Magzter Gold (Sitewide CA)

Magzter Gold (Sitewide CA)

Digital Delivery

Writing October 6th, 2022 Digital Back Issue Cover

Writing Novemeber 2022 (Digital)

(Write a Review)

Single Digital Issue

Novemeber 2022

$5.73

Powered By Zinio

Zinio

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Instant Start

Subscribe Instead

1 Year Subscription

12 digital issues

$49.02

($4.09/issue)

Go to Subscription

View Subscription Options

Also available on ZINIO Unlimited logo

Get unlimited access to Writing (Digital) + Back Issues & 5000+ other magazines

1-month free trial

Renews at $8.99/month after trial.
Cancel anytime.

Get unlimited access to Writing (Digital) + Back Issues & 5000+ other magazines. Renews at just $8.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Start Trial Learn more

95 Articles

The world of writing

THE UNCOSY QUEEN Appearing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August, bestselling crime writer Val McDermid revealed that her publisher recently received a letter from the estate of Agatha Christie: ‘They said, “you must cease and desist referring to Val McDermid as the Queen of Crime. We have trademarked this expression. If you call Val McDermid as the Queen of Crime, you will be in breach of copyright and this trademark. You may continue to quote other people calling her the Queen of Crime and obviously you cannot prevent someone calling her Queen of Crime on a platform during the event. But should you use this title elsewhere, in other ways, then you will be in breach and out lawyers will be in touch”.’ This was particularly unfriendly given…

The world of writing

STAR LETTER CRITICAL THINKING As writers we are putting ourselves open to criticism each time we post online or send a piece of work out to editors. It’s like saying, ‘This is me; do you like me?’ Rejection slips are hard to take, but part and parcel of being a writer. If everything we sent out was accepted, everyone would be writing books. Try to take something good from the rejection. For instance, they let you know they didn’t want it, better than ignoring you altogether. So become your own critic. Take a step back and be honest. What do you see? If you are to develop as a writer you must be truthful, and examine your writing under a microscope. Here I am, being honest. I am a lazy…

WHEN LESS IS MORE

Opinions and submission guidelines differ on word counts for micro fiction – some state up to 300 – but the focus of this article is on stories of up to 100 words, otherwise known as drabbles. The 100-word story is gaining popularity and there are several competitions and journals to submit to. Also popular are 50-word stories (dribbles); six-worders, like the famous story attributed to Ernest Hemingway, For sale: baby shoes never worn; and anything in between. Before we get into the nitty gritty of writing micro fiction, there is one element you must bear in mind, probably the most important of all: your reader. Who reads micro fiction, and why? In her craft book, Going Short, Nancy Stohlman writes: The reader must jump the gaps, fill in the blanks,…

WHEN LESS IS MORE

I have spent twenty years writing the How to Train Your Dragon and Wizards of Once books, and over those twenty years I have lost count of the times people have asked me, ‘Have you ever thought of writing for adults?’ But for me writing for children is the greatest privilege on earth, and my quest as a writer is to play some small part in trying to get the children of today to read books with the same excitement and wonder that I read them when I was a kid. There’s a wealth of research to show that the two key factors in a child’s later economic success (let alone their happiness) are parental involvement in education, and reading for pleasure. However making a book that a child of…

Fount of (some if not all) knowledge

One of the great tropes of publishing is the ‘Harry Potter was turned down by twelve editors’ story. I’ve picked Harry Potter as the most famous (and lucrative) example, but see also under A Confederacy of Dunces or just recently, Bernardine Evaristo. It’s a trope that transcends genre and spans the generations. Its ubiquity and enduring popularity is not hard to understand given how much rejection even the most talented writers have to endure and if even modest success still eludes one, there is comfort in the reassurance that none of us agents and publishers really know what we are talking about. I have been thinking about this because for the first time in my tenplus-year career as an agent an author I had worked with, who I eventually turned…

Fount of (some if not all) knowledge

THE THRILL OF THE CHASE

Robert Harris is, without a doubt, the master writer of political thrillers of our times – the author of contemporary classics like Fatherland, Enigma and Pompeii. His latest, Act of Oblivion, is a stunning story of a divided nation – England in the wake of the English Civil War, the Protectorate and the Restoration of the Monarchy. It’s the story of a historical manhunt, with two of its central characters, Puritan colonels Edward Whalley and William Goffe, who were signatories to the death warrant of King Charles 1, pursued across America by an obsessed Royalist determined to bring them to justice. It’s a novel that brings the complex history of a country torn about by extreme political and religious factionalism to thrilling life, making it a story that seems relevant…

THE THRILL OF THE CHASE

TAP HERE To read an extract from Isaac and the Egg 1 Isaac Addy stands on a bridge, unsure whether to jump or not. No matter what else I changed, this was always the first line of the book. I knew I needed to convey the sheer weight of Isaac’s despair from the very beginning, because he’s supposed to be a man at his lowest point. You need to understand that this is someone in crisis, and that it’s going to take something extreme to get him out of that crisis. So, from the very first line, the reader is presented with two questions to which they’ll want an answer. Why is Isaac in such a dark place? And what on earth is going to be able to get him…

The witching hour

As the colder months draw closer, all I want to do is grab my favourite fleecy blanket, make some chai tea and watch Practical Magic. For me, milder weather – anything under, say, 21 degrees, at least – is much more conducive to a focused brain and more successful solid writing sprints. Anything above that and my creativity can start to wilt like a dehydrated leaf, and I find myself sleepily lounging around my living room like the folks in a Great Gatsby saloon scene on a New York summer. Personally, as the spiritual magazine editor that I am, I call the 31st of October by its pagan name, Samhain, pronounced sow-en. Most people know it as Halloween. And though some of its traditions may be a trend gifted to…

The witching hour

MICHAEL TE ARAWA BENNETT

'My dad, a decorated Spitfire pilot in "My WWII, gave me a passion for fighting the important fights. My mum, a terrific writer who met dad when she was writing her thesis on his father (my grandfather was the first Māori Bishop of New Zealand), gave me a love of words and an awe for their power. ‘When I was ten years old, my big brother Bruce was doing psychology at university, and in the holidays after his first year, he brought home The Clinical Textbook of Abnormal Psychology. I have no idea why anyone let a ten-year-old read this deeply disturbing book – but I devoured it, cover to cover. When Bruce went back to university, I hid it so he couldn’t take it. The curiosity provoked in me…

MICHAEL TE ARAWA BENNETT

The write balance

Being both: writing and editing Writing and editing both play big roles in my life, but of the two, the latter comes more easily to me. My experience working at literary agencies and at Cornerstones has given me a greater understanding of what editing can look like and how it can transform a manuscript, and for me, editing is the stage where a novel really comes together. For my own writing, the editing and redrafting stages are my favourite parts of the process. My own writing style is very much that of a ‘pantser’, beginning with very little outlined and seeing where the story goes as I write it. During the editing stages, I’ll outline my character arcs, work out a cohesive structure, and start to identify and cut down…

The write balance

I Met Myself Coming Back

Read the judges’ comments at http://writ.rs/ wmnov22 FIRST PLACE £200 Helen Beckett lives in Cardiff and likes to include Welsh folklore and the Welsh language in her flash fiction and short stories, a number of which have been shortlisted for competitions. She has been published in several flash fiction anthologies. Helen enjoys writing because it gives her the freedom to assume different characters, be it a child, a ghost, an animal or, as in this story, one of the boys. To be honest, I’d been scared shitless. Not that I’d ever admit it to this bunch of losers. I was sure they were pranking me, that they had seen him too but had said they hadn’t just to wind me up. The bastards. I drained my pint glass. ‘Slow down,…

I Met Myself Coming Back

Have you ever found yourself in the midst of writing a book and thinking, this could be more than one book – maybe even a series? If so, don’t panic. You’re not suffering delusions of writerly grandeur; it’s more likely a natural sense of creative growth. It happens more than you might think. Embrace it. Many writers see their first book as nothing more than one story, a standalone, a singular tale, to be completed before moving on to a new setting, characters and plot – maybe a different genre altogether. Others – and I’m talking about potential series writers – get a feeling that their character creations could do with another journey, a fresh adventure that will spin them off into new dangers, bursts of tension, vivid melodrama, a…

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab ‘When I first started reading Addie, I knew I was about to read something special. ‘The opening page raises the question of what is our purpose if we leave nothing behind? That alone was enough to draw me in, but what I adored about this story was the complexity of Addie’s character as we follow her from 17th century France to date, as she tries to survive life where she no longer exists in people’s minds the moment she is out of their sight. ‘And oh the writing! Her glorious prose made me want to just stare at the wall and contemplate how she crafts such stunning descriptions. This book made we want to strive to be a better writer, to…

‘I’ve always read widely and voraciously so narrowing five of my favourite books has been a tricky task to say the least. It has really brought home how much of an influence my favourite books have had on my own writing, particularly in my latest release, It Was Always You. TAP HERE To read an extract from It Was Always You ‘It Was Always You has a little time travel in it, as well as moments where (hopefully!) the reader will laugh and cry and, as with all of my books, there is a deep sense of family. ‘The inspiration for this book came as I was washing up (all my best ideas come when I’m doing something mundane). I remember spotting a magpie and thinking to myself what a…

Your writing critiqued

R Kennedy-Escott works as a personal assistant, while completing their Creative Writing degree with The Open University. They enjoy writing short stories and they are working on their first novel. This extract comes from a domestic thriller. They can be found at www.rkennedy-escott.co.uk, where they post updates about short story competitions, university and general life. Michael winced as he unstuck his shoe from the tacky floor1 of the bar and made his way2 back to the dance floor.3 As he stepped onto the flashing arena4 of party goers,5 the atmosphere changed as the DJ hit play6 on James Blunt’s You’re beautiful.7 Couples fused together across the room,8 and Michael was stood9 awkwardly on the side-lines10 watching romance wash around the club.11 It was impossible to watch12 the embracing lovers and…

Your writing critiqued

Get the write idea

MINE Explore the possibilities of a particular location in this exercise. What kind of story could you set in or around a mine? How could you use the mine in a significant way in your writing – as a theme, or a pivotal setting? How could you take the physical fact of a mine and use it to create a seam of metaphor in your writing? (See what we did there?) Dig deep into your imagination and quarry some great ideas. Write for fifteen minutes. SITUATION Imagine a person and their circumstances for this prompt. Who is this person? Why are they in this room? What are they thinking about, and feeling? Going deeper, what is their background? What are their life circumstances? What do they want? What is missing…

Get the write idea

The sky’s the limit

The sky is a constantly changing canvas, waiting for writers to capture its essence. It’s like a character, changing the mood and feel of a piece of writing. Think of the lowering skies of Wuthering Heights, brooding and menacing like Heathcliff, where the terrain and skies almost seem to live and breathe. Big skies, dark skies, cloudy skies – description of the skies impacts on the action taking place below them. Think of TV and film – how the first scene of crime thrillers such as Vera and Shetland are often of dark skies, laden with rain – and the impact those scenes have on the viewer. They know something bad has happened, or is about to happen. For the first activity think about a TV show of film that…

The sky’s the limit

CIRCLES’ ROUNDUP

SPOTLIGHT ON... Verulam Writers St Albans has always been stuffed full of literary talent. So, 68 years ago, the local writing community formed Verulam Writers, and we’re always keen for new members to join, writes Steven Mitchell. Taking our name from the name of the Roman town where St Albans is now located, we meet in person every two weeks and on Zoom in the alternate weeks. Our evenings include manuscript nights, competitions, workshops, social events, and guest speakers. This season crime writers Howard Linskey and Kate Griffin, romance novelist Lesley Eames, and renowned astronomer and writer Stuart Clark have all visited us. All have been inspirational. Our forty-strong membership includes writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and screenplays. In fiction, our members write in genres including crime, fantasy, sci-fi, historical,…

CIRCLES’ ROUNDUP

SUBSCRIBERS’ NEWS

A creative challenge ‘I find so much inspiration from reallife, real-world events firing up my imagination for so much of my fiction,’ writes subscriber Drew Payne. ‘Often just the bare bones of an event will inspire a story. ‘I am not above using events from my own life to fuel my fiction too. It can be a way for me to write about things important to me. ‘When I was twelve, my grandmother died from cancer. It left a lasting and uncomfortable memory. Even forty years later, I can remember so much from that time. This became the starting point for my book Five Days. It is a child’s eye view of terminal illness. It is about twelve-year-old Byron, whose mother is very ill but no one is telling him…

SUBSCRIBERS’ NEWS

EVIL MCSQUEEVIL

Anyone who has attended any of my Story Godmother workshops will know I am ever-soslightly excited about antagonists. Ever since I was small, I have been fascinated with ‘baddies’ and found them significantly more interesting than the ‘heroes’ that everyone else wanted to be in our playground games. I adored being the Wicked Witch of the West, or Mrs Hannigan. They were gifts of characters to explore. As the submission window for the Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize is open, it’s the perfect time to consider chapter book antagonists. They are tremendously good fun to explore. Here are five top tips to creating an outstanding baddie for young readers: 1 CHOOSE WISELY Why does this particular antagonist appear in this particular story? What is it about this character which pits…

Free-range writing is personal writing. The fact that no one else is going to read it means you can experiment and play, and the fact that the pieces are timed means your inner critic doesn’t have a chance to get in the way. Using personal writing to explore aspects of everyday life that you may never have given much thought to is a great way to find fresh ideas and inspiration from your own experience, and trying different genres is a real creative work-out. This month’s theme is road safety, which has its very own national week in November. So, ponder, be playful – and stick to the timings. Memoir Everyone has had experiences relating to road safety, even if they haven’t personally been involved in an accident. Maybe a…

Damien Mckeating was born and a short time after that he developed a love of fantasy and the supernatural. After studying screenwriting at university, he worked for a time as a radio copywriter, before becoming a teacher for children with special educational needs. He has written for radio, comics, film, prose, and worked as a lyricist and bass player for a peculiar folk band. He has short stories included in different anthologies, ranging from modern takes on Irish mythology to SF adventures for young readers. He is fond of corvids, writes daily, and is currently the oldest he has ever been. T herewas a chance they had grown wings and flown away. Enid stood on her doorstep and looked at the footprints in the snow. It was deep, powdery snow,…

VISIT https://writ.rs/ahauntedhouse TO READ THE STORY I’ve chosen this month’s story because of its effective and pleasing use of poetic language. A Haunted House by Virginia Woolf is, on the face of it, a ghost story. But there is so much more to it than that. An interesting narrative style, and language that is every bit as beautifully nuanced as you could expect from a poem, lift it to another level. Read it here: https://writ.rs/ ahauntedhouse The story is somewhat ethereal and hard to catch hold of. I would recommend reading it more than once, both for increased understanding of the meaning and maximum enjoyment of the well-chosen wording. It really isn’t very long, and your time will definitely be well spent. Let’s look at the narrative style first. This…

POWER STRUGGLES

Idon’t really need to inform anyone that we live in deeply divided times, and the very mention of the word politics can be a prelude to deep discussion and fiery fallouts. But for today you’ll be pleased to hear I’m not talking real-world politics, but the systems that we should be looking to bring into our fantasy settings. There are many important elements of worldbuilding, and sometimes the habit as writers is that we focus a lot on landscape and place, and sometimes rather leave out the sociological elements of our settings. In fact I’d argue that considering culture and the way that society functions is more important than geography. And just as it’s hard to reflect on our world without politics leaking in, the same consideration should be given…

POWER STRUGGLES

As areader for an international novel-writing competition, I sometimes come across entries which are described by their authors as literary fiction. What am I meant to understand by the term literary fiction? That this particular kind of fiction is important, significant, and is therefore worthy of my serious consideration? That it will enlighten and educate rather than merely entertain me? That this particular entry is not going to be an escapist, relaxing, easy read? That it won’t end with an improbable, convenient happy-ever-after? A glance at Amazon’s UK website reveals that these days almost any kind of novel can be categorised as literary fiction. I’ve checked out numerous definitions online – for example https://writ.rs/litfic – and the general consensus seems to be that whereas popular and/or genre fiction is likely…

Five quick questions 5

1 When and where did your journey as an author begin? My writing journey began in 2012 after reading fifty books in a month. I was a stay-at-home mother to my eldest daughter, who had special needs, and to my one-year-old little girl. Reading had suddenly become my escape, but none of the books I read had characters that looked like I did. So I decided to write my own. Representation is very important to me. 2 What is (or has been) your proudest moment as a writer? Helping other people through the messages I put into my books, such as those about self-love, overcoming trauma, being worthy, and personal growth. I’m very blessed to be able to use my life experiences in a positive way to help others. It…

Five quick questions 5

Terror from the skies

ON THE VERDANT BANKS OF THE RIBBLE What was there before? Before the war birds Came to the verdant banks of the Ribble: Hedgerows, meadows, hay crops and pastures Silence; Broken only by bird-song or the chattering of a Mowing machine knife and the thrum of a tractor; Out on the marsh the report of a fowler’s gun, Or in the early mist a fog-horn’s bellow from the river. First came theodolite, then the dozers and graders Gouging out a gash through the Fylde coast clay, making way For Uncle Sam’s horsemen riding out from Savannah: Through clouds and waves the cavalry came to save the day An ocean apart, bound by a fractious history and blood: Good ol’ boys from Dixie to the red rose county coast: Symbols from…

Terror from the skies

The crime and mystery writer Graham Smith is one of those authors who is so busy that he needs to have an additional writing identity, which in Graham’s case is the novelist John Ryder. I was looking forward to finding out how Graham manages to combine writing with his equally demanding day job: running a hotel and wedding venue. ‘I also cherish spending time with my son, enjoying the company of friends, and cheering on the often-hapless Carlisle United,’ he says, leaving me wondering when he has time to sleep. ‘I started writing fiction about twelve years ago,’ he adds. ‘This was after tossing aside a number of books I wasn’t enjoying reading, and feeling I could do better myself. I was awful at first, and I don’t think I’ll…

The cost of creativity crisis

With inflation at a forty-year high, we’re surrounded by rising prices. And when it comes to the business of writing, the cost of creativity is increasing, too. There’s also a growing trend in the software industry to move away from one-time purchase options towards a subscription-based model. Microsoft Office began its annual subscription plan in 2013, and more companies are following suit. While we can still buy Microsoft Office for a one-off fee, they’d much prefer it if we gave them money every year. But why pay for something annually, when there are free alternatives available? So as price rises continue, is it possible to cut the cost of writing, and still be creative? Office staples The publishing industry has welcomed Bill Gates and his Microsoft Office with open arms.…

The cost of creativity crisis

Weather & climate

Weather and climate have a huge impact on our lives and it’s no wonder they’re frequently discussed in our everyday interactions. The topic has numerous interesting facets and angles. If you’re writing non-fiction, you could explore a variety of issues linked to climate change or focus on more specific areas, such as aurora borealis, cloud watching or storm chasing. You could also combine it with other subjects, like travel writing or gardening. If you’re a fiction writer, you may need to do some research into how climate and weather affect your characters’ lives. For example, Joanna Cannon set her novel The Trouble with Goats and Sheep during the 1976 drought and wove the heatwave experiences into her story in a vivid way. Weather facts To find quick facts about the…

Weather & climate

Behind the tape

Q My question is: if a cleaner found a passenger diary in a drawer on a ship, read it, and there was information regarding a crime committed on board, would the police be allowed to use that information as new evidence, in order to reopen a cold case? The crime was committed 25 years ago, and the story has now been retold as an afterdinner speech. Cheryl Campbell via email The answer is yes, but with some caveats. If the cleaner or someone on board brought it to the police, they would use it as new evidence, even if the crime took place 25 years ago. It would, however, depend on the severity of the crime and where it took place. My knowledge of crimes committed overseas or on a…

Behind the tape

Funny women, still time to enter!

This year the Comedy Women in Print Prize for witty women’s writing has a new category for short stories Now in its fourth year, the Comedy Women in Print Prize is the brainchild of Helen Lederer, and the UK and Ireland’s first writing contest dedicated to celebrating comic writing by women. This year’s international competition is in three categories: Published Novel, Unpublished Novel and Short Story. • Published Novel: Published authors and publishers can enter witty novels by women writers published between 29 May 2021 and 14 October 2022. The winner will receive £3,000. There is a £20 entry fee for each book. • Unpublished Novel: For completed comedy novel manuscripts of at least 80,000 words by unpublished fiction writers. Enter the first 5,000 words and a synopsis. The first…

Funny women, still time to enter!

Fantastical creations

Win a £2,500 first prize in the new Chimera Fantasy Awards 2022. The inaugural Chimera Fantasy Awards are inviting entries of unpublished and self-published fantasy novel manuscripts. The winner will receive £2,500. There is a second prize of £1,500 and a third of £600. All twelve shortlisted entries will be featured online and their authors will receive feedback. To enter, send the first 10,000 words plus a one-page synopsis. All manuscripts entered must be at least 50,000 words. Shortlisted writers will be asked to submit their full manuscript. Entry is £6. The closing date is 1 December. Website: https://writ.rs/chimera…

Fantastical creations

WRITING IN COMMON

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2023 is inviting entries. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the best piece of short fiction by a writer who is a citizen of any Commonwealth country. A prize will be awarded to a story from each of the following regions: Africa Asia, Canada and Europe, the Caribbean, the Pacific. Regional winners will receive £2,500 and the opportunity to be published in Granta magazine. The overall winner will receive £5,000. Enter original, unpublished short fiction between 2,000 and 5,000 words, in any style or genre. Stories may be in English, Bengali, Chinese, Creole, French, Greek, Kiswahili, Malay, Portuguese, Samoan and Turkish languages. Stories that have been translated from any language into English are also eligible. Entry is free. The closing date is…

WRITING IN COMMON

ONLINE NON-FICTION MARKET

Narratively is a US website which publishes, ‘original and untold human stories’. Deputy editor Jesse Sposato says, ‘The stories Narratively publishes (personal and reported) are immersive and cinematic. They take readers inside another world, another life, through vivid scenes, colorful details, and compelling narrative arcs.’ The site is looking for big, ambitious features, exhaustive deep-dives that impress readers with in-depth, immersive storytelling, or else one-of-a-kind glimpses into unique lives, worlds, or subcultures. While many Narratively stories are US-based, the site will feature a story from anywhere in the world. Examples include The Obsessive Life and Mysterious Death of the Fisherman Who Discovered the Loch Ness Monster, Searching for the Nazi Who Saved My Mother’s Life, and an exploration of The Wild West Outpost of Japan’s Isolationist Era. Rates start at…

Project Briar Rose

Editor CB Droege, of the Manawaker Studio, seeks stories for his anthology, with a working title Project Briar Rose. This anthology focuses on SF stories ‘about specific character traits’. The core of the anthology is an SF retelling of the first half of the Briar Rose or Sleeping Beauty story in the Brothers Grimm version: ‘In Galilean Space, a Spincity administrator is bringing a new android online. It is his plan that this android, codenamed Briar Rose and in a mechanical body resembling a young woman, will succeed him one day in running the city. He invites the most accomplished AI experts from twelve of the spincity’s thirteen districts to a dinner party in celebration of Briar Rose; leaving out the expert from the thirteenth district because she is an…

Project Briar Rose

Grand prizes for writers of colour

The Jhalak Prize 2023 is inviting entries. The Jhalak Prize and the Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize both have a £1,000 prize The Jhalak Prize for writers of colour is now in its seventh year, and the Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize is in its third. The Prizes are open to all UK residents of BAME origin, for any book (including self-published books) written between 1 Jan and 31 December 2022. Each winner will receive £1,000 and an artwork by an artist of colour. This year’s judges for the Jhalak Prize are Haleh Agar, Anthony Vahni Capildeo and Monisha Rajesh. The Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize will be judged by Yaba Badoe, Maisie Chan and Irfan Master. Co-founder and director, Sunny Singh said: ‘We’re thrilled to be going into our…

Grand prizes for writers of colour

Young writers take flight

The Solstice Prize 2022 for Young Writers is being run by Writing East Midlands in partnership with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. Entries are invited of nature-themed short stories and poems on the theme by young writers. This year’s theme is ‘Fight for Flight’. The age categories are 7-11, 12-14 and 15-17. First-placed winners in each category will receive £100. Five highly commended writers per age category will receive goody bags and have their work published in an online anthology. There are also regional prizes for the best entries in each category by young writers living in the East Midlands. This year’s judge is author Gill Lewis. Entry is free. The closing date is 31 October. Website: https://writingeastmidlands.co.uk/young-writers/solstice-prize/…

Young writers take flight

The Writing District Prize is an international competition inviting entries of unpublished short fiction on any subject or theme and in any genre, up to 3,000 words. The winner will receive $1,000 and there are two runner-up prizes of $100. The entry fee per story is $15.The closing date is 28 November. Website: https:// thewritingdistrict. com/the-writingdistrict-prize-2022/ The shortlist for the £25,000 British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding is: The Invention of Miracles, Katie Booth; Aftermath: Life in the fallout of the Third Reich, Harald Jähner, trans Shaun Whiteside; Osebol: Voices from a Swedish Village, Marit Kapla, trans Peter Graves; Horizons: A global history of science, James Poskett; When Women Kill: Four crimes retold (AliaTrabucco Zerán, trans Sophie Hughes; Kingdom of Characters, Jing Tsu. ‘My seven-year-old niece said the…

UK FICTION MARKET

Short stories for Yours magazine, one story published per issue, and Yours Fiction magazine, 26 stories published per issue, have different submission criteria. Popular themes for Yours magazine are romance, families, grandchildren and nostalgia. Stories should be approximately 950 word long and not have been previously published. Occasionally, serialised stories of three episodes, each of 3,000 words, are published with the first two episodes finishing on a cliffhanger. Popular stories for Yours Fiction are romance, murder mystery, historical fiction, ghost stories, sagas and ‘stories to make you smile’. They should be 450-2,700 words long. Stories for both magazines should appeal to a readership of women over the age of fifty and not have stereotypical images of older people as ill, frail and lonely. When submitting, stories must be labelled specifically…

UK FICTION MARKET

Hear your story podcasted

The Other Stories award winning podcast has some 10,000 daily listeners and invites original sci-fi, horror and thriller stories which can ‘terrify, scar and haunt’. Checkout the website to listen to stories broadcasted. The selected stories will be narrated and an editor will ‘sparkle some magic pixie dust on the track’. Stories which have been entered and published elsewhere are welcome and when and where this has happened should be mentioned when submitting. Stories, based on set themes, should be 2,000 words long although there is a 10% tolerance either side of this. Format your work using a 12pt Times New Roman font in a MS Word document which has a 1-2 sentence logline at the end and includes your name and email address. Also mention the preferred narrator accent/gender…

Hear your story podcasted

Writers’ Grant and web residency on offer

Set up to support UK early career working class writers the White Pube Writers’ Grant is a one-off amount of £500 awarded each month. The award is open to individuals, collaborations and groups for all forms of writing. The award is funded by the London and Liverpool based Creative Debuts which has a focus on ‘shining a light and supporting artists and designers from underrepresented communities that may otherwise go under the radar’ whilst also giving creatives the opportunity to showcase, and sell their work. To apply, writers should email a brief introduction to themselves with contact details and an example of their writing. Check out the website for details of previous Award winners. There is also a month long web homepage residency on offer. Submit an email giving an…

Writers’ Grant and web residency on offer

Outcast wants the unusual

Outcast Press has an editorial team who like to ‘reject sacred cows’. The work the team publish has to be ‘cut from the bone’. They like ‘raw, honest, dark, in-your-face, tales’ and believe that ‘the beauty of literature lies in exploring themes other mediums consider too taboo’. They want ‘transgressive fiction’ because they like its unpredictability. Transgressive fiction is literature about characters who feel or think themselves confined by the norms and expectations of society and try to break free in unusual or illicit ways. The characters rebelling against the basic norms can range from those near normal frustrated by their lives and work right through to the mentally ill, anti-social or nihilistic. Submissions are currently closed for novels, opening again in January 2023. The team want an email pitch…

Outcast wants the unusual

UK NON-FICTION MARKET

Scratching Shed Publishing is a Yorkshirebased independent press that specialises in non-fiction with a strong regional identity. ‘We publish any genre of non-fiction that has a link to the north of England, be that the author, subject matter, location, etc, and hence the name – it’s where all the most passionate supporters stood at some sports grounds in the north,’ said co-director Phil Caplan. Scratching Shed was founded by Phil and co-director Tony Hannan in a pub in Blackburn. ‘In 2008, we’d known each other for years, are both writers – principally on rugby league – and met up on a local radio station promoting our latest works,’ said Phil. ‘In the pub afterwards we got on to discussing how the publishing industry was southerncentric in terms of marketing, promotion…

UK NON-FICTION MARKET

Banbury Writers’ Café writing group is running a free-entry competition for stories inspired by one of a number of picture prompts. Writing may be up to 1,500 words and may be fiction, poetry or shorter pieces of writing. Work must be original and may have been previously published in blogs or online publications, self-published or independently published. There are prizes of £50, £30 and £20, and all winners will be published in the Banbury Writers’ Café anthology. Entry is free. The closing date is 30 November. Website: https:// banburywriterscafe.wordpress.com/…

Fosseway Writers YA Short Story Competition 2022 is for fairy tales updated for a YA audience. Enter original, unpublished stories, 1,500- 2,500 words for readers aged 12-18. Prizes are £50, £30 and £20, with a special £10 prize for local writers with a postcode of NG22/23/24/25.The entry fee is £5, £3 each subsequent. The closing date is 19 October. Website: https:// fossewaywriters. wordpress.com/ competitions/ SF and fantasy specialist Angry Robot Books is launching a new crime fiction imprint, Datura Books, with a focus on titles with a ‘strong sense of voice and place that push the boundaries of the genre, while playing with readers’ favourite tropes’. Website: https:// angryrobotbooks. com Bookshop.org will be running An Evening With Maggie O’Farrell, its first hybrid live and virtual event on 1 December, when…

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

Arts & Letters is a well established literary journal with a long list of literary awards and credits of which its editorial team is rightly proud. Part of the MFA programme in Creative Writing at Georgia College, USA, it is published biannually, with Spring and Autumn issues. Under the direction of the editor, Laura Newbern, students of the programme edit and publish the magazine. The team seek ‘work that guides it toward the human voice and its perpetual struggle into language.’ The team have catholic tastes and are ‘open to both formal and experimental fiction, nonfiction, and poetry… and open to work that defies classification. Above all, we look for work in which readers can feel writers surprising themselves.’ The team have extra ways of promoting their authors using Twitter…

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

A New Chapter – Freedom from Torture Competition 2022 is inviting entries. The theme of ‘A New Chapter’ celebrates the hope and optimism it takes for refugees to build a new life. Freedom from Torture’s annual poetry competition is part of its literary festival. Winners will be invited to read their poems at a live event at the London Library. To enter, send original poems on the theme, of any length. This year’s judges are eminent author Alan Hollingsworth and Ambit editor and author Kirsty Allison. The winning poem will be published in Ambit and all winners will have their work published on Freedom from Torture’s website. Entry is a £5 donation to Freedom from Torture. The closing date is 28 October. Website: https://a-new-chapter-poetry-competition. raisely.com/…

Be bold and find your place

Bold Types Scottish Women’s Creative Writing Competition 2022 is inviting stories and poems on this year’s theme of ‘Finding Your Place’. The competition from Glasgow Women’s Library is for short fiction and poems by women born in Scotland or who have lived in Scotland. This inclues trans and intersex women as well as non-binary and gender fluid people. Shortlisted writers will be invited to read their work at an online event on 17 November and the winners will be announced on the night. Prizes include a one-to-one mentoring session with one of the judges, who this year include poet Sheila Templeton, writer Chita Ramaswamy and GWL librarian Wendy Kirk. Enter original, unpublished stories and poems up to 1,000 words on the ‘Finding Your Place’ theme. Writers may submit once to…

Be bold and find your place

Regional horror stories wanted

War Monkey Publications are opening submissions for their next anthology, From The Yonder Volume IV. This is to be a ‘horror, short-story collection of regional legends and tall-tales from around the world.’ The team want short story submissions, 1,000 to 7,500 words, which are based upon ‘a regional/cultural legend or tall-tale from any location or culture in the world.’ They define regional as a specific place (eg Loch Ness) or a larger area (eg Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest). Stories must be in the horror genre. ‘Inclusion of elements of other genres is welcome, so long as, overall, the story is an horror story.’ They will accept ‘Ghosts, hauntings, alien abductions, monsters, demons, spirits, witches, etc, as long as the subject is based on an actual legend or tall-tale.’ Don’t…

Regional horror stories wanted

GLOBAL NON-FICTION MARKET

The Jacobin (tag line ‘reason in revolt’) is a US quarterly print magazine now in its twelfth year, which with 75,000 subscribers describes itself as a leading voice of the American left. It offers socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture, and its website has over three million visitors a month. The editorial team welcome unsolicited essays, preferably under 2,000 words with a left wing political focus. Examples of recent pieces include, War and Instagram in Ukraine, Making Ends Meet in the Cinematic Apocalypse, and a look at Germany’s Funny Money. Check out the Jacobian at https://jacobin. com/issue/inflation then send your completed feature as an email attachment, together with a short abstract introducing your piece in the body of your email to submissions@ jacobin.com The editors try to respond as…

GLOBAL NON-FICTION MARKET

PEN rewards early career writers

PEN America seeks to ‘champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world’ and the PEN/Robert J Dau Short Story Prize aims to support the career launch of emerging writers of any age around the world. Twelve writers will receive $2,000 plus publication in an anthology to be published by the independent publisher Catapult. Entrants’ debut fictional story, of any style, should have been written and published in English in a literary magazine, journal, or cultural website publishing on a recurring schedule anywhere in the world in 2022. Submissions must be made by the editors of such publications and they may submit a maximum of four stories of no more than 12,000 words in each award year. The publication’s name or other identification should…

Representing disability and chronic illness

The £1,000 Barbellion Prize 2022 is a book prize for a work that has best represented the experience of disability or chronic illness The Barbellion Prize, now in its third year, is given for a book in any genre – fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir, critical nonfiction – that represents the experience of disability or chronic illness. Books may be traditionally, independently or self-published, and may be submitted by authors, agents and publishers. Entries may be works in translation. To be eligible for the 2022 Barbellion Prize, books should have been published between October 2021 and Octobr 2022. The prize is named after the writer WNP Barbellion, who wrote about his experience of living with multiple sclerosis before his death in 1919. Submit the book, preferably as a digital copy or pdf,…

Representing disability and chronic illness

Take note of timing

I suspect I am like many writers – when I have finished something then I want to see it published as soon as possible. I want to put a book on my shelf, show it to people and, hopefully, sell some copies and receive payment for them. But there are reasons not to rush. After all, a book is new only once (though maybe hardback and paperback?) and there are things to organise for its launch. These may involve collaborating with a publisher or, with self-publishing, going it alone. Many promotional things need to be ready to go on or around publication date; and remember that getting a news item in, say, a monthly magazine may mean sending something many weeks ahead. Timing needs considering carefully. In advance. You do…

Take note of timing

Café poetry break

Win a £1,000 first prize in the Café Writers Poetry Competition 2022 The annual contest for single poems is inviting entries of original, unpublished poetry up to forty lines. Poems may be in any style or form, and on any subject. The first prize is £1,000. The second prize is £300, and the third, £200. Five commended poets will each win £50, and there is a special £100 Norfolk Prize for the best poem by a Norfolk resident not winning another prize. The sole judge is poet Jennifer Wong. The entry fee is £4 per poem, of £10 for three and £2 per poem thereafter. One free entry is offered for any writer with a household income of less than £16,000 for whom the cost of entry would be prohibitive.…

Café poetry break

Cross genre boundaries

Wandering Wave Press is a publisher of ‘unconventional genre fiction’. They are currently closed to book subs, but they have short but frequent windows of submissions. Short stories are wanted for their next anthology, An Anthology of Unconventional Stories. They want ‘genre authors who cross boundaries. Authors whose stories twist the tropes to showcase in a cross-genre anthology of stories that entertain, but read fresh and new.’ They like stories ‘that can’t be classified, the story that can’t be pigeon-holed into a single subgenre, or that pushes against a genre’s boundaries.’ For example: ‘Witches in space, or a romance that flip gender roles, or alternate [sic] histories set in the near-future, even medical thrillers set in the distant past.’ How about fairy tales that start after the ‘happily ever after,’…

Cross genre boundaries

ONLINE CULTURE MARKET

Website the Daily Beast’s ‘Obsessed’ section is always looking for pop culture reactions, explainers, interviews, reviews, and opinion pieces, whether they are about TV, movies, music, celebrities, or internet culture. The editorial team say that if you’re passionate about something, the likelihood is that they might be, too. They pride themselves on publishing work with ‘fun, fresh, unique points of view’. The editorial goal is to give writers the space to be passionate – extremely funny, irreverent, and goofy when that’s warranted, or ‘angry, spicy, and unapologetic’ when that’s appropriate. They will consider well-researched and reported features, but above all else, Obsessed is a place to have the pop culture conversations people are excited about. You are highly recommended to check out some recent stories first before pitching so as to…

ONLINE CULTURE MARKET

Win a $100 prize for a short story told in just six words in the free-to-enter Six Word Wonder 2022 competition, organised by US writer Doug Weller. Enter up to six six-word stories, memoirs, jokes or poems.The winner will receive $100 and publication in a future Six Word Wonder series book.The closing date is 30 November. Website: www. dougweller.net/ contest/ The inaugural shortlist for the Polari Prize’s Children’s andYA category is: Nen and the Lonely Fisherman, Ian Eagleton and James Mayhew; Grandad’s Camper, Harry Woodgate; Not My Problem, Ciara Smyth; The Accidental Diary of BUG, Jen Carney; Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating, Adiba Jaigirdar. The winner was due to be announced alongside the adult prize in October. Website: www. polarisalon.com/ polari-prize ‘My generation, when we were first publishing…

UK SCRIPTWRITING MARKET

The BBC’s Open Call for Drama and Comedy Drama scripts opens on 9 November and closes 7 December for submissions of scripts written for film, TV, radio, stage or online, including children. The call is open to writers over the age of eighteen living in the UK or republic of Ireland. This scheme aims to find writing talent rather than scripts to be developed and produced for BBC broadcast: ‘We see all scripts as a calling card to showcase a writer’s talent, ability and voice.’ Shortlisted writers will be offered a variety of opportunities including Drama Room, a one-year writer development scheme, and a place on one of the Voices development groups around the country. What is being specifically sought in scripts are a writer’s distinctive voice, an original take…

UK SCRIPTWRITING MARKET

A CALL FOR SHORT COMEDY SCRIPTS

Original stage comedy scripts of a maximum ten minutes are invited from writers of any age or geographical location for the 2023 Snowdance 10-Minute Comedy Festival which will take place in Wisconsin, USA. The winning entries will be performed by Over Our Heads Players and after the performances audience members will vote for their favourites. The writers of plays selected for production will receive a $50 Royalty payment, the Best in Show winner will receive $500 and there are second and third prizes of $200 and $100. Musicals, adaptations and translations are not eligible. Scripts, with a definite emphasis on comedy, should have 1-4 characters and not require elaborate staging. The closing date for submissions is 1 November and they may be made by post or email. Scripts selected for…

A CALL FOR SHORT COMEDY SCRIPTS

Novel Ideas What’s in a name?

‘Why do some writers use pen names?’ is a question I was once asked in an ‘ask the author’ event. I thought back to when I first used one. ‘When you murder your in-laws,’ I said. It sounded flippant but it really isn’t a good idea to have your mother-in-law open a magazine and read about how you murdered her. Then I remembered a friend who wrote under two names and explained how if you were writing erotic novels but also books for young children it makes sense to have two names. If a child enjoys a book and their parent searches the author’s name to see what else they’ve written they could be shocked to discover that the author of Sammy The Sea-lion also wrote Kinky Sex by The…

Novel Ideas What’s in a name?

The Indigo Autumn Poetry Prize 2022 is inviting entries is for original, unpublished poems up to forty lines, in any form and on any subject. First prize is £250, and second and third prizes are £100 and £50. Winning poems will also get magazine publication. The entry fee is £5 per poem, £9 for two or £12 for three.The closing date is 30 October. Website: www. indigodreams publishing.com/ competitions The winners of the 2022 Creative Futures Writers Awards are: Poetry: Platinum: Lerah Mae Barcenilla; Gold: Helen Price; Silver: Karen Downs- Barton; Bronze: Nnadi Samuel; highly commended: Oluwaseun Olayiwola; commended: Jay Farley. Prose: Platinum:Yvonne McLeod; Gold: Hannah Caitlyn Lee; Silver: K. Devan; Bronze: Alex Joynes; highly commended: Anne Elicaño-Shields; commended: Olivia Mark. Cambridge Literature Festival’s Winter Festival will take place between…

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

Acre Books is the small press offshoot of The Cincinnati Review. The editorial team specialise in ‘publishing beautifully crafted fiction and poetry by new as well as established writers in the US and beyond’. They want fine literary work, welcome poets especially but they are not overly traditional and have catholic tastes. Check out their guidelines and publisher’s list then submit online using their contact form. Attach ten pages ‘and tell the team a bit about yourself and your book’. The work must be a full length novel or collection of poetry. No reprints, multiple or simultaneous subs. Rights and royalties are discussed with the contract. Response time is ‘very slow’ but the team responds to every submission. Website: https://acre-books.com…

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

Radio plays wanted

Original radio plays of any genre from writers around the world are invited by Shoestring Radio Theatre, a San Francisco based nonprofit founded in 1988. Plays broadcast include ‘adaptions of traditional favourites, everything from classic murder mysteries, radio noir and historical dramas to contemporary comedies, thrillers and science fiction’. Plays for the weekly broadcasts should be a maximum 25-28 minutes long. Depending on formatting this will be approximately one minute per page. Plays of 50-60 minutes, to be aired in two parts, and ten-minutes plays are also welcome. There are no restrictions on formatting your play but dialogue, sound effects and music cues must be clear. Although there is currently no payment made for scripts the plays will be aired nationally and on public radio stations across the US and…

Radio plays wanted

Choose Galley Beggar

The Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize from Galley Beggar Press is an international competition inviting entries of original, unpublished short fiction from published and unpublished writers anywhere in the world. The winner of the 2022/23 competition receives £2,500 and each shortlisted author gets £200. Longlisted authors receive £50 and a fourbook subscription to Galley Beggar Press. This year’s judges are Meena Kandasamy, Jarred McGinnis and Jon McGregor as well as the directors of Galley Beggar Press. Enter short fiction in any style or genre, up to 6,000 words. Entry costs £10 per story. 225 free entries are being offered on a firstcome, first served basis for writers unable to afford the entry fee. The closing date is 16 October. Website: www.galleybeggar.co.uk/prize…

The winners of the world’s most prestigious speculative fiction awards, the Hugo Awards, were announced in September at the 80th World Science Fiction Convention in Chicago. The winners were: Best Novel, A Desolation Called Peace, Arkady Martine; Novella, A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Becky Chambers; Novelette, Bots of the Lost Ark, Suzanne Palmer (Clarkesworld, Jun 2021); Short Story, Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather, Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Mar/Apr 2021); Best Series, Wayward Children, Seanan McGuire; Graphic Story or Comic, Far Sector, NK Jemisin, art by Jamal Campbell; Best Related Work, Never Say You Can’t Survive, Charlie Jane Anders; Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form, Dune, screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, and Eric Roth; Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form, The Expanse: ‘Nemesis Games’, written by Daniel Abraham, Ty Franck, and Naren…

History Today magazine is a long-running history magazine credited with the invention of ‘popular history’. It covers all periods of history from the classical world to contemporary, aimed at a curious, wellinformed readership. Contributors are academics and historically literate journalists, and submissions for original, authoritative articles are welcomed. Feature-length articles are between 3,000-3,400 words; mid-length articles are 1,300-2,200 words and shorter History Matters articles (which also appear on the website) as 1,000 words. Send a brief proposal and introductory note about your career/academic background by email. Website: www.historytoday.com/ History Workshop Journal promotes radical history for the digital age and reflects on the contemporary issues shaping the world. Contributions are welcomed for the print magazine on particular archives and sources, and the practice and production of history in education, museums, the…

Dragon Soul fills anthology holes

Although closed to novel submissions, Dragon Soul Press need submissions for their many anthologies. Upcoming with deadlines of 30 November are Union and Beastly Tales, both R rated. • The Union anthology wants science fiction romance stories, 3,000-15,000 words. Outer space and aliens are accepted. All heat levels are accepted. • Beastly Tales needs ‘monster romance’ short stories, 3,000-to 20,000 words. Erotica is preferred. • With a longer deadline of 30 April, 2023, Soul Ink: Volume 1 has an overall limit for poetry and prose of 1,000 words, eg one of 1,000 words or two or three adding up to 1,000 words in total. More anthologies with later deadlines are listed on the website. For prose, two submissions per anthology are permitted. Response time is no more than thirty days…

Dragon Soul fills anthology holes

Kithe is a hybrid literary and art journal published by an editorial team who believe ‘that all creative endeavours are an effort to be made known’. They feel that people ‘show through… language and… art what and who they are,’ and in doing that ‘reveal and make known one to another.’ What the team like are ‘the kind of stories they haven’t heard before’ or old stories told in new ways. They like to ‘feature art and writing that holds the undiscovered and engages revealing author to reader. Submissions are currently open for prose, under 4,000 words, poetry up to three pages in total, visual art, three pieces per submission, and graphic narratives, no more than five pages total. Format prose in a docx or pdf file and poetry as…

A big prize here

An international contest for original, previously unpublished short stories of any genre or theme the ServiceScape Short Story Award has a prize of $1,000 for the winner who will also see their story featured on a blog which has a readership of some thousands each month. You must be over the age of eighteen to enter. Stories, written in English, should be no more than 5,000 word long and judges will be looking for the quality of the writing when selecting the winner, who will be notified by email in December 2022. If you are stuck as to what to write about there is a Writing Prompt Generator on the website with 1,153 short story ideas Submit a story before the deadline of 30 November using the application form on…

For young playwrights

A playwriting competition organised by the award winning California based Green Room Theatre Company is for writers aged 12-19 years on 24 March 2023. Three winning plays will each earn their writers $200 and their plays will have a staged reading performance at the Coachella Valley Festival for Young Playwrights which takes place on 25-26 March 2023. Green Room Theatre Company is a non-profit organisation founded thirteen years ago. It directs its education programme towards young people and underserved communities. All submissions must relate, either literally or figuratively, to the Angelo Hernandez’s Walk in My Shoes artwork on the website. Plays should be 10-50 minutes long and have no more than six characters. They must have a title page and numbered pages and there is a title page and script layout…

For young playwrights

GLOBAL FICTION MARKET

Flexible Press is a US traditional book publisher with an editorial team ‘dedicated to supporting authors, communities, and mission-driven non-profits through story’. As well as full-length books the team publish charity anthologies where the profits go to a designated charity. Currently the team seek submissions of novels, specifically literary fiction. Do read the guidelines and get a feeling for the team’s tastes. Look at their list and read some of their books. This team ‘will do whatever we can to make you successful’ but they do expect an author will ‘bust tail to sell their books’. If they feel the submission has wider potential than their small press they will recommend trying to get an agent. However if an author has been rejected several times but knows their book has…

GLOBAL FICTION MARKET

Enter your best writing tip in the free-entry My Writing Journey 2022 competition. TheWriters College contest is for original 600-word writing advice pieces on the theme: ‘The best writing tip I ever received’.The winner will receive NZ$200 (£100). Entry is free.The closing date is 31 December. Website: www. writerscollegeblog. com/ Tom Doherty Associates, which owns theTor, Forge, Nightfire, Tordotcom, TorTeen, and Starscape science fiction and fantasy imprints has changed its name toTor Publishing Group. Devi Pillai, group president and publisher, said, ‘Although theTor name has always been associated with science fiction and fantasy, our list has included titles beyond that genre since our inception. With this name change and continued growth, theTor name will now stand for quality in various types of genre publishing, with each imprint representing a distinct…

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

The Drift, founded in 2020, has been described by the New York Times as ‘The lit mag of the moment’. Editors Kiara Barrow and Rebecca Panovka say the print and digital magazine, ‘aims to introduce new work and new ideas by young writers who haven’t yet been absorbed into the media hivemind and don’t feel hemmed in by the boundaries of the existing discourse.’ Published three times a year, The Drift features longform essays and cultural criticism, short fiction, poetry, interviews, dispatches, and ‘extremely abbreviated reviews’. You can read free articles here to get a sense of the magazine at www.thedriftmag.com/issues/ Recent features have included, A Little Spectrum-y – What the Autism Diagnosis Says About You, and Truth and Consequences – Documentaries and the Art of Manipulation and, “Determined to…

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

For writers internationally

Flash Frontier is published quarterly and although some issues are open only to writers in New Zealand, the December issue with a deadline of 30 November is open to writers worldwide. Founded in 2012 the magazine features stories of 250 words. Editors are looking for variety and originality and invite you to ‘Tickle us, haunt us, gobsmack us. Choose your words carefully and leave our readers wanting more’. Check out the website to read content. The theme for the December issue is ‘Wonder’ and all pieces submitted must be previously unpublished in print or in an electronic journal. Work published on a writing workshop site is eligible. The magazine awards four prizes each year for selected stories and also nominates a selection of their published stories for anthologies and prizes…

For writers internationally

A whileback I returned from a muchpostponed visit to the United States. Despite travel still existing in troubled times, all went smoothly, and I returned, rather to my surprise in the prevailing circumstances, with my suitcase. As ever, whether such a trip provides something about which you can write depends on what occurs along the way. As we returned from this trip, we entered a chaotic and packed check-in area at Boston airport to discover that the problem was what appeared to be the entire compliment of passengers for a British Airways flight clustered round a single member of staff who appeared to be telling them that nobody would be going anywhere that day. Maybe there is some mileage in that. Martha’s Vineyard was a delightful place but is very…

Prole Books are inviting entries for their 2022 Prole Laureate poetry competition, for poetry on any subject that engages, challenges and entertains the reader. First prize is £300 with two £75 runners-up. Winners will be published in Prole 34.This year’s judge is Ross Wilson. The entry fee is £3, £2 each subsequent.The closing date is 5 November. Website: https:// prolebooks.co.uk/ The Canadian Griffin Poetry Prize has unveiled its largest ever award to celebration its twenty year anniversary, with Can$130,000 on offer for a single book of poetry. Website: https:// griffinpoetryprize. com The shortlist for this year’s BBC National Short Story Award is: And the Moon Descends on the TempleThat Was by Kerry Andrew; Flat 19 by Jenn Ashworth; Long Way to Come for a Sip of Water by Anna Bailey;…

UK NON-FICTION MARKET

Small independent publishers of non-fiction books, Pugmill Press have strong ethics and say they ‘ensure that a fair share of any profit made from a book goes directly to the author’. All their books are published in countries which respect workers’ rights and there is ‘an emphasis on health and safety for those working in the printing industry’. The publisher is open to proposals of concise nonfiction proposals of 35,000-45,000 words which are not academic or technical books. Initially send a 300 word summary and you are advised to think about images for your proposed book as it will be your responsibility to source and clear copyright for the images. For guidance on this check out a copy of a blog on the website ‘How to Successfully Incorporate Photographs and…

UK NON-FICTION MARKET

QUICK REVELATIONS

Epiphany is a semi-annual literary journal publishing ‘online essays, fiction, and poetry’ by writers of all levels. It needs work which ‘transcends convention and demonstrates literary mastery’. Download a digital version to get a sense of the great variety of stories, poems, essays, and genre-bending work that is published and note the themes which keep returning. For fiction the team want stories 1,000 words or fewer because ‘A short story doesn’t have to be long to break your heart or change your life.’ They seek devastating short fiction, ‘in any category or genre, that can be read in one giant gulp.’ They want stories which are epiphanies, that pause in time followed by a shift in thinking. exceptional.’ Poetry should ‘celebrate and redefine the possibilities of language and form... explore…

QUICK REVELATIONS

Wonderful to write

The East Riding Festival of Words Poetry Competition is inviting entries of original, unpublished poems up to 45 lines, on this year’s theme, which is ‘My Wonderful World’. In the adult category, there is a Jubilee Prize of £500, an East Riding Gold Prize of £200, and and East Riding Silver Prize of £150. There are also two £25 highly commended prizes. The entry fee is £4 per poem. There are two free-entry competitions for school-age children. The East Riding Primary competition and the East Riding Secondary competition both have prizes of £75 and £50, and two £25 highly commended prizes in each age category. The judging panel of Yorkshire poets includes James Nash, Wendy Pratt and Matthew Hedley Stoppard. The East Riding Festival of Words takes place between 18…

Wonderful to write

Pirates’ hoard?

Publishers Wiley, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, and Hachette Book Group, are accusing the popular website the Internet Archive of ‘willful [sic] mass copyright infringement’ arguing that the site’s practice of lending digitised versions of books is blatant copyright violation. Maria A Pallante, CEO of The Association of American Publishers said, ‘Outrageously, IA has wrapped its large-scale infringement enterprise in a cloak of public service, but that posture is an affront to the most basic principles of copyright law. We hope and expect that the court will uphold established legal precedent, including by recognising that formats are neither fungible nor free for the taking, but rather a key means by which authors and publishers exercise their copyright interests, develop new markets, and contribute to public progress.’ The case is expected to…

Pirates’ hoard?

INTERNATIONAL ZINE SCENE

Guernica is looking for submissions of poetry, essays, reportage/journalism, criticism and fiction. Read the guidelines carefully to make sure that the submissions go to the correct section. Global Spotlights is for excerpts of work, 3,000-7,000 words, ‘published outside the Western corridors of literary taste-making and prestige’. Work is accepted in translation, particularly work which ‘retains inflections of the original.’ In fiction, they’re looking for short stories, novel excerpts, and hybrid texts, ‘fiction that is adventurous, unapologetic, experimental’. For non-fiction, it’s essays, reportage, memoir, criticism, and hybrid forms. Submissions in either genre must have been published within the last year by magazines, zines, and independent publishing houses outside the US and Canada, Western Europe, and Australia. Check the guidelines for specific details. General fiction submissions should be 2,000-7,000 words. Poetry, 1-5…

INTERNATIONAL ZINE SCENE

Make time for GOD

The Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition 2022 The annual contest from Munster Literature Centre has a €2,000 first prize. The competition is for single poems up to forty lines. Poems may be on any subject and in any style. All entries must be original, unpublished and unbroadcast. The first prize is €2,000, a featured reading at the Cork International Poetry Festival including a four-night hotel stay with full board, publication in Southword and being featured on the Southword Poetry Podcast. the second prize is €500 and publication in Southword, and the third prize is €250 and publication in Southword. Ten runners up will each get €50 and publication. This year’s judge is Suji Kwock Kim. The entry fee is €7 per poem or €30 for a batch of five. The closing…

New angle for book prizes

Ipswich Institute has announced its literary prizes for 2022/2023. The New Angle Prize for Literature, which was set up in 2009, is a biennial award given for a book of literary merit that is set in or influenced by the region of East Anglia. Books entered for the New Angle Prize 2023 must have been published between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2022, and may be fiction, non-fiction or poetry. Books may be submitted by authors, agents or publishers. The winner will receive £2,000 and there is a £500 prize for the runner-up. The Creative Suffolk Award from the New Angle Prize and University of Suffolk is for outstanding writing that contributes to Suffolk’s creative output. The winner will receive £2,000. Entries may be full-length works of fiction and…

New angle for book prizes

GLOBAL BOOK MARKET

The Mad Duck Coalition is a publishing house aiming to be ‘a haven for the intellectually curious’. The team call themselves ‘A flock of brave mad men and women… interested in unique ideas, excellent observations, and engaging prose.’ Quirky, their imprints are named around the duck theme. What they want is ‘authorial integrity, intellectual rigor, and passionate pursuits.’ Big Ripple Books is The Mad Duck Coalition’s first imprint, ‘the nesting place for quality prose narratives, fiction and non-fiction’. They accept subs of ‘traditionally literary narratives, fiction and non-fiction, of all lengths.’ They also publish ‘memoirs, experiments, and bona fide literature’ but only the best. In The Weeds Provocations is the first half of The Mad Duck Coalition’s academic imprints for leading academic vanguards, the avant-gardes. This is their ‘heart and…

GLOBAL BOOK MARKET

Creative Mind’s Travel Writing Competition is for short stories up to 1,500 words and poems up to forty lines exploring the ‘travel’ theme from any angle. Prizes are £50, £30 and £20 in each category. All entries may be considered for an anthology. The entry fee is £3 or £5 for up to three pieces.The closing date is 26 October. Website: https:// creativemind.co.uk/ creative-writingcompetition-2022/ The shortlist for the 2022 Mo Siewcharran Prize, with a focus on crime and thrillers this year, is: Incarnations of an English Subject, Kalbinder Dayal; The Search for Othella Savage, Foday Mannah; Arranged Murder, Faaiza Munir; Their Unseen Truth, Kingsley Pearson; The Labelled Bones, Felicity Yeoh. Due to be announced on 28 September, the winner received £2,500, editorial feedback, introductory meetings with agents and Quercus’s rights,…

UK MAGAZINE MARKET

Acting features director and membership content editor for Women’s Health magazine, Georgie Lane-Godfrey, is accepting pitches for ‘health, fitness and nutrition-based ideas for long read features’. You must be UK based. Rates for the web version of the magazine start at £150 per post. Familiarise yourself with the content at www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/ then send your pitch to email your pitch to georgie.lane-godfrey@hearst.co.uk Recent articles have included, What to know about Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, Study shows we don’t get happier as we get older, “Poo transplants” to be offered via the NHS, and 6 simple tennis elbow exercises to soothe pain. Follow on Twitter @GeorgieLGodfrey / @UKWomensHealth…

UK MAGAZINE MARKET

Net a big memoir prize

The Fish Short Memoir Prize from Fish Publishing is inviting entries of short memoir writing up to 4,000 words. The winner will receive €1,000. There are runner-up prizes of online writing courses and €300. The ten best memoirs will be published in the Fish Anthology 2023, and their authors will be invited to read at the launch during the West Cork Literary Festival in July 2023. This year’s judge is Sean Lusk. All entries must be original and unpublished life writing. There is no restriction on theme or style. The entry fee is €18 for the first and €11 for any subsequent entries. The closing date is 31 January 2023. Website: www.fishpublishing.com/competition/short-memoir-contest/…

Flash your novels

Win a £500 first prize in the Flash 500 Novel Opening 2022 contest for the beginning of a novel manuscript plus synopsis. Submit the first 3,000 words of an unpublished novel manuscript in any genre, plus a synopsis no longer than 750 words. Novelists entering the competition may by unpublished, published or self-published, but the manuscript must never have been published in any form. The competition will be judged by Headline Publishing. The winner will receive £500 and there is a £200 prize for the runner up. The entry fee is £10 for one novel, £18 for two, and £26 for three. The closing date is 31 October. Website: https://flash500.com/novels/…

Flash your novels

Win a £1,000 prize for a story set in a randomly assigned period of history in the Globe Soup 2022 Historical Fiction Short Story Challenge. The competition is for original, unpublished short stories up to 4,000 words. Each entrant will be randomly assigned a historical period on entering. Stories must be set in that period, and may use real or completely fictional characters and events. It is up to the writer how much the history influences the plot. The winner will receive £1,000. The entry fee is £15 for each story (early entry £12). The closing date is 28 October. Website: www.globesoup.net/historical-fiction-challenge…

Bright lights in Canadian specfic

The 2022 Aurora Awards, for the best speculative fiction published in Canada have been announced as: Best Novel: Jade Legacy, Fonda Lee; Best YA Novel: Walking in Two Worlds, Wab Kinew; Best Novelette/Novella: The Annual Migration of Clouds, Premee Mohamed; Best Short Story: The Mathematics of Fairyland, Phoebe Barton, Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 129; Best Graphic Novel/Comic: It Never Rains, Kari Maaren; Best Poem/Song: Cat People Café, Carolyn Clink, Polar Starlight #3; Best Related Work: Alias Space and Other Stories, Kelly Robson; Best Fan Writing and Publication: Polar Borealis, Issues #17 to #20, edited by R Graeme Cameron.…

Bright lights in Canadian specfic

Indie publisher Quill & Crow has announced its first flash fiction and poetry contest. Tales of Toys & Terror is a competition for horror flash fiction and poetry no longer than 250 words involving toys and dolls. The winner’s piece will be featured in The Crow’s Quill magazine’s November ‘Toy Box’ issue and in the Quill & Crow newsletter, and the winner will receive two Quill & Crow titles. The runner up’s piece will be included in the newsletter and they will get one Q&C book. The third-placed piece will be included in the newsletter. Send original, unpublished work. Entry is free. Each writer may enter one piece. The closing date is 14 October. Website: www.quillandcrowpublishinghouse.com…

WolfSinger calls for dog stories

US indie publishes mainly science fiction and fantasy novellas and novels. They will consider other genres, but not children’s and erotica. Subs are open until 31 December for novels and novellas, 25,000-80,000 words. Check out their guidelines and publisher’s list. They also publish anthologies and currently need submissions for a charity anthology, Tails From the Front Lines 2, in aid of the El Paso County Sheriff ’s Office K9 Unit. Submit stories, 1,000 to 7,000 words, involving ‘four-legged peace officers’ in any genre and any setting throughout history, the present or future. Flash fiction is allowed. Stories should be positive about police dogs and law enforcement in general. The deadline is 15 March. Response time is ‘slow’. Payment is $20 for the anthology, with additional profits going to the charity.…

WolfSinger calls for dog stories

Bestselling author Jemma Wayne works school hours. ‘I’m usually at my desk from after the kids are at school until pick-up time,’ she says. ‘Sometimes things flow, sometimes it’s a long slog, so I may write from 500 words to three or four thousand in a day. School holidays are less work intense. One of the great privileges of writing is that it can be flexible and I’m able to grab fleeting moments. When my children are home, I’ll only do a couple hours of writing in the day, and sometimes more in the evening. ‘My children are 11, 8 and 3, so we’re a young family, and at a time in life where we look inwards to that. Most of our social lives seem to be structured around the…

Since 2020, we’ve all become more used to living virtually. In March 2020, like so many of us, I watched my ‘real life’ events and meetings get cancelled one by one and got used to meeting people via Zoom and Facetime. I live in France, which made travelling and in-person meetings a challenge even when the world opened up. Bizarrely this meant that I never met the two editors I worked with at my previous publisher, and never got to see my book in a UK bookstore (other than via a photo). Sometimes, my overactive imagination had me wondering whether my publishing ‘journey’ was all an elaborate hoax. Did my editor really exist? What about my agent? Was I really communicating with a publishing house in the UK, or some…

In This Issue

Description

Details

Reviews

Recent Digital Issues Browse all

Recent Writing Digital Issues Browse all back issues

Writing (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2024 Issue

Writing (Digital) September 2024: $5.91

Writing (Digital) Subscription August 1st, 2024 Issue

Writing (Digital) August 2024: $5.78

Writing (Digital) Subscription June 6th, 2024 Issue

Writing (Digital) July 2024: $5.69

Writing (Digital) Subscription May 2nd, 2024 Issue

Writing (Digital) June 2024: $5.73

Writing (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2025 Issue

Writing (Digital) March 2025: $5.58

Writing (Digital) Subscription February 1st, 2025 Issue

Writing (Digital) February 2025: $5.58

Writing (Digital) Subscription January 1st, 2025 Issue

Writing (Digital) January 2025: $5.63

Writing (Digital) Subscription December 1st, 2024 Issue

Writing (Digital) December 2024: $5.73

Writing (Digital) Subscription November 1st, 2024 Issue

Writing (Digital) November 2024: $5.80

Writing (Digital) Subscription October 1st, 2024 Issue

Writing (Digital) October 2024: $6.02

Writing (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2024 Issue

Writing (Digital) September 2024: $5.91

Writing (Digital) Subscription August 1st, 2024 Issue

Writing (Digital) August 2024: $5.78

Writing (Digital) Subscription June 6th, 2024 Issue

Writing (Digital) July 2024: $5.69

Writing (Digital) Subscription May 2nd, 2024 Issue

Writing (Digital) June 2024: $5.73

Writing (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2025 Issue

Writing (Digital) March 2025: $5.58

Writing (Digital) Subscription February 1st, 2025 Issue

Writing (Digital) February 2025: $5.58

Writing (Digital) Subscription January 1st, 2025 Issue

Writing (Digital) January 2025: $5.63

Writing (Digital) Subscription December 1st, 2024 Issue

Writing (Digital) December 2024: $5.73

Reviews