Submit Your Darlings

In the summer, and with school out, and my writing schedule eaten up - I love turning to shorter work, stories, poems, hybrid tales that are neither one or the other. There are plenty of places to send work at the moment. I posted previously about submitting to magazines  (and must update the list of Irish magazines - they've tripled in the past few years, a really good sign.) 

Words Ireland have a good list of magazines HERE. In the meantime, Mslexia are currently inviting submissions from women writers for their showcase section. They want stories of up to 2,200 words, poems of up to 40 lines, and short scripts of up to 1,000 words. 

The themes are...

Issue 76: YESTERYEAR
It’s often said that the past is another country. For this theme we invite you to take your imagination on a journey to history or prehistory and tell us about the poignant, tragic or amazing people and events you discovered there.  CLOSING DATE: 4 September 2017

Issue 77: BEWITCHED
For this theme we’re look for stories and poems with a mythical, mystical or paranormal aspect to them. So channel your inner Rowling and Pullman and open the door to daemons, dungeons and dragons.  CLOSING DATE: 4 December 2017

Submitting your work

Entries are judged anonymously, so please put your name on a separate cover sheet and omit your name from your poem or story. To send us your submissions online, fill in the form below and upload your submission document .

To send your entries by post, write to
Mslexia Publications
PO Box 656
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE99 1PZ.

For more info click HERE

Writing Space

Woodie Allen's writing desk

Constraints can often be good for creative work. I was becoming obsessed with finding a better writing space this year, one where I can switch into the world of my new novel. (One where I can't see my bloody sink!) And since a new corner or cranny didn't miraculously appear ( surprise, surprise!) I decided to hop in the car once a week and go write where the story is set. Those hours writing in the setting have jump started a vital connection and injected vibrancy into the writing. Place is very important to me when I write -  it provides the tone, atmosphere, the voice of a book (as opposed to the characters, the voices in the book). So it all worked out well, in the end, so far, you know what I mean.... I'm not ready to give up drooling over other people's writing spaces  yet though! Isn't Woodie Allen's just gorgeous, and quite ... grandmotherly, prim, queen bee-ish? There are more rooms HERE, not all as lovely as Woodie's.... 

And, Mslexia's short story competition is now open for entries.... 

 

A competition for unpublished short stories of up to 2,200 words. We accept work on all subjects, so write about anything and everything you fancy - we love to read it.

Deadline is 17th March, and the judge is Jane Rogers.

You can find out more HERE...

Good luck if you enter :)

'My own experience is that once a story has been written, one has to cross out the beginning and the end. It is there that we authors do most of our lying.'
- Anton Chekhov

Mslexia Poetry Prize

Mslexia Magazine have a competition for unpublished poems of any length, in any style, by women poets. The judge is Kathleen Jamie, & the closing date is the 17th June... ages away! The entry fee is £7 for up to 3 poems which isn't too steep either. For more information- click HERE - have fun :)

'I'll be looking for a poem that has energy (which is not the same as noise). I'll be seeking a poem which shows the tug and pull of language, written by a poet who has listened to what the poem wants to be.' (Kathleen Jamie)

Mslexia Novel Competition

Mslexia is a magazine for women who write. The competition is open to children's novels in any genre by previously unpublished women novelists, but it must be for children whoare able to read for themselves or for young adults. Crossover fiction(i.e. that aimed at children and adults) is eligible. Nonfiction, andfiction intended for adults is not eligible. To qualify as a novel,your book must total at least 30,000 words." ...and by the way the first prize is £5,000
Judging Panel:
Malorie Blackman, award-winning children's author.
Julia Churchill, literary agent specialising in children's books for Greenhouse Literary Agency
Julia Eccleshare, children's books editor at the Guardian newspaper.
Closing date: 10 September 2012

SOME REASONS TO ENTER

• Being shortlisted will put your novel at the top of any agent’s or editor’s in tray
• We guarantee an anonymous reading, so your book will be judged on thesame basis as those by ‘a friend of a friend of the editor’
• We will work with the future publisher of the winning entry to chronicle the book’s progress in the magazine and on our website 12 shortlisted authors will be invited to a networking event and introduced to a specially invited group of literary agents
• £5,000 – need we say more?

Click Here for more info, and good luck!

Boyne Berries 10

A poem of mine, 'My Lad', is to be included in 'Boyne Berries'!

The magazine is a journal of poetry and prose, published twice a year (March and September) by the Boyne Writers Group. It's edited by intrepid poet, historian, actor and blogger Michael Farry. This special tenth issue will be launched twice, yes, Twice! - at the Castle Arch Hotel, Trim on Thursday 29 September at 8pm and at Charlie Byrnes Bookshop, Galway, on Friday 30 September 6pm. I hope to get to one of them, here's to hope:)

I recently found a series of online poetry workshops by Jane Holland in Mslexia, that are really worth checking out, they made me realise I often became (unnecessarily?) attached to elements in a first draft, to quote -

"... There is no such thing as the sacrosanct first draft, which must under no circumstances be changed, for fear of losing something precious and irrecoverable. Writing is a process, and during that process any number of decisions, conscious or otherwise, are made before a single word is written. There’s no mystery about this. Your initial choices may be instinctive, but they are washed through filters of arrogance, influence, self-censorship, experience, fear, understanding, partiality…the list goes on. "

Is nothing sacred!?

Upcoming Writing Competitions

Some competitions for the coming months. Confession: I now believe in multiple submissions. Send them everywhere!

Strokestown
Poetry
Deadline 24th Jan

Mslexia
Stories: Max wordcount 2,200.
Deadline 24th Jan

Cuirt New Writing Prize
Poetry: 3 poems, each under 50 lines
Fiction: up to 2000 words
Non Fiction/Memoir: up to 2000 words
Deadline: 4th Feb

Bryan Mc Mahon
Short Stories of up to 3,000 words
Deadline 25th Feb

Fish
One Page
300 words or less
Deadline 20 March

Fish
Poetry
Under 200 words
Deadline 30 March

Molly Keane Writing Award
Short story competition.
Up to 2,000 words.
Deadline 24^th Mar

Bridport
SHORT STORIES: 1st prize = £ 5000 (approx. 8000 US$, 5900 € )
POEMS: 1st Prize = £ 5000 (approx. 8000 US$, 5900 €)
FLASH FICTION: 1st Prize =£ 1000 (approx. 1600 US$, 1180 €)
Deadline 30th June

Aesthetica
Up to 2 poems/ max 40 lines.
Stories - max word count 2000 words.
Deadline 31 Aug.

A few things I've learnt about submitting to competitions...

1. If you've just finished your story and it moves you to tears, laughter and/or awe - don't send it. You're not objective yet. Wait at least three to four days to correct errors that you were too misty eyed with genius to notice at first.
2. Before you email your work to the competition, email it to yourself. And edit it again. Then print it out again. And edit it again. Then send.
3. The process of submitting stories and poems is useful even if you don't win or get short listed - it brings your work up to a better standard. It improves your editing skills.
4. Only winners are contacted. You'll have to trawl the net to find out who won. Don't worry, you'll get used to it.
5. Don't just send your brilliant story to one competition and wait for half a year for the results. Send it to a few competitions of equal merit...whats the worst that can happen? If the story wins one you can email the others (if you're lucky enough to be shortlisted more than once)
6. Aways save the first unedited draft, it gives you the freedom to play around with subsequent drafts.
7. Don't spend too much money on competitions or you'll feel like a sucker and you'll be poor. Be selective. Give yourself a limit. Don't overlook a free entry!
8. If you've never heard of the competition, if you've never heard of the judge, if the entry fee is ten euro and the prize is a book token... restrain yourself!
9. We all have blindspots. If a story keeps coming back - get someone else to read it.
10. Switch off from competitions for long periods and just concentrate on your writing.
11. Don't forget why you started writing in the first place!