October 2008 Archives

The SELB library service are celebrating their 35th anniversary with a free to enter short story competition for all ages. Your stories should be on the subject of 'my library' and they can be based on a true event or fictional.

The Guardian's The Comic is running a competition for U.K children aged five to 16 to write their own thriller with helpful hints being provided by prizewinning children's author Patrick Ness. Winners will have their stories published on the Guardian's website and will receive a signed book and book tokens.

woman's weekly.bmp
I had my first woman's magazine short story back in yesterday's post, from Woman's Weekly. The story was one I'd written a while ago inspired by my second Dr Midas book.

I love BBC4 it is one of the best places to find documentaries and dramas about writers. At the moment they are focusing on romantic fiction. They rhave just showed 'In Love with Barbara' a drama about Barbara Cartland which I'm half way through watching and they have been repeating 'Reader I Married Him' a three-part look by Daisy Goodwin at romantic fiction.
You can also watch some of these shows on the BBC iplayer.

Scottish Book Trust is running a writing competition for all youngsters aged 12 to 16 - organisers tell me they've even had an entry from the Netherlands!

Prima magazine are looking for true "moving, inspiring or funny short stories" from readers. Please note this is not a fiction competition.
Winners receive a £200 prize and a one-year subscription to Prima, while two runners-up will also receive a subscription to Prima.
The Prima website says: "For the February issue, we're looking for your stories on the theme of love. The stories could be about finding unexpected love or going on a romantic date or something else that ties in with that time of year."
Stories must be no more than 500 words which you should email to yourwinningstory(at)natmags.co.uk
It looks like a new theme is set each month (January's was New Year) there is also no deadline set but I would imagine the sooner the better to make the magazine's own deadlines.

I've just discovered Sailing Today's third Annual Writing Competition, but there's only a week until deadline so you'll have to hurry.

Nestle's Munch Bunch have launched their first Munch Time Storytelling Competition to tie in with the launch of their new character Munch the Cow.

Got home last night to find Writers' Forum had returned my story for a second time - and worse still this time round I'd scored even less points.

You may have noticed but autumn has arrived - in fact at the moment it seems more like winter. It's dark when I wake up, dark when I'm going home and next week the clocks go back. Then there's the wind, rain and hailstone. I've already got my hat and gloves out. I love this time of year, I love Bonfire Night, Hallowe'en and of course - whisper it - Christmas is approaching. All very inspiring for short stories.