[UPDATED 1/6/21] Happy New Year to you all – how’s it going so far? I’ve been sitting on a UK and Ireland flash fiction competition list for a while, waiting for several regular ones to be announced, but a lot still seem to be in hibernation. This is understandable when times are so uncertain, particularly… Read More Flash fiction competitions 2021
[Updated 4/11/20] This year has been so devoid of normal structure that it doesn’t feel like we could possibly be in Autumn already, and yet here we are. The new calender is measured in competition deadlines, so here is a fresh crop for your diary. And the flash fiction competitions below are largely quarterly ones,… Read More Flash fiction competitions September-December
Please excuse all the ‘me-me-me’ news, but things have a way of happening together. Today I have a new flash published in Ellipsis zine. I’m pretty excited about it because I love the consistently good work featured in this literary journal. But I’ve also been a bit anxious about the timing and how it would… Read More ‘Sing Hope from Rooftops’ in Ellipsis zine
I’m at the final stages of the novel at the moment, working on feedback, and it’s proving a right old battle because one of the characters isn’t coming together as I’d like. I’ve spent the past few days staring cluelessly at my screen, wondering whether I can pull off this writing lark at all. So… Read More Best British & Irish Flash Fiction list 2019/2020
From time to time, I do a round-up of competitions that have no entry fees because heaven knows it’s a costly business. Right at the moment, there aren’t that many available, but I think the list below is nonetheless an interesting mix. I’ll add to it as and when new opportunities arise, and I hope… Read More Free-to-enter competitions 2020
It’s been a while since I’ve had something published, but today a flash fiction of mine has appeared in UK literary journal Ellipsis zine. ‘Saviour’ is a theatrical tale about the joys of auditioning, told with something of a Greek chorus slant. It originated as a writing class exercise on voice, and I was interested… Read More ‘Saviour’ in Ellipsis zine
Where would today’s emerging writers be without Twitter? It’s a wonderful forum for promoting your work, not to mention connecting with like-minded people on an international level. One of the writers I’ve come to know virtually is UK-based Laura Besley, whose debut collection has been published in the past week amid very challenging times for… Read More The Almost Mothers Q&A
[Updated 3/5/20] It’s been a while since I featured a flash fiction competition list, so here are some interesting things coming up. A few of these competitions push the boat out in terms of the micro form, asking for collections of flashes that work together as a whole. Could yield some very interesting results. As… Read More Flash fiction competitions 2020
Online literary journals are wonderful. Fact. From a readers’ perspective, they’re easily accessible, free to read and – for the most part – packed with quality writing. For writers, they offer an opportunity to get work out into the world (often for the first time), the confidence boost of an acceptance and a credit to… Read More A couple of Best Microfiction 2020 nominations
Today I have a flash published in UK literary journal Lunate. It’s called ‘Mind Games’, and it’s about the worst type of hypnotist. Lunate is a new journal, but the work they’ve been publishing over the past few months is of such consistently high quality that it: 1) inspired me to aim high by trying… Read More ‘Mind Games’ published in Lunate Fiction
Word herding 