The little things

We're now back home (which doesn't mean the travel photos will stop!) and appreciating those little things which you take for granted until you spend a few weeks in a campervan – unlimited water, hot water without advance planning, a bed which is always level and ... I'd like to say a proper office, but we have to wait a little longer for that.

We had an amazing time, probably helped by being very lucky with the weather, and definitely picked a good time of year to visit Scotland.

Free to enter writing competitions

Thanks to Suzan Lindsay for the link to this competition from The Welkin Press. They want up to 100 words. There are 5 themes and the best in each will win £30.

And thanks to Fiona for this one from Curtis Brown on the theme of landmarks. They want a few more words - up to 300, and offer a potentially bigger prize of a Curtis Brown gift voucher valued at £300, and a year's membership to The Writing Studio.

Other publication opportunities

If you write short literary fiction (3,000 to 8,000 words) you might be interested in submitting to One Story. They pay $5,000.

Thanks to Fiona for pointing out that Myslexia "have lots of submission opportunities and for most you don’t have to subscribe to the magazines."

You might be interested in...

The latest issue of Writing Magazine has, amongst many other things, 'tips on writing for the womag market'. It includes alternative markets and uses for womag type fiction. In case you missed it, last week Liz Filluel wrote a post about using work originally written for womags in a completely different way.

Here, here and here, are examples of how I've re-homed some of the stories I've had published in magazines over the years.

Reply from TAB FF

Just after eight this morning, I received a response to my request for information about the future of the magazine.  As I'd said I was asking on behalf of my blog readers, I'm sure it's OK to share it.

      Hi Patsy

 

Thank you for your email. We hugely value the relationships we have with all our contributors and your continued support of Fiction Feast over the years.

As part of an ongoing review of Fiction Feast to ensure its long-term sustainability, we are exploring new ways of producing the magazine. As a result, we are pausing external commissioning of fiction stories for the time being.

 

We want to emphasise how much we value your work and the contribution you’ve made to the magazine. We are not closing the door to commissioning in the future and will be in contact should opportunities arise.

 

Thank you again for your support.

 

The Fiction Feast Team

 That's a little vague, but does suggest the magazine will continue. I've asked a further question. If I learn more, I'll share it in this post.

Take a Break's Fiction Feast

I've had a few questions, and seen some rumours about the future of TAB FF. Sorry, I don't know anything!

I've emailed asking for a statement for the blog and will share anything I receive. So far, that's just the automatic response for fiction submissions.

Update - I've had a response which I've copied into a new post.