• I Challenge You To…

    You know how you’re sitting there, staring out the window, when an idea starts to form in your mind? Well, the idea for a new weekly series started to form in mine – an ‘I Challenge You To…’ series. So here’s the first one: I Challenge You To… Write 5 mini-stories in 20, 30, 40,…

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  • Markets For Writers

    The ChipLitFest Short Story Competition has two categories – one for stories of up to 2500 words and one for stories up to 5000 words. Here are some more details for you: Prizes: 1st: £500 2nd: £100 3rd: £50 The three winning stories will also be published on the ChipLitFest website, together with author photos…

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  • I love the blackboards you often see outside a pub or restaurant. They usually have something funny on them. Here’s the first one in my new series and the second. Now for the third…

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  • Welcome to the sixth instalment in my latest writing series. Each week, I give you an idea – whether it’s a magazine to write for, a theme for a short story, the opening line of a poem…Here are the first , second , third , fourth and fifth in the series. This week, it’s  the…

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  • Guest Writer Spot

    It is with great pleasure that I welcome the wonderful Jane Risdon to my Guest Writer Spot, with this super article about her incredible writing journey. Decades of Patience. This past week has seen the culmination of more than 5 years working on a novel with my co-author Christina Jones. It seems such a long…

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  • When you’re working hard on your novel, or writing an article, or short story, do you ever find your mind going off at a tangent, and all sorts of quirky ideas start rushing in? I was writing a short story, which was actually quite serious in nature when, bizarrely, the following children’s tale came into…

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  • Markets For Writers

    The Writers Bureau‘s annual short story competition is now open for entries. The closing date is 31st March 2018. Here are the all-important details for you: Word limit: Up to 2000 words Prizes: 1st: £300 2nd: £200 3rd: £100 4th: £50 Plus, all winners receive a Writers Bureau Course of their choice, worth over £374.…

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  • Have you ever noticed a blackboard outside a pub or restaurant? They usually have something amusing on them. Here’s the first one in my new series and now for the second:

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  • Welcome to the fifth instalment in my latest writing series. Each week, I give you an idea – whether it’s a magazine to write for, a theme for a short story, the opening line of a poem…Here are the first , second , third and fourth in the series. This week, it’s the fifth part…

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  • Guest Writer Spot

    It’s good to be back with my first Guest Writer spot for 2018. I’d like to welcome Ana Daksina for the first time. She’s written a tanka. If you like her poem, as I’m sure you will, please visit her blog for more: timelessclassics.wordpress. One of the Missing By Ana Daksina   Where were you,…

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