Sometimes it feels like everything has come to a halt but in the writing world it there’s more to do than ever and I have had to distance myself from social media to avoid feelings of not rising to the task!
However that doesn’t mean you need to do the same, so here are a few local ‘events’ you can still take part in, though maybe not quite in the way you would have until recently.
First of all Story Friday in Bath has undergone a transformation with submissions invited for a nymber of online events beginning April 24th but with new material being added over the month that follows.
The theme is Dark Clouds and Silver Linings. Submissions should be no more than 1000 words. All stories will be read by actors. Great opportunity to make it into the highly regarded Story Friday if you haven’t already!
Meanwhile the international Bath and Bristol (yep I did something in that one last year) short story prizes will close later this month but there’s still time to enter (though maybe a bit late to start thinking about it!)
I was also sent a reminder about the Gloucestershire Writers Prize, another themed prose and poetry competition closing in July with a limit for prose of 750 words. As well as a cash prize, winners get to join an event at the Cheltenham Literature Festival which we must all hope will take place in October.
Of course this barely scratches the surface of all the writing opportunities out there, so if you have a stash of things to send out, do check the usual places on Faceboook and Twitter or pop along to Christopher Fielden’s website which as a humungous list of short story comps broken down in to categories and a separate list for flash fiction.
Keep calm and carry on writing. I’m trying, honest!
Ali Bacon, Author 