It Doesn’t Have to Start with Stealing – AI and Writers
The Society of Authors is calling on the British Government to protect and enforce UK copyright law. It’s not arguing we should turn our back on AI, just that the … Continue reading
A Quick Tour of 2026 Booker Longlist – Each Book Described in 40 Words or less.
I SET MYSELF this task because, not only was it good practice (Kate Mosse says we ought to follow the example of musicians and practise writing in the same way … Continue reading
I Have Fallen in Love With The New Irish Passport
The 2026 design celebrates the wildlife, landscapes and seasons of Ireland, and includes poetry in Irish and English by Eavan Boland, Biddy Jenkinson, Thomas Beggs and Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe. The … Continue reading
Writers, Be In It AND Win It
How just entering a competition can help your writing career International Short Story, Flash Fiction and Poetry Competition MANY WRITERS have made a successful career out of entering competitions, not … Continue reading
A Great End to a Writing Course
I finished teaching a four week Writing History course at The Regency Town House last Friday and having Norma Curtis and Edward Milner as guest speakers was a great way … Continue reading
Free Audiobooks Today for Millions
AUDIOBOOKS are part of my regular reading diet. In fact it is a rare day when I don’t listen. I listen when I am walking, gardening and doing those essential … Continue reading
Getting Books into Bookshops – Sometimes there’s a Problem
I met thriller writer Jack Chandler on a Menorca writing retreat a couple of years ago. She has been in touch asking for support for a petition to help self-published … Continue reading
Forget The Booker, Make Sure You Enter The Rooker Book Competition
I’ve just heard about the nicest writing competition I have ever come across, run by what sounds like the nicest football club. It’s an annual competition run by Lewes FC. … Continue reading
Opening Pages — A Podcast from Mercia Press
From a cosy bookshop in Cork City comes voices from Ireland’s oldest independent publishing house. In free podcasts Mercier Press authors read their opening pages, sharing the stories behind their … Continue reading
A Generous Irish Short Story Competition for Anyone, Anywhere
The Moth Short Story Prize is an international prize, open to anyone from anywhere in the world, as long as their story is original and previously unpublished. The winning story … Continue reading
Writing History in a Regency Kitchen
Join me in a three week course for fiction writers, historians and absolute beginners Designed for beginners, emerging writers and authors wanting to explore a new field, you will be … Continue reading
Brilliant Opportunity for Disabled Writers at the Start of their Writing Career
Curtis Brown Creative is offering a free nine-month mentoring programme to four aspiring disabled authors. You can be at any stage of your writing career from just starting to having … Continue reading
What scares you? Talk, Discuss, Create
Emma Dalrymple, a former psychology lecturer, contacted me recently to ask if she could to use some of the exercises in Back to Creative Writing School at an event she … Continue reading
The Dragon’s Den for Writers – Ireland’s Novel Fair for Unpublished Novelists
The Novel Fair in Dublin is an annual event that all emerging writers should have in their sights. Entries are welcome from anywhere in the world as long as you can make the February Fair online or in-person.
BRIDGET WHELAN writer 