writing
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Well, this Monday certainly came round far too quickly. I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Here’s a new challenge for you: Write a story or poem on the theme Flashback. Last week’s theme was Darkness. There were some fantastic pieces: I’ve really missed Keith Channing‘s limericks so it’s great to see him back: Distinguishing…
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Competition Time! Thank you to all of you who took part in the first of my mini-competitions. The results can be read here, if you missed them. I’m now looking at running my next mini-competition, but I’m not quite sure of the theme to set. So, that’s where you come in. What theme would you like to…
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This week’s market is for the novelists. The Exeter Novel Prize is open until 1st January. They’re looking for the first 10,000 words of an uncontracted novel, together with its synopsis. All genres are accepted bar children’s. Prizes: 1st: £500 + a trophy Runners-up: £75 + a trophy Entry fee: £18 To find out more,…
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Happy Monday! Here’s a little challenge for you: Write a story or poem on the theme of darkness. How you interpret the theme is up to you. Last week, your challenge was to write about the cold. Here are your interesting and entertaining pieces: Jason Moody‘s story is superb: Jessica woke with a start and…
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I hope the start of a new week is going well for you. Here’s a little challenge for you: Write a story or poem on the theme of the cold. It doesn’t have to be about the weather; you can interpret the theme any way you like. Last week’s challenge was for you to write…
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My market for you this week is for both short story writers and poets. The Magic Oxygen Literary Prize is open for entries into both competitions. You have plenty of time to enter; the closing date isn’t until 31st December 2016. It’s certainly worth entering, as you’ll see from the prizes on offer. The prizes…
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Happy Monday to you all! I hope you had a good weekend. The thing that struck me when I went out over the weekend, was the glorious colours of the leaves – the rusts, mustards, golds, reds etc. So my new challenge is for you to write a poem or story on the theme of…
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Well, I can’t do much about the election result, but I can spread a little cheer among a few of you. A few weeks ago, I set my first mini-competition (a flash fiction story on the theme of The Discovery). I was overwhelmed by the number of entries I had and the quality of the…
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On Thursday, I quoted Barbara Poelle: “If you’re struggling with a character, write 20 things that the reader will never know about your character. These will naturally bleed into your writing and provide a richness even though you don’t share the detail”. I’m always encouraging my students to work on character biographies. Knowing your characters…
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Welcome to my Friday Guest Writer Spot. This week’s guest writer is someone who has appeared on my blog a few times. Murray Clarke certainly has a talent for a cracking story, so sit back and enjoy his Guy Fawkes tale. Here’s a little bit about him: Murray Clarke has a real passion for writing…
