Tag: Resources

This post is brought to you by author and longtime Hampshire Writers’ Society member, B Random.

You may not want to sell or publish your work. You may love blogging or just joining many writers in putting your work up on Wattpad for general consumption. Maybe you’re writing for the family. If all you want is a few readers, you’ve won.

But if you are looking for a wider audience, read on…

Writing Opportunities

Selling short stories to women’s magazines is now pretty much a thing of the past but stories or articles still do occasionally sell to specialist magazines if you know enough. It’s tough.

• Write short stories for free local magazines. You won’t get paid but it will give another confidence boost. There are some flash fiction anthologies you can contribute to, mainly online (e.g. Brilliant Flash Fiction/Flash Fiction Online) Look at past issues to see what they like.
• Reviews are great practice and a good way to help others.
• Why not club together with local writers and make an anthology, as one of our groups have done here in Chandler’s Ford? It’s a good way to sneak in poetry too.
• Factual/technical articles to specialist magazines is still possible if you have the skills or experience, e.g. Food/Drink (supermarkets), Travel (airlines), Wellbeing, Parenting, Tech, Arts/Entertainment etc. Take a good look at past articles before you submit.
• Write for fun! You could write custom prose or poetry for greetings or speeches on Peopleperhour or textbroker.co.uk. You could get creative; print, decorate and frame your work and sell it on Ebay, Etsy, Amazon or at Art fairs/markets.

I have not gone down all these routes so take advice first and step carefully.

Self-Publishing and Marketing

Some of you will make it to the end of a book, like me. Well done!

I used a course on Udemy (search for publishing) to publish on Amazon, following it to the letter.  I highly recommend getting on every one of these mailing lists for a constant stream of helpful advice. 

Tom Corson Knowles  TCK publishing.com

Mark Dawson’s Self Publishing Formula – just sign up for email inspiration and help

Creative indie – Derek Murphy – Guerilla Publishing – download free e-book guides on all aspects of marketing/publishing – templates

Dan Blank – We Grow Media – sign up to receive resources

Derek Doepker – Udemy Coach & kindle author

Joseph Michael – Scrivener Coach 

Alinka Rutkowska 

Whichever direction you go, know that your writing family is behind you, sharing your fun and wishing you luck!

This post is brought to you by author and longtime Hampshire Writers’ Society member, B Random.

Build Confidence with Competitions

Don’t be shy or afraid of them. They will get your name out there and if you place, they give you confidence in your writing. You can submit Flash Fiction, Short Stories, Poetry, even a whole novel if you have one ready, but make sure you read and follow the rules carefully. As I know well from my own experience, judging is always very subjective. It could just be down to the judge’s mood on the day so don’t take it to heart. If you have done a creative writing class you will know that everyone’s mind works differently and one prompt can spark a thousand ideas, and so it is with judges. 

My recommendation would be to try the free ones first. HWS comps are a great place to start. Sign up for New Writing South and Writers Online who often list free ones too along with other local opportunities. BBC Writers Room is another place to keep an eye on.

Once you have a few of those under your belt, aim higher and spend to go for the best known, prestigious ones with your best work, like the Bridport Prize, the Bath or Bristol Prize. There are millions out there, all set up to take your money for little reward so do your research and be canny about it. 

Creative Writing Ink have a monthly free comp and a full list of international comps as well as help and resources.

Good luck! 

This post is brought to you by author and longtime Hampshire Writers’ Society member, B Random.

Look after Yourself

• Find a place conducive to concentration.
• Drink – hydration is concentration.
• Comfy chair with lumbar support, knees at right angles, feet flat.
• Screen set so your eyes are central.
• No distractions.
• Read yourself into the mood.
• Deep breaths to relax.
• Don’t forget to get up and move every half hour or so, set a timer.

Stuck?

• We all have off days. Be kind to yourself.
• Poetry is a powerful tool.
• It’s liberating to free write; rant about the work, relatives or the state of the world.
• It’s always useful to pick one character and write their childhood.
• Sometimes it helps to derail your story.
• If you write anything, the flow will soon burst through. That’s the quality stuff you’re after.
• Remember, you are not alone. If all else fails, talk to another writer! We understand.

Inspiration

• Out and about, absorb what’s around you: atmospheres, settings. Think like a photographer. 
• Take inspiration from people around you, odd dress, idioms, the smallest event.
• Relish odd behaviour.
• Eavesdrop shamelessly.
• Indoors, try news stories. Think of the ripples that flow out from any incident. Explode norms. Twist expectations. Put yourself in the shoes of a Russian soldier with a broken tank, a stranded grandmother, a lost orphan. Alternatively, look back at old holiday snaps. 

My Advice

• Enjoy! (Bad vibes bleed through.) Indulge yourself in a scrumptious word feast. It’s good for you! 
• Learn creative writing, make your work the best it can be. 
• Write in scenes, like movies. Use your senses throughout. 
• If you’re having a bad day, use it, write it out. Make it worse. Get ridiculous. Make yourself laugh. It’s therapy.
• Join HWS and/or another local writing group. You could even form your own from classmates. Also join ALLI or SCWBI (for children’s) and use writer conferences.
• Compete! Don’t expect to win. Judging is subjective but every bit of feedback is useful. Free ones first. Then go for the most prestigious, biggest ones. It’s all about your CV/exposure.

This post is brought to you by author and longtime Hampshire Writers’ Society member, B Random.

Writing is escape, like meditation. It’s empowering. Enjoy it!

Most important – join a writing group and get yourself a supporting circle of friends. Reading your early work out to a small group is harrowing at first but when you all do it, it brings you closer. 

Wattpad is a great online writer resource anyone can use. It’s a great community to get feedback on your writing. Be aware that once you put it up there, it’s in the public eye and fair game for anyone else to use. So don’t post anything you want to keep to yourself.

Artful Scribe – Arts Council funded Hampshire & Dorset Writers Development Agency, career devt, networking, business collabs and events, and free workshops – So: Write and Do: Write. 

Joanna Penn – creative encouragement!

Writers Online – lots of writing help and articles

Writers Helping Writers – help and tips for writers

Authors Publish Magazine – articles, publishers and competitions

Inkers Con

If you do decide to try an agent or publisher, be guided by the Writers & Artist Yearbook and get on their mailing list. Check out each agent/publisher and address your letter directly to them, making sure you get all the details right. Research goes a long way and a slip with a name can prove disastrous before they’ve even looked at your work.

Write Mentor – paid courses for children’s writers – lots of support once you’re in and podcasts on the website

Cornerstones Literary Consultancy  – Editors and other paid services with scouting to publish. Well thought of but expensive.

Alternatively attend Writing Conferences and meet an agent in person. The I AM Writing Festival is right here in Winchester.

Many large towns and cities hold a literary festival, so look them up. There are many around the country where you can hear authors speak for a small fee rather than a huge day/weekend charge. Many of them are still online and a lot can be found on YouTube.  

Portsmouth Bookfest was bigger than ever last year, the Isle of Wight Literary Festival is just a ferry ride away, Worthing and Hastings are worth looking at too.  Exeter and Bath are within striking distance but so many are online now with You tube snatches available for free.  

If you write sci-fi or fantasy check out comic-cons and Dr Who events. Southampton Comic con is due in July at the Ageas Bowl.