West Country Writers’ Association Competitions 2011
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions, Events on August 1, 2011
- Image via Wikipedia
If you fancy a visit to Bath next April, have a go at one (or both) of these annual competitions run by the West Country Writers’ Association:
- Short story competition – the winner will receive £50 in cash and will also be invited to spend one day at the 2012 West Country Writers’ Annual Congress in Bath (20th to 22nd April). Entries must not exceed 1200 words and can be on any theme but must include the words JANE AUSTEN. Entry fee is £5 and the competition is only open to writers who have had no more than 2 short stories professionally published or read on the radio. Closing date 12th December 2011.
- West Country Writers’ Bursary – all aspiring authors are invited to apply for this annual award. The bursary pays for an individual to attend the annual congress, including accommodation for two nights, all meals, which include the annual luncheon, and entry to the AGM and all talks by well-known writers, or others associated with publishing. To apply write a letter outlining your literary achievements so far, your hopes for future success, and a brief explanation of why you would like to attend the congress. No closing date on the website for this so I’d get your entries in early. It is a fantastic prize and all you have to do is write a letter!
Those of you that read this blog regularly will know that I was awarded the West Country Writers’ Association bursary last year and enjoyed a wonderful weekend in a lovely hotel near Plymouth in April. It was a great chance to chat with other writers and learn from their experiences. There is more about my experience here.
Full details of this year’s competitions, including where to send your entries, is here.
Staunton Harold Bells
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Non-writing on July 28, 2011
The picture shows the ringing chamber at Staunton Harold church in Leicestershire. The church is cared for by the 
National Trust and has 8 bells – these haven’t been rung since 1998 due to worries about the structure of the church.
When the volunteer guide discovered that I was a bell-ringer he offered to show me the ringing chamber, which isn’t open to the public. We went up the usual spiral staircase and into a chamber that time forgot. The blue sallies (the furry bits) on the ropes were thick with grey dust and the room seemed to have become a dumping ground for anything and everything. There were a couple of peal boards on the wall recording the ringing successes of earlier generations but what I found most interesting was the ‘music stand’ in the centre of the room.
I’ve been ringing since I was a teenager but have never seen a ‘music stand’ in a ringing chamber before. The ringers would place notes on it to remind themselves of what they were going to ring (usually the ringers have the pattern of changes in their heads or it is shouted by the ringing master). In the picture you can see candle holders on the stand that would have been essential on winter practice nights before electric lighting.
I was very grateful to the volunteer guide for allowing me this peek into history.
What has this got to do with writing? Nothing directly, except that I found it interesting and wanted to bring it to a wider audience – and all my attempts to get an article on bell ringing published have failed.
But then I got thinking about all the generations of ringers that have stood in that ringing chamber – big burly farm hands, soldiers who perished in the world wars, the first women to learn to ring etc etc. Could there be a family saga set around the church and its ringing fraternity? Or maybe a short story about a mutiny amongst the ringers? Or a Midsomer Murders type tale?
So that abandoned ringing chamber could have a lot to do with writing…
The New Writer Magazine
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions, Markets, Resources on July 25, 2011
The New Writer is a subscription only, quarterly writing magazine. Each edition includes a mix of features, fiction and
poetry along with regulars such as a Writers’ Circle Clinic by Simon Whaley.
The New Writer doesn’t have the glossy finish of Writing Magazine or Writers’ Forum nor does it have pages of adverts. I think the magazine has a cosy, friendly feel. The Spring 2011 edition included features on ‘First of a Million Kisses’ by romance writer Sally Quilford, ‘Travel Writing Perks’ by Roy Stevenson and ‘Make it Short & Snappy’ by me (!).
The magazine is open to unsolicited articles and features (for which it pays a small amount). Poetry is also accepted but fiction is restricted to guest writers, subscribers’ stories on a given theme and competition entrants.
The New Writer runs an annual Prose and Poetry Competition with 5 categories:
- Micro fiction – up to 500 words (2 entries for £5 or 3 entries for subscribers)
- Short stories – 500 to 5,000 words (1 entry for £5 or 2 entries for subscribers)
- Single poems (2 entries for £5 or 3 entries for subscribers)
- A collection of 6 – 10 poems (£12 entry)
- Essays, articles and interviews on any writing related subject – up to 2,000 words (1 entry for £5 or 2 entries for subscribers)
The annual closing date is 30th November and the prizes are:
Micro Fiction: 1st prize £150, 2nd £100, 3rd £50.
Short Stories: 1st prize £300, 2nd £200, 3rd £100.
Single Poem: 1st prize £100, 2nd £75, 3rd £50
Poetry Collection: 1st prize £300, 2nd £200, 3rd £100.
Essay/article/interview: 1st prize £150, 2nd £100, 3rd £50.
If all this has whetted your appetite then you can obtain a free back issue by sending an A4 SAE to the address shown on the website here (scroll to the bottom of the page for the offer).
From around the web…
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions, Self-publishing on July 21, 2011
… a few interesting bits and pieces
- Waterstones are offering a Faber Academy Creative Writing Short Course (worth £450) in a prize draw, the only snag is you need a Waterstone’s loyalty card to enter – so if you haven’t got one, get one now! Then click here for full details and your chance to win. Closing date 1st September 2011.
- Ian Arkell used the contact form on my ‘About’ page to tell me about his novel, ‘Who Your Mates Are’, which is available for free on his blog. It is a crime novel set in Sydney and the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. Ian came across the usual brick wall when he tried to get it published in the traditional way and so decided to put it in blog form. He explains why here.
- If you enjoy blogging and have an interest in natural health then here is the competition for you. The Wise Woman is running a Natural Health Blog Competition. 500 words on any topic related to natural health could win you £100. Entry fee is £2 and the closing date 31st August 2011.
- As with any job, writing and publishing has its own ‘lingo’ that can seem amazingly complicated to the newcomer. Nicola Davies has been attempting to de-mystify some of the technical terms associated with magazine publishing on her blog. Have a look here if you want to be able to understand ‘editor speak’.
- And don’t forget there’s still time to enter the 100 word story competition on Helen Yendall’s blog – there are two fabulous writing books to be won. Closing date is 26th July and entry is via email.
Author Portraits
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Authors, Books, Promotion on July 18, 2011
For example, in the front of my copy of the chick-lit novel It’s a Kind of Magic by Carole Matthews, Carole is smiling in a sisterly kind of way. But in the crime novel The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen, Tess’s face is much more sombre. The difference between the two women’s photos on their websites is even more pronounced and suited to the mood of their books.
I hadn’t thought about any of this until I read a short piece by Bidisha in the Guardian. Bidisha’s piece was prompted by a new picture that’s come to light of Jane Austen but it got me thinking about my own ‘publicity’ photo which I email off to editors when requested and it also appears on this blog.
The picture was taken around three years ago and I wondered if it needed updating. In the intervening time I’ve added a few more grey hairs and produced another wrinkle or two – so should I be honest about my ageing or stick with the younger me?
Bidisha says that’s she’s been told, “…it’s good to look more haggard (in a picture) than you actually are, so that when people meet you they are pleasantly surprised.”
I’m not sure that I totally agree with that statement but I don’t want to hide behind a false image so I got my other half to take a few head and shoulder shots of me in the garden.
Have a look at them and let me know whether I should switch to one of the new photos, stick with the old one – or maybe try again when I’ve had my hair done and got my best frock on!
Picture A
Picture B
Picture C
Help for Heroes Poetry Competition
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions, Poetry on July 14, 2011
Image by Defence Images via Flickr
When entering a writing competition it’s nice to think that your entry fee has gone to a worthy cause – it softens the blow of not making it to the short-list!
The Help For Heroes charity is running a poetry competition. First prize is £250 in Primark vouchers and there is no fixed entry fee but entrants are asked to donate at least a pound per poem and all money raised will go to the charity.
The judge is Peter Quinn, managing director of United Press and he is asking for, ” …poems related to Help for Heroes. It could be a poem about an individual or it could be a poem with a message.”
The winner will also have their poem published in a general collection of modern poetry and will receive a free copy of the book as well as attending a prize presentation.
The closing date is November 11th 2011 and full details on how to enter can be found here.
This is a cheap to enter competition for a worthy cause – why not give it a go?
Writing Events in the Midlands
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Events on July 11, 2011
There’s an opportunity to ‘Meet the Authors’ tomorrow night (apologies for the short notice) in Birmingham’s Library Theatre. Lesley Pearse, Sam Hayes and Barbara Nadel are going to provide an evening of mystery, suspense and emotion. It is a free event but you need to book a place. Full details are here.
Looking further ahead, now would be a good time to get yourself on the Birmingham Book Festival mailing list to ensure that you receive your program for the event. It runs from the 6th to 16th October 2011 and usually offers a cornucopia of author talks and writing workshops (last year’s Find Your Blogging Voice workshop run by Jo Ind gave me the kick-start to get this blog off the ground). Volunteers are also needed to help the whole thing run smoothly.
Another date worth putting in your diary is the Writers’ Toolkit held in Birmingham City Centre on November 19th. This is an annual event of panel discussions on various subjects to do with the business of writing – tax, digital media, getting published, higher education opportunities etc. It attracts both established and new writers from a wide area and is great for getting to chat to other writers (take your business cards).
If the East Midlands is more accessible for you, the libraries around Derby offer a large number of events. In particular I’ll be attending The Novel Writing Booster Kit with Martin Davies at Mackworth Library. Other events are listed here.
Apologies to those of you outside the area – but why not have a root around your own council or libraries websites and see if there’s anything going on near you? Writing can be frustrating and lonely but an afternoon listening to an author speak or chatting with like-minded people will do wonders for your enthusiasm!
How to be a Best Selling Author…
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Authors, Books, Promotion on July 7, 2011
Image via Wikipedia
… organise a record-breaking book-signing.
An email from Random House popped into my inbox yesterday inviting me to Katie Price‘s latest book-signing. It is being held on July 27th at the O2 Academy in Leeds. Katie is aiming to sign more than 1,951 copies of her book The Comeback Girl. The book will be on sale at the event for half price and all those attending will have their name included in the acknowledgements of her next novel, out in October. In addition one lucky person will be picked at random to be a character in the new novel. Everyone will also receive a woven wristband as a souvenir of the day. Full details here.
This is a very canny (if expensive) marketing ploy. Katie is guaranteed massive sales at the signing event plus a repeat of those sales in October as everyone buys the next book (for themselves & their friends) because their name appears in the acknowledgements.
It’s widely acknowledged that Katie is a very skilful business woman who knows how to market herself and make money. In recognition of this, I take my hat off to her and wish her every success but a small part of me groaned when I read the email. It seems like another case of publishing success feeding off a celebrity name – but may be I’m not entitled to comment given that I’ve never read any of her books.
What do you think?
Beak Books Novel Writing Competition plus a Mini Saga
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions on July 4, 2011
Beak Books is a new, independent publishing company looking for talented writers. An agent isn’t necessary but original ideas plus a willingness to promote your work is essential.
Submissions can be made via Beak Books Novel Writing Competition. The judges are looking for fiction that has a twist to it which is also original, humorous, surprising, action-packed, quirky, romantic, moving or thought-provoking. They do not want horror, crime, children’s fiction, non-fiction or science-fiction. Only unpublished novelists may enter.
Novels must be between 60,000 and 100,000 words in length but only the first three chapters are required in the first instance and submission is on-line. First prize is £80, second £60 and third £40. The winner may also be offered publication. Closing date is 30th September 2011 and the entry fee is £8.
At the other end of the word count spectrum Helen Yendall is running a mini-saga competition via her blog. Helen is celebrating her 100th blog post (congratulations, Helen!) and wants 100 word stories on any theme in any genre.
First prize is the ‘Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 2012′ and second prize is ‘Write to be Published’ by Nicola Morgan. Email entry only and the closing date is 26th July 2011.
Writing with Dyslexia
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Authors, Writing Handicaps on June 30, 2011
Image via Wikipedia
Most of us misspell words, punctuate incorrectly or get our grammar in a twist from time to time. Usually a quick read through the story or article will throw up the errors made in our haste to get the words down on paper. Then it’s a simple job to correct them and send the manuscript on its merry way to the editor.
But imagine if it wasn’t so easy. What if you couldn’t spot your own errors and continually made the same basic mistakes over and over again – despite having read The Penguin Guide to Punctuation six times? What if you’d been labelled ‘educationally subnormal’ at the age of 15 ? What if there were stories and poems buzzing around inside your head but no one would take your writing seriously because of the spelling and punctuation errors?
That was the experience of a friend of mine until finally, at the age of 60, she was diagnosed with dyslexia.
“I cried tears of such relief when I was told by an educational psychologist at the University of Birmingham that my IQ is above average and it is not my fault that I am a slow learner,” she said. “He discovered that I am seriously dyslexic and have problems writing paragraph sequences. I am very slow at reading print and need to read something up to 6 times before I fully understand it.”
The computer, with its spell-check facility has been my friend’s saving grace. It doesn’t flag all her errors but at least enables her to get her stories on to paper. Since her diagnosis she has successfully completed a BA Hons. in Creative Writing – demonstrating that she has the imagination and creativity to become a writer when armed with the right tools.
My friend isn’t the only writer to have battled dyslexia. Novelist, Natasha Solomons told the Evening Standard, “No one explained to me that the written shapes on the page were related to the words we spoke. I thought there were two separate languages: one sounds and one squiggles.”
The author and women’s campaigner Erin Pizzey is dyslexic, as is the actress and writer, Susan Hampshire.
So next time you’re struggling to find the right word or trying to decide whether an apostrophe is required, be thankful that you can easily browse the thesaurus or check in your grammar textbook. Some people aren’t so lucky but still battle through to make a success of writing.
By the way, the illustration to this post is called ‘Dyslexic Vision’. If any of you suffer from dyslexia, maybe you could let me know if this is how the printed page appears to you?
Sally Jenkins 