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WLW Meeting 14/05/2013

This week’s meeting saw a small turn out of five people. However, it meant that everyone got feedback on their work.

At the next meeting author Gillian Galbraith will be delivering a workshop on how to add tension and mystery to your writing.

The five pieces read tonight were:

*Eagle Falls –  a novel extract from John. Elir journeys down the mountain Torvel Aranthor.

*Hands – a poem by Sally about how hands change over time.

*untitled - a piece of flash fiction by Stephen. A bored man is pulled into a painting

*Soul Rider – Eric’s novel extract. Bibi has dinner with a man she has only just met.

*The Complete History of Everything – the third part of Chris’ humorous take on history covering the Scottish Wars of independence and the Roman Empire splitting into two.

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The 50 Word Fiction Competition

No Entry Do Not Knock On This Door

Image belongs to Average Jane

Now I wouldn’t normally do this but John asked so nicely tonight I thought I would make an exception!

As you may know, the Scottish Book Trust hold a 50 Word Fiction Competition every month. This month you have to write a 50 word story in the genre of Science Fiction and you can use the picture to the right to inspire you.

Only you have written your story send it to lynsey.rogers@scottishbooktrust.com by Monday the 20th of May. Entries are welcome in Gaelic and Scots as well as English. Please read the Terms and Conditions before entering.

 The winner will be published on the Scottish Book Trust Website and will receive a lovely Novel Poster from The Literary Gift Company

 

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National Flash Fiction Day

On the 22nd of June 2013 it is National Flash Fiction Day. To celebrate this day a number of things are happening but first, what is the flash fiction. The answer is:

The term Flash Fiction was first coined back in 1992 and can be used to describe any piece of prose under 1000 words although everyone has their own limits.

First of all the National Flash Fiction Day website is looking for submissions to this year’s anthology. The deadline is the 20th of May (this Friday!) but if you have something which has been inspired by other forms of art. The rest of the details are as follows:

  • Word count: 500 word maximum.
  • Deadline: Midnight GMT on Friday 17th May 2013.
  • Submissions: Please paste your stories into the body of an email and send to nffdanthology@gmail.com. Maximum of 2 stories per writer, and please send them in the same email.
  • Small Print: No simultaneous submisions or previously published work, please. However, work previously posted on your own blog or website is fine.

Alongside this Blind Poetics, Illicit Ink, Inky Fingers and Writers’ Bloc are holding a National Flash Fiction Day event in Edinburgh on the 22nd June 2013.

To be apart of the event send up to three stories that have conflict, emotion and impact to nffd.submissions@gmail.com by midnight on Saturday 8th June. Submissions should be in the following formats:

  • RTF files, preferred format
  • Microsoft Word files
  • PDFs
  • text files

For more info check out the National Flash Fiction Day Blog.

Finally, WLW will be holding our own event on the 25th of June, the closest meeting to National Flash Fiction Day. To take part simply bring a piece of prose writing 500 words or shorter. How difficult can it be?

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Five Places Looking for Submissions

The problem with not updating the website for a while is you get massive posts like this one. Here is a five different places looking for your work. They will be listed in date order so keep looking down. You might find a place that is perfect for your work!

Futurespark: a festival that showcases emerging new writing talent. (Deadline 20th of May)

How It Ended Productions are looking for writers of any age or experience to submit 10 minutes plays, which if selected will be allocated a professional director and performed in front of a live audience at the UK Centre for Carnival Arts in Luton, on the 11th and 12th July 2013.

All plays must be inspired, however indirectly, on the Festiveal theme of Carnival

  • Your piece must be no longer than 10 minutes in duration.
  • Basic sound/lighting and minimal props.
  • Extracts or adaptation will not be accepted.
  • Attach your work in a PDF or Word document.

For more info visit the How It Ended Productions Website and to submit your work email futurespark@howitended.co.uk

Far Off Places (Deadline 30th of June)

Submissions are now open for Issue III of Far Off Places. The theme is Under the Bed and will be released in the run up to Halloween so keep that in mind, but it doesn’t have to about that!

If you wish to submit your work to Far Off Places email submissions@faroffplaces.org as a Microsoft Word or plain text-document, or in the body of a sanely-formatted email.

They’ll publish short writing in a variety of forms, including poetry, flash fiction, and short-form prose. You’re welcome to submit up to three poems or one piece of prose. All written submissions may be subject to a (short! friendly!) editorial process.

Poetry should be no more than 40 lines. We accept prose of up to 2000 words. Authors and illustrators retain all copyright to their works. We’ll happily accept submissions which have been previously self-published, e.g. on your own website or blog.

Rich Fabric II (Deadline 1st of July 2013)

Charity anthology Rich Fabric are looking for submissions of the below for their next edition. All profits are donated to the Twilight Wish Foundation (similar to Make a Wish, but benefits Senior Citizens) :

  • Short stories
  • Memoirs
  • Historical essays
  • Poems
  • Black and white photos
  • Original Drawings/Sketches

There doesn’t seem to be a theme so go wild. As a payment they’ll send you one paperback copy of the anthology. You keep all the rights to your work.

Email any questions or submissions to melindamcguirewrites@yahoo.com

The Treacle Well (Deadline 26th of July 2013)

The Treacle Well are now looking for submissions to their 2nd edition. This time the theme is Wastelands.

They are looking for writing that is unexpected and which looks at the world in a slightly different way. We accept prose, poetry and script extracts. Please follow the guidelines below:

  •  Submissions should be no more than 2000 words.
  • We’re happy to accept multiple submissions but please don’t send us more than three stories/poems/scripts at a time. Please also be aware that if you send us more than one submission it is unlikely that we will choose to   publish more than one of them. This is so that we can promote as many different writers as possible.
  • We’re after work that is currently unpublished. So please don’t send us anything that has been published previously elsewhere.
  • Please send your work in a word document or pdf file and remember to give your work a title. Please don’t use the theme as the title for your piece (ie. Don’t simply call it ‘Wastelands’). This is to save us confusion, but also because it makes your work stand out more.

Send your submissions to thetreaclewell.submissions@gmail.com

The Fairy Tale Review (Deadline 1st of August 2013)

The Emerald Issue, the 10th annual edition of Fairy Tale Review, to feature work inspired by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. They are seeking poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, drama, scholarship, research, artwork that imaginatively explores Oz ephemera; from creative retellings/revisions of the Oz tales (whether the literary series or the classic film, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2014) to work inspired/influenced by all the many things that make up the Wizard’s Oz and Dorothy’s Kansas. We have a particular interest in a green interpretation: work that references the environment and the role of nature (from cyclones to gemstones).

All submissions will be responded to by September 1, 2013 .They will consider only previously unpublished material. In cases of translation to English please provide proof of permission to translate and/or indicate public domain material.

Submit to: http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/fairytalereview/ Please submit Word .doc, .rtf, or .pdf files.

For more information please check out the submissions page of the Fairy Tale Review Website.

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Story Games & Ideas

Want to write but stuck for an idea? Try some of these get Story Games and Ideas from short story writer Kirsty Logan on the Ideas Tap website:

  1. The Dictionary Game – select five words from the dictionary (or use a random word generator) and then write a one-paragraph story idea that uses all five words. If you have friends who write, play this with them – it’s always fun to compare ideas afterwards, especially if you get words like “polyp”, “yeti” and “underwear”, which are very hard to fit together!
  4. Take an existing story, such as a fairytale or myth, and change the time or place – for example, Red Riding Hood in a housing estate or Odysseus in virtual reality. Use the existing structure of a story and combine it with your own ideas and voice to create something fresh.
  5. Explore outdated theories on science, religion, or society – check out anchorites, maternal impression and the hour of the wolf as a start, because there are great potential stories there.
  6. Let your mind wander when you’re listening to music – misheard song lyrics can provide unusual word combinations or unexpected contrasts of images.
  7. Look through these Google Street View photos – some are funny, some are creepy and some are just weird, but each one is a story waiting to be told.

Why not bring along your new stories to the next meeting of WLW and get some feedback on them?

Kirsty Logan writes fiction, edits a literary magazine, teaches creative writing, and reviews books. Story Games and Ideas was first published on Ideas Tap on the 4th of July 2011.

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WLW Meeting 30/04/2013

Sorry for the amount of time it has taken me to post about this meeting. Due to an overdose of cake and a busy time at work (you work out which one is most likely reason!) there hasn’t been an update for a while. However, here it is:

This week saw nine people turn up to our meeting plus AGM. This included Anne’s brother Douglas who was up visiting from England. The minutes from the AGM haven’t been written up yet a new committee has been elected. Stephen and Eric are continuing as Chair and Treasurer respectively. However, John stood down as Secretary to be replaced by Anne. Well done to Anne!

When the AGM was finished three pieces were read. They were:

*Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves – a short story by Chris. Joe the trucker meets Norma Jane on his way to Carson City

*Bridezilla – the second part of Mary’s novel. Claire is having to fix a wedding dress for a rather large customer.

*Edinburgh 1625 - the opening to Douglas’ novel. Olsten stands on the edge of Edinburgh Castle and looks out over the Nor Loch.

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7 Types of Narrative Conflict

We all know that all writing is based on conflict. A story would be very boring if there was no arguing of any kind. Knowing what conflict you are writing about can help you focus your story as well as know what rules to break. Daily Writing Tips have listed the 7 Types of Narrative Conflict (according to them!) :

  1. Person vs. Fate/God
  2. Person vs. Self
  3. Person vs. Person
  4. Person vs. Society
  5. Person vs. Nature
  6. Person vs. Supernatural
  7. Person vs. Technology

Head over to the Daily Writing Tips website to read the reason behind each choice.

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What Makes A Great Screenplay?

Producer John Yorke has involved in some of the most popular British TV dramas over the past couple of years. A couple of months ago he talked to the Guardian newspaper about What Makes A Great Screenplay. Yorke believes the key ingredients are:

  •  The Protagonist
  • The Antagonist
  • The Desire
  • External and Internal Desire
  • The Inciting Incident
  • The Journey
  • The Crisis
  • The Climax
  • The Resolution
  • Putting It Altogether
  • Tragedy

John Yorke is a British television producer. who is the current Controller of BBC Drama Production. What Makes A Great Screenplay was appeared in the Guardian news paper on the 15th of March 2013.

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Many Competitions

We have four great competitions here for you (listed in closing date order) Always check out their website before you enter to make sure you for fill their rules.

Munch Time Story Writing Competition 2013 (closing date 31st of May)

Munch Bunch are running a competition for children’s authors. All you have to do is come up with an original children’s story, of your own creation, between 600-800 words, which begins with the opening line: “Once upon a Munch Time, there was a cow called Munch…”

There are no limitations on what your story can be about; in fact we are encouraging you to let your imagination run away with you, just don’t include any other well known cartoon or fairy tale characters.
How to Enter
Fill in the form you can find here along with in less than 50 words what was the inspiration behind their entry and why they should win. See full terms and conditions for more details.
Ten shortlisted stories will be published at www.munchtime.co.uk for open voting from 1st July 2013 to midnight on 1st August 2013. The winners and runners up will be notified by 7th August 2013.

V. S. Pritchett Memorail Prize (closing date the 13th of June 2013)
The Royal Society of Literature has announced that the fourteenth V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize for best unpublished short story of the year is now open to submissions.
The winning author will be awarded a prize of £1,000, and the short story will be published in Prospect online and in the annual magazine, the RSL Review. In addition to this, there will be an opportunity to appear at an RSL event with established short story writers in autumn 2013.
This year’s judges are award-winning short story writers Adam Foulds, Jackie Kay and Helen Simpson.

Entry forms can be downloaded from the RSL website. The closing date for entries is 13 June 2013, and all submissions should be posted with the £5 administrative fee to:

V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize
Royal Society of Literature
Somerset House
Strand
London WC2R 1LA

Further details are available at the RSL website.

Apocalyptic/Dystopian Short Story Contest (closing date 30th of June 2013)
How do you think the world will end? Almond Press are looking for works of literary fiction on that subject with a word count of no more than 5,000 (no minimum). The more original the depiction, the more vivid the imagery, the better. They want to be intrigued and mystified. Scary, macabre, frightening – whatever your style, do your best to intrigue and captivate.
First prize is £100. All shortlisted entries will be collected and published in a collection.
To submit your entry email them to contest@almondpress.co.uk attached as either a Word doc file, or a plain txt file. Also include your name and address and a short, single sentence synopsis of your story. No more than two entries are allowed per person. It is free to enter. Please read their terms and conditions before entering.

Ó Bhéal Five Word Poetry Competition (closing date January 2014)

Each week on Tuesday at midday (GMT), from the 16th of April 2013, five words are posted on the Ó Bhéal website. Entrants then have one week to compose and submit poems that must include all five words. At noon next Tuesday, these words will no longer be eligible, and replaced with five new words. The competition will run for a total of forty weeks, until the last week of January 2014.

A prize of 500 euro will be awarded to one winner, and if available, then invited to read at Ó Bhéal’s seventh anniversary event, on Monday 14th of April, 2014 (an additional travel fee of 100 euro plus B&B accommodation will be provided for this). The shortlisted poems and winning entry will also be published in Five Words Vol VII – the next annual anthology of five word poems, launched at the same event.

A panel of poets from the Ó Bhéal board will adjudicate, and a shortlist of twelve poems including the overall winner will be announced during the first week of March, 2014.

Entry is open to all countries. Poems cannot exceed 50 lines in length (including line breaks), and must include all five words listed during this week. There is no limit on submission quantities, although each payment and submission will need to be made separately. Entries to be sent no later that 12pm on Tuesday.

Submissions carry a 5 euro entrance fee. Please email poems to fivewords@obheal.ie

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10 Ways to Avoid Cliches and Stereotypes

No one likes cliched writing but how do you make sure that your writing escapes the cliches and stereotypes? Thankfully Richard Thomas over at Litreactor has produced a list of 10 Ways to Avoid Cliches and Stereotypes. They are:

  1.  Do the Opposite
  2. Select Unique Words and Phrases
  3. Write Strong Women
  4. Use Inciting Incidents and Focus on the Grotesque
  5. Create Unique Characters and Situations
  6. Change Your Format
  7. Set it in the Future
  8. Challenge Conventions
  9. Leave it Open-ended
  10. Be Realistic

Head over to Litreactor to read the reasons behind each of the 10 Ways to Avoid Cliches and Stereotypes. Richard Thomas has published over forty stories online and in print. His debut novel Transubstantiate was released in July of 2010. 10 Ways to Avoid Cliches and Stereotypes was first published on the Litreactor website on the 11th of April 2013.