Featuring five fab freebies and feathers.

I find it hard enough thinking up interesting, relevant titles for stories, but it's even worse with blog posts. If I call them something original, it probably won't be clear what I'm blogging about. If they're all called something like 'free entry competitions and writing news' people won't be sure if it's a new one, or one they've seen before. That's part of the excuse for all the photos – I'm assuming you saw this and thought, 'Oh, birds. What's she up to now?' and not 'Oh, birds again? This must be an old one'.

Maybe I should just use the date – but you can't go too far wrong with a bit of alliteration and some assorted aviation action, can you?

Womag news

I'd heard that Andrew Shaw (fiction editor of Woman's Weekly, Woman and Woman's Own) was no longer sending rejections, and asked him to confirm whether this was the case. His response was –

"Yes, this is the case. If writers don't hear back from me within 16 weeks, then they can assume that their story isn't right for us. 

Writers are of course free to submit their stories to other publishers at any point. I have no problem with a writer letting me know that a story I have on file is no longer available. 

A story is only accepted for publication once I have found a place for it in the schedules. I will then contact the writer and inform them. I cannot guarantee that a story held on file will be published."

Ideally every submission would receive either an acceptance or rejection within a few months of submission, but I think we all realise that editors are very pressed for time meaning this isn't always possible. A definite cut off period seems to me to be preferable to waiting for replies which may take years to come, or never arrive at all. Unfortunately these particular markets still take all rights on published stories, so I still don't submit to them.

Free entry writing competition news

Thanks to Jenny Worstall for making me aware of the Welkin Prize. There's a top award of £100 on offer for the best 400 words of narrative prose, plus additional prizes for those who qualify. I'm very tempted to have a go.

And thanks to Alyson Hilbourne for passing on the information that Inkitt are running a couple of free contests. There's a publishing contract on offer for a horror, thriller, mystery or suspense novel and another for heart-wrenching tales. 

I won't be entering, as I'm working on a long project already and the genre isn't suitable. In case you're thinking that winning such a competition is impossible, I'd like to assure those who didn't know, and remind those who did, that I know that's not the case. My first ever novel was published after I won a free entry competition. That was a long time ago and the publishing company concerned no longer exists – but the book still does!

The Society of Authors have a variety of awards for different types of writing. They're all free to enter, but there are restrictions on some, such as age restrictions or being limited to either unpublished authors only, or to those who already have a published book. Most exclude me one way or another, but there are good prizes on offer for those who qualify.

And thanks to my beloved husband for telling me about this crime novel writing competition. The publishing deal and cash prize sound brilliant and my current project is another crime story, but sadly there's little chance of me having it finished by the end of the month. (And it's just been pointed out that it's for writers of colour, so I don't qualify anyway.)

This competition from Siar Sceal is for poetry or prose with the theme of Sunlit Mornings/Ebbing Tides and offers a top prize of €200.

If you're female, funny and can (quickly) write a story of 5,000 to 15,000 words you could send it here and possibly win £1,100. Thanks to Sharon Bee for sending the link to that one. Some people say I'm a bit funny and I am female so I need a different excuse not to enter this one. (Yes, I know it's six competitions now I've added this one, but I'm NOT going to think up a new blog title.)

Other publication opportunities

Drabblecast have a call for submissions. If short and strange is your thing, you could earn 6 cents per word. I'm not tall - which is all I have to say on the topic.

Why I ask for comments on this blog

Asking questions/giving answers/sharing information makes the blog more valuable for all readers.

Comments show me what people are interested in, so helps me provide the information you really want. (And quite often someone rashly says they like the photos which justifies me bunging them in all over the place.)

Comments show others that the blog has readers and therefore makes it more likely that editors, competition organisers etc will share information with me, so I can pass it on to you.

My news

Soon after publishing last week's post I heard back about three different competitions, run by The Anansi Archive, Secret Attic and Globe Soup (and all previously mentioned on this blog). I didn't win any of them, but my entries all got a special mention or were selected for inclusion in an anthology. That's encouraged me to try a few more and see if I can do better.

If you're interested in reading more about my writing and published stories, then take a look at the blog on my website.

Autumn the 1st

Firstly - a big thank you to everyone who responded to last week's request for help and downloaded the new version of my free collection of short stories. Your support means a lot to me. (It's not too late to do me a favour and get a copy either from Amazon or Apple, or a selection of other retailers.)

It's all gone a bit autumnal, hasn't it? Nothing wrong with that - the leaves get pretty and the weather perfect for staying in and writing. 

Free entry competition news

Fusilli have another flash fiction competition. They want 200 words with a twist. The prize is publication on their site and social media promotion.

Chorus want people to share stories about their favourite local businesses. There's £750 in prize money apparently. The rules and stuff are long, but please read them before submitting anything.

Blue Mountain are running a poetry competition with a $350 prize. If I could poet, I'd enter this one.

The London Society want 'Love Letters To London' which can be in the form of poetry, short stories or non-fiction. The prize is £500. I'm not a fan of cities so would struggle with this, but if an idea does come to me, I'll have a bash.

Publication opportunities

Thanks to Liz Filleul who has just alerted me to this call for submissions. You're asked to write a different ending to the stories of women from classic literature in up to 5,000 words. The pay is 5 cents per word. I've not got out the calculator, but that doesn't sound bad.

Guts publishing want 'ballsy book about life" and are "primarily interested in publishing memoirs, creative nonfiction and autobiographies. We’re also open for submissions in autofiction and literary fiction, especially with a nonfiction tone" and they "encourage submissions from debut writers, women, BAME, disabled, working-class and LGBTQ+ writers."  They are "looking to publish writers from the UK and Ireland." 

That's not my kind of thing at all, but if you're working on something appropriate it could be a good opportunity.

Phobica Books want stories on the theme of 'Heavy Metal Nightmares' and will pay £20 plus a copy of the anthology if you're in the UK, or the equivalent of £25 if you live elsewhere. 

Horror isn't my kind of thing either, so that's another I'll be giving a miss.

This ghost story competition run by a wine company and offering a $5,000 prize is much more in my line.Unfortunately you have to live in the USA to enter. I don't, but I think some of my blog readers do?

Btw, I sometimes I come across free entry writing competitions or other opportunities which will be out of date by the next blog post. I share these on the womagwriter twitter account. 

Womag news

Prima are still running their short story competition with a £100 prize – and it's still an extremely unfair rights grab. If you want to try, send your story to yourwinningstory@hearst.co.uk but be aware that the moment you do it's no longer your story, as they take all rights for all entries, whether they publish them or not.

Over To You and some from me

Womag news

The People's Friend seem to be working through their backlog – I and others have recently received replies on work submitted two or more years ago. 

Do you have any womag news?

Are you researching, writing, subbing? Had any acceptances or rejections? Any other news?

Feel free to use the photo as a picture prompt. If you'd like other writing prompts, short exercises and story/scene suggestions then you might find this book useful.

Free entry writing competition news

I'd love to hear your competition news.

Do you have writing tips to share, questions to ask, or suggestions for this blog?

Here's some I've found –

Six Word Wonder are looking for entries of any type of writing as long as it's really short. The prize is $100. I'm definitely going to have a go.

ServiceScape want more words, but they're offering a bigger prize – $1,000. You can enter fiction or non fiction.

If you're an 'early career' writer who can produce 'new writing on innovation and experimentation in the moving image' you could try winning £500 with the Michael O'Pray Prize.

Publication opportunity news

Do you know of any markets (paid or unpaid) looking for submissions?

Here's one I've found –

Short Fiction magazine is a new publication looking for short stories and poetry. They don't pay for most submissions, but if your piece gets the most reader votes you'll receive a £1,000 prize.

Personally I think it would be better to divide that money between all contributors, but then I'm not a fan of popularity type contests (because I never win!)

Thanks to Marguerite who has passed on a link to this paying market for work connected with the moon, plus the news that Secret Attic is back!

My news

I'm doing a book marketing course. As part of that I've republished my small, free, short story collection Not A Drop To Drink. 

You'll be doing me a favour and make me happy if you download it from Amazon, Apple or one of the other places it's available.
You might even enjoy reading it! In that case leaving a review would be an even bigger favour – thanks to all those who've already done that.

A change to the blog - plus the usual free comps and womag news

The photos are all from trips in the mobile writing retreat, as I've not been anywhere for AGES and am missing it.

There still seems to be an issue with subscribing to this blog. People report they can do it (by using the link in the right hand column, just above the links to all my lovely books!) but they get a scary message saying it's insecure and that their email address can be seen by anyone. I don't think that's the case – I don't have access to any details about my subscribers. I don't even know how many there are! I've subscribed myself to test it out and other than the warning there have been no problems. However I totally understand people being reluctant to click on it.

To make things easier for non subscribers I'm going to try posting regularly, every Saturday morning. That will mean some posts are rather long, and others light on information, but at least you'll know when to look for what I do have.

In case you're wondering – the only advantage to subscribing is that you get an email when there's a new post. You don't need to subscribe to see posts or comments, or to comment yourself, and subscribing doesn't benefit me or the blog in any way. (If you want to help the blog, please leave comments, share info or tell others who might be interested that it's here.)

This issue doesn't apply to my newsletter. You're welcome to sign up for that if you'd like updates on my writing.

Free to enter writing competitions

It's not all that often getting a rejection can be seen as an advantage, but it can happen. If it's a poem you've had rejected then you might like to enter it into this competition which has a $100 prize. (I'm sure any poetry I submitted would get rejected, but as I've not written any in a very long time, I'm not eligible.)

There's $1,000 on offer for the winner of this new media competition. (Usually anything I consider current is old hat, so I'm going to pass.)

This themed short story competition has a £100 prize. (I've already sent in my entry.)

Storyhouse are running an animal themed non-fiction writing competitions, for unpublished writers, each with a $200 prize. (I'm not eligible - otherwise I'd be very tempted to have a go.)

Here's a competition for comedy horror. The prize is $750. (I don't think this is one for me.)

Publication opportunities

From The Horse's Mouth accept submissions of just about anything – videos and photos as well as writing. I don't think there's a fee.

Storyhouse welcome submissions from unpublished authors. No fee appears to be offered.

Although I don't personally submit work where's no fee, I know that some people are happy to do this occasionally, so I'll post details of such opportunities when I find them. I'll also look out for paying markets.

Womag news

I did update my last post with a link to this blog post from Lucy at The People's Friend. All those who've already had work accepted by TPF, have had an editor assigned to them, and currently have five or more stories under consideration should contact that editor before submitting anything else.

The procedure for those who've not yet been published by TPF, or who have fewer than five stories waiting for a response is unchanged.

Places to send your work

I'm currently putting together a new collection of flower and garden related short stories like this one. That's all the justification I need to flood this post with random flower photos!

I know that not everyone wants to self publish their writing, so here are some other things you can do with it.

Free entry writing competitions

Jerry Jazz Musician have a short story competition with a $100 prize. You don't have to write about jazz or any other kind of music, although that is an option.

You do have to write about music for this short story competition. The prize is £500. That's tempting, but I'm not at all musical so am unlikely to come up with an entry which hits the right note.

The theme for the W&AYB short story competition is love, and the prize is a place on a residential Arvon course. I've heard great things about these courses and I understand they serve cake!

Other publication opportunities

As well as running a competition, Jerry Jazz also accept submissions of all kinds of things including non-fiction, poetry and poetry. There's no payment for these - which means I won't be submitting. There are some valid reasons for having work published without payment, but none apply to me in this case.

Gordon Square Review are open for submissions of poetry, prose and non fiction. They pay $10 and $25 respectively. They encourage submissions from, "women, writers of color, writers with disability, LGBTQ writers, and previously unpublished writers."

Are you interested in hearing about more non womag publications which are open to submissions? I'll look for more such opportunities if enough people comment to say they'd like that.

I got a rejection! Womag news and free competitions

Last week, on Twitter I posted this – 

I got a rejection yesterday. I'm mentioning it for two reasons.

Firstly because it proves I wrote and submitted something, which in itself is an achievement. Secondly to remind other writers this is a perfectly normal part of the process which most of us regularly experience.

I was surprised by the response. If you're receiving rejections, or entering competitions without getting placed, please don't think you're the only one or that it means you're a failure. Most of us experience this quite regularly. (I've had another since that tweet.) Even those who don't now get many rejections probably had a fair few when they started submitting work.

Womag news

I may have spoiled the surprise element here, but I've had some responses from The People's Friend - not all of them positive! No commiserations needed as I'm pleased to have definite answers. From what others have said responses from TPF are starting to come through a little more promptly now. Hopefully the issues which caused the backlog have been overcome or at least eased and waiting times will reduce. UPDATE – The People's Friend are taking action to reduce waiting times!
I didn't have an email from TAB at the end of the month, saying one of my stories would be in Fiction Feast, so assumed that wasn't the case. I was partly right as I actually have three in the October issue! Just occasionally a lack of news isn't bad news. (I did know they'd been accepted, just not when they'd be used.)

Free entry competition news

Here's a novel writing competition and here's another. Both are for debut novels and both offer good cash prizes. The first is for writers under 35 and the second for those over 60. I can't enter either – and not just because I already have published novels.

This competition is for new 'underrepresented voices' in the 16-30 age range, writing fiction non fiction or poetry. The prize is a publishing contract. That one's not for me either. If anyone sees a fabulous prize for middle aged people who've been at this writing lark a fair while, please let me know!

Here's a poetry competition, open to all writers and offering a £1,000 prize. I'm tempted to try, particularly as one judge is hoping for 'a little strangeness'.

Wergle Flomp are again running a poetry competition with a $2,000 top prize.

I've mentioned Globe Soup's challenges before. What I didn't say then, because I didn't know, is that there's also an opportunity for free feedback via their Facebook group. You can just post something up and hope for comments, or take part in feedback exchanges which are arranged after competition entries have been submitted. 

These are entirely optional. I've not got involved with that aspect myself, but I can see that it has the potential to be useful.

10 things writers don't need.

There's loads of advice about things which will help you as a reader. Lots of it is excellent. This book for example is jolly good. And this one is full of ideas (the seeds of a story!) – but just for a change this post focuses on things you don't need.

1. A qualification.

It helps if you can spell, and have a grasp of punctuation and grammar – and know interesting stuff you can include in your work. It doesn't matter whether you learned this in a formal way and have a piece of paper to prove it, if you picked it up as you went along, or even if you're still learning. You can still write.

I'm in no way criticising those who do have qualifications (I'm very proud of my grade B 'O' level in English language). Nor am I suggesting it would be a mistake to enrol in an academic course in the future if you'd like to - I just don't believe anyone needs a qualification in order to write.

2. Lots of free time.

Writing does take up some time. Ok, lots if you're going to complete a book or attempt to earn enough to keep you in biscuits, but you don't need a whole day or even several free hours at a time. The majority of writers started when they had full time jobs, young children to care for, or other commitments. Getting up twenty minutes earlier to write, writing for half your lunch break, or instead of watching one TV programme each week will give you at least a couple of hours every month.

3. To be able to type 'properly'. 

There's absolutely nothing wrong with learning, or using this skill if you have it, but it's not vital. I use one finger and my thumb. I've written hundreds of short stories, six novels, lots of blog posts and plenty of other stuff. Some people aren't physically able to type in the usual way, or at all, but still write.

4. A dedicated writing space.

Yes, I know I have the wonderful mobile writing retreat. I love it, but I'd still write without it. My first few published stories were written on kitchen tables and the landing in a friends' house. If you don't have space at home you could write in the library, a cafe, at work, in the bus station ...

5. Money and equipment.

We all need money to live, but writing needn't be a further expense. 

A computer of some kind helps enormously and is necessary if you wish to submit work, but it doesn't need to be new or even yours. Libraries provide free computer equipment, so do some charities. A friend or employer might allow you to use theirs.

6. To read.

It is possible to write without reading, but I don't advise it. If you don't read the kind of work you want to write how will you know what readers expect, what's been done to death and where there are gaps in the market?

If you don't love the written word, why would you want to create more of it?

7. Routines, dedication and discipline.

Trust me, if these things were essential I'd never have written anything. In order to be even moderately successful you will need to put in some effort, but writing doesn't need to be your top priority or done at a certain time each day / week. 

That's not to say that a routine and consistent, professional approach are bad. They're not – quite the opposite in fact. However if you have other commitments or distractions you must or chose to spend time on, take breaks from your writing, or have a disrupted or non existent schedule, you can still be a writer.

8. Luck, contacts, fame, influence and magic.

These can be hugely helpful in achieving sales and other success (more so in some areas than others) but you don't need them for the actual writing part.

9. To have a blog or website, be on social media or create a platform.

See above! 

10. Cake.

I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. At times I've gone days without the stuff and still produced readable work. You will of course need an alternative – cookies, scones, flapjack, biscuits, cheese, chocolate, even fruit can work.

Do you agree with me? Are there things you've been told are essential for writers but which you manage without?

Something for everyone?

I hope that everyone visiting this buffet of free competitions and opportunities to submit will find something to encourage them to write and the get their work 'out there'.

Free entry competition news

Thanks to Alyson for passing on the link to this interesting short story competition with excellent cash prizes. If I get an idea for it then I'll give it a go, but nothing has sprung to mind so far. I suspect there won't be as many entries for this one as for other free competitions offering £1,000.

Here's a poetry competition which is open to international entries and offers a £1,000 prize.

This Christmas ghost story competition is only free to under 16s although there is an adult category with a fee.

This poetry competition is also free to younger writers (under 18 this time) with another paid for adult version.

Are any of my blog readers under 18? Do any adult readers know of young writers they would pass competition details onto? If not, I won't continue including stuff for young writers.

Submission opportunities

Brilliant Flash Fiction want stories of up to 1,000 words to publish on their website. They pay $20.

The Face Project ask for poems and short stories written in response to the portraits they share each week. Those selected will be "featured in a unique art and literature publication." As far as I can see that will be the only reward.

Womag reminder

If you want to check the submission requirements for any magazine I know about which considers fiction, you can find the links and other info on my submissions database.

How did I do?

Are any of the above of interest to you?

If I've not included anything for the form or genre you write, please tell me in the comments what that is so I can look out for suitable opportunities.

How do best like to attempt to get your writing before potential readers? Magazine submissions, competitions, calls for submission, self publishing ...?

It takes time to research and write my blog posts. All I ask in return is a comment if you've found them to be useful and / or of interest.

Newsletters that Involve the reader – Guest post by Robin Dynes.

Today's guest is Robin Dynes

 NEWSLETTERS THAT INVOLVE THE READER

Do you send out a newsletter to raise awareness of your publications? If not, you may be missing an opportunity to promote yourself and your work. Newsletters have been used successfully since Roman times as a way of communicating with friends and customers. They inform them about the availability of goods and provide other news that affect their business. 

In today’s world, social media such as Twitter and Facebook are not suitable for longer material. Also, they are so fast-paced that good material gets lost. E-mail newsletters, however, remain effective for attracting and keeping readers interested. Nevertheless, they must - to maintain attention - be engaging, meet their needs, add to their knowledge and involve readers. Don’t make it just about you - though your book signings and meet the author events, etc, are very important, too, and should be included. Involve the reader! Here are some ideas you can try to help you do this: 

1.  Share and recommend books you have enjoyed. Many of your readers will have read or want to read the same books. This is a good way to make connections. 

2. Offer a free sample chapter or a short story which will hopefully get them to start reading your latest work.

3. Do occasional reader surveys but keep them short and simple. Not any more than 3/4 questions at the most. Use tick box responses and an additional option for a short written response. 

4. Include fun facts about your writing process and what is happening behind the scenes. This might include research you have done, how you got the idea, etc. 

5. Seasonal and holiday greetings with recommended reads. Don’t forget special events such as mental health days, friendship days, etc. Also use anniversaries. For example, ask readers to help you celebrate the anniversary of when your last book was published and so on.

6. Add additional material related to your book subject. Perhaps something you learned while doing research. For a non-fiction book you might include additional exercises the reader can do. 

7. Consider including content from your readers. What they liked best about a book or story. Questions you have been asked about your publications. What they have learned. For nonfiction – how useful they have found the content or exercises.

8. Have you been interviewed recently? Share your experience. Perhaps you have interviewed someone who would interest your readers. 

These are a few ideas to help you build a successful newsletter. Don’t bombard readers with them. Once every two weeks or once a month is enough and it won’t take an enormous amount of time to produce, but do be consistent. 

Many of you may have your own You Tube video channel, Facebook or Instagram page or even have thousands of followers on Twitter. All help you raise your profile but e-mail based newsletters will continue to be to be popular with readers as long as they provide interesting content! 

Robin Dynes edits The Voice newsletter (https://mailchi.mp/e732a4b9c51a/the-voice-newsletter-14196875?e=8d30ae17cc ) published by Wessex Writers. He is also the author of 25 non-fiction books, numerous articles and blogs and was a commissioning editor for Speechmark Publishing Ltd (https://www.routledge.com/go/speechmark) 

You can subscribe to The Voice here.

This is Patsy's Newsletter.

Here's Geraldine Ryan's newsletter.

If you have, or contribute to, a writing related newsletter feel free to put a link in the comments and it will be added to this list.

ALCS statements and discounted books

My books on special offer.

Three of my books are currently on special offer.  They'll be available for 99p / 99c until 23rd of August and will then go back to their regular price. 

You could get all three for slightly less than the normal price of the novel. Bargain, eh?

Family Feeling is a collection of 25 family 'related' stories.


With Love And Kisses has 25 stories each with the theme of love.

Leave Nothing But Footprints is a fun, escapist romance about photographers in a campervan. Never was a novel better researched!

If you know of any good books which are currently on offer (your own or other people's) please do let us know in the comments.

The ebook of Eirin Thompson's I Know I Saw Her has been reduced in price. See the comments for more details.

How to find your ALCS statements

Several people said they were interested in learning where their ALCS money comes from. Here's how to find some of the answers –

First log into your account and scroll down to where it says MY STATEMENTS. Select the year you're interested in.

You should then see the amount(s) you were paid (I've deleted the figures for mine) and the fact that the statement isn't ready for down load. You have the option to REQUEST STATEMENT DOWNLOAD or REQUEST STATEMENT EMAIL. Click on your preference.

The statement to download should appear almost immediately. On my computer it shows up in the bottom right hand corner. The email is fairly speedy too. In both cases you get an identical pdf. This shows the various categories for which you've earned money.

In some cases it's very detailed. For example I earned a few pennies from stories reproduced in annuals. and can easily see which ones.

The bulk of my money comes from short stories in magazines, and this is all lumped together in one figure.

I hope that helps a little bit!

Over To You

Womag news

Do you have any womag news?

Are you researching, writing, subbing? Had any acceptances or rejections? Any other news?

Feel free to use the as a picture prompt. If you'd like other writing prompts, short exercises and story/scene suggestions then you might find this book useful.

Free entry writing competition news

I'd love to hear your competition news.

Do you have writing tips to share, questions to ask, or suggestions for this blog?