Writing Magazine April 2020
Writing Magazine April 2020
MAGAZINE
WRITING
APRIL 2020
COMPETITION
SPECIAL
Get creative with our guide to
over 750 comps to enter
Spring clean
your style
Clear your writing of clutter
Fiction
How to stay on track, and
motivated, for a 150,000+
word spec fic epic
JOURNALISM
How to write for niche
pet magazines
10 new ways to
get publicity
KATHY NOW WITH Opportunities to get published
PLUS
Competitions to enter
REICHS
EASY-READ
Crime writing
secrets from
BONUS AUDIO
Reader success stories
Insider know-how and more…
AND BOOK
ARTICLE VIEWER
the Bones EXTRACTS 04>
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E D I TO R ’ S L E T T E R
BESTSELLING
MAGAZINE
WRITING
COMPETITION
SPECIAL
HELPING YOU BECOME A BETTER WRITER
APRIL 2020
Spring clean
Welcome...
your style
Clear your writing of clutter
Fiction
How to stay on track, and
motivated, for a 150,000+
word spec fic epic
JOURNALISM
Dear Reader
Regular readers will remember that last month, I was droning on in this
How to write for niche
pet magazines
10 new ways to letter about how Eoin Colfer had found his writing groove by making it fun
get publicity
KATHY
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Opportunities to get published
for himself and not being afraid to be diverted. Now, I’m pleased to be able
Competitions to enter
REICHS
Crime writing
secrets from
Reader success stories
Insider know-how and more… to highlight the opposite case. This month’s star writer, Kathy Reichs, has
the Bones 04>
£4.25
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32
60
62
96 My writing day: Ana Johns 20 Magazine journalism: Fish for a writing gig
The US writer on how a life-changing diagnosis led to a novel Could you make money writing for a niche magazine about a
inspired by real events specialised interest?
66
29 26
52
WRITERS’ NEWS
76 Your essential monthly roundup
of competitions, paying markets,
opportunities to get into print and 53 Poetry in practice
publishing industry news Plan a new poem round the months of the year
THE WORLD OF
WRITING
The wide world of writing is a curious place where fonts get fan mail, Poet
Laureates play pub gigs and bookshop burglars get boozed up
Gay’s the Word CC BY-SA 3.0 Ross Burgess; prosecco CC BY-SA 3.0 Agne27
Fonts have fan clubs Plastered
Ask any designer what they
think about Comic Sans and
pilferers
they’ll look at you as if you’d The forces of the law had no
thrown up on their artfully problems catching burglars
arranged desk. But beyond intent on stealing from Gay’s
the elevated aesthetics the Word bookshop in London
of design professionals, in February, because the would-
whoever expected fonts to be thieves had uncovered a
trend on Twitter? When stash of booze and drunk it.
author Sean Richardson ((@ When the police arrived the
Southlndtabby) tweeted intruders were found in the
‘Please reveal the deepest part of yourself: Which font Soho bookshop polishing off a bottle of prosecco,
and which size do you write in?’ on 26 January, fonts having already finished the leftover tequila from a
went viral, with the Twittersphere awash with writers staff member’s birthday. ‘They seem to have been
proclaiming their favourites. Times New Roman came boozing mid-burglary, which probably wasn’t the
out as top of the font pops. The serif typeface was most prudent thing to do,’ bookseller Uli Lenart
commissioned by The Times in 1931 and designed by told Pink News. ‘Shop in a bit of a mess,’ tweeted
Stanley Morrison and Victor Lardent of Monotype. The Gay’s the Word on 9 February. ‘Getting ready to
Times stopped using Times New Roman in 1972. Despite clear up. We may open later today – depends on police. At least it’s not a
a dignified and illustrious history that includes being the hate crime.’
font used for the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Twitter user @ Independent bookshop Gay’s the Word, which featured in the
MaryAnne summed up its appeal by saying ‘It’s all about 2014 film Pride as the HQ of 1980s activist group Lesbians and
that adorable lower case f ’. Though to be fair, no-one’s ever Gays Support the Miners, has repeatedly been targetted for attack
going to say that about Comic Sans. since it was founded in 1979.
Divisive
Poet post-rock dark horse
We’re no strangers at Miscellany Manors to often read them at events, but I think they
performers or artistes from other disciplines were reaching out for tunes and musical Agatha Christie traditionalists were left bemused
deciding to try their hand at a bit of poetry, setting. This allows me to indulge an aspect and confused by writer Sarah Phelp’s recent
or writing a soon-to-be-remaindered novel, of lyricism which is generally not available atmospheric adaptation of The Pale Horse for
but you don’t often see the trend in reverse. on the printed page.’ the BBC. Less cosy crime than folk-horror
In this case, perhaps we could have The debut single Never Good With Horses, hallucination, it was: ‘A place where scheming
expected it – his memoir Gig said it all is out now, from Mercury KX. Watch the murderous toffs get the rope, or locked in a
in the subtitle, ‘The Life and Times of a video here, https://writ.rs/postrockpoet bunker, or condemned to a looping purgatory
Rock-Star Fantasist’ – but the news that Each of the ten tracks on the upcoming nightmare in which they’re stalked by a 1950s
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has created album, Call in the Crash Team, adopts doo-wop hit and a giant turnip king,’ wrote
a post-rock band still came as something of the perspective of a different character, Digital Spy. The two-parter’s murky Wicker Man
a surprise. Not least because we really rather ‘monologues or soliloquies from people in ambience and an ambiguous ending left fans
enjoyed it. personal crises’. of the original 1961 novel confused. ‘Another
LYR sees Simon enlist musicians ‘We’re not the sort of band who are going Christie classic ruined by the BBC’, chuntered
Richard Walters and Patrick Pearson to to be playing in the back of a pub on a one on Twitter. ‘Why even pretend this is an
create a background for his spoken-word Tuesday night in Stalybridge,’ said Simon. Agatha Christie?’ offered another. But viewers
performances of ‘ambient post-rock passages, ‘We want to make events out of the music.’ were divided in its favour. ‘If you didn’t like that
jazz flourishes and atonal experimentalism’. LYR are playing their first gig at the adaptation of The Pale Horse then stick David
The songs started out as ‘sort-of poems, Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. It is, Suchet on and be done with it,’ tweeted Debbie
hybrid things between songs and lyrics and Simon will no doubt be happy to hear, on Downer. ‘I thought it was great.’
poems’, Simon told the Guardian: ‘I quite a Monday.
Write to: Letters to the editor, Writing Magazine, Warners letters, a maximum of 250 words, are exclusive to Writing
Group Publications plc, 5th Floor, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds Magazine. Letters may be edited.)
LS1 5JD; email: [email protected]. (Include your When referring to previous articles/letters, please state
name and address when emailing letters. Ensure all month of publication and page number.
Cuttings book
My husband bought me a subscription to
A particularly critical beta reader pointed out that one
character’s speech was unrealistic, because it did not reflect
his social background. That same reader did not think that
Writing Magazine as a gift. As a new writer, I this character having conversations with a HORSE was
have written a children’s story which I have just unnatural. Though they did state that the fact this horse’s
sent out to publishers and have just entered two mane had been ‘cut’ when it should have been ‘pulled’, was
writing competitions for this magazine. not accurate or acceptable.
I love writing and especially love Writing Animal magic indeed... This horse bewitched readers,
Magazine. I have created a scrapbook full of the and left me wondering if my book might have been more
great advice and tips contained in each edition successful had I cast him as the hero (and his human as a
I receive! supporting character).
JULES McBAIN MAY BERMONT
Hanworth, Bracknell Paris, France
8 APRIL 2020 www.writers-online.co.uk
L E T T E R S TO T H E E D I TO R
With you
in a jiffy All of this is a roundabout way of getting to the purpose of this
column. One of the most frequent causes of frustration is that publishers
can seem to do very little to publicise their books. As an agent one can
(quite cautiously) ask what’s been done and I am generally met with the
reply that press releases and book proofs have been sent out.
This is where I grit my teeth: I have a few high profile authors and
there are publicity departments who regularly send me books and
proofs they think those authors will be interested in. That means I get
a jiffy bag – which is seemingly designed to make it impossible to open
without almost destroying, so that before I even have the book out of
the bag I feel guilty at the waste.
Inside there will be the book and a press release – and maybe a letter
from the editor about why they loved this book. I – and remember this
Small, specific things can make a difference, is happening in agencies across London every day: for some agents with
says Piers Blofeld, wishing publishers would really grand client lists half a dozen times a day – am then supposed to
find a jiffy bag that I haven’t destroyed, dig out my client’s postal address
consider making agents’ lives (just a little bit)
and write out a new label to take down to the post room so that the
easier when it comes to publicity agency can then pay to post it on.
I hope I don’t need to spell out what is wrong with that scenario – or
O
ne of the first things I do when a client of mine gets their first explain why it is that all those authors who the book has been ‘sent’ to
book deal is, once the champagne corks have landed, give them never get back with that wonderful quote for the jacket.
The Talk about how to manage their new relationship with So, here’s what I’ve started asking: when publicists send out a proof,
their publisher. can they do with it the book already inside another jiffy bag, which has
A key part of this is to say as unambiguously as possible that pre-paid postage and a label on it with the author’s name, so all I have to
there will be times when they will be unbelievably angry with their do is write out an address.
publisher. Which is why it’s good to do it at the moment when the It isn’t only about meanness – casting your bread upon the waters is
author is most inclined to believe that their publisher farts rainbows and an okay strategy, but I’m often rather busy, sometimes a bit tired and
can in general do no wrong: it means there’s no chance I’m going to be cross. Goodwill runs out and it is pointless to presume upon it when
responsible for souring relations. there is such an easy strategy to hand to resolve it.
Of course not everyone does get angry with their publisher, but most
authors at one point or another do. It’s natural – author and publisher
interests align, but not perfectly and that can be very stressful – after all
for the author this will be the culmination of possibly a lifetime of hopes
and ambition.
But the fact is that only 10% of books really succeed – there’s a very
large number of books which fall into a middling category of neither
making much, nor losing too much and the authors who tend to get
their contracts renewed are the ones who re good at getting on with the
people who work at the publishers.
Part of that process is about allowing the agent to be the person
who has the rows – you don’t buy a dog so you can bark yourself –
but also it’s about understanding the lie of the land. Publishing is a
badly paid industry and by and large the best people in publishing
are the dittos: they are doing what they love. The people in other
departments may not have that passion and because of the pay
scales may not be the very best at their jobs. Not getting too cross
when that particular penny drops and in particular never, ever
letting them know that is extraordinarily important.
10 APRIL 2020
10 –12 July, 2020
University of Winchester, UK
Keynote speaker – Eoin Colfer, Four writing competitions Keynote speaker – Lissa Evans,
award-winning author of bestselling author of
the Artemis Fowl series Scholarships available adult and children’s novels
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Spreading word of your book is 2 Writing windows But don’t forget to include the right
critical in securing sales. Everybody has a favourite shop, pub or café hashtags to help with your promotion
The media, as I discussed in my previous where they’re well-known to the owners. work, tag in your friends and publisher, and
article, are the conventional way of raising Why not get some posters printed and anyone else who might share your post.
awareness of your work. ask them to advertise your book? In my experience, the writing
But there are other methods, and Modern printing technology means it’s community is wonderfully kind and
happily these are only as limited as not particularly expensive, but it can be an supportive, so make the most of that.
your creativity. effective trick.
Many revolve around social media, You could also pop a copy of your latest 4 Adapt your book
as that can be a powerful platform for book in the shop’s window. You’ve written a cracking story, which
promoting yourself. I did this with my barber, and they were you’re very proud of, so why confine it
But there are other ways as well, and the very happy to help. just to print?
good news is that most of them don’t have They liked the idea of having an author Why not adapt it to become a play, a
to cost you a penny. who was a loyal customer, and it became a radio drama, or even a TV or film script?
So to get you thinking how you might talking point as the staff often mentioned I know it might sound far-fetched, but
lure in more readers, here it to other people who came in. it can make an impact and really help to
are ten creative tips for You could even ask your raise your profile as a writer.
promoting your book, friends to put up a small poster I adapted my first novel, The TV Detective,
many of which have in the windows of their homes, into a play to raise money for a local charity,
worked for me. along with a copy of your book. and it was an incredible experience.
It doesn’t take much effort, I learnt so much about theatre and
1 Guerrilla and might just get people acting, which enhanced my understanding
appearances noticing and talking. of characterisation, and so improved my
Going on holiday? Heading out for a day writing as well.
trip? Or away for work? 3 Become a broadcaster The play attracted media coverage, and
Take your book with you, and These days, with smart phones, it’s lots of feedback on social media, which
photograph it in interesting locations, incredibly easy to become a broadcaster. helped with sales of the
then post the pictures on social media. I know it might sound daunting, but original book.
I did this when I took my latest novel, look up how to use your phone to record We also raised
The Editor, on a business trip to London, a podcast, or video. thousands of pounds
and it worked a treat. It didn’t take me long at all to master the for the hospice
Lots of people commented, some basics, and I’m no whizz with technology. movement, an
offered their own photos, and I noticed a You could just talk about your book incredibly good cause.
spike in sales. to start with, but when you’re confident It was a real win-
Photographs, particularly fun ones, can enough try interviewing someone who win adventure, one of the highlights of my
really increase engagement and interest on has read it. writing career.
social media. It’s a fun way of promoting your
But don’t forget to include a link to work, and the statistics tell us that 5 Your secret ingredients
your book in all your posts. videos always tend to attract more This is another idea which is made for
It’s a missed opportunity otherwise. attention on social media. social media.
Anything which gets a conversation going comfortable sharing them?!) I wanted to thank the city, and
can really help to boost your profile online. If so, they can be another powerful way its wonderful residents, for making me
My secret ingredient for writing The of promoting your work on social media. so welcome.
Editor was… wait for it… These are just the sort of posts which But there was an alternative dedication
Waitrose All Butter Belgian White encourage others to contribute their own which came to mind. It was rather strange,
Chocolate Chunk Cookies. stories, and so help spread the word of but tempting nonetheless.
(And believe me, they are as good as your book. Every writer has their distractions,
they sound.) One of my strange experiences was don’t they? No matter how much it might
Whenever I felt my energy waning, it having to hang around Cambridge annoy their publisher.
was time for a cup of tea and one of those Police Station, noting when officers (I can just sense you nodding your
excellent biscuits, came and went, and looking at potential head here.)
and the combination places to ambush someone who emerged As for me, I’m lucky enough that
seldom failed to work. from the doors. my garden has a lovely hedge running
Ask other writers Just such a trap forms an important along it, which is home to a gang of
what the secret scene in The Editor, so I wanted to make effervescent sparrows.
ingredient which sure I had the details right. I often put down food for
powered their book In these security- them, and, in moments when
was, and you can sensitive days, I felt I needed inspiration, watched
get a buzz going more than a little self them hopping, fluttering and
on social media which can only help to conscious, doing my chirping their maelstrom of a
interest potential readers in your work. unorthodox research. way around the garden.
But happily, despite Featuring your alternative
6 Offer events the risks, no police officer dedications on social media is a
The Editor is set in Cambridge, with some stopped me to ask what I was doing, as good way to prompt a conversation,
well-known locations featuring. I was worried my explanation might not and so help to spread word of your book.
One of the most important is a have convinced them.
business incubator, The Eagle Labs, so 10 Take your book on holiday
I mentioned to the manager that the 8 Behind the scenes I don’t just mean any old holiday here, no
offices had helped to inspire me. A glimpse of the reality of a writer’s life matter how much your book might deserve it.
Part of the reason was that the boss of is always interesting, both for those in I’m talking about writing holidays, like the
the incubator is a character in the book, the trade and readers too. wonderful Swanwick Writers’ Summer School,
and a bit of a wally. So I didn’t want the How about a tour of your study, paying or the Writers’ Weekend in Winchester.
real life manager to take offence, as I like particular attention to the important There are lots of such gatherings across
him a lot. companions you simply can’t do without the country.
Fortunately, he took the book in such when you’re writing. Apart from being great fun, and an
good spirit that he promoted it in the You could do this as a video, or a opportunity to share your passion for
incubator’s newsletter, and even invited blog, and then promote it on social writing with like-minded souls, they also
me to sell copies in a lecture I did there on media. It’s bound to spark comments offer you the chance to promote your work.
good communications. and interactions. Many festivals are interested in writers
If your book is set in a real town or city, For my part, my desk is an utter mess, giving talks, or holding workshops.
why not offer a reading or a talk at a place but surrounded by wonderful memories If that’s something you fancy, it can
which features? and supporters in the writing process. really help you grow in yourself, and also
Or if it’s set fictitious location, how There’s my hedgehog, Bert, who’s has the added advantage of raising your
about doing an event at a café, pub, or now thirty years old, and goes with profile, not to mention that of your book.
somewhere else you often went when you me everywhere. I can’t write a word Most have their own book rooms, where
needed a break from the writing of your without him, for reasons I’ve never your pride and joy can happily be on sale.
book, and which helped you along in quite understood. As I said at the start of this article, the
your journey? (Don’t worry, he’s not as grumpy as number of ways to promote your work is
You’d be surprised how enthusiastic he looks.) only limited by your imagination.
some businesses can be. There are also photos of some of the And the good news is that, as you’re a
In a first for the company, I was writing events I’ve done, and covers of my writer, that means it’s limitless.
asked by Stagecoach to become a Writer previous books. These are just a few unusual ways you
in Residence on their buses around All those are great comforts when the might consider.
Cambridge, talking to travellers about words are failing to come, and sharing I look forward to hearing about some
The Editor, and pointing out places which such insights can entertain, amuse, and of your own cunningly creative schemes
featured in the book. help to attract people to your writing. to help make the world aware of your
excellent work. Tag #writingmagazine
7 Strange stories 9 Alternative dedications on Twitter @SimonHallNews or
Every book has strange stories which lie The Editor is dedicated to Cambridge, contact me through the website www.
behind the writing. where I moved two and a half years ago in thetvdetective.com (you can also order
What are yours? (And are you a major life change. copies of The Editor!).
‘I’m a debut writer and would like to attend London Book Fair hosts a variety of seminars on how to get published or become an
this year. Are there any tips you may have? Do I need to set up authorpreneur. There is also a dedicated area nearby called Writer’s
meetings beforehand or should I wait until I’m there and hope Block, home primarily to companies that assist writers, such as
for a chance encounter with an agent?’ the Society of Authors and Alliance of Independent Authors.
We (Cornerstones) will be at stand 1F54 in Writer’s Block, and
London Book Fair (LBF) is one of two main trade publishing fairs you’re welcome to come by and say hello – we’re a friendly team
(the other one is Frankfurt in the autumn) and this year it’s based and would love to see you. We’ll be sharing the stand with our
at Olympia London, 10-12 March. It’s predominantly aimed at educator providers, Professional Writing Academy, who run courses
agents, editors and publishing professionals from all over the for writers, including our online editing course, Edit Your Novel
world and it’s their chance to do business and forge relationships the Professional Way. If the prospect of developing your CV and
with one another. There are over 25,000 attendees – it’s vast, skillset appeals to you then PWA are a great route forward.
incredible, and hectic. If you’re a would-be professional writer, attending LBF is, in
It’s not really an opportunity for unrepresented authors to my view, worth it. Once you’ve paid for your visitor pass there
meet agents in the traditional agents’ floor set-up, sadly. [But are a multitude of free seminars that you can dip in and out of,
don’t give up reading yet. There’s a more accepted way to catch including a Dragon’s Den style opportunity, The Write Stuff,
an agent’s eye, see below.] Agents have their own domain in the where writers will be pitching their stories to a panel of agents.
International Rights Centre and it’s almost impossible to get in. There are also some dedicated conferences, such as the Writers’
And if you do manage to get in – we have heard of a few plucky Summit, which lasts for much of Tuesday, and I will be on a panel
authors who’ve managed it, generally more by accident than for the Insights Programme about the writing process – Playing
design – it’s generally frowned upon if you don’t have a meeting with Prose: Plot, Character, Setting, on Tuesday 10 March, at
set up in advance. Setting up a meeting in advance would be Author HQ, 2.30-3.30pm. Do come and join in and bombard us
the polite way but you may not have much luck. Agents are with questions! (See the LBF website for more information: www.
frantically busy meeting their published authors and negotiating londonbookfair.co.uk/)
deals and have very little space to entertain prospective authors If you do brave LBF but within moments feel overwhelmed,
(however willing they may be). As with everything, there are make straight for our stand in Writers’ Block. You can then take
always the exceptions, but I wouldn’t go there with the goal of stock and plan your day. We’re a few feet from the main seminar
making that connection. If it happens then brilliant, but if not, area so it’s a good place to start. Some final tips: don’t forget to
don’t put undue pressure on yourself. Take LBF for what it is, bring water and a snack (there are cafés but expect long queues
which is a great opportunity to be exposed to the dizzying world during busy periods), wear comfy shoes, don’t bring a full copy
of publishing and to equip yourself with information. of your manuscript, do bring flyers for your book and business
So, historically, LBF hasn’t been too focused on authors wanting cards, and bring a notepad and pen, plus a carrier bag for any
to attract an agent or publisher. However, in recent years LBF spare books that come your way.
has dedicated a floor to indie authors – Author HQ – which We hope to see you there.
Five secrets to a
successful fiction series
Some would say there’s no magical formula to creating series fiction. If your novels are planned to stand
alone, you have to give enough information to satisfy the reader without any background. However, you
can’t drop any spoilers that would ruin a reader’s experience if they go back and read the others in the
series. So, creating a successful series requires skill and careful thought.
W
hen most writers talk about the bones of a story
they’re talking about the basics: plot, themes, largely man’s world. And yet she has flaws. She has weaknesses.
setting, characters. When global bestselling She gets things wrong sometimes – which is realistic – but in
crime writer Kathy Reichs talks about bones it’s the end she figures it out. Her personal issues she doesn’t always
in an entirely different context. As a forensic get right. She is layered. She can be impetuous. But she’s a
anthropologist, bones are her stock-in-trade, just as they are for her pretty happy person.’
serial lead character Temperance Brennan, now in her nineteenth Temperance’s personal life is where her creator uses artistic
outing with A Conspiracy of Bones. licence. ‘She’s more risk-taking than me. She has a similar
‘Forensic anthropology is the study of bones,’ says Kathy, just sense of humour. She has her own issues – she’s a recovering
to make sure we’re getting the science right from the beginning. alcoholic, she has flaws. I wanted her to be approachable.’
‘It’s the exploration of the human skeleton. We’re brought in Kathy is, famously, known for a tendency to answer interview
when a normal autopsy won’t work and we address questions of questions with cool, scientific precision that some have found
identity, cause of death, everything that we can tease out of the disconcerting, but she responds to WM’s questions with the
bones. We work very closely with forensic pathologists.’ friendliness and courtesy of an approachable expert.
Like Kathy – just like Kathy – Temperance is a forensic At the beginning of A Conspiracy of Bones, Temperance
anthropologist. ‘Is she me? Professionally, completely. She goes is at home in Charlotte, North Carolina, recovering from
to crime scenes. She works in a lab. For years I worked in a neurosurgery for an aneurysm and being frozen out of the
medical legal laboratory.’ Medico-Legal Lab at the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington
Readers, she says, are drawn to Temperance because of her DC since she clashed with a recently appointed colleague. ‘A
combination of intelligence, sass and sensitivity. ‘Temperance is number of things came together,’ says Kathy. ‘For the first time
I’d taken a year off and I had some medical issues – so I gave ramifications, in this investigation, of the recent proliferation of
those to Temperance – she’s been diagnosed with a cerebral widely transmitted information that appears to be true but has
aneurysm and had surgery to correct it. She also has career no basis in fact. ‘It is very timely. Hopefully. We’re living in a
problems – she has history with her new boss and they don’t world where we’re constantly seeking to unravel what is real and
get along at all. So she’s been barred. So she’s got this health not real. In today’s world it’s not like with newspapers, where
issue and she’s working from outside the system.’ everything is double-checked. Anyone can go on the internet
Temperance’s discovery of a body sends her off grid on her and say anything they want.’
own investigation, A layered, intelligent, involving read, A With each book, Kathy sets Temperance’s investigation
Conspiracy of Bones touches on some disturbing contemporary within a real-life issue. ‘I try to set each book against the
issues. ‘She discovers this faceless corpse – no hands or face backdrop of this world we live in,’ she says. ‘In A Conspiracy
or teeth,’ says Kathy. ‘So Temperance wants to get this person of Bones it’s information that’s not true, and we’re constantly
identified but she has to work outside the system. I thought forced to filter through. I do like to have a broader theme.
– one of the themes is what’s real and what is not real, given I’ve had human trafficking, trafficking in endangered species,
today’s atmosphere of fake news. I wanted her to rely on her human rights issues. There should be a broader message within.
own abilities and perceptions yet not fully trust them. I felt My first book was just a murder mystery story. But as I evolved
that she must rely on herself but not completely trust her own as a writer I wanted to bring in these wider issues.’
instincts as she had in the past.’ Kathy’s crime novels go hand in hand with a career in
In part, Temperance’s shift in approach came about because forensic anthropology at the highest level: she was deployed
Kathy was conscious that a long-running series needs to ring to Ground Zero after 9/11, testified at the UN tribunal on
the changes to keep readers interested. ‘It is book nineteen and genocide on Rwanda and was part of the team that exhumed
you can’t do the same old same old,’ she says. ‘The advantage one of the mass graves in Guatemala, which informed the plot
of writing a series character is that people know her and they’re of her 2002 novel Grave Secrets. Her first novel, 1998’s Deja
going to like her. The disadvantage is that A Conspiracy of Bones Dead, was based on her first serial murder investigation.
may be the first Temperance Brennan book that someone reads, ‘I was working at the university and had been for many
so you’ve got to reintroduce them – but in such a way that the years and made full professor. So I was free to do whatever
reader who’s on their nineteenth book in the series doesn’t get I wanted and I thought it was a way of bringing science to
bored. You have to do it in a different way with each book, so a broader audience. And I also thought it would be fun to
you don’t bore the returning reader. So that’s a challenge. And write a novel rather than another textbook. And that’s what I
you want her to be evolving throughout the series or readers decided. I sat down at my laptop and started writing. I didn’t
will lose interest.’ have any formal training – I just started writing the kind of
But for this book, Kathy also wanted to explore the book I like to read. I like procedural fiction and the darker
‘Do your research. Talk to an expert in the field. Don’t rely on strong female, says Kathy. ‘In Virals, with Tory Brennan, we
Wikipedia. Go to the proper sources. Go to a primary source wanted her to be a good role model, saying it’s cool to go into
and get it correct. Do on-site visitations. I once took Margaret science and maths. They’re both good logical thinkers who
Atwood on a tour of our morgue – I don’t know if she wanted think through the problem – it’s what we want to put out there
it for a specific book.’ for little girls.’
Her books are inevitably gruesome, but not for shock value. There is surprisingly little difference between writing
‘I only put in what’s necessary to drive the story and make the for adult crime fans and teenage readers, she says. ‘Your
setting authentic. I’ll never put in anything for sensationalism, dialogue has to be cleaner – you can’t have what a fifty-year-
to make it gory or bloody. But if I’m describing a crime scene old homicide cop would be saying in a YA book. Kids talk
or autopsy I’ll make it authentic.’ differently from adults. And their social concerns are different.
Death, trauma and dead bodies are central to her fiction, But the storylines, at least for YA and middle grade, are just as
and very little is off limits. ‘I tend to be a little more cautious complicated. If you condescend, or talk down to them, boy.’
around children, but I have written about dead babies, based Kathy’s approach to crafting a novel has been honed by long
on an actual case I’d worked on. Not much is off limits, but I practice: nineteen Temperance Brennan titles, a standalone,
tend to treat some subjects more delicately.’ 2017’s Good Nights, six Virals titles and some novellas. ‘I
Not only is Temperance, like her creator, a woman operating do some outlining. On my computer I’ll outline 6, 8, 10
in a world that has traditionally been male-dominated, but chapters so I know where it’s going. I do a character file and
Kathy takes care not to gratuitously add to the body-count of a timeline file. Then I jump in and start writing. I create an
women as victims of crime in her fiction. ‘There are a lot of outline retrospectively – as I finish each chapter I put it into
female bodies in crime fiction,’ she says. ‘I actively think about, the outline. I’m a linear writer: chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter
who will the victim be in this book. It can’t just be another 3… It is flexible, as I’ll get an idea as I’m writing and go back
dead woman. There has to be a light shone on all different and change things. At the end of the book I’ll have a complete
kinds of crime and victims. I’ve had elderly, young boys, outline. I don’t really do redrafts – I’ll edit constantly as I go.
women. I do constantly think about that – I don’t just want it By the time I finish a first draft, it’s pretty finished.’
to be a woman taking it in the pants.’ Her advice to aspiring writers is characteristically pragmatic.
Just as Kathy created Temperance as a strong female ‘Write. Write something. I don’t believe in writer’s block. Give
character, she also did the same with Tory Brennan, the lead yourself a designated block of time to write and don’t give
character in the Virals series for young adults that she writes yourself excuses. Just sit down and write. Even if you don’t like
with her son, Brendan Reichs. Tory is Temperance’s fictional it you can hit the delete key. If you get in the habit of saying,
great-niece. ‘When I set out, I set out for Temperance to be a today’s not a good day, you’ll never write a book.’
Fish
for a writing gig...
Could you make money writing for a niche magazine about a specialised interest?
Practical Fishkeeping editor Nathan Hill explains what he wants from new writers.
A
s the editor of Practical Knowing what you want to write
Fishkeeping (PFK), about in advance, and telling us,
a specialist pet care puts you above three quarters of your
magazine, my main competing writers.
problem is sourcing gifted writers. Before you even consider pitching to
While I’m graced with a healthy pool a magazine like mine, ensure that you
of individuals willing to submit, they have read it and are familiar with both
frequently fall into one of two polarised the house style and subject matter. In my
camps; extremely focused aquarists publication’s case the practical aspects of
with little to no writing background, keeping fish, as well as their habitats and
or ‘chancers’ with a history of creative conservation, feature prominently.
writing, hoping to hide their lack Deciding on a fishy topic to write
of subject knowledge with flowery about need not be too hard. Be honest
passages and engaging similes. about your capabilities, and play to
Like other editors of titles like mine, your strengths. In the first instance,
I want someone in that sweet spot, current affairs are always good to
right in the middle. If you’re prepared hobby mags. Join some dedicated fish
to put in a little research time, that groups of Facebook, follow aquarists
could be you. on YouTube and Instagram. Find out
what’s hot, right now, because that is
The pitch what my audience wants to read about.
The pitch is your one chance to attract Alternatively, a lot in fishkeeping is
an editor, and you waste it at your peril. cyclical, and fish tend to dip in and
More pitches to PFK receive a out of vogue over periods of several
generic ‘thank you for your offer years. Source a couple of old back
but…’ response than those I chase up, issues for pennies on Amazon or eBay,
at somewhere around a 75/25 ratio. look at the main subjects and find out
Of the rejected pitches, most can be if they’ve been covered recently.
summed up as ‘Hi, I’d like to write I’ll repeat: play to your strengths.
for you, if you want to tell me what to Perhaps you have a gift for interviews.
write about…’ See if one of the more famous YouTube
This approach is a guaranteed aquarists is prepared to grant you a Skype
pitch killer. Editors are extremely call. I’d be interested in running an
busy people, who already have interview. Perhaps you’re proficient with
people in mind for particular topics. data, in which case you could source
the numbers and types of fish imported could be a stronger hook to the story. HOW A SUCCESSFUL
each year into the UK. Pitch me that as The last of these, Eschemeyer’s,
the basis for an infographic. My readers is valuable when trying to find the
PITCH SHOULD LOOK
would love it, and even if the wordcount correct name for a fish (fish taxonomy
isn’t high, you’d be generously rewarded is somewhat fluid and amorphous) • Be formal. Start with either Sir, Madam,
for the work involved. as well as the most recent scientist to or the name of the person you’re
Note that in any specialist magazine, work with that fish. This person, if pitching to. Get an up-to-date copy of
it is almost certain that the editor knows you can speak to them, is the golden the magazine and check in the masthead
more on the subject than you do. My ticket to your feature. Editors love panel. If the team is small like mine,
own background includes studying fish, authorities. maybe four of five in total, pitch directly to
running public aquaria, running several Authorities are your friends, and the editor. If the team is large, pitch to the
aquarium stores, being a lecturer in the social media can be a great help in second in command – usually the deputy
subject, and moving on to be an author locating them. Many ichthyologists editor or features editor.
and eventual editor of the subject. Be have accounts to communicate with
upfront about how much you do know hobbyists, and are delighted when • Explain who you are and any relevant
about the subject you are proposing to someone takes an interest in their history. If you’re a seasoned seahorse
write, because within one phone call we work. It can be harder to get a fish breeder, or a close friend of a prominent
can gauge exactly how much you don’t scientist to stop speaking than it is aquarist, get this in early on. If you are the
know about it. getting them to open up. story’s hook, then I need to know that.
If you manage to harvest an
Getting your information authority’s knowledge, then quote • Sum up in a single sentence exactly
There has never been such an them heavily, and correctly. This what you want to submit, and a
incorrect source of information will add intellectual weight and wordcount. For example: ‘I want to
on fishkeeping as the mainstream authenticity to the writing. write 1,600 words on my experience
internet. Social media fares little Referencing is entirely unimportant breeding pygmy seahorses and raising
better, and while it has uses as a tool, for Practical Fishkeeping – the the young to adulthood.’ No paragraphs
it should not be relied upon for data. publication isn’t an academic journal of preamble, just tell us concisely what’s
When writing about fish, there – though if a publication requires being offered.
are few trustworthy sources of it, more editors than not seem to
information, and fewer second-hand favour the American Psychological • Write a few sentences on how you
sources. Aim for the primary sources Association (APA) method. think the feature will be constructed,
where possible. I’ve written many Note also that Google Scholar is a noting the key points. For example: ‘I
stories in the past where I’ve gone great source of new information on shall explain how to sex a pair, how to
to ichthyologists directly, and found old subjects, as well as introducing set up the aquarium for them, the water
that what they tell me in person author names that may not show up requirements to trigger spawning, the fry
contradicts the information being on the above websites. foods required and how to raise them,
virally regurgitated online. and the different sizes at which fry should
Your first ports of call when writing The voice of fishkeeping be separated.’ Never use ‘etc.’ in a pitch as
about fish are the websites fishbase. Gauging how much of yourself to this suggests a lazy or unsure writer.
org, seriouslyfish.com and Eschmeyer’s put into a feature on fishkeeping rests
catalog of fishes (https://writ.rs/ heavily on how much of the experience • Explain in what format the work will
eschmeyer). Between them, these sites is your own. In the sidebar are my own be delivered. Will it be one solid block of
contain limited but accurate information preferences to read in submissions. run-on copy? Will it be divided into box-
on most fish species, and from these If you’re writing first-hand about a outs, graphs and charts? Will you provide
you can start on a web of investigation. breeding or keeping experience, then the annotations for pictures? This will help
If there’s something unique about the reader will expect a first-person narrative the editor plan where your work will sit
habitat, or the food the fish eat, the throughout: ‘I got the fish to breed within a completed magazine.
seasons where they live – any of these by…’ and so on. This also works well
for some tangible DIY pieces. • Offer a specific timescale for completion
For news pieces and instructional of the work.
DIY, create something Vulcan-esque,
TOP TIP! emotionless and technical: ‘On • If you have any writing already published
Thursday of last week, the Chinese (especially online) then offer a link to your
For any hobby title, write paddlefish was declared extinct in best work at the end of the feature. Don’t
positively. Nobody buys broadside the editor with hundreds of
a magazine to feel bad links, as they won’t be opened.
or be told that their topic
of interest makes them a • Sign off formally. Use ‘sincerely’ or ‘regards’
terrible person. as opposed to something like ‘cheers’.
FONT MATTERS
Keep font simple on anything
you submit. Calibri is fine. Don’t
bother with quirky line spacing,
bold passages, italics, underlines
any other traits, as the first thing
we editors often do is copy your
entire document, pop it into
TextEdit and convert the whole
thing to plain text before passing
it on to our production editors.
Save yourself time and keep it
basic, because we won’t even see
those idiosyncratic flourishes.
FISH OR FISHES?
There’s often a blunderbuss
approach to working with singular
the wild…’ or ‘It is essential that the vision of Centropyge angelfish in and plural with fish writers.
blue wires connect to, and only to, their tanks, the electric shiver of their If fish aren’t your Decide early on whether you’re
the thermostat…’ majesty carrying me on a transcendent thing, see p85 for going to write about a fish as an
If you’re writing vicariously journey far beyond a mere aquarium,’ more niche pet individual, or fish as a plurality,
through an authority, then the but I’m cutting it and adding you to a magazines looking and then stick to that. Sentences
safest approach is a mixture of contributor blacklist soon after. I don’t for writers. like ‘The Otocinclus catfish is
technical writing and quotes. care, the reader doesn’t care. To use a great species for aquaria, but
Remove yourself from the feature the old phrase, ‘Kill your darlings’. in the wild they are surprisingly
and use the authority as the voice, migratory…’ are all extra time for
by quoting them in the first-person How much will I get? the editor to fix.
sense. ‘On Thursday of last week, Some work is more valuable in niche As an aside, ‘fish’ can be the
the Chinese paddlefish was declared subject areas when you can also provide plural of one species of fish (the
extinct in the wild. “I was disgusted imagery, especially of rare and unusual shoal of herring numbered a
to see it go,” says Quentin Scientist, subjects. Others may pay per word. million fish), while ‘fishes’ refers
the man who first discovered and Note that specialist magazines to a plurality of species together
named the species.’ rarely have deep pockets, and so (the community tank was made
Don’t add long passages that add £200 for a 2,000 word feature may up of dozens of different fishes).
nothing of substance – especially be especially generous.
those pertaining to personal feelings. Don’t expect ‘red top’ rates,
You can go ahead and pen down and expect considerably less (if
something like, ‘When I was seven anything) when submitting to a
years old I first gasped at the seraphic website or blog.
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I N S P I R I N G WO R D S
How I got
published
LISTEN
TAP HERE
To hear an
extract from
A Room at
the Manor
JULIE
SHACKMAN
Scottish romance author Julie Shackman, tells
Dolores Gordon Smith how she found an Australian agent.
‘M
y first two far is romance – both reading it and literary representation abroad, I
contemporary writing it. decided to submit my writing to her.
romance novels, ‘When I approached Australian ‘These authors had spoken of
Rock My World uber agent, Selwa Anthony, with my finding no logistical problems at
and Hero or Zero were published third novel, A Room at the Manor, in all with having an agent based
digitally by an ebook publisher based April 2017, I honestly hadn’t expected internationally and said they simply
in London, but like many writers, to hear back. exchanged emails as usual, and where
I always dreamt of a traditional ‘I had read about Selwa’s telephone calls were required, they
publishing deal. phenomenal reputation in the just arranged them with the time
‘From an early age, I loved writing Australian literary world, as well as difference in mind.
and reading. I remember reading her enthusiasm for mentoring and ‘I had based Thistles, my fictional
Princess Daisy by Judith Krantz when encouraging debut authors, but I tea room in the story, on my favourite
I was thirteen and I thought it must assumed that with her impressive tea shop where I write and wanted
be wonderful to write stories and get client list, she would more than likely to look at what would happen when
paid for it. reply with a polite decline. secrets and revelations come back from
‘I trained as a journalist and studied ‘I had submitted to agents, only the past.
communication and media, but to find that I was receiving positive ‘I thought also about my main
always harboured a longing to be a comments about my writing but no character, Lara McDonald, and how she
romance author. offers of representation. might react to having to assert herself
‘I am an avid reader and love ‘When I read about several UK in a very difficult situation – and what
many genres, but my favourite by writers who had successfully secured effect this would have on decisions she
would have to make in the future. It was
these ideas that formed the basis for A
24 APRIL 2020
H OW I G OT P U B L I S H E D
T
here are very few look like the end of the world. So I to be shot on next to no money, all in
novelists who are also decided to write to order – basically the location I’d found.’
film writer-directors. shaping a story around the location.’ Through writing for pop culture
Perhaps the most This is Andrew’s first big lesson, magazine And Cream, Andrew had
famous example is use what resources are available to the opportunity to interview the
Michael Crichton, who wrote the you. ‘I’ve always loved the post- actor Leslie Simpson (Dog Soldiers).
original novel Jurassic Park, and apocalyptic genre and the location Afterwards he got his script to the
wrote and directed films such as made for a perfect fit for something actor, who agreed to star in the film.
Westworld and Coma. Once, like in that area. So I wrote an outline for Andrew says that getting Simpson
publishing, filmmaking existed in a story about a lone man in an empty on board ‘changed everything. I
a walled garden. But now, just as world – eventually his mind begins to did manage to get a bit of financial
ebooks and print on demand have unravel and the crippling loneliness backing, and suddenly we were
enabled anyone to publish a book, takes hold. I designed the entire thing making the film.’
so new technology has liberated
filmmaking. So when I spoke to
writer/director Andrew David Barker Andrew David Barker is the author
I was keen to find out how a novelist of the novels The Electric and Dead
can become a filmmaker. Leaves. His new novel Mick & Sarah
In the beginning, Andrew says, at the Pictures is currently being
‘I had no connection to the film crowdfunded through Unbound.
industry whatsoever. I grew up in He wrote and directed the feature
Derby to a working-class family film A Reckoning (2011) and
and the options I had when I left the shorts Two Old Boys (2018 -
school, after getting a very poor winner of award for Best Comedy
education, where either to go and Short at the Independent Shorts
work in a factory or on a building Awards, Los Angeles) and Shining
site.’ He did both. Tor (2018, winner of Best Fantasy
With no money, but an ambition Short, Independent Shorts Awards;
burning inside him to make a Best Visual Effects – Midlands
film, his feature A Reckoning came Movies Awards, 2019; Best Actress,
about because ‘I discovered an old Laura Rollins, The Short Cinema,
abandoned RAF base just outside 2019; Official Selection, That Film
Nottingham. It was an entire village Festival, Cannes, 2019).
just left to the elements and it did
He stresses that it is important court – and so the film was cast into
to write your screenplay keeping limbo. I had film festivals around the
practical limitations in mind. ‘I world wanting to take it and a small
knew there was no electric at the distribution company in LA looking
location, which would mean that at it, but it all fell apart.’
I’d need a generator to power In the aftermath Andrew walked
everything, and generators are of away from filmmaking for a while
course really noisy, so I wrote the but says, ‘films themselves never
film to have a voice over – we hear left me. All my novels have films
the lone man’s internal thoughts – as a backdrop in some way. The
and that enabled me to shoot outside Electric, and my new novel, Mick
using the generator and not have to & Sarah At The Pictures, are pretty
worry about sound. I put that on in much just set within the walls of old
post-production.’ picture houses.’ Andrew clearly has
Knowing that everyone wants a romantic nostalgia for the age of
to be involved in a film, Andrew cinema before the multiplex.
explains that, ‘We got students After writing Dead Leaves, ‘the itch
from Derby University to act as started to return, but again I couldn’t
our crew and we shot in the middle figure out how to make something
of January for two weeks. About on no money. Those ideas – the ideas
three days into the shoot, the snow that are simple enough to shoot, yet
came. It turned out to be one of strong enough to elevate them above
the worst winters in England for their budgetary constraints – are
years. But that was another thing really hard to find.’ This is one of
I’d planned when writing – my the key differences to writing a short
structure was fairly loose. I left room story or novel as a spectacular action
for a lot of improvising, so we could scene costs a lot more on film than
accommodate the weather.’ on paper.
Because the budget was so tiny In 2017 Andrew got a job as a
the film was edited in the editor’s standby prop guy at the BBC in
bedroom. This doesn’t need to be Birmingham, working on the daytime
a problem though. With almost show Doctors. ‘It was my first time
all filmmaking being digital now ever officially working in the industry.
any film can be edited on a home I was on set all day, with the actors,
computer. Most special effects can be the crew, and it was there that the
done in software. As Andrew points fire to start making films again really
out, ‘you can make films on your came back.’
phone. The camera on my iPhone It’s at this point that the
is better than the camera we shot A writer-director explains how luck
Reckoning on ten years ago, so it’s all sometimes help out. ‘A mate of
about using the equipment you can mine, Mick Walker, runs his own
get hold of and utilising it the best production company, mainly doing
way you can.’ As an example of this, corporate stuff, and so he has pretty
Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven) much got everything – cameras,
shot his 2018 feature film Unsane lens, lights, editing software – and
entirely on an iPhone. he wanted to make a narrative film
Andrew is frank about one hard as well. A drama...
lesson he learned. ‘There was a stupid ‘I was thinking about older men
falling out with the folks that put up I see in pubs – day drinkers – and
the money for the shoot. That was thought I’d try and put two of these
where I made the biggest mistake. guys sitting over a pint and have them
There were no contracts. I was so talk and see what happens. I sat down
thrilled to be finally making a film to write and this little film, and Two
that it never even occurred to me Old Boys took shape. I kept it short
– we were just all friends together because really it has no story – it’s a
going to do this thing. It got into snapshot of two working class blokes
a messy legal dispute about who talking about a world they feel is
actually owned the film, but because getting away from them, and them
neither party had any money we yearning for the past.
couldn’t settle it properly – no one ‘So with Mick on board to shoot it,
was in a position to take anyone to I asked an actor friend of mine, Mark
N
ational Pet Memoir tip: Using all your senses is a to do any research. What sort of
Day is coming key to more fully remembering the past. housing does this animal need?
up in April. If What food? And health care? How
you are a pet Fiction can you look after its emotional needs?
owner, it’s a reminder to check Pets can feel like family members, or really Take ten minutes for a quick first draft,
your pet’s health care is up to date, with important friends. This story will be about to get the content. Then take another ten
vaccinations and so on, to clear out any toys someone who either gains a pet or loses one, to check the language, making sure it’s
that are no longer safe, update collar tags if you which can both be life-changing events. In pitched at a level that young children can
have changed your address and make sure your my book Finding Fizz, a little girl who is understand, with no long sentences. You can
home is pet friendly. For anyone who doesn’t being bullied at school finds an orphaned include some words that may be unfamiliar,
have a pet, it’s a good time to think about puppy, and having someone even smaller such as ‘hutch’ or ‘dog basket’ if the picture
other people – family, friends or neighbours and more vulnerable than she is helps her shows the reader what they mean.
– who may need help looking after their pets feel stronger and the teasing less important. ip: Writing for different readerships such
Tip:
due to travel plans, old age or illness. In my young adult novel Drift, the death of as very young children is good practice for
For free-range writers, National Pet Day the dog is the first crack in the protagonist’s making you really think about your reader,
provides a great theme to explore in different sense of family as a safe and loving place. what they will understand and be interested
genres with this month’s writing workouts. The In your story, who gains or loses a pet? to know.
only rule is stick to the timings. Short, timed Write a character sketch – name and age,
pieces mean you have to get stuck straight in, physical description, likes and dislikes, Poetry
before your inner critic has a chance to interfere. situation. Make some notes about the pet as In this poem, the narrator is either a pet
well – what kind of animal it is, its name, owner talking about their pet or a pet talking
Memoir age and temperament. about its owner.
Start with a list of pets, your own or other What is your main character’s life like Get some background first by imagining
people’s, from any period in your life. For me, before they gain or lose their pet? That’s both the person and the pet, their names,
that would include my grandmother’s elderly the beginning. How do they find or lose it? ages and personalities; their physical
scottish terrier, Scottie, then Patch, the puppy That’s the action. In what way is their life attributes and how they feel about living
my father brought home in his coat pocket, different afterwards? That’s the ending. with each other. Write some notes.
my best friend’s dog, my children’s house Write the story. Take twenty minutes. Which one feels more interesting to you,
rabbits and Sabre, the unfriendly rottweiler the owner or the animal? That will be your
that once lived next door. Non-fiction narrator. Especially if you are choosing the
Choose one. What did it look like? What Write a picture book text for young children animal, you might consider making your
noises did it make? What did it smell like? about how to look after a pet. Most picture poem rhyme for comic effect but keep it
What did it feel like to touch or hold? Use books are about thirty pages long, with a free verse if that feels more natural. Take 15
all your senses and make some notes. Add sentence or two of writing on each page, and minutes. Remember to give your poem a title.
some thoughts about its personality, and part of the task is to make an artwork note Poetry tip: B Because poems feel
how you related to it emotionally. where information can be conveyed in the personal, we often assume they represent
Next, jot down some anecdotes from this illustration rather than spelt out in the text. the poet’s own experiences, thoughts and
animal’s life – any funny, touching, exciting or The easiest subject to choose is a pet you feelings. Writing poems from a fictional
worrying moments that come to mind. Choose have looked after yourself – for me, that might point of view helps loosen up the way we
one and tell the story. Take fifteen minutes. be rabbits, rats or hens. Then you won’t need engage as readers.
Literary legacy
Sarah Baxter, who handles literary estates
at the Society of Authors, explains the work
they do to keep an author’s work alive for
years after their death
I
n 1945, playwright Bernard Shaw sent a postcard to
the Society of Authors.
‘The time has come (I am nearly ninety),’ it read,
‘when I must hand over the management of my
literary and theatre to some permanent agency… You
intimated some time ago that [the Society of Authors] is
game for the job. On what terms?’
A deal was done and, after his papers had been passed to
us, we received another postcard from Shaw’s Corner: ‘Act as
if I were dead, as I soon shall be.’
Bernard Shaw’s is one of over forty literary estates
we represent today. Its impact over the years has been
considerable. In fact in 1967 it enabled us to purchase one of
the two buildings in South Kensington which served as our
offices until 2019.
The estate of Robert Louis Stevenson was one of the
first. Many of the estates we represent are for authors who
had close associations with the Society of Authors during
their lifetimes: Walter de la Mare, Rosamond Lehmann and
John Masefield served on our management committee, and
Masefield, former Poet Laureate, was also the union’s President
for thirty years (a role held today by Philip Pullman). Philip
Larkin was a member and, never having an agent, relied
extensively on our services.
What began in 1912 as a service to writers nearing the end
of their working lives today makes up a significant proportion
of our annual income – supporting our day-to-day activities,
maintaining relationships with industry, and enabling us to
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individual writers through grants and endowments awarded by
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James Memorial Fund.
income for beneficiaries. As agents we are mindful of an author’s
How do literary estates work? reputation and an estate’s wishes, but it is our responsibility to take
For most estates we take on the role of agent. This means we handle advantage of new licensing opportunities – and to embrace the
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authors’ copyrights or literary income. Both setups are made possible a much-loved children’s classic (as we did for Masefield’s The Box of
by copyright law. Delights), or taking advantage of the strong interest in classic English
UK copyright law protects your work for seventy years after your literature by licensing titles like The Go-Between (LP Hartley) and
death, giving literary estates great potential to continue to generate Maurice (EM Forster) in markets that have previously been challenging.
ures
novels from the 1940s to 1980s. Her books sold over 40 million since your estate can be
copies worldwide during her lifetime, but when she died in 2009, lucrative for many years, as
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were out of print. consider the management of
Corazon Books wanted to revive Gaskin’s work and went your copyrights and papers
on to use an engaging mix of new publishing techniques and after your death and make
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Romantic Novelists’ Association, running writing competitions, Your Copyrights and Papers
engaging directly with readers, and developing a Catherine Gaskin After Death,, which deals with
newsletter for her fanbase. Corazon Books’ dynamic approach was – among other things – who inherits what, executors and ‘literary
so successful that we went on to license Gaskin’s entire backlist to executors’, the future administration of your copyrights, and
this ebook publisher. inheritance tax. It’s free to Society of Authors members from our
website. Literary estates are also entitled become members of the
Rise, fall, and rise again Society of Authors and to obtain the same advice and assistance as
Some titles seem to transcend fashions and remain popular authors are entitled to during their lifetime.
throughout the term of copyright. The novels of EM Forster and #DeadGoodLit
Virginia Woolf have never been out of print in the UK, and in the We would love you to share in our passion for the authors
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But fashions do change, and it is satisfying and sometimes discuss well-known classics and long-forgotten literary gems from
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The fi n i s h i n g l i n e
Finish what you started, says Adrian Magson. It’s the only way to find out if it’s got legs.
T
here’s some truth in the saying the keyboard or paper even when the world it out into the world without feeling my toes
that goes, ‘If you finish what is in turmoil and there are countless other curling up in anticipation of derision.
you started, only then can you demands on their time. The only way I can do that is by finally
look back and see how well Starting out writing short fiction, the end writing THE END at the end. Then I know
you did.’ was always somewhere in sight, or at least it’s done. Yes, there will be some re-reading
I don’t claim the credit for this. Maybe it not so far off that it seemed an impossible and re-editing (I tend to edit a lot as I go, so
was Confucius or one of those other Clever task. Whether 1,000 words or 5,000 or it’s a rolling function), but the biggest part of
Dicks… or maybe it was a variation of a more, it was achievable, even if only to be the job is completed.
saying my father drilled into me, which able to look back at the completed work Whether you edit as you go as I do, or
usually went along the lines of, ‘Finish that and think about what to do with it next, at the end (as I also do because I’m never
and you can start something else.’ It made a whether it involved a stamped, addressed fully satisfied), you eventually have to say to
kind of sense back when I was young enough envelope (remember those?) or a quick flick yourself, ‘That’s it. Stop bloody fiddling and
to heed his advice, and because I couldn’t see of the lighter and watching the words go up get it out there.’
the hitch coming, which was often another in smoke. (Actually, I rarely did that – the By the same token, an agent or publisher,
job he needed doing around the house or fire bit, I mean – because I’ve never believed while prepared to look at a synopsis or the first
garden. But since the next job usually led to in throwing away any of my writing. To few chapters, will really only be able to make
some kind of reward – he was a fair-minded do so is to invalidate all the hours spent a final judgement when they can read the
employer – I couldn’t complain too much. composing the words, and because I quickly finished work. They can get excited by a first
It was a habit that followed me into learned that recycling them represented a lot sighting of a submission or even a synopsis,
my writing, because without finishing a of saved effort and time. Whether an idea, but they won’t give it a definitive ‘yes’ until
piece, there was nothing I could do with a paragraph, a character or a simple piece they know what they’re dealing with.
it. I couldn’t tell whether the story worked; of dialogue, if I could use an unused piece Even at this stage you might have to accept
didn’t want to show it to anyone to see what elsewhere, I would try.) that it isn’t going to fly without some extra
they thought; certainly couldn’t submit it Writing books is a little harder to see the work. But that’s part of accepting someone’s
to a magazine editor (which it usually was end, but it’s merely a question of scale. Each judgement, of being a determined – and
when I started out in this strange business). chapter has its own beginning and end, professional – writer; you pick yourself up and
I couldn’t even begin to derive any great which can be judged as you go, and each start again because that’s what we all do.
personal satisfaction from it. Like a half-built chapter adds to the collective. Write enough And the bitter pill of junking something
wall, it stood but not all the way up. chapters and you soon have a book. Then you aren’t happy with is more easily justified if
I come across people quite often who you can look back and judge whether what you start writing something else instead.
say they once started to write something you have is a pile of manure or something
but had never finished it. Sometimes the worth submitting. And, yes, I’ve had plenty
words come with a shrug and not a hint of
regret, as if it was an effort of its time that
of manure along the way, usually consigned
to a bottom drawer and later dissected for the
Top Tips
carried no real chance of success anyway, odd nugget… which is probably a picture you • Finish the job. You can’t judge a wall
so no great loss. Others carry an echo of don’t want in your head. half-built.
something else; wistfulness, perhaps. I rarely Unlike some, and perhaps because of the
know why they didn’t finish what they’d ‘finish what you started’ credo, I’ve never • Getting a complete view of a project is
started, and it’s usually not my place to ask. been able to show my writing to anyone until the only way to gauge its worth.
It could have been a lack of conviction, or it’s a done deal. Doesn’t matter whether it’s
ideas or even the desire – that inner drive an article, a short story or a book, it has to • If a project stalls or fails, don’t dwell.
most writers have which draws them back to be finished before I can even think of letting Start something else.
1st place
Jeanette Lowe
is a southerner now resident
£200
in South Yorkshire. She’s a former
specialist literacy teacher who escaped
the grind to do an MA in Creative
i o n
Writing at the University of Sheffield,
t c o n v e r s
which she has now completed. She’s
Lo f
currently unemployed but trying to
avoid going back to teaching.
by Jeanette Lowe
I
’ve just had a pay rise, he says, old trunk, picked up at some junk crumpled sofa cushions, no scummy
and there’s your redundancy. shop years back. Decades. She stands mug on the coffee table. A text.
Stop worrying. See your friends, and watches the dust float and Sorry darling, worked late, checked
go shopping. swim. Then she looks inside. Fraying into the Travelodge.
She does go shopping, she fills straw hats, and the black platform After her granola she goes up into
their wardrobe. She lunches with old boots she wore when she was a the attic and reaches for the little key.
work colleagues, pizza, tapas, and teenager. The old rucksack she took Later, much later, she creeps back
that new place, Turkish. They soon to Thailand a year before she met down with the rucksack, legs feeble.
run out of things to say. him, dark blue canvas and cracked Dusk is settling, she doesn’t know
The new clothes rustle and waft leather straps. A scrawny stuffed how long she’s been gone, day-
as she slides open the glossy doors. lion, browning paperbacks. Diaries dreamy, stuck.
They dangle like demi-people, heads she daren’t open in case the essence She lays the rucksack on the bed.
and limbs severed. Ghosts. She of her younger self escapes, wraps Gives it a sniff, fiddles with the
slides the doors shut again, roams her, suffocates her. buckles and straps. It’s a little musty
the house, goes into bedrooms Her mother’s water-ringed bedside but it seems intact. She looks out
where snotty toddlers once crawled. cabinet sits by the chimney stack. the window, sees it’s been raining.
Bathrooms, lemon-scented and It opens with a little verdigris key. She brings up strong coffee and
gleaming from the cleaner’s buffing. She brings up a bottle of whiskey, a opens drawers. T-shirts, sandals.
The dining room, little used. The tumbler, places them inside. Lugs up Jeans, jumper. A waterproof. Phone
utility room, where the ironing gets a fluffy cream-coloured rug, adds a and charger. Credit cards. She laces
done. His shirts, her silks. satin cushion from the bedroom. Lies on her comfy walking boots.
There are other places. The attic back, only aware of soft radio-voices Lingering in the hallway, she
with a pull-down ladder. One day in the kitchen far below. She pours considers leaving a note. She decides
she yanks it free, climbs up and and sips. Pours some more. Loses her to text, Good luck, darling. She
flicks the light-switch, wondering sense of where she has belonged. swings the rucksack onto her back,
what’s in the boxes, why they keep She gets out of bed, opens the locks the front and posts the keys
stuff they never use. Her long blind. There’s no sign of him. No back through the letter box. Looks
painted fingernails prise open her towel on the shower room floor, no up. Day is sliding into night.
Also shortlisted in the 500-word short story competition were: Sharon Boyle, East Lothian; Michael Callaghan, Glasgow;
Kevin Cheeseman, Haddenham, Buckinghamshire; Kath Delaney, Lancaster; Alyson Hilbourne, Penrith, Cumbria;
Sophie Holland, Bristol; Vanessa Jarrett, Lymington, Hampshire; Kerry Jeffs, Framlingham, Suffolk; Pat Metcalfe, New Mills,
Derbyshire; Alexandra Nicholson, Weymouth, Dorset.
Annie Percik
T he Game
lives in London with her
by Annie Percik
2nd place
£50
husband, Dave, where she is revising
her first novel, whilst working as a
University Complaints Officer. She
writes a blog about writing and posts ensuring its implementation. All dangerous shadows where evil
short fiction on her website (www. is good. spirits lurk and lands securely at
alobear.co.uk), which is also where
The children have known each his destination.
all her current publications are listed.
other their whole lives. It’s a group ‘Yay!’ Annabel calls out, throwing
She likes to run away from zombies
in her spare time. born, literally, out of a pre-natal her arms in the air. ‘You’re safe! The
yoga class their mothers all attended. ghost can’t get you now. But you
Their birthdays fall within a span of can’t move until me and Daniel
T
he children play in the six weeks and they have been in and have made it too, or it’ll be able
dappled sunlight as their out of each other’s houses as if they to find you again. And if we get
mothers chat from deck chairs all belong to one big family. caught, it’ll eat you too.’
arranged in the shade. ‘Now you need to get to that spot Ben looks alarmed by this turn
It’s a complicated game. The without stepping on the dark bits,’ of events. But he stands firm on his
rules were devised by Daniel, Annabel says, pointing. spot and pulls Annabel to safety
always the deep thinker of the The wind rustles the leaves of when she stumbles on the last jump.
group, but it’s clear that Annabel the trees overhead, making the They arrange themselves at the edges
is the one in charge. sunlit patches of ground ripple of the circle, trying to make enough
‘No,’ she says. ‘You need to stand and shimmer. room for Daniel. But the wind is
over there.’ ‘Quick!’ Annabel shouts. ‘Before their enemy, shifting the parameters
Ben, the follower, the meek the ghost steals all the light!’ of their designated haven beneath
one, does as he is told, moving to Ben scrambles to obey. The rules their feet. Annabel topples first,
the designated spot in the centre may be Daniel’s but the story is pulling the boys down with her until
of one pool of sunlight. Daniel Annabel’s. She always takes the bare they end up in a pile on the ground,
nods in satisfaction. Annabel has bones of what Daniel provides and shrieking and laughing as the ghost
understood his vision and is now turns them into an epic fantasy claims its victory.
that transforms their games into Their three mothers look over at
adventures. the noise, quickly reassured by the
Ben might not have helped with sounds of joy beneath the imagined
the creation of the game, but he’s terror. They dream a future for their
by far the best at it. He doesn’t fully children. Annabel will be CEO, of
understand the rules, but Annabel’s course, while Daniel will head up the
instructions tell him what to do. Research & Development division.
He leaps from one circle of light And Ben? Nobody is sure where his
to another, nimbly avoiding the strengths will lie yet. But he’s got time
to shine. And whatever role he ends
up taking, no doubt he will keep the
ghosts at bay for his friends.
ADAM
MACQUEEN
The journalist and now novelist shares
his top five reads with Judith Spelman
A
dam Macqueen is a journalist and author who has
contributed to Private Eye magazine since 1997 and wrote MURDER MUST ADVERTISE
the history of the magazine to celebrate its 50th anniversary by Dorothy L Sayers, 1933
in 2011. Between 1999-2002 he was deputy editor of The
Big Issue. As an author his books have the most intriguing titles –
The Prime Minister’s Ironing Board, The Lies of the Land: A Brief ‘Judging by the shelves in my
History of Political Dishonesty and The King of Sunlight. His first local library, mysteries account
novel, Beneath the Streets, is a political thriller and published by for an enormous proportion of
Lightening Books in March 2020. the nation’s reading but I wonder
how many people actually read
them with their own detective
hats on. I’m not sure I’ve ever
BLACK HEARTS IN worked out a murderer ahead
BATTERSEA of the final chapter, or even
really tried to. I think the key
by Joan Aiken, 1964 to mysteries’ ubiquity is that
they provide a ready-made
‘I’ve picked this because it’s a framework on which to hang characters and explore
rollicking read, full of intrigue, more interesting issues. Dorothy Sayers has two of the
adventure and excitement, most fascinating of the former in Lord Peter Wimsey and
and it introduces perhaps the Harriet Vane (the latter only a background presence in
greatest role-model in children’s this instalment): Wimsey’s deliberately-curated image as a
literature, Dido Twite. But it has foppish dilettante disguises both his intelligence and the
a particular significance for me lingering effects of shell shock in the First World War.
now because it’s the first book This is at the heart of his relationship with his batman-
that made me realise – decades ahead of Gordon Burn’s Alma turned-valet Bunter, just one of the supporting characters
Cogan and Robert Harris’s Fatherland – that you don’t have to Sayers uses to interrogate and satirise Britain’s class
stick to the rules: you can take the bits of history you want and system between the wars: Wimsey’s snobbish sister-in-law
reshape the rest into your own story, as I’ve done with Beneath the Duchess of Denver, his sister Mary, married down to
The Streets. Aiken’s whole series takes place in an alternative a Scotland Yard man, and in this book the employees of
England where James III is on the throne and dastardly the Pym’s Publicity advertising agency into which m’Lord
Hanoverians are plotting against him, and where wolves roam goes undercover as a 9-to-5 man (a deception boldly
the countryside, having entered the country through a channel not revealed to the reader until five chapters in, though
tunnel completed a couple of hundred years ahead of schedule. regulars will guess from the first line).’
‘I
’m lucky to have a job in journalism that pays most of the enough to have my own study nowadays but have discovered I can
bills. Because Private Eye is fortnightly I do one week in actually bash away at the laptop pretty much anywhere; start every
the office cranking out stories about politics and the media day revising and editing the day before’s words; can’t work without
with my blood pressure rising, and then a week at home a deadline even if it’s one I’ve set for myself, and try to get to a daily
working on books until I start muttering to myself and need to get word count, but I’m not saying what it is because there’s nothing
back out into the real world again. positive to be gained by anyone else measuring themselves against it.
‘I’ve always thought of my non-fiction books as an extension of ‘One thing I will pass on: once I’ve finished the first draft of any
my journalism: it’s about finding interesting stories people don’t book I put it away and do something else, for months if possible,
necessarily know and telling them in an entertaining and unexpected so I can get some distance from it and then do the fun bit, which
way. Beneath The Streets, my first novel (not counting the two is completely ripping the thing apart. Beneath The Streets lost three
that didn’t find publishers) is an extension of that: it explores two chapters once I was in a position to see the wood for the trees and
historical mysteries that have never been properly cleared up to the ending then got a comprehensive rewrite (including resurrecting
anyone’s satisfaction – the attempted murder of Jeremy Thorpe’s a major character) thanks to the astute suggestions of my editor
former lover and the sudden resignation of Harold Wilson as Prime Simon Edge. I’ve yet to meet a piece of writing that hasn’t ended up
Minister – and explores a world that existed in the shadows at the better as a result of another pair of eyes on it. But I think the best
time and has largely stayed there ever since: that of young gay men in advice I could pass on is to ignore all the above: the only thing you
the 1970s at a time when their very existence made them illegal. need to do to be a writer is to write. Just get some bloody words
‘Like most writers, I’ve got habits that have taken on the form on the page. Usually you find more will follow, and some of them
of rules: I don’t work weekends at all if I can help it; am fortunate might even be quite good.’
www.writers-online.co.uk 2020
APRIL 2017 37
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
was a long journey. in the waiting room? Were they the car
the whole time but not speaking? There
In summary
When I first saw this piece, I rejected it as a possible Microscope because I couldn’t see
enough wrong with it to justify an article. It reads well and the technical errors are
relatively few: mostly incorrect punctuation. • If you would like to submit an
But then I read it again and realised it was a missed opportunity. The idea for the scene extract of your work in progress, send
is interesting and has a lot of potential, but that potential is lost in poorly structured it by email, with synopsis and a brief
sentences, vagueness and some excessive telling. It needs tightening up. biog, to: [email protected]
es
is/Writer Pictur
LISTEN
TAP HERE
BEN
© Geraint Lew
To hear an
extract from
Agent Zigzag
MACINTYRE
Tony Rossiter examines a writer whose true stories read like fiction
‘I
f you’re looking for a good Friedrich Nietzsche’s sister in Paraguay Hatfield. He immediately gave himself
spy thriller, I definitely in 1886. When she returned to Europe up to the local police and offered his
recommend this,’ said a review she inspired the cult of her brother’s services to MI5. A fake sabotage attack
in the Daily Express. The book philosophy, and she later became a on the de Havilland factory convinced
was not an invented spy yarn, mentor to Hitler. Macintyre has followed his German handlers that Chapman had
but a true story – Agent Zigzag. Fact can this with a string of bestselling spy stories, accomplished his mission, so that when
be stranger than fiction. every one of them true. I’ll concentrate he returned to France he was rewarded,
Ben Macintyre, historian and Times on three of the most widely admired. inducted into the German Army as an
journalist, has written ten meticulously oberleutnant and sent to teach at a spy
researched books about adventurers Agent Zigzag school in Oslo. He was able to provide
and eccentrics from the world of crime Published in 2007, Agent Zigzag: The MI5 with extensive intelligence about the
and espionage. They are gripping page- True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: German Army.
turners by an author who combines the Lover, Traitor, Hero, Spy is the story of In 1944 the Germans parachuted
disciplines and techniques of journalism a professional criminal who became a him back into Britain to report on the
with the flair of a natural storyteller. double agent during the Second World accuracy of their V1 flying bombs and
War. It’s an extraordinary tale about a on development of the Royal Navy’s
How he began complex man who had no compunction hedgehog anti-submarine weapon.
As a child, he was a voracious reader of about burglary and safe-breaking, and Chapman reported that the German V1s
Enid Blyton, Ronald Welch, Marryat’s combined this with a love of subterfuge, were hitting their central London target
The Children of the New Forest and adventure and daring-do heroism. Eddie when they were in fact undershooting
the children’s histories of RJ Unstead. Chapman was both a villain and a hero. and landing mainly in the south London
Educated at Abingdon School and St Before the war he was a safecracker with suburbs or the Kent countryside, causing
John’s College, Oxford, he graduated in London gangs and spent several stretches far less damage. On his return to London,
1985 with a degree in history. He has in gaol. In 1939, arrested for blowing up Chapman again became involved with
a high regard for Moby-Dick (Herman the safe of the Edinburgh Co-operative criminal gangs in the West End; and in
Melville) and The Great Gatsby (Scott Society but released on bail, he fled to November 1944, MI5, being unable to
Fitzgerald), and favourite authors include Jersey, where he committed yet another control him, dismissed him from their
PG Wodehouse, Evelyn Waugh, William burglary. This resulted in two years’ service. He was given a pay-off of £6,000
Boyd, Robert Harris, Zadie Smith, imprisonment, but it spared him the and pardoned from prosecution for his
Charles Cumming and (surprise, surprise) fourteen-plus years he expected to receive pre-war criminal activities.
John le Carré. on returning to the mainland.
After university, Macintyre became Following the German occupation A Spy Among Friends
a foreign correspondent for The Times, of the Channel Islands, Chapman There have been several books about
working in New York, Paris and volunteered to spy for Germany; he Kim Philby, who was recruited as a Soviet
Washington. Since 1996, he’s had a had extensive training in German- agent in 1934. One of the Cambridge
weekly column, writing about history, occupied France in explosives, radio Five Spy Ring unmasked many years
espionage, art, politics and foreign affairs. communications and espionage later, he worked as a journalist before
His first book, Forgotten Fatherland: The techniques. In December 1942, he was joining the Secret Intelligence Service,
Search for Elizabeth Nietzsche (1992), was flown to Britain and parachuted into the MI6, in 1940. Thereafter, he was a
based on interviews with descendants of Cambridgeshire countryside, tasked with double agent, providing his Soviet
the bizarre Aryan colony established by sabotaging the de Havilland factory in controllers with reams of increasingly
important material as he rose up the MI6 who devised it, which enabled him to
hierarchy. The focus of A Spy Among be smuggled out of Soviet Russia. The
Friends (2014) is Philby’s close friendship bizarre signal to put this plan into action
with Nicholas Elliott, the MI6 officer was a plastic carrier bag printed with the
whose background and education were red Safeway logo. The gripping escape
strikingly similar to Philby’s. is so out-of-this-world that Frederick
Following the defections in 1951 of Forsyth has said ‘if any spy writer were to
Burgess and Maclean (Foreign Office put it in a novel it would not be believed’.
officials who had also been recruited
as Soviet agents while at Cambridge), How he writes
Philby was widely suspected of being the ‘The history of intelligence is opening LISTEN
Third Man who had tipped them off up as never before, as more and more TAP HERE
To hear an
about their imminent arrest. There was secret material is released into the public extract from
no proof of his guilt, but in July 1951 he domain,’ says Macintyre. ‘Writing about The Spy and
was forced to resign from MI6. However, real espionage offers an extraordinary the Traitor
in 1956 he was publicly exonerated and backdrop for exploring all the concepts
resumed his earlier career in journalism, that fascinate us in fiction: loyalty,
working for the Observer and the betrayal, friendship, politics, and love.’
Economist in Beirut; at the same time he In what he reads and writes, he likes
was paid a retainer by MI6 and provided discretion and modesty, and has ‘an
them (and his Soviet controllers) with affection for the stiff upper lip, the
ad hoc intelligence. In January 1963, he emotion unvoiced, the desire undeclared’.
was finally exposed as a Soviet agent. He Detailed, painstaking research is at
escaped from Beirut on a Russian ship the heart of Macintyre’s books. In 2001,
that took him to Odessa, and defected to MI5 began the selective release to the
Moscow. Nicholas Elliott, his close friend, National Archives of previously classified
was the MI6 officer who confronted information that could not damage
him with the evidence in Beirut. national security or embarrass anyone still
According to Macintyre, a good many living. These declassified archives include
intelligence officers in both London and hundreds of pages of documents relating
Moscow believe that Philby’s escape was to Eddie Chapman, and these provided
suspiciously easy and had been tacitly Macintyre with much of the raw material
encouraged by MI6. for Agent Zigzag. They included reports,
descriptions, diagrams, internal memos,
The Spy and the Traitor minutes, letters, photographs, transcripts Macintyre said, ‘being able to explore
‘The best true spy story I have ever read,’ of interrogations and wireless intercepts. Kim Philby’s abandoned and derelict
said John le Carré. He was talking about These gave Macintyre information apartment in Beirut was probably
Macintyre’s Cold War tale The Spy and not only about events and people in the most atmospheric moment of the
the Traitor (2018). Oleg Gordievsky the Chapman case, but also about the research process. I stood on the balcony,
was a senior KGB officer who became a minutiae of a spy’s life: Chapman’s pitted with bullet holes from Lebanon’s
double agent and for more than a decade handlers set out to paint a complete civil war, from which he signalled his
supplied Britain with a stream of high- picture of the man, including his feelings, Soviet controller that he needed to flee.
quality intelligence from deep inside the hopes, fears and contradictions. For The next day, he absconded to Moscow.’
Soviet system. He had grown up close Macintyre, this was a treasure trove of Macintyre had no access to MI6’s files
to the KGB (both his father and his high-quality material. about Philby, but he was able to speak
brother were KGB officers), but became The second stage of Macintyre’s to more than a dozen current or former
increasingly disillusioned with Soviet preparation is to talk to as many intelligence officers. Although MI6 did
communism, particularly after the Red appurtenant people as possible. For Agent not help him in any material way, they
Army’s action in Czechoslovakia in 1968 Zigzag he interviewed and tapped into did not stop him. Surprisingly, he was
which put an end to the Prague Spring. the memories of dozens of people in also able to talk to several former KGB
As he rose up the KGB hierarchy Britain, France, Germany and Norway officers who were, he said, ‘pretty straight’
he took extraordinary risks, providing who had been touched, either directly or and keen to tell their side of the story.
his British handlers with increasingly indirectly, by Chapman’s exploits (some The subjects of all these three books –
important material. The story culminates of these sources are named, while others Eddie Chapman, Kim Philby and Oleg
in Gordievsky’s betrayal and his recall to wished to remain anonymous). For The Gordievsky – produced autobiographies.
Moscow, followed by the activation of Spy and the Traitor, Macintyre made good But with their omissions, distortions,
an escape plan (code-named Operation use of the extended interviews he was inaccuracies and inventions, none of
Pimlico), given no more than a 20% able to have with Gordievsky. these can compete with the true stories
chance of success by the MI5 officer When it came to A Spy Among Friends, of Ben Macintyre.
Away from
Momentum, with particular emphasis
appearance by bestselling
on opening and endings at the Free
author Sophie Hannah.
Website: https:// Word Centre in London on 25 April.
selfpublishingconference.org.uk/ Website: https://writ.rs/tlcpage
w h ere Website:
s o me ever https://writ.rs/solnit
Go ’ ve n KA
you been SPAR DE A!
I
NE W
42 APRIL 2020 www.writers-online.co.uk
W H AT ’ S O N
Legacy Centre of
Excellence in
Aston celebrates black
authors across
all genres of literature
on 25 April at
the Black British
Book Festival.
d
Website : https:// writ.rs/bbbf
o o
m e g ere!!
So s h
a
Events and activities to encourage children
to read for pleasure at Blackburn Library
ide
for Blackburn Children’s Literature
Festival from 23 to 25 April.
Website: https://blackburncrf.com/
r iter ’s
W
d ate!?
e
coffe
Join the double Booker winner Hilary
Mantel as she launches the third novel in her
Tudor trilogy, The Mirror and the Light at a
T h is lo o ks
Literature Live event in Manchester on 19 g r eat !
April hosted by Kamila Shamsie.
Website: https://writ.rs/
eveningwithhilarymantel
TESTING times
are the characters just coasting along
being boring in their boring little
world? If they are in the middle of the
countryside would placing them in a
bustling city up the ante, or vice versa?
Have the group considered changing
Have your characters got themselves stuck in a situation? the ages of the characters or their social
backgrounds? Perhaps thinking more
Julie Phillips suggests testing what they’re capable of by
about their motivations and what they
placing them in alternative realities in this group exercise want would help.
What about the psychology of your
W
e’ve all heard of authors who retired bricklayer being put in charge of characters? Are they currently inhabiting
say that their characters have an office whose workforce are all under the correct headspace to be able to
taken over the page. You twenty. Or a 25 year old fast-tracked capture and keep the attention of the
may have even experienced woman who was the manager of a large reader? Do we care enough about them
it yourself. Instead of doing distribution company, suddenly finding to want to keep with them and read
what the author wants, they go rogue and herself as an assistant, with no authority, on? Perhaps putting them in different
the author has no choice but to go with in a local school, whose colleagues are all situations where they can exercise
them. The story, they say, is almost always over 50. How do they react? Can they different facets of their personality will
better for it. But what if our writing puts cope? Think about how they might have bring out the right combination of traits
our characters in a place or situation found themselves in those situations so that your character can fight their way
where they and the writer are at a loss in the first place, as this will give you out of any situation you throw at them.
at how to proceed? They languish there, a clue as to how they may behave as a Finally, make a group list of what the
in limbo, shrugging their shoulders in consequence. Do they blame themselves group members have leaned about the
an awkward silence, neither advancing or someone else? What might be the process that was helpful so that you can
the story or setting the scene. It’s the difficulties they are faced with? use it for future reference.
equivalent of the nautical doldrums. It might be that they both feel By trying out different situations or
This month’s workshop is all about frustrated because they are suddenly places you can challenge your character
finding ways to give your characters the having to take charge and make decisions so that you can test how they react to
tools they need to deliver the reader or they are enraged, having to bite their new stimuli or conflicts which gives
the full-bodied reading experience they tongue, because they can no longer tell you a fuller picture of who they are,
deserve. It’s about giving them the impetus people what to do. This would more their motives, what drives them and
and forward momentum to not only than likely lead to conflict in both the how far they can be pushed. Placing
tell their story, but to tell it well. Your workplaces. Conflict equals story, but your characters in alternative realities
characters and readers will thank you for it. just because there is a story there doesn’t can stretch them into a more rounded
The first activity for your group is to mean it will reach its full potential unless and interesting persona that improves
make up a character and put them in the characters are given something by the the overall structure and feeling of
a situation where they are a fish out of writer to work with. your book, turning the mediocre to the
water. For example, a seventy-year-old, To help the group to do this, ask them extraordinary.
CIRCLES’ ROUNDUP
If your writing group would like to feature here, whether you need new members, have an event
to publicise or to suggest tips for other groups, email Tina Jackson, [email protected]
ASA
SPOTLIGHT ON…
WESSEX WRITERS
regularly to a writing magazine.
Each month we share our latest news and any writing problems –
there is always sufficient to keep us going. If someone has submitted
a manuscript (previously to this meeting) this is given a careful
critique. Then we discuss chosen topics in some depth before a final
airing of suggestions for our free monthly e-magazine, The Voice.
Group members (and subscribers to the e-magazine)
contribute to The Voice, an exciting project our chairperson
launched. The e-magazine, like our group, covers a variety
of areas and ideas for both readers and writers: a literary
quiz, writing skills, book recommendations, biographies and
interesting quotations and snippets of information. Useful
information, such as current competitions, is often included. It
Wessex Writers meets once a month in a Bournemouth hotel is open to innovation and new subscribers.
to discuss writing and books, supporting each other and If you are interested in joining our list of subscribers (it’s free
enjoying a cappuccino or a glass of wine at the same time, with no obligations!) please contact Robin Dynes, our editor, on
writes Andrea Emblin. [email protected]
Although a small group, we are an eclectic one, ranging from a To find out more about Wessex Writers visit our website
children’s writer, young adult, adult fiction, a variety of non-fiction www.wessexvoice.co.uk. To enquire about joining the group
and short stories for magazines. Two of our members contribute contact [email protected].
SH A RE
SUBSCRIBER
SPOTLIGHT
O Y Share your writing success stories. If you subscribe to Writing Magazine and
Y
R
U R STO would like to feature here, email Tina Jackson, [email protected]
AN IDEA A DAY
‘All writers need ideas,’ says WM subscriber
and contributor Patsy Collins. ‘We need topics
and themes, prompts to get started and a little
encouragement to keep going. New writers may
be wondering where to begin, daunted by a blank
page and want help to transform thoughts into
fiction. Even the most experienced have dry periods
when ideas don’t flow, or times when they appreciate a push to try something different.
Bowled over ‘These methods are proven to work. Each of the daily sets of prompts in this book have been
used in some way, to create my own work. I need a lot of ideas: I’ve completed five novels,
by book two co-written From Story Idea to Reader (an accessible guide to writing fiction) and produced
nineteen collections of themed short stories, averaging two dozen per book. Hundreds and
‘I self-published my first novel, Strong hundreds of my short stories have been published – mainly in women’s magazines. I blogs, write
Undercurrents, in 2015 and have recently articles, win competitions and I’m always working on something new.
self-published my second.’ writes ‘Whether you’re a new writer, or a more experienced one temporarily out of ideas, have
subscriber Carolyn Bartley. hours to fill or just five free minutes, you’ll find something in this book to help get you
‘I did try to find an agent interested in writing – every day of the year.
publishing my second book – Love Before A Year of Ideas is available as an ebook for £2.50 and paperback at £6, from her website:
Wicket – but as I had no interest, I decided https://patsycollins.uk/
to publish anyway.
‘Despite the work involved in self-publishing
– a lot of self-promotion and self-publicity – I
feel that it is worth the effort to see one’s work
in print. As my previous publisher was no
Doing the write thing
longer available, I searched online for another
local company that was able to produce a ‘I retired only to be constantly asked, “What did you do before?”’ writes subscriber
number of hard copies as well as providing an SE Morgan.
e-version to sell online. Cardiff-based firm, ‘As if what I am now is irrelevant. I’m categorised as a retiree, end of.
Jelly Bean Books, were able to offer all the ‘My ambition was always to write. Lack of time was no longer a viable excuse. For the
services I required, including a great edit and first time since O levels I took up my pen creatively, (well keyboard obviously) and began. It
exactly the book cover I wanted. was hard, very hard. My previous career helped a little, but not much. Inevitably you’re still
‘The idea for the novel came from various wondering; I was a doctor and civil servant.
articles I kept coming across about men having ‘Writing Magazine, books and internet courses were indispensable, as was joining a writers’
a mid-life crisis, so I thought it would be fun circle. Cardiff Circle gave me motivation, honest feedback on what I was doing
to write about a woman having one. Love wrong and encouragement. Listening to others read, hearing how well most wrote,
Before Wicket is a warm, witty and wry look reflecting on what would strengthen their work taught me even more.
at marriage in middle age – the ties that bind, ‘My novel From Waterloo To Water Street, set in 1843 Carmarthenshire, is
and the temptations that can lead us astray. historical fiction and researching it was a joy. I immersed myself in online
‘My local bookstore, Griffin Books, is newspapers from the period, re-read Mill on the Floss and studied accounts by
incredibly supportive and held a recent ordinary soldiers as well as diaries and Royal Commission reports on the Rebecca
book launch, which was well attended. uprising. I visited villages and Carmarthen, used old maps, census details, the
My work now is to contact local press and National Archive, and drew on verbal family history. It is truly amazing how
other organisations to let them know about much you can find online or order from your local library.
the book. Most of all, hopefully readers ‘After eighteen months of endless redrafting and editing, it’s finally
will spread the word that the story brings published. My tale is told. Now I say I’m a novelist, no more retiree questions!
something new to how some women might Website: https://semorganhistoricalfiction.wordpress.com
manage to succeed at married life.’
PLUS
When you’re sending in submissions to appear on those pages, feel free to
send us any additional content you have available. Whether it’s an interview
video, book trailer, podcast, audio extract or anything else,
we’ll give you as much exposure as we can through our digital edition and
website. As ever, send your details to [email protected]
BIG
DYSTOPIAN REIMAGININGS
NOVEL
WIN ‘The dramatic North East countryside provides the inspiration for
my third novel, Awakening,’ writes subscriber Chris Ord.
‘I accepted voluntary redundancy from Gateshead Council
‘A thrilling day for a thriller writer!’, writes in August 2015. Having left a job of fifteen years in education
subscriber David Laws. policy, I wrote my debut, Becoming.
‘I’ve just had a huge confidence boost with ‘Following its success, I caught the writing bug and set about
the announcement that my third novel, The writing the follow-up, Awakening. However, things didn’t quite
Maze Kids, has won the 2019 Yeovil Literary unfold as I intended.
Prize for novels. ‘My plan was Becoming would be a series. But after writing
‘The story, about a young teacher’s attempt about half of Awakening I wasn’t happy with the story so I
to rescue 27 orphans from Nazi Germany in decided to set it to one side and work on something else.’
the midst of war, has yet to find a publisher, ‘This different focus led to the publication of my second
but as a result of the competition I have high novel, supernatural thriller The Storm. But it wasn’t long before
hopes for it. the story of Gaia and her adventure began to dominate my
‘I was honoured to visit the Yeovil Literary thoughts once more.
Festival in November to attend a gathering ‘Writing a sequel can be daunting. Awakening has definitely been my most difficult
of winners (other categories included short book to write so far. At the same time, it is also my most rewarding, and as with
stories and poetry) and to give a reading everything in life, the greater the struggle, the more you appreciate the achievement.’
from the manuscript. ‘I’ve had a lot of fun with this book. There are the usual twists and turns, and
‘The novel prize, which comes with a as ever I like to keep my readers guessing until the final page. There are also some
handsome cheque, won praise from the familiar local places, reimagined as dark, dystopian settings. I’m excited about this
judge, author Vaseem Khan, who said: “I book, and hope readers will love it too.’
loved the concept. The idea of a band of ‘I’m working on ideas for the third book in the Becoming series entitled Reckoning.
dispossessed children hiding out in Nazi ‘I loved climbing back inside the heads of the characters and immersing myself
Germany, in danger of discovery and of in their world again. They’re all still floating around in there and the next book is
being shot, imprisoned or sent to the developing already.’
concentration camps, and the daring rescue Website: http://chrisord.wixsite.com/chrisord
attempt to save them.
‘“This is a book that works on many levels:
as a thriller, an old-fashioned adventure yarn,
a wartime escape story, a historical account, On the activity trail
and a romance... it grabbed me by the throat
from its opening pages and drew me in.” ‘I wrote Step Away from the Sofa as part of my ongoing mission to
‘The Maze Kids follows two previous thriller divorce people from their sofas,’ writes subscriber Ellie Kennedy.
novels – Munich, The Man Who Said No! ‘I wanted to show ladies (I can only write from a female point of
(Mr Chamberlain, Munich and all that) and view!) that there is a whole world of doing and being out there.
Exit Day (Brexit, spies and conspiracy) which ‘Each chapter covers one activity, some of which I’ve experienced myself and some that
were self-published this year at last under the are beckoning to me from my growing bucket list. Swimming with whale sharks currently
Troubador imprint. tops the list.
‘Writing, as everyone knows, is a lonely ‘I’ve written about bungee jumping, combing the Egyptian Desert looking for pre-
business afflicted by doubt and frustration Dynastic rock art and facing down Anne Robinson on The Weakest Link.
in the struggle to become published. This ‘After learning how Scrivener, the book writing software, worked I formatted my
to me is a landmark event cancelling out book for Kindle and self-published on Amazon.
all the reversals of the past and a great ‘Shortly after publication I decided to follow my own advice again and I upped sticks,
encouragement for the future. I’m now sold everything and with my seventeen-year-old rescue cat Poppy and the help of an
working full blast on novel No 4 about a ageing Renault Megane I towed a caravan nicknamed “The Catavan” around the UK. I
suffragette aviator.’ met some amazing people along the way and acquired several caravanning skills such as
wiring up solar panels, using a remote to park the ‘van and driving around roundabouts
without endangering unsuspecting road users.
‘I currently have a few notebooks filled with my jottings from the
journey and I hope to publish The Big Girls’ Guide to Caravanning
very soon, possibly followed by The Big Girls’ Guide on What to
do with a Great White Shark! However these ideas are currently
competing with the urge to write a crime novel as an open prison
close to me has just opened a cafe on site for the public to use. It’s
got plugs for laptops and free wifi and just begs for crime novelists to
come in and write.’
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considered, thorough and honest. She has given me lots saga, our specialist writers will give objective, professional,
of ideas on how I can improve my writing technique, the
feedback to get your book into the best possible shape.
plot and the story itself. It has helped me to reflect on the
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Most of all it has given me the confidence to pursue writing
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P O E T RY WO R K S H O P
AT 7 am
a c e
You’ve gone –
reversing into your old life with easy confi
while I, in battered, toe-scuffed boots,
inch my way forward,
alone.
dence,
Time & pl
Alison Chisholm explores the way a poem can capture a particular moment in time
S
ome poems create their impact by doing nothing she appreciates the value of listening to the poem and the way it
more than examining a moment in time. They look wants to be written. On this occasion, free verse was the obvious
at it through the senses and resonances that give medium. The poet explains: ‘I chose free verse to give the poem
colour to life, and fix it for their readers as much as more weight and greater impact. It meant that I could vary line
for their writer. length and repeat certain phrases to emphasise the emotion.
The perfect example of this is Adlestrop by Edward Thomas. A I wanted the reader to feel the weight of that rucksack and
train stopped – and the day and the station were immortalised the stab of the pain... but to know that even with everything
when the moment was fixed geographically and by season, stashed against you, you can still move forward.’
described in images of sight, sound and, by implication, smell. The best free verse has two features: careful lineation and
The same technique animates At 7 am, by Marian Cleworth plenty of slant rhymes. When there is no set line length, the line
of St Helens, Merseyside. The title fixes the time, text pinpoints should break naturally at the end of a phrase, rather than with
the location, and the narrator’s situation is communicated via an awkward severing at an illogical point. Here, phrasing and
images of sight, sound and touch. The scene is urban instead of line breaks work beautifully together. It’s also desirable to end
rural, and the poem relies on slant rather than full rhyme, but each line with a strong, specific word, not a ‘worker-bee’ word
there is a definite echo between the two pieces. such as the or in. Again, that practice has been followed, with
Marian has delighted in poetry all her life, and tells how, words like swan, farewell, pavement and rucksack placed at the
when she was only seven, ‘my teacher used to read us poems line’s end, its strongest point, taking advantage of the extra hint
every afternoon. I was spellbound. The rhythm and flow of of emphasis the positioning affords them.
words and sounds in each poem excited me – I used to long to Slant rhyme weaves its way through the text. In the centre
hear more. I soon began to ask my parents for poetry books!’ is the repetition of dirty while the title, an integral part of any
That early love of poetry never abated, and, like so many of poem, is repeated half way through. The alliteration in the
us, she started writing her own poetry as a teenager and has opening lines of watch/with/white/wake/wave makes use of the
never stopped. Her preferred form takes metre and rhyme, but sustained semi-vowel sound of the w, while the consonance of
Poetry
in practice
final/farewell, wake/back and wave/leave tightens the mesh of
the poem’s sounds. Assonance in wake/wave/pavement, rolled/
Plan a new poem round the months of
shoulders/old and into/in/inch creates another strand of slant
rhyme. Each of these examples on its own would slip by
the year with Doris Corti
unnoticed, as a mere coincidence of pronunciation, while the
I
combination demonstrates that the sound links are intentional, t doesn’t matter what month it is or what the weather
and gives the reading a more cohesive feel. is like – a poet can write about any of that.
The message of the poem has a subtle underlining in the fact As an example, take the first six months of the year,
that it is told through the use of you and I, while the word we January to June, then write a line for each one of these. Think
never occurs. From its start, this poem describes a moment of of an image you can use for each one as in the following:
rejection, and the drab scenario highlights the point.
The initial idea to write the poem came in a very ordinary January sun is a nudge on your back
way, proving that we don’t have to be galvanised by the Muse February is a slow, cold walk
in order to be creative. It’s just a case of keeping the mind March is a crisp choir singing
open to every possibility, employing the magic phrase ‘What April can be sunlight and tears
if…?’ in any circumstance. Marian tells just how it happened: May a brightness of buds
‘Having been given a lift early one morning into the city centre June soft sun and breezes
to catch a train, I was dropped off in a convenient but less than
salubrious street round the back of the station. It was a place Having thought of six images for the months, there are
which made me feel very much alone... and vulnerable, which several options about what might happen next. You may
in turn triggered memories of loss, of parting with friends, of decide to work on just one of these images. For instance,
journeying alone. How awful it would be to be abandoned in you might choose to use the January image just as it is
that street by someone who didn’t care. I dug deep into the well here, or you might write your own image for that month
of emotion. Then came the idea.’ What about leaving the word January out, and simply start
The poet goes on to say that the first rough draft had your poem with the image for the sun: Sun is a nudge on
presented itself by the time she boarded her train, although your back.
it took rather longer for the poem to be completed. The Take the ideas singly, or what about using all the images
important thing is to record the idea in note form – or more in one poem? If this idea doesn’t appeal, write after plucking
usefully, in draft form. When the poem’s time is ripe, it’s much a few words from one of the lines as in a crisp choir singing...
easier to go back to a contemporaneous draft, however sketchy, These are from my image about the month of March.
than to try to recall an event and the feelings associated with it, A crisp choir singing could start a poem about listening to
and construct the piece from scratch. birdsong, or you would possibly write another poem using
This poem was first tried out at the local writers’ club Marian the words from my June image: Soft sun and breezes...
Cleworth had joined in the early 1990s, and she is grateful for You could write a poem putting all these months
the initial support, confidence and guidance she received from together and extend it so that the whole year is covered.
its more experienced members. Not only is it helpful to get This might make a suitable birthday present for a friend or
feedback on an emerging poem, but the reading aloud in public maybe a fellow poet?
indicates areas where anything doesn’t flow well or sound right. If none of this is appealing, what about writing about a
Gauging the impact of your work on others can show where memory relating to one of these months? It might be when
further revision is required. you were on holiday and it was a hot month or, completely
Having the opportunity to develop and hone this particular opposite, it could be about the time in a cold month
poem with the background of a supportive group helped when the trains or buses let you down. Or perhaps the car
the poet to win first prize in a club competition with At 7 wouldn’t start and you arrived late for work. A poem written
am, something she was too modest to mention in her initial on these lines could be tragic or perhaps humorous?
comments. Her final words are sheer gold for any poet, so they Many poets have written about the months and
stand as a message to us all. described some aspects of them in imagery. Take a look
‘The profound joy of being a writer is owning that special through any poetry anthology and you will see many.
file you keep tucked away at the back of your mind – the one
which stores all those experiences in life, good and bad, which Exercises
may one day come in useful for writing. Sometimes you hardly
know it is there, but, closely connected to the deep emotion • Use a rhyme pattern and write about a violent storm
of your heart and to the pull of your memory, it gives you the in summer.
power to overlay experience with ideas. That’s what happened • In a series of unrhymed couplets write about a night
with this poem.’ in February.
www.writers-online.co.uk DECEMBER
APRIL 2018
2020 53
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Grasmere from the Rydal Road 1786 by Francis Towne, photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash
T he gre a t
Rom a n tic
There is much, much more to William Wordsworth than daffodils,
says Alison Chisholm as she launches WM’s poetry competition in his honour
W illiam Wordsworth
was born in
Cockermouth, on the
north west fringe of
the Lake District, on
7 April, 1770, so to mark his 250th anniversary
the next Writing Magazine poetry competition
‘doing Wordsworth’ for school exams extend
the contest’s range still further. This gives
enormous breadth, and challenges writers to
draw on the vastness of their imagination in
order to offer fresh slants on well-documented
topics, or new comments on the poems.
Think of all the other people preparing
off the phone, ignore the doorbell, resist any
distractions. If you can manage to get the
complete first draft down in a single session of
writing, a unity of voice is inevitable. The poem
will have a cohesion that is remarkably difficult
to achieve if it’s written in fits and starts with
conversations and interruptions in between.
will honour him. their entries at the same time. What will make Newly written poems benefit from a resting
He is known for his autobiographical tour de yours stand out from the crowd, insisting its period, so if time allows try to set your fresh
force The Prelude, for numerous odes, sonnets message to the adjudicator? Unless a specific piece aside for a while before you complete
and lyrical pieces, but especially for a single topic is burning in your mind and demands your revisions and then submit. If time is
poem concerning a walk taken with his sister to be written, it would be a good idea to steep tight, even a single day to let it settle between
one spring, I wandered lonely as a Cloud. This yourself in the source material, re-reading one check and the next is useful. It’s surprising
is regarded as the most famous poem in the Wordsworth or learning new facts about him, how a fresh reading the morning after the
English language, and the version we know until ideas for your entry start to formulate. poem was created can reveal tiny flaws
today is rooted in Dorothy Wordsworth’s Whatever clings to your imagination has that you then have a chance to correct, or
journal entry of 15 April 1802, drafted in the potential to trigger a new piece of writing, opportunities to tweak a word or phrase and
1804, revised and amended, and including and sometimes you can be lucky enough to make it more compelling.
input from the poet’s wife, Mary Hutchinson. find inspiration for two, three, four or a dozen One of the joys of adjudicating a poetry
There’s a lot more to Wordsworth than new poems. It’s worth pursuing every avenue competition is that you never have any idea
daffodils. His childhood adventures, the loss of offered. Attempting a few different ideas will of what the winning poem will be like, or the
his mother when he was seven and his father help you to focus on the one that intrigues you angle it will take. You can simply be sure that
a few years later, his trips abroad and the birth the most, as well as giving you the opportunity it will be good, to earn its top place over all
of his daughter in France, his relationship with to develop the others in the future. the other entries submitted. It will have been
his siblings and fellow poets, his reactions to Your poem can be in any form. You may devised with imagination, developed with
the railway, marriage and family, his eventual choose one of Wordsworth’s own favourites, flair and revised meticulously. It is likely to be
acceptance of the laureateship… all of these, anything from the blank verse of The Prelude rich in imagery and compelling in vocabulary
and a kaleidoscope of experiences during a to Petrarchan sonnets using his own variants choices. It will probably have an interesting
long life, provide material for stunning poems. in the sestet. You may prefer to work in free title, use language grammatically, and be
The competition is for poems that look at verse or a more recently developed form. As punctuated with accuracy.
any aspect of Wordsworth’s life and career, long as the pattern and content of the piece fit Without a doubt, it will grip you and
or at any of his writing. You do not have to well together, there is no limit to the range of remain with you for the next day, the next
be fixed in his 1770-1850 lifespan. The way options. year, maybe your whole lifetime. If you can
history has placed the poet, the industry that’s During the actual writing, give yourself write that poem, send it in with confidence.
grown around him and the joy or horror of entirely to the poem as it emerges. Switch Good luck.
P
of seasonal magic in their Christmas art of the pleasure of poems depending on refrains, and
Poetry competition entries, says judge judging a competition is prose poems. In short, the Writing
the thrill of anticipation Magazine poets followed the advice
Alison Chisholm when the parcel arrives. offered to extend their imagination
How many entries will and their skills in every dimension.
there be? (Never possible to know.) The use of language in a competition
Will they all be clamouring to be the poem is all-important. A few pieces
winner, or will they be a lacklustre were eliminated for problems with
WINNER: set? The good news is that nothing punctuation – an excess or a lack of
GILL HAWKINS that arrived for the Christmas poetry it – for wrenched syntax, where the
competition could be described as need to rhyme contorted the word
The Magic of... lacklustre. Maybe that’s because order into unnatural patterns, or for
everyone has opinions and memories predictable rhyming, with boys and
I am the shine on red berries, regarding the festival, as well as toys taking the honours for the most
the smart left by spiked holly leaves. tales of the perfect and the worst frequently used rhyme.
The stickiness clinging to fingers Christmas, parties and disasters, rows When poets avoided these language
from sap of a pine scented tree. and laughter, still-frozen turkeys and faux pas, their writing sang, and
overboiled sprouts. quantities of the poems that weren’t
I am the crumple of paper, Christmas is also a time when prizewinners were eminently deserving
the flourish when ribbons are tied; emotions are highly charged. Every of public reading or publication in
the elegant touch a bow gives joy is multiplied, but every pain is magazines or books. That is certainly
and shape of a gift that’s disguised. more severe. It’s difficult to be jolly true of all the shortlisted poems, and
when your heart is breaking, and it was difficult to make a final choice.
I am the sparkle on tinsel, there were poems of sheer anguish The first prize goes to Gill Hawkins
the two coloured candy cane tist. among the entries. It’s a special of Wimborne, Dorset for The Magic
The tremble inside when you steal accomplishment to write a poem Of... a list poem written in the
a long promised mistletoe kiss. and enter it in a competition when persona of the magic of Christmas
you are in a state of suffering. It’s Eve. The poem is written in quatrains,
I am a shimmer on streamers, worth remembering that doing so using the first person and present
the chasing pulsating of lights. has a double benefit. It honours tense to bring immediacy into the
The aura surrounding a star the situation you are grieving, and writing. Each stanza begins with I am
and wonder that fills up this night. provides you with the healing effect of and goes on to describe itself in terms
creativity, a special therapy. of the crumple of paper, a warm spiced
I am the wide-eyed excitement; There were plenty of quirky entries, aroma, encompassing silence and so on.
the heartbeat of anticipation, such as the Christmas tree-shaped An impressive aspect of this poem
the one final sleep until Santa, calligramme, the excesses of the is its vocabulary. Words have not
space in a stocking that’s waiting. French chef, the voice of the stable, only been chosen with precision, but
and the meeting and conversation also where internal elements of slant
I am a warm spiced aroma, between Jesus Christ and Santa Claus. rhyme reinforce the poetic quality.
the flicker that’s firelight glow. There were poems about cards and
The quiver of eyelash that catches presents, food and drink, decorations
a stellate shaped crystal of snow. and entertainments, Advent and
aftermath, sparse times and plentiful,
I am encompassing silence, past and present Christmases. There
the breath that gives voice to a choir. were free verse poems, rhymed
The second before midnight chimes couplets, sonnets, a rubai, a villanelle,
tumble through belfry and spire.
I am intangible feelings,
the intricate spell that is weaved;
the world’s best ever kept secret,
all the magic that is Christmas eve.
Look at the alliteration of smart/spiked examines it minutely. All is explained RUNNER UP:
and left/leaves in the second line, and in the title, Making Mince Pies, but
the consonance of sparkle/tinsel at this poem is not merely about baking.
GILLIAN DUNSTAN
the start of the third stanza. There’s
assonance in the chasing/pulsating of
It uses elements of a recipe, nostalgia,
imagery and anticipation to turn the
Making
the fourth stanza, and unaccented
rhyme of stocking/waiting in the fifth.
act of baking into an act of love.
This is a beautifully balanced free
Mince pie
These are just a few examples – there verse poem, in which each stanza takes
are plenty more. a different angle to keep the focused I weigh black beads of currants,
The piece relies on rhythm to keep poem alive with variety. The first stanza, beige sultanas, walnuts,
it spinning along, with an occasional full of the sibilance of the plurals, and sticky cherries.
touch of syncopation to add variety. creates the recipe in non-cookery-book Next I add spices,
The basic full rhyme is relieved, too, language. The second reminds the then tumble all together
by close slant rhymes; so we see both reader of past times, while the third with fiery brandy.
full rhymes such as glow and slow, brings the poem up to date. The fourth
choir and spire and the near rhymes of has a dream-like quality and carries the Once this was fed
weaved and eve, twist and kiss. reader out of the kitchen and into the into the small maw
One of the joys of poetry is that it night, while the last has all the intimacy of a metal mincer.
can occasionally break the rules – and of a love poem. I’d turn the handle,
do it so effectively that the departure This poem, too, has a first-person grind out luscious strings
from expectation enhances rather narrator, but it moves in tense from and stir them into a stiff mix;
than detracts from the writing. In no present into recalled past, back into that was hard work and slow.
fewer than five stanzas in The Magic present and then to the short-term
Of... the second couplet does not future. The transitions are smooth Today, in seconds,
form a grammatical sentence with and natural, and add a conversational a processor makes
a combination of subject and main feel to the piece. mincemeat of it,
verb. Often, this would result in At its centre, the poem pivots on a all ready to fill glass jars.
the elimination of the poem. Here, single example of line-end full rhyme, I store them, glowing,
however, the device works well. This while the network of slant rhymes and opulent, knowing
is due in no small part to the repeated on either side of it has to be spoken that I must wait for time
stanza openings. Although a full stop aloud to appreciate the richness of the to work its magic,
divides stanzas in two, the application wording. Try saying phrases like the melding the flavours
of the I am to both parts is so obvious small maw / of a metal mincer, buttery and maturing them by Christmas.
that the poet can make the break with pastry and all ready to fill glass jars to
tradition. It’s a daring step to take savour the taste of the words. Then I’ll make buttery pastry
in a competition poem, but in this This poem has a feelgood quality enriched with orange zest.
instance the gamble pays off. that insinuates a warm glow into the I’ll cut out stars
The whole poem builds up to the mind of the reader. Its final comment, to let the dark and glossy mincemeat
climax of the final stanza. In the list of reflecting on the small ceremony / we’ve shine through icing-sugared crusts –
elements, the title is almost forgotten repeated down the years / and filled reminding me of fallen snow
while the richness of wording provides with love opens up opportunities at midnight.
a deluge of images to engage the for readers to mull over their own
reader. At the end, the final couplet little ceremonies, their own perfect That evening, we’ll light candles.
sums up everything that has gone moments; and while the tie-in with Sitting around a glittering Christmas tree,
before, and the open-ended title is Christmas is delicious, the wider we’ll eat the pies and drink mulled wine
completed to round off a sumptuous, picture of these small rituals adds a in a small ceremony
satisfying read. more universal quality. we’ve repeated down the years
The second prize is awarded to Writing a poem for Christmas and filled with love.
Gillian Dunstan of Sidmouth, Devon is one ritual that’s certainly worth
for a poem that focuses on a single, cultivating. Have you started on your
specific aspect of Christmas and Christmas 2020 poem yet?
Also shortlisted in WM’s Christmas Poetry Competition were: Dennis Bryant, North Baddesley, Southampton;
Anna Caddy, Taunton, Somerset; Heather Cook, Woking, Surrey; Alan Coombe, West Norwood, London; Fay Dickinson, Corby,
Northamptonshire; Samuel Dunn, Ballycarry, Co Antrim; Pamela Trudie Hodge, Plymouth, Devon; Anne Lawson, Bolton,
Greater Manchester; Lucy Nankivell, Ferndown, Dorset; Joyce Reed, Marple, Stockport; Viv Seaman, Southend-on-Sea, Essex;
Jane Trenholm, Newbury, Berkshire.
T
his month we’re going singlehanded. Meanwhile, Mrs
to look at how names characters being able to get away with Prodgit is first seen helping herself
of characters can be doing what they like and ultimately to the sherry and ushering Mr Meek
significant in short causing harm. out of his own dining room.
stories. The story I have Let’s contrast the name ‘Meek’ After this inauspicious start, Mrs
chosen, by Charles Dickens, is an with some of the other character Prodgit’s presence in the house
intriguing little tale and, as always, names in the story. The two makes Mr Meek feel more and more
you will gain most from this master antagonists in the story are Mr unwanted and shunned. Finally Mr
class if you read it for yourself: Meek’s mother in law, Mrs Bigby, Meek feels it necessary to speak up
https://writ.rs/dickensbirths. and his wife’s nurse Mrs Prodgit. on behalf of his baby son. Notice
Dickens is well known for his use of Although these names aren’t directly how he points out that he is not
meaningful, and often striking, names meaningful in the way that Meek is, angry. He is mild (a close synonym
in his novels. Who wouldn’t tremble they do suggest certain things. for meek) but also miserable. Notice
in the presence of a schoolmaster Bigby suggests something that that he says he wants to avoid giving
called Wackford Squeers? Who is solid and large, outclassing the rise to bad feeling and therefore
could doubt that a character called meeks of the world. Prodgit, possibly restricts himself to plaintive words.
Gradgrind would turn out to be hard suggests one who prods; someone who The cause of his misery is not
and emotionless? And there is a good interferes and pushes themselves in only his own treatment, but the way
reason why Ebenezer Scrooge and where they are not wanted. that Mrs Bigby and Mrs Prodgit are
Uriah Heep have passed into common Also note the baby’s name. conspiring to treat baby Augustus.
usage as shorthand for people who are Augustus and George are strong and The excessive swaddling of the
miserly and manipulative respectively. uncompromising names in contrast child, the administering of castor
In the short story Births. Mrs to Meek. Augustus means ‘great’ oil, the sharp frills that irritate
Meek, of a Son we get one of the and George means ‘farmer’, but also his skin, all seem outrageous and
important names immediately in the has associations with kings and, of unnecessary to Mr Meek.
title and opening lines of the story. course, St George. Finally the worm has turned and
The name ‘Meek’ has connotations of Mr Meek is open about his he is speaking his mind, but the
submissiveness, liability to go along nature, admitting to being quiet, outcome of the story is sad, and a
with the wishes of others, quiet, tremulous and small. Mrs Bigby is grim reminder of the times in which
gentle and easily imposed on. As the by contrast described as terrifying, Dickens was writing. Perhaps it might
story goes on the meek nature of unyielding and able to storm a town have been avoided if Mr Meek had
been less meek from the start. As it is, wisdom. How will her name impact it for a good reason though, or it may
his imploring on behalf of his child what happens to her? What might just be a distraction for the reader.
turns out to be almost certainly too happen to a character called Victor, I wrote a story once with a female
little too late. meaning conqueror? Obviously some character who was called Presley
The story acts as a reminder to name meanings are more apparent because her parents were big Elvis
readers that it isn’t always good to on the surface than others, so it’s up fans. I had another character reflect on
be accommodating to other people. to you how subtle, or otherwise, you how special it made her seem because
Being meek and mild might make you want to be. that name was just hers.
liked in the short term, but sometimes Do you find you’re often at a loss Some stories have unnamed
you have to be prepared to speak out for names or that you find yourself characters, and this can work if you
to avoid disaster. using the same ones over and over are doing it for a reason. You might
again? If you want to spread your want to deliberately make a character
The name game wings there are some great places to enigmatic, or there might be a reason
How much time do you spend coming look for a range of names. I quite why no one knows their name.
up with names for your characters? often use Twitter and just scroll Generally speaking though, readers
How important is hitting on exactly through my timeline until I find will tend to relate better to a character
the right name? You may not want something I like the sound of. You if they know their name. One type of
to use names with meanings in quite can also flick through magazines, story where it can be hard to naturally
such a direct way as Dickens does, but newspapers and books for names, or convey the main character’s name is
you can still make sure you are using even the telephone directory! one told by a first-person narrator.
names effectively in your fiction. One source that lots of writers use is Most of us don’t refer to ourselves by
One thing to consider is how all the a baby name guide. There are loads of name. You can have another character
names in your story sound. In general different ones available and you should address them by name, but sometimes
it’s a good idea to avoid having more be able to find one in a bookshop or it is tricky to do that in a way that
than one name starting with the same library easily enough. There are also doesn’t seem staged. You may also
letter. So try not to have John, Jenny online baby name sites which allow want to not disclose your character’s
and Jason in the same story. Equally you to search by things like meaning name in some types of twist story,
names that rhyme are usually best and popularity. especially gender twists, where the
avoided. I once wrote a first draft Some of the online sites will also name may give too much away. In
of a story in which my characters help you narrow names down by these circumstances you’ll need to
were called Jill, Phil and Bill. Oh, geographical/language origin which weigh up the pros and cons before
and if you’re setting your story in a will be useful if you want to set deciding on your approach.
swimming pool, don’t call your main your story in a country other than Do bear in mind that if your stories
character Paul. I only spotted that one your own, or have characters from a are published in magazines, the editor
when I read the story aloud to myself. particular ethnic background. You can may change your character names,
How names sound can also impact also find sites which arrange names by so don’t be too precious about them.
on how readers will envisage your the years in which they were popular Why would they do that? Well, most
character. Try this exercise. Think which can be helpful if you are writing likely is that they have another story
about names that are similar and historical fiction or if you are writing in the magazine which uses the same
from the same root, but have slightly about a character who was born some name and they want to avoid a clash.
different feels to them. Picture a time ago. Obviously names go in and I also once had an editor change my
Julie, a Julia and a Juliet. What out of fashion, but it’s worth making characters’ names from traditionally
subtle differences are there in what sure you don’t pick a name that’s going English names to Indian-sounding
you feel a character with those to feel so out of place that it throws names. I assume this was in order to
names might be like. What about your reader out of the story. make the magazine more inclusive,
Mary, Marie and Maria? How would You may not feel the need to which is a good sign and hopefully
a Harry differ from a Henry? What give surnames to your short story an encouragement for more diverse
about people with the same name, characters. But if you do, and the stories to be submitted.
but different diminutives? How does meaning is important to you, there Why not experiment with names
the picture conjured up by Pat differ are also plenty of both online and in your writing? As we’ve seen, they
from that suggested by Trish? Or book based resources which explain can really add an extra dimension to
Lizzy from Beth? surnames. If you are giving your your stories.
Maybe you want to take into character a full name it’s worth
consideration the meaning of the checking that name doesn’t also
name you want to use. If you wanted belong to a high profile real person.
to call your character Bella, meaning That way you can avoid calling your
T:
READ THE STicOkeRnYsbAirths
beautiful, what effect might that have romantic heroine after, for example, a
on your story? Would it influence serial killer.
other people in how they react to Sometimes it’s nice to give your https://writ.rs/d
that character? Or perhaps you want character an unusual name. I would
to call a character Sophie, meaning only advise doing that if you’re doing
I
t is estimated that over 286,000 rescue them. It’s aimed at readers aged me – Claire submitted it to publishers.
children in the UK (age 0-17) 12+ and I’m hoping it will fill the gap I was on holiday at the time so had to
have a learning disability1, there sometimes seems to be between have all these important conference
and over 1.3 million children middle grade and young adult novels. calls with publishing people from
have special educational needs2 12 to 14 is such an integral age to around the world whilst chilling on
(14.9% of children) . In addition, keep children reading, particularly the beach. The whole experience
10% of children and young people boys. It’s exactly the kind of book I was very surreal. I had an instant
aged 5-16 have a clinically diagnosable enjoyed reading at that age (and still connection with Walker Books, who
mental health condition3. And each of love reading now).’ were excited to publish the book
these children has a story to tell. simultaneously in the UK and the
The good news is that the publishing What’s the story behind US. It’s since been picked up by
industry is becoming more proactive the story? international publishers as well, and
about diversity in children’s books, ‘I’m an actor, and during my “resting” is going to be translated into both
creating opportunities and trying to periods I used to work as a teaching Spanish and Italian. I’m still pinching
readdress the balance. It’s absolutely assistant in a special needs school. One myself that it’s all real’
vital that all children have the day, I broke my foot playing football
opportunity to see themselves reflected (it’s fair to say my playing style is Who are your main
in stories and books, as they grow up. maximum enthusiasm with minimal characters and why are they
Debut author Joseph Elliott is skill…), so I couldn’t do either job for different?
passionate about creating characters quite a few months. I’d always had the ‘Agatha is a fifteen-year-old girl with
who are different, and his new book ambition to write a novel and – with Down’s syndrome, living in a world
reflects this. my leg in plaster and unable to do where her condition is unnamed. She
much else – I decided to give it a go. is often ridiculed or belittled by other
‘The story started with the image members of her clan, but she is brave,
REFERENCES
of a girl stood on a wall, looking out fierce and loyal, and proves that the
to sea. I knew she was in Scotland – a ways in which she thinks differently
Spring
clea ning
Is your manuscript at the stage where it needs tidying up?
Give it a good spit and polish with advice from Margaret James
I
t’s not only our houses for redundant adjectives and so on, understanding of my central story?
that could usually do with but which still doesn’t feel quite Or are they distracting and/or
a good clean and polish right, although it’s not obvious why. apparently part of a separate novel?
in spring. As the days are So, when I’m trying to identify what I’ve occasionally had to sweep a
getting longer, and as we’re all doing doesn’t seem to work in a piece of subplot right out of a first draft and
our best to shake off our winter writing, I refer to my list of points file it away, perhaps to become the
lethargy – okay, as I personally am to check. plot of a novel of its own.
doing my best to shake off my own The first item is always to look at Now I check up on my characters:
winter lethargy – I find it’s a good my writing style and ask myself if are they flawed, sometimes likeable,
time to think about spring cleaning it’s appropriate to its subject matter. sometimes dislikeable: a mix of nice
my writing, too. Does my thriller race towards the and nasty? Also, are they ordinary
All those cobwebs of redundant finishing line? Or does it drag its (and therefore recognisable and
adjectives and adverbs, all that dust heels? Does my historical novel sympathetic) people in extraordinary
of repetition, all those carefully- feature vocabulary that’s right for the situations? They shouldn’t be
crafted episodes time and place? Or is it mildly or superhuman – too good, too
that don’t actually even wildly anachronistic? gorgeous, too hideous, or too bad!
advance my story As for my plot – is it satisfying What about their names – are
line – at some point and believable, is it logical, is these right or wrong? Do too many
in the process I there any emotional development, begin with the same letter? Do my
know I shall need to and – most importantly – is there characters have contexts – friends,
be ruthless and to something to find out? What doesn’t families, jobs? Or do they exist in
sweep them out of need to be there? What doesn’t tell isolation?
my literary house. the reader anything he/she needs to My dialogue will need to be
It can be somewhat know, and/or doesn’t advance the appropriate to these characters,
depressing to realise action in any way? it must push the action forward,
I’ve written a first Any subplots – are they actually and there will need to be enough
draft that I’ve checked needed? Do they enhance the reader’s speech tags (such as said Sally,
‘I
in individual scenes, or even in dear to us. But it can also be also t took me a long time to take my own
individual sentences? Do I always very satisfying to have a good sort- writing positively and seriously because that
choose the right viewpoint – first, out, to take all that stuff we don’t little critical voice in my head kept telling me
second, third, deep third, or some need any more to the dump or the that publishing wasn’t a world open to me,
other kind unknown to reader until I local charity shop, and to make some and that no one could possibly want to read a novel
invented it (which I haven’t yet). space for improvements. I had written.
It’s always a challenge to start This is as much the case with ‘Yet the stories were pouring out of me into my
a story, so is my own opening writing as it is with life. notebooks and on to my computer. They seemed to be
interesting, intriguing, mystifying, well-received in the writing class I attended for many
worrying or/alarming? Do I years. With the encouragement of my writing tutor,
introduce or at least suggest the the novelist and poet Sue Johnson (author of Fable’s
challenge(s) my central character(s) Fortune), I began to enter competitions and started
will face? Or do I spend my to get shortlisted for short story and first chapter of a
opening pages waffling about novel competitions. I joined the Romantic Novelists’
nothing very much? Association’s New Writer’s Scheme, which gives a
Fast-fowarding towards my ending priceless critique of one of your novels for each year you
– is it satisfying or unsatisfying? are a member, and I kept writing.
Did it answer the questions I asked ‘By the time I saw Choc Lit Publishing’s Search for a
at the outset? Or did it tail off? Do Star competition for a completed, unpublished romance
I need to tie up any loose ends? I novel, I had several to choose from sitting on my study
have written several series of novels, shelf, so I sent off my entry. I couldn’t believe it when I
but I always need to bear in mind made the shortlist, alongside a friend, Lynn Forth (and
www.writers-online.co.uk
www.writers-online.co.uk APRIL 2017
AUGUST 2020
2018 63
On a grand scale
Epic fantasy requires a particular kind of input from the writer.
Get skilled up to write a longer book by following advice from Alex Davis
W
e’ve explored numerous aspects of fantasy How you want to do this is of course up to you, but I can’t
and science-fiction here over the years, imagine many fantasy novels were ever written ‘on the fly’ or just
and one thing we know is that – on improvising. These larger stories are often intricate and involved,
average – books in these genres tend to be and if you read closely in SF or fantasy you’ll probably be able to
longer than those in other forms. There see just how much planning the author has done.
are numerous reasons for this – you could argue these genres There is a second element to this in that many fantasy and
require the most significant worldbuilding, which takes time science-fiction authors embark on series rather than individual
and word count to do effectively. You could also argue that these books. Once again, this is a very prominent trend in the field,
genres rely to some extent on an epic scale of storytelling and and you might want to give some consideration as to the ‘long
sweeping story arcs featuring multiple characters. There’s very game’ and where you want the trilogy, quadrilogy or twenty-
likely an element of reader demand, with fantasy fans mostly book magnum opus to wind up. I’m writing this not long after
seeking out extensive stories rather than shorter novels, leading to watching Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and sadly it’s a great
authors and publishers seeking to meet those expectations. example of a trilogy being criticised for a perceived lack of long-
There’s probably some truth to all of the above, but the fact term planning, which has left filmgoers very much divided. Of
remains that while many novels outside of ‘the fantastic’ in its course the world of film is different to the world of books, but
broadest sense stick to around 80,000 to 100,000 words, fantasy it’s a pertinent example of a trilogy arguably not setting up its
and SF novels can push to 120k, 150k, 200k and beyond. This conclusion properly throughout by virtue of having no clear
presents a challenge to many writers – even the lower end of the finale in mind.
word count scale for a novel can be daunting, so pushing way
past that can be even more off-putting. And the fourth P: pacing
With that in mind, here are a few tips for aspiring writers in I intimated above that worldbuilding is something that can
the field to help develop those truly epic novels and deliver those add to the length of a fantasy or SF novel, but that raises an
mighty word counts well. important follow-up point – this should not be something that
you sacrifice the pace of the story for. Having a longer book does
The three Ps: planning, planning, planning not mean that you have things happening more slowly – put
Planning is important for any novel, and personally I wouldn’t simply, for a truly epic book you actually benefit from more
even embark on so much as a novella without a solid plan things happening. As such, it’s crucial that you don’t get bogged
behind me. This is a statement that probably goes double for a down in pages and pages of backstory, exposition, description
novel of above-average length – the larger story arcs and more and scene-setting for your story and the plot sits absolutely first
complicated character journeys can be very easy to lose track of, and foremost. A great setting is nothing without a fantastic
so some sort of ‘roadmap’ to guide you along the way is pivotal. plotline to go along with it!
With that said, it’s also crucial that the pace does not go will tend to be improved for excising words rather than adding
along too fast, and that readers find themselves left breathless them, so try not to get into this habit – and indeed be wary of it
by the rattling speed of your story. It’s important to strike a as something you might slip into without intending to.
balance – if you want something to go down in history as truly
epic, it’s crucial that events within it feel as though they have Set a deadline
meaning and have real impact on the characters and/or the The thing with a big project – in any realm of life and work –
world of the story. Cramming in too many events can be every is that it can easily spiral out of control, growing unwieldy and
bit as unsatisfying as having events be too sparse – anyone who’s taking two or three times the length of time expected. That’s
ever watched Jupiter Ascending will know exactly what I mean. why a deadline for any novel is crucial, and I would argue this
The events have to have meaning for the characters and these goes even more for a longer novel, because it could even more
thoughts and emotions should be explored too. simply lose momentum or come off the rails than a shorter
project. Try not to view the deadline as a pressure, but instead
Make it a party a motivation – a challenge that you have set yourself and a goal
Most more substantial novels would have a larger cast of to strive towards.
characters – there’s a certain logic to that, giving you more
individuals to carry the extra ‘weight’ of story involved. This is But be realistic
well worth thinking about for any epic novel, and something With that said, it’s important to set yourself a feasible deadline
that you should be looking to factor in from the very start. – having the sense of falling behind or missing targets is never
Ideally you would have a host of characters, probably at least going to help your creative process or your enthusiasm. The sense
three, each with their own plotline and story arc to go through in of being on track is pivotal, so what I would suggest doing first
your novel. If you do insist on having a lone central protagonist, of all is setting yourself a sensible daily or weekly word target.
you will at least need a few other side-characters around them Of course everyone’s lifestyle and circumstances are different,
who will still go on a journey of some kind. The other option so what is viable will vary immensely from person to person.
you could go for would be to go for a classic ‘hero and nemesis’ But the idea of targets is certainly a valuable one, and it’s often
structure, with a ‘bad guy’ and a ‘good guy’ in a constant surprising just how quickly you can get something written if
back-and-forth battle for supremacy and victory. But a large you break it down into manageable chunks. For example, at 500
zooming in on one or two characters is going to make your task words a day, you would still have 150,000 words in ten months
substantially harder – most epic novels are better served by a – or if you wanted to take the whole year on you would be
wide and varied array of characters. surpassing 180,000 words. And there is nothing too scary about
the idea of writing 500 words, right?
Break it down
One of the prime psychological obstacles of a longer book is Conclusions
quite simply a feeling that the mountain you are trying to climb The writing process changes immensely as you go from the
is too big. Writing a novel of any length is no mean feat, but if short end of things to the long end – a short story can be
you double the word count you are angling for then things can launched into with minimal planning, with quick completion
feel a lot more difficult! and a more rapid-fire editing process. Arguably it is where prose
As such, one simple ‘mind trick’ to play on yourself is to writing can be at its most creative. I would encourage anyone
divide the story up into numerous parts. Of course any story looking to write a novel to think generally in far more practical
would tend to have chapters, and these can serve as handy terms – yes, the creative element remains strong, but it’s much
waymarkers to show that you are making progress with your more in expression of ideas than it is in pure ideas. Novel
book. But the addition of parts provides a further way for you writing concerns itself much more with the long-term. If you
to note the ground you are making towards your grand target, count on the ‘muse’ to carry you through that, it’s going to be
and help to ensure that your motivation for the project doesn’t a very long way home – if the book gets finished at all in those
drop off. If you divide your story into four parts, you’ll be able circumstances. Put simply, the ‘muse’ comes and goes. Planning
to acknowledge and feel a sense of achievement in hitting the your book, your time and your writing process will all be
quarter, half and three-quarters mark on the way to finishing important, and that takes even more precedence where that book
your book. is longer than the average. It certainly can be done, but it will
be a series of small victories that will ultimately lead you to that
Don’t waste words major victory in getting that longer novel completed.
One thing that could be a temptation with a larger project Finally, you should bear in mind that not every novel can be
would be to try and bulk out the word count, be it consciously epic – you might think that your plotline is going to eat up a
or unconsciously. You might feel that in-depth and detailed huge word count, but that doesn’t always come to fruition. I’ve
description is a way to get through some of your word count, found many a writing project weigh in at under what I expected,
but if it’s not justified for the story then it’s not going to help and usually when that is the case it’s because the story works
make it a more enjoyable or satisfying read. You might even better at that length. If you land that bit short of the epic, it’s
keep slipping in an extra descriptor, or an extra pause in speech going to be very hard to expand convincingly to fill in those
to grab another word here or there. In many regards this is the ‘missing words’, and is liable best left to be whatever length it
downside of thinking about word count, and honestly in these naturally came to a close. Never try to be epic for the sake of
cases these additionals rarely help things along. Ultimately books being epic.
When I had a job, I used to write all the time but now I am retired,
I haven’t put a word on paper or screen for weeks. I only think about
writing. Short stories are what I enjoy writing, even though I’ve not
had any successes as yet. But now that the short story market has
shrunk, it feels like a waste of time as there’s nothing to aim for. A
novel feels too daunting. When I was working all week, I used to spend
many hours in the evenings and at the weekend at my laptop, trying to
squeeze out as many words as possible but now my days are empty, I
watch mindless television, potter around the house doing unimportant
tasks and suddenly it’s bedtime and nothing has been achieved. I don’t
know what’s wrong with me. Should I take up knitting and forget the
whole writing lark?
BARBARA WOOD
Sutton Coldfield
urprisingly, I think knitting might be a very good idea, shouldn’t you watch TV and relax before you assess what you want
W
e all remember our first that could result in being fined for poor That’s despite the fact that this often
time. It was 1989, I was record keeping. goes against the terms and conditions of
eighteen, and I couldn’t Matt Dickinson, spokesperson for personal accounts. Barclays Bank’s terms
believe what I was holding the Federation of Small Businesses and conditions state that a personal
in my hands. (It was a agrees. ‘Generally speaking, it’s a current account is, ‘for your personal
postal order for £3.50, in good idea to open a business account use and not for money relating to any
case you were wondering.) as soon as possible to keep finances business you run. We can close an
That was the payment for my orderly and clear.’ account (or stop providing a service) if
first published piece – a word search It’s also important to remember we find out you are using it for non-
puzzle. Little did I know then how the Government’s Making Tax personal use, or are not eligible for it.’
that would be the first of many, many Digital (MTD) policy, which aims The Royal Bank of Scotland’s
more payments. to streamline HMRC’s tax collection personal current account terms clearly
But even then, I knew it would be service. Originally, the Government state, ‘Your account must not be used
sensible to keep this income separate planned introducing this for income for business purposes.’
from my personal income. What I tax in 2020. This would have affected Similarly, Lloyds Bank’s terms and
needed was a separate bank account for writers. However, in March 2019, the conditions state that, ‘you must not
my writing business. then Chancellor Philip Hammond open or use a personal account to hold
announced that the government would money for… the purpose of a business,
Business legalities delay the introduction of MTD until club, charity or other organisation.’
If you establish a limited company or after 2020. Running your writing business
a partnership in the UK, then you are So, although Making Tax Digital is through a personal current account
creating a new legal identity. By law, any not looming on the immediate horizon, is risky. If your bank spots this they
such business must have a separate bank having a separate bank account for our have the right to close the account for
account in that same name. writing business will make the transition breaching the terms and conditions.
However, as writers that’s way beyond easier when it does eventually happen.
the realms of most of us. Limited Two years ago, in the February Free banking, or fee banking?
companies may be the way some writers 2018 issue of Writing Magazine when As personal customers, we’re used to
go, but that’s for highly successful I last looked at Making Tax Digital, free banking. Business bank accounts
creatives like JK Rowling. consultant Barry Kernon at accountants are different. The High Street banks
The rest of us are sole traders, which HW Fisher and Company said, ‘I think charge monthly administration fees as
means we operate our writing business for many people it would be a good well as individual transaction fees for
in our own name. Therefore, there is no idea to organise their affairs so that the number of credits and debits passing
law that compels us to open a separate self-employed income and expenses go through a business account, or the
bank account in our own name. through one bank account.’ number of electronic transfers.
However, it’s not as simple as that. Therefore, having a separate bank Even if you don’t bank any royalty
HMRC’s A General Guide to Keeping account for our writing income and cheques, or incur any writing expenses, the
Records For Your Tax Return says, ‘If expenses is definitely a sensible decision account will still incur the monthly fee.
you do not have a separate business to take. Monthly account fees are not
bank account, you need to keep records insignificant, and can start from £6,
of which transactions were personal Business bank accounts whilst individual transaction fees can
and which were business. Unless your So, the next question is, do we need range from under 50p for an electronic
business is small or has few transactions, to have a business bank account, or transaction, to £1.50 for every cheque
it would usually be helpful to maintain can we simply open a second personal paid into your account.
a separate bank account or accounts for bank account? These charges can quickly mount.
the business.’ A survey commissioned by accounting If you were to bank two cheques for
Mixing personal with business software company Intuit Quickbooks in your writing sales totalling £200 in one
payments in a single bank account could 2016, revealed that 75% of sole trader month, you could end up paying £9
mean we don’t pay the right tax. And businesses use a personal bank account in charges: a £6 monthly fee and an
if it results in an HMRC investigation, for their business transactions. additional £3 in transaction charges.
That’s 4.5% of that £200 income. charging when the number of credits and investing our members’ money in laying
Naturally, these fees put off a lot of debits exceed a certain number, or the the foundations needed to launch our
writers, which is why many sole traders account balances exceeds several tens of business current account early in 2020. We
risk using a personal current account thousands of pounds. have developed a new, dedicated mobile
and hope not to get caught! Some sole traders using these accounts business banking app which allows eligible
Banks understand that small start-up pay little or no fees at all. customers to open a business current
businesses do not have a lot of money So if you’ve held off from opening a account within minutes. We continue to
coming in, so many offer free banking business bank account because of the test and refine the experience to maximise
for the first few months. This free- costs involved, a challenger bank might usability and to deliver a best-in-class
banking period ranges from 12 months be the solution you’ve been looking for. customer experience.’
to up to 30 months, depending upon Services like Revolut, Starling Bank, And the building society also hopes
the bank you approach. Mettle, and Tide all offer business bank to make it easier for its business bank
In theory, you could extend the free- accounts for free. Other day-to-day account customers to accept card and
banking period by switching banks as transactions like bank transfers and card contactless payments directly from
each free-banking period comes to an payments are also free, up to certain limits. customers. That could be useful to
end, but account switchers tend to get Many of these internet-only banks also writers who regularly attend book fairs
shorter free-banking periods (such as 6 offer extra useful benefits, such as being or books signings and have to take their
months), than the 12 to 30 months that able to allocate money to various virtual own stock and process payments.
new businesses get. pots. This means whenever you receive a So don’t get caught by your bank
The problem for many writers is that payment you can automatically allocate for using a personal account for your
our income fluctuates on a monthly and a percentage of it to your tax pot. That writing business, if the terms and
an annual basis. It’s difficult to predict way, you know you’ll always have money conditions forbids this. Respect your
how much we’ll need to pay in charges. set aside to meet your tax bill. writing business and open up a business
And some charges could wipe out A word of caution, though. Not bank account for it. It might not cost
the actual income. Amazon will make all of these business accounts are run you as much as you think.
small payments to self-published by banks. Banks are regulated by the Needing to open a business bank
writers, especially those enrolled in Prudential Regulation Authority, and account is part of the coming-of-age
their Kindle Unlimited programme. each bank licence safeguards customers process for your writing business.
It’s not uncommon for Amazon to pay to the tune of £85,000 under the
out amounts of less than 10p. If your Financial Services Compensation
business bank account charges 50p per Scheme (FSCS). If the bank were to BUSINESS DIRECTORY:
credit, that small income could lead to a
bigger expense!
collapse, customer bank accounts are
protected up to the £85,000 limit.
Branch Directory
However, some of these accounts, like • Revolut: www.revolut.com
Challenger banks those provided by Tide and Coconut, Basic freelancer account is fee-free, with limited free transactions.
But all is not lost. The High Street are not bank accounts but electronic
banks are being pressured by new kids money services. This means they’re not • Starling Bank: www.starlingbank.com
on the block, known as Challenger protected by the FSCS. No monthly fees, free electronic payments, domestic transfers and
Banks. These are attracting large ATM withdrawals.
numbers of businesses, in particular sole High Street challenger
traders, like us writers. If you’d rather bank with a bricks and • Mettle: https://mettle.co.uk
Challenger banks were created after the mortar financial institution, then there’s No monthly fees or transaction charges for sole trader accounts
banking crisis, and are designed to shake another solution on the horizon. with less than £50,000. E-money licence, not a banking licence.
up the British banking system. Many The Nationwide Building Society
are internet-only, which means they is planning to launch a business bank • Tide: www.tide.co
don’t have the huge costs of the branch account free of monthly fees for self- No monthly or annual fees. Free card payments. Free transfers between
network that traditional banks have to employed people in the near future. Tide accounts. Electronic transfers 20p, ATM withdrawals £1, cash
endure. As a result, many of them can As Nationwide communications officer deposits at Post Office £1. E-money licence, not a banking licence.
offer free business banking facilities, only Anabel Goncalves explains, ‘We are already
R
esearching crime can be tricky. Observation Independent websites cover a wide range of topics:
and participant observation would be Police Oracle (www.policeoracle.com) provides news and
revealing, but they’re not, for obvious reasons, other information to the UK policing community; Explore
recommended methods. Therefore, you’ll need Forensics (www.exploreforensics.co.uk) covers forensic
other ways to find your leads. science, crime scene investigation and pathology; Crime
There are different types of sources that crime writers can & Clues (http://crimeandclues.com) focuses on criminal
take advantage of. Using a combination of these – and not investigation, court room testimony and forensics; and
merely relying on Google – is likely to prove most beneficial. Murderpedia (http://murderpedia.org) is an encyclopaedia
Here are some pointers for where to start: of murderers around the world. You can find more websites
by doing online searches.
Library material
Libraries have a lot to offer for crime writers. If you’re new to Historical crime and punishment
the subject, learn the terminology first. Dictionaries covering Numerous books have been written about crime and
legal matters and criminology will help you. punishment during different historical periods. You can
In addition to reference works, you can find useful material see examples in the National Archives’ bookshop at http://
in numerous different sections within the library. Depending bookshop.nationalarchives.gov.uk/. These include titles
on what you’re researching, you could explore, for instance, such as Bodysnatchers by Suzie Lennox and The History of the
the criminology, psychology, neuroscience, sociology, law, Newgate Prison by Caroline Jowett. If you find a potentially
international relations, human rights and/or war sections. interesting book, you can check if it’s available in your local
If you want to read biographical or autobiographical library. If it’s not there, you can ask the librarian to organise an
accounts, have a look at the library’s true crime books. The inter-library loan for you.
public seems to have a strange fascination with criminals, There are some excellent historical web portals that provide
whether it’s Jack the Ripper or the ‘diamond wheezers’ of the and/or direct you to further information. For example, the
Hatton Garden heist – and public libraries tend to be well Victorian Web’s crime page (www.victorianweb.org/history/
stocked with such books. crime) covers different types of crime, punishment and the
police. It also gives you further reading suggestions.
Online resources Exploring archival material is a great way to deepen your
The internet is a great place to quickly find snippets of research. The National Archives (www.nationalarchives.gov.
information. There’s a multitude of sites covering different uk) holds, among other things, court records, army courts
aspect of crime and punishment. Some sites are hosted by martial records, prison registers and documents containing
public bodies while others are maintained by individuals, information on criminals as well as convicts sent to Australia.
groups of like-minded people and other organisations. Its website (https://writ.rs/natarcresearchguides) has 39
Examples of the former include the National Crime guides to help you research its crime-related records.
Agency (https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk), the UK You can locate more archives around the country as
legislation website (https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk), well as online. For instance, you can find the 1674-1913
and the Government’s Crime, Justice and Law page (www. proceedings of the Old Bailey, London’s Central Criminal
gov.uk/browse/justice) which functions as a hub for official Court, at www.oldbaileyonline.org. Regional and local
information about courts, sentencing, prisons, probation, archives have details on crime and punishment in their
youth offending and other details relating to crime and justice. respective areas. They also have old newspapers which you
There are also websites that provide official crime research can read to find out more about past crimes and the way
results and statistics, such as those by GOV.UK (https://writ. they have been reported in the media. Alternatively, you can
rs/crimeresearch) and the Criminal Records Bureau (https:// access old newspapers via the British Newspaper Archive
writ.rs/crimrecbur). (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk).
Expert advice to get the details right in your crime fiction, from serving police officer Lisa Cutts
Q
When someone is killed in a road accident the police call at the It would always be better to break the terrible news in the home as you’ve
person’s address to inform the next of kin. I’m presuming they mentioned, rather than on the doorstep. Even those who are very anti police
found identification on the body. Now, usually, would two police understand the severity of the situation and usually allow officers inside.
officers call, or could it be one? And can it be male or female constables Rather than take the next of kin to the station, it would be better to
or must it be a higher rank? I believe they would ask the next of kin gain as much information as possible first. Fatal accidents usually mean the
to call at the police station asap to confirm the identity of personal roads are closed for hours and nothing would be moved from the scene
belongings prior to a visit to the mortuary to identify the body. (other than those injured or deceased) for some time. Traffic Collision take
I ask this partly because knowing how tight the police budget is, videos and photos, measurements and carry out house-to-house enquiries,
wasted manpower is wasted money. witness statements, CCTV, dashcam downloads and wouldn’t release
Normally the police officers would need to enter the home rather than anything from the scene in the initial moments.
break the news on the doorstep, I believe.
Q
Reg Hidson Could a character get away with murder if it was covered up?
If the police only had the victim’s family’s say so to go on and
A
You’re correct that officers are likely to identify the person through some innocent texts between her and the victim, could she get
ID found on the person or if the driver is the deceased, running away with it?
the registration through PNC and any other databases with local Gemma Callaghan
information on the vehicle.
A
Ideally, the death message would be passed to the family by a Family In short, yes, she could get away with covering it up. However,
Liaison Officer, one from Traffic Collision. The chances of a FLO being on depending on the circumstances, the police may not be happy
duty and available may mean they are assigned the family at a slightly to leave it there and may delve a little further. At least, I hope
later time, after the message has already been delivered. they would. The post mortem, CCTV, interviewing family members and
It would be whoever is available and is very likely to be a police friends and downloading of electronic devices always gives the police a
constable rather than a sergeant. It wouldn’t be anyone of a higher great deal to go on. There may well be something that gives her away
rank. Again, ideally, it would be two officers if a double-crewed car was if the officers involved are suspicious in any way, meaning they dig a lot
available to attend the address. deeper.
• Filmmaker Christopher Nolan was born on 30 July. • Private Eye editor Ian Hislop was born on 13 July.
• First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon was • Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the first
born on 19 July. non-hereditary female head of government in modern
history. She was elected Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on
• Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was 21 July.
born on 2 July.
• Filmmaker Richard Linklater was born on 30 July.
• Fashion designer Bruce Oldfield was born on • The first ever FIFA World Cup began in
14 July Uruguay on 13 July. Uruguay beat Argentina in
the final on 30 July.
Pic, all creative commons: Derrida, Arturo Espinosa Seguir; Shirley Williams, University of Essex; Patrick Stewart, Gage Skidmore; Tim Brooke Taylor, Ed g2s; Pina Bausch, Leafar; BBC2, Feeling My Age; Helen Mirren, See
Li; Huey Lewis, Jauerbeck; Richard Branson, Chatham House; Bruce Oldfield, Open Media Ltd; Etch a Sketch, Etcha; Ian Hislop, ian_fromblighty; Richard Linklater, LBJ Foundation; Diorama aboard HMS Belfast, Kjetil
Bjornsrud; Beck, Ralph_PH; John Simm, rodwey2004; Jason Orange, vagueonthehow; Christopher Nolan, Georges Biard; Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish Government; Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Gage Skidmore; Alexandra Palace, E
Gammie; Jacinda Ardern, Governor General of New Zealand; Margot Robbie, Eva Rinaldi; One Direction, Fiona McKinlay.
AMY
MCLELLAN
Adrian Magson learns a new word from
the debut psychological thriller writer
don’t think I’ve ever profiled co-founder of Capital Crime, Adam
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Enter the Corpus
Here and queer Submissions are open
for two anthologies from
Tina Jackson Corpus Press, pubishers
of horror and weird
Cipher Press is a new independent fiction, ‘modern pulp that
publisher of queer fiction and non- emphasises plot over gore’.
fiction. Needing submissions are:
‘We know this is a broad scope, • Two-Page Terrors, deadline 31 March, for either
and in a way that’s intentional,’ serious or comedic/bizarre horror, 400-550 words.
said co-publisher Jenn Thompson. • In Darkness, Delight: Fear the Future (Vol 3), is for
‘We want to publish the many ‘truly terrifying stories that deal with futuristic themes,
different stories that make up the set in the near future or far’, whether earth-based or
queer community, whether they take the form of short stories, sci-fi, crime extraterrestrial. Post-apocalyptic stories will not be
fiction, essays, experimental writing, memoirs, or anything in between. Our one accepted and the editors are ‘more interested in “fiction”
stipulation is that our books fit somewhere within the literary bracket. We’re not than “science”’ and ‘this is a horror anthology first
looking to publish poetry, YA, or children’s literature at this time.’ and foremost, not a science fiction anthology’. Submit
The first Cipher Press title will appear in the summer. ‘We wanted to start a stories, 2,500-4,000 words, by 15
queer press for a long time, mostly as a response to the lack of dedicated queer November.
publishing in the UK,’ said Jenn. ‘We started seriously thinking about it in 2019, Submissions are currently
and now will publish our first book in August 2020. It feels like the right time; closed to novella, collections and
independent publishing is thriving, and readers generally seem more open to Kindle Shorts submissions.
books by diverse and underrepresented authors.’ Payment for Two-Page Terrors
Jenn points to the lack of queer owned and queer run publishing houses in the is $5 for world rights. Payment
UK as another driving factor behind the launch of Cipher Press. ‘In the 1980s for In Darkness, Delight is 3¢ per
and 90s there were quite a few but they don’t exist anymore,’ she said. ‘Now seems word up to $150 plus two free
like a great time to launch something new, something updated that reflects the copies.
way our community has evolved and changed. There is a huge push for diversity Website: www.corpuspress.com
coming from the big publishing houses at the moment, but small presses have
always championed minority voices. The world of independent publishing is
a huge inspiration to us, and we’re excited to be publishing alongside so many Poetry from wise women
incredible indie presses.’
The Cipher Press team have worked in publishing, editorial, and design for Believing older women ‘have a lot to say, and they say
years. ‘We feel like we just about have the experience to launch Cipher Press. I’m it with style’ the independent Grey Hen Press Poetry
sure it will be a steep learning curve, but we’re ready for it.’ Competition is for women over the age of sixty years and
Initially Cipher Press will be publishing three or four books a year. ‘But we there are prizes of £100, £50 and £25 for first, second and
hope to grow this number as Cipher Press evolves,’ said Jenn. ‘We hope the press third winners. If you reach your sixtieth year by the end of
helps to encourage a new queer literary scene in the UK, and that we can work June 2020 you are eligible for the competition.
alongside other incredible publishers, literary mags, and organisations to boost the Poems should be a maximum forty lines, be previously
voices of our authors and to publish more great books. We’re really excited by all unpublished and not have been accepted for future
the support and enthusiasm we’ve had so far, and our hope is that Cipher Press publication. Your name and contact details should
will not only find amazing new authors but keen new readers. We have a lot of appear on the entry form only and this is available from
plans and projects on the go and are absolutely thrilled to be bringing Cipher into the website or by post with an SAE.
the world.’ The closing date for submissions is 30 April and
A submission window is open until the end of March. entry fees are £3 per poem or £10 for four poems with
‘We say on our website that we’re, “looking for stories that transcend genres and cheques being made payable to ‘Grey Hen Press’. The
explore the many dimensions of queer identity.” We’re aware that queer stories results will be posted on the website by 30 June.
aren’t always straightforward, and so we’re open to any high-quality writing by As email entries will not be accepted post your work
queer authors that reflects some aspect of the queer experience. The LGBTQI+ with an SAE marked ‘Results’ if this is required. As no
community is hugely diverse, and we expect our catalogue to be the same. We’re entries will be returned, keep a copy.
especially keen to publish work from BAME/POC, working class, trans and Details: Grey Hen Press, PO Box 269, Kendal,
gender non-conforming authors.’ Cumbria LA9 9FE; website: www.greyhenpress.com
Cipher Press is looking for writers with fresh slants and original ways of telling
their stories. ‘A good book for us is honest, weird, smart, original, and unique. We Exciting voices for Brick Lane
like old stories told in new ways and characters we can relate to. You can win us
over with a perfect sentence; we’re very focused on the writing as well as the plot. The 2020 Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize is
Ultimately, a good book can be of any genre as long as it affects us in some way.’ looking for new, original and diverse voices in UK fiction.
Jenn is happy for writers to rip up the rule book. ‘Our advice would be to The winner will get £1,000. There are second and
be bold and take risks. To try and tell the story you want to tell as honestly as third prizes of £250 and £100. The winning and
possible. To drift away from the mainstream and from literary conventions. longlisted stories will be published in the Brick Lane
And to just write whatever you want, whether that be erotica, a western, or an Bookshop Short Story Prize Anthology. The judges are
experimental essay. Or a mixture of all three.’ Dialogue Books publisher Sharmaine Lovegrove, literary
Submit by sending the first three chapters of a agent Harriet Moore and Chris Power, author of the
novel, or the first twenty pages if the work is non- short story collection Mothers.
fiction, along with a brief synopsis and bio. Enter original, unpublished short stories for adult
Cipher Press will publish in print and ebook, and readers between 1,000 and 5,000 words.
pay and advance and royalties. The entry fee is £10 per story.
Details: email: [email protected]; The closing date is 15 May.
website: www.cipherpress.co.uk Website: www.bricklanebookshop.org/
www.writers-online.co.uk APRIL 2020 83
WRITERS’ NEWS
INTRODUCTIONS
Writing Magazine presents a selection of pet publications currently accepting contributions.
We strongly recommend that you read back issues, familiarise yourself with their guidelines
before submitting and check websites for submission details.
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change New series! about cat care, health The cat Planning the year ahead people owning of owning and
people’s lives cafe tour
NOT TO WORRY
MAKE YOUR CAT
and wellbeing plus Visiting the
country’s
cat cafes
Lovely lories and caring for caring for reptiles
LESS STRESSED
BREED FOCUS:
9 771353 260175 of light
THE RARE AND DELIGHTFUL EGYPTIAN MAU Favoured desertion Vitamin D & calcium
1 YC Cover Mar20 CS MH.indd 1
fictional stories about cats (500-1000 words, as accounts of make up the bulk of the content. Breeding,
usual rate £80-£100) and feature ideas from life with parrots, personalities in the parrot experiencing herps in the wild, herp
experienced journalists or cat professionals world and parrot-related clubs, shows and healthcare and herp conservation are also
which should be pitched as ideas in the first activities. John is happy to accept pitches popular topics. Pitches for feature articles
instance. He also accepts submissions for My from writers with specialist knowledge. in these areas are welcomed, with detailed
First Cat (recounting the story of your first Contact him with ideas through the guidelines available for writers.
cat) and Golden Oldie (telling us about your website. Payment varies. Payment for a 2,000-5,000 word article
cat who is over twelve years old) and these Website: www.parrotmag.com with photos is $300.
contributions are voluntary. Details: email: reptileseditorial@gmail.
Details: email: [email protected]; Pets Magazine com; website: www.reptilesmagazine.com
website: www.yourcat.co.uk is a free digital
pets and lifestyle Animal Wellness is
magazine edited the US’s number
by Marie Carter- one natural health
Robb with a magazine for pets,
growing monthly with an aim to
readership provide helpful
of 24,000. educational advice
The magazine to pet owners to
The Bark (featured in WM Nov 19) has features new and help animals lead
ceased print production from the March luxury products, happy, healthy
2020 issue and is now a digital-only pampering for lives. Coverage
brand aimed at modern dog owners and people and includes animal
enthusiasts. Feature content is based their pets, pet friendly reviews, activities wellbeing as
round a dog-owning lifestyle and the for pets and owners as well as pets in the well as physical
bonds between dogs and humans, ie not news, advice columns, health and wellbeing healthcare. Pitches and completed article
specific breed advice. Topics covered in tips, pet owning celebrities, other news submissions with the focus on holistic
thebark.com include food, health, training, and informative articles of interest to pet health care for pet animals are welcomed.
activities and dog-related news. Editor owners. Marie accepts contributions on The usual length is 500 to 1,500 words and
in chief Claudia Kawczynska is currently a voluntary basis from freelancers and all healthcare facts and statistics should be
accepting submissions of online content is happy to consider all submissions, accurate and come from accredited sources.
tailored for The Bark’s intelligent and particularly those with accompanying good Payment is for all rights. Submit ideas or
culture-savvy readership. high resolution images. completed articles through the website.
Details: email: [email protected]; Details: [email protected]; website: Website: https://
website: https://thebark.com/ www.petsmag.co.uk animalwellnessmagazine.com/
Surprise
Submit by email, as an attached doc, docx or pdf file. A cover
letter is not required but chat about a writer’s literary process
and goals, and how they heard of the press, are welcomed.
Response time is 8-12 weeks. Payment and rights are
discussed with the contract.
Details: Clare Songbirds Publishing House, email:
[email protected]; website: www.
yourself
claresongbirdspub.com A bit of bravery goes a long
way, says Lynne Hackles
Dearly anticipated
I’ve a little book in which I write down
Margaret Atwood’s first poetry collection in 13 years, Dearly, quotes that appeal to me. Most of them
will be published in November. Her first collection, Double are about writing. All of them are positive.
Persephone, came out in 1961. The new volume will explore They are there to remind me to never give
‘absences and endings, ageing and retrospection’. up, to stay cheerful and to believe you’re
Speaking for publisher Chatto & Windus, editor Becky never too old to have a new dream. I read
Hardie said, ‘Every poem in Dearly rings with all Margaret through them often and close the book
Atwood’s characteristic curiosity and energy ... It is a pure feeling good.
delight which stretches heart and mind.’ When I see something that inspires me,
The book will address environmental themes, and also be it a few words, a poem or a long quote,
feature, ‘werewolves, sirens, aliens and dreams.’ I add it to my book.
Margaret, who recently shared the Booker prize with Recently I added a new one to the
Bernardine Evaristo for her sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, collection. It was from the late Denholm
will narrate the audio book version herself. Elliot, an actor who was rarely off
television and also appeared in many
films. He said, ‘Surprise yourself every
FOR RAZOR SHARP Comic line up day with your own courage.’
I could have done with that quote when
NOIR CRIME I started out and worried far too much
The next BBC Script Room about sending out any work. Then, one
submission window will be for day, someone said, ‘The editor wouldn’t
Switchblade has an comedy scripts, and will open on know you from Adam.’ Yes, we’ve all
editor who loves 23 March. heard that one but on that day it meant a
‘punk noir.’ he Writers identified through the lot to me. I imagined the editor opening
calls his magazine open submission window will my work and reading it. They’d look at
‘a cutting edge be invited to take part in the the name and it would mean nothing to
magazine of noir, Comedy Room, which is a six- them. They didn’t have a picture of me.
featuring no-limit month development programme They didn’t know me. They couldn’t point
outlaw fiction.’ that includes monthly meetings, at me in the street and say, ‘She’ll never
He doesn’t want targeted training and workshops, as write as long as there’s a hole in her head.’
‘police procedurals, well as networking opportunities. It was a light bulb moment. My stories
or cosy murder The BBC is looking for could be sent out to markets and, in spite
mysteries.’ He wants ‘a twisting crime culture distinctive new voices in comedy of having my name on them, they’d be
story that’s 100 proof, and far too prurient and writing. To submit, send a comedy anonymous to the editor. My work went
politically-incorrect for the herbal tea crowd at script of at least thirty pages for out. Acceptances came in. I surprised
Ellery Queen.’ Please do check out the website and TV, film, radio, stage or online. myself with my own courage and became
read what’s there. Study the guidelines, the editor The submission window will a writer.
is open to new submissions in April. open on 23 March, and close on You can do the same. Why not start
Submit dark and twisty tales through the 20 April. your own book of positive quotes. You
website: Website: https://writ.rs/ could begin with, ‘Surprise yourself every
www.switchblademag.com; comedyscriptroom day with your own courage.’ Then you act
on it.
www.writers-online.co.uk NOVEMBER
MARCH 2019
2019 87
87
WRITERS’ NEWS
Rosie Nixon is
Hero born of Legend
editor in chief
of weekly Hello! Tina Jackson
magazine,
but editorial
queries should Hero Press is a new imprint from Legend regardless of subject
be addressed to Press that will publish non-fiction books to matter,’ said Liza.
Holly Nesbitt- inspire, provoke conversation and spark ideas. ‘It can be business,
Larking, tel: ‘We are invested in discovering new voices cultural, or
0207 667 8721; within general non-fiction, well-being, gift, psychological but
email: holly. popular science and culture,’ said Legend’s it has to have an
nesbitt-larking@ product and development manager Liza essence or spark that will propel
hellomagazine.
com
Paderes. ‘We are open to any kind of non- the reader to be inspired and to motivate
Details: HELLO! fiction content, as long as it’s inspiring or conversations with friends, family and
magazine, motivational – anything from business, colleagues. A good book will takes the reader
Wellington House, science, psychological, cultural, biographies on a compelling journey. It has to be written
69-71 Upper or mind, body and spirit/well-being. well and have a purpose to it. To tell a story,
Ground, London Hero evolved from the Legend Business to advice, to inform, or provide a compelling
SE1 9PQ. imprint. ‘Under that we have published a argument or debate.’
variety of books with educational, corporate Good non-fiction need to be written with
After stints as and non-fiction trade appeal,’ said Liza. ‘The a reader in mind, says Liza. ‘What’s your
WH Smith High
seeds of development began quite organically motivation for writing a book? What is the
Street head of
children’s books, early last year, when we had the opportunity main aim of the book to the reader? Asking
adult fiction and to publish some special-interest titles, such these questions should help you to identify
non-fiction, Lucy as Conquer the Web (Legend Business) and who your reader is. All of your content should
Swinburn is now The Hockneys (Legend Press). With the then be created and curated with that reader in
the chain’s overall acquirement of University of Buckingham mind, which will help the publisher to market
head of books. Press (UBP) in spring 2019, we felt that our and sell your book. Also remember that writing
She replaces business titles would have a better fit under non-fiction is like fiction: you are telling a
Pete Selby, that imprint, giving us some the freedom to story that needs to have a beginning, a middle,
who has left to
create a brand new non-fiction imprint to and an end.’
‘pursue other
opportunities’.
suit both our trade business titles and our To submit, email a detailed synopsis and
new inspirational acquisitions.’ the first three chapters with an introductory
The US Andrew Hero is looking to publish 7-8 titles in statement containing information about why
Carnegie Medal 2020, with the plan to publish 10-12 each you think Hero Press is the right publisher for
for Excellence year for the first three years. ‘We are focused you, details of any previous publications and
in Fiction, 2020, on building a reputable list and establishing competition successes and the names of at least
has gone to Lost Hero as a publisher who produces essential two comparable titles published in the last five
Children Archive reading for stimulating and motivating years that are similar in style, subject matter
by Valeria Luiselli. change. It would also be great to have a and/or readership.
The Andrew
prize-winning title in the future, such as the Hero Press will publish in various formats.
Carnegie Medal
for Excellence in Baillie Gifford Prize.’ Contracts are individually negotiated.
Nonfiction was Hero Press is currently open for submission. ‘I’m Details: email: [email protected]; website: www.
won by Midnight looking for titles which are inspirational and entertaining legendpress.co.uk
in Chernobyl
by Adam
Higginbotham. Grow your Test the climate Get in with
‘All of my books,
at their heart, are
own collection The Everything Change the outsiders
Climate Fiction Contest The theme for the Momaya
about loneliness.
About feeling
erbacce-press is inviting entries for the 2020 from the Imagination Short Story Competition 2020 is
outside of the erbacce prize for poetry 2020. The and Climate Futures ‘Outsiders’.
normal human winner will be awarded a publishing Initiative at Arizona State The international competition
experience, contract for a collection with erbacce- University is inviting invites original, unpublished
of feeling press. Two runners up will be considered entries of eco-fiction for its third stories up to 3,000 words.
disconnected, for publication of a collection or competition. Stories may have been previously
dissociated... I’m chapbook. Four other entrants will be There is a first prize of $1,000 and nine published as long as the writer
not interested in featured poets in issues of the quarterly runners-up prizes of $100. Winners will holds copyright.
displaying brains in-house journal erbacce. be published in a digital anthology. The The prizes are $150, $75
and education
To enter, send five pages of lead judge is Claire Vaye Watkins, author and $35. Winners and seven
or class. I’m
interested in poetry. Some poems may have been of Gold Fame Citrus. honourable mentions will be
the underneath previously published but some must be Enter original, unpublished short published in the Momaya Short
of everything, unpublished. fiction in any genre up to 5,000 words. Story Review 2020.
the inside of Entry is free. Entry is free. The entry fee is $14.
everything.’ The closing date is 8 May. The closing date is 15 April. The closing date is 30 April.
Eimear McBride Website: http://erbacce-press. Website: https://climateimagination. Website: https://
webeden.co.uk/ asu.edu/clificontest/ momayapress.com/
INTERNATIONAL
ZINE SCENE by PDR
Lindsay-Salmon
US website with ‘wide-ranging and eclectic tastes’. scientist protagonist, or about a victim.
McSweeney’s Internet Submit fiction and nonfiction, not over 5,000 The team want writers who can ‘explore
Tendency provides words and preferably under 3,000. Flash and the huge potential of crime fiction through
‘Daily humor almost micro prose are particularly welcome. genre blending’, although pure crime stories
every day’. Read the Submit through the website, where there is are accepted too. Each issue has a theme,
content at the website a submission fee after the first of each month. which can be interpreted broadly. Give them
and the extensive Response time is ‘currently four to eight ‘characters whose identities and/or cultural/
guidelines, which are months.’ Payment is $60 per piece regardless ethnic backgrounds have historically been
both informative and of length, ‘for exclusive worldwide English marginalised, erased from, or misrepresented
an excellent example of the kind of humour language rights for a period of three months.’ within crime and genre fiction’ and break the
and writing that they are looking for. Website: https://forgelitmag.com trope rules. Submit one or two short stories,
Submit in the body of an email to the no more than 2,000 words or one to three
address for each section. Sections include flash fiction pieces under 750 words. Poetry,
humorous lists, ‘Reviews of New Food’ and no more than five poems, may be in any style.
‘Open Letters to People or Entities Who Are Submit a doc or docx by email:
Unlikely to Respond’. Timely submissions are [email protected]
welcome for topical news responses. Response time is ‘reasonable’. Payment is
Keep work to a maximum 1,200 words £20/€22 per short story, £15/€17 per flash
but note that shorter pieces are more fiction; and £10/€11 per poem for the usual
readily accepted. rights.
Average response time is ‘7.39 days’. Website: www.malefactionmag.com
There is payment for all accepted work, for Eternal Haunted Summer is an ezine of
first rights. poetry and short fiction about the heroes
Website: www.mcsweeneys.net and divine entities of the world’s many pagan
traditions. Everything published must have
The Squeaky Times is a pagan focus or otherwise interest its pagan
Australia’s satirical and readership.
humorous ‘Not The Issues are themed. Submissions open 1
Real News’ website. May-1 June for the summer, ‘Holy Days’
Read the content issue, for explorations of holy days, sacred
and guidelines at the website, then submit festivals, and important dates, from Beltane to
‘satirical nonsense’ in the form of fake news Walpurgisnacht, Dia de Muertos to Diwali, in 3:AM Magazine is a US online journal of
articles, 25-300 words. fiction, poems or essays. Pagan and spiritual radical literature and philosophy. The editorial
The team want humour but not ‘gore, topics are welcome, but not ‘Atlantis, Mu, team know exactly what they want: there are
erotica, political extremism, racism, UFOs, aliens, or subterranean civilisations’ clear and specific guidelines at the website.
homophobia, etc’. Submit a doc or rtf file or There is no length limit, but under 5,000 It publishes literary criticism, fiction, poetry
paste into the email body. words is preferred. The team are interested in and ‘interviews with writers, philosophers and
Response time is ‘around three weeks’. essays which ‘address the nature of the deities, intellectuals’. Fiction and poetry will re-open
Payment is $2.50. the mythologies of the various pantheons, in April if they manage to clear the backlog.
Details: The Squeaky Times, email: folklore, ritual, etc’, and stories and poems in Non-fiction subs are open now. Submit
[email protected]; website: any form or genre, ‘provided the deities and pitches and queries to the relevant editor or
https://thesqueakytimes.com heroes are treated respectfully’. [email protected]
Submit one story, up to three reviews, or Website: www.3ammagazine.com
up to three poems, per submission period,
as an attached rtf, txt or doc file, by email: Whales of Arcadia is a fledgling literary
[email protected] magazine with an editorial team which
Response time is ‘reasonable’. Payment is $5 ‘appreciates literature, classicism, and art’. It
per piece for first electronic publishing rights needs submissions which the writer ‘really
Website: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com cared about writing’.
Submit no more than five poems,
Malefaction is a maximum ten pages, up to 6,000 words
new Edinburgh- of prose (one short story or three flash
based magazine of pieces); no genre work for non-fiction avoid
The Forge Literary Magazine is ‘open to ‘genre fiction with a academic style
all genres and voices, and stories with criminal twist’. Any Submit all work in a single doc or pdf file
any background, race, ethnicity, gender, genre is acceptable, but all submssions through the website, https://whalesofarcaida.
sexual and personal identity from all must feature a crime or be related to art.blog (sic)
over the world’. Each submission is read crime in some way, eg stories set in Response time is 2 to 4 months. Payment
anonymously by a rotating cast of editors a courtroom, or featuring a forensic and rights are decided on acceptance.
IN
TR
GLOBAL TRAVEL MARKET
G
Nomads want emotional and sensory travel stories
Jenny Roche
W
N
K
Aiming to ‘uncover the best, the funniest, the freshest,
O W-H O
the most gut wrenching or just the most beautiful
stories’ World Nomads is looking for travel writers,
photographers and film makers around the world to
contribute their ‘personal, authentic stories about
How are you
life changing journeys and experiences’. Love, fear,
discovery, connection and transformation are the emotional experiences to
aim for in addition to the sensory experiences of journeys.
feeling?
To help with submitting articles suitable for this magazine the website
guidelines have a list of questions to ask of your story together with Patrick Forsyth suggests going beyond
examples of published stories. There are also lists for photographers facts to bring your travel writing to life
and filmmakers to ask of their stories. To help further, the website has
‘storytelling tips from the pros’.
In the first instance pitch your idea for an article making sure the ukhothai is a World Heritage site, the ruins
theme, content and tone fit with the magazine. Include a title of a
maximum forty characters and a synopsis of no more than 250 words
explaining the story subject, format, category, what makes it emotionally
compelling and why you are the right person to tell it. Also say a little
S of an ancient city, which now takes the
form of the remnants of stone buildings
spread across an area of parkland. The
wooden buildings that predominated
about yourself and your professional experience. There is an example of a are long gone. All this is outside a modern town set
good pitch on the website. an hour’s flight north of Bangkok. I think it attracts a
Payment rates on publication of written stories of 600-800 words is 50¢ good many tourists, but they must spread out, certainly
per word. See website for photo essay and video story payments. when I visited I found few people around to spoil the
Website: www.worldnomads.co.uk tranquillity. The place is very atmospheric.
While visiting I climbed to Wat Saphan Hin (meaning
‘temple of the stone bridge’). It is approached up a long
Fine words in four categories steep stretch of uneven steps. The first part is actually
a ramp, a path built up with rocks and stones with an
The 2020 Segora creative writing competitions are open for entry in four increasing drop on either side. Half way up irregular steps
categories. take over, but a sure foot is still needed to mount it safely.
• Poetry competition for original, unpublished poems up to 50 lines. The The path progresses, pretty much in a straight line until the
prizes are £300, £100 and £50. The entry fee is £5 for one, £7.50 for two, ruined Wat is reached 300 metres above the starting point;
£10 for three, £12.50 for four, £15 for five and £17.50 for six. it is a hot climb.
• Short story competition for original, unpublished short stories between In this kind of place there is a lot for a writer to describe.
1,500 and 3,000 words. The prizes are £300, £100 and £50. The entry fees A carved stone Buddha figure more than twelve metres
are £8 for one, £14 for two and £20 for three. high, named Phra Attharat, stands looking across the ruins
• Vignette competition for vignettes of 300 words. There is a prize of of the small temple. There is little there but the outline of
£100. The entry fees are £5 for one, £7.50 for two, £10 for three, £12.50 for a building surrounded by trees. Whatever there is can be
four, £15 for five and £17.50 for six. described factually: the rocky path up, the Buddha figure
• One act play competition for original, unpublished and unproduced/ (draped with yellow silk), the view over the park and so on.
performed playscripts up to 35 minutes. The prizes are £150 and £50. But in such a place I am reminded that there is another way
The closing date is 15 June. to approach this – or indeed any other place you visit. That
Website: www.poetryproseandplays.com is how it makes you feel.
One paragraph I wrote about this was:
It had seemed quiet in the area below. Up high the quiet
took on a whole new dimension. I sat alone for a while on a
Long smoke, quick flash stone wall looking out over the area spread out far below: its
various largely terracotta buildings, statues and ruins widely-
The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction is open spaced amidst the tree scattered parkland displayed minimal
for entries and has a first prize of $2,000. The winner will signs of other visitors. Everything seemed a long way off. The
also be nominated for The Best Small Fictions, the Pushcart extreme serenity and quiet beauty of the place around me took
Prize and be published in The Smokelong Quarterly in June. over. I could have stayed there, content in the silence, for a
The second prize is $200 and the third, $100. The very long time.
runners up and finalists will be published in The Smokelong The reflective mood brought on by such an atmospheric
Quarterly and finalists will get $50. place was just one aspect of how I felt, which included
Enter original, unpublished short fiction up to 1,000 words. Stories more mundane thoughts: for example I was getting very
written in a non-English language accompanied by an English translation hot sitting in the sun after a tiring climb. In reviewing
may be entered. descriptions that you write it is useful to think separately
The entry fee is $13.50 up to April 26 and $15.50 after that, and is for up about the factual description, what you can actually see
to two stories in the same submission. around you, and the feelings that you experience prompted
The closing date is 24 May. by your surroundings. You can decide which aspects you
Website: www.smokelong.com should give priority to and check that together they provide
an impression that fits your intentions.
UK MAGAZINE MARKET
Finding new ways of being a Lady
Tina Jackson
pin down an age, now? I think we need to meant they could work abroad. The
talk about age in a new way, and that’s why Lady opens doors. People see it as an old
The Lady has survived. We get readers who fashioned magazine because it’s been going
are in their nineties, and write in about since 1885 but the reason it’s lasted as long
having got their first job as a nanny or as it has is that it’s got people appeal. I never
cleaner through The Lady. And then you get want to patronise those readers. You can be
young people who love it because they’ll get 100 years old, you can be forty or fifty or
jobs through the small ads. And then there twenty, and you can be having an incredible
are the forty and fifty-year-olds, so we stand life. That’s the unique thing about The
between Grazia and Good Housekeeping.’ Lady. Our readers want to live and see the
The Lady’s coverage is as wide-ranging world and do their own thing. If I were a
as its readers’ interests. ‘We cover literally nineteen, twenty-year-old woman then why
anything,’ said Maxine. ‘Everything that not look at The Lady and say, I’m going to
you’d have in a women’s magazine. This issue be a housekeeper for a really rich person in
we’ve got Miranda Hart on the cover – she’s London, or Russia, or Italy?’
a perfect person for us – very intelligent, A good feature for The Lady gets to the
talented, had a bit of a problem in her heart of the issue. ‘It should be well-written,
thirties and forties with what she wanted very honest, and prepared, if it’s first
to do. And then she came back, and she’s person, to talk about their lives and include
talking about friends and friendships and the something that would make the feature
people who supported her. We don’t want to personal,’ said Maxine. Factual accuracy and
be Vogue or Grazia or Hello! We want to say, grounding the piece in relatable detail are
The Lady, the UK’s longest running weekly this is what normal life is like, and it can be also important. ‘Back it up with some facts!
magazine for women, is reinventing itself for difficult. It’s okay to say, I’ve been depressed, Find some good facts and figures and add a
a wide-ranging modern readership. I’ve gone through the menopause.’ little bit of emotion as well.’
‘I think what we’re trying to do is Health and wellbeing coverage is realistic Maxine is happy to accept freelance
reach a slightly younger audience than and practical. ‘The new issue of has Britt contributions. ‘As long as the writer has a
people assume – people assume it’s for Ekland talking about having Botox in her good idea, and a good pitch. Be very specific
60-somethings,’ said editor Maxine sixties. So our health message is, if you want about what you can do, and what you want
Firth. ‘I’m 47, and trying to aim for my to have the tweakments, this is our advice. to write about. The thing that really annoys
demographic and above, fifty-somethings. And these are the alternatives. I think what me is people who email me and haven’t read
And not assuming it’s all people with we’re trying to do is say that age doesn’t have the magazine – pitch something specific
children. Our readers are individuals. Liz to be a number. How we think about age no that you think the editor will actually like.
Hodgkinson, who writes for us, really fits is so different.’ Write for women who are probably 45 and
our demographic. She’s 72, has children, The Lady’s jobs ads are a unique selling upwards – 45 to 75. Write as you feel. And
grandchildren, but she still works, and needs point for readers interested in widening also, interview people as you feel. We need
to. She’s fit and healthy, is always doing their horizons. ‘Most of our readers are interesting stories about how people feel.’
things, not sitting at home.’ people who have done the most amazing The starting rate is 20p a word.
Maxine is passionate that her readers aren’t things,’ said Maxine. ‘Lots of our readers Email: [email protected]; website:
pigeonholed or stereotyped. ‘How do you answered an advert in The Lady which https://lady.co.uk
Audience participation
Vision thing
with Punchdrunk
The theme for the HG Wells Short Story
The Third Day, the world’s first immersive TV drama from Competition 2020 is ‘Vision’.
Punchdrunk, will air on Sky and HBO in May. The competition is for original,
The first episode of The Third Day to be screened will unpublished short stories between
be Summer, which sees Sam (played by Jude Law) drawn 1,500 and 5,000 words on the theme.
to a mysterious island whose inhabitants are determined to There are two prize categories. The
preserve their traditions. £1,000 Margaret and Reg Turnhill
Following Summer, there will be an immersive live Prize is for writers under 21. The
theatre event from world-renowned company Punchdrunk Grand Prize for writers over 21 is
where audience members will be able to inhabit the story £500. Winners and runners-up will be
as it happens. Audiences will also be able to follow the events online. published in an anthology.
The Third Day will conclude with three episodes of Winter, starring Naomie Harris and There is no entry fee for writers under
written by Kit de Waal, Dean O’Loughlin and Dennis Kelly. 21. In the over-21s category, the entry
The Third Day has been created by writer Dennis Kelly and Punchdrunk artistic director Felix fee is £10 per story, and £5 for students.
Barrett. It will screen in May on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK and Ireland, and HBO The closing date is 6 July.
in the US. Website: https://hgwellscompetition.
Website: www.punchdrunk.com/project/the-third-day/ com/
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For further information and
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To enter:
• 750-word short story competition • Haunted short story competition
(see p33) (see p33)
For stories, maximum 750 words,
on any theme; entry fee £6, £4 for For short stories, 1,500-1,700 words, on
subscribers; closing date, 15 April. the theme ‘haunted’; entry fee £6, £4 for
Ref Code: Mar20/750 subscribers; closing date, 15 May.
Ref Code: Apr20/haunted
4 Competition Judging VALID FROM........................EXPIRY DATE ..................... VALID FROM........................EXPIRY DATE .....................
Competition judges will be appointed by Writing Magazine and the
judges’ decision will be final with no correspondence being entered into. ISSUE NUMBER ................................................................. ISSUE NUMBER .................................................................
ANA
JOHNS
The US writer tells Lynne Hackles how a
life-changing diagnosis led to a novel inspired
by real-life events linked to a little-known
era in US and Japanese history
A
na Johns, a former their historical fiction bestsellers list. across generations.
competitive martial artist, Another bright spot was the midwest ‘I endeavoured to make both
studied journalism and book tour my US publisher, Park Row narratives as historically accurate in
worked over twenty years Books with Harper Collins/Harlequin, both environment and social protocol
in the creative arts field sponsored. And when The Woman In as possible. This research was labour
before turning her hand to fiction. The White Kimono was chosen as a LISTEN intensive, six years, with some days
‘I’ve always loved writing but BBC Radio2 Book Club Pick my UK TAP HERE only a single paragraph making it onto
didn’t attempt a full novel until a life- publisher, Legend Press, flew me to To hear an the page. The internet was invaluable,
changing diagnosis of multiple sclerosis London for the live interview. Such a extract from not only for its numerous articles and
The Woman
in 2008 provided the opportunity to thrill! But the readers’ response to the in the White resources, but for the ability to virtually
pursue it,’ she says. novel has been the absolute highlight. Kimono travel the world and meet those with
‘To regain my mobility and health, I’ve received countless letters and first-hand experience – US vets and
I sold my business, hired a nutritionist, messages from people telling me the Japanese brides. But it was in finding
then started training with my two (then) novel resonated on a deeply personal and meeting the one hundred adult
young boys in Okinawan karate, which level. Learning their heart-breaking children born to Japanese women
now makes me laugh. I couldn’t balance stories has meant the world. and American servicemen who were
so chose a sport that demanded it. My ‘Although The Woman In The surrendered to the Elizabeth Saunders
goal was to keep our family’s focus on White Kimono is a work of fiction, Home orphanage in Japan that
something positive. It worked. My oldest it’s crafted from historical events, real made all the difference. To put it in
son and I travelled all over the country people, and true stories, including my perspective, ten thousand babies were
competing in the professional karate father’s story of the beautiful Japanese born to Japanese women and American
circuit while working toward our black girl he loved while enlisted in the US servicemen before, during, and after
belts. Within two years, I earned the Navy. Her family had invited him to a the occupation, but most didn’t survive.
title in kata forms for both national and traditional tea, but despite him learning They did.
international divisions. I knew then I’d the required etiquette and practicing ‘While The Woman In The White
won more than just trophies... I’d won his Japanese, upon meeting him, an Kimono began with my father’s story and
back my life. So, what was I going to do American sailor, they refused him as a evolved with characters inspired by US
with it? Write! suitor. His story, and hundreds just like military vets and the adoptees, it’s really
‘Now, as a full-time writer, I tend to it, inspired the novel. not a story about them so much as for
stick to a schedule. I’m up between 4 and ‘The novel is told in dual narratives. them. I hope they see it as a love letter.
5am and most days hit the gym before In the first, Tori Kovac in present-day One of hope and ultimately triumph
settling in at my desk. When our boys America, put her career as an investigative because they survived.’
were still at home, my workday ended reporter on hold to act as caregiver for Website: www.anajohns.com
when they arrived home from school, her dying father. When Tori finds and
otherwise the interruptions were constant, reads a tattered letter covered in Japanese
but now, as empty nesters I’ve found if
I’m in the zone I’ll just keep writing.’
symbols, she learns a shocking revelation
– one that calls into question everything
Writing place
‘I’m fortunate to have a dedicated home office where I
Described as ‘a powerful and she understood about her father, her
sit at a white French writing desk with a pretty tree-
heartbreaking literary debut’ The Woman family, and herself. lined view. A small chandelier from my old studio holds
In The White Kimono is based on the ‘In the second narrative, we unpack sentiment and the light just so overhead and the walls
author’s own family story. the secrets of the letter and meet Naoko, are lined with white bookcases, favourite novels, and
‘Several highpoints have occurred a seventeen-year-old Japanese girl in small framed photos of family and friends. Oh, and
with the book’s publication,’ Ana post-WWII 1950s Japan. A time when the opposite wall is home to a large project table my
continues. ‘Not only did we debut on ancient traditions clashed with American husband built for me with idea board. It’s a lovely place
the Globe and Mail’s bestsellers list in culture forcing unimaginable choices to lose myself in a story and work.’
Canada, but the novel is still sitting on with consequences that would ripple
NAVIGATE THE
MINEFIELDS
lls
how to avoid the pitfa
Expert guidance on
y writer!
that await the unwar
Male
order
Writers often fall unwittingly into
creating gender stereotypes, says
Lorraine Mace, as she gives them
– and herself – a dressing down
I
have been wondering how many writers are subconscious the time what she would have done if someone or something had
sexists. I don’t mean the deliberate nastiness of putting anyone tried to eat her own children. Would she have run away and left
down because of gender, but in the sense of writing our them to their fate? ‘Absolutely not,’ she replied. ‘I’d have picked
characters into gender confining boxes without even realising up anything I could find to use as a weapon and gone at them, no
we are doing so. matter what size, to protect my babies.’
This is not something I would normally think about, but a writer I’m pleased to say she got the message and the women of her world
friend recently told me he was shocked to find he had pigeonholed fought bravely alongside the menfolk – apart from one or two females
one of his characters and only saw what he’d done when his wife read who were either cowards or collaborators, but as that applied to a few
the story and challenged him on it. of the men as well, that was fine.
My friend (who has asked to remain nameless, so I am going to call Which brings me on to a male author whose book I worked
him John) had crafted a story with a strong female lead. He thought on. He created a fabulous fantasy world based on a matriarchal
he’d really hit the right note by making her subordinate sidekick male. society. However, when that society came under attack, all
The pair were on the trail of a seedy minor drug dealer, not realising the heroes with one exception, were male. The person sent to
they were straying into much deeper waters. The minor dealer was find help was male. The leader of the group of mercenaries he
working for a very dangerous man indeed. So far so good. The female brought back to the village was male, as were all the fighters
called the shots and the man followed her commands. That is, until under the prince’s command, bar one solitary female who was
she was caught by one of the goons who worked for the drug baron. so emotionally damaged she made mistakes that put the others
At this point, everything John had intended went out the window and at risk. To be fair, in the final scenes she sacrificed herself to
the old stereotypical pattern kicked in. save everyone else, but this was her only claim to courageous
The helpless female needed to be rescued by her gallant male behaviour. Surely, in a matriarchal society there would be
partner. Not only that, but her gratitude caused her to look at him in female warriors?
an entirely new light. He was her hero! Why create such a society if you are still going to perpetrate gender
John’s wife threw the pages at him when she’d finished reading. ‘I stereotypes within it?
thought you were going to make the woman the strong character in So then I started thinking about my own writing. Was I also guilty
the story,’ she said. ‘But I did,’ said John, truly believing he had. It of subconscious gender bias? I was fairly certain I wasn’t. How could
was only when she made him read the final pages in isolation that he I be when I’d created Detective Sergeant Cathy Connors? Known as
realised he should have had the man captured and the woman carry CC to her friends and those few colleagues she allows to get close
out the rescue. As John said, ‘I really didn’t intend to be that kind of enough, she is a forceful character who doesn’t take nonsense from
stereotypical writer, but that’s how my male brain took the story!’ anyone. She terrifies the local bad guys because of her martial arts
To be fair, it’s not just a male trait. An author I worked with skills. She’s intelligent, funny, loud, outrageous in dress and attitude
years ago, a woman this time, had a tendency to make her female and I love her to bits.
characters run away, scream, cry, wail and shake, while all the male I was feeling really smug until it hit me that CC is the only strong
characters were bold, brave, courageous and keen to protect their female I’ve created. My books are very much male dominated. Note to
families from flesh-eating monsters. I can remember asking her at self: stop being sexist!
Recommended by the
Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook
York Publishing Services Ltd
tel. 01904 431213
[email protected]
www.yps-publishing.co.uk
106 MARCH 2020 www.writers-online.co.uk
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Take a deep dive into Dickens’ iconic novel to understand his storytelling techniques
and style, and how those might be applied to your own work.
This guide includes a detailed look at Oliver Twist’s style, structure, characters and more.
Competition
Guide
OVER
£1 MILLION
to be won
in writing prizes
2020 Competition Special 2020
Dear Reader
MORE THAN 750
TO ENTER
COMPS
Competitions:
[email protected]
31 The Writing Magazine Grand Prize
WM Competitions, Warners Group Win £1,000 in our big new open short story competition
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Typeset by:
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5th Floor, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds LS1 5JD
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Details of over 750 compe
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© Copyright Warners Group Publications plc. ISSN 0964-9166
Warners Group Publications plc are not able to investigate the products or services provided by the advertisers in Writing Magazine nor to make recommendations about them. Readers
should make sensible enquiries themselves before sending money or incurring substantial costs in sending manuscripts or other material. Take particular care when responding to
advertisers offering to publish manuscripts. While few conventional publishers seek a financial contribution from authors, many such advertisers do seek a payment (sometimes thousands
of pounds) and readers should remember there can be no guarantees such publishing arrangements will prove profitable. There have been cases in which subsidy publishers have provided
unduly optimistic reports on manuscripts to encourage authors to commit themselves to financial contribution. Readers should be aware of this and should not allow their judgment to
When you have finished with be blurred by optimism. Manuscript advisory services do normally charge for their time, but agents normally do not (although some agents do quote a reading fee). While Warners Group
this magazine please recycle it Publications plc cannot act as a licensing or accreditation authority, they will investigate complaints against advertisers. Complainants must, however, send complete documentation and
be willing for their names to be disclosed.
JULY
Dark tales
From creepy spec fic to bleak psychological
thrillers, make you story nasty and ghastly so it
puts the frighteners on us to win this competition.
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Epistolary
Open
People writing to each other is a great
way for writers to drip-feed their story, The choice is yours for this competition
so tell yours via letters, emails, tweets, – any story, any style, any genre.
texts... even smoke signals! It’s up to you. Just make sure
it’s a winner!
SUBSCRIBER–ONLY
Short story competitions £125
TO BE WO
The short story competitions previewed here are open only to subscribers
EVERY MON
of Writing Magazine. Enter online at www.writers-online.co.uk or see the NTH
relevant issue of WM for more details. Prizes are £100 and £25 each month, with
publication in WM for the winner.
SEPTEMBER
First person
JULY
Whether your first-person narrator is reliable or
Stranger unreliable, letting your story unfold in their own
words lets you experiment with voice, style
Who is the stranger and point of view.
in your story, are
they friend or foe,
and what effect
do they have on
the fictional world
they enter? We’re
looking forward
to meeting the
strangers in your NOVEMBER
stories. Senses
Play with texture and style in your
fiction by bringing the senses to
life in words. Sight, sound, touch,
taste, hearing – how will you
convey these in your story?
AUGUST
Different reality
Use your poetic imagination to depart
from reality and conjure different
OCTOBER
possibilities in poems of any style. Crime poem
Crimes against a person?
Crimes against humanity?
Chose any style, from ballads to
beat poetry, to rhyme the crime
DECEMBER and win this competition.
Open
What’s the best unpublished poem
you’ve written all year? Whatever style
it is, and whatever subject, that’s the
one to enter in WM’s annual Open
Poetry Competition.
CO M P E T I T I O N
GUIDE 2020 Pick your favourites and start scheduling
your entries with over 750 competitions to
enter. This could be the year you win big!
Omnidawn Broadside Poetry Leicester Writes Short Story Sustainable Societies: Full-
Prize Prize length Film Screenplays
Single poems, 8-24 lines Short stories up to 3,000 words Film screenplays on sustainable living
Prizes: $1,000 and publication Prizes: £125, £50, £25 Prizes: £500, £200, £100, 3 x £50
Entry fee: $10, $5 each additional Entry fee: £7, £3 Leicestershire writers Free entry
Closing date: 13 April Closing date: 20 April Closing date: 18 April, TBC
Quiet Man Dave Prize Mairtín Crawford Awards Craft Short Fiction Award
Flash fiction and non-fiction, up to 500 3-5 poems; short stories, up to 2,500 words Short stories up to 5,000 words
words Prizes: £500 and invitation to read at Belfast Prizes: $2,000, $500 and $300, and
Prizes: £1,000, £200, £50 Book Festival publication
Entry fee: £5 Entry fee: £6 Entry fee: $20
Closing date: 17 April Closing date: 29 April Closing date: 30 April
Tel: 0161 247 1787
[email protected] Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry Dark Tales Short Story
www2.mmu.ac.uk/qmdprize/ Up to three poems, max 10 lines total Ongoing monthly comp for horror and sci-
Prizes: $1,500 fi short stories, up to 5,000 words
Dr William Henry Drummond Entry fee: $15 Prizes: £100 for each monthly winner plus
Poetry Contest Closing date: 30 April publication in Dark Tales
Poems, up to 50 lines, by Canadian residents Entry fee: £4, £8 with critique, £20 with edit
Prizes: Can$300, $200, $100, 8x$75, 8x$50 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize and critique
Entry fee: $10 Poetry collections, over 48 pages, by Closing date: monthly, last day each month
Closing date: 19 April, TBC unpublished poets
Prizes: $5,000 and publication Diagram/New Michigan Press
Bath Short Story Award Entry fee: $25 Chapbook Contest
Short stories up to 2,200 words, in any style Closing date: 30 April Chapbook-length prose and poetry
and on any subject manuscripts, 18-44 pages
Prizes: £1,200, £300, £100, £50 for the best Aitken Alexander Non-Fiction Prizes: $1,000 and publication
local writer, £100 Acorn Award for the best Prize Entry fee: $20
story by an unpublished writer First book proposals, 3,000-4,000 by Closing date: 30 April
Entry fee: £8 academics
Closing date: 20 April Prizes: £25,000 and publication FanStory
Free entry Busy programme of competitions, closing
53-word Story Contest Closing date: 30 April every few days, for flash, short stories,
Stories of exactly 53 words, to a different poetry and more
prompt each month Al Blanchard Award Prizes: $100 each comp
Prizes: Publication in Prime Number Crime fiction, up to 5,000 words, set in Free entry, but for (paid) site members only
magazine; free book New England or by authors from there Closing date: 30 April, constant
Free entry Prizes: $100
Closing date: 21 April, and 21st of each month Free entry Furphy Literary Award
Closing date: 30 April Unpublished fiction or narrative non-fiction
Poets Meet Politics International on the theme ‘Australian life’, under 5,000
Open Poetry Competition Berkshire Prize words, by Australian residents
Poems up to 40 lines, related to politics Poetry manuscripts, 48-88 pages, by Prizes: Aus$15,000, university residency,
Prizes: €500, €250, €100 poets who have had no or one collection publication
Entry fee: €12 for up to three published Free entry
Closing date: TBC, 22 April in 2019 Prizes: $3,000 plus publication Closing date: 30 April
Entry fee: $30
Sixfold Short Story and Poetry Closing date: 30 April Ghost Story Supernatural
Contest Fiction Award
Short stories, up to 20 pages, and poetry, up Bristol Short Story Prize Short stories, 1,500-10,000 words, with
to 10 pages Stories on any theme, up to 4,000 words supernatural themes, broadly defined
Prizes: $1,000 and publication, in each Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250, 17 £100 Prizes: $1,000, 2x$250
category shortlisted. All published in prize anthology Entry fee: $20
Entry fee: $5 Entry fee: £9 Closing date: 30 April
Closing date: 23 April, quarterly, 23 July and Closing date: 30 April
23 October Grey Hen Poetry Competition
Carlo Annoni Prize For poems, up to 40 lines, by women 60+
Holland Park Press For plays in Italian or English on issues Prizes: £100, £50, £25, website publication
Poems, up to 50 lines, on the theme ‘Is relating to the LGBTQ+ community Entry fee: £3, £10 for four
royalty relevant?’ Prizes: €1,000 in each language Closing date: 30 April
Prizes: £200 and publication Free entry Tel: 01535 645711
Free entry Closing date: 30 April
Closing date: 27 April Hastings Writers Room
Cranked Anvil Short Story ‘Misrepresentation’
Grindstone Literary Prizes Competition Short stories, up to 1,500 words, on the
Short stories, up to 3,000 words; poems, up Short stories, up to 1,500 words; quarterly theme ‘misrepresentation’
to 40 lines Prizes: £150, £75, £30 Prizes: Gold and silver memberships of
Prizes: £500, £200, 4x£50 in each category Entry fee: £5, £3 for second, £2 for third Retreat West
Entry fee: £8 Closing date: quarterly, 30 April, 31 July, 31 Entry fee: £6, £10 for two
Closing date: 28 April, for short stories, 28 October Closing date: 30 April
May for poems [email protected] [email protected]
https://crankedanvil.co.uk/shortstory/ www.hastingswritersroom.org/competitions
Brick Lane Bookshop Short Ploughshares Emerging Writer Smokelong Quarterly Award for
Story Prize Contest Flash Fiction
Short stories, 1,000-5,000 words Fiction and non-fiction, each under 6,000 Fiction, up to 1,000 words
Prizes: £1,000, £250, £100 words; 3-5 pages of poetry Prizes: $2,000, $200, $100; finalists, $50
Entry fee: £10 Prizes: $2,000 in each category, plus Entry fee: early bird $13.50 for up to 2;
Closing date: 15 May publication $15.50 after 27 April
Entry fee: $24 Closing date: 24 May
Janet B McCabe Poetry Contest Closing date: 15 May, TBC
2 poems, up to 40 lines Live Canon Collection
Prizes: $1,500, $300; plus publication Prophecy Creek award for Competition
Entry fee: $20 Speculative Fiction Poetry collections of 35+ poems
Closing date: 15 May Unpublished book-length speculative Prizes: Three will be chosen for publication
fiction Entry fee: £12
Lorian Hemingway Short Story Prizes: $1,000 and publication Closing date: 25 May
Competition Entry fee: $20
Short stories up to 3,500 words Closing date: 15 May Wigtown Poetry Competition
Prizes: $1,500, 2x$500 For poems, up to 40 lines in English, Scots
Entry fee: $15 before 1 May, then $20 Raymond Carver Short Story or Scots/Irish Gaelic
Closing date: 15 May Prize Prizes: £1,500, £200; Gaelic Prize £500,
Annual competition for short stories, up to £200; Scots Prize £500, £200
Pleiades Press Editor’s Prize for 10,000 words Entry fee: TBC, in previous years, £6.50, £17
Poetry Prizes: $1,500, £500, $250, two $125 editor’s for three, £5 after that
Poetry collections, over 48 pages choices Closing date: 29 May
Prizes: $3,000 plus publication Entry fee: $17 Tel: 01988 402036
Entry fee: $25 Closing date: 15 May [email protected]
Closing date: 15 May, TBC www.wigtownpoetryprize.com
Willowdown Books Cunningham
Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize Short Story Competition Black Orchid Novella Award
Up to three poems, three pages total Short stories, 1,000-3,000 words Traditional mystery novellas
Prizes: $1,000 and publication Prizes: $125 Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $15 Entry fee: $12 Free entry
Closing date: 15 May Closing date: 15 May Closing date: 31 May
YOUNG POETS
Or write to Liz Pike at YCAA, The Octagon Theatre, £150, £75, £50 Entry fee £3
YEOVIL, BA20 1UX for an entry form. Please send an SAE.
The Yeovil Community Arts Association is a registered charity wellsfestivalof literature.org.uk
wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk
(no 299372). All profits from The Yeovil Literary Prize are used to competitions@wellsfestivalof
wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk
literature.org.uk
promote the arts and artistic endeavours in and around Yeovil.
Bacopa Literary Review Contest Elixir Press Fiction Award Retreat West Novelette in flash
Short stories (1,000-1,500 words), creative Novels and short story collections, 120-500 Prize
non-fiction (up to 2,500 words), poetry (up pages 3,000-8,000 words total, made up of flashes
to 3 pieces, 88 lines each), haiku and mixed Prizes: $2,000 and publication up to 500 words each
genre; all details TBC Entry fee: $40 Prizes: mentoring, Retreat West membership
Prizes: $300 in each Closing date: 31 May Entry fee: £10
Free entry Closing date: 31 May
Closing date: 31 May Frogmore Poetry Prize
For poems, any theme/style, up to 40 lines Shooter Short Story Competition
Bath Novel Award Prizes: 250 guineas, 75 guineas, 50 guineas, Stories up to 5,000 words
For the first 5,000 words of a novel, plus plus subscriptions to The Frogmore Papers Prizes: £400, £100
one-page synopsis Entry fee: £4 Entry fee: £7, £10 for two
Prizes: £3,000; 2nd: agent introductions Closing date: 31 May Closing date: 31 May
and manuscript feedback; 3rd: Cornerstones
online course Frome Festival Short Story Shore Scripts Screenwriting
Entry fee: £28 Short stories, 1,000-2,200 words, any Contest
Closing date: 31 May theme Contests for feature, TV pilot and short
Tel: 07791 974681 Prizes: £400, £200, £100, extra prizes for film scripts
local entrants Prizes: prizes totalling $20,000
Black River Chapbook Entry fee: £8 Entry fee: $40
Competition Closing date: 31 May Closing date: 31 May, early deadline
Unpublished poetry chapbooks, 16-36 pages
Prizes: $500 and publication Hastings Writers Room 5/29 Yeovil Literary Prize
Entry fee: $15 Flash Fiction Competition For novels (opening chapters and synopsis,
Closing date: 31 May, biannual, and 31 Oct For sequences of five 29-word stories, which up to 15,000 words), short stories (max
should work as a collection 2,000 words, poems (up to 40 lines),
Bluepencilagency First Novel Prizes: Gold and silver memberships of writing without restrictions, Western
Prize Retreat West Gazette best local writer
The first chapter of an unpublished novel Entry fee: £7, £10 for two Prizes: Novel: £1,000, £250, £100; Short
up to 5,000 words Closing date: 31 May story and poetry, £500, £200, £100; Writing
Prizes: £1,000, manuscript review, [email protected] without restrictions: £200, £100, £50; Local
introduction to literary agent Nelle Andrew www.hastingswritersroom.org/competitions prize: £100
Entry fee: £20 Entry fee: Novel: £12; Short story: £7;
Closing date: 31 May International Welsh Poetry Poetry: £7 for one, £10 for two, £12 for three;
Competition Writing without restrictions: £5
Bridport Prize Poems up to 50 lines Closing date: 31 May
For short stories (up to 5,000 words), Prizes: £500, £250, £100, plus 17 runners-up
novels (first 8,000 words), poetry (up to 42 Entry fee: £5
lines) and flash fiction (up to 250 words) Closing date: 31 May
JUNE
Prizes: £5,000, £1,000, £500 and ten £100
highly commendeds for short stories and Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Boulevard Poetry Contest
poetry; £1,000, £500, £250, three £100 Veterans Groups of three poems by a writer who has
highly commendeds for flash fiction; £1,000, Creative writing in any genre, up to not had a book published
£500, 3x£100 for novels, plus editorial 20 pages, by a US military veteran or Prizes: $1,000
guidance personnel Entry fee: $16 each category
Entry fee: £9 per flash fiction, £10 per poem, Prizes: $1,000 plus publication, $750, 3 x Closing date: 1 June
£12 per short story, £20 novel $500 runners-up
Closing date: 31 May Free entry Gertrude Stein Award
[email protected] Closing date: 31 May Short stories, up to 8,000 words
www.bridportprize.org.uk Prizes: $1,000
Reflex Quarterly Flash Fiction Entry fee: $20
CBC Poetry Prize Stories between 180 and 360 words Closing date: 1 June
A single poem or collection, totalling up Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250
to 600 words, by a Canadian citizen or Entry fee: £7 Lush Triumphant Literary Awards
resident Closing date: 31 May, quarterly, 30 Aug and Short stories, max 3,000 words, creative
Prizes: Can$6,000, 4 x $1,000 runners-up 30 Nov non-fiction, max 4,000 words; up to five
Entry fee: Can$25 poems, max 15 pages
Closing date: 31 May Southword Fiction Chapbook Prizes: Can$1,000 and publication in each
Competition category
Eden Mills Writers Festival Novella, short story collection, collection Entry fee: $30
Literary Contest of flash fiction or a mixture of stories and Closing date: 1 June, TBC
Short stories and creative non-fiction up to flash, 10,000-15,000 words
2,500 words; up to 5 poems. All details to Prizes: Two winners (Irish and International) Moon City Press Poetry Award
be confirmed. will have their chapbook published with €250 Poetry collections, over 48 pages
Prizes: Can$250 in each category advance and 20 complimentary copies Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $15 Entry fee: €25 Entry fee: $25
Closing date: 31 May Closing date: 31 May Closing date: 1 June, TBC
Hastings Literary Festival Living Springs Publishers Stories Bath Flash Fiction Award
Writing Competition Through the Ages Competition Thrice-yearly competition for flash fiction
Short stories, up to 2,500 words, short Short stories, 900-4,000 words, by writers up to 300 words
stories by BAME writers, up to 5,000 in various adult age ranges Prizes: £1,000, £300, £100, 2x£30
words, poems, up to 40 lines, and flash Prizes: $500, $200, $100 in each category Entry fee: £9
fiction, up to 500 words Entry fee: $25 Closing date: 16 June, and October TBC
Prizes: £200, £100, £50 each category, plus Closing date: 15 June
bespoke writer’s surgery for best entry from a Eyelands International Short
Sussex writer Narrative Prize Story Competition
Entry fee: £7.50, £5 each subsequent The best short story, novel excerpt, poem, Short stories up to 2,500 words on the
Closing date: 7 June play, graphic story or piece of literary non- theme ‘numbers’
fiction published in Narrative Prizes: A week’s holiday for two on Serifos
ALCS Award for Educational Prizes: $4,000 Entry fee: €10 TBC
Writing Free entry Closing date: 20 June
Traditionally published non-fiction that Closing date: 15 June, TBC
enhances learning A Midsummer Tale Narrative
Prizes: £2,000 Omnidawn Poetry Chapbook Writing Contest
Free entry Contest Literary fiction and creative non-fiction,
Closing date: 10 June Poetry collections, 20-40 pages 1,000-5,000 words, on a theme TBC
Prizes: $1,000 and publication Prizes: $50, $15, $10 Amazon gift cards
Victoria University Short Story Entry fee: $18 Free entry
Prize for New Writers Closing date: 15 June Closing date: 21 June, annual
Short stories up to 3,000 words
Prizes: Aus$6,000, 2x$1,000 Queen Mary Wasafiri New McLellan Poetry Prize
Entry fee: $20 Writing Prize Poems up to 80 lines
Closing date: 10 June, TBC Poetry (up to five poems), fiction and life Prizes: £1,500, £300, £150, 6x£25
writing up to 3,000 words Entry fee: £6, £5 additional
Aurora Poetry & Short Fiction Prizes: £1,000 in each category plus Closing date: 21 June, TBC, 21 June in 2019
Open Competition publication in Wasafiri
For short stories up to 2,000 words and Entry fee: £10 for one category, £16 for two Wild Words Summer Solstice
poems up to 40 lines categories Writing Competition
Prizes: £500, £150 and a Writing School East Closing date: 15 June 1,000 words of poetry, prose, song or
Midlands course £50 in each category; £100 spoken word. Theme TBC
and development for the best entry from an Segora Short Story and Poetry Prizes: One-hour mentoring session, online
East Midlands writer Competitions publication
Entry fee: £9, £7 for subsequent entries Short stories between 1,500 and 3,000 Entry fee: £7
Closing date: 8 June TBC words, poems up to 50 lines, vignettes up Closing date: 21 June
to 300 lines, one-act plays
Canterbury Festival Poet of the Prizes: £300, £100, £50 for poetry and short Troubadour International Poetry
Year Competition story, £100 for vignettes; £150, £50 for plays; Prize
Poems up to 60 lines prize presentation in France, TBA Poems, up to 45 lines
Prizes: £200, £100, £50, £25; people’s Entry fee: £5 poems and vignettes, £8 story, Prizes: £2,000, £1,000, £500; smaller prizes
choice, £25; best read, sparkling wine £12 play Entry fee: £5, €6, $7 per poem
Entry fee: £5 Closing date: 15 June Closing date: 22 June
Closing date: 15 June’ Tel: 00 33 5 49 80 22 96
[email protected] Adelaide Plains Poetry
Crabbe Competition www.poetryproseandplays.com Competition
Poems, up to 50 lines, by Suffolk poets/ Poems, up to 60 lines, on theme ‘vision’
members of the Suffolk Poetry Society Sunday Times/University of Prizes: Aus$700 fund
Prizes: £600, £300, £150, 2 x £75 Warwick Young Writer of the Entry fee: $10, $5 additional
Entry fee: £3 Year Award Closing date: 26 June
Closing date: 15 June The best full-length published or self-
published work of fiction, non-fiction or James White Award
Creative Future Writers’ Award poetry by an author under 35 Science fiction (broadly defined), 2,000-
Poetry up to 200 words, short fiction up to Prizes: £5,000, 3 x £500 6,000 words, by non-professional writers
2,000 words, by disadvantaged writers Free entry Prizes: £200, plus publication in Interzone
Prizes: £10,000 in development Closing date: 15 June, TBC Free entry
opportunities Closing date: 28 June, TBC
Free entry AAWP Slow Canoe Creative
Closing date: 15 June, TBC, 15 June in 2019 Non-Fiction Prize Retreat West Themed Flash
Unpublished, narrative-driven non-fiction, Fiction Prize
Hummingbird Flash Fiction to emerging writers from Australasia Fiction, up to 500 words, themed each
Prize Prizes: Aus$500 and a fully subsidised visit quarter
Short fiction, up to 1,000 words to the Australasian Association of Writing Prizes: £200, 2x£100
Prizes: Can$300, $75 Programs (AAWP) conference Entry fee: £8
Entry fee: $15 Entry fee: Aus$20 Closing date: 28 June (theme ‘music’); 27
Closing date: 15 June Closing date: 30 June Sept (theme ‘glass’); 29 Dec (theme ‘bridges’)
VS Pritchett Memorial Prize Drue Heinz Literature Prize Marystina Santiestevan First
Unpublished short stories between 2,000 Short fiction collections by writers with a Book Prize
and 4,000 words record of publication Poetry collections, 48-90 pages
Prizes: £1,000 plus publication in RSL Prizes: $15,000 Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Review and Prospect online Free entry Entry fee: $25
Entry fee: £5 Closing date: 30 June Closing date: 30 June
Closing date: 28 June, TBC
Earlyworks Press Flash Fiction Moth Short Story Prize
Audio Arcadia Short Story Flash fiction, up to 100 words Short stories up to 5,000 words, any theme
Competition Prizes: £100; cash and books Prizes: First €3,000; second, writing retreat at
Short stories up to 5,000 words Entry fee: £5, £20 for up to 6 in France and €250; third, €1,000
Prizes: Anthology publication, royalties Closing date: 30 June Entry fee: €15
Entry fee: £6.50 Closing date: 30 June
Closing date: 30 June Earlyworks Press Poetry
Competition New Millennium Writing Awards
Aura Estrada Short Story Contest Poems, up to 40 lines Fiction and non-fiction, up to 7,499 words,
Short stories, up to 5,000 words, theme TBC Prizes: £100; cash and books flash fiction, up to 1,000 words, up to three
Prizes: $500 and publication Entry fee: £5, £20 for up to 6 poems, total five pages max
Entry fee: $20 for US/Can/Western Closing date: 30 June Prizes: $1,000 in each category
European entrants; otherwise free Entry fee: $20, $35 for two, $45 for three
Closing date: 30 June Flash 500 Competitions Closing date: 30 June
Flash fiction, up to 500 words
Blue Mountain Arts Poetry Card Prizes: £300, £200 and £100 North Street Book Prize
Competition Entry fee: £5, £8 for two Self-published books, max 200,000 words,
Biannual competition for greetings card Closing date: 30 June, quarterly, 30 Sept, 31 Dec in the following categories: mainstream and
poems literary fiction, genre fiction, creative non-
Prizes: $350, $200, $100 Henshaw Short Story Competition fiction & memoir, poetry, children’s picture
Free entry Quarterly competition for short stories up book, graphic narrative
Closing date: 30 June to 2,000 words, any theme Prizes: $5,000 overall winner, $1,000
Prizes: £200, £100, £50 category winners, $250 honorable mentions
Boston Review Annual Poetry Entry fee: £6 Entry fee: $65
Contest Closing date: 30 June, quarterly, 30 Sept, 31 Dec Closing date: 30 June
Up to 10 pages, of up to 5 poems Tel: 1 413 320 1847
Prizes: $500 and publication Hidden Review Arts [email protected]
Entry fee: $20 for US/Can/Western Playwrighting Award https://winningwriters.com/north
European entrants; otherwise free Full-length, unpublished and unproduced
Closing date: 30 June play scripts Poetry Book Awards
Prizes: $1,000 and a script in hand reading Independently or self-published poetry books
British Czech & Slovak Association Entry fee: $20 Prizes: £200, £100, £50
Short stories and non-fiction, up to 2,000 Closing date: 30 June Entry fee: £25
words, exploring the links between Britain Closing date: 30 June
and the Czech/Slovak Republics at any Impress Prize for New Writers
time. The suggested, but optional, theme Full-length debuts from unpublished Preservation Foundation
for 2020 is ‘sporting’ fiction and non-fiction writers. Submit biographical non-fiction contest
Prizes: £400, £150, publication in the British book proposal and sample chapter totalling Biographical non-fiction, 1,000-10,000
Czech & Slovak Review no more than 6,000 words words
Free entry Prizes: £500 and publication by Impress Books Prizes: $200, $100
Closing date: 30 June Entry fee: £25 Free entry
Closing date: 30 June, TBC Closing date: 30 June
British Fantasy Society Short
Story Competition L Ron Hubbard Writers of the Scribble Quarterly Short Story
For any kind of fantasy short stories, horror, Future Ongoing quarterly competitions for short
sf, magic realism etc, up to 5,000 words Quarterly competition for fantasy and SF stories, up to 3,000 words
Prizes: £100, £50, £20, plus year’s short stories Prizes: £75, £25, £15 in each issue
membership of BFS and publication BFS Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500 each quarter; Entry fee: £3 (£5 with critique); free for
Horizons overall $5,000 for best of year annual subscribers
Entry fee: £5, free for BFS members› Free entry Closing date: 30 June, Quarterly
Closing date: 30 June, TBC Closing date: 30 June, quarterly, 30 Sept and Tel: 01451 831053
31 Dec
Divine Chocolate Poetry Comp Sentinel Literary Quarterly
For poems on a chocolatey theme, ‘Where Lascaux Prize for Flash Fiction Poetry Competition
does the chocolate journey begin?’, in two Short stories, up to 1,000 words; up to 3 Poems up to 50 lines
kids’ and one adults’ categories per entry Prizes: £250, £100, £50, £30 x 3, £15 x 3
Prizes: Divine chocolate, goodies, book Prizes: $1,000 and publication Entry fee: £5, discounts for more
tokens Entry fee: $15 Closing date: 30 June, quarterly, 30 Sept, 31
Free entry Closing date: 30 June Dec
Closing date: 30 June, TBC
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COMPETITION GUIDE 2020
HISSAC Annual Open Short Story London Magazine Poetry Prize Seán Ó’Faoláin Short Story Comp
Short stories up to 2,000 words, flash fiction Poems up to 40 lines Short stories up to 3,000 words
up to 500 words. No connection to Scotland Prizes: £500, £300, £200 Prizes: €2,000, week-long at Aman Cara
is needed either by theme or entrant. Entry fee: £10 Writers’ and Artists’ Retreat, €500, 4x€250
Prizes: £200, £75 and £50 in both categories Closing date: 31 July, TBC Entry fee: €18
Entry fee: £5, £12 for three, £18 for five Closing date: 31 July
Closing date: 31 July Norwich Writers’ Circle Olga
Tel: 01862 932266 Sinclair Open Short Story Winchester Poetry Prize
[email protected] Competition Poems up to 40 lines
www.hissac.co.uk Short stories up to 2,000 words on the Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250, £100 for a
theme of ‘news’ Hampshire-based poet
Ilkley Literature Festival Short Prizes: £500, £250 and £100 Entry fee: £5, £4 for subsequent entries
Story and Walter Swan Poetry Entry fee: £9, £7 each subsequent Closing date: 31 July
Competitions Closing date: 31 July
Short stories, 1,000-2,000 words; poems up Tel: 07585 308604 Wirral Festival of Firsts Open
to 30 lines [email protected] Poetry Competition
Prizes: £200 for short stories, £200, £100, http://norwichwriters.wordpress.com Poems up to 40 lines
£75 for adult poems, £100, £75, £50 for 18- Prizes: £200, 2x£50, £50 for best Wirral poet
25s’ poems Red Hen Press Novella Award Entry fee: £4, £10 for three
Entry fee: £5 Novellas, 15,000-30,000 words Closing date: 31 July
Closing date: 31 July, TBC Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $25
Lune Spark Young Writers’ Short Closing date: 31 July
AUGUST
Story Contest
Short stories, up to 1,500 words, by writers Scribble Annual Article Comp Buzzwords Open Poetry Comp
aged 10-13 or 13-16 Articles, up to 1,500 words on the theme Poems up to 70 lines
Prizes: $500, $250, $100; Book Cover Prize, ‘My Writing Life’’ Prizes: £600, £300, 5 x £50, Gloucestershire
$100 Prizes: £50, £25, £15, publication in Scribble Prize of £200
Entry fee: $15 Entry fee: £3 Entry fee: £4, £10 for 3
Closing date: 31 July Closing date: 31 July Closing date: August, TBC
King of the
Timely topic:
Throne
1st place
Roundabout
£100
by Liz Gwinnell
S
ometimes, things came I asked him later that night. there for him to find when he woke
flying over the fence. ‘Well son,’ Dad said, rubbing his up because I could hear him snoring
And sometimes, the woman chin.’Perhaps he don’t think he’s somewhere inside the scrubby bushes.
next door shouted. important.’ Dad saw him first.
She shouted a lot before the wicker ‘Do people go and live on ‘Ere! Ella! You’ll never guess what!’
chair came over. roundabouts if they don’t feel They were staring out of the
‘Good job we wasn’t sunbathing,’ important?’ I asked. landing window as the street lights
Dad said. ‘Probably,’ he said. ‘I can’t think of came on. The man was sitting on the
Usually he threw the stuff back no other reason.’ throne and it glowed and sparkled in
but you couldn’t throw a chair back. That night, as I was going to the headlights of the cars. Some of
What if someone was on the other sleep, I thought about roundabouts the drivers tooted and he raised his
side of the fence? and people who didn’t think they arm and waved, just like a king.
‘They didn’t care about that when were important. And the next day I ‘Whatever is he doing sitting out
they threw it over,’ Mum grumbled. made him a throne. A throne would there like that,’ Mum said, tea towel
Dad put the chair in the shed make him feel important. Kings felt in hand, drying a plate that was
and I went inside to do my important when they sat on thrones. already dry.
homework. I had to write an essay I blew up balloons and I tied them I shrugged.
about Kings and Queens and What around the wicker chair in the shed. ‘Maybe he’s being important,’ I said.
Makes Them Important. I squirted glue and shook glitter and That night, as I went to sleep, I
The next day, the man next door added a length of tinsel from the thought about Kings and Queens and
went to live on the roundabout. Christmas box. When I’d finished, people who felt important again. And
‘What do you mean he’s gone to I sat on it to test it out and it did I thought that the next day, I might
live on the roundabout?’ Mum said, make me feel a bit important or as make him a Crown.
Also shortlisted in the Timely Topic: Throne Competition were: Lesley Evans, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Patricia Marson,
Kirkcaldy, Fife; Caroline Newbury, Ditton, Kent; Annie Percik, Enfield; Paul Robinson, Brackley, Northamptonshire.
COMPETITION GUIDE 2020
Manchester Fiction Prize Crab Orchard Review Student Edinburgh International Flash
Short stories, up to 2,500 words Writing Awards Fiction Competition
Prizes: £10,000 Fiction or non-fiction, up to 4,000 words, Stories up to 250 words
Entry fee: £17.50 or up to 3 poems, by US students Prizes: £600, £300, £150; £300 Scottish prize
Closing date: 18 September Prizes: $250 in each category Entry fee: £6
Tel: 0161 247 1787 Free entry Closing date: 30 September
[email protected] Closing date: 30 September, TBC
www2.mmu.ac.uk/writingcompetition/ Hammond House International
Crowvus Christmas Ghost Story Literary Prize
Manchester Poetry Prize Competition Short stories, 1,000-5,000 words, poems up
Portfolio of poetry (3-5, maximum 120 Spooky stories, up to 4,000 words to 40 lines and scripts, up to 10 pages, on
lines) Prizes: £100, £75, £50 the theme ‘survival’
Prizes: £10,000 Entry fee: £3, £5 for two Prizes: Short stories £500, £100, £50; poems
Entry fee: £17.50 Closing date: 30 September £100, £30, £20; scripts, £100
Closing date: 18 September Entry fee: £10
Tel: 0161 247 1787 Darling Axe First Page Closing date: 30 September
[email protected] First double-spaced page of a novel
www2.mmu.ac.uk/writingcompetition/ Prizes: Can$200 minimum Iowa Short Fiction Award
Entry fee: $5 Short story collections, at least 150 pages, by
Val Wood Prize Closing date: 30 September, TBC authors who have not had a book published
Short stories up to 1,500 words, theme TBC Prizes: Publication by University of Iowa Press
Prizes: £100, £50, 2x£25, web publication Dzanc Prizes Free entry
Free entry Novels (40,000 words+), novellas (18,000- Closing date: 30 September
Closing date: 21 September, TBC 40,000 words) and book-length short story
collections Salopian Poetry Society’s
TulipTree Review Genre Contest Prizes: $5,000 for novels, $2,500 for ss annual open poetry competition
Fiction and non-fiction, up to 10,000 collections, $1,500 for novellas Poetry, any length
words, any genre, on the theme ‘underdogs’ Entry fee: TBC Prizes: £250, £150, £100
Prizes: $1,000 and publication Closing date: 30 September Entry fee: £4, £10 for 3, £15 for 6
Entry fee: $20 Closing date: 30 September
Closing date: 23 September Ecologisers’ EcoSanta-themed
Short Story Competition The Short Story Competition
KSP Writers Centre Short Fiction Short stories for children featuring Santa as Short stories, 1,000-5,000 words.
Competition an eco-champion, under 1,000 words Prizes: £500, £100
Short stories, up to 2,500 words, by Prize: £100 Entry fee: £8
Australian residents or citizens Free entry Closing date: TBC, 30 September
Prizes: Aus$300, $150; $100, $50 for youths Closing date: 30 September
Entry fee: $10, $15 for 2, $20 for 3 Tel: 01851 820308 Tom Howard/Margaret Reid
Closing date: 25 September [email protected] Poetry Contest
www.ecologisers.com Poems in two styles: open and traditionally
New Guard Contests rhymed, up to 250 lines.
Fiction, up to 5,000 words, and up to three Lascaux Prize for creative non- Prizes: $3,000 and ten $100 honourable
poems, total 150 lines max fiction mentions, in each category
Prizes: $1,500 Creative non-fiction, up to 10,000 words Entry fee: $15
Entry fee: $22 Prizes: $1,000 and publication Closing date: 30 September
Closing date: 27 September, TBC Entry fee: $15 Tel: +1 413 320 1847
Closing date: 30 September [email protected]
Acheven Book Prize www.winningwriters.com/tompoetry
Young adult fiction, 120-350 pages Mslexia Women’s Fiction Awards
Prizes: $750 and publication In 2019 Short Story, Flash Fiction, Novel, World Around Us Chapbook
Entry fee: $25 Monologue AnthologyContest
Closing date: 30 September Prizes: £10,000+ prize pot Poems, no longer than 36 lines
Entry fee: TBC Prizes: Can$100, $75, $50, $25x2
Bracken Bower Prize Closing date: 30 September, TBC Entry fee: $5, 3 for $10
Best proposal for a business book on the Closing date: 30 September
challenges and opportunities for growth Red Hen Press Fiction Award
from a writer under 35 Book-length fiction manuscripts, 150 pages
Prizes: £15,000 minimum
OCTOBER
Free entry Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Closing date: TBC, 30 Sept in 2019 Entry fee: $25 Aryamati Poetry Prize
Closing date: 30 September Poems up to 40 lines, promoting peace and
Caterpillar Story for Children Prize social change
Short stories up to 2,000 words for children Salisbury Story Prize Prizes: 250 copies of your poem printed on
aged 7-11 Short stories, max 500 words special postcards, £100 worth of books, plus
Prizes: €1,000 Prizes: Writing academy place critiques
Entry fee: €12 Free entry Entry fee: £3, £1 each extra
Closing date: 30 September, TBC Closing date: 30 September, TBC Closing date: 1 October
Cinnamon Press Literature Award Craft Flash Fiction Contest River Teeth Literary Non-Fiction
10 poems, 2 stories or 10,000 words of a novel Short stories up to 1,000 words Creative non-fiction, 150-400 pages
Prizes: Publishing contract Prizes: $1,000, 4x$250, and publication Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: £16 Entry fee: $20 Entry fee: $27
Closing date: 30 October Closing date: 31 October, TBC Closing date: 31 October
Minds on Fire Open Book Prize Elixir Press Poetry Award Sow’s Ear Poetry Review Contest
Poetry collections, 48-90 pages Poetry collections, over 48 pages Up to five poems
Prizes: $1,000 and publication Prizes: $2,000 and publication Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $25 Entry fee: $30 Entry fee: $30
Closing date: 30 October Closing date: 31 October Closing date: 31 October
Momaya Poetry Competition Honickman First Book Prize Vassar Miller Poetry Prize
Poems on the theme of ‘touch’ Poetry collections, over 48 pages Poetry collections, 50-80 pages
Prizes: £70, £35, £20, and publication Prizes: $3,000 and publication Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: £7 ($9) Entry fee: $25 Entry fee: $25
Closing date: 30 October Closing date: 31 October Closing date: 31 October, TBC
Antony Reid
writes multi-
1st
genre fiction and place
poetry from a
curious spit of land between the Dee, the
Mersey and the Irish Sea where he tries
to keep company with ‘the gold-hearted
Hashtag £100
Junket
silver-tongued and quicksilver-minded’.
He e-published a novella, A Smaller
Hell, a few years ago, and is seeking
representation for several novels, a
feature screenplay and TV pilot.
by Antony Reid
First time in Scotland. #ArrivingInStyle #GetToTheChopper @DungerMoss Sweet. You didn’t get any weird stuff in your
room?
Island’s beautiful, but guarded like Area 51 or somethin. Check
out these guys. #MP5 #HecklerKoch @JamesLeGibbon Jim I need sleep man. Champagne wiped
me out.
En route to junket. Check out the castle. Wonder if Nosferatu’s
home? Tryin to get to sleep and this security guy knocks on my door, tells
me to get showered and put on a robe. WTF? Guess it’s part of
They laid on AAALLL the goodies. #Champagne #Caviar publicity stunt like Dunger said. #TheThingsWeDo #ActorsLife
Look who else is here! #OldBuddies So here I am walking through the castle’s main hall in my robe. Hair
#SummerBlockbusterBoys still wet. This security guy is pushy as hell. #hospitality #junket
Gotta say, the grand dame does NOT look seventy years old. Creepy old elevator takin us waaayyy down. Startin to get some
Must be black magic. She’s givin a great speech. Can’t wait for bad vibes lol. Anyone know how to fly a chopper? Need to get
screening tomorrow. #director #visionary me off this island. Jk it’s all good. Security dude got some body
odeurrrr tho lol. #SmellsLikeAZoo
Any of yall know what this is? Just got back to my room n found
it painted on my door. Looks like some voodoo sh*t. Maybe I They just stripped me naked. Moss, I swear, if this is a prank,
was right about the dame? #Witchcraft you’ll be hearing from my lawyer lol.
Ok, I’m seriously freaked out right now. The thing on the door Some PR stunt. I’m standing naked in a crypt surrounded by
ok, but the bathroom mirror? Moss, if you’re playin with me, Ima extras in white masks. WHOOO creepy lmao. #MustTryHarder
get you back.
Ooh, the symbol. Ooh, more fake blood lol.
What the hell you paint this with, Moss? Your own blood?
Shoulda took that therapist’s number off me back in Malibu, @DungerMoss Is that you to my 12? Sniff if it is.
dude. This mess is sick. #TooFar
@DungerMoss I knew it. Smelled your cheap moisturiser rofl.
@DungerMoss Listen, man… I’m sorry about you know who back in What the hell’s goin on? Twitch your robe if this is for the PR.
December. Had no idea you guys were dating. I thought we were ok?
@DungerMoss Prank?
@JamesLeGibbon You high, dude?
@DungerMoss You’re freaking me out. What’s the weird knife
@DungerMoss Lol nah just champagne. What’s the symbol? for? Props do that for you?
@JamesLeGibbon Have literally no idea what ur talkin bout lol @DungerMoss How you getting my msgs? Earpiece?
Also shortlisted in the @DungerMoss You didn’t paint it? Yall got me haha. Not funny anymore.
Timely Topic: Island
@JamesLeGibbon Errrr no lmao. Ask Yo, somebody call the cops. Something ain’t right here. HELP.
Competition were: Jake
ur agent. Probly publicity stunt for PLEASE.
Blandford, Swindon,
junket.
Wiltshire; Sarah Clark,
This post has been deleted.
Ipswich, Suffolk; Simon @DungerMoss About the other thing
Pressinger, Godalming, This post has been deleted.
Surrey @JamesLeGibbon Bruh, thats done
forget it. This post has been deleted.
www.writers-online.co.uk 27
COMPETITION GUIDE 2020
Jessie Bryce Niles Poetry Briar Cliff Review Contest London Independent Story Prize
Chapbook Contest Short stories and essays, up to 5,000 words, Short stories, max 1,500 words; flash, 300
Poetry collections, 25-34 pages or up to 3 poems words; screenplays, max 30 pages
Prizes: $1,000 and publication Prizes: $1,000 in each category Prizes: £100 for stories and flash, Final Draft
Entry fee: $30 Entry fee: $20 software for screenplays
Closing date: 31 October Closing date: 1 November Entry fee: £7, £5 for flash, £10 for screenplays
Closing date: 1 November, quarterly
Larry Brown Short Story Prize Brick Road Poetry Contest [email protected]
Short stories up to 4,000 words Unpublished poetry collections, 50-100 pages www.londonindependentstoryprize.co.uk
Prizes: $500, 2x$50 Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $10 Entry fee: $25 Nilsen Literary Prize
Closing date: 31 October Closing date: 1 November Unpublished novels, novellas or collections,
by unpublished US writers
Lexi Rudnitsky First Book prize Caledonia Novel Award Prizes: $2,000 and publication
Poetry collections, over 40 pages, by US women The first 20 pages plus 200-word synopsis of Entry fee: $30
Prizes: $1,000, publication; Italian retreat a novel by an unpublished writer Closing date: 1 November
Entry fee: $30 Prizes: £1,500, trophy
Closing date: 31 October Entry fee: £25 Ronald Sukenick Innovative
Closing date: 1 November, all details TBC Fiction Contest
McKitterick Prize Book-length fiction manuscripts
For the best first novel, published or Catherine Doctorow Innovative Prizes: $1,500
unpublished, by an author aged over 40 Fiction Contest Entry fee: $25
Prizes: £4,000 Book-length manuscripts by writers with at Closing date: 1 November
Free entry least 3 books of fiction published
Closing date: 31 October Prizes: $15,000 Scribble Annual Short Story
Entry fee: $25 Competition
Poetry Society National Poetry Closing date: 1 November Stories up to 3,000 words on the theme of
Competition ‘haunted’
For poems, up to 40 lines Commonwealth Short Story Prize Prizes: £100, £50, £25, publication in Scribble
Prizes: £5,000, £2,000, £1,000, 7x£200 Original, unpublished short stories, Entry fee: £4
Entry fee: £7, £4 each additional 2,000-5,000 words, by writers from five Closing date: 1 November
Closing date: 31 October, TBC Commonwealth regions Tel: 01451 831053
Prizes: £5,000, £2,500 for each regional winner [email protected]
Sunken Garden Chapbook Prize Free entry www.parkpublications.co.uk
Poetry manuscripts, 20-36 pages Closing date: 1 November
Prizes: $1,000 and publication Writers Digest Poetry Awards
Entry fee: $25 Cutthroat Writing Awards Poems, up to 32 lines
Closing date: 31 October Up to 3 poems, max 100 lines each, short stories Prizes: $1,000, $250, $100; vouchers,
or creative nonfiction, up to 5,000 words consultations, publication
Tom Gallon Trust Awards Prizes: $1,200, $250 in each category Entry fee: $25 ($20 before 1 Oct)
Short stories, up to 5,000 words, by Entry fee: $20 Closing date: 1 November, TBC
authors who have had work published Closing date: 1 November, TBC
Prizes: £1,000 WS Porter Prize
Free entry Gabriele Rico Challenge for Fiction Short story collections, 100-350 pages
Closing date: 31 October Non-fiction, up to 5,000 words Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Prizes: $1,333 Entry fee: $25
Vern Rutsala Book Prize Entry fee: $20 Closing date: 1 November
Collections of poetry/flash, 60-90 pages Closing date: 1 November
Prizes: $1,000 and publication Odyssey House Victoria Short
Entry fee: $25 John Steinbeck Award for Fiction Story Competition
Closing date: 31 October, TBC Short stories, up to 5,000 words Short stories up to 1,500 words, with a
Prizes: $1,000 reference to drugs or alcohol, theme TBC
Writeidea Short Story Prize Entry fee: $20 Prizes: Aus$1,000, $100, $50
Short stories, 1,000-3,000 words, by writers Closing date: 1 November Entry fee: $10
from Tower Hamlets Closing date: 2 November, TBC
Prizes: Mentoring from Kerry Hudson Treehouse Climate Action Prize
Free entry Poems that emphasise the vulnerability of our Alice James Award
Closing date: 31 October, TBC ecological condition Unpublished poetry collections by US poets
Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500 Prizes: $2,000, publication, $1,000 speaking fee
Free entry Entry fee: $30
NOVEMBER Closing date: 1 November, TBC Closing date: 4 November
Edwin Markham Prize for Poetry Walt Whitman Award Carve Magazine Prose and Poetry
Up to 5 poems Manuscripts, over 48 pages, by US poets Fiction, non-fiction and poetry
Prizes: $1,000 Prizes: $5,000 plus publication Prizes: $1,000 in each category
Entry fee: $20 Entry fee: $35 Entry fee: $17
Closing date: 1 November Closing date: 1 November Closing date: 15 November
Malahat Review Open Season Bath Children’s Novel Award Paul Torday Memorial Prize
Awards For unpublished and independently A first novel by a writer 60 and over
Fiction or creative non-fiction, up to 2,500 published writers of children’s novels. Send Prizes: £1,000
words; up to 3 poems, under 100 lines each first 5,000 words and synopsis Free entry
Prizes: Can$2,000, publication, each category Prizes: £3,000, manuscript feedback, Closing date: 30 November
Entry fee: international entries $45 Cornerstones online course worth £1,800
Closing date: 5 November Entry fee: £28 Queen’s Knickers Award
Closing date: 29 November Illustrated book for children aged 0-7
Perugia Press Prize published in the last year
First or second poetry collections, 45-87 Aeon Award Prizes: £5,000, £1,000
pages, by US women Short stories up to 10,000 in any spec fic genre Free entry
Prizes: $1,000 and publication Prizes: €1,000, €200, €100 Closing date: 30 November
Entry fee: $27 Entry fee: €8.50
Closing date: 15 November Closing date: 30 November Robyn Mathison Poetry Prize
Poems up to 40 lines, theme ‘earth’
Robert C Jones Book Contest Betty Trask Prize Prizes: Aus$200, $50
A prose manuscript of more than 60 pages For published or unpublished, traditional or Entry fee: $10
Prizes: $2,000 and publication romantic (not experimental) first novels by Closing date: 30 November
Entry fee: $25 authors under the age of 35 on 31 Dec
Closing date: 15 November, TBC Prizes: £20,000 total, to use for foreign travel ServiceScape Short Story Award
Free entry Short stories, up to 5,000 words, any theme
Yale Series of Younger Poets Closing date: 30 November Prizes: $1,000
Poetry collections, 48-64 pages, by emerging Free entry
US poets CP Cavafy Poetry Prize Closing date: 30 November
Prizes: Publication Poems, submit up to 3
Entry fee: $25 Prizes: $1,000 and publication Somerset Maugham Awards
Closing date: 15 November, TBC Entry fee: $15, $3 each additional Published work of fiction, non-fiction or
Closing date: 30 November poetry by an author under 30
Judith Wright Poetry Prize Prizes: prize fund of £10,000, to use for travel
Poems by poets who have had no more than Fish Short Story Competition Free entry
one collection published Short stories up to 5,000 words Closing date: 30 November
Prizes: Aus$6,000, $2,000, $1,000 Prizes: €3,000 for first, a week at Anam Cara
Entry fee: $20 Writer’s Retreat in West Cork plus €300
Closing date: 17 November, TBC expenses for second, €300 for third TBC
DECEMBER
Entry fee: €20 for the first, €10 thereafter TBC
Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize Closing date: 30 November, TBC Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize
Short stories up to 3,000 with a ‘travel’ theme First or second book-length poetry
Prizes: Aus$4,000, 2x$500 Gregory O’Donoghue collections, 48-88 pages
Entry fee: $20 International Poetry Competition Prizes: £2,000 or $3,000, plus publication
Closing date: 17 November, TBC Poems up to 40 lines Entry fee: $27
Prizes: €2,000, week’s residency at the Tyrone Closing date: 1 December
Poetry Kit Autumn Competition Guthrie Centre; €500, €250, 10 x €50
Poetry of any length on any subject Entry fee: €7, €30 for five poems Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize
Prizes: £100, £50 Closing date: 30 November Creative non-fiction about Brooklyn or its
Entry fee: £3.50, £8 for 3, £10 for 5 residents, up to 2,500 words
Closing date: 20 November, TBC Littoral Press Full Collection Prizes: $500
Poetry Competition Free entry
New Media Writing Prize Collections, 50-100 pages, by unpublished Closing date: TBC, 1 Dec in 2019
Interactive fiction or non-fiction written UK poets, predominantly on nature themes
specifically for digital delivery Prizes: Publication and 50 copies Cafe Writers’ Open Poetry
Prizes: £1,000, student prize of £500, £500 Dot Entry fee: £20 For poems on any theme, up to 40 lines
Award, £750 journalism prize Closing date: 30 November Prizes: £1,000, £300, £200, 5 x £50, £100
Free entry Norfolk Prize
Closing date: 22 November, TBC Observer/Anthony Burgess Prize Entry fee: £4, £10 for three, £2 each extra
for Arts Journalism Closing date: TBC, 1 Dec in 2019
Shooter Poetry Competition An 800-word cultural review
Poems up to 100 lines Prizes: £3,000 and publication of prize essay in Jeff Marks Memorial Poetry Prize
Prizes: £100, £50, publication the Observer, 2 x £500 Up to 3 poems
Entry fee: £3, £8 for three Entry fee: £10 Prizes: $1,500, $500 and publication
Closing date: November TBC, 24th last year Closing date: 30 November, TBC Entry fee: $20
Closing date: 1 December
Brunel Uni African Poetry Prize Prairie Fire Contests
Groups of ten poems, up to 30 lines each, by Short stories, max 10,000 words; non-fiction, DWL Short Story Contest
African writers or whose parents are African max 5,000 words; 1-3 poems, max 150 lines Stories up to 5,000 words on any subject
Prizes: £3,000 Prizes: Can$1,250, $500, $250, each category Prizes: $375, 3 x $100
Free entry Entry fee: $32 Free entry
Closing date: TBC, 30 Nov in 2019 Closing date: 30 November Closing date: 7 December, TBC
Fresh.ink competition Moon City Short Fiction Award Wild Words Winter Solstice
Short stories (up to 7,500 words), novelettes Collections of short fiction, 30,000- Writing Competition
(7,500-17,499), novellas (17,500-39,999) and 65,000 words 1,000 words of poetry, prose, song or
novels (40,000+) Prizes: $1,000 and publication spoken word, inspired by one of four
Prizes: $1,000 (SS), $1,500 (novelette), $2,000 Entry fee: $25 quotes listed on the website
(novella), $3,000 (novel) Closing date: 15 December, TBC Prizes: A Wild Words one-hour 1-1
Free entry mentoring session, online publication
Closing date: 1 December, TBC Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Entry fee: £7
Development Prize Closing date: 21 December
Sillerman First Book Prize Book length manuscripts of commercial
Poetry collection manuscripts, over 50 pages, fiction or non-fiction, up to 80,000 words Ruth Rendell Short Story
by unpublished African poets Prizes: Author coaching, structural and line edit Competition
Prizes: $1,000 Entry fee: Aus$45 For short stories, up to 1,000 words
Free entry Closing date: 18 December Prizes: £1,000 and commission to write four
Closing date: 1 December further stories over the course of one year
Writers Digest Short Short Story Entry fee: £15
Strokestown International Awards Closing date: 22 December, TBC
Poetry Prize Short stories, up to 1,500 words
Unpublished poems for open competition. Prizes: $3,000, $1,500, $500, 6x$100; plus Arkbound Short Story
Unpublished comic poems for Percy French vouchers, consultations, publication Competition
Prize for Comic Verse Entry fee: $30 ($25 before 15 Nov) Short stories between 500 and 1,000 words
Prizes: €2,000, €700, €400; 7x€300 Closing date: 19 December, TBC on the theme of time
Entry fee: €6 Prizes: £100, £50, £25, 3 x £10
Closing date: TBC, 6 Dec in 2019 Lazuli Literary Group Writing Entry fee: £3. Arkbound will sponsor entries
Contest from disadvantaged people.
HE Bates Short Story Your best writing of any kind Closing date: 31 December
Competition Prizes: $100
Short stories up to 2,000 words Entry fee: $10 Boulevard Emerging Writers
Prizes: £500, £200, £100, £100 for best short Closing date: 20 December, TBC Competition
story by a Northampton writer Fiction or nonfiction up to 8,000 words, by
Entry fee: £6, £10 for two Young Walter Scott Prize a writer who has not had a book published
Closing date: 9 December, TBC Historical fiction, 800-2,000 words, by Prizes: Fiction, $1,500; non-fiction, $1,000
writers aged 11-15 or 16-19 Entry fee: $16 each category, includes a
Irish Imbas Celtic Mythology Prizes: £500 travel grant in each category subscription to the mag
Short Story Competition Free entry Closing date: 31 December
Short stories drawing on Celtic/Gaelic Closing date: 20 December, TBC
mythology Lascaux Prize for short fiction
Prizes: $500, $250, $100 and publication Dead of Winter Horror Fiction Short stories, up to 10,000 words
Entry fee: $7 Contest Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Closing date: 10 December Fiction in any dark genre, word count TBC Entry fee: $15
(3,000-5,000 last time) Closing date: 31 December
Sunday Times Audible Short Prizes: $50, $15, $10 Amazon gift cards
Story Award Free entry Moth Poetry Prize
Short stories, up to 6,000 words, by authors Closing date: 21 December For a single unpublished poem
with a record of publication Prizes: €10,000, 3 x €1,000 plus publication
Prizes: £30,000, five £1,000 shortlisted Dorset Prize in The Moth
Free entry Poetry collections, 48-88 pages Entry fee: €15
Closing date: TBC, 13 Dec in 2019 Prizes: $3,000 and publication Closing date: 31 December
Entry fee: $30
Chorley & District Writers’ Circle Closing date: 31 December Ouen Press Short Story
Annual Short Story Competition Competition
Short stories, max 2,500 words, theme TBC Tamaqua Award for a Collection Short stories, 4,000-10,000 words on a
Prizes: £100, £50, 3x£20 of Essays theme TBC
Entry fee: £6, £10 for two Unpublished essay collections Prizes: Cash prizes and publication (£300, 2
Closing date: 15 December, TBC Prizes: $1,000 and publication x £100 last time)
Entry fee: $22 Free entry
Four Way Books It’s No Contest Closing date: 31 December, TBC Closing date: 31 December, TBC
Book length manuscripts by New Yorkers
Prizes: Publication
Free entry
Closing date: 15 December For up-to-date competition details, all the latest
competition launches and publication opportunities all
Jhalak Prize year round, subscribe to Writing Magazine:
For book of the year by a writer of colour
Prizes: £1,000 www.writers-online.co.uk
Free entry
Closing date: 15 December
CLOSING
Win up to £1,000 in the first ever Writing DATE
Magazine Grand Prize, a new open competition 30 JUNE
for your short stories in any form, on any topic.
The only stipulation is that your story should ENTER NOW:
be a maximum 2,000 words. • Online, at
http://writ.rs/wmgrandprize
Runners-up prizes are £250 for second, £100 for third, a • By post, using the form
WM Course mini-critique for fourth and a twelve-month
on p95 of the main
subscription for fifth.
Writing Magazine
Stories will be judged by the Writing Magazine
The entry fee is £15, or £10 for WM
editorial team – editor Jonathan Telfer and subscribers. Your submissions should be
assistant editor Tina Jackson – and the winner in a single document, with your contact
published in the October details on the first page. For full formatting
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