Enter The Masters Review Award for New Writers

Lake Michigan beach.Photo by Judy DarleyThe Masters Review is inviting entries for its Summer Short Story Award for New Writers.

The deadline for submissions is 27th August 2023.

The winning story writer will receive $3,000, an agency review and publication online.

Second and third place finalists will be awarded publication, agency review and $300/$200 prizes respectively.

Participating agents include Nat Sobel from Sobel Weber, Victoria Cappello from The Bent Agency, Andrea Morrison from Writers House, Sarah Fuentes from United Talent Agency, Heather Schroder from Compass Talent, and Marin Takikawa from The Friedrich Agency.

This year’s guest judge is Jai Chakrabarti, author of A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness and A Play for the End of the World.

Crucial details

  • $20 entry fee
  • $3000 1st prize
  • $300 2nd prize
  • $200 3rd prize
  • Stories must be under 6,000 words in length
  • Previously unpublished stories only
  • Simultaneous and multiple submissions allowed
  • Emerging writers only; writers with book-length work published or under contract with a major press are ineligible. Authors with short story collections are free to submit unpublished work, as are writers with books published by indie presses)
  • Deadline: 27th August, 2023
  • No identifying information on your story

Find full details here.

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

Writing prompt – hot air

Bristol Balloons_August 2023_Judy Darley

Every August in Bristol the chance of seeing a sky filled with hot air balloons rises. This is mainly due to the annual Balloon Fiesta, which took place last weekend, but on any day when the wind isn’t too vigorous, you’re likely to see a few passing overhead.

I snapped this photo early one Monday morning, sharing the moment with a few dog-walkers and a woman doing tai-chi. The balloons made everyone pause and smile.

What if this cheerful sight wasn’t a celebration but an exodus? What if something had occurred prompting people to leave, and the safest way to travel was via balloon?

What could have happened? Where might these people be going? What could befall the folks left behind watching from the ground? Can you write a piece in that most challenging genre, the hopeful dystopia?

To add a touch of humour, can you think of who the worst possible person would be to share a balloon basket with for a long flight?

If you write or create something prompted by this idea, please let me know by emailing judydarley (at) iCloud.com. I’d love to know the creative direction you choose.

Be inspired by a Writing on Water workshop – 30th September

Writing on Water graphic
I’m brimming with excitement about teaming up with brilliant poet Helen Sheppard again to teach our on-ship writing workshop Writing on Water. It will take place from 10am-3.30pm on Saturday 30th September 2023.

Book here.

Whether you write about a raindrop or an ocean, you can harness water as a powerful writing muse.

Join us for a voyage of discovery aboard the historic John Sebastian Lightship, moored in central Bristol, this one-day workshop encourages you to draw inspiration from the setting alongside creative exercises designed to help you find original, meaningful ways to use water in your writing.
There will be plenty of time to write, and no pressure to share.

How do you write about water? Does it trickle? Surge? Roar?

Is it hungry? Foreboding? Volatile? Reflective? Tranquil?

Taking place on Bristol’s atmospheric, historic lightship moored in John Sebastian Quay, this workshop encourages you to draw inspiration from the setting alongside creative exercises designed to help you find original, meaningful ways to use water in your writing.

Whether you write about a raindrop or an ocean, you can harness water as a powerful writing muse.

Start the day gently with readings from your hosts author Judy Darley and poet Helen Sheppard before exploring different ways of using water to shine up themes in your writing, with generative exercises, poetry and prose examples from a variety of writers, and plenty of time to write.

“Judy and Helen led such a supportive and inspiring workshop, with the Lightship as a unique venue. I loved the walk, prompts and time to explore ideas. My story that began on the Lightship went on to win 2nd prize in the Retreat West Flash Fiction Competition!”  Emma Phillips, participant in the first Writing on Water workshop in October 2022.

The day at a glance

10am – 12pm Judy Darley and Helen Sheppard introduce the day with two readings to ease you into the theme of water, followed by creative prompts, generative writing exercises, examples, time to write and the opportunity to share your writing if you wish. Hot drinks and biscuits are included in the ticket price. 

12pm – 1pm Inspiration-gathering harbourside walk (less than a mile in total) with prompts to engage each of your senses, and time for lunch (not included, but lots of options around the venue in Bristol, or bring your own).

1pm – 3pm Generative writing exercises, hot drinks and homemade cake (included in the ticket price), plus the opportunity to work with other writers, and the option to share your writing from the workshop.

3pm – 3.30pm Your chance to ask questions about how to develop your writing, what to do with it next (such as performance or publication), and share feedback on the day’s experiences.

Book your ticket for Writing on Water.

Why write about water?

I’ve been drawn to this mercurial, enigmatic element throughout my writing career, opening my debut short story collection Remember Me To The Bees with a story titled ‘Never seen the Sea’.

Fiction, non-fiction and poetry can all swim into watery themes, whether that’s to add atmosphere, provide a setting or build an evocative metaphor.

As a taster, here’s a splash from ‘Never seen the Sea’ from my short story collection Remember Me to the Bees:

A triangle of blue sharper and brighter than the sky – that was the first of it. Then a tang in her throat like the savoury suck of a chip dipped in salt and vinegar.
As she got closer, other sensations rang through her: a crack and crash like a glass falling and rolling and splintering again and again in a bathroom washbasin; a deep breath in, gasp out shuddering through the shore; the freshness of rain in the air, bursting against her skin from every direction possible.
And the triangle soared, spread out, transforming into a strip that hurtled all the way to the horizon, meeting the sky with a dazzle that forced her to glance away; a size too vast to comprehend; bigger than the confines of her mind could contain.
But more than that was the endless movement, less like one vast thing than a mass of smaller things, heaving, jostling, vying for the surface yet never quite breaking through.

Who will be teaching you?

Judy Darley photo credit Jo Mary Bulter Photography_cropJudy Darley is a fiction writer, journalist and occasional poet from Bristol. Her fiction has been described as ‘shimmeringly strange’, possibly because she can’t stop writing about the infinite fallibilities of the human mind. Judy’s words have been published and performed on BBC radio and harbour walls, as well as in bookshops, museums, cafés, caves, pubs, a disused church and an artist’s studio. Judy is the author of three fiction collections: The Stairs Are a Snowcapped Mountain (Reflex Press), Sky Light Rain (Valley Press) and Remember Me To The Bees (Tangent Books). Find Judy at SkyLightRain.com and on Twitter as @JudyDarley.

Helen Sheppard_cropHelen Sheppard is a Bristol-based writer and worked as a midwife. Her poetry explores themes of birth, health loss, and those whose voices are often unheard. Helen has performed her poetry at Milk Poetry, RTB, Torriano Meeting House and Harvard Medical School. Her poems have been published widely, including These are the Hands. Helen co-runs Satellite of Love Poetry events. Her debut poetry collection Fontanelle was published in 2021 by Burning Eye Books. Helen interviews extraordinary poets for her podcast Health Beat Poets. Find Helen on Twitter as HelenSheppard7 and on Instagram as helensheppard58.

Writing prompt – viaduct

Azores cycling_Photo by Judy DarleyIncongruous pairings make great writing prompts, and this cyclist framed by a viaduct on Sao Miguel, The Azores, is the perfect match of old and new. This blend makes me think of ancient myths in modern settings, or time slip tales, while the bumpy track and lush greenery of this volcanic isle adds to the backdrop.

Who might the cyclist be? What made them choose this route so far from the mainland? Who or what might they be running from or towards? What historic travellers have passed this way before? Why not turn it into a story with adventure at its heart?

If you write or create something prompted by this idea, please let me know by emailing judydarley (at) iCloud.com. I’d love to know the creative direction you choose.

Enter the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award

Arnos vale portal. Photo by Judy Darley. A natural formation of growing wood or vine that seems to hold a circle of light.

The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award celebrates outstanding short fiction and poetry from around the world. The deadline for entering the award is 31st August 2023, making this the perfect time to get polishing your poetry and prose.

Prizes include publication within Aesthetica Creative Writing Anthology plus £2,500 for the winner of each category. Winners will receive:

  • A Five-Day Course from Arvon (Poetry & Fiction Winners)
  • One year print subscription to Granta (Poetry & Fiction Winners)
  • One year digital subscription to Mslexia (Poetry & Fiction Winners)
  • Six-Week Writing Poetry Course from Curtis Brown Creative (Poetry Winner)
  • Full membership to The Poetry Society (Poetry Winner)
  • A Course from  the Poetry School (Poetry Winner)
  • One year print subscription to Poetry London (Poetry Winner)
  • Consultation with Redhammer Management (Fiction Winner)
  • Six-Week Writing  Short Stories Course from Curtis Brown Creative (Fiction Winner)Poetry entries should be no more than 40 lines.
    Fiction entries should be no more than 2,000 words long.

There’s no theme – just submit your finest story or poem offering your own unique window on a slice of the world!

Entry fees are £18 for short fiction and £12 for poetry.

For full details, visit aestheticamagazine.com/creative-writing-award/how-to-enter/

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

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Writing prompt – throne

Throne_Plymouth. Photo by Judy Darley

What a curious sight! A simple wicker and metal chair has become part of the Devon coastline, inviting weary swimmers, seabirds, and perhaps Poseidon, to take a load off.

Who could have placed it here, how and why? What were they hoping to achieve, other than some anonymous notoriety (if that’s not a total oxymoron)? How will the chair be impacted by incoming storms, and with what results?

Using this as a springing off point for a comical or poignant tale.

If you write or create something prompted by this idea, please let me know by emailing judydarley (at) iCloud.com. I’d love to know the creative direction you choose.

Writing prompt – bums

Beatlebums. Photo by Judy Darley

The fourth and final of July’s Plymouth Prompts offer you the chance to enjoy the best seat in Plymouth.

In fact, there are four exceptional seats here, as part of the sculpture Beatlebums. These galvanised steel and copper patches on the lawn of Plymouth Hoe Park commemorate a moment in 1967 when Beatles John, Paul, George and Ringo sat down to enjoy a view over Plymouth Sound.

The first time I strolled past, I confess, I failed to notice the famous bum-prints. The second time, I couldn’t resist sitting where Lennon’s buttocks had been.

It brought to mind the idea of someone walking over your grave. Could this sculpture create a link between the Beatles (living and deceased) and their fans? It feels like the start of a psychedelic time slip tale.

Discover more about the Beatlebums installation here.

Plymouth Prompts: Island.

Plymouth Prompts: Survivor.

Plymouth Prompts: Figurehead.

If you write or create something prompted by this idea, please let me know by emailing judydarley (at) iCloud.com. I’d love to know the creative direction you choose.

Writing prompt – figurehead

Victorian naval figureheads suspended from the ceiling of Plymouth museum The Box_Photo by Judy DarleyIn the third of July’s Plymouth Prompts, I’m inviting you into The Box, a beautiful museum, social space and architectural marvel in Plymouth.

An astonishing display of 14 Victorian Naval figureheads hangs suspended in the entrance  and cafe.

What vessels did these carvings grace? Who created them, and what characteristics did they imbue the sculptures with? What naval adventures did the figureheads embark on? Might they have their own personalities, revealed when no one is looking, or shown only to a privileged few?

You can find details of these historic carvings here.

Plymouth Prompts: Island.

Plymouth Prompts: Survivor.

Plymouth Prompts: Bums.

If you write or create something prompted by this idea, please let me know by emailing judydarley (at) iCloud.com. I’d love to know the creative direction you choose.

Look out for next week’s Plymouth Prompt.

Writing prompt – survivor

National Marine Aquarium_Friday the turtle_Photo by Judy Darley

In the second of July’s Plymouth Prompts, I want to introduce you to one of the characters we met at the National Marine Aquarium, Friday the Green Turtle.

Last week I shared a creative prompt inspired by Drake’s Island, which sits in the Plymouth Sound.

Friday shares the Atlantic Tank with an assortment of sharks, rays and other species and is doing his part to enthral visitors with his cheeky antics, which include stealing food from the immense sting rays and lemon sharks.

His name inevitably makes me think of Robinson Crusoe. In fact, Bournemouth Oceanarium, which Friday is on loan from, also had a female Green Sea Turtle called Crusoe until she died in 2016.

At Bournemouth Oceanarium, Friday made headlines in 2009 after retrieving a toddler’s dummy dropped into his tank – and sucking it just as a baby would. So it seems his cheeky behaviour is nothing new.

Plymouth Marine Aquarium has introduced an enrichment programme for Friday to keep him occupied. It’s like he’s that disruptive child in a classroom who’s just too smart for their own good (or the good of their teachers/marine biologists!).

However, his naughtiness is brilliant for the Aquarium’s PR, helping visitors to see marine animals as personality-rich individuals in need of our respect and care.

Can you turn this into a story about a marine creature’s misadventures, or a climate fiction tale about how we can positively impact our seas?

Write a tale inspired by this marine mischief-maker!

Plymouth Prompts: Island.

Plymouth Prompts: Figurehead.

Plymouth Prompts: Bums.

If you write or create something prompted by this idea, please let me know by emailing judydarley (at) iCloud.com. I’d love to know the creative direction you choose.

Look out for next week’s Plymouth Prompt.

 

Unlock your fairy tale toolkit

Rainbow by Judy Darley

Are you coming to the Flash Fiction Festival 2023. The in-person version of the festival unfurls from 14th-16th July, welcoming fabulous flashers including Kathy Fish, Nancy Stohlman, Ingrid Jendrzejewski, Carrie Etter and Tania Hershman.

The weekend takes place at Trinity College, Bristol, and is packed with inspiring workshops tackling every aspect of flash fiction.

From 8.45am to 9.45am on Sunday 16th July, I’m inviting writers to wake up with my ‘Unlock your fairy tale toolkit’ workshop where fairy tale motifs offer the chance to shine new light on modern day darkness. We’ll be examining the fairy tales that resonated with us when we were children, and still resonate now, looking at what gives fairy tales their magic (hint: it’s not fairies), and writing the first draft of our own flash fiction fairy tales.

I hope to see you there!