Esther Chilton

  • Last week, I gave you a picture prompt: Often this gets the creative juices going and it certainly did for Geoff Le Pard. He sent in this simply stunning piece of writing, which I just had to share. Sit back, read and be inspired: Two Become One They stopped the chair to let him look…

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  • Top Tip Of The Week

    Check, check and re-check! This week’s tip is a reminder for you on the perils of not checking your work. I always leave my stories and articles for a few days before going back over them and I’ve been amazed at the silly mistakes I’ve made. Nod if you’re with me here – they range…

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  • My Weekly Writing Challenge

    Well, some of you certainly enjoyed last week’s writing challenge – Keith Channing! Scroll down to read some simply brilliant limericks. This week’s writing challenge will gradually wean Keith off the limericks – it’s for a rhyming poem. Not every line has to rhyme, but they can if you like. It can be as short…

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  • Markets For Writers

    My market for you this week (especially for Keith Channing!) is a limerick competition. The Writers Bureau/Freelance Market News are holding a competition for the best limerick. £100 goes to the winner, plus a Writers Bureau course of his/her choice. There are also two runner-up prizes of £50 plus a subscription to Freelance Market News.…

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  • I’d like to see someone try:

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  • Sometimes the words and ideas for a story just won’t come. But see a photo, or word and suddenly your mind is alive with possibilities. Today, I give you an image of a secret garden as a prompt. Who you add to the garden is up to you. You could write a children’s story and…

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  • Top Tip Of The Week

    Turning a Negative into a Positive A few years ago, editors used to send rejection letters. Some would be standard and others would be personal and offer some helpful advice about why the submission wasn’t suitable. Nowadays, many editors don’t even seem to have the time to send a standard rejection. So, if you do…

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  • My Weekly Writing Challenge

    This week’s challenge is a fun one and it’s one I’ve set before – the beloved limerick! Here’s a reminder of how to write one:Traditional limericks have five lines, where the first, second and fifth lines rhyme, with seven to ten syllables in each line. The third and fourth lines rhyme with each other and…

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  • Markets For Writers

    My market for you this week is Words Magazine. It’s a magazine, which holds regular, free to enter, short story competitions. All entries are considered for publication in the magazine and there are small cash prizes for first and second placed stories. The maximum word length for stories is 2000 words. To find out about…

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  • I don’t think this company are quite all they’re cracked up to be:

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