That big block of text below gives me an excuse to break it up with lots of photos! In the hope it's warm and sunny when you read this, I've chosen cooling water and ferns.
Free entry writing competitions
Thanks to Alyson for this 100 word competition. First prize is $100, with smaller runner up prizes. As it's American, try not to put too much colour into it. ;-)
I found the following writing competition. I couldn't manage to find something to link to, so have copied the details below. No prize is mentioned, but there is a prize for another competition connected to this event (shared in last week's post) so there might be.
The Highclere Castle Book Festival Writing Prize 2026 To mark the inaugural year of the Writing Prize, budding writers are challenged to inhabit the mind and spirit of a famed author of the past. Whether inspired by the quiet intensity of a governess, the wit of a social observer, or the brooding sensibilities of a romantic poet, entrants must compose a diary entry as though they themselves were that writer, capturing not only their voice, but their time.
Each submission, no more than 1,000 words, should unfold as a private reflection: intimate, immediate, and true to the era in which the chosen writer lived. Consider the concerns of the day, the constraints of society, and the inner life that shaped their work. What would they confide to the page, when no one else was listening? We are not looking for imitation alone, but imagination, writing that breathes with authenticity while revealing something new. Entries will be judged on originality, voice, historical sensitivity, and emotional depth.
The winner will be announced at the Highclere Castle Book Festival in October. Take up your pen. Assume another life. And write as though history itself were watching. Entries to both competitions close on Friday 18th September and winners will be notified before the prize giving on Sunday 4th October at the Highclere Castle Book Festival.
Prizes will be presented by Lady Carnarvon and Elizabeth Kirby from Hampshire Life. Terms and conditions for entrants can be found at: www.highclerecastle/bookreadersawards.
Many thanks for the info, Patsy and everyone.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if Masie bishop caught my last comment but she has a story in the new WW summer special. There are several stories in it- re-prints, I think.
Has anyone heard back from simple things mag? I haven't.
Thank you so much, Sharon for letting me know! I had no idea. Did you notice the title of the story please? It must be a reprint, and I'll be able to claim ALCS.
ReplyDeleteThank you Alyson and Patsy (I think we shall be needing those cooling photos next week … 😊)
ReplyDeleteQuick question - if a submitted story was altered, in a small way, by an editor, ie cutting out some text, or changing some wording, and the writer thought it made a better story for those changes, could they submit the ‘altered’ story elsewhere (if the contract allowed) or would that be a definite ‘No’ as the story wouldn’t be wholly the work of the writer?
Not planning on doing this, just interested!
Dee
Thank you Patsy and Alyson. Wondering if you are holed up in your new office 😊 Patsy. Or in the sun...
ReplyDelete@ Sharon – Not from my latest submission. I did get responses (rejections!) for the two I submitted in the past. One came very quickly - about two weeks. The other took a couple of months.
ReplyDelete@ Maisie – It's great when people let us know, so we can do that.
@ Dee – An interesting question.
I'm assuming that by 'if the contract allows' you mean the 'new' market accepts reprints. I'd say no, not without the permission of whoever edited it, as the change is their work - even if it's editing solely by deletion. You could perhaps be inspired by the changes. eg if they added more dialogue or description, you could add your own new words.
Of course if the contract with the first market says you can use the edited work elsewhere AND the new market accepts reprints AND there's no clause saying it's entirely your own work, then you'd be OK.
Thank you, Patsy!
DeleteDee
@ Marguerite – We commented at the same time! I'm in the office now, but I have been gardening for quite a lot of the day.
ReplyDeleteHi Masie Your story is called 'Gearing up' and is about someone riding a motorbike? The photo shows a woman on a motorbike. Just to add that there were stories in the WW Xmas special, and the spring one, so there will probably be an autumn special.
ReplyDeleteI've only managed to write one new story this month.
I'm still checking out no fee online fiction projects, so if anyone knows of anywhere, please mention it. I'd be happy to give my unsold stories a home!
I've crossed US based After dinner conversation mag off my list, as I don't have a PayPal account. In the event of an acceptance, I'd be unable to accept any fee they offered.
Thanks for the info Alyson and Patsy. Those cooling pictures are very welcome!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sharon for that info. I'll ask Andrew Shaw for the ISSN so I can claim ALCS.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the updates everyone. Happy Solstice/Midsummer to you all. Entered The Simple Things last week but wasn't expecting a response or certainly not yet
ReplyDeleteThanks for the cooling photos!
ReplyDeleteMight need more of those ☀️
I hadn't heard of The Simple Things before. I've bought a copy to see if it's somewhere I can submit. Looking forward to reading it this week.
HB
I'd love to know what kind of story it is, HB. The last time I read the fiction, it was very literary. It was certainly something I couldn't write, as there was no proper story to it. I've submitted 2 stories recently but to be honest, I don't think I will hear from them at all.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon
DeleteThere are three themed microfiction pieces. They are not womag style stories, but more of a snapshot with emphasis on mood and feeling.
HB
The stories in The Simple Things are literary. I’ve been a reader (and have listened to their podcast) for 18 months now, and it’s taking me a while to think of anything that might be suitable for them. I can’t see the point of writers submitting stories to magazines that they’re not familiar with or haven’t researched thoroughly. Unfortunately, if editors are swamped with unsuitable stories, they could end up closing to submissions again, which doesn’t help anybody.
ReplyDeleteWell, they must have opened their closed list and wanted people to send their stories in to them, as the info is on here. This is mainly for commercial womag writers, who write for the main women's mags.
ReplyDeleteIf fiction guidelines are posted on here, it gives the impression that the mag is looking for those type of stories. Maybe the fiction ed should have taken the decision to post them elsewhere instead.
I was familiar with the mag from a few years ago and I knew then that my work wasn't suitable, but if I thought perhaps their approach to fiction may have changed.
The Simple Things didn’t send their guidelines directly to this blog - Patsy says clearly in the post that they were sent to her by Maisie. Maisie may have sent for them or found them online and thought some people here might be interested. The blog is titled ‘Womag and other writing’ and many of the markets suggested here fall into the ‘other writing’ bit.
ReplyDeleteLiz (apologies - forgot to add my name before)
To add- many thanks HB for reporting back. With that info, I probably won't bother to sub to them, as I'm not a literary writer at all. A snapshot on mood and feeling is not what I'd call a proper plotted story, with characters, dialogue, a setting, and a problem to solve with a start, middle and end.
ReplyDeleteSorry if I've caused confusion and seemed to suggest The Simple Things is a womag. It's a magazine, and I imagine that most of the readers are women – but it's not a traditional womag, and the fiction (in the few issues I've read) isn't typical womag fiction.
ReplyDeleteI welcome new opportunities and the chance to try something different, so thanks, as always, for posting.
DeleteHB
Oh well, I'm sorry about that and yes, Maisie probably thought some of us could be interested.
ReplyDeleteBut Liz, you have to admit that this isn't really the kind of forum that focuses heavily on literary type of mags!
There are hundreds of websites out there that do this already.
Most of us write for WW, BOWW, MW, TPF or FF. Or PN's.
I thought the Simple things mag may have changed their approach to fiction and now want proper stories, as their fiction guidelines were posted on here, but I was mistaken. That's all I will say on the matter.
I think Patsy opened up options a while ago because the womag market is shrinking. I like checking out other options, even if they end up not being my type of thing.
ReplyDeleteLiz
This blog is now intended to cover all kinds of writing, except those with reading or entry fees. From the start (when Kath ran it) there were occasional mentions of competitions and other things not strictly womag. That increased after I took over and combined it with my other blog which focussed on free entry competitions. Gradually the proportion of' 'other writing' has increased. As Liz suggests, that's partly in response to the dwindling womag market. That's been the case for a long time - and is explained in the 'how this blog works' page, written several years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe blog address is womagwriter. I've no idea if that could be changed. I'm not going to try - that's what many people know to look for, or have saved on their computer. It would be a faff for them and a huge amount of work for me.
Along with very welcome help from many of you, I offer details of opportunities which as far as I can see, cost nothing, aren't scams, and could be of interest to some of those who read this blog. My time is limited and I'm human. Sometimes I miss things or make mistakes.
Please don't ever assume anything about any of the opportunities posted here. It's up to each writer to read any rules or guidelines and determine for themselves whether they wish to enter/ participate / submit. No opportunity will be suitable for the writing style and personal circumstances of all writers.
Apologies for any confusion I may have caused by introducing Simple Things into the mix.
ReplyDeleteOn a more mainstream note, I've been in touch with April Madden this week, and she emailed me with this:
If it's of interest I am actively looking for new fiction 1500 words long (payment £150) for the Best of Woman's Weekly Fiction, on both autumnal themes and general/anytime ones. If you have anything you'd like me to consider for publication, please do feel free to email me with the title and word count of the story in the subject line, and attach the story.
Not your fault, Maisie!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to title it 'other opportunities' or similar, as I usually would. Without that, it followed on from the piece before titled 'Womag News', which I can see was misleading. I'll try to remember appropriate sub headings in future, but there are no guarantees – I've just spotted something elsewhere where I spelled my own name wrong! (I'm blaming auto correct. It seems to think I'm a delicious pastry item, made in Cornwall.)
Thanks for the info on BOWW.