Monthly Archives: April 2022

Writing prompt – clue

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Hidden Malago happy jumper by Judy Darley

This child-sized jumper was dropped at the entrance to a small section of nature within the city, and slung here to presumably make it easier to retrieve.

How did it end up here? What happened to the child who owned it?

Is the fact that the top is emblazoned with the word ‘Happy’ three times significant in any way?

Follow this story prompt down any dark path that your imagination latches onto.

If you write or create something prompted by this idea, please send it to me in an email to judydarley (at) iCloud.com for possible publication on SkyLightRain.com.

Enter the Bridport Prize

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Pebble man by Judy DarleyThe Bridport Prize, one of the UK’s most prestigious writing competitions, is currently seeking your short stories, flash fiction, poems and debut novels.

The deadline for all competition entries is 31st May 2022.

All entries are judged anonymously. To avoid disqualification, make sure you do not include your name, address, phone number, email, website, twitter handle etc on the document or in the file name.

Poems may be up to 42 lines in length (not including the title). There is no minimum line count. The entry fee is £12. The winning poet will receive £5,000.

Short stories may be up to 5,000 words long. The entry fee is £14. The winning short story writer will receive £5,000.

Flash fiction may be up to 250 words long. The entry fee is £11. The winning flash fiction writer will receive £1,000.

Novel extracts must be between 5,000 and 8,000 words long. You must also supply a 300-word synopsis, which should be the first page of your entry. The fee is £24.

First prize is £1,500 plus mentoring by The Literary Consultancy and consultations with literary agent AM Heath and publisher Tinder Press.

Bridport Prize judges

Inua Ellams will judge poetry entries. Born in Nigeria, Inua is a touring poet, playwright and performer. He is an ambassador for the Ministry of Stories and his books of poetry include Candy Coated Unicorns and The Half-God of Rainfall – an epic story in verse.

He recently completed his first full poetry collection The Actual. He lives and works from London, where he founded the Midnight Run, a nocturnal urban excursion.

Inua is seeking: “The distillation of human experience in language, and economical use of words, and transformation, where the sentiment of the poem is greater than the sum of its parts… when it leaps into the beyond.”

Tim Pears is the short story judge. Tim’s collection of short stories Chemistry and Other Stories was published in 2021 by Bloomsbury and chosen by the Sunday Times for their best new short story collections. Tim’s novel In a Land of Plenty was made into a BBC drama series. He was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Tim says: “I have developed an idea of the kind of short story I like to write, and to read, but what I look forward to judging the Bridport Prize is discovering new ways of writing, and fresh methods of telling, untold stories of this world we live in. What an exciting prospect!”

Kathy Fish is the flash fiction judge. Kathy has published five collections of short fiction including Wild Life: Collected Works 2003-2018. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, Copper Nickel, Washington Square Review, and numerous other journals, textbooks and anthologies.

Kathy says: “Give me a story I’ve never read before. Or tell an oft-told tale in a wholly original way. I love stories that play with form or language. If you can do all that and also break my heart or make me laugh, so much the better!”

Monique Roffey is judging novel award entries. An award winning Trinidadian born British writer of novels, essays, literary journalism and a memoir, Roffey’s most recent novel, The Mermaid of Black Conch (Peepal Tree Press) won the Costa Book of the Year Award 2020 and was nominated for seven major awards.

Monique advises: “Write exactly what you like and never mind what the market seems to want. Be independent-minded at all times. You are the dog . You be creative and wag your tail. Do not ever worry what seems to be popular.”

Don’t forget to check out the Writers’ Room on the Bridport Prize website for resources and inspiration.

Key dates for your diary

Key dates in 2022

Save these dates to keep you ahead of the competition.

31 May

Competition deadline!

20 July

Novel longlist announced here and on social media.

25 July

Novel longlisted writers to submit 15,000 words, including the synopsis and original submission.

26 August

Novel shortlist announced here and on social media.

2 September

Novel shortlisted novel writers to submit 30,000 words, including the synopsis and original submission.

Early to mid-September

Winners and shortlisted writers in poetry, short story and flash fiction contacted.

Late September

All other writers contacted.

Early October

Novel winner and runner up informed.

Late October

Awards celebration.

Find full details and enter your creative works at www.bridportprize.org.uk. And don’t forget to sign up for their newsletter full of useful tips and inspiration.

Got an event, challenge, competition or call for submissions you’d like to draw my attention to? Send me an email at judydarley (at) iCloud(dot)com.

Writing prompt – Earth Day

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Earth Day_Photo by Judy Darley

This Friday, 22nd April 2022, is Earth Day, and the perfect excuse to celebrate the nature that surrounds us, even in cities.

Rewilding Britain are aiming to raise £50,000 through The Big Give’s Green Match Fund to support the Rewilding Network. They say: “This decentralised, distributed network of rewilding projects across Britain is a hugely powerful tool in catalysing rewilding. Members range from landowners and farmers to businesses, NGOs and communities. If you make a donation between 22nd and 29th April your contribution will be doubled!”

Find out more.

Why not use this as a writing prompt?

You could create a tale about how getting involved with a rewilding project helps a troubled person, or give your characters some nature-friendly habits such as having them cycle instead of drive or borrow instead of buy to subtly raise awareness of how simple changes can make a positive difference.

If you write or create something prompted by this idea, please send it to me in an email to judydarley (at) iCloud.com for possible publication on SkyLightRain.com.

Join Writers & Artists’ manuscript submission masterclass

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Notebook and pen cr Judy Darley

Got a novel almost ready to submit? Now’s the time to polish your submission package. The canny folks at Writers & Artists are hosting an online Manuscript Submission Masterclass for fiction writers.

The class takes place on 18th May 2022 from 6pm to 8pm and costs £50.

They say: “This masterclass isn’t about writing craft, it’s about how to give you and your book the best possible chance when it comes to approaching literary agents.”

Participants will join two leading literary agents for a two-hour online masterclass packed with advice on how to produce a covering letter, guidance on producing an attention-grabbing pitch, tips on writing a synopsis, and general insights into the role literary agents play for their authors.

The session will include thirty minutes when you can ask any burning questions about the submission process.

Schedule

18:00- 18:45: A how-to session on knowing when your novel is ready, finding the right agent and what to include in a submission package.

18:45-19:30: Advice on how to pitch your novel

7.30-8:00: Q&A

All attendees have the opportunity to submit their covering letter to receive personal feedback from one of the participating agents.

This is an online event which will be presented using video conferencing software. Joining instructions and full guidance will be provided before the event start-date.

Book your spot here: https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/events-and-courses/manuscript-submission-masterclass-fiction-1

Got an event, challenge, competition, opportunity or call for submissions you’d like to draw attention to? Send me an email at JudyDarley (@) iCloud (dot) com.

Writing prompt – cage

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Balcony budgie. Photo by Judy Darley
Walking past any block of flats, I’m often struck by a sense of the dizzying wealth of characters behind the windows and doors, each with their own potential narrative.

One day, a cage set on a sunlit balcony set my imagination whirring.

Who might live in this particular flat? What brought them here? What sets them apart from their neighbours? What do they keep in that cage??? During the recent lockdown periods, I suspect we all noticed the goings on in our locality’s more keenly. What might this resident have noticed? Might they have confided in whatever lives in this cage?

Can you weave a tale that creates a close-knit community, a selection of strangers living in close proximity or a single individual living high above the public street? What might they see, hear and share or keep to themselves?

If you write or create something prompted by this idea, please send it to me in an email to judydarley (at) iCloud.com for possible publication on SkyLightRain.com.

Enter the Bristol Short Story Prize

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Bristol hot air balloons cr Judy DarleyGot a story shuffling about inside your head? The Bristol Short Story Prize 2022 is open for entries. The closing date is 4th May 2022. Submissions can be up to a maximum length of 4,000 words.

The writing competition prizes

First prize is £1,000. Second prize is £500, and third prize is £250.

An additional prize of £100, The Sansom Award, in recognition of the contribution to Bristol publishing of John and Angela Sansom, will be presented to a Bristol writer selected by Angela Sansom. The Sansom Award winning story will also be published in the print edition of Bristol 24/7 magazine.

Each of the 17 remaining shortlisted writers will receive £100. The 20 shortlisted stories will be included in Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 15, published by Tangent Books.

Entry costs £9 for each submission, but there are 250 free online entries available to those for whom the entry fee is a barrier to submitting to the 2022 Bristol Short Story Prize. Those wishing to enter using the free entry option may do so via the online entry facility.

The 2022 BSSP Judging Panel comprise Tom Drake-Lee, Irenosen Okojie and Jessica Taylor.

The 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize was won by Isidora Cortes-Monroy for her story, Cake for the Disappeared. Amanda Ong won second prize and Sarah Tinsley was awarded third prize.

The 2020 Bristol Short Story Prize was won by Florida-based writer Stephen Narain.

The 2019  Bristol Short Story Prize was won by Sydney-based writer Cameron Stewart for his story Black Snow.

The 2018 Bristol Short Story Prize was won by Dizz Tate  for her story, Cowboy Boot. 2nd prize went to Chloe Wilson. You can read an interview with Dizz about her win, here. Chloe Wilson has been signed by literary agent Kate Johnson of the New York-based MacKenzie Wolf Literary Agency.

Find the full competition rules here.

For full details or to enter, go to www.bristolprize.co.uk.

Got an event, challenge, competition or call for submissions you’d like to draw my attention to? Send me an email at judydarley(at)iCloud(dot)com

Writing prompt – stamp

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Pavement postage stamp by Judy Darley

A splash of bright blue caught my eye and I spotted this postage stamp stuck to the pavement.

It made me wonder who was trying to mail this part of the city, where to and why. Who would have received it and what might they have used it for?

If the entire street had been swept up into this package, what might have happened to the residents? Could they have found themselves tipped from their homes like dollhouse figurines, or would they have ended up wherever the stamp was carrying this important post?

Can you turn this into an intriguing tale?

If you write or create something prompted by this idea, please send it to me in an email to judydarley (at) iCloud.com for possible publication on SkyLightRain.com.

Enter the Bath Short Story Award 2022

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Roman Baths pigeons by Judy DarleyThe annual Bath Short Story Award is open now for entries from aspiring and established writers worldwide.

The competition closes to entries on Monday, April 11th at midnight BST. You’re invited to submit stories up to a maximum of 2,200 words on any theme or subject.

This year, the competition is judged by novelist, short story writer, playwright and writing teacher Paul McVeigh. You can read an interview with Paul to find out what he looks for in a short story.

Each submission costs £9.

The Bath Short Story Award prizes

  • £1200, first prize
  • £300, second prize
  • £100, third prize
  • £100, the Acorn Award for an unpublished writer of fiction.
  • £50 in book vouchers for the local prize, donated by Mr B’s Emporium of Books.

The longlist and shortlist for the 2022 Award is likely to be announced in July 2022 and the winners by August 2022.

Find full details of how to enter here. Good luck!

Inside ‘The Stairs Are a Snowcapped Mountain’

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Bristol writer Judy Darley

Ahead of my book launch and literary night for my new short story collection The Stairs Are a Snowcapped Mountain, I wanted to share some of the press I’ve received.

First up is a write-up by Sarski Anderson, Culture Editor at Bristol 247. The feature offers lots of insights into how I used fiction-writing as a sanity-saver during lockdown.

“For Darley, walking and writing became a vital tool through which to process her emotions about what was happening in the wider world at the time, and to channel the people that she saw on her daily strolls: “from the woman howling beneath a tree in Victoria Park, who features in Leaf after Leaf, to the child whose mum is a key worker in The Rules of Contagion, which includes a hopscotch grid drawn on a path in Perrett Park”.

Why Rivers Run to the Sea gives voice to rivers, a physical representation of the urge to escape that Darley occasionally felt during the early days of the lockdowns.

She notes that curiously, as a writer, the narrowing of her personal horizons actually served to add new depths and greater complexity to her work. It was a powerful means of escape, into an inner world. “Writing gave me a chance to zigzag through memories and daydreams, and allowed me to recast my anxieties in a form that I could adapt and control in the shape of fantasies that became short stories.”

The feature also includes a complete flash fiction from the collection.

You can read the full feature here.

Review

Alison Woodhouse, author of The House on the Corner, has reviewed The Stairs Are a Snowcapped Mountain. She writes:
This new collection of short fiction, the third from Judy Darley, is ambitious. Stories explore the pandemic and possible consequences on our mental and material wellbeing, our relationship with the natural world and the accelerating impact of climate change, alongside both the struggles and joys that arise between siblings, parent/child and lovers. They range from a few thousand words (The Daughters) to just one line (Elegy), traveling across genre and form. Sci-fi, cli-fi, dystopias, utopias, realism, magic realism, surrealism, absurdism, all mixed up to offer a breathtaking range of astute social commentary and emotional complexity.

Interview with Bristol Life magazine

I was interviewed by Deri Robins of Bristol Life magazine about my writing and reading loves for their prestigious back page spot. Deri asked some brilliant questions about my writing background, from growing up in a house full of books to learning to be concise and avoid cliches through my work as a travel writer. As a journalist myself, it was fun to be on the other end of the scrutiny for once!  You can read the feature here or online here.
She writes: “Judy Darley has an eclectic CV. Not only has she worked as a journalist and a communications manager, but as a shepherdess – the latter conjuring up an irresistible (though undoubtedly inaccurate) Arcadian vision of Judy depicted in Meissen porcelain.” Now, doesn’t that sound like a perfect writing prompt?

Get in touch!

If you want to know more about my writing, about The Stairs Are a Snowcapped Mountain book launch & literary night or would like a review copy of The Stairs Are a Snowcapped Mountain, please send an email to judydarley (at) iCloud (dot) com. Thanks!