Archive for category Short Story
First Five Pages Competition
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions, Events, Short Story on September 25, 2025
The lovely people at Farnham Literary Festival have asked me to publicise their Farnham’s First Five Pages Competition. 
Entrants must submit the first 5 pages of their novel plus a 250-word synopsis. The novel does not already have to be finished. There is no set theme or style of writing, but entries should be unpublished and original.
The prizes are:
First place – THE PARIS PRIZE FOR FICTION (sponsored by best-selling author B.A. Paris) – £1000 and a critique
Second place – £300
Third place – £200
There is a £10 fee per submission and entrants must be unpublished (self-published is acceptable).
Closing date is Wednesday 31 December 2025 – so plenty of time to get writing!
As always, please check the full terms and conditions before entering.
Good luck and enjoy!
Farnham Literary Festival also a run Flash Fiction competition if something shorter is more your thing.
Copyediting and a Kindle Deal
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Short Story, Writing on January 14, 2025
![20250105_175958[1]](https://sally-jenkins.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250105_1759581.jpg)
Along with all the usual extra December activities and preparations, the copyedits for my third novel with ChocLit/Joffe Books landed just before Christmas with a deadline of 6th January. I spent the holiday period squeezing in as much editing time as possible – but still ensuring I got to see all the family and didn’t miss out on the turkey and wine!
Copyedits are suggested changes at sentence level (it’s assumed that the structure of the story as a whole is working by this point) to ensure clarity and a smooth read, plus continuity/timeline issues will be highlighted and the odd incorrect fact might be spotted. During this process I learned a couple of things:
The book is set at Christmas and I mention that one character is watching a rerun of the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film from 1971. My editor correctly pointed out that this version of the film actually has the title, ‘Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory‘. A few reasons have been put forward on Wikipedia for this title change, some political and one relating to product placement of the Wonka chocolate bar. Make of them what you will.
I also refer to Slade’s hit Merry Christmas Everybody, but again I had that title wrong. It should be Merry Xmas Everybody. I was grateful to have these errors pointed out to me – and it just goes to show that we should always double check everything before inclusion!
In other news, Amazon have picked one of my earlier books, A Coffee Break Story Collection: 36 Short Stories, for one of their ‘deals’. For the month of January they have reduced the Kindle edition from £2.99 to only 99p and are promoting it! This is a rare happening – so, if you enjoy a short story or 36, fill your boots (and your Kindles!) while you can.
Flash Fiction Opportunities
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions, Markets, Short Story on September 10, 2024
Sometimes, in the midst of trying to churn out a novel, hook an agent or sell ourselves to a publisher, we forget about the fun side of writing. We overlook what drew us to pick up a pen in the first place.
Many years ago, short pieces of writing attracted me to this industry. I loved the satisfaction of sending a reader’s letter to a magazine, often swiftly followed by seeing it in print and receiving a small cheque in the post. Next came magazine articles and short stories. There were rejections aplenty but they helped build the thick skin and determination which are essential to all writers. And when the acceptances came, they were all the sweeter because of those previous failures.
Nowadays I rarely write short pieces and I miss the satisfaction of regularly finishing something, sending it out into the world and carrying within me the hope that it will find success. If a piece missed it’s target, I was disappointed but not distraught. The amount of time ‘wasted’ writing the story was not huge and by then I always had at least one other thing ‘out there’ and the hope that it would land on the right desk at the right time.
It’s different with novels. They take a LONG time to write, publishers and agents take a LONG time to respond and when the coveted acceptance finally arrives, it’s a LONG time before the book is actually published. I think that’s why flash and short fiction opportunities keep catching my eye. I’m tempted to take a break from the long game and have a bit of fun with something short!
Here’s a few of the things that have caught my eye:
Flash Frog
Flash Frog are looking for stories of up to 1,000 words. The website says: “We like our stories like we like our dart frogs: small, brightly colored, and deadly to the touch.” Flash Frog publishes a new story every week, accompanied by specially created artwork. Payment is $25 per story.
Seaside Gothic
Seaside Gothic is based in the UK and does what it says on the tin i.e. it publishes short pieces of seaside gothic literature. If, like me, you’ve never come across this genre, a full definition is on the Seaside Gothic website. The magazine’s next open reading period is 7th to 13th October 2024 and they pay £0.01/word. Full details are on their submission page.
New Writers Book Review Competition 2024
This one closes 30th September 2024 – so be quick! First prize is £50 and there is a limit of 1,000 words. Entry is free but you must subscribe to the New Writers e-newsletter. N.B. The novel or poetry collection you review must be published and available to purchase in the UK. And it must be the first novel or poetry collection published by that writer (but can have been published prior to 2024). See the competition website page for full details.
If you want to read some short fiction and play judge/editor by deciding whether or not that piece was successful in the big wide world, you might enjoy Hit or Miss? 33 Coffee Break Stories. 
Linktree, Amazon Book Recommendations and a Competition
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions, Promotion, Resources, Short Story on March 26, 2024
Most writers have a presence on several social media sites as well as an Amazon page, a website and possibly other types of internet presence as well. We want to make ourselves easy to find and contact via whichever channel our readers prefer. However, listing all these links in a profile or biography looks messy, as well as using up valuable characters where there is a length limitation. 
To solve this problem I’ve recently started using Linktree. Linktree provides one link to insert into your bio, profile or social media post. When clicked, the link will take users to a list of all the ways to connect or contact you. To see a working example, click through to my Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sallysjenkins7. There are various price points offered by Linktree but the basic version (which I’m using) is free. If you’re fed up of listing your different internet connection points, it might be worth a try? One piece of advice if you do set it up: I found that the second half of the link (sallysjenkins7 in my case) needs to be first part of your email address.
One of the things included in my Linktree is my Amazon Author Page. Amazon now encourage authors to add book recommendations to their page. These recommendations can include your own books and those of other authors. Amazon says, “If you submit at least three or more new book recommendations, we will consider sending your recommendations to your followers through email and/or push notifications.” For an example of what these recommendations look like, click through to my page and scroll down. It’s then possible to scroll across the page to see all my recommendations. I’ve done six, three of mine and three from other authors.
The New Writers 1000-Word Short Story Competition 2024 is open for entries until April 30th 2024. There is a top prize of £1,000, a second prize of £300 and a third prize of £200. The entry fee is £10.00 and £1.00 from each entry goes to First Story (England’s leading creative writing charity for young people). There is a 1,000 word limit and stories can be on any theme. Remember to check the full terms and conditions before entering. Subscribers to the NewWriters.org.uk monthly newsletter gain access to exclusive free-to-enter micro, flash and poetry competitions (with cash prizes), book giveaways and the latest writing competition listings.
Finally, the cat illustrating this post, was spotted on a holiday to Madeira earlier this month. My daughter thinks he looks evil. What do you think?
A Plethora of FREE 2023 Writing Competitions
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions, Poetry, Self-publishing, Short Story on July 4, 2023
Four writing competitions for you – in a mix of genres!
Short Story – Run by Green Stories and the theme is ‘Microbes’.
The main prize for the winner is £500 plus up to three runner up prizes totaling £300 (or the local currency equivalent).
It may help to have a scientific bent as the aim of the competition is to use fiction to raise awareness of Environmental Biotechnology and what microbial systems can do for us. However, the website has a video explaining Environmental Biotechnology and there is also a free virtual workshop linked to the competition.
Closing date is 21st September 2023. Full details are here.
Poetry – Poetry on Loan’s 2023 poetry competition is open to anyone who lives, studies or works regularly in the West Midlands (which is a very big area!). This year the theme is ‘Refuge’.
The prize for adult entries is a paid performance as part of a Poetry on Loan event. The junior prize winner will receive book tokens to the value of £25. Plus there is a special ‘fresh poet’ prize.
Closing date is 1st September 2023. Full details are here.
Novel – The Writers College is running a novel writing competition. Any genre of novel qualifies. Submit the first three chapters plus synopsis.
First Prize is a full ‘Write a Novel Course’ and ‘Advanced Novel Course’ (value $4000; 24 months of mentoring with an award-winning writer up to 70 000 words) from the Writers College.
Closing date is 31st July 2023. Full details are here.
Self-publishing – Amazon is running its annual Kindle Storyteller Award. This has a massive £20,000 prize and is very competitive (full disclosure I interviewed Rachel McLean, the 2021 winner, for Writers’ Forum magazine and she worked extremely hard). However, anyone self-publishing a novel on Amazon KDP before the closing date of 31st August 2023 can enter by including “StorytellerUK2023” (without quotation marks) in the “keywords” metadata field as they publish the book. Full details are here.
And if you are thinking of taking your first steps into self-publishing, you might find Kindle Direct Publishing for Absolute Beginners (newly updated for 2023!) or Kobo Writing Life for Absolute Beginners useful.
Good Luck! Let me know if you’re successful in any of these competitions – I have the bubbles ready to celebrate!
Two Free Short Story Competitions
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions, Short Story on March 10, 2023
Green Stories Superhero Competition
In this competition your superhero must save the planet!
It sounds a fun brief to play around with: ‘this contest challenges you to create an uplifting short story of superheroes that respond to climate change. Imagine your target audience to be teens and young adults that enjoy watching superhero films‘.
The prize is £500 plus a scene from your story turned into a 1 page comic strip.
The competition is open to adults, and teenagers aged 14+. The deadline is 15th April 2023.
As always, don’t forget to read the full terms and conditions.
Evening Standard Stories Competition
The theme for this competition is ‘belonging’ and it’s not limited to short stories. You can submit a piece of spoken word or performance, for example a monologue, a script or a self-contained episode of a narrative podcast. Entries can be submitted as written, audio, or film.
The winner will get a masterclass with Evening Standard Stories Editor, Lotte Jeff, a one year mentorship in their chosen field by management and production company, 42, plus the chance to perform their piece and other extras!
Closing date is 12th April 2023 and it is a 1,000 word limit. Again, read the terms and conditions, they do include: Work from previously published authors or writers cannot be accepted. It doesn’t indicate what their definition of ‘published’ is.
Talking of short stories, I was delighted to be invited, last month, to talk to author Tony Riches and to give my top 6 tips on short story writing. Did I cover everything or have you got a tip to add?
The Write Mango Awards
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books, Competitions, Short Story on January 19, 2023
Short story competition judges often bemoan the fact that they receive a lot of entries with depressing or dark storylines and therefore anything a little bit quirky stands out from the rest.
17762546 © Rookie72 | Dreamstime.com
The Scottish Arts Trust has gone as far as introducing a new subsidiary award in its short story competition: The Write Mango Award. This award is ‘for short stories that are fun, amusing, bizarre and as delicious as a mango …’
The Write Mango Award can be found within the Scottish Arts Club Short Story Competition. First Prize is £3,000, Second Prize is £500, Third Prize £250 and the additional Write Mango Award is £300 (you do need to indicate when entering that you wish your story to be considered for this award as well as the main one). Entry fee is £10, there is a 2,000 word limit and the stories can be on any theme or subject. The judge is Ian Rankin and the competition closes 28th February 2023.
I’ve just finished a novel which could definitely be describes as ‘bizarre and delicious’. The Beresford by Will Carver is set in an apartment building where new tenants arrive but don’t leave in the way they would expect. At The Beresford there is routine in murder. We know who the killers are but what we don’t know is how it’s all going to end. It’s a dark story but told in such a way that there’s a lot of humour there too. If you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary, it’s worth a read.
Short Story Writing Tips & a Launch!
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Promotion, Self-publishing, Short Story, Successes on October 28, 2022
I’ve been busy with the feather duster in my Dropbox repository and have rediscovered several of my favourite short stories that missed their target. These are the stories which didn’t land on the right editor’s desk at the right time or failed to catch the imagination of a competition judge.
This exercise made me think about two things: What are the best tips or rules for short story writing? And how can I best utilize these short story ‘misses’ in this age of recycling and ‘waste not want not’?
Here are the five top short story writing tips I came up with:
1. Have only a few characters. Any more than three or four makes it difficult for the reader to get to know them in a short space of time. Make sure all their names begin with a different letter – this makes it easier for the reader to differentiate between them. Don’t give names to ‘walk-on’ characters such as the postman or policeman – this will only add to any confusion in the reader’s mind.
2. Be clear whose story it is i.e., from which character’s point of view are you telling the story. That person should have the most to gain/lose from the action. Ensure the reader becomes emotionally invested in that person.
3. Have the action take place in a short timescale. Focusing on a single moment in time works best because the story is ‘immediate’. Avoid a long buildup of backstory. If back story is essential, drop it concisely alongside the action.
4. Conflict should be at the centre of the story. The main character should be facing a dilemma or decision of some kind. This character should solve the dilemma himself rather than have it sorted out by someone else, coincidence or fate.
5. Edit! Give the story more impact by removing words like ‘very’ and ‘just’. Replace adverbs with more specific verbs, for example ‘run fast’ becomes ‘sprint’. Combine characters, for example does the heroine need two friends or will one work just as well and make the story neater?
And what’s happening to those short story ‘misses’? They are now getting their fifteen minutes of fame in Hit or Miss? 33 Coffee Break Stories. I’ve mixed the stories up with others that DID land on the right editor’s or judge’s desk at the right time, and I challenge YOU to decide which were hits and which missed their target.
Hit or Miss? 33 Coffee Break Stories is now available on Kindle, in paperback from Amazon and on Kobo.
It would be lovely to get the comments started on the book’s Amazon/Kobo Review pages to indicate whether or not you agreed with those editors and judges.
Short Story Ideas Generator
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Resources, Short Story on September 22, 2022
I’m on a mission to gather 30 short story ideas before the end of October. I will then write one 1700-word story per day through the 30 days of November, harnessing the global enthusiasm for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) to keep me going. Purists may argue that writing short stories rather than novels for NaNoWriMo is cheating but for me, as long as I’m in the groove and aiming for 50,000 words, it doesn’t matter – it’s not a competition and no one is giving out prizes.
Image Courtesy of NaNoWriMo
How do I come up with 30 short story ideas?
So far, I’ve amassed 14 and used a variety of means. There were a few ideas floating in my head anyway, a friend sent me a page of prompts used by her poetry society, I took inspiration from all the recent royal coverage, and I discovered this online short story generator. Fill in the form to customise the story or take the option to fill the form with random things, then let the generator do its stuff.
Warning: the story will be nonsense. However, the first time I used it the opening sentence triggered an idea for me and the second time around it produced an intriguing title.
Might be worth a try if you’ve got a blank piece of paper and an empty mind?
For anybody not familiar with NaNoWriMo, the 30 stories I write will be very rough drafts, time doesn’t permit anything else. From December onwards they will need to be worked upon, crafted to the right length to suit the prospective market and then submitted gradually next year.
Whatever you choose to write in November, it only generates a starting point to be worked on over future months. It is never an endpoint in itself.
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