Into 2021

 Happy 

New 

Year

to the  

Felixstowe Scribblers!

I know this year, 2020, has been terrible with the pandemic. The New Year gives us hope with vaccinations expected to be given during the first months of the year. 

Perhaps 2021 will not be the best start but, having some positivity, we certainly have high hopes that the situation will improve and we can all pull together to defeat the virus.

Thinking ahead, maybe we will all stay safe and even be able to meet again perhaps in the Spring. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Whilst thinking of the future, please remember our Jim who is recovering from his major heart bypass. We wish him well and hope, in due course, to see a story or two from him complete with his terrific sense of humour.

Once again my friends,

A Happy New Year to you all!

Dave.

Final prompts from 2020

It seems that we have survived 2020... only a couple of days to go... and can now look forward to a better and hopefully safer 2021.

We hope to have an update on the Repository very soon so apologies for keeping you on tenterhooks for so long. Meanwhile the prompt remains the same - to write a seasonal story, factual or fictional or even frightening... by Tuesday 5th January 2021.

Meanwhile our WhatsApp prompt is simply "Still Waters"... there is a picture prompt on the WhatsApp group page. 200 words for a short story please to be posted by Monday 4th January.

Well folks, I wish you all a Happy and Safe New Year!

Keep Scribbling!!!

Another chance to share sea shore stories!

 Hello Scribblers

If, like me, you missed the deadline for a recent competition with a 'dark, wild sea' theme. then you may be pleased with another opportunity to post your watery tale.

Seabourne Magazine is a new digital publication with a mission to celebrate 'the brightest jewels on Mother Nature's crown: our seas and oceans'. They are looking for atmospheric fiction, non-fiction, poetry and visual artwork that captures the imagination. Their aim is to remind the world of the beauty, wonder and mystery of the sea, and to help protect these precious spaces.

Seabourne Magazine donates some of their revenue to charities who help keep the seas clean and protect the marine environment and wildlife within.

Possible themes for your sea-based writing include (but are not restricted to):

Sea creatures, mythology and weird tales, dangers of the deep, voyages of discovery, the call of the sea, or surprising and forgotten history.

Follow the links below to find out more about this new publication and how to submit a piece of writing for consideration in their next issues.

https://seabornemagazine.com/about/

https://seabornemagazine.com/submission-guidelines/

It's Christmas...Just not as we know it...

 

Inspiration from Rejection Letters

Hello Scribblers

 What's the most inspiring thing you can think of?

I bet it's not a rejection letter. 

But, prompted by these disheartening missives, some clever people have developed a website where rejection letters are celebrated. They welcome submissions in the form of said dismissive correspondence, but also poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, hybrid work- whatever you like really.

They like the absurd, the heartbreaking, the hysterical. Why not peruse the website to get a feel for the kind of work they tend to publish- have a browse through their poetry, non-fiction, rejection letters and other categories. You might just get inspiration for a piece of your own to share with your fellow scribblers, or to submit for publication.

At the very least, you might become a little more accepting of any rejection letters that come your way.

Follow the link below for some rejection... I particularly enjoyed 'The First Fish Who Walked Out of the Sea'.

https://rejection-letters.com/

Happy Scribbling!

https://rejection-letters.com/

Competitions in 2021

Hello Scribblers 

I've found a lovely little blog by a talented writer called Anne O'Leary.  Also known as the Word Herder.

She has compiled a list of some fabulous short story competitions coming up in 2021.

I'm pasting a link to her blog below, so you can find out more about her, see what other writing related gems she has on her blog, and also browse the list of competitions ready for next year.

I'll try and post the competitions as they get closer, but do have a look in advance, so that you can plan for any themes and word counts. Some of the early themes include 'Food and Drink', 'A Mystery' and 'Memories', but most have a no theme entry.

Explore the blog below, and get inspired by Anne's impressive list of writing acomplishments.

https://anneolearyblog.wordpress.com/2020/12/07/2021-short-story-competition-guide/

Happy browsing and planning for future scribbling!

Dark, Wild Sea Stories- there's still time!

Hello Scribblers

This is a quick little reminder about a competition we posted a while ago, with a dark and wild theme. 

The Janus Literary Story Prize is open for entries until December 16th. They are looking for stories with a dark, wild sea theme. The word count should be between 750 and 1,000 words.

Follow the link below for more details, and get those stories submitted for a chance to win!

https://www.janusliterary.com/submit/

Happy Scribbling!

This week's prompts.

This week's Manic/Micro Monday WhatsApp prompt is "A step in the right direction..." 

As usual a maximum of 200 words with the deadline next Monday 14 December to be posted onto our WhatsApp page.

The Repository prompt is for something Christmassy. Possibly a factual account, a humorous review or a piece of fiction, the darker the better! There is no word limit but the deadline is Tuesday 15 December. Please send to Liz in the normal way.

Stay safe everyone,

Dave. 

Changes...

 A couple of changes are happening with the Felixstowe Scribblers at the moment, and we wanted to gather some thoughts from our members and also ask if anyone might fancy getting involved in some of the 'behind the scenes' activity.

Liz, who has done sterling work in setting up and administrating the Repository, is going to take a step back from that. Georgina, who currently does occasional posts on the Scribblers Weblog, is willing to take on responsibility for the repository. However, doing both roles seems a bit too much, so we wanted to ask if anyone else is interested in either of the roles.

The Repository administration involves receiving emailed stories from members, and posting them under the relevant members name. It also involves posting members' stories anonymously for the occasional competitions. The amount of stories to be posted depends on the amount being sent in by members. It can be done once or twice a week, or as and when they are received.

The Weblog administration involves posting news, writing tips, competitions or anything else that may be of interest to us writerly types. Ideally this would be done about once a week.

The Weblog and the Repository have been vital to the Felixstowe Scribblers of late, as we have been unable to meet in person. The Repository in particular has enabled us to share stories and comments and feel part of a real writing community, when so much else in the world has felt isolating and insecure.

We would like a response from all of our members please, to tell us what you think about the Weblog and the Repository (and if you have any comments on the WhatsApp group), or anything else that you think would be helpful. Please, in your response, also mention whether or not you feel you could help with taking on a little extra activity to keep your fellow Scribblers connected.

If you are interested in finding out more about how you could help, please contact Georgina or Dave by email. Guidance and support can be given to help build up confidence, and expressing an interest doesn't commit you to anything!

Looking forward to hearing from you.
The Scribblers Committee

The Manchester Writing School- Short Story Event.

 Hello Scribblers

This post is for us short story enthusiasts. The Manchester Writing School are hosting an online event for those wanting to find out more about this genre of writing. Two of the finest short story writers; Lara Williams and Nicholas Royle will be discussing their latest work and talking about what makes this form so dynamic and unique.

The event, on the 3rd December, is free to participate in, and can be accessed by obtaining free tickets from the eventbrite website, by following the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-short-story-tickets-124675274101

Find out more about the event, the authors and more about what the Manchester Writing School has to offer by following the link below:

https://www.manchesterwritingschool.co.uk/events/the-short-story

Happy Scribbling Short Story Fans!

Jim.

We have today learned that Jim is in the Royal Papworth Hospital recovering from a quadruple heart bypass.

If you would like to message him his email address is 

jim.mcmillan@talk21.com

The Scribblers send their best wishes to him for his recovery.

Dave.

The Crystal Ball Competition

Congratulations 

to Gerry on winning the Crystal Ball competition with his compelling story 'You’d Better Come In.' Talk about twist in the tail, this had two! Well done Gerry.

Second place was shared between Dave and 'The Hotel,' and Martin and 'Medium.'

Third place was Carole with 'The Third Floor.'

Well done to all the entrants in this fascinating competition in memory of our much missed friend, Mairead Reidy.