WRITERS’ NEWS
http://www.writers-online.co.uk NOVEMBER 2019^99A weekly audio fiction podcast with sci-fi, fantasy and
horror fiction that is a little bit different, the award
winning Drabblecast is going from strength to strength
after a successful Kickstarter campaign. Its payment rates
are 6¢ per word for original fiction up to a maximum of $300. Reprint payments
are 3¢, to a maximum of £300.
Stories that work well when read aloud and are humorous, bizarre, gross,
disturbing, or badass whilst also being interesting, original and relatable is what is
wanted. Stay well off the beaten track and you’ll be on the right path to gaining
acceptance for your work.
Fiction submissions should be 500-4,000 words long or you can submit
Drabbles of exactly 100 words or Twabbles of exactly 100 characters. Multiple
submissions will not be considered.
Email your work with your name and story title in the subject line and in the
body of the email include a bio with your preferred gender pronoun, story word
count, any publication history of the piece and a note of whether it is original
and unpublished. You may submit your story as an attached doc, docx or rtf
document or include it in the body of the email. You should gain a response
within three months.
Email to: [email protected]
Website: http://www.drabblecast.orgGet your drabbles heard
GLOBAL SPECFIC MARKET
Jenny RocheMARCH 2019 99I was probably about seven years old, in bed
with the landing light on – I’ve always been
afraid of the dark – when it came to me. I’d
forgotten how to go to sleep. How did you
do it? There I lay, eyes closed, waiting for it
to happen. And, of course, eventually it did.
It was last week that I decided to write
a story after a long break. I sat, laptop at
the ready, fingers hovering and realised I’d
forgotten how to write a story. How did you
do it?
The next day I met up with my friend,
Betty and before a word was spoken by me,
Betty said, ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve
written a story and now I’ve forgotten how
to write.’
‘Ditto,’ I said.
It was too distressing s subject to discuss
for long so we turned to an exchange of
news during which Betty told me about an
amusing afternoon she’d had at a village fete,
the stalls, some of the people she’d met there
and the activities including duck herding.
‘You could build a story around that,’ I
said. So she did.
A couple of days later she showed it to me.
‘It’s the completed first draft and it reads like
a newspaper report,’ she said. And it did.
‘Ditto,’ I said and then proceeded to tell
her what had happened to us both. ‘We’ve
fallen into the trap of all telling and not
showing. Our second drafts will be much
better.’
And they were.
We’d both opened with a hook and had
then gone on to show the story happening.
Unlike going to sleep, we hadn’t waited
for a story to happen. We worked at it and
eventually it did.
‘It’s that writing muscle,’ said Betty.
‘Use it or lose it,’ we said together.Novel
Ideas
Don’t let yourself forget
how to write, says
Lynne HacklesMuscle memory
A weekly audio fiction podcast with sci-fi, fantasy andThe Science
Fiction &
Fantasy Writers
of America
(SFWA) will
honour Lois
McMaster
Bujold, the
Hugo and
Nebula Award-winning author
best known for the multi book
Vorkosigan Saga, as the 36th
recipient of the Damon Knight
Memorial Grand Master Award
during the Nebula Conference in
California at the end of May.
Speaking about Bujold, SFWA
president Mary Robinette
Kowal commented that ‘she
finds new ways to explore the
genre, mixing and matching
everything from regency to
science fiction. With dozens of
books in multiple languages,
while continuing to write, she is
one of the most prolific authors
working today. Importantly, she
also serves as a role model for
many writers.’
Grand Master
BujoldThe Science
Fiction &
Fantasy Writers
of America
(SFWA) will
honour Lois
McMaster
Bujold, the
Hugo andWords of Unity
Global Acts of Unity has
launched the Words of Unity
competition for young poets,
its first poetry contest for
young writers aged 11-18.
The competition is the
brainchild of Mike Haines
OBE, whose brother David,
a humanitarian aid worker, was captured and
murdered by Daesh in 2014. Since then, Mike,
who founded Global Acts of Unity, has been
on a mission to promote unity, tolerance and
understanding.
The competition invites school-age young
people to explore what unity means to them
in verse. ‘I want to encourage as many young
people across the country to think about what
unity means to them, how they might bring
people together, and what examples there are
of unity in their school and community,’ said
Mike. ‘I know these poems will inspire people
across generations and would encourage anyone
aged 11-18 to enter.’
There are prizes of £100 vouchers and £500
of school supplies for the winner.
The competition is open to all UK schools.
Poems may be written, or spoken word or raps
entered as audio or video files. Regional winners
will be selected and an overall winner will be
announced in March.
The closing date is 28 February.
Website: https://mikehaines.
globalactsofunity.com/