Have you ever wanted to write a novel? How do you get it out of your head and onto the page? How do you handle structure, dialogue and plot? And once it’s written, what is the best way to get it published?
How To Write A Novel Event
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? How do you get it out of your head and onto the page? How do you handle structure, dialogue and plot? And once it’s written, what is the best way to get it published? 
Orbis Literary Journal
Orbis is a long-standing quarterly international literary journal, based in the UK, and edited by Carole Baldock. Associate editor (Book Reviews): Nessa O'Mahony.
In every issue: poems, prose, articles, reviews, letters, featured writer section.
Plus the Orbis Poetry Index: magazine reviews, news items, competition listings.
Poems from the magazine are submitted annually to the Pushcart Prize in America and the UK’s Forward Prize. Although few UK Small Press publications are able to offer feedback, Orbis provides proofs with editorial suggestions.
It's also one of the few magazines to offer payment, via the Readers’ Award (results and readers’ feedback in each issue): £50 for the piece receiving the most votes, plus £50 between four runners-up.
Submission is easy....
By post:
Four poems; two prose pieces (500-1000 words). Please enclose SAE with ALL correspondence. Overseas: 2 IRCs.
Via email, Overseas only:
two poems/one piece of prose in body – no attachments
Copies of Orbis may be perused online at the Poetry Library website:
And here's the Facebook Page
There's also... the jam- packed- with- writing -opportunities Kudos Magazine who are running a special offer to celebrate the 100th issue.
It’s an
excellent resource for those interested in UK publication - it features competitions, small presses, festivals, literary
events etc... and you can check it out Here
Short Story Award
Got a story? The international Sean O Faolain Short Story Prize is open for entries - first prize is €2,000 (approx $2760/£1640) , publication in Southword and a week in Anam Cara Writers centre. Deadline is July 31st, you can find out more Here
Waiting for the Bullet
Madeleine DÁrcy's short story collection is called Waiting for the Bullet.Its published by Doire Press and its fantastic. After reading it I hunted her down for some questions...
1. You mentioned Agatha Christie (in the collection),
and all your stories are suspenseful. Is the unraveling of the story something
that happens organically or do you address that in the final edits, in terms of
revelation?
I’d
like to sound ultra-competent and tell you that the ‘unraveling’ is planned in
advance or organised in some way. In fact, what really happens is that I start
writing something on a piece of paper. Then I type it up and keep going.
When
I get a bit fed up of typing, I print out what is essentially the first draft
and it’s usually terrible – a right mess.
Then
I scribble all over that first draft in all directions and it looks even worse
– words crossed out, sentences with circles round them, arrows pointing in
different directions – like a deranged mind map or a weird word-jigsaw. I then
save that file and redraft the whole thing. I juggle stuff around and rewrite
it all. I redraft and re-edit and ponder and faff around. I often discover that
I need to re-start the story much later in time, so the first page is often
quite different to the original first page. However, strange as it may seem,
the bones of the story are usually there right from the beginning, hidden in
the midst of the very first haphazard draft.
As
regards suspense, I don’t deliberately set out to create it, but thank you for
your question; it has taken me right back to my childhood visits to the musty
little library in our small town.
My
mother often took me to the library with her, when I was a pre-schooler. My
older brother was in school and my father was at work. We were ‘blow-ins’ and
knew no one in the town at first. It must have been lonely for her. She
borrowed heaps of books, mostly crime fiction by writers like Agatha Christie,
Dorothy L Sayers and Ngaio Marsh. She read Georgette Heyer novels too, and
loved everything by PG Wodehouse. I’m pretty sure I could read before I was
three years old. I zipped through the children’s section very quickly and then
started reading the books my mother borrowed, even though half the time I couldn’t
understand quite what they were about.
Even
after I started school, I still went to the library for more books to feed my
reading habit. I read anything I could lay my hands on. As a consequence, my
language got a bit odd. I was probably five or six when I announced one
Christmas that I was ‘on the horns of a dilemma’ – but all that was puzzling me
was which chocolate bar to choose from my Cadbury’s Selection Box. Even more
embarrassing was the time we had some visitors and one of them asked what I
wanted to be when I grew up. I told the assembled adults that I intended to be
‘The Belly of the Ball’. I meant ‘The Belle of the Ball’ but I had no idea that
there was a silent ‘e’ at the end of ‘Belle’.
Well,
I’m wandering a bit now, aren’t I? (yes, feel free to!)I’m trying to figure out an answer to your
question as I go along. Perhaps all the reading that I did as a lonely child
has embedded itself in my work, but if so, the results are coming out all
askew. I’d love to write a murder mystery, and given all the stuff I read as a
kid, you’d think I’d be able to manage it, but I can’t seem to push myself to
write to a formula; not yet, anyway. At the moment, I’m more interested in
discovering some kind of emotional truth; something that anyone can recognize,
because it’s not hidden in complex sentences or ornate language.
2. No its not hidden, and theres a lot of adultery,
which is always fascinating. Is this an interest of yours, or
to put it better - is it something you are attracted to exploring?
A.
I wish I didn’t feel the need to explore the subject of adultery. It’s a
painful subject for me, but I keep coming back to it. I have no desire to be
judgmental. People fall in and out of love; relationships change. It’s not
adultery per se that fascinates me, but the motivations and thought processes
involved.
When
I was much younger I worked as a criminal legal aid solicitor in London, so I
dealt with dishonesty quite a lot. However, I failed dismally to see the vast
and complex array of lies that paraded around me in my personal life. All that
is in the far distant past now, thank goodness, but the duplicity – and my
failure to see it, for a long time – shocked me. Adultery is a complex thing
and involves so much more than sex or love, doesn’t it? As well as lies, there
are all sorts of things going on: greed, money, addictions, revenge, egotism,
self-destruction, a need for excitement, a need to prop up some kind of
self-image, fear… I’m useless at telling lies myself. I can’t see the point. I
find it much simpler to tell the truth.
3. Yes, I felt that lies and secrets are pried open in your writing. I was particularly struck by the first story-
it felt like an opening statement, as if it was telling the reader -'this
collection wont be hiding any of our nations secrets, these stories will
contain the things, and people, society averts its eyes from...'?
A.
I’m so glad that ‘Clocking Out’ gave you that impression. I long to express
some kind of truth.
I
felt so confused as a child. When I was eight I wanted to be a nun and by the
time I was twelve I wanted to be a prostitute. I had no idea what either of
these professions entailed; it seems as if I thought life was some kind of
weird fancy dress party. Mind you, my sex education consisted of being given a
book called ‘Dear Daughter’ by Angela MacNamara, so it was no wonder I hadn’t a
clue. The real information I needed certainly wasn’t readily available in the
Ireland that I knew, in the 70’s and 80’s.
In
my day you couldn’t even have the conversation that led up to the conversation
that should have been happening in the first place, if you get my drift.
The
nuns made me stand in the corner during religion class in secondary school, for
asking too many questions. I was particularly bothered about the ‘fact’ that
unbaptised babies ended up in Limbo. In my imagination, all those tiny babies
floated around in space, all cold and lonely among the stars – I couldn’t bear
it. How could God let something so cruel happen? Why should those babies be
consigned to Limbo just because they weren’t baptised? It wasn’t their fault.
Astoundingly,
when I came back to Ireland in 1999 I discovered that Limbo had been abolished,
in my absence. No one had thought to tell me. I felt a bit cheated, to be
honest.
There
were many reasons why I left Ireland, but escape from all the double-think and
double-talk and double-standards was certainly one of them. The treatment of
the 24-year-woman at the centre of the Kerry Babies case in 1984 was shocking.
Nell McCafferty gives a very clear account of the case in a book called ‘A
Woman To Blame’ (Attic Press, 1985, reprinted 2010).
Now,
in 2014, the recent revelations about the Tuam babies bring all my nightmares
about Limbo back.
Of
course, not everyone toed the line and I really admire the people who stayed in
Ireland and campaigned about the issues that I felt strongly about: divorce, contraception,
abortion, gay rights, sexual violence, etc.
But
has anything really changed here in Ireland? The case of Savita Halappanavar
was appalling. It made me want to leave Ireland again. We need to get our
priorities straight. It seems ridiculous to me that there’s so much public
discussion and debate about GAA matches and whether Garth Brooks will play in
Croke Park or not – and so little time to talk honestly about the things that
are truly important.
I’d
have been no good in politics though. I’m very suspicious of knee-jerk
reactions and, frankly, people who shout too loudly on all sides of every
equation scare me. And though I have no time for organised religion, I totally
respect everyone’s right to practice their faith. Nothing is straightforward.
Life is complex. There are no easy answers. Well, I don’t have any. All I have
are questions. Limbo may be abolished but many questions remain to be answered.
4. I know what you mean, the Tuam Babies Case makes me want to leave this country. Your
writing feels quite honest Madeleine, clear-eyed... where do you think that comes from? How, do
you think, you can tell so well, the story of a gay man who has to keep his
grief a secret while attending a parent’s funeral?
The
story ‘A Good Funeral’ was inspired by many different tales of home-coming,
which I heard from friends both straight and gay. Coming home, even for a short
while, especially to a small town in Ireland, is fraught with invisible
tensions. There’s the interaction with one’s own family, the way your local
community views you and that gulf between your own existence in that world and
your life outside it. So it’s not just
the story of a gay man but also the story of the returned emigrant, of
hypocrisy, of greed and of loss.
Out
of all of the characters in ‘Waiting For The Bullet’, Luke, in ‘A Good Funeral’
is probably my favourite. He truly loved Bernard, and I firmly believe that it
is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. I know that’s
a cliché, but clichés often contain the truth.
I
was pondering on the first draft of this story one day but instead of doing any
work I deserted it and tootled down town instead. I bumped into a friend,
Fiona, in Patrick Street outside the bank and we stopped to chat. Somehow, the
conversation turned to funerals. That’s when she said, ‘Ah sure, a good funeral
is better than a bad wedding’, thus gifting me with the title. I’d never heard
of that phrase before and I loved it.
Of
course, weddings and funerals are always good fodder for a writer. My favourite
‘bad wedding’ in fiction is probably the title story in Walk The Blue Fields by Claire Keegan.
5. So, what are you working on at the
moment?
I’m
the scholarship student on the inaugural MA in Creative Writing in University
College Cork. It’s brilliant to get such a great opportunity and I’m trying to
make the most of it.
At
the moment I’m writing a radio drama for my thesis. Once I’ve completed the MA,
which runs until 3 October 2014, I plan to return to a novel that’s been in the
pipeline for a while.
Everything
I do involves story-telling. I want to write about real people and the strange
things they do, hopefully with both kindness and black humour.
6. Finally, I love quotes - have you one or two favorites that keep you on track and writing when you may feel like throwing in the
towel?
When things aren’t going so well and I need to put things
into perspective I like this little poem:
Comment
Oh, life is
a glorious cycle of song,
A medley of extemporanea;
And love is a thing that can never go wrong;
And I am Marie of Roumania.
A medley of extemporanea;
And love is a thing that can never go wrong;
And I am Marie of Roumania.
(Dorothy
Parker)
And
I love this quote:
Women are like teabags; they only
realise their own strength when they’re in hot water. (Eleanor Roosevelt)
On
writing, when I feel a bit stuck I like to remember the following:
Every
story needs a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that
order. (Jean Luc Godard)
A character is defined by the kinds
of challenges he cannot walk away from. And by those he has walked away from
that cause him remorse. (Arthur Miller)
Raymond
Carver’s essay, ‘On Writing’ is available on-line, and well worth reading for
the wealth of wisdom contained therein. One of my favourite sentences is:
But if the writing can’t be made as
good as it is within us to make it, then why do it? In the end, the
satisfaction of having done our best, and the proof of that labor, is the one
thing we can take into the grave. (Raymond Carver)
And
for general day-to-day living, here’s my favourite quote:
You can only see with your heart;
what is essential is invisible to the eye. (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
Battle Of The Books Award Night & Winners
The Battle of the Books took place last Saturday - it was a wonderful night, very light in mood with plenty of irreverant commentary from mentors Farry and Higgins. The standard of the shortlisted work was very high, we were highly entertained and moved by the readers. Here are some pics from the evening courtesy of renaissance man Paddy Smith.
 |
| The Mentors - Micheal Farry & Peter Higgins |
 |
| Winner of the Battle of the Books 2014 Angela Finn |
 |
| Winner of the audience prize Mark Doyle with Paddy Smith MC |
The Battle of the Books Judgement Night!
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Judgement Night is tonight in The Trim Castle Hotel at 8pm!
The shortlisted writers will read, I'll give my comments, and later announce the winner - the audience too will vote for their own winner who will receive the €100 Audience Prize. 'Helpful advice' will be delivered by the two mentors who will champion each of the shortlisted writers. 'Any similarity between Statler and Waldorf from The Muppets and our two Mentors, Peter Higgins and Michael Farry, is not entirely coincidental.' It's 5 Euro entry, and you can get tickets Here
The shortlisted writers will read, I'll give my comments, and later announce the winner - the audience too will vote for their own winner who will receive the €100 Audience Prize. 'Helpful advice' will be delivered by the two mentors who will champion each of the shortlisted writers. 'Any similarity between Statler and Waldorf from The Muppets and our two Mentors, Peter Higgins and Michael Farry, is not entirely coincidental.' It's 5 Euro entry, and you can get tickets Here
Battle of the Books Shortlist
Congratulations to the shortlisted authors! All ten are invited to read at The Battle of the Books in Trim Castle Hotel on Saturday 12th July at 8pm and when winner of the €500 prize will be announced. The titles of the shortlisted works are published on the Festival Website
Battle Of The Books Longlist 2014
Here's the 2014 Long list for the Battle of the Books! The Shortlist will be published Monday 7th July. Congratulations to everyone listed, and thanks to everyone who entered - the standard of entries was exceptionally high. For more details check out the Festival Website.
Title of piece | Prose or Poetry |
| Time you won’t get back | pr |
| The maggot as medicinal device | pr |
| Mary Poppins | po |
| Diary of an exhibition | pr |
| The Siege of Ushuaia | po |
| Foxfire | pr |
| Pygmalion | pr |
| The Letter | po |
| The Lunch Date | pr |
| Other Drivers | po |
| Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal | pr |
| Carphone, 1992 | pr |
| Mattys maiden Voyage | pr |
| Ah man you should’ve seen her | pr |
| Preparations for the journey | pr |
| Untying the knot | pr |
| If I was your wife | po |
| The Good Son | pr |
| The Wonders of Egypt | pr |
| Worksearch Journey | pr |
| Rainbow nation | po |
| Bewleys | po |
| Apres Paris | pr |
| Hilda | pr |
| Tiny Rooms | po |
| Waiting for John | pr |
| Airport bus to the city centre | po |
| The three dimensional traveller | pr |
| A tale to tell | pr |
| My Ray | pr |
Poethead
 |
| C Murray |
Fancy being inspired? Poethead, a poetry blog run by C Murray, features a wonderful poem by Moyra Donaldson, The Goose Tree today. The blog also contains a wealth of information on contemporary and historical poetry by women, including an index of Contemporary Irish Women Poets
The Stony Thursday Book
The Stony Thursday Book, one of Irelands longest running journals, is seeking poetry submissions from local, national and international poets for its next issue. Submissions are being sought in both English and Irish.
How to Submit:
- Each poet should send no more than 6 poems.
- Submitted poems must be previously unpublished.
- Submissions are being accepted by email and by post.
- When submitting poems in hardcopy please write your name and address on each page. Please mark envelopes: ‘The Stony Thursday Book 2014’.
- When submitting by email please reference ‘TSTB 2014’ in your subject line.
Send poems to:
The Stony Thursday Book 2014, Arts Office, Limerick City & County Council, City Hall, Merchant’s Quay, Limerick
Or by email to: artsoffice@limerick.ie
Closing Date for Submissions: Friday 8th August 2014
Note on the Editor:
This year's editor is Peter Sirr. Peter has published eight collections of poetry with Gallery Press, including The Thing Is, 2009, winner of the Michael Hartnett Award, and a Selected Poems, 2005, also published in the US by Wake Forest University Press. He is also active as an editor, critic and translator. He has written drama and columns for radio, and Black Wreath, his first children’s novel will be published by the Irish publisher O’Brien Press in 2014. Currently, as well as writing, he teaches Literary Translation in Trinity College Dublin. He is a member of Aosdána.
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