“Blue” International Call For Writers by ArtAscent – Deadline February 28, 2014

Theme
The competition theme is “Blue.” Shades, spaces, feelings of blue. Show us what blue means to you.

Eligible Entries
Entries may include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, short stories and other written explorations (up to 900 words). Previously published or unpublished are eligible. Writers retain copyrights.

Prizes
Artist feature including a profile written by our art writer in ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal and $50 for the gold winner. At least 3 additional writers will win publication in ArtAscent Art and Literature Journal including links to your website, promotion on ArtAscent website writer directory, and exposure in social media.

About ArtAscent
The mission of ArtAscent is to promote artists of images and words, and connect them with art lovers. This is accomplished by art and writing competitions, art magazine publication, and artist and writer directories. Each competition is theme based, with the intent to showcase diverse creative explorations of that theme via various media.

Call details and to enter: www.artascent.com

2014 Commonwealth Short Story Prize

The 2014 Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2000-5000 words). Regional winners will receive £2,500 and the Overall Winner will receive £5,000. Translators will receive additional prize money.

The 2014 Short Story Prize will open for entry on 1 October 2013 and close on 30 November 2013. Entry is via the online application form at www.commonwealthwriters.org. The judges, who reflect the five regions of the Commonwealth, will be announced on 1 October.

A writer’s process – third session

Everyone is requested to think about their writing process. How would you define that process? When you say that you are waiting for a ‘spark’ to ignite the creative juices, do you know what that spark is? How it looks like? Feel like? Taste like? What are you waiting to understand before you can unleash your ink on the page? Is it an imagine of a character? A specific setting? A line? A face?

Whatever it is, do you understand why it is so important to your writing? To your process? Do you want to understand it? Do you want to control it? Take charge? Or at least make an attempt? If yes, I’d like to you to think of a metaphor that would explain the process. How does the metaphor capture the different stages of your writing? How does it communicate that process to someone? Can you give a parallel analysis of how the metaphor not only mirrors but gives a detailed breakdown description of the process? This information should enable me to follow step-by-step instruction of how you work. Is this possible? How detailed can you be? How much can you unlock? I.e. Someone once told me that their writing process is like a kite (metaphor). When they begin a new writing they envision the process to be like building a kite. First you need material; plastic, sticks, string, pins, etc. These in their writing process mirrors research. For instance, you need your grounding data or evidence – sticks hold or provide the basic structure for a kite. So they will look for them first to build the skeleton of a kite. In their writing, this could mean key grounding literature. If you are writing a book about Zombies, what are the basic elements which you must adhere to or establish for your story to hold? Etc… One can go on to explain how the metaphor reveals how and where the writer places themselves in their writing and defines a sense of direction.

If you’ve never did this before, take the challenge and you will see it will start to show you, at the very least, how well you understand or have taken some things for granted in your writing. This process might be spontaneous and mysterious for many but within that there is great room for a writer to
understand the workings behind it. Try new things, learn how to stimulate yourself and your writing. We might not have figured out the secret to teach writing but we know how to enable the process. So take a chance. Write a metaphor you think would best explain your process and post it here. You might be amazed at something small you discover about your writing.

Is this important?
Well, you decide.

Date: 4 March 2013

Venue: The Wits Writing Centre

TheWritersClu

Reader’s Digest ‘100 Word Story’ Contest

Reader’s Digest South Africa is running a ‘100 Word Story’ contest. The competition is free to enter and open only to South African residents. Stories must be exactly 100 words and submitted by 30 November 2012.

The winner will receive R5,000 and be published in the magazine. The first two runners up will receive R1,000.

Visit http://www.readersdigest.co.za/100-word-story for more information.

Commonwealth Book and Short Story Prize

Commonwealth Writers final call for entries:

Last few weeks remaining to enter the new Commonwealth Book Prize and Commonwealth Short Story Prize. The prizes are part of a new initiative, Commonwealth Writers, an online hub to inspire, inform and create a community of writers from all over the world. Together with the prizes, Commonwealth Writers unearths, develops and promotes the best new fiction from across the Commonwealth.

Commonwealth Short Story Prize: Wednesday 30 November 2011 (5pm GMT)
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction in English (2000-5000 words). Regional winners receive £1,000 and the overall winner receives £5,000.

Commonwealth Book Prize: Friday 9 December 2011 (5pm GMT)
Awarded for best first book, the Commonwealth Book Prize is open to writers who have had their first novel (full length work of fiction in English) published between 1 January and 31 December 2011. Regional winners receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives £10,000.

Enter online at www.commonwealthwriters.org.