CONNECTING

Fiction for children - free competition

2012-01-12T09:45:00.001Z

Commonword - a Manchester based organised with a mission to help new writers - has launched a competition for unpublished authors of children's fiction. (They have a very specific definition of what that means, but basically if you have already published something in another field - as long as it is not a novel for children - you should be ok. Read all the conditions thoroughly before submitting though...)

What they want

(Up to the) First 4000 words of a children's novel already written. Synopsis. Biography.

When they want it

February 29 2012

Special feature

The writing has to "embrace ethnic diversity" OR the author must "through their own ethnicity and culture."

Who can submit

Over 16

Resident in UK

Unpublished - read the terms and condititions

What you get (fingers crossed and a lot of hard work)

£500 cash prize

professional mentoring

£100 worth of Puffin books of the winner’s choice.

Honour and Glory. (Although it won't help you at Sainsbury's check-out, it could be just what you need to interest an agent or publisher)

Free Joyce

2012-01-03T23:20:00.000Z

January 13th 2012 is the 70th anniversary of James Joyce's death. That means his writing is no longer protected by European copyright law so expect an explosion of new productions and adaptions .
Joyce was a notoriously slow writer. There's many variations of this legendary anecdote, here's one...
     "Productive day today Mr Joyce?"
     " . . . Yes, I completed three sentences."

And I've just come across this one.
     "So, what did you do during the war, Mr Joyce?"
     " . . . I wrote Ulysses. What did you do?"

A website for writers and readers

2012-01-02T18:46:00.002Z

Read about a desert closing (yep, like Sainsbury's) on today's contribution to Paragraph Planet and well done to Brenda - one of my former students.

Foxed by synecdoche? Worried about smilies?

2011-12-16T12:05:00.001Z

Watch one of my all time favourite youtube videos -- proof positive that words can be dangerous.

Is 2012 the year it all changes?

2011-12-16T11:06:00.001Z

Read today on a technical website that Amazon in America are shipping one million Kindle products a week in the run up to Christmas. Haven't seen the figures for the UK but I bet they are comparable.

I'm just wondering if our fitted, craftsman-built and amazingly stylish bookshelves (that are still waiting for the first book to grace their elegant proportions - they're thirsty for a third coat of Danish oil apparently) are now hopelessly out dated.

And yes, I have put a Kindle on my Father Christmas list

Thinking of joining a creative writing course? Read on...

2011-12-14T10:36:00.002Z

I was browsing and re-discovered an interview I did last year with a Canadian website (ok, ok, I googled my name. I had a ton of other things to do but somehow I just found my newly French polished nails tripping over the keyboard.)

Anyway....here's an extract especially for anyone thinking of jumping into a creative writing course in the new year. (Get in touch if you want to come to one of mine - London and Brighton. I don't have much to do with the admin side but I gather there has been a flurry of enrollments so sooner rather than later is my advice....)

For the full interview go to The Literary Project

You also work as a creative writing tutor. There is a lot of debate as to whether writing is a natural ability or a skill that you can learn. What’s your opinion on this? Do you think anyone has the potential to be a successful author?

No one thinks it odd that an artist should want to go to Art School. Or questions why a musician thinks lessons would be a good idea…There is a craft to writing that can be taught and natural talent can be nurtured and supported. I don’t believe in the tough love method of teaching. That doesn’t mean I pat everyone on the head and murmur very good, but I do believe in the importance of encouragement.

Not everyone can be a successful writer but nearly everyone can get real pleasure from writing with imagination. In much the same way I love drawing but I will never have an exhibition in Bond Street. I would just like to be good enough to go on a learn-how-to-paint holiday without embarrassment…

I want creative writing to be recognized for what it is: the ultimate vocational skill. There is no job, no area of life, where using language with greater precision, thought and effectiveness is not an asset. And perhaps it really comes into its own when faced with the most daunting blank page of all (the one that comes after the list of past jobs and before the address of a referee) where you have to sell yourself to a could-be, might-be employer. English language classes give you the tools: creative writing show you how to use them.

There are so many different types of writing courses out there; from short, online tasters up to Masters degrees. What should aspiring writers take into consideration when deciding what level and type of study is right / most beneficial for them?

First, I think you need to be realistic about the kind of learner you are – can you work on your own or is the social interaction of a class important to you? There’s a big drop out rate from online and correspondence courses – you have to very committed to keep going but they work very well for some students.

Studying for a Masters was important to me. I left school at 16 with a couple of exams. My first degree (in history) was hard won. I studied part time while working full time and bringing up a family so I getting another qualification meant something. It also opened the door to teaching – a career change that I hadn’t even considered ten years ago.

However, if your priority is writing then I would whole heartily recommend adult education. It’s flexible, has high standards and well qualified tutors. I teach on several adult education classes and I love the mix of students, their energy and ability.

What are the most common mistakes you see in the work of students hoping to be published?
1) Too many words. Everything should be on a need to know basis. Does a reader really need to be aware that a character was popular at school or has blue eyes? The writer might need to know all that (and more) but does the reader?

2) Too few words. Often a story takes places in a vague vacuum. Everything happens somewhere and a couple of sentences may be all that is needed to ground a story in urban America or rural England or where ever, but without a sense of place there can be an unsatisfying detached quality. The aim should be to allow the reader to feel what it is like to be there: wherever there is…

3) Too cardboard. If the characters don’t live for the writer they aren’t going to live for anyone else. I once asked a student to tell me something that their main character wouldn’t what anyone else to know. The reply: that he’s a jerk. That answer told me straight away that the story would be flat, lifeless…. Because a jerk doesn’t think he is a jerk.

And finally, can you sum up a key piece of advice for aspiring writers in one sentence?
Write a lot and read a lot and don’t be defeated when you get it wrong: writing is an art not a science, so accept you’ll never stand back and say hmmm, no one could express that better.

New Writer competition closing soon

2011-11-21T13:11:00.001Z

This is the 12th year of the Prose and Poetry Prizes sponsored by The New Writer magazine. Prizes are awarded in the following categories:

FACT

Essays, Articles, Interviews - covering any writing-related or literary theme in its widest sense up to 2,000 words. 1st prize £150, 2nd £100, 3rd £50.

FICTION

Short Stories, Micro Fiction - short stories 500 to 5,000 words, micro fiction up to 500 words; on any subject or theme, in any genre (not children's). Previously published work is not eligible. Short Stories: 1st prize £300, 2nd £200, 3rd £100. Micro Fiction: 1st prize £150, 2nd £100, 3rd £50.

POETRY

Single Poems and Collections - Single Poems up to 40 lines; Collections of between 6 - 10 poems - no restriction on length of poems in the Collection category. Single poem entries must be previously unpublished; previously published poems can be included as part of a Collection. Collection: 1st prize £300, 2nd £200, 3rd £100. Single: 1st prize £100, 2nd £75, 3rd £50.

Closing date November 30th

Entry fees: vary from £5 for two flash fiction stories to £12 for a collection of poetry. Reductions for magazine subscribers.

Read the rules: follow the rules. It's not rocket science - the administrators will exclude anyone not obeying without even reading the first line...

Nothing to do with writing...everything to do with just getting by

2011-11-16T13:26:00.001Z

There's no doubt that we facing Hard Times...but the cuts are not falling on everyone equally.

Women are being hit in three distinct ways:

- they are losing their jobs

- their benefits and the services they rely on are being slashed

- AND they will be the ones expected to ‘fill the gaps’ as state services are withdrawn and voluntary organisations close down through lack of funding.

The Fawcett Society, backed by more than 20 charities, unions and academics, have produced a report that recommends:

• restoration of support for childcare costs for low-income families to pre-April 2011 levels - this would help ensure paid employment makes financial sense for the many low income women who’ve found they are better off not working.
• Ring fencing of funding for Sure Start children’s centres - this would further protect women’s access to employment and shore up the other vital benefits these centres offer thousands of families.
• Stopping local authorities from treating violence against women services as a soft touch for cuts to ensure that some of the most vulnerable women in the UK have access to the support they need.

SIGN THE PETITION here

The Fawcett Society has been around since 1866. It's a shame that we can't relegate their work to the history books...

The website we all need....

2011-11-09T09:17:00.000Z

Writers and would-be writers and day dreaming writers owe Sally Quilford big time. She contributes a monthly column to Writers Forum magazine but, more importantly, she runs a website that gives writers a reason to get up in the morning and face the cruel blank screen.

She lists writing competitions in order of their closing date. I have no doubt that represents a lot of hard work. Why I think her efforts are worthwhile and she should be recognised for services to the writing community is that we all need a deadline. If someone hasn't given us one we need to manufacture our own...
...I must finish this chapter, novel, short story, poem before Christmas, next pay day, the kids' coming home from school...

OR by the competition deadline because this time I'm actually going to send it off into the wider world and allow it to be read, to be judged.

Careers have been forged by writing competitions: by winning of them of course (poet and novelist Tobias Hill began his career this way and every rejection, every time he wasn't short listed he sent out more on the Hydra principle - every time the serpent's head was cut off she grew two more.) But even if you never win, never see your name among the list of honourably mentioned, you will have written something.

And the only way to learn how to write is to write (and to read obviously).

Writing in the head does not count. It needs the hard finality of paper.

And the Competitions we shouldn't enter...

Sally doesn't list every competition she hears about. Here she explains why she turns down some - and I think what goes for her should go for the rest of us. There are not that many writing scams out there, but they do exist. Follow her guidelines and you should be able to avoid them...

Reasons a competition might not be listed, include (but are not limited to):

a) a comp or event run by an obvious vanity publisher who charges entrants for expensive anthologies or tries to force entrants to spend money on other goods and services.

b) the 'winners' have to spend money in order to claim their prize (e.g. if the prize is a percentage off a writers holiday, or any other writers' service, I don't consider it a prize at all, so won't list the comps),

c) I may refuse to list a comp if I feel that the organiser is only doing it to sell books. For example, I've had self-published writers contact me about their comps, which stipulates that entrants must buy their book in order to enter, either because there's some codeword or because the story must be based on something in the book. I may do it for a bigger publisher, because they generally offer much better prizes.

d) If there is no real prize to speak of, and the prize only involves being published on a website, or publication in a book which the 'winners' have to buy.

e) if I find out that a competition has taken money from entrants but not paid out prizes, or has not played fair with its entrants in other ways.

f) The details have been submitted too late to take into account postal times etc.

g) If I feel the entry fees charged are disproportionate to the prizes on offer. An example is a comp that charges £20 per entry, yet offers prizes totalling less than £100.

h) The competition does not have a proper closing date, only some nebulous idea of when the organiser thinks they've 'got enough entries'. Comps without a closing date will not be listed.

http://www.writingcalendar.com

Know a gay bookshop? Love a gay bookshop? Write about it...

2011-11-09T08:35:00.001Z

Treehouse Press are about to publish an anthology celebrating gay bookshops, past and present. They are looking for submissions now - personal stories and nonfiction preferred. Email first to say which bookshop you would like to cover and why. Make it good - this is your chance to pitch.
Published stories will receive a payment of £25 and two copies of the anthology.
Deadline end of November 2011.
Treehouse are a small independent press that "happily experiments with the chemistry shared between form and image".
They also opt for small print-runs "relieving the writer of the pressure to commercially perform, giving more room to play creatively."

http://treehousepress.co.uk/

IN YER FACE versus SUBTLE SUGGESTION - whose side are you on?

2011-10-26T21:14:00.000+01:00

New Writing South are hosting The Monday Night Moot in Brighton next week and we're invited to join in the debate with Billy Budd playwright Martin Lewton and award winning actress, choreographer and director Miranda Henderson.

As audiences walk out of the current RSC production of Marat/Sade (‘Utter filth and depravity‘ said the Daily Mail so that's a recommendation then), Rattigan and Wesker are enjoying revivals.The Monday Night Moot is a monthly creative and intellectual whiz, which invites two speakers to talk passionately for 15 minutes, each presenting an opposing view on a burning issue. It’s then over to the audience to talk back, participate and give their verdict!

Date: Monday 14 November 2011

Time: 7-9pm
Venue: The Writers' Place, 9 Jew Street (off Church St), Brighton
Cost: £5

To book: visit the NWS website: http://newwritingsouth.com/members-area/blog/workshops/the-monday-night-moot/

or call 01273 735353.

French Prize could go to a novel set somehwere in ireland

2011-10-26T10:29:00.000+01:00

The PRIX GONCOURT - the tres prestigious French literary prize - goes through four rounds: a longlist, a shortlist, a shorter list (which was announced today) until finally a winner is declared who must be living on his or her nerves by the time the announcement is made, surviving on a diet of nails (the handy kind that are easy to nibble) and strong drink.
The four books on this year's short short list are:

L'Art français de la guerre by Alexis Jenni
La belle amour humaine by Lyonel Trouillot
Du Domaine des Murmures by Carole Martinez
Retour à Killybegs by Sorj Chalando

My French is almost non existent I am ashamed to say (I won't bore you with a bag load of excuses) but as I have been to Killybegs, a very pleasant town in Donegal, I wanted to find out more. From what I can gather Sorj is a journalist who knows Ireland well. His story is about three generations of a family involved in nationalist politics and at least one family member is an active member of the IRA.

As I was reading websites with my French English dictionary in one hand and my finger poised over the Google translate this now button, I can't tell you much more except that some folk seemed to think that Killybegs is in Northern Ireland.
Given the novel's subject, it's an easy mistake for commentators to make. (I am sure the author didn't make it.) Donegal, however, is in southern Ireland - in the Irish Republic.
It is though the most northerly part of the island of Ireland. There, that's cleared that up.

The Great Book Give Away for 2012 announced - how many have you read?

2011-10-25T11:33:00.003+01:00

One million books will be distributed for free – from this list of 25 – for the second World Book Night which is on St George's Day - April 23rd - 2012

I've read 12 of them (most recently The Road by Cormac McCarthy) and have to confess that there's at least three on the list I've never heard of...

Anyone heard of all of them?

Anyone read all of them?
The one I haven't read and must is Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle. So many people have said how good it is - her more famous book is 1001 Dalmatians.
I would recommend The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell to anyone who hasn't read it - a great example of intelligent women's fiction. No, that's wrong. It's a great example of intelligent fiction. Full stop.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Vintage)

The Player of Games by Iain M Banks (Little, Brown)

Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham (Little, Brown)

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson (Transworld)

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Harper Collins)

The Take by Martina Cole (Headline)

Harlequin by Bernard Cornwall (Harper Collins)

Someone Like You by Roald Dahl (Penguin)

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Penguin)

Room by Emma Donoghue (Pan Macmillan)

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (Little, Brown)

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (Faber)

Misery by Stephen King (Hodder)

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (Transworld)

Small Island by Andrea Levy (Headline)

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Quercus)

The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Pan Macmillan)

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Vintage)

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell (Headline)

The Damned Utd by David Peace (Faber)

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman (Transworld)

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (Penguin)

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson (Vintage)

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (Vintage)

The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak (Transworld)

Why we read: by the Booker prize winner

2011-10-21T09:54:00.000+01:00

Books are where things are explained to you; life is where things aren't. Julian Barnes

Felt in the mood for a poem about October...

2011-10-03T13:05:00.000+01:00

...to be reminded what it's supposed to be like and here's one by Robert Frost. I presume he was writing about New England and I love the amethyst/mist rhyme (although I probably wouldn't volunteer to read it aloud).
There's nothing mauve and misty about old England right now. July got lost and ended up here, leaving a metallic taste in the mouth. There is gold in the air from a warm winter sun and bronze on the pavement from fallen leaves: there's even silver in the cash registers from unexpected visitors.

Saturday October 1st was the hottest October day EVER - hotter than Athens, Barcelona or Los Angeles.

It's like a present we didn't know we wanted until we got it.

October by Robert Frost

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes' sake, if the were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost--
For the grapes' sake along the all.

A Chance to Write for Television

2011-10-01T20:14:00.000+01:00

CHANNEL 4 are running a screenwriting course for TV drama from January to June 2012 and are looking for 12 talented, original and diverse writers who currently have no broadcast credit .
The course gives a chance to find out how TV drama, particularly Channel 4 TV drama, works, and to write, over a five month period, your own pilot script for an original series or serial, working with an experienced script editor.
The course is designed so that writers should be able to take part even if in full-time employment (the only attendance is on two weekends, in January and June 2011, and you get five months to write the required two drafts of a one hour drama script).

PLUS writers will be paid a small fee for attending the course - which is the cherry on top of the icing on the cake

How to apply:
Applicants should submit by email a CV and one writing sample. This can be a screenplay, a stage play or radio play, minimum length 30 minutes (novels, treatments, short stories, unfinished screenplays and "shorts" are not acceptable). The scripts should be original, not episodes of existing drama series.
Email scripts and CV’s to: 4screenwriting@script-consultant.co.uk
Deadline: Tuesday November 1st 2011.

No, that never happened to me...

2011-10-01T14:01:00.000+01:00

...and I suspect it won't.
A book review written in middle English
Here's a small taste

As þe poete sayde, and richtig:
Þe more strenghþe of ioye myn herte strayneз.
An grete boke: ye most beye yt.

(The sentiments of the last line work in any language)
If you'd like to read more visit the Punkadiddle blog

When being blue in Brighton doesn't mean feeling down

2011-09-20T20:40:00.000+01:00

Write the perfect ghost story

2011-09-19T10:24:00.000+01:00

It's that time of year again.

Sainsbury's are stocking pumpkins and this morning I was greeted by a bargain scream mask (plus cloak) in a charity shop. It's the season to be scared or - if you're a writer - to frighten the bejayus out of readers.

I love the definitions that Write Club in Atlanta have come up with for writing - they work so well for the kind of stroy telling I have in mind:

The Tenderest Bloodsport
No-Holds-Barred Brain Wrestling.
A Lit-Punch to the back of the skull.

So, if you want to grapple with a reader, pin them down until they surrender and read every single word, then I suggest you think about the ghost story genre. I wrote about the essential ingredients last winter and you can find it here
One of the points I made then was that horror is a test of a writer's ability to create atmosphere.
With no props, no scary noises and no control over how the reader will come face to face with the world you've created (on a kindle on a bus trip to the shops when you're already overdrawn, on a beach with sand working its way into bikini bottoms) you only have one shot at raising the hairs on the back of the neck.

A tool that is often over looked is a very, very, very simple one. It's to do with varying the length of sentences and the length of words.
Short chapters, short sentences and one syllable words can give the impression of speed in an action novel. (See how the James Patterson team use that device.) But they are also very effective at conveying tension and high emotion.
Take these two (top of the head and unpolished) examples.

She was seriously ill for several months and passed away yesterday evening.

She was ill for a long time. She died last night. She's gone.

I rest my case....

Ooops...look I just got back from holiday, ok!

2011-09-13T08:57:00.000+01:00

Honour and glory is great.

How did I write that yesterday? How did I read those words several times and allow them to go sailing off into hyperspace together, all naked and vulnerable and wrong?

Mea Culpa*

Mea Culpa

Honour and glory ARE great. There, that's nailed it. I blame jet lag (from Spain....)

As Samuel Beckett said: fail, fail again, fail better (but I suspect he wasn't thinking of basic grammar).

Mea máxima culpa

A translation for those who aren't familiar with the Latin phrase or weren't brought up as a Catholic: Mea Culpa = my fault. Mea máxima culpa = My most grievous fault. Or as an altar boy in Roscommon used to say many years ago: me a cowboy, me a cowboy, me a Mexican cowboy

Shortlist for the BBC National Short Story award

2011-09-12T12:08:00.000+01:00

This is the sixth year that the BBC has run its short story competition - only open to authors who have already been published - and throughout this week you can listen to the shortlisted entries.

The winner will be announced on Monday 26 September live on BBC Radio Four's arts programme Front Row and will receive £15,000 which must make it one of the most lucrative - as well as prestigious - short story competitions in the world. Honour and glory is great, but it's even better when it is backed up with some money, especially as there are few paying markets for short stories.

The runner-up gets £3,000 and the other three authors £500 each.

This year's shortlist is:

'Rag Love' by M J Hyland

Set in Sydney, a magnificent cruise ship is in harbour and all one down-and-out couple want is an hour together in the top suite. Described by the BBC as "eerie".

'The Heart of Denis Noble' by Alison MacLeod

This story is drawn from real life; it shows Denis Noble, the pioneering systems biologist, awaiting an operation on his heart – the organ that he has spent his whole adult life studying – and looking back to consider the relationship between the heart of love and the heart of science.

'Wires' by Jon McGregor (runner up last year)

A young woman's life flashes before her eyes as an unusual object flies towards her windscreen on the motorway.

'The Human Circadian Pacemaker' by K J Orr

As an astronaut attempts to re-adjust to life on earth, how will his wife cope and can their relationship ever return to its old rhythm?

'The Dead Roads' by D W Wilson

An American road trip story where two old school buddies try to win the affections of a free-spirited girl; then a mysterious man enters the picture...

Each of the shortlisted stories will be broadcast daily on BBC Radio 4 at 3.30pm from today Monday 12 September. It's also available as a free podcast available to download for two weeks from www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/nssa.

Margaret Atwood says that writing is an apprenticeship and that we all learn from our masters, some of them are alive and some of them are dead...This short list should offer a real insight into contemporary writing that demands attention. I'll be listening and learning (and probably disagreeing with the judges)

Twitter as a post office...twitter as a boomerang...twitter as a waste of time. And what about facebook?

2011-09-11T00:20:00.000+01:00

I'm very grateful for the range and quality of comments relating to a guest post that asked questions about social media and the writer. Thought provoking stuff that leads onto to other thought provoking things...such as: are we all creative writers now?
And if the answer is yes: is that a good thing?

Be Creative in Brighton

2011-08-30T13:34:00.000+01:00

I am running a range of creative writing courses in Brighton this autumn at different places and at different times. Each course explores different kinds of writing, but they are all designed to support creative self-expression with ideas that will fire the imagination.

A bit about my style of teaching

I don't believe in tough love. I don't think anyone comes away from a class more confident and better able to face new challanges after their work has been rubbished.

I don't believe in giving a (metaphysical) pat on the head and murmuring very good after every contribution made. To move forward you have to become a better reader of your own writing and that means celebrating what works and acknowledging (and revising) what doesn't...I'm here to help in that process.

I do believe creative writing can be taught. There's a craft to learn but the art comes from within. I can't turn you into a Margaret Atwood or a James Patterson...only you can do that...but I can support you on the journey towards becoming the best writer you can be.

And no one ever wonders why someone who enjoys painting enrolls in art school or a pianist thinks that music lessons might be a good idea...

Here's what past students have to say...

Feedback was very encouraging. It made me more productive and not frightened to take risks without fear of ridicule.
I wasn't sure about reading aloud at first but I was made to feel very comfortable in the group
The interaction between the teacher and class was great. She always made sure everyone understood what was needed from them.
I've done more writing in the last few weeks than since I was seven!
The variety of exercises was inspirational. The tutor had the right amount of input in the classes and was very encouraging.
I hadn't been back in the classroom for nearly 30 years and I didn't like it that much first time round. I wasn't sure it was going to my sort of thing but Bridget is very relaxed and I am pleased to say it was exactly my kind of thing.
I've been to lots of workshop and classes over the years but for the first time I got the kind of detailed and highly personal feedback (criticism isn't really the right word) that's allowed me to take my writing to the next stage.

Here are details of my Brighton courses - I also teach in London at City Lit the largest adult education centre in Europe.

Creative Writing for Beginners

A confidence-building journey of imagination that allows you to discover the writer within

Monday evenings 7pm to 9 pm A ten week course starting on September 26 at Portslade College Chalky Road

The same course also runs on Thursday afternoons 1pm to 3 pm at the Community Centre in South Portslade. It starts on September 29

We are enrolling now. The advanced course was full up a day after the brochure was published so if you're interested don't delay!

Email comed@pcc-web.com. Call 01273 422632 or go here

www.portslade.org

Towards Publication

An eight week practical course for emerging writers who have been writing for some time, or have previously attended a writing class.

Tuesday afternoons 1 pm to 3 pm starting on September 20th at the Friends Centre near Brighton Station (see below for information about how to enroll)

Writing the Biography of your Family

For people who have already researched their family history and want to turn a collection of dates and odd facts into an interesting, readable story that will enthuse the rest of the family (and the general reader)

Wednesday evenings for eight weeks 7 pm-9 pm starting on September 21st

Starts: 21 September for 8 weeks

Enroll By telephone: Using a credit or debit card – 01273 810210 Online: Please go to: www.friendscentre.org.

(There's a discount if you enroll online)

Quote worth Quoting

2011-08-29T10:42:00.000+01:00

In a world where Google can give you thousands of answers, a librarian will always bring you the right one.

Neil Gaiman, author and graphic novelist

Social Media, Writers and fear of the Tweet

2011-08-26T10:55:00.000+01:00

I first met Bill Munro at the South East branch of the Society of Authors. Coming from a long line of taxi drivers, he is a writer and a publisher, specialising in transport. He is also interested in anything that supports the life of a writer.

We live in exciting times. (Is that really a Chinese curse?) Change is all about us and Bill is anxious to explore new opportunities that appear to be opening up for authors.

Here he explains his tentative approach towards social media and asks for advice. I've given my response at the end, but if Bill is standing at the brink with a toe in the water, I'm still only paddling around...so if you have any observations, advice, words of encouragement or caution please do jump in. Photo by Ernst Vikne

Guest post from Bill Munro

Twitterphobia

It took a long time for me for the penny to drop about Twitter: what it’s all about, I mean, not how to make the best use of it. That bit, I’m still struggling with. Anything on a computer that has proved successful over the years has been an adaptation, and often an enhancement of something us of the inkwell generation has used in pen and paper (or telephone or photographic) form for decades. I mean stuff like word processing (i. e. writing), spreadsheets, family tree layouts and more sophisticated stuff like DTP (which is based on the traditional editor’s cut and paste-up) and Photoshop. We all understand them in principle, so adapting our brain to use them digitally has been pretty straightforward.

Twitter, and Facebook for that matter are a quantum leap beyond.

Twitter combines the messages carried by flyers, letters, office memos, phone calls, chats over the garden wall or by the water cooler, handbills and other paper and personal stuff with new-fangled techie stuff like texts and emails. It’s a ‘word in your ear’, a soundbite and an advertising slogan, digitised and condensed. It is an adaptation of what we have done for years, but bundled up and often disguised in a plethora of technicalities and jargon and used at hyper-speed.

Many of us of an older generation have learned to use computers on an ad hoc basis, and haven’t the virtually intuitive way of using them that the younger ones amongst us seem to have. Thus we struggle to grasp the ‘McGuffin’ of social media, at a time when we, as struggling authors are told that it is the way we need to promote ourselves and our work. It leaves us baffled, and sometimes fuming.

When the penny dropped, I opened a Twitter account. But that penny has yet to set the machinery working. I have left it virtually unused because I don’t know the right things to say to whom, and I don’t want to look a twit (I use the word advisedly) by sending irretrievable and possibly self-harming messages into the Twittersphere, and to the wrong people. Does anyone know where I can get advice about this? And does it actually work anyway, or is the mantra ‘use social media to promote your work’ a piece of lazy journalism put about by people who have yet to achieve results but believe, rightly or wrongly, that others have succeeded in growing their writing careers through it? Is it ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, digitised?

Bill Munro

www.billmunro.co.uk

http://cabdriverhistory.blogspot.com/

View Earlswood Press ebooks on Smashwords at www.smashwords.com

My response:

Last December I gave eight reasons why I found twitter useful to me as a writer and as a lecturer in writing and eight months on I pretty much stand by them. I work a lot from home and, wonderful as that is, there's no denying that I miss the water cooler moments. You can't just write, write, write. Y
How to get started? Relying on the kindness of strangers has always worked for me and writers tend to be generous. They know how to share.
I've found the blog of the Scottish writer Nicola Morgan enormously helpful and she has now put all her advice about twitter into an ebook. It is not only useful, it is also a lesson in on how a writer can build a readership using social media.

You can follow Bill on twitter at @MunroBill

I'm there too at @agoodconfession

10 best jokes from Edinburgh Festival

2011-08-25T14:44:00.000+01:00

Just because it's a cold, grey day in August. Just because I am re-writing and revising and need a break. Just because humour is as important as the serious stuff and often so much harder to write...for all those reasons here are the ten best jokes from the 2011 Edinburgh Festival as decided by Dave - the digital TV channel.

Scroll down to the bottom and you'll find the worst joke of the festival.

1) Nick Helm: "I needed a password eight characters long so I picked Snow White and the Seven Dwarves."

2) Tim Vine: "Crime in multi-storey car parks. That is wrong on so many different levels."

3) Hannibal Buress: "People say 'I'm taking it one day at a time'. You know what? So is everybody. That's how time works."

4) Tim Key: "Drive-Thru McDonalds was more expensive than I thought... once you've hired the car..."

5) Matt Kirshen: "I was playing chess with my friend and he said, 'Let's make this interesting'. So we stopped playing chess."

6) Sarah Millican: "My mother told me, you don't have to put anything in your mouth you don't want to. Then she made me eat broccoli, which felt like double standards."

7) Alan Sharp: "I was in a band which we called The Prevention, because we hoped people would say we were better than The Cure."

8) Mark Watson: "Someone asked me recently - what would I rather give up, food or sex. Neither! I'm not falling for that one again, wife."

9) Andrew Lawrence: "I admire these phone hackers. I think they have a lot of patience. I can't even be bothered to check my OWN voicemails."

10) DeAnne Smith: "My friend died doing what he loved ... Heroin."

AND THE WOODEN SPOON WENT TO...

Veteran entertainer Paul Daniels for:

"I said to a fella 'Is there a B&Q in Henley?' He said 'No, there's an H, an E, an N an L and a Y'."

Official: Fiction is good for you

2011-08-23T11:38:00.000+01:00

Reading stories makes you a better person. Every reader knew it: now there's proof.

The results of a Canadian university research team led by British psychologist Keith Oatley reveal that fiction readers are better at relationships.

"Reading about Darcy and Elizabeth or Hamlet or Harry Potter and the progress of their relationships and dilemmas gets you, the reader, practising how to understand others and how they think and behave."

This is serious stuff. Not only should the research findings bring a glow to every bookworm's pale cheeks (we always knew we were nice people), it may also offer a formula for mending Cameron's Broken Society.
Imagine it. Novels could be on (free) prescription.
Three or four books a month perhaps, taken at will, and the patient could have a completely free choice from a wide selection.
Oh wait, we have that already - the libraries that are under threat in every corner of the country.

Proffesor Oatley's research is published in Such Stuff as Dreams - The Psychology of Fiction. He also happens to be a novelist himself...what were the chances of that?

If you don't know what copyeditors do...

2011-08-23T10:20:00.000+01:00

Or you are about to self publish and think you can't afford a professional copy editor take a look at this video produced by successful self publisher Catherine Ryan Howard.

In Catherine's book (and she's written three) there are only two "acceptable excuses" for not paying a professional copy editor.
Number One is you are already one yourself (even then I'd suggest you get someone to look over it: your eyes can all too easily see what should be on the page instead of what actually is there).
Number Two acceptable excuse is that your book has no words in it.
Everyone else can't afford not to pay for a professional edit.

You can read more about Catherine's adventures in self publishing on her excellent blog at http://catherineryanhoward.com

Searching on twitter

2011-08-21T23:28:00.000+01:00

The founder of FACEBOOK said privacy is dead and this account from Joanna Geary, Web Development Editor at The Times seems to prove it. She describes how she traced an American serviceman and his relatives in nine steps. It started with an innocent tweet and ended with a search across national boundaries and international organisations, all of it legal and all of it done from her desk. The result was potentially security sensitive data and personal details of the hapless target's extended family.
Read the full story and be scared here.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2011/aug/19/newspapers-downturn?CMP=twt_fd

More about Brighton Digital Festival

2011-08-20T17:12:00.000+01:00

Brighton Digital Festival 2011: Flash-lit Fiction: a Slam and other Experiments

When:
Sunday, September 11, 2011 from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Where:
Sticky Mike's Frog Club (formerly The Jam)
9-12 Middle Street
More event connected info at:
http://flashlitfiction-rss.eventbrite.com
What

An evening of short shorts, flash writing and digital technologies

At the heart of the event is a 300-word flash fiction slam competition and an online Twitter story competition, with competitors battling it out for fame and glory.

Who

The night is brought to you by the makers of Grit Lit (http://www.gritlit.org), Story Studios (http://www.storystudio.co.uk/about.html).

Judging panels include Richard Hearn from Paragraph Planet (http://www.paragraphplanet.com) and Myriad Editions (http://www.myriadeditions.com/).

Advance tickets £5: Tickets on the door: £6

Spoilers DON'T spoil the story

2011-08-18T22:43:00.001+01:00

Intrigued by the report on Alison Flood's blog that research by the University of San Diego's psychology department reveals that spoilers don't spoil a story...

Even in who-dun-it's it doesn't hurt to know who...

Subjects were given a dozen short stories by a range of famous authors. Some were in their original form while others included a paragraph that gave away the ending or a crucial twist. The result?

"Subjects significantly preferred the spoiled versions of ironic-twist stories, where, for example, it was revealed before reading that a condemned man's daring escape is all a fantasy before the noose snaps tight around his neck..."

Not such a big surprise really....I don't feel compelled to turn to the last page first, but I am a great re-reader. Reading when you are no longer driven by suspense means you can relax and enjoy the language, the way the characters develop, the light and shade...
I can remember the first book I ever re-read. I got Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass one Christmas. When I finished I just turned it over and went back to the beginning. I was still reading it when we went on our summer holidays...
And there are plenty of stories where the ending is revealed at the start so it's not what happens next that drives the reader to turn the page (or carry on viewing) but wondering how did that happen or why.
And now I've written that I can only think of Columbo or Martin Amis' Time's Arrow....there are others, aren't they?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/aug/17/spoilers-enhance-enjoyment-psychologists#start-of-comments

Twitter Writing Competition

2011-08-18T12:22:00.003+01:00

Do you tweet?
I do, as I've mentioned before in this blog. (Follow me @agoodconfession)
Yes, it can be a time waster.
Yes, it can give you the false idea that you're connecting with people when in reality you are just sitting at your desk thinking on the keyboard
But it can also be a great source of information, advice and entertainment. The wit of other contributors never stops surprising or delighting.
It can be a channel for protest.
Twitter users bombarded companies last month pleading with them to stop advertising with the News of the World.
It can also be wildly misleading.
There were numerous tweets last week about a riot happening right outside my front door in central Brighton when all was quiet, all was peaceful. (Brighton prefers a riot of colour - the police marching at Pride last Saturday got a big cheer.)
It can also be creative. Yes, truly. Give it a go with this just launched twitter writing competition that is marking the inaugural Brighton Digital Festival.
To take part in the Twitter competition use #FLF11 so the organisors can start tracking your story submissions.

Email flashlitdigital@gmail.com with queries.
More info about Brighton Digital Festival: http://brightondigitalfestival.co.uk/

Best Comedy Scene Competition

2011-08-15T13:15:00.001+01:00

Words with Jam are looking for a scene that is LOL funny. It can be a stand-alone sketch, a complete scene from a novel/short story, play, script or anything else you can think up.
You are also allowed to include a brief (40 word max) synopsis to introduce the scene but the organisers stress that it really just the jokes that they’re interested in.

So don’t worry too much about character development/setting etc unless it is integral to the humour.

Word limit 1000 words maximun - no lower word limit.

Prizes: £200 First Prize (plus publication in Words with JAM) and five runners up of £25 each (plus publication on the Words with JAM Blog) and a hardback copy of Christopher Brookmyre's Where the Bodies Are Buried

Entry Fee: £5, plus £3 per entry thereafter

Closing Date: 19th August 2011

Winners will be announced in the October 2011 issue of Words with JAM.

For more details on how to enter: http://jdsmith.moonfruit.com/#/main-competition/4550153175

Getting to Grips with EREADERS

2011-08-12T18:13:00.002+01:00

I have been reading lots of articles about ebook opportunities for writers recently but I have to hold up my hand and confess that I'm still not an ebook reader.

With the technical ability of a gnat, I need help

about the options
about how much I can expect to pay
about whether it makes sense to go with anything other than a Kindle

In this GUEST POST Anne Jeffery explains what you should consider, clearly, concisely and with her own bias declared....

-------------------------

Choosing an Ereader

Hottest topic among readers and writers these days is undoubtedly the e-reader. (Once you get past the inevitable discussions of plot points, agents, self-publish or not, etc.)

KINDLES are not the only ereaders...

It is becoming increasingly clear that the majority of people refer to e-readers as Kindles. But Kindle is like Hoover or Biro. It's a trade name. The Kindle is only one of a number of models on the market.

Hands up at this point and admit that I am not a huge fan of the Kindle because it is tied in directly to Amazon and will not read any type of file except Amazon’s own and pdfs. There is a wonderful, free computer program called Calibre that allows you to convert files but typos creep in and it can spoil your enjoyment slightly.

I am the proud owner of a Sony PRS350 and have had hours of enjoyment from it, carry it permanently in my handbag and love the reaction when people see me reading it. I’ve even made it a cute little padded bag to live in. I chose it after a long consultation with a helpful assistant in my local Waterstone’s bookstore. He went through the options on the types they stock and let me play with some demonstration models so I could see what they were like. I would recommend doing the same before you make a final decision.

There are a number of things to think about when you buy, and how the reader feels in your hands is quite important if it is going to be used a lot.

What else do you need to consider?

Well price is important, obviously, but the majority of readers are somewhere in the £110 to £150 bracket. There are some that fall outside that and price is not always indicative of what you will get.

What are you going to use your reader for? Might sound like a daft question, but some readers have MP3 players or can be used to surf the net as well as to carry a library in your pocket.

What kind of screen does it have? Your choice is e-paper (also known as e-ink) or LCD. E-ink is easier on your batteries because it only uses power when you turn a page. LCD screens are back-lit so they use power all the time, and have been known to cause headaches. If you want colour the LCD is your only option though.

Touch screen? One of the things I love about my Sony is that I can sweep a finger across the screen to turn the pages. It feels more natural to me that way. (There’s also a button to do it if you like.)

Size? You will be offered five inch or six inch and, unless you have very bad eyesight, I think that is purely down to personal preference. Check how much you can zoom in on the type face (and how easy it is to change).

Memory? Some readers come with a slot to add an SD card and extend the memory. Unless you want to carry round a small bookstore you probably will never use more than the internal capacity though.

File type? The most popular file type is ePub, which is the format most e-library books use. You can convert files using Calibre, but if you want to download everything from everywhere, the bigger range your reader can handle, the better. Project Gutenberg offers formats of many kinds. (http://www.gutenberg.org/)

Battery life? Claims of between 7,000 and 10,000 page-turns between charges are common. That is plenty to read a couple of novels.

What books are included? Most readers will offer you something. My Sony came with about 350 classics available to download free when I registered my purchase.

What’s available?

Well, the Kindle, obviously. It comes with all sorts of extras like 3G and an MP3 player.

The Sony. There are two sizes: 350 and 650. The 650 is larger and more expensive. Touch screen. E-ink. It also has a cute little design point where the case is shaped to look like it has a hardback spine. Remember I’m biased.

There's the BeBook. It has an external SD card slot so you can boost its memory to 4GB. I think it looked a bit clunky though, if that sort of thing matters to you.

The Elonex. Cheapest on the market. It has a colour screen, but it is back-lit so could give you eyestrain.

The Cybook Opus from Bookeen. It has a 5 inch non-reflective screen, auto rotate and adjustable font size, long battery life and an expandable memory. It comes in four colours.

I advise you not to buy anything until you've had chance to play around with a couple of different kinds. If your friends have one, take a look at it and try reading with it. At least get yourself off to a bookshop and try before you buy.

I've not looked back since I bought my Sony and neither will you. Happy e-reading!

Thanks Anne!

Read her blog at MORNING AJ http://morningaj.blogspot.com/

Free to enter writing Competition

2011-08-08T13:49:00.000+01:00

Like me, you may not have known that August 30th is The International Day of the Disappeared. It commemorates people who have gone missing throughout the world in situations of violence and armed conflict and the Red Cross are bringing attention to it this year with a free competition. It is a reminder of the hundreds of thousands of families who are unaware of the fate of their loved ones, and organisations like the Red Cross who work to restore family contact between separated family members.

There are only two rules (isn't that refreshing to hear)

Your writing should be based on the theme of ‘the disappeared’.
It should fit onto one side of A4 paper.

So this could be poetry, prose, a comic strip, a short story, an excerpt from your diary, a song... anything as long as it relates back to the theme.

Entries can be either typed or handwritten. (Now there is generous. Be kind on the judges and make sure your writing is clear by giving it to someone to read before you post it off.) Drawings and illustrations are also welcomed, but remember – this is a creative writing competition – so these should accompany your message, not be the message.

Deadline is August 30

Prizes

The winning entry will receive a £50 cash prize and a £50 national book voucher.

A compendium of the top entries will be compiled and published for International Day of the Disappeared 2012. All authors of published entries will receive a free copy.

How to enter

You can enter by emailing your work to entries@redcross.org.uk or by posting it to:

Creative writing competition
British Red Cross
Bradbury House
Apple Lane
Sowton Industrial Estate
Exeter
Devon
EX2 7HA

Terms and conditions

Entries must be original, unpublished and not accepted for publication. They should be written in English.
The name and address of the entrant should be clearly listed separately from the entry itself.
Receipt of entry will be given by email if a valid email address is supplied.
A list of commended entries and the winner will be posted on this website, and sent out by email to addresses provided.ttp://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Finding-missing-family/International-Day-of-the-Disappeared/Creative-writing-competition
Copyright will remain with the author, but the British Red Cross reserves the right to publish any winning or commended entries after the end of the competition.
The winning entry will be announced within a month of the deadline on 30 August, 2011.
The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the results.
Submitted entries will not be returned.
Neither the judges nor competition organisers are eligible to enter the competition.

If you are a kindle reader....

2011-08-08T09:23:00.001+01:00

check out this website run by professional UK Kindle authors who are branching out independently to create quality e-books at "great prices".
You get an idea of what they mean by great prices by the fact that their two ordering tabs are labeled UNDER £2 and UNDER £1.

The project also includes books that have been out of print for many years for no good reason...

http://kindleauthorsuk.blogspot.com/

Online Community for Young Writers

2011-08-05T11:53:00.002+01:00

If you are (or know anyone who is) between 13 and 18 go to New Writing South's JUST WORDS. It is an online community for young writers. There you can set up a profile, upload your creative writing and get feedback from other writers. With top tips from professional writers (including me), as well as information on competitions, events and opportunities, it really is the place to see your writing flourish and get connected.

http://newwritingsouth.com/justwords/

Here's my top tip as it appears on JUST WORDS

What is your top tip for a young writer?

Practice.

Practice like a guitarist strums a tune or an artist makes a 30 second sketch of an interesting face in the crowd.

How many ways can you think of describing the colour grey between bus stops? Rain grey, ash grey, the blue grey of cigarette smoke, the slimy grey of a fresh slug trail…

And remember there are only two ways of learning how to write:

1) Write – take risks, try. Try again.

2) Read – anything. The good stuff will show you the way ahead while the bad stuff will tell you what to avoid. The bad stuff may even give you the confidence to persevere because you know, deep inside, that you can do better …

Daphne Du Maurier's house for sale...

2011-08-04T10:36:00.001+01:00

FOWEY photograph by Jonathan Billinger - shared under creative commons

...in the lovely Cornish town of Fowey (pronounced foy) which has only one drawback - it's thronged by tourists in the holiday season. I was one of them back in a glorious summer in the 1990s (glorious despite the weather. It rained every day and we had to buy puddle jumping suits for the children. We spent an afternoon on the beach in a downpour and loved it, even though we couldn't find adult sized puddle jumpers.)
Du Maurier lived in her beach side cottage with her own children during the war years when she wrote Hungry Hill and had an on-off love affair with the man who inspired the Irish family saga set on the Beara Peninsular in West Cork. I actually stayed near Hungry Hill last summer with husband and one of those now grown up children who still likes nothing better than messing around in rock pools (although now he'd prefer a pint of Guinness afterwards rather than a carton of orange).
And I actually saw the 1947 film starring Margaret Lockwood (who had hair that could over act) based on Du Maurier's novel in the back of a van in the main (that is only) street of Castletownbere. Haven't read the book but I can tell you that the film is truly awful. Dreadful. If we hadn't been sitting in the back of the van we'd have gone for a Guinness.
But the real Hungry Hill is beautiful and so is Fowey. And I bet the De Maurier cottage is a peach. It's called Readymoney Cottage -- exactly what a writer needs, especially if he or she is going to meet the nearly £2 million price tag.

EXCLUSIVELY FOR EVERYBODY

2011-08-01T15:10:00.000+01:00

Oxymoron spotted in an advert in today's edition of the Brighton and Hove Argus

Three hits for Independant pubishers

2011-07-29T11:13:00.001+01:00

Three of the novels on the Booker long list of 13 come from independent publishers. Jane Rogers, a lecturer on the MA in Creative Writing at Sheffield Hallam University, had The Testament of Jessie Lamb turned down by a number of mainstream publishers despite the fact it is her eighth novel AND and she has been long listed in the past for the Booker, so hardly a real out-on-a-limb-the-branch-is-nearly-breaking risk.

It has now been published by a small Scottish independent, Sandstone Press.

Thoughts that occur to me

Never give up
Even when you think you've arrived, you haven't
Never give up

Short Story and Poetry Competition

2011-07-29T09:16:00.001+01:00

Hurry along to to the Ilkley Literature festival website at http://www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk if you have a short story (maximum 3000 words) or a poem (30 lines or less) that is polished and ready to go - closing date is Monday

First Prize is £200 and all winners and runners up will have the opportunity to read at the Festival in October.
Entry fee: £4 per story or poem

Oxymorons - love 'em or hate 'em

2011-07-28T23:32:00.003+01:00

I was a bit sniffy about oxymorons in my last post but they can be a very precise shorthand and phrases like eloquent silence and expensive economy are a pretty neat way of summing up complex situations. I just hate the knee jerk clash of opposites as in - groan - forgotten memories.

I've done a little research (as a way of avoiding more pressing duties i.e. revising a manuscript) and come up with these very satisfying gems....anyone got others they would like to share?

I do here make humbly bold to present them with a short account of themselves and their art. . . . Jonathan Swift

The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read,
With loads of learned lumber in his head
Alexander Pope

He was now sufficiently composed to order a funeral of modest magnificence...
Samuel Johnson

I burn and freeze like ice -- a description of hell in Milton’s Paradise Lost

It was a dark and stormy night...

2011-07-27T23:02:00.000+01:00

...the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

The opening of a best selling novel written in 1830 by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, a philandering British politician, has been voted one of the top 100 opening lines of all times, but it is more usual to associate the sentence with OTT literature: bad, bad writing.
The English Department of San Jose State University in California have been running the Bulwer-Lytton for 29 years. The task is to compose an opening to the worst of all possible novels. The prize – according to the official rules - is a pittance or $250

The 2011 winner managed to beat off the competition with just 26 words. Here it is in all it's succinct glory.

Cheryl's mind turned like the vanes of a wind-powered turbine, chopping her sparrow-like thoughts into bloody pieces that fell on to a growing pile of forgotten memories.

The combination of a grisly visual image with a vague abstract concept makes it a winner, especially as it ends with an unsatisfying oxymoron.


Edward married a famous Irish beauty but couldn't be faithful to her. When he stood as a MP she proclaimed his infidelity during the election and later wrote about it. Revenge has no fury etc etc but he had her committed to a mental asylum as punishment. She only got out because of a public outcry. Even so, it doesn't seem to have harmed his political career... As a writer he came up with two other familiar phrases: the great unwashed and the pen is mightier than the sword...

A very Brighton moment...

2011-07-26T10:57:00.001+01:00

As I was writing the last post, a bang, bang BANG at my front door. (I don't have a doorbell)

Outside was Yvo Luna, one of the best and most original performance poets in the city, and in her hand a white plastic bag. Did I want two mackerel she had caught that morning while swimming?

(Being a kind, considerate and multi-talented poet she had already taken the trouble to gut them before bringing them around.)

Ok, that's supper sorted.

New Directory for Writing and Reading Groups

2011-07-26T10:47:00.002+01:00

Just mentioned PARAGRAPH PLANET in my last post and another very good reason to visit popped up in my email messages this morning...
The website now has a directory for writing groups, reading groups and book clubs...if you belong to one make sure yours is listed by using this form.

http://www.paragraphplanet.com/writing-and-reading-groups-form.htm

Students at the City Lit summer school I ran two weeks ago were asking for just this kind of information. Many were keen to find a local writing group and I think this directory could be a very useful resource. Seems to me that PARAGRAPH PLANET have spotted a gap and decided to fill it - so spread the word.

Great writing - one paragraph at a time....

2011-07-22T19:27:00.004+01:00


Paragraph Planet is a really interesting writerly (and readerly) 
activity and it's just been revamped so now is a good time to 
visit. http://www.paragraphplanet.com

The authors' section has been updated (this is not a 
personal plug - haven't got around to submitting although it is 
on my to-do list) and a new interview feature has been added. 
The first writers to be interviewed are Kate Morris, Judy Astley 

and Julie Corbin who all discuss the writing process and their 
new books. 

And in another new feature it is now possible to submit a 
sequel to any paragraph on the site, not just the current one. 

A paragraph...go on! You've got time for a paragraph. I've got 
time for a paragraph...a slinky, seductive paragraph; a scary 

paragraph to make the nerve endings tingle, a...I'll stop there. 
I should be writing, not writing about the writing I would 

do if I only got around to it...

Monday Quote for Writers

2011-07-11T20:27:00.002+01:00

"Before you can be an actor, you have to think yourself an actor. Before you can be anything, you have to think yourself being that thing..."

From Believe the BBC4 documentary on Eddie Izzard that knits interviews with Eddie, his family, friends and colleagues with childhood home movies and early stand up shows.
Ok, so not 'I want to be a writer' but I am a writer...

Next Year's Great Book Give Away

2011-07-07T14:58:00.001+01:00

A million books were given away on World Book Night on March 5 and a million more will be given away next year. (In 2012 the date will fall on St George's Day and Shakespeare's birthday - April 23rd)

Do you have strong views on what books should in the next free-for-all? If so, you can vote for from now until the end of August. Click on the title of this post to go to the website.
At the moment, more than 1,500 people have nominated 3,000 titles. Once the ballot has ended a panel will select 25 books out of the top 100.

So far the most popular include:
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Lord of Rings by J R R Tolkien

Do you have strong views about the great give-away? Does it make non-readers connect with books....?

Mslexia's how-to poetry guide

2011-07-04T10:49:00.001+01:00

To coincide with the MSLEXIA poetry competition (closing date July 14) the writing magazine have published an excellent guide to writing poems.

The last instalment is all about preparing your work for submission.

Summing up the advice in one sentence it goes something like...if you think it is ready to send off, don't...until you've answered the following questions:

Hold out the poem and scan it - does it look right on the page?

Does the poem fit the magazine or competition you’re targeting?

If it is free verse, what were your reasons for choosing to break the line there? (Clue: you really should have a reason...)

Does the poem feel abrupt?

Is it too wordy?

Lots more advice (and answers) on the website - click the title of this post to go there

Monday morning quote for writers

2011-07-04T10:13:00.000+01:00

On Independence Day here's a quote from a contemporary American writer.
Joy Williams is from Massachusetts and her last novel was The Quick and the Dead.

Good writing never soothes or comforts. It is no prescription, neither is it diversionary, although it can and should enchant while it explodes in the reader's face. Whenever the writer writes, it's always three or four or five o'clock in the morning in his head. Those horrid hours are the writer's days and nights when he is writing.

JOY WILLIAMS

What do you think - do you mentally occupy those lonely early morning hours when you face the computer screen or the intrimidating snow of blank paper? Or is it a warmer, softer experience for you?

I love the idea of words exploding in the face of the reader. That's something to aim for: not all the time of course, but a series of explosions....

What I think of CUCKOO by Julia Crouch

2011-07-03T09:03:00.000+01:00

Most thrillers are heavy on action and light on character. It’s when an author can combine the two and throws in a satisfyingly complex plot that something special happens on the page. CUCKOO by Julia Crouch does all that.

A lot of horror stories take an ordinary anxiety – spiders, slugs, getting lost – and then magnify that fear. Here the concern is about the best friend, the absent controlling, manipulative best friend, who is absent no more.

Rose, the central character, is living the dream. Home is a beautiful old house in the English countryside where the village school is still open and at least one mainstream author is on the PTA. Family are two gorgeous daughters: a smart maternal five year old (and girls can be very maternal at that age) and a baby happily reaching all her milestones at the right time. Husband is not only an artist but one who manages to sell his work and keep his integrity. So far so House and Gardens but by the end of page one it is clear that the foundations of this life are about to rattle loose. As the story progresses we learn that the foundations weren’t all that strong in the first place.

Of course, I’m not going to give away the plot, but I will say it addresses a woman’s primal fears about herself and those she loves. Did I believe it? Yes, because I believed in the characters – especially the women and the children. Or more accurately, I pretty soon stopped wondering if this or that twist was feasible. It was much more a case of Oh no, look out! And occasionally: Don’t!

This is a page turner that you don’t have to be ashamed of reading – the quality of the writing is high. I read quite a few thrillers while I was convalescing earlier in the year. After promising starts, I mostly stopped caring about the MDF characters by chapter three and all tension was gone by the fifth gory description. CUCKOO is genuinely thrilling. Not every aspect of the story is neatly resolved at the end - you just know things are going to go on happening to Rose and her family after the last page just as they did before the first chapter opened and that makes it all the more chilling.

Better than a Booker/ Nicer than a Nobel

2011-06-29T22:32:00.000+01:00

Work started this week on a new town inspired by a novel. The most famous work of Yugoslavian writer Ivo Andrić (who did actually win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961) is The Bridge on the Drina, written during WWII. Across three centuries the Bridge is a witness to continuing conflict in the small Bosnian town of Višegrad.

"From this bridge spreads fanlike the whole rolling valley with the little oriental town of Višegrad and all its surroundings, with hamlets nestling in the folds of the hills, covered with meadows, pastures and plum-orchards, and criss-crossed with walls and fences and dotted with shaws and occasional clumps of evergreens. Looked at from a distance through the broad arches of the white bridge it seems as if one can see not only the green Drina, but all that fertile and cultivated countryside and the southern sky above."

The new town is tiny and will be built inside Višegrad. I'm not quite sure how that will work out, but with its museum, library, theatre and memorial it is going to be a wonderful tribute to a writer.Click on the title of this post to read the full story.

Monday morning quote for writers

2011-06-27T09:32:00.000+01:00

Good advice from the author of Wolf Hall and my all-time favourite historical novel In Place of Greater Safety. (If you're studying the French Revolution read it, she doesn't put a foot wrong.) And here's what to do when you're staring at the computer screen and all ideas seem to have gone on holiday.

If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don't just stick there scowling at the problem. But don't make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people's words will pour in where your lost words should be. Open a gap for them, create a space. Be patient.

HILARY MANTEL

Quote for Monday

2011-06-20T00:07:00.000+01:00

“A book, like a wedding, is the product of many people. Without a wedding, there would be no bride, and without an author, there would be no book. The bride would be a bit lonely standing at the altar without very many other people ...” from Katie Fford’s acknowledgements in her novel, ‘Wedding Season’, Arrow Books

Short Story Competitions with added value

2011-06-18T07:41:00.000+01:00

This morning I came across two short story competitions that include a short critique of your story for the entry fee. That does sound like a very good deal. I am emerging from a heavy round of marking (university non fiction and adult education fiction) and know only too well just how long it takes to give written feedback.
Competition entrants should be realistic - they can't expect anything very detailed and probably a few generalised standard paragraphs will be included in the response...but, even so, it is a generous add-on that should give writers some insight into their work.

Writers’ Village Best Writing Award Summer 2011

Wanted: short story up to 3,000 words on any subject.

Entry Fee: £10 for up to two stories.

Prizes: £200, £100, £50, 5@£20; winning entries will also be published online.

Deadline: June 30 2011

Writers’ Village, The Old School House, Leigthon Buzzard LU7 9DP.

Click on the title of this post to go to the website

Laurel House Creative Workshops Short Story Competition

Wanted: short story up to 4,000 wds on any theme; each story entered will receive a 400 wd critique.

Entry fee: £4 per story.

Prize: £100, plus full critique and publication in a LHCW anthology.

Deadline: July 4

Laurel House Creative Workshops, Laurel House, Groesfaen, Rhondda, Cynon Taff CF72 8NS

Couldn't find a website for this one...

And here's one that awards the winner with a bottle of sparkly stuff as well as hard cash

The Ifanca Hélène James Short Story Competition

Wanted: short stories up to 2,200 words.

Entry fee: £3 per story

Prizes: £100 plus a bottle of champagne; £50, £25.

Deadline: July 1st 2011

The Ifanca Hélène James Short Story Competition, Green Plain, 185 St David’s Road, Letterston, Haverfordwest SA62 5SS

http://ifancahelenejames.wordpress.com.

This is a new competition to celebrate the life of a writer, dancer, herbalist and homeopath who died in a car crash last September.

SUMMER LOVING Free to Enter International Short Story Competition

2011-06-17T19:59:00.002+01:00

Pretty Pink & Green Love Heart free Creative Commons, a photo by Pink Sherbet Photography on Flickr.

Wanted: a story about Love
Length: A minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 1000
Deadline: July 31st
Run by Brighton Community of Writers: they say:-

You don’t have to become Barbara Cartland – it can be soppy, romantic, dark, uplifting or depressing – even terrifying (much like love itself). Just impress us! Any genre welcome, but please send any pure pornography to those who’ll appreciate it more than we will and who are a lot more likely to publish it.

Check out the rules at Brighton COW's website (click on the title of this post to go straight there). For this competition there are two extra rules

1) Give the story its own title (and you can't have Summer Break...Brighton COW are very clear about that...)
2) Include the title of your short story in the subject line of email entries. GOOD LUCK

Happy Bloomsday

2011-06-16T00:05:00.003+01:00

June 16 is Bloomsday. It celebrates Leopold Bloom, the main character in James Joyce's Ulysses. The story takes place takes place in Dublin on a single day: June 16th 1904 - the day on which (we believe) Joyce first went out with his future wife, Nora Barnacle.
Ulysses follows the life and thoughts of Leopold Bloom and a host of other characters – real and fictional – from 8am through to the early hours of the following morning.

Here's a few events I've been able to locate...

USA nationally Radio Bloomsday will be broadcast live from 7pm to 2am ]on the Pacifica Radio Network, wbai 99.5FM in New York City, KPFK 90.7 in Los Angeles and online at www.wbai.org anywhere in the world. This year's broadcast includes artist from New York, Los Angeles, Dublin and London.

Dublin

Bloomsday Celebrations hosted by the Irish Writers' Centre in the Garden of Remembrance from 12-3pm with Finnegan's Wake: A Traditional Irish Wake Celebrating Life, Death and Everything in Between. This traditional Irish 'wake' will both commemorate the work of Ireland's late, great writers and provide a platform to admire the wonderful writing being created in modern Ireland.
Lots also happening at The James Joyce Cente. Events include a breakfast, readings, Joycean tours around the city, songs and poetry readings, and actors wandering the streets dressed as characters from "Ulysses." And when the day is done, a quiz at the Great Hiberian Metropolis.

Los Angeles: Machine Project's Bloomsday Silent Read-A-Thon. Starting at 8 a.m. and going on until 3 p.m.

The first Bloomsday celebrations were held in France in June 1929 (only a few years after it was first published...in France.) The first Bloomsday to be celebrated in Ireland, however, had to wait to the fiftieth anniversary in 1954, but it must have been a pretty special day. The writers Patrick Kavanagh and Flann O’Brien visited locations like the Martello Tower at Sandycove, Davy Byrne’s pub and 7 Eccles Street, reading parts of Ulysses as they went. And drinking too...

POSH BINGO - what writing competitions should be called

2011-06-15T18:01:00.000+01:00

I'm indebted to Kate in my Friday morning class for that insight (and she tells me she got it from someone else). I think it is important to remember that luck has a lot to do with winning competitions or publishing contracts.
Our responsibility as writers is to do the best work we possibly can and then go away, walk the dog, have a drink, cook the dinner and revise it some more; it's our job to be different and original and exciting and when we are marching along the same route as other writers to do it in such a way as though it seems like the very first footfall.
But when we do submitt it is chance that dicates whether it drops onto the right editor's desk at the right time or it appeals to a particular judge's very subjective view of the world....
A lot of writing careers have been launched by competitions - not by the winning of them or even the taking part, but because they provide a focus and a deadline.
The worst thing you can say to a writer is that you can write about anything you like, for as long as you like and it doesn't matter when you finish...(Well, perhaps not the worst. 'Your writing is bland drivel' is probably higher up the list.)
PS Sorry that the last post appears to be shouting at you. I have no idea why it is in caps when it is sober and well-mannered lower case on my screen. I wrestled with it for awhile but I decided that it was such an interesting competition that it was better to post in A VERY LOUD VOICE than keep the news to myself.

Life Writing Competition

2011-06-15T17:39:00.000+01:00

The Society of Women Writers and Journalists have launched an international life writing competition.
length - 3000 words
deadline - September 30 2011
entry fee £7
prizes: there are two age categories (which is unusual in an adult competition): 20 to 40 year old and over 40s and three very decent cash prizes for each category: 1st - £3,000, 2nd - £1,000, 3rd - £500.
Judges are Katie Fforde and Sophie King - both big in romantic novelist association.

(ps Open to men too - check out all the conditions by clicking on the title of this post.)

Finding new authors in unexpected places

2011-06-15T10:40:00.001+01:00

I've just been reading about Vala, a brand new publishing house which describes itself as a bold experiment in community-supported publishing
What does that mean?
I'm still finding out but it is co-owned by its members – workers, authors, investors (and potentially anyone reading this, if it floats your boat...) and I'm particularly intrigued by the idea of Grassroots Commissioning.
Vala's members will be encouraged to scout for potential authors and put forward ideas to an elected Editorial Board.
Being a member of Vala community membership also means having the opportunity to take part in the physical making of books. Vala want to reconnect people with production, in the same way that farmers' markets and vegetable box schemes are reconnecting people with their food...
Like the talent scouting idea and the emphasis at looking in non traditional areas for new writers. Good readers can spot good writers so it makes sense to develop new ways of allowing voices outside the publishing industry to be heard. It's immensely cheering that seven out of ten books are still sold by word of mouth recommendation.
Not so sure about everyone getting their hands dirty and making books...can't help being nervous about what the result would actually look like. Every aspect of book making requires a lot of skill from the way the type sits on the page to the choice of cover and I'm not convinced that democracy should play a big part.
But the big question - for writers and readers - is what is this ground-breaking idealistic company going to publish.
Short answer: non fiction.
Long answer: non fiction with heart.
They seem to be open to many and various ideas. Their first book will be out in November. Called Coming Home to Story, the author is story teller and former policeman Geoff Mead who shares the magic of storytelling and the influence story has on our lives.
To find out more
click on the title of this post to go to Vala's website

And now for some good news

2011-06-11T11:26:00.000+01:00

With cuts and rumours of cuts everywhere it was good to hear that the Brighton publisher Myriad Editions have received £60,000 from the Arts Council England.
The small but perfectly formed independent publishes eight to 10 books a year, with a focus on debut novels and new work by graphic artists.
Myriad managing director says that they are seeking out new graphic authors.

Think you should know...

2011-06-07T20:41:00.000+01:00

Dreamt is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt"

Getting Published

2011-06-07T20:04:00.000+01:00

One of Scotland's most prolific writers Nicola Morgan is talking about her new book, Write to be Published at Blackwell Bookshop Edinburgh, South Bridge on June 16 (hey! that's Bloomsday...if you are not celebrating Joyce's masterpeice, then you better go to this. Then one day we can celebrate yours...)
If you want to know the truth about how publishers make their decisions this event is for you. Nicola Morgan has had around 90 books published and is renowned for her honest, inspiring and and revealing advice.
This evening she will be offering insights into how to negotiate the hurdles and answering your questions over wine and a chance to meet fellow aspiring writers.
This event is ticketed, but tickets are FREE. Tickets are available from the front desk at Blackwell.

For more information or if you would like a signed copy please contact Ann Landmann on 0131 622 8222 or events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk

Can't get to Scotland? Edinburgh out of reach? I suggest you follow Nicola's blog - Help! I need a Publisher. Click on the title of this post to go there

Publishing Fiction for Young Adults - meet the author, her agent and publisher

2011-06-01T23:48:00.000+01:00

You rarely get all three together - the writer, the agent and the publisher - so this looks like a fine opportunity to find out how the publishing industry works from the inside.

New author Caroline Green, her agent Catherine Pellegrino and her publisher Anne Clark will discuss the journey to publication and beyond.
Find out what innovative approaches Caroline took to secure her agent and how she worked with the publsihers who offered her a deal. Hear what Anne Clark of Piccadilly Press and Catherine Pellegrino, of Rogers, Coleridge & White Literary Agency, have to say about the creative demands of writing for teenage readers. In the afternoon, Catherine Pellegrino will lead a masterclass on the do’s and don’ts of finding and securing an agent.

£20/ £17
Saturday 25 June, 10.30am – 3pm
Foyles Gallery, 113-119 Charing Cross Road London WC2H 0EB

Find out more by clicking on the title of this post

Creat a video script with a message

2011-06-01T19:08:00.001+01:00

If you live within earshot of Wave 105 you can enter Southampton City Council's competition to encourage recycling. Watch this film to find out more.

Closing date is Thursday 16 June. Click on the title of this post for all the details

Create a script to be watched by millions

2011-06-01T18:54:00.000+01:00

British Airways want you to write an original and innovative film script charting London's journey to The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Your film will be used as part of the official London 2012 Sports Presentation Programme as well as being a part of the pre-show to the Opening Ceremony. The film will also be shown on BA flights in the run up to, and during, the London 2012 Games, while an edited version will also be shown as a pre-landing film.
To make it even more special, the winner will receive mentoring from Richard E Grant...how good does it get?

To find out more click on the title of this post.

Be part of Guardian Weekend Summer Fiction Special

2011-05-30T19:41:00.000+01:00

Wanted: an unpublished short story on the theme of journeys

Length: maximum 2000 words. .

Deadline: Mon 13 Jun 2011

Reward: honour and glory

Every year, in August, the Guardian's Weekend magazine publishes a selection of original fiction by some of the best authors writing today. Last year's fiction special featured stories by Hilary Mantel, Roddy Doyle, David Mitchell and Barbara Trapido, among others, and this summer they will be unveiling another line-up of stellar names. Yours could be among them.
Top novelists judge the entries, and they will be looking for the most original, gripping and well-crafted pieces of writing. Their favourite story will be published in the magazine, while the five runners-up will have their stories published online.
Send your story to Short Stories, Guardian Weekend, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU, or email it to short.story@guardian.co.uk (no attachments). Include a daytime phone number with your entry.

JOURNEYS - the theme of the Guardian Short Story competition

2011-05-30T19:40:00.002+01:00

running with the seagulls, a photo by eschipul on Flickr.

Dream job...British Library Writer in Residence

2011-05-29T11:26:00.001+01:00

If you are working on a book - non fiction or fiction - that requires substantial research on Canada and/or USA read on. The rest of us can just dream on...

Applications are invited for the Eccles British Library Writer in Residence Award. The award of £20,000, sponsored by the David and Mary Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library, is open to writers resident in the United Kingdom. Writers should be working on a non-fiction or fiction full-length book, written in the English language, the research for which requires that they make substantial use of the British Library’s collections relating to North America (the USA and/or Canada).

The Writer in Residence will have privileged access to the curatorial expertise of the British Library, will be able to use the Writers and Scholars’ Room and will be entitled to use some BL staff facilities. On publication of the book every effort will be made by the Eccles Centre to host a launch event at the British Library.
Deadline: 31 Aug 2011
The award holder will take up post January 1st
click on the title of this post for more details

2011-05-28T21:35:00.000+01:00

Taking REJECTION on the chin

2011-05-28T19:35:00.000+01:00

Just come across this quote from George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

“I finished my first book seventy-six years ago.
I offered it to every publisher on the English-
speaking earth I had ever heard of. Their
refusals were unanimous: and it did not get into
print until, fifty years later, publishers would
publish anything that had my name on it…”

At first take it may read it as another example of the publishing industry getting it wrong. I found it in an advice article for new writers and it was included to boost confidence. The implication was that you shouldn't be deterred by rejection because even the greats of English literature had to endure it. Shaw's plays and essays are important to me. I love his reviews and prefaces and speeches. And there's no doubt that he is one of the all time great letter writers... but has anyone read a GBS novel? And wouldn't it have been a shame if he had ignored the rejections and stuck with novel writing instead of turning to the theatre? I know that every night there are agents who go to bed knowing that they once had the manuscript of Harry Potter in their hands and let it go, but if there is a consensus of opinion in a writers' group or in the publishing industry there's a chance they may just have a point.

A creative commons photograph by Peter Beens from Niagara Falls, Canada

The art of not knowing

2011-05-26T18:16:00.000+01:00

Philosophers, historians, sociologists, even theologians have precise tools available to them. But we makers of poems and stories and essays wouldn’t trade with them. Wielding the mighty instrument of speculation – to try to know what we can’t really know – is the most thrilling experience available to an artist.

David Huddle writing in the May 2011 edition of Brevity, the online journal of concise creative nonfiction.

International Travel Writing Competition - fiction and non fiction

2011-05-24T22:53:00.000+01:00

It might mean writing over the weekend but here's a competition aimed at budding travel writers as well as those who have already established themselves in this field. It is the first ever Travel Writing Contest organised by Rossgill Media - they may run more if they like the response.
First prize is £100 AND feedback from two published travel writers - judges Paul Gogarty and Bill Corbett. The deadline is midnight May 31, 2011 and the entry fee is £3. They are looking for writing between 1000 and 3000 words long
The special element is the very wide interpretation of what constitutes travel writing. Here's what the organizers say:

We'd love to see how travel has changed your perception of the world and your sense of self (or your characters, if you're submitting fiction). If you are submitting fiction, are you or your characters able to appreciate the ways of the inhabitants? Can you share their time and space, interact, and become a part of the experience? Or do you feel very much on the outside, looking in?

Alternatively, your piece could be about an inner journey or, say, an experience far from home. For example, a man travels to meet his biological father after learning that he will soon become a father himself. A woman returns home to take care of an aging mother.

Check out all the rules (and follow them to the letter) by clicking on the title of this post

A Chance to write for children's TV

2011-05-24T10:49:00.000+01:00

BBC writersroom has teamed up with the BAFTA winning channel to launch a brand new competition, GET A SQUIGGLE ON! It will give new writers from different backgrounds and experiences an opportunity to develop their professional skills working with the CBeebies team.

The competition aims to inspire writers to be as creative and imaginative as they like in order to write a 20-minute live action script that will captivate young minds. It can be in any contemporary genre, including Drama, Comedy, Music, Dance, Puppets, Educational (with a light touch) or a combination of more than one.

A shortlist of 20-25 writers will be invited to a masterclass, where they will hear from experienced writers and CBeebies experts, and get an invaluable opportunity to hone their writing skills. The lucky final 8-10 shortlisted writers will spend an intensive residential week developing their work, bolstering their writer’s ‘toolbox’ and craft, and working with the CBeebies team.

A selection of tailored learning resources are available on the BBC writersroom website to help get people inspired and guide them through the competition process. Click on the title of this post to go straight there

The closing date for entries is Thursday 14^th July

Your library book is counting down...10, 9, 8

2011-05-24T09:20:00.000+01:00

Amazon have found a way of getting ebooks into libraries. Apparently they have developed a library version that can be checked out like any other book, downloaded and read through the Kindle or any of Amazon's free Kindle apps. Then - and this is the clever part - the book will auto-delete on the due date unless it has been renewed.
Suddenly have a vision of the credits to the old Mission Impossible TV series when the tape self destructed after the message was delivered. It would be nice of if library ebooks could be as dramatic....

Writer's Block and how to find a way out of it

2011-05-23T11:19:00.000+01:00

Philip Pullman doesn't believe in it. "Carpenters don't get carpentry block." He argues that we shouldn't be so precious about what we do. Instead we should just treat writing like a job of work and get on with it.
James Kelman's advice boils down to the same thing. He says that the only way to defeat the blank page is to write even when it's the last thing you feel you are capable of doing. Even when all you can write is - I don't know what to write. The mind hates a vacuum and something will come out of it...not a very good something perhaps, but something all the same and writing always has to be better than not writing. Remember the wise words of the great short story writer Katherine Mansfield.

Far better to write twaddle or anything, anything, than nothing at all.

And inspiration only strikes when you are already at the keyboard or have a pen in your hand.Jonathan Franzen has a different take on the subject. In a question and answer session at the famous New York creative hub, Gotham City Workshop, he says that it could be a sign that you're writing the wrong thing.

It happens when I'm trying to write something that I'm not ready to write, or that I don't really 'want' to write. And there's no way to discover my unreadiness or unwillingness except to try and fail.

I would certainly endorse that trying and failing bit. You can't write in your head. It only counts when paper is involved at some stage. All the thinking about a story won't tell you if it works: only putting one word after another can do that.
But I think perhaps we do need to give ourselves permission to have a break from a story that is being particularly difficult. If it is stuck then staying around may make the the mud thicker and stickier....but it has to be a real break: not writing doesn't count. You have to take the writer part of yourself off to a different world and a different story. Only then will you be able to see if you need a holiday or a divorce.
Click on the title of this post to read all of Franzen's Q&A session

Boldly go....to the British Library

2011-05-23T10:24:00.001+01:00

A new free exhibition on until September 25

Out of this World: Science Fiction but not as you know it

The British Library reveals in its press release that 'SF is not only a popular literary genre but a way of looking at today's world and presenting alternatives: radical ideas about science, politics, society, the future... and the nature of reality itself.' Click the title of this post to find out more and watch a rather snappy video.
I'm not a big fan, although I can appreciate the imagination of writers like Philip K.Dick. But I do get irritated by the wooden characters that only exist to act out a new theory. Breakthrough ideas are fine, but I still want story and I still want characters that live and breath on the page because in the end there's nothing as interesting as people.
Having said all that, one of the finest short stories I have ever read is classic science fiction. I recommend I have no mouth but I must scream by Harlan Ellison. (One of the best titles of all time too - perfect example of how the title only makes complete sense when you've finished reading the story.) And yes, it's all about people. Even if not all of them are human...

Summer Creative Writing Courses

2011-04-20T22:29:00.002+01:00

Two new creative writing courses starting in May

CREATIVE WRITING – an introduction

Always wanted to write? Join a Monday evening course that will stretch your imagination.

In a gentle and supportive atmosphere we will experiment with different genres and styles of writing, finding inspiration and new ways to defeat the blank page along the way. Absolute beginners very welcome.

Where? Portslade Community College in Chalky Road on the western edge of Brighton – on the 1 and 1a bus route and there’s lots of car parking space too.

When? Monday evenings 7 pm to 9 pm for ten weeks starting on May 9

Find out more: Call 01273 422632 to enrol by phone, pop into the College or visit the website at http://www.pcc-web.com/com-ed/index.asp

TOWARDS PUBLICATION

For writers with some experience. A short summer course on Friday mornings in Central Brighton.
Explore different areas of imaginative writing - including non fiction - and produce work that's ready to be published

Where? The Friends’ Centre in New England Street, a minute from Brighton Station

When? Friday mornings 10am – 12 noon for six week starting on May 6

Find out more: Friends Centre 01273 810210 info@friendscentre.org or look at the website www.friendscentre.com

A Writing Retreat for Women (better than a week in the Canaries...)

2011-04-18T14:54:00.000+01:00

New Writing South is one of my favourite organisations, partly because it sometimes employs me (and I am biased towards any organisation that has the great good sense to do that), but mostly because it does so many interesting things and never ever rests on past glories. It's based in Brighton but serves writers, emerging writers and want-to-be writers throughout the south east region from Oxford to Kent.

I've just heard that they are about to launch a special three-day writing retreat for women. It will take place in September in rural Sussex and it will be led by Vanessa Gebbie. I know Vanessa and I have no doubt it will be an empowering expereince. She is not only a highly original and exciting short story writer (winner of numerous competitions) but also an excellent writing tutor. Her first novel is out later this year and I recommend her guide to the art of short story writing, Short Circuit published by Salt.

Find out more about the autumn retreat by visiting New Writing South's website (click the title of this post). You can register your interest by emailing

admin@newwritingsouth.com

GET WELL wishes...

2011-04-18T14:34:00.000+01:00

...are all the nicer when they come from the pen of an exceptional Brighton poet (and it's a very good job that it doesn't hurt to laugh.)

Hi Bridget,

Sorry to hear you've been a bit Philip K. Dick lately. Apparently you were taken Sheridan Morley whilst moving to your new Jerome K.Jerome As if moving wasn't enough of an Ichabod Crane without that! If it's what I think it is then Ouch! I don't suppose you'll be attending many Dick Francis' or Robert Graves' for a while.

On a slightly more serious note, please get Ethel M. Dell in your own good time and I hope you don't get Spike Milligan! My Dorothy L.Sayers are with you.

Love, light and peace,

Thanks Chris!

As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted...*

2011-04-10T09:28:00.000+01:00

What can stop a blog in its tracks?
Moving house.
Sudden loss of reliable broadband (because of above)
Hospital
Intensive Care
...and when they happen all on the same day, it can make for a few technical problems.

Not quite ready to resume normal service but inching my way towards it. Sincere apologies to all my students - we didn't make it to end of term together but I will feedback on the work you submitted. Honest. And you have permission to nag me.

See you back here soon.

* The words of Cassandra (William Connor) the legendary Daily Mirror writer when he resumed his regular column after WWII

Authors for Japan -- writers' auction

2011-03-15T22:53:00.000Z

This is a live auction for writers and readers. There are a zillon signed books available - including pre-publication copies - and some things that money can't buy (although in this case money can buy it) such as mentoring from published authors and expert critiques of your work. All money raised will go to the Red Cross and ultimately to the people of Japan.Click on the title of this post to go to the auction

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK

2011-03-14T11:51:00.001Z

Maya Angelou

'I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.'

(I've been without the internet for four days and that also gives an insight into character.)
Me: I like rainy days. I'm second generation Irish. I have to like rainy days...

Lost luggage hasn't been a major feature in my life (that's tempting providence, I know) but someone being very helpful did once throw out a week's clean washing (my clean washing) instead of the detritus left behind after a by election campaign and I dealt with it with quiet aplomb. Well, that's how I remember it...

And I don't do tangled Christmas lights. I do Christmas.
The lights are a side issue: they are are not on the same scale as cooking turkey, buying presents and saying how big the christmas tree should be (bigger the better). But if I had to do tangled lights at some point I'd say it's Christmas...let's not break our hearts over this. Let's buy some new ones to tangle up.

More things you shouldn't do when entering writing competitions

2011-03-09T12:34:00.001Z

Via Twitter I've had a lots of good advice from writers who also judge writing competitions. Here it is: digest and avoid!

NICK DAWS – editor, freelance writer and tutor

Stories that clearly haven't been proofread and/or don't abide by the contest rules. A waste of everybody's time!

SALLY QUILFORD – writer and columnist for Writer’s Forum Magazine

My own pet niggle is people, thankfully rare, who 'explain' their story to you just in case you don't 'get' it. Me being really thick and all that!

SUE MOORCROFT – novelist and creative writing tutor

Return envelopes that are too small or already stuck down! you have dozens of stories to return, inadequate envelopes seem a bigger and bigger thing!

Also read (and learn from) Tania's comment on the other post about writing competitions

A Poetry workshop that inspires, transforms and let's you do things you never thought about doing before

2011-03-09T12:11:00.000Z

Just heard about an exciting writing workshop that will be run by the performance poet Paradox in central Brighton on Friday April 2.
NEW WRITING SOUTH are the hosts and they describe it as being “genuinely transformational”. It certainly sounds very special, very different…here’s what it will contain

An entertaining, thought provoking, performance from Paradox
A theatrical introduction exercise
A historical of the question "What is the meaning of life?"
An examination of perception
A critique of belief/celebration of perspective
A date with death
A guide to the poetry in paradox and the paradox of poetry
A challenge and opportunity to write and perform an epic semi-autobiographic tragicomic poem, that inspires you to live a more creatively meaningful life

No previous experience or creative writing skills necessary, just the willingness to be more than you thought you were.

A semi autobiographical tragicomic poem: write it, perform it. Bet you never thought you'd want to do that. But now you've read about it you are tempted, aren't you?
Cost for the full day workshop is £35. Bookings can made via the New Writing South website - click on the title of this post.

Three things NOT to do when entering a short story competition

2011-03-09T09:35:00.000Z

After judging a couple of competitions here are a few of my pet niggles.

(1) Don’t use & in place of and --- it sends the message that you can't be bothered to write it out and that's probably not the impression you want to give. It makes me think you probably won't be bothered to do lots of others things like develop characters I can believe in or think up a half way decent story

(2) Don’t use fancy type like Baskerville Old Face or Lucinder Blackletter or even Rockwell. I know they sound wonderful and they look impressive on your pull down list of fonts but just because you've got 'em doesn't mean you have to use 'em. Save it for blackmail notes and jumble sale posters.

(3) Don’t use 10 pt type for anything. Remember someone is reading your story. Remember someone is reading lots of stories before your entry comes to the top of the pile. You don't want a judge to sigh before they've read the first paragraph. This is not the time to save an extra sheet of paper.

By the way, there are nine days left to enter the Fish One Page flash fiction competition.
Word limit 300 words
Prize 1000 euros.
Deadline March 20. Entries accepted from around the world.
Reputable and prestigious, the only thing wrong with it is that if you search for fish + competition you may have to wade through a lot of bait and tackle before arriving at the right site. Instead click on the title of this post and go straight there. Good luck.

Flash 500 writing competition

2011-03-05T09:49:00.000Z

If you write short and tight, if you are more Raymond Carver than Charles Dickens, this is one to put in your dairy because FLASH 500 runs every quarter.
Here are the deadlines for 2011
31st March
30th June
30th September
31st December.
The results are announced within six weeks of each closing date and the three winning entries each quarter are published on the competition website. The judge changes each quarter which is good because once the no-hopers are weeded out and the entries that have a compelling idea but need more words to work (they read like Ugly Sister shoes - a painful squeeze), then decision making has to be subjective, what will appeal to one judge will leave another unmoved.
No set theme and the entry fee is £5 for one story and £8 for two

Prizes
First: £250 plus publication
Second: £100
Third: £50
Highly commended: A copy of The Writer’s ABC Checklist
Click on the title of this post for more information

Best Book Title or Short Story title?

2011-03-02T10:13:00.001Z

As a writer I find titles difficult. Sometimes they just appear like a lighthouse beam shredding through the dark but more often I am left struggling, worrying over ideas, pinching bits off, adding and subtracting until I'm convinced that what I am left with is as illuminating as a spent match.
On February 19 I wrote about the weird and wonderful book titles that are short listed each year for the Diagram Prize but I've been thinking about the great titles: the ones that stay with you and say something when you first pick them up and say something different when the story is over...
They are important to get right because it sets a temperture for what follows...
Here's a couple that spring to mind:
Books A HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE
(although I did once read a review complaining that it was overwritten and it should be really 50 years of...)
Short story I HAVE NO MOUTH BUT I MUST SCREAM one of the best short stories I've read and I am not a big sci fi fan. Written in the 60s by Harlan Ellison, the title and the story have stayed with me since I first read it.
Any personal favourites? Any tips for creating that all important first line of a story (which is what a title is, after all...)

If you are in Brighton on Monday March 7th....COME TO A FREE HISTORY WRITING WORKSHOP

2011-03-01T23:08:00.001Z

I'm running an all day workshop (starting at a civilised 10.30 am - it's Monday morning after all) that is part of a Heritage funded project to record and recreate the history of Tarner, the working class district in the centre of Brighton near the Pavilion.
Together we will look at the role of women in a world that's now vanished. The atmosphere will be warm and supportive - you don’t have to be an experienced writer to take part (or female!)
I chose the date because it is the day before international women's day which is celebrating its 100th birthday this year.

No need to book just turn up at Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project at 6 Tilbury Place, off Carlton Hill. Brighton BN2 0GY

Quotes for St David's Day

2011-03-01T10:17:00.002Z

Aneurin Bevan

Not even the apparently enlightened principle of the ‘greatest good for the greatest number’ can excuse indifference to individual suffering. There is no test for progress other than its impact on the individual.

Dylan Thomas

Go on thinking that you don't need to be read and you'll find that it may become quite true: no one will feel the need to read it because it is written for yourself alone; and the public won't feel any impulse to gate crash such a private party.

David Lloyd George

A politician is a person with whose politics you don't agree; if you agree with him he's a statesman.

Making a living as a writer when you haven't got a publishing deal

2011-03-01T00:05:00.000Z

This time last year Catherine Ryan Howard was trying to persuade someone to publish Mousetrapped, her non fiction account of a year working at Disney, Florida.
Twelves months on she still hasn't got a publishing deal.
She has, however, sold over 3000 copies of her self published book, made a modest income from writing and had a helluva journey along the way.
This isn't about writing.
It's about what you can do when the writing is done and the doors of agents and publishing companies are still closed.
Click on the title of this post and read Catherine's recent presentation to a writers' conference in Belfast and be inspired...

Flash NON Fiction competition with a great prize

2011-02-28T10:17:00.001Z

Arvon - the ground breaking residential creative writing course people - are offering a whole week away as first prize in their new competition.

Here's the details from their website (click on the title to go straight there).

Edith Wharton would compose in bed on a writing board propped upon her lap, while Roald Dahl conjured his creations in a shed at the bottom of his garden...

When we posed the question to some of our tutors, we had a fabulous response. Penelope Shuttle likes writing in the attic, Isy Suttie in a messy bedroom amidst dirty clothes, while Simon Armitage admits his favourite place to write is in his head.

Now we're inviting you to take part in Arvon's 2011 competition to win an Arvon week of your choice.

To enter, please send in a piece of flash fiction or poetry that describes your favourite writing place. The winning entry will be chosen by Sunday Times journalist Cathy Galvin.

Send your story on a postcard with your contact details to:

Postcard Competition

The Arvon Foundation

Free Word Centre

60 Farringdon Road

London, EC1R 3GA

Closing date is 21 May 2011.

Instead of an entry fee to take part in this competition, the Arvon Foundation would be grateful for a suggested donation of £5.00 to support its charitable work. Cheques should be made payable to The Arvon Foundation.

Where do you write?
Me? ...tried both the dedicated office at bottom of garden and corner of dining room table with the television blaring in the background ...when it's not working they are too cold, too warm, too isolated, too noisy...when it is working then I think anywhere I can plug the laptop will do.

Not convinced by Simon Armitage: writing in your head is not the same as writing on the page. One is creating, dreaming, gathering together the stuff that might eventually solidify into a poem or a sentence. One is clouds: the other is concrete.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING one small way of protesting

2011-02-28T09:36:00.000Z

I don't intend to use this blog as a platform for rants (although the temptation to just shriek what? you can not be serious! is often simmering beneath the surface...) but this is a petition I think we can all get behind because the EU has developed new regulations and the UK has yet to sign up to them. And it's especially relevant now because the Olympic Games are apparently going to be a wonderful money-making, misery-making opportunity for modern slave traders.

It doesn't bear thinking about, does it? But that's what we have to do.

The petition text:

Dear David Cameron and Nick Clegg,

Please guarantee the UK government opts in to the EU Directive on Human Trafficking to ensure that trafficking into and within the EU stops and that those involved are properly prosecuted. Please make sure that the UK opts in to new rules to help stop trafficking.

This petition has been organised by 38 Degrees and you can sign it by clicking on the title of this post. They are working with other organisations such as The Anti-Slavery International, the Independent on Sunday and ECPAT UK to convince the Coalition not to opt out of the new rules.

25043 people had signed when I put my name down...they are hoping for 40000.

A bit about the organsiation behind it

I have only just heard about 38 Degrees (thanks to an email from a friend) but it was launched in May 2009, inspired by the impact of groups like MoveOn.org in the United States, GetUp.org.au in Australia and Avaaz.org around the world. These groups have used the internet to allow nearly 9 million people to voice their concerns and 38 Degrees is bringing the same campaigning approach to the UK, making it quick and easy for people to take action.

Here are a few of the campaigns 38 Degrees have been working on:

I don't know if signing petitions or going on demonstrations achieves anything but I am convinced that it's better than doing nothing.

NEWS STORY or REGURGITATED PRESS RELEASE? There's a website that will help you tell the difference

2011-02-24T09:36:00.003Z

I have slightly mixed feelings about this as I occasionally teach a class on how to write a press release that is so like a 'proper' news story that it will get published just the way you've written it. Good PR is about getting the message across and winning those all important column inches, of course, and in the case of my students the message is usually something along the lines of local-author-signs-books-at-out-of-town-community-centre and they need all the help they can get to have anyone pop along who hasn't been bribed by the promise of a pint afterwards or is related by blood...
But what about the big stories? Are they the product of a journalist asking questions or a very biased press release?
You can find out by visiting Churnalism, an independant website set up by a media charity. (Click on the title of this post to go straight there.) All you have do is paste in any news story that raises your suspicions.
‘Churnalism’ is defined as a news article that is published as journalism, but is essentially a press release without much added.
I predict that we are going to see more and more churned out stories as staffing levels in editorial departments are slashed. And when it comes to things that matter we do need people to ask questions.

How to Kickstart Your Comedy Writing Career

2011-02-24T08:22:00.000Z

Many scriptwriters and comedian started their career by contributing ideas and one liners to topical sketch shows. The BBC have a new one starting in the summer and they will be actively seeking new writing each week. Newsjack takes a comical look at the week's news stories and the pilot will be broadcast on Thursday 4 June at 11pm on BBC Radio 7. The series proper will begin a fortnight later.

If you want to write for Newsjack, here are a few simple guidelines

    * Listen to the show. It will be available on iPlayer after broadcast.
    * Submit your material for each show on or before noon on Monday each week
    * Be funny
For more information click on the title of this post

Photo was taken in Brighton Sealife Centre in 2007 by AtomicShed - featured here under the wonderful creative commons license

BOOK REVIEW --- IF I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN by Niamh O’ Connor

2011-02-20T14:11:00.001Z

As the Crime Editor of Ireland’s biggest selling Sunday newspaper, Niamh O’Connor is writing about the gangs and deprived inner city tower locks she’s knows only too well from her day job. This a fast paced thriller with a very likable heroine. Jo Birmingham not only has a troubled teenage son but also a year old baby and she juggles career ambitions with single motherhood. The fact that her ex husband is also her boss doesn’t exactly help. In this novel she is on the track of a serial killer with a very detailed knowledge of scripture – nothing as basic as the seven deadly sins.

It takes a lot of hard work to be an easy read and this books slips down as easily a crème caramel. I would have liked a bit more stretch marks and worries about childcare but I like Jo and her ex husband comes across as edgy, sexy and attractive – attributes that are hard to communicate when all you have is words .

Niamh O’Connor feel very strongly about the way victims are treated and joins with Rape Crisis campaigners in arguing that they should have separate legal representation. As does Jo Birmingham who continually argues the case with government departments. It would have been more effective to have that issue developed as part of the story – show don’t tell – but perhaps she will do that in future novels.

Vote for the Oddest

2011-02-19T14:44:00.001Z

It's not the kind of literary award that makes an author's heart beat faster but last year's winner of The Diagram Prize (otherwise known as the odd book title competition) received a big sales boost because of the international attention.
For some reason, Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes, was selling only half a dozen copies a week in America before the award. Afterward it peaked at just under 100 copies in seven days (although I suspect sales have been a little uneven since then).
Now you have a chance to give another author the kind of publicity that money can't buy. This is the shortlist for the 31st annual award and if you click on the title of this post you will be taken to The Bookseller's website where you can cast your vote.
The Shortlist:
8th International Friction Stir Welding Symposium Proceedings
Various authors (TWI)
The Generosity of the Dead
Graciela Nowenstein (Ashgate)
The Italian's One-night Love Child
Cathy Williams (Mills & Boon)
Managing a Dental Practice the Genghis Khan Way
Michael R Young (Radcliffe)
Myth of the Social Volcano
Martin King Whyte (Stanford University Press)
What Color Is Your Dog?
Joel Silverman (Kennel Club)
I don't see how the Dental Practice one can win - it's far too good and this is a competition for UNintentional odd titles. Mr Young knew exactly what he was doing when he linked the Mongolian Emperor with mouth washes and root canal work. I don't think the Mills and Boon entry is odd enough: I am sure I read Bedded by the Italian Stallion when I was judging The Love Story of 2010 and surely that has far stronger claims...
I wondered if The Generosity of the Dead was another vampire romance but it turns out to be about organ donations in France. The Social Volcano is the idea that popular anger about inequality in China will erupt and topple the Communist Party. Mr King Whyte obviously doesn't think it will.

The dog book seemed the least promising until I found out it was about teaching readers to train their dog according to its "colour" personality.

Dogs apparently come in five colors. RED is "off the wall".... ORANGE is "high strung"..... YELLOW is "mellow yellow".... GREEN is "apprehensive".... BLUE is "skittish and very afraid". Actually it probably contains a lot of commonsense and is a just a new way of re-packaging the idea that one size does not fit all and training that suits one dog won't work for another.
I haven't the heart to find out what Friction Stir really is. (I'm ignoring the welding element.) I'm hoping it might be fiction with attitude...what do you think?

Romance and Holy Water

2011-02-18T09:41:00.000Z

If you're in Brighton on February 24 2011 you can catch author Michael Arditti reading from Jubilate at The Dome. It's his 8th novel and is the first set in the pilgrimage town of Lourdes since Zola wrote about it back in the 1890s. Jubilate is a tale of illicit love in extreme circumstances. The author's chosen an extraordinary setting and truth be told I am mad with myself for not thinking of it first..

I haven't read it yet but it definitely sounds like my kind of thing

And it's been getting some very good notices. Here's the last line from The Independent review:

Closing this novel after reading the last page, one briefly believes in miracles, at least of the human redemption kind.

By the way, I would recommend every last word ever written by Zola and at the beginning of his novel Lourdes there is a perfect example of flashback.
The opening scene is a crowded train of pilgrims en route to Lourdes and a priest reflects on why each of the passengers are making the journey - in essence an introduction to the main characters. The back stories are rich in detail but we never forget that we are rattling through the French countryside because every so often the priest's thoughts are interrupted: someone knocks against him, there's a train announcement, he is offered refreshment...so we have a perfect balance between the flashbacks and the 'now' of the story.
Read it if you want to see how flashbacks should be done.

A chance to be ebook published

2011-02-18T08:51:00.000Z

I've just heard about Espresso Books. It's a brand new ebook publisher set up by a fellow veteran of the Goldsmiths Creative Writing MA. (If you are thinking of doing a Masters in creative writing yourself feel free to drop me a line, I'd be happy to share my experiences...But I digress, this post is about getting your work out there to the people who really matter - readers).

Anyway, the wonderful thing about being brand new is that Espresso Books are hungry for new manuscripts. AND because they are publishing in digital format only, they pay 40% royalties on all sales.
This is what they have to say:

We publish commercial fiction and popular non-fiction, aimed at the mass market.

We normally want at least 10,000 words per ebook (you’re welcome to query us with something shorter, though). There’s no maximum word limit.

We’re looking for:

Short story collections (typically totalling around 20,000 words per collection)
Novellas in any genre
Full-length novels in any genre
Children’s fiction
Popular non-fiction, from 15,000 words upwards
Poetry collections

(If you’ve got something that doesn’t fit into any of those categories, drop us an email – submissions@espressobooks.com – and we’ll let you know if we’re interested.)

We’re particularly keen to promote new voices, so we accept unsolicited submissions.

Please follow these guidelines when preparing your work for submission:

Send all work as a .doc, .docx or .rtf attachment. (See our FAQ for help with this.) It doesn’t need to be double-spaced.
Send us at least the first 5,000 words of your novel/non-fiction book. You may send more – if you have a complete manuscript, send us the whole thing. For a short story collection, please send at least two complete stories. For a poetry collection, please send at least four poems.
Give us a brief synopsis of your entire novel, or an outline of your non-fiction book.
Let us know roughly how long the whole book is, in words (e.g. 60,000 words).
Please include any illustrations or diagrams. We cannot supply these.

We edit all the books we published, though we’ll give you a chance to approve our changes prior to publication. We’ll also produce a cover design for the ebook: let us know if you’d like to supply your own artwork.

We can only accept submissions by email. Please don’t send your work on disk or on paper through the post – we won’t read it and won’t be able to return it either.

Send all submissions to submissions@espressobooks.com with the word “Submission” and the title of your work included in the subject line.

Worth thinking about I think you'll agree....you can go to Espresso Books website by clicking on the title of this post...Good luck

On Blake's Steps

2011-02-15T22:41:00.001Z

An open poetry reading on the site of Blake's birth

with NAOMI FOYLE, NIALL McDEVITT and JEREMY REED

SPECIAL GUESTS INCLUDE: TYMON DOGG, SUSAN DE MUTH & AJDEHANY THE CHILDREN

The organisers say that all are welcome to perform.

Sunday Feb 2O at William Blake House, 8 Marshall Street, Soho, W1 (Oxford Circus tube) 2pm Free

N.B. On Blake's Steps is, as always, an outdoor event so dress inappropriately and bring your own scandalously cheap alcohol. (Blake doesn't care if it's an 'Alcohol Restriction Zone'). If the weather's biblical I gather that everyone will decamp to The John Snow on Broadwick Street.

"The Angel that presided o'er my birth

Said 'Little creature formed of Joy and Mirth,

Go Love without the help of any king on earth"