passing on this from Bridge House Publishing. The theme is 'Room at the Inn' and you have between 1,000 and 5,000 words to create something for inclusion in the anthology. In theory you could earn royalties, but don't count on it.
My news
My romantic murder mystery Acting Like A Killer is currently on sale for 99p / 99c. I think that's dead cheap! ;-) Anything you can do to help spread the word will be greatly appreciated.
I entered the tree2mydoor valentine poem competition but heard nothing so thanks for the information.
ReplyDeleteOh no Patsy- how annoying about the tree2mydoor, especially when you'd written something especially. Could you send the poem somewhere else?
ReplyDeleteIt's been pretty quiet for me, I haven't heard anything.
Well done to all with good news.
The 'how you see the world' competition - I researched the project. They run a kind of mentoring, feedback type of thing but they charge £10 a month for this. Unless you're paying for a one-off professional critique, I don't see why anyone should need to pay an ongoing amount for feedback.
I set up and ran an email writer's feedback group for many years (it's still going, although I'm no longer a part of it) and it was completely free to join.
I still swap stories and feedback with 2 friends. Many thanks to them and for other friends that have provided feedback.
It's down to the individual, but personally I'd hesitate about paying £10 a month for feedback on work.
Very annoying re the competition, Patsy, and plain wrong in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAre they dog woods - you coloured sticks? Looking at my garden I could do with some colour and/or sunshine.
Been working on some competition entries of late. I have a draft for the Glencairn glass comp that Eirin mentioned. Needs polishing...
The Scottish book trust wants 50 words stories about a fox this month:
https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/50-word-fiction/competition-write-a-story-featuring-a-fox
Alyson
That is annoying, Patsy. Hopefully you will find another destination (might have to wait a year?) Thank you, Patsy, Alsyon and Sharon for the opportunities. Several there... :) Another bridesmaid story for me, I'm afraid. Yet another shortlist for WM. Ah, well, must be on the right path... somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThank you to all for the opportunities, and I hope you find another home for your story, Patsy. That was annoying.
ReplyDeleteI had an email from Best, which brightened my week. I'm a runner up in their Valentine's comp. Chuffed to bits 😊
HB
That's brilliant HB! ☺️
ReplyDeleteAlly27
ReplyDelete@Patsy - Thank you, as always, for the writing news and updates. I can relate to your frustration regarding the Tree2MyDoor Valentine's Poetry competition. I also wrote a poem specifically for the competition and spent time reading previous winning entries. They confirmed entry and thanked me for my poem last Tuesday and less than twenty four hours later, they informed me that the competition was no longer running this year. They said that it was not an easy decision for their management to make. I'm naturally curious as to what the reason might have been, given that up until the day before, it was still running. Perhaps they didn't receive enough entries. This is a competition that has been running for years, so it does seem a bit odd. Never mind, I hope that we are both able to find suitable outlets for our respective poems.
@HB - Well done - that is fantastic news! I had entered the Best Valentine's comp and wasn't sure when they were picking the winners, so at least I know not to hold out hope ... until the next competition:)
@Sharon and Alyson - thank you for the competitions. They sound up my street. It's good to have something to hope and aim for:)
I have been informed that one of my stories is being published in the May issue of Prima. I'm thrilled, as there has been little to write home about of late - pardon the pun. Has anyone else been published in Prima? First time for me.
Well done to all those with positive news and fingers crossed for all the submissions that have been sent out. May the ideas and creativity flow this month. Happy writing!
What a shame about the cancelled tree2my door competition and so frustrating for those who spent precious writing time constructing entries. I hope you find a home for them. I also think your coloured sticks look like dogwood, it brings a welcome touch of colour to the garden during the winter months. Thanks all for your comp info. Huge congratulations to HB for runner up in Best comp. I've been lucky to have a story in TPF Special and My Weekly this week so absolutely thrilled. Good luck everyone with submissions.
ReplyDeleteAlly27
ReplyDelete@Elizabeth - Congratulations on your successes this week. Fantastic news!
Thank you, and congratulations to you on Prima success!
DeleteWell done, HB, on the Best result. That's great news! I too entered but haven't heard anything. Got the email from TPF on Tuesday morning re last week's submission. Might try WW with it.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the competition news - some tempting ones there.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to everyone either way competition successes and publication. It sounds like a good week!
@ Linda - They're not handling this well at all, are they?
ReplyDelete@ Sharon – I think I'm unlikely to find another suitable competition, but you never know.
£10 a month for feedback could be money well spent, (it's a lot cheaper than most classes and workshops) but it depends very much on who is giving what kind of feedback, and how the writer uses it. I don't know anything about that provided by this particular organisation, so can't comment on its potential value.
@ Alyson - Yes, dogwoods. Midwinter Fire and Annie's Orange (the paler one). They're not very exciting in summer, but spring and autumn foliage can be colourful, and depending how much you prune, you can get flowers and berries.
Thanks for the reminder about Scottish Book trust. I've had a couple of goes, but keep forgetting.
@ Marguerite - You must be so close to the top spot!
@ HB - excellent! Well done.
@ Elizabeth - I don't mind not winning because I'm beaten by a better entry, but not winning because the organisers suddenly decided not to bother is indeed very frustrating.
@ Ally - whatever the reason, I think it's a poor decision. If they'd simply decided not to run the competition that would have been a shame, but fair enough. To announce it, accept entries and then cancel it isn't fair - and I suspect has undone the good publicity gained from running it in previous years.
Congratulations on the Prima acceptance.
@ Marian - Good luck with whatever you try.
Ally27
ReplyDelete@ Patsy - you are right, it is bad form. Far preferable not to run the competition in the first place than to cancel so far into the competition, after people have put time and effort into their entries. As you say, losing to a better entry is a different kind of disappointment from having the promoter cancel the competition once you have invested in it. I suspect that they have lost some credibility. I don't have a garden, so wouldn't be ordering from them anyway but would have given the prize to a family friend, had I been lucky enough to win. I doubt that I will be able to find a home for my poem because it was tailored to the competition. Perhaps someone should run a competition for all the entrants who had already submitted their entries:)
@HB congratulations on the Best win. (Second place is still a win and it's a decent prize!)
ReplyDelete@Ally27 - I was published in Prima many years ago. I've tried a few with them since but with no success. Well done!
Alyson
ReplyDeleteThank you, everyone ❤️
Congrats Ally27 on Prima.
Was it a submission or competition?
HB