New Suffolk-based Literary Agency launches

Hello Scribblers

Laxfield Literary Associates; a new literary agency based in Suffolk, is opening its doors on October 1st. It is the first literary agency to be based in Suffolk. Set up by Emma Shercliff, in association with Blake Friedmann Literary Agency, the new organisation aims to address the challenges faced by authors outside of the London area. The Agency wants to support authors from Norfolk and Suffolk, as well as further afield, and particularly wants to represent authors from under-represented backgrounds and those with caring responsibilities. 

To find out more about this launch, follow this link to the bookseller website:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/shercliff-launches-suffolks-first-literary-agency-laxfield-1220266

To find out more direct from Laxfield Literary Associates, follow the link below:

https://laxfieldliterary.com/

To celebrate their launch, Laxfield Literary are launching two new prizes- one for unpublished Norfolk and Suffolk based authors, and one for unpublished authors in any location.

Find out more by following the link below:

https://laxfieldliterary.com/new-anglia-manuscript-prize/

Keep Scribbling and Get Represented!

Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction

 Hello Scribblers

I'm pleased to tell you all about a competition that is free to enter. The Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction was set up by Comma Press following the sudden death of the talented writer, lecturer and blogger.

Dinesh Allirajah was a founding board member and director of Comma Press. He loved to write short fiction, and this competition is a legacy of that love.

The 2021 Prize is on the theme 'Home'. The deadline for entry is Friday 23rd October and the word count is slightly more than some Scribblers are used to: between 2,000 and 6,000 words in length.

Stories should not have been previously published elsewhere. The short-listed entries will be published in an e-book, and the winning entry will reecive a prize of £500. Comma Press are also hoping that, circumstances permitting, all short listers will be invited to a prize-giving event.

Follow the link below to find out more about Dinesh Allirajah, about the competition and details of how to enter.

https://commapress.co.uk/resources/prizes/

Follow this link to find out more about Comma Press, a not-for-profit publisher who specialise in the short story form.

https://commapress.co.uk/

Good luck and Happy Scribbling!

Updating...

First, I hope you are all keeping well. Apologies for being 'quiet' over the last week or so. I've been suffering, and still am, with vertigo and it's not very nice!

An update on the prompts for now.

WhatsApp: "The devil is in the detail." Up to 200 words please (or share anything you like). Deadline is Monday 5th October.

Repository: It is the online Bill Budner competition. There will be no limit on the word count so write as many, or as few as you wish and on any subject. Your story must be written specifically for this competition and, when submitted to Liz, should bear the words Bill Budner Competition above the story title. Deadline is midday Tuesday 20th October. Full competition rules are posted on the Weblog. Please note that the stories will be judged by an independent person, Ruth Skinner.

I know that the deadline is three weeks away so, if you wish to send in any other work to Liz for the Repository then please do. All work most welcome.

The new guidelines from the government really means we must wait even longer for the resumption of our meetings. That is depressing but, we will overcome! Eventually.

Stay safe everyone,

Keep Scribbling!!!

Dave.

BBC Writers' Room Opportunities

Hello Scribblers

Have you ever fancied writing sketches or one-liners for the BBC?

Opportunities are now open for submissions that will be considered for broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Newsjack.

They are looking for sketches and one-liners that approach current affairs from a new angle, delving deep into topics such as politics and sport to make them fun and interesting.

Any material used for broadcast will be paid, not to mention the thrill of hearing your work on the radio!

Follow the link below to find out more about BBC Writers' Room, and the various opportunities available, including script writing challenges, comedy writing and screen writing, as well as the Newsjack information.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunities

Follow the link below to find out more about submission guidelines (subs are free) and payment fees for the Newsjack sketches and one-liners.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1hDdvFLfWClPHW7zT3sq01S/submit-a-sketch

Thanks to a fellow Scribbler for spotting this opportunity to share. He shall remain nameless, though is eligible to enter the 'Talented Scots' competition (in both criteria) so that may give some of you a clue!

Happy Scribbling!

Flash Fiction Podcast- Nancy Stohlman

Hello Scribblers

I'm linking to a podcast website, as sometimes it's nice to listen rather than read, and we certainly are missing our usual opportunity to hear spoken words from our fellow writers.

'Writer Types Podcasts', hosted by Eric Beetner, produce two monthly episodes relating to thriller, crime and mystery fiction. The episodes include author interviews, publishing insights and book reviews, and more. 

The latest episode, which prompted me to share, relates to Flash Fiction, which is the Scribblers' speciality. Author Nancy Stohlman shares her insights into the genre and talks about her recent book 'Going Short'.

Listen to that particular podcast by following the link below:

https://www.writertypespodcast.com/podcast/episode/1fc7b6b2/nancy-stohlman-beau-johnson-ryan-sayles

To explore previous episodes follow the link below and click on 'Podcast'

https://www.writertypespodcast.com/podcast

Happy Listening!

Retreat West Short Story Prize

 Hello Scribblers

Another post about the wonderful world of Retreat West.

Their reason for being is to "help writers develop their skills, get noticed and get published".

They run courses, competitions, retreats and more and have a varied range of formats to get involved with, from micro fiction and short stories to novellas and novels.

Explore their website by following the link below to find out how Retreat West can help you in your writing journey.

https://www.retreatwest.co.uk/

They are currently open for entries for their short story prize, with generous prizes and the opportunity for publication in the upcoming anthology.

The deadline is 25th October and the word count should be between 1500 and 3000 words.

Follow the link below to find out more about the competition and entry guidelines.

https://www.retreatwest.co.uk/competitions/the-rw-short-story-prize/

This year's judge is Peter Jordan- to find out more about him and his short story collection 'Calls to Distant Places' have a look at his website https://surfmyshorts.com/.

Good luck and Keep Scribbling!

Your new story prompts

Just to update the prompts for you.

WhatsApp: "Swept Away" up to 200 word stories please. Deadline Monday 21st September.

Repository: Our homework prompts are based on the themes from our meetings and tonight’s meeting was a flash fiction session based on physical prompts. Well if you copy and paste the link below into your browser you will be taken to another world with some physical object prompts. You can use just one object, or more, to write in any genre you wish, with as many or as few words as you wish.

https://www.nationalgallery.co.uk/products/van-gogh-still-lifes/p_1049065

Or why not explore the website and be inspired to write about something altogether different?

There is no word limit but the deadline is Tuesday 29 September.

From Jim comes a possible solution to our meetings. He suggests:

I understand some groups get around the rule on booking meeting rooms by saying that they are booking for a Line Dancing Club which is classified as a sports activity! So there you are Dave when the 6 person rule is scrapped we can become the Felixstowe Scribblers Line Dancing Society and go anywhere. All we need is a cowboy hat, Yeehaw!

Only Jim could think of that!

Dave

Disappointing events.

So near and yet so far.

How disappointing the way events are turning out. Further restrictions from the Government means that meetings are virtually impossible to arrange. Under these conditions I don’t think we will be able to meet again for some considerable time and probably not this year. It is dreadful but this is all out of our hands.

Hope.

All I can hope is that you will continue to support us and, hopefully, offer some of your work for the Repository and the WhatsApp group. I know it is difficult having a vision of what Felixstowe Scribblers should be doing and how all our plans have been stifled. What our future holds seems to be in the lap of the Gods.

Our Jim.

At least there is some good news on the horizon for our Jim. He says:

First of all an apology. I said I would let you know when Primary would be broadcast by BBC Radio Suffolk. I am sorry I kept quiet about it. The Duologue was performed well but they did a 4 minute prerecorded chat with me which was crap! So I told very few people when it was on.

However Radio Suffolk has now chosen the other Duologue I sent to them for broadcast next Friday 18 September at 830pm. This time they are interviewing the actors. This one is The Lockdown Barber which is in the Repository.

There is also a video of the performance which you can see at - https://we.tl/t-EaDHsNeyE5 (when you download the files, ignore the MACOSX one and open the other one.)

Well done Jim! Listen in! It could be quite entertaining.

Cathy and husband.

I understand Cathy’s husband, Nigel, is home now and hopefully he will get better as time progresses. She has asked me to thank everyone who sent in messages, she really appreciated your thoughts and good wishes.

Writing prompts.

There is little to say about our immediate future, just that the committee have yet to meet up again but I see no desperation to do so at this moment in time. The Government’s fresh rules have knocked the wind out of our sails. Remember there is a future for us and we can help keep our aspirations alive by participating in our writing ‘challenges.’ The current prompts are:

Repository: A Sense of Place. No word limit but the deadline is Tuesday 15^th September when a new prompt will be posted.

WhatsApp: The Big Soup Pot. 200 word maximum. Deadline is this Monday 14^th September when a new prompt will be posted.

Stay safe everyone and remember to:

Keep Scribbling!!!

Dave.

Bath Flash Fiction Award

 Hello Scribblers

The Bath Flash Fiction Award is currently open for entries. The competition is open three times a year and the current window is open until midnight on October 11th.

There are generous cash prizes to be won, including a top prize of £1,000. The fifty long-listed entrants will be offered publication in the Bath Flash Fiction print and digital anthology. Those published will receive a free copy.

The word limit is 300 words. For further rules and entry requirements follow the link below:

https://bathflashfictionaward.com/rules/

Feel you need a little extra information before submitting? Follow the link below to read an interview with Nod Ghosh- judge for the October 2020 competition.

https://bathflashfictionaward.com/2020/07/interview-

Good luck and Keep Scribbling!

Small Wonder: Short Story Festival

 Hello Scribblers

We have had to make some adjustments this year, and have missed out on many different events- like the Felixstowe Book Festival, and Primadonna. Thankfully, their organisers did a wonderful job of presenting the festivals in an online format. The same has been done for Small Wonder.

The Charleston based annual festival, dedicated to short stories and short form writing, has been adapted to be enjoyed digitally. The festival will have author interviews, workshops and discussions, which can be followed live, through YouTube links.

Small Wonder: Short Story Festival will be online from 25th to 27th September, bringing us a weekend of free digital events. The festival would usually be held at Charleston, East Sussex, at a beautiful house and gardens, where art and creativity are celebrated and explored.

Find out more about the Charleston Festival At Home by following the link below:

https://www.charleston.org.uk/small-wonder/ 

Find out more about Charleston house and gardens, art and archives by following the link below:

https://www.charleston.org.uk/about-charleston/

The following link provides some author interviews from the previous At Home festival in May, where you can listen to titans of literature, such as Salman Rushdie and new talent like Tayari Jones, who won the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction with her novel 'An American Marriage'. Have a browse and a listen, I hope you are inspired to join the festival live during the weekend 25th to 27th September.

https://www.charleston.org.uk/festival/whats-on/

Until we can meet again at such events, it's important to show them our support!

Keep Scribbling!

News

I hope you are all keeping well but, please spare a thought for Cathy. Her husband was rushed to hospital and we are currently waiting for an update on his progress. I'm sure you will all join me in sending our best wishes to them both.

As far as Scribblers go, the committee meeting was postponed for the time being. Obviously there are several issues that need addressing, not least when and where our group can meet up again.

Meantime we struggle on with providing prompts for you to write stories for both our WhatsApp group and our Repository. We always look forward to your submissions so please continue sending them in. It is well worth logging in to the Repository as one or two photographs have been added and these, I believe, make quite a difference to the overall presentation of our website.

The current prompts for the Repository is : 'A Sense of Place.' No word limit but your story should reach Liz by Tuesday next, 15 September.

The prompt for WhatsApp is : 'The Big Soup Pot.' Up to 200 words to be posted direct to the WhatsApp by Monday 14 September.

Look forward to reading your interpretations.

Stay safe and Keep Scribbling!!!