Thursday, 20 of June 2013
COMPETITIONS
Short Story and Poetry -Entry Fee £5, Prizes £500, £200 and £100 plus a local
prize of £100
Judges - Della Galton (Short Stories) and Sean Borodale (Poetry)
Crime Novel (our fastest growing competition) Prize – introduction to a publisher plus £100
Judge – Janet Laurence
Closing Date
31st July 2013
For full details please visit our website (www.wellslitfest.org.uk) or phone
01749678411
In association with Birmingham Museums Trust, Pow-Wow is offering a series of writing workshops during 2013,
combining practical, constructive advice, discussion and exercises on various aspects of the art of writing, with opportunities to discover and be inspired
by Birmingham’s treasures: the city’s historic buildings, beautiful artworks and fascinating artefacts.
To ensure that participants get individual attention and support, places for each workshop are strictly limited.
Book early to avoid disappointment! (click on the title of the workshop to book tickets)
Getting your novel off the ground
25th May, 10-4pm, £30
If you have always wanted to write a novel, but can’t get started, or have tried but ground
to a halt, then this is the workshop for you. We will be startled and stimulated by the extraordinary Aladdin’s Cave which is the Museum Collections
Centre. Then we will study the process of novel writing: its different stages, how to find the time, how to keep going when it gets difficult, how to avoid
the traps where novels sink and die. You will leave with a personalised project plan for writing your own novel, and a head full of ideas and enthusiasm.
22nd June, 12.30-4pm, £20
Do you have great story ideas, but struggle to pull them together into a coherent narrative?
See how archaeologists use imagination and observation to transform the ruins of Weoley Castle into a lively mediaeval home, then learn how to
build on your own foundations, and create a sturdy, watertight narrativestructure.
6th July, 12.30-4pm, £20
Historical fiction has never been more popular, but writing it well brings unique challenges.
A Tudor family home will be our time machine as we look at characterisation across eras and cultures, the pleasures and perils of research, and the
sometimes conflicting demands of authenticity and narrative.
Aston Hall
Date 20th July, 12.30-4pm, £20
“Books aren’t written, they’re rewritten.” For writers who have finished, or are close to
finishing, a first draft, and want to learn the critical skills that will raise
their work to the next level. We will look at how Aston Hall has been built and
rebuilt over the years, and discuss the principles, challenges and rewards of perfecting your work.
Date 3rd August, 12.30-4pm, £20
How do you submit your work for publication? What mistakes will earn instant rejection?
What are publishers and agents looking for? Do you need an agent, or even a
publisher? In the home of an entrepreneur who changed the world, we will
consider how writers engage with the business of publishing in the 21st
century, and what they can do for themselves to reach readers.
Writing Fantasy Fiction (guest speaker: Stan
Nicholls)
17th August, 12.30-4pm, £25
In the setting which inspired Tolkien, we will look at the importance of world building, the fine
line between genre expectation and cliche, and how fantasy fiction relates to
and comments on the real world. With guest speaker Stan Nicholls, award winning,
million selling author of the Orcs series.
The Luke Bitmead Bursary, a writer’s prize for unpublished novelists is currently open for submissions (deadline 2nd August).
The prize was set up in memory of the first novelist to ever be published by Legend Press, who tragically died in
2006 aged just 34.
The award, now in its 6th year is the UK’s biggest prize for unpublished writers.
The winner receives £2500 and a publishing contract with Legend Press.
For details please visit http://forward.legendpress.co.uk/mainsite/luke-bitmead-bursary.html
The New Writer has now relaunched and the whole of the latest issue can be viewed at http://www.thenewwriter.com/launch-issue/
while elsewhere on the site you can order a half price print copy.
Do take a look at the blog on Fringeworks’ website. They have several anthologies open for submission.
The Last Diner (closing date 30th June) – “As the title suggests, we are looking for gruesome stories set in food establishments. Cafes, Diners, Motels, Restaurants, Take-Aways, Tea Rooms, wherever you might eat in public. The Last Diner is specifically geared to attracting horror stories between 3,000 and 6,000 words in length.”
NeaDNAthal (closing date 20th July) – “As the title suggests, we are looking for stories which involve the reappearance of Neanderthal Man in the modern age. A sort of Jurassic Park for cavemen. NeaDNAthal is specifically geared to attracting Science Fiction (SF) stories between 2,500 and 6,000 words in length.
Stories can be contemporary, set in the recent past (as far back as the Victorian age), or set any time in the future. They should revolve around the return of Neanderthal man, possibly by DNA recreation, and should take account of the impact such a reappearance may have, either upon the neanderthals, society, or both”
Cadavers (Closing date 19th August) “As the title suggests, we are looking for stories about the dead. Not the walking dead. Not the undead. Dead bodies. Cadavers is specifically geared to attracting stories between 3,000 and 6,000 words in length.
Stories should be set in the real world, and must revolve around the adventures of bodies post-mortem. Think Johnny and the Dead, Weekend at Bernies, the Bodysnatchers. Stories can be humorous, horrific, Fortean, bizarre or mysterious.”
http://www.fringeworks.co.uk/blog/ for full details
Here are some details about the Winchester Writers’ Conference Competitions:
The competitions include Writing for Children, the Short Story, the Shorter Short Story, Poetry,
Haiku, Feature Articles, Slim Volume, Small Edition, Crime Fiction,
Lifewriting, Retirement, The First Three Pages of the Novel, Sustainability of
the Environment and the Young Writers Poetry Competition. Something for Everyone!
The entries must be original and unpublished work, written by one author, submitted using a
pseudonym and must not have won an award in any previous competition.
Self-published work is acceptable. Copyright remains with the author. The
deadline is 24 May, 2013 for all competitions, except the Young Writers’ Poetry
Competition, which has a deadline of 19 July. Sixty-three prizes and five
trophies will be awarded at the Writers’ Awards Ceremony on June 22nd,
during the 33rd Winchester Writers’ Conference. In addition, the
winner of each competition will be published in the Winchester Writers’
Conference anthology,The Best of 2013, published in the autumn. For the
competition booklet, please follow this link: http://www.writersconference.co.uk/ or
contact us for a printed copy.
On the website, please see the programme for the 33rd Winchester Writers’ Conference, 21 –
23 June, followed by In-Depth Workshops on 24 and 25 June. Seventy three
authors, literary agents, commissioning editors, poets, screenwriters and
industry specialists will be giving 15 workshops, 14 Masters’ Courses, 55 Talks
and over 700 one-to-one appointments. Plenary speakers are Julian and Emma
Fellowes, of Downton Abbey fame. Their niece, Jessica Fellowes, will present
the after-dinner talk Saturday evening,Behind the Scenes at Downton Abbey.
This year, groups of eight or more registering together receive a 20% discount!
To view both the full conference programme and competition booklet, please
follow this link: http://www.writersconference.co.uk/
Looking forward to welcoming you!
Wells Festival of Literature hope you’ll be interested in their annual competition. There are
almost £2,000 of prizes to win for Short Story, Poetry, and Crime Novel entries,
and with the Crime Novel the winner gets an introduction to an agent!
Judges are all successful authors – Sean Borodale, Della Galton, and Janet Laurence.
Full details are on the website, www.wellslitfest.org.uk.
You can enter on line or download an entry form to enter by post.
Don’t delay – deadline is 31 July!
CALL FOR PLAYS from UK writers
Gi60 The One Minute Theatre festival celebrating 10yrs of tiny plays
To celebrate ten years of Gi60 live on the UK stage we are looking for ten one minute
plays (one for each year) from British writers who have never had work
performed as part of the festival
Gi60 (Gone in sixty seconds) is the world’s only International One Minute Theatre Festival
and this year Gi60 celebrates ten years of tiny plays live on the UK stage.
Gi60 was created by ScreamingMediaProductions artistic Director Steve Ansell in
2003 as part of the ‘Write On’ new writing festival at Harrogate Theatre, the
event became international in 2004 with the assistance of Professor Rose Bonczek
and the launch of Gi60 US live at Brooklyn College, New York.
Each year Gi60 premieres 100 new plays, all of which are recorded and made available on
line at the Gi60 You Tube channel.
When Gi60 started, short form theatre was almost unheard of and often overlooked as no
more than a gimmick. Over the years we have shown again and again that its form
theatre offers a unique opportunity for writers, actors and audiences. It seems
that our efforts over the last decade have not been in vain as short form
theatre is now being embraced by mainstream theatres and companies across the
country.
We already have over 450 play submissions for this year’s festival but to celebrate ten
years of Gi60 live on the UK Stage we are looking for ten one minute plays (one
for each year) from writers in the United Kingdom that have never had their
work premiered as part of Gi60. Each of the chosen ten writers will be featured
on the Gi60 blog and in the Gi60 UK live festival programme as well as having
their work performed by trained actors as part of Gi60 UK Live at the Viaduct
Theatre, Halifax on Saturday June 8th.
Plays can be about any subject as long as the work is totally original and the play lasts
no longer than sixty seconds. If you would like to be one of the featured
writers please submit your play by email to screammedia@yahoo.com by Midnight April
30th with the subject line ‘Gi60 10.4.10’
For full terms and conditions visit the Gi60 blog www.gi60.blogspot.com
In the last decade Gi60 has premiered over 800 new plays (over 600 can be viewed
on the Gi60 youtube channel) Got a minute….
Entry to Gi60 is free and copyright remains with the author. Gi60 is open to anybody, of
any age, from anywhere.
Write Time Retreats are one-day events for writers who just can’t seem to find the time to
write. On a monthly basis they can bring their ideas and their laptops to The
Moseley Exchange where they’ll be provided with a
desk, a power socket, hot drinks, lunch and most importantly peace and quiet!
There are no writing lessons and participants aren’t required to share their
work but with no distractions writers should leave at the end of the day
finding that they have written – a lot! Write Time Retreats cost £30.00 for the
day with lunch and hot drinks provided. The next two events are happening on Saturday
23rd March and Sunday 21st April 2013.
To find out more and to book your place visit http://writetimebham.wordpress.com/ or contact Karen at writetimebham@gmail.com
We would like to let you know that The Harry Bowling Prize for New Writing, sponsored by
Headline and MBA Literary Agents, is calling for entries now.
New for 2014
This year we are very excited to announce that as well as our established novel writing prize
we are breaking new ground and have a fantastic new flash fiction prize.
The winner of our novel writing prize will receive a cheque for £1000, an in-depth
editorial consultation and exclusive lunch with publishing experts. While our
flash fiction winner will see their work published online and receive £100.
Recognised by the publishing industry, The Harry Bowling Prize for New Writing was launched
in 2000 and is an established award for talented new writers. Many of our
previous winners have signed successful publishing deals as the result of
winning this prize, including our two most-recent winners. We hope to
continue our successful track record of finding talented new storytellers, who
can inspire and entertain us, just as Harry Bowling did in his bestselling
novels.
Visit www.harrybowlingprize.co.uk for all the information you need about the prize, including details of how you
can enter, top tips on how to succeed and inspiring stories from previous
winners.
Entries close on 30 September 2013 and you can follow us on twitter (@harrybowling) or on
Facebook to keep up to date with all our latest news. The winner will be announced in February 2014.
Birmingham Writers’ Group