High time for a fresh round-up, I feel. Here are the novel competitions currently open for entries, with a wide variety of prizes and judges. They range from established awards like the Bridport Prize to newcomer the Cheshire Novel Prize (which ambitiously promises feedback on every single entry!). Entering competitions like this can be a… Read More Novel competitions for 2022
[UPDATED 17/1/22] Happy New Year, happy new writing opportunities. January seems as good a time as any to plot world domnation through words. If nothing else, it can be useful to set deadlines in order to actually finish some the many drafts languishing in your files. And some competition organisers are so forward-thinking, you could… Read More Short story competitions 2022
Dear reader, I hope your Christmas has been a happy, or at least restful one. Like so many others, my household has had a visit from the Covid fairy (the worst one), but we’re making the best of it even if the festive antigen tests are outnumbering the selection boxes. I almost didn’t bother doing… Read More A farewell to 2021
Just a quick post to say how chuffed I am to be included in a new anthology of work showcasing Cork writers. Cork Words 2 is edited by Patricia Looney, on behalf of Cork City Libraries, and was published this week. It contains poetry, prose and non-fiction contributions by fifty writers including such talents as… Read More Cork Words 2 anthology
I usually confine my blog to writing-related matters. It’s a learning-to-write blog, after all. But sometimes there’s that yearning to express something more personal, and I’m lucky to have a forum where I can share my thoughts. Today was the funeral of my beloved uncle Tim. He was 82, and had been in deteriorating health… Read More A tribute
Today, November 13, is World Kindness Day and is a fitting date for the publication of the Everyday Kindness anthology. I’m proud to have a short story in this wonderful book edited by crime writer LJ Ross, featuring the work of 55 writers. All of the stories have been chosen to uplift and inspire, and… Read More Publication day for Everyday Kindness
Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know that I’m a huge fan of Fiction at the Friary, a monthly literary salon that takes place here in Cork. It is hosted by award-winning writers Danielle McLaughlin and Madeleine D’Arcy, and features a different guest author each month talking about their work, along with an optional… Read More Fiction at the Friary Q&A with Madeleine D’Arcy
Hello fellow writers, I hope you’re all writing away mad, as we say in Cork. I, on the other hand, am mad that I’m not writing away, having hit something of a wall with my current WIP (book 2). It was going great guns. I recently completed an excellent Curtis Brown Creative three-month novel course… Read More Getting unstuck with NaNoWriMo
Sharing your writing, particularly for the first time, is terrifying. What if early readers confirm your suspicions that your half-formed ideas are stupid? Yet the best way to grow as a writer is to seek outside opinions, and every work-in-progress needs another pair of eyes at some point, no matter how experienced you are. The… Read More 6 things I’ve learned about getting feedback
One of the most daunting elements of writing groups, classes or workshops is that you’re required to critique other people’s work as part of the learning process. There’s more to this than simply saying what you think. It’s often a delicate balancing act of being helpful but tactful. So this blog post is aimed at… Read More 6 things I’ve learned about giving feedback
Word herding 