The biggest prize in the world for a short story
This writing competition has it all. It is free. It is international. Entries can have already been published. Entries can be up to 6000 words long. First prize is £30,000 … Continue reading
Do we hate short stories in the UK?
You would be forgiven for thinking that’s true because very, very few collections are published by British publishers. But hold, I hear you say: I like reading short stories…(you did … Continue reading
Short stories explode – novels smoke, says Paolo Bacigalupi Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes)
Short fiction seems more targeted – hand grenades of ideas, if you will. When they work, they hit, they explode, and you never forget them. Long fiction feels more like … Continue reading
International short story competition
Le me be frank, the prizes on offer in the Willesden Herald short story competition won’t raise your blood pressure. 1st prize is a one-off Willesden Herald mug inscribed “The … Continue reading
A writing competition about England’s future
The website England’s Future History is looking for short stories between 500 and 3000 words set in England at any point in the future. The organisers are clear what they … Continue reading
Come up with an orginal story idea in three easy steps – a creative writing exercise to start the week
I came up with this writing exercise when I was on holiday recently and overheard someone say that the first idea isn’t always the best idea. The exercise worked for … Continue reading
A Short Story is a like a knife…Michael Swanwick Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes)
A short story…can be held in the mind all in one piece. It’s less like a building than a fiendish device. Every bit of it must be cunningly made and … Continue reading
What a good short story should do — Alice Munro Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes)
I want my stories to be something about life that causes people to say, not, oh, isn’t that the truth, but to feel some kind of reward from the writing, … Continue reading
A CHAIN STORY for you to write….your go next
Same rules as last time…write up to two sentences at a time (and remember that Go! is a perfectly good sentence). You can have as many turns as you like … Continue reading
Writing about the beast within – get your pens out for this unusual competition
The more humanity advances, the more it is degraded (the always cheerful) Gustave Flaubert I’m posting news about this writing competition because of the subject you have to tackle – … Continue reading
Write a Short Story for Radio
Carried in Waves is a short story competition for radio organised by University College Cork. The brief is wide: the story can be on any subject, written in any style, … Continue reading
What women writers need…Lorrie Moore Quotes for Writes ( and people who like quotes)_
If I had a staff of even one person, or could tolerate a small amphetamine habit, or entertain the possibility of weekly blood transfusions, or had been married to Vera … Continue reading
Write for BBC Radio
Once a year a window opens for new writers with no experience of radio to submit a short story to Opening Lines – BBC Radio 4’s showcase for short stories. … Continue reading
10 things Hilary Mantel knows about writing Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes)
This list is an extract from a post by Hilary Mantel, the international bestselling author, and seems like a good and thought-provoking way to start the new year. It originally … Continue reading
BRIDGET WHELAN writer 