[UPDATED 13/5/22] 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
Eagle-eyed readers may have spotted one or two mentions of Cork literary salon Fiction at the Friary on this blog in the past. Among the many interesting people I’ve met there is Cork-based writer Catherine Kirwan. The very first time we spoke, Catherine had just had some interesting news about a manuscript she had tentatively… Read More Darkest Truth author Q&A
…so where was I? Oh yes, this writing malarkey. I took a break from it recently in order to dedicate more time to eating toast while staring out windows. That’s been going pretty well, so I feel I can now turn my attentions back to my Google Docs. Can’t say I’m too thrilled with what… Read More The unweekly herding: toast and fresh pastures
Mickey Donnelly is a 10-year-old boy living in the Ardoyne area of Belfast at the height of the Troubles. The Good Son spans a difficult summer where he dreads starting secondary school in the autumn. He’s justifiably terrified at the prospect of having to go to brutal St Gabriel’s school because his mother can’t afford to send him to the more… Read More The Good Son by Paul McVeigh reviewed
It’s been a bit of a mad week, and I have to keep asking people what day it is because I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. As a result, there are just two items on the agenda for the regular round-up of writing-related articles. Both popped up on my Twitter feed, but I lost… Read More The weekly herding: better late than never
Word herding 