A quote of note

"A writer is someone who, embarking upon a task, does not know what to do… The not-knowing is crucial to art, it is what permits art to be made. Without the scanning process engendered by not-knowing, without the possibility of having the mind move in unanticipated directions, there would be no invention."—Donald Barthelme

Short Story Competition Glimmer Train

Upcoming deadline:

It's not too late to give a meaningful gift to the readers and writers in your life.

• Fiction Open. 1st place wins $2,500, and publication. Deadline: January 2.
• NOTE: We are reorganizing our submission calendar for 2014. This will be the last Fiction Open until June. (Details to follow in the January bulletin.)
• The 1st-place winner will be published in Issue 93 and will receive 20 copies of that issue. Second- and 3rd-places win, respectively, $1,000 and $600 (or, if published, $700).

Monthly Writers' Forum Short Story Competition

Monthly Writers' Forum Short Story Competition Any genre, but stories must be original and previously unpublished. Aim for a word count between 1,500 to 3,000. Stories may embrace crime, mystery, romance, sport, humour, fantasy, erotica or science-fiction. The competitions are held monthly and there is also £1,000 for the best short story of the year. Monthly prizes of £250 for the best story published and two prizes of £150 for runners up. All stories not selected for publication are returned to authors with a grid assessment. Text should be type-written or word-processed, printed in double spacing. Entries should be accompanied with a short biography and colour photograph of the writer. Please submit a saved copy of the ms on disk as a Rich Text File (RTF) or Microsoft Word 5.1a (for Apple Macintosh). Send complete ms and contact details to: Writers International Ltd, PO Box 3229, Bournemouth BH1 1ZS Tel: 01202 589828 Fax: 01202 587758 Website www.writers-forum.com

wise words

What is the best lesson life has taught you? That we haven't a clue who we are, where we are, where we came from or where we're going. Shay Healy -In the four minute Interview Sunday Independent

Flash 500 short stories-hints from the judges

Hints from the Judges 

 

No.2 – The Opening Paragraphs or Stanzas

Having attracted the interest of the judge/reader with a really good title (see Hints No.1) it is important to build on this interest in the opening of any submitted work.

 

Before committing anything to writing, it is essential to establish the structure of the piece: know what you want to say and how you will achieve it.

 

The opening, whilst it should always be thought provoking, leaving the reader wanting to discover more, should not reveal too much. As with the title, you don’t want the opening to be so explicit that the reader knows exactly what is coming. Also, avoid introducing too many ideas and/or characters, which can give a judge mental indigestion!

 

Except in the case of certain types of humour verse, it is also better to steer clear of over the top ideas or situations.

 

The opening needs to be well thought through and subtle in its appeal. Every word must count; this is particularly important for poetry and flash fiction where line/word counts are tight.

 

Above all, do not try to cram too much in.

 

Ballymaloe International Poetry Prize 2014

Monday, 2 December 2013

THE BALLYMALOE INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE 2013

 

THE BALLYMALOE INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE 2013 IS NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES!

 

There are three cash prizes for a single unpublished poem, and this year they have increased to €10,000, €2,000 and €1,000, making it one of the most lucrative prizes in the poetry world.

 

The Prize is open to everyone, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. The entry fee is €9 per poem, and you can enter as many poems as you like.

ENTER ONLINE HERE

Or simply send your poem(s) along with a cheque or postal order made payable to The Moth Magazine Ltd. and an entry form (downloadable here) or a cover letter with your name and contact details and the title of poem(s) attached to:

 

The Moth

81 Church Street

Cavan

Co. Cavan

Ireland

This year’s competition will be judged by the poet Marie Howe, who teaches creative writing at New York University and Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia, and is the Poet Laureate of New York State.

Please make sure you read the rules before entering the competition.

CLOSING DATE 31 DECEMBER 2013 

The Moth Short Story Competition

THE BALLYMALOE INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE 2013 IS NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES!   There are three cash prizes for a single unpublished poem, and this year they have increased to €10,000, €2,000 and €1,000, making it one of the most lucrative prizes in the poetry world.   The Prize is open to everyone, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. The entry fee is €9 per poem, and you can enter as many poems as you like. ENTER ONLINE HERE Or simply send your poem(s) along with a cheque or postal order made payable to The Moth Magazine Ltd. and an entry form (downloadable here) or a cover letter with your name and contact details and the title of poem(s) attached to:   The Moth 81 Church Street Cavan Co. Cavan Ireland This year’s competition will be judged by the poet Marie Howe, who teaches creative writing at New York University and Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia, and is the Poet Laureate of New York State. Please make sure you read the rules before entering the competition. CLOSING DATE 31 DECEMBER 2013

THE BALLYMALOE INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE 2013 IS NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES!   There are three cash prizes for a single unpublished poem, and this year they have increased to €10,000, €2,000 and €1,000, making it one of the most lucrative prizes in the poetry world.   The Prize is open to everyone, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. The entry fee is €9 per poem, and you can enter as many poems as you like. ENTER ONLINE HERE Or simply send your poem(s) along with a cheque or postal order made payable to The Moth Magazine Ltd. and an entry form (downloadable here) or a cover letter with your name and contact details and the title of poem(s) attached to:   The Moth 81 Church Street Cavan Co. Cavan Ireland This year’s competition will be judged by the poet Marie Howe, who teaches creative writing at New York University and Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia, and is the Poet Laureate of New York State. Please make sure you read the rules before entering the competition. CLOSING DATE 31 DECEMBER 2013

THE BALLYMALOE INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE 2013 IS NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES!   There are three cash prizes for a single unpublished poem, and this year they have increased to €10,000, €2,000 and €1,000, making it one of the most lucrative prizes in the poetry world.   The Prize is open to everyone, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. The entry fee is €9 per poem, and you can enter as many poems as you like. ENTER ONLINE HERE Or simply send your poem(s) along with a cheque or postal order made payable to The Moth Magazine Ltd. and an entry form (downloadable here) or a cover letter with your name and contact details and the title of poem(s) attached to:   The Moth 81 Church Street Cavan Co. Cavan Ireland This year’s competition will be judged by the poet Marie Howe, who teaches creative writing at New York University and Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia, and is the Poet Laureate of New York State. Please make sure you read the rules before entering the competition. CLOSING DATE 31 DECEMBER 2013

The Prize is open to everyone, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished.  There is a 6,000 word limit. The entry fee is €9 per story and you can enter as many stories as you like. You can enter online or simply send your story or stories along with a cheque or postal order made payable to The Moth Magazine Ltd. and an entry form (downloadable here) or a cover letter with your name and contact details and the title of story attached to: The Moth, 81 Church Street, Cavan, Co. Cavan, Ireland. This year’s competition will be judged by Mike McCormack, a recipient of the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature whose debut short story collection was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. His novel Notes from a Coma was shortlisted for the Irish Book of the Year Award and was described in the Irish Times as ‘the greatest Irish novel of the decade just ended’.  CLOSING DATE 30 JUNE 2014

The Prize is open to everyone, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished.  There is a 6,000 word limit. The entry fee is €9 per story and you can enter as many stories as you like.

You can enter online or simply send your story or stories along with a cheque or postal order made payable to The Moth Magazine Ltd. and an entry form (downloadable here) or a cover letter with your name and contact details and the title of story attached to: The Moth, 81 Church Street, Cavan, Co. Cavan, Ireland.

This year’s competition will be judged by Mike McCormack, a recipient of the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature whose debut short story collection was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. His novel Notes from a Coma was shortlisted for the Irish Book of the Year Award and was described in the Irish Times as ‘the greatest Irish novel of the decade just ended’. 

CLOSING DATE 30 JUNE 2014