Getting the manuscript right for the publisher

Appearance is important when submitting manuscripts to publishers - a tatty, dog-eared effort does not get the reader well intentioned to your work. So how do you submit a book-length manuscript? Here are some tips:


The manuscript should be neatly and clearly typed. Make sure your printer is producing clean copy, without smudges

Print double spaced on one side of the paper only. Double spacing and adequate margins leave room for copy editing by the publisher

The title page should contain the following information: title of the work, your name and your address

Start each new chapter on a new page, give the chapter number and title (if any), and space before beginning the text.

Number each page consecutively throughout the manuscript. Do not begin each new chapter at page 1

Do not staple pages together - the publisher needs to be able to read it. Better go for rubber bands

You may make minor corrections to a manuscript by printing neatly and legibly in ink but any page with more than two or three corrections should be re-typed

When you submit a manuscript, provide some general information such as whether you've been published before and something about your background

Enclose a self addressed, stamped envelope, but be aware that publishers are under no obligation to return manuscripts

Submit an outline of the story. An outline of two pages should give the publisher a clear idea of what the book is about.

Good luck!

John Dean

Our latest newsletter

Hi

Welcome to the latest newsletter from the team behind the Global Short Story Competition, containing details of a change to competition dates.


Honours shared in July short story competition
Judge Fiona Cooper has selected joint winners for the July Global Short Story Competition and writers from have the UK and Australia have shared the honours.
The £100 first place is divided between Sally Oliver, of Preston, England, with Gertrude Fitzwilliam and Gayle Beveridge, of Narre Warren North, Australia, with Thirty Seven Cats.
Fiona says of Sally’s story: “What a triumph! This writer writes with confidence, zest and humour and brings the story alive from the first sentence to the last. The use of language is daring and polished. And then there’s the content, of course. This is surprising, humorous and wistful all at the same time. Love or loathe her, Gertrude Fitzwilliam is not a person you will forget. Excellent work - I hope the author is writing more and suspect they may already be published. If not .... then it’s only a matter of time.”
Fiona says of Gayle’s story: “Such beautiful use of language and a way of capturing images that build a moving (in both senses) and lovely picture! The ending both shocked and moved me and there are images in this story that will stay with me. The imagery is lucid and of a quality that demands to be re-read and savoured. Lovely stuff. Again, this author should be using this talent. Excellent work.”
The writers on the shortlist were:
Arthur Wheeler, Brompton-on-Swale, North Yorkshire, England
Jennifer McRobbie, Selkirk, Scotland
Mandy Huggins
Esther Newton, Thatcham, Berkshire, England
Winning stories will be posted on www.inscribemedia.co.uk Well done to our successful writers. You can enter the new quarterly competition at the same address.


Story competition goes quarterly
A reminder that the team behind the Global Short Story Competition has gone quarterly.
Begun more than six years ago, the competition has until now run on a monthly basis but has switched to one which runs for three months at a time, with the new one running from August 1 to October 31, 2014.
The prizes continue to be £100 for the first prize and a £25 prize for highly commended writers. The entry fee remains £5.
The competition, which has topped £11,000 in prize money handed out, has had entries from more than 60 countries over the years.
Each competition is judged by Fiona Cooper, an author in North-East England, where the competition’s organisers Inscribe Media are also based.
Competition administrator John Dean said: “It was becoming a little too challenging to sustain the competition on a monthly basis but we think writers will respond to the idea of a quarterly one that continues to seek out and showcase the very best of new talent worldwide.”
The competition, which has been supported by best-selling author Bill Bryson since it was established six and a half years ago, can be entered at www.inscribemedia.co.uk


Flash fiction competition winner is named
We have announced the winner of our latest free flash fiction competition.
The challenge to writers was to produce a story capturing ‘one of the best things in life’ in no more than 100 words for the competition, which is run at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
The £50 prize went to Asharika Jaward for: It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That much was clear. The hitch? He couldn't take them with him- Samantha and the twins. Still it would be foolish to refuse. He opened the door, a frown on his face.
“Daddy! Daddy!” The twins rushed forward to welcome their father and clung lovingly onto his legs.
“Let daddy be,” Sam gently reprimanded. She set warm chicken casserole on the table. Looking at his beautiful family and realizing what he had, he made up his mind.
Iyona, their, maid found the airplane ticket in the dustbin the next morning while doing her daily chores

Free stuff
There’s loads of free hints on writing at our blog at www.inscribemedia.co.uk and you can also check out our free writers’ toolbox, which can be downloaded off the home page at http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/ You can check out our Facebook page with its news and views at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538

Mentoring and courses
For information on our online writing courses and mentoring packages at http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/writing-courses---bespoke-mentoring.html


Nurturing new talent through our e-books
A reminder that we have published seven e-books

Lost Souls by Roger Barnes When young women start to go missing in Africa, an International Strike Force is assembled to rescue them.

Harry’s Torment by Michael Beck Set in the fictional east coast port of Thirlston and centred on investigators tackling the heroin trade.


Previously published were:
Cyber Rules by Myra King. The novel by Australian writer Myra tells the story of a farmer’s wife in isolated rural Australia. Caught up on the addictive side of the Internet, she holds a secret which may prove to be deadly.

Global Shorts - an anthology of short stories taken from the early years of the Global Short Competition.

Vegemite Whiskers - a selection of some of the finest writing from Australian authors who have entered the Global Short Story Competition.

White Gold by Roger Barnes A thriller by Roger Barnes taking the reader into a world of intrigue and danger set amid the poachers of Africa.

Haghir the Dragon Finder by John Dean, a comic fantasy for older children. Haghir

and his hopeless comrades are dragon slayers seeking a new challenge.
All the titles can be obtained by keying their titles into the search field of the Kindle shop at www.amazon.co.uk Australian readers will have to purchase via Amazon US at www.amazon.com
* If you don’t have a Kindle, there is a free Kindle reading app for your PC at
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771
* You can find more about the books on our website. You can also check out our ebooks on Pinterest at http://gb.pinterest.com/inscribemedia/

Contacting us
You can contact us as deangriss@btinternet.com

Thank you for all your support

John Dean

Inscribe Media

　

　

　

　
　
　

　

　

　

How place triggers stories

We receive Global Short Story Competition entries from all over the world and this allows me, from time to time, to return to a theme which greatly interests me.
I have always believed that writers respond strongly to landscapes. While acknowledging that authors come into stories from different angles - characters, concepts, ideas - I believe that place has to be a major trigger. The major trigger for some.
I am sure that writers in scenic areas are inspired to create stories by the fabulous landscape and the extremes of weather, for example.
As a writer based in Northern England, for example, I am inspired by the North Pennines and the stunning Lake District, which brought forth my character Jack Harris, who has featured in three of my novels.
Plenty of time to enter the latest competition by going to www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean

Barbara Unkovic's latest collection to be published

Worth checking out the latest book from Barbara Unkovic, a great supporter of the Global Short Story Competition.
Furry Blur:
Bold, distinctive and written with an acute sense of observation, these diverse tales highlight Unković’s skill as a talented writer of Flash Fiction. Twenty-eight tales with clear-cut voices from sweet to shocking.

It is due for release on 1 October and can be bought from amazon.co.uk and amazon.com, wordery.com or from the publisher info@authoressentials.com

John Dean

Are you playing a starring role in your own story?

Writers creating main characters will use various methods but they will always draw on three sources of inspiration. They are:

Autobiographical method

While you are always likely to put something of yourself into your characters without trying, many of the most convincing characters are created deliberately by basing them on yourself or particular aspects of your personality.

It was Mel Brooks who said: “Every human being has hundreds of separate people living under his skin. The talent of a writer is his ability to give them their separate names, identities, personalities, and have them relate to other characters living with him.”

Biographical method

Writers often base characters on people they know, maybe not well but whose characteristics create the starting point for a character.

Perhaps a snippet of overheard conversation or the way someone wears a coat can be enough. By mixing these characteristics together the inspiration will never recognise themselves.

Oh, and sounds obvious but don’t forget to change the name - you would be surprised how many writers don’t!


Inventing characters from scratch

Some writers dream up whole new characters created from nothing. Best way? Decide on the job your character needs to do and let your imagination do the rest.

So how do you create your characters?
It’s just one of the subjects we are debating at our Facebook page -http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538

John Dean

The power of words

Ever noticed how some writers have a remarkable ability to toy with your emotions? Within a few pages, you can go from great excitement to crying your eyes out. It’s the hallmark of the power of writing
Taking the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride is essential in novels and short stories. Maybe you want to impress them, get them excited, make them cautious, get them angry. The better a job you do at making them feel, the more effective your writing.I am currently teaching a course on the power of words and came across these quotes from a number of authors :
Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”
― John Green

I spent my life folded between the pages of books.
In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters. I lived love and loss through stories threaded in history; I experienced adolescence by association. My world is one interwoven web of words, stringing limb to limb, bone to sinew, thoughts and images all together. I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction.”
― Tahereh Mafi

“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.”
― Patrick Rothfuss



“There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic.”
― Diane Setterfield

“My task, which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel--it is, before all, to make you see.”
― Joseph Conrad



“Words are like eggs dropped from great heights; you can no more call them back than ignore the mess they leave when they fall.”
― Jodi Picoult



“There exists, for everyone, a sentence - a series of words - that has the power to destroy you. Another sentence exists, another series of words, that could heal you. If you're lucky you will get the second, but you can be certain of getting the first.”
― Philip K. Dick



　

John Dean

Geting your reader to react

Emotion is something of which some writers are wary, preferring to produce work without revealing too much of themselves.
However, for many other writers, there cannot be fiction without a sense of themselves in it. For some authors, there is always part of them peering through, their fears, their hopes, their aspirations, their take on life. They may not say ‘and this is me’ but it is there all the same. For many authors, writing has to be a deeply personal art.
Of course, it is not all autobiographical - many writers write characters and scenes which readers find abhorrent and use language and ideas with which readers might not agree but which need to be there because they reflect the world about us. However, in there somewhere are also tantalising glimpses of what the writer really thinks of the world.However you do it, it is about getting a reaction from your reader. I think that good writing is about triggers - words, phrases, images, places, sensations - that reach deep into the reader’s mind.
That reaction will be based on something the reader has actually experienced, or maybe something that the reader dreads ever having to experience. It is why horror and ghost stories work so well.
Yes, you are messing about with the reader’s head, yes, you may be forcing them to confront difficult truths, but isn’t that sometimes what writing is about?
If every story, every book, was about sugary-sweet people in lovely situations, then writing could never really move the reader as it should.
So, yes, writing can, on occasion, make the reader feel uneasy, uncomfortable, scared even, but, let’s be honest, isn’t that sometimes the way we feel in our daily lives anyway? It’s simply art reflecting reality.
John Dean

Middling it

The middle is there to keep the story going, fill in gaps, create tension and allow the story to develop but it should only be as long as if needed, not overwritten or underwritten.

I always suggest that authors write their short story in a series of episodes.
Short stories are a series of small chapters, maybe only a few lines but representing a development in the story.

This requires really effective writing because, whereas in a novel you might have eight or nine pages to recount an incident, that luxury simply does not exist in a short story.

If you take our competition, our limit for a story is 2,000 words. Sounds a lot but not if you let your episodes run too long.

So, how do you achieve such tight writing? Well, it might be that you describe a location in a line rather than a paragraph, produce only sparing details of your character or recount a conversation in four snatches of dialogue rather than a page.

Many winning short story authors in competitions around the world have been those who achieved such effective writing.

All of this is not to say that when you write a novel, you can waffle on to your heart’s content. Indeed, the disciplines of short story writing can be invaluable when you tackle a novel. Whatever you write, every word must do its job. it’s a good mantra to live by.
John Dean

Success for student

A Masters student at Camberwell College of Arts in the UK has won the 2014 Book Illustration Competition, a collaboration between House of Illustration and The Folio Society.

Sean McSorley's illustrations for Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad's masterpiece set in 19th-century Congo, beat hundreds of entrants from more than 30 countries.

Sean’s winning illustrations form part of a Folio Society commission, worth £5,000, to complete nine illustrations and a binding design for a new edition of Heart of Darkness, which is published by The Folio Society in October.

The annual Book Illustration Competition is open to student and professional illustrators, aged 18 and over, who have not been published by The Folio Society. The winner receives a highly sought-after Folio Society commission and five runners-up each receive £500 cash. Each year, three prizes of the six are awarded to student entries.

Sean said: “'It was a real privilege to have been chosen to work on Heart of Darkness, and a real challenge too, since it was my first book illustration commission and I was juggling it around my MA work. I learnt a great deal throughout the process and I hope I've done some justice to Conrad's complex and fascinating text.'

To sign up for future House of Illustration competitions and to see a gallery of past winners of The Book Illustration Competition please visit the Competitions site.

For updates about the competition follow @foliosociety and @illustrationhq

Join the discussion on Twitter! #BIC2014

Mentoring for writers

A reminder that, in addition to the various free things we do, one of the paid-for services we offer is one supporting writers.

Why should you hire a professional writing mentor, though? Isn’t it enough to attend a class/workshop or a writing group? Or ask a friend or relative to comment?

Well, it depends what you want and need and bespoke mentoring from Inscribe Media can help some writers, providing the experience and expertise to -

• understand your work

• nurture you and your writing

• let you retain control of your ideas and your writing

* provide expert, specific advice about what is working and what isn’t.

We focus on major issues, such as how your story hangs together, what your characters are doing or could be doing, what is hurting your story’s momentum, what story elements are not pulling their weight.

We identify the differences between good and great and point out your writing strengths, so you become confident about what not to change.

We also give suggestions and help you establish good processes and writing goals and suggest markets for your work.

If long-term mentoring does not appeal, we run short writing courses as well.

You can find out more at http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/writing-courses---bespoke-mentoring.html
You can also access our free downloadable writing guide at www.inscribemedia.co,uk and find loads of free tips on our blog here.



John Dean

Festival details announced

Initial details of the 2015 Darlington Arts Festival in the North East England town have been announced and organisers are appealing for arts organisations to get involved.
Darlington for Culture (DfC) is seeking to hear from arts groups, venues, performers and businesses who would like to showcase themselves in the third annual festival, due to run throughout May 2015.
The festival, to be staged at a wide range of venues across the borough, is being co-ordinated by DfC, the group which speaks for arts and culture in the area.
Planning is well under way for the festival, which will include:
* A number of events to celebrate the 190^th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway
* A month-long literary festival and other venues, featuring readings and writing workshops
* Arts-based events involving a wide range of artists
* A Film Festival to be run by Darlington Film Club, which is based at the Forum in Borough Road
* A series of music events
* An arts showcase day
DfC Chair John Dean said: “The festival has become a fixture in Darlington’s arts calendar and we are excited about some of the ideas already being developed for 2015.”
DfC Artistic Director Yvonne Preston said: “The festival is going from strength to strength and we are already well on with our planning for 2015. It should be terrific.”
DfC Secretary Matt Roche said: “We want people from across the community to be involved in next year's arts festival. If people have an idea they want to develop or include we’d love to hear from them.“
Literary Festival organiser Joanne Land said: “The Literary Festival is shaping up to be better than ever next year with the support of Crown Street Library and new events in the pipeline that cross over between literature and other art forms.”
DfC can contacted on darlo4culture@gmail.com More information is available at www.darlingtonforculture.org

* Festival sponsors include Creative Darlington and Cleveland College of Art and Design

Crime writer to give talk

Crime writer Valerie Laws, from the North East of England, is to give a talk about her new novel The Operator in a forthcoming event at Marton Library in Middlesbrough.

The Operator tells a sinister story of the killing of surgeons – mutilating them to mimic the operations they perform. It is also the sequel to the author’s award winning novel The Rotting Spot.

It sees small but fierce alternative health therapist and journalist Erica Bruce once more locks horns with the sceptic Detective Inspector Will Bennett in this action-packed, dark but witty thriller set in the North East. Top author Ann Cleeves describes it as ‘gripping from the first scene’.

Valerie, who lives in Northumberland, will be at Marton Library on Monday, September 29 at 7pm to talk about her new novel and crime writing in general.

Tickets are £3 and available from the library by calling 01642 300255. The event is being held with the support of the Friends of Marton Library who are keen to bring more authors to the library, which is located on The Willows.
John Dean

Let's celebrate

e have set out to celebrate the achievements of the world’s aspiring writers. We try to encourage writers as much as we can and it seemed like a good idea to celebrate good news.

We know that many of our entrants enjoy success around the world in various competitions, or have had books published, and we want to give them the chance to shout about it.

Even in recent weeks, we have heard about writers securing publishing contracts and creating blog sites.
We hope to help them celebrate those achievements. Details can be sent to us via deangriss@binternet.com

John Dean

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Here’s a question for you which we asked before and are asking again.

I came across an essay by the great writer George Orwell in which he said: “From a very early age, perhaps the age of five or six, I knew that when I grew up I should be a writer. Between the ages of about seventeen and twenty-four I tried to abandon this idea, but I did so with the consciousness that I was outraging my true nature and that sooner or later I should have to settle down and write books.”

Here’s the question - when did you know you wanted to be a writer? To kick things off, I reckon I was also five or six when I knew. I was lucky - my parents encouraged me and I had two teachers, one at primary, Judith Kent, and one at secondary, Tom Cowley, who helped me chase my dream. We’re debating this on our Facebook page if you wish to take part - at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538

John Dean







John Dean

Do I know you?

My teaching of writers is based around the idea of engaging the reader and much of that comes from creating compelling main characters.

Most leading characters tend to be a Dynamic Character (sometimes called Round or Developing), a character who changes during the course of a story or novel.

I always think it helps to see how much you know about your character - you may not use all the information but it informs your writing, especially when it comes to changing them as the story progresses.

Here’s your starter for ten

1 Where does your character live?

2 How old is your character?

3 Have you got the right name for him/her?

4 What does your character look like?

5 What kind of childhood did he or she have?

6 What does your character do for a living?

7 What does your character do as a hobby

8 How does your character deal with conflict and change?

9 Who else is in your character’s life?

10 What is your character’s goal or motivation in this story?
Struggle with any of them and there’s more work to be done in developing them. Struggle with them all and you have created a cardboard cut-out!

Oh, and don’t forget to let them grow - lists are all very well but the key to real characters is the organic development that happens when you write.

John Dean

Writers share honours in short story competition

Competition and writers from have the UK and Australia have shared the honours.

The £100 first place is divided between Sally Oliver, of Preston, England, with Gertrude Fitzwilliam and Gayle Beveridge, of Narre Warren North, Australia, with Thirty Seven Cats.
Fiona says of Sally’s story: “What a triumph! This writer writes with confidence, zest and humour and brings the story alive from the first sentence to the last. The use of language is daring and polished. And then there’s the content, of course. This is surprising, humorous and wistful all at the same time. Love or loathe her, Gertrude Fitzwilliam is not a person you will forget. Excellent work - I hope the author is writing more and suspect they may already be published. If not .... then it’s only a matter of time.”
Fiona says of Gayle’s story: “Such beautiful use of language and a way of capturing images that build a moving (in both senses) and lovely picture! The ending both shocked and moved me and there are images in this story that will stay with me. The imagery is lucid and of a quality that demands to be re-read and savoured. Lovely stuff. Again, this author should be using this talent. Excellent work.”
The writers on the shortlist were:

Arthur Wheeler, Brompton-on-Swale, North Yorkshire, England

Jennifer McRobbie, Selkirk, Scotland

Mandy Huggins

Esther Newton, Thatcham, Berkshire, England
Winning stories will be posted on www.inscribemedia.co.uk Well done to our successful writers. You can enter the new quarterly competition at the same address.

John Dean




　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

Being special

For me, there are plenty of examples of short stories which are well written - well-crafted and technically competent.

Often, they are very, very good indeed.

But they do not always enjoy success, be it winning competitions or catching the eye of publishers. Why?

I suspect the reason is that they do not have that extra something, that something that makes the story truly live.

Whether it be the description of a place that makes you shiver because you feel the chill air coming off the hills, or a portrayal of a character so real they could easily walk in through the door and you would not be surprised, these are stories that have something extra.

Or it might be a new idea, or a twist on an old idea, that starts you thinking, or something that gets you wanting to shout for joy or roar with anger.

Whatever it is, it these are the somethings that take a story from the OK to really good. The somethings that mean that you simply cannot get the story out of your mind.

Years ago, I presided over the judging panel from another competition in which we were involved. At the end, the judges picked a superb winner, one that would stand toe to toe with the very best writing around. It was different, quirky, heart-rending, powerful, evocative, inventive, mesmerising - I could go on.

In agreeing their citation, the panel said they wanted to say that there was a lot of ‘competent’ writing out there. It felt like damning the other writers taking part with faint praise but the judges were absolutely right.

There was a lot of stories that were OK, but there were a few that were better than that and one that was absolutely superb. It stood out above all the others and still nestles in a corner of my brain, remembered and admired.

You can enter the latest Global Short Story Competition at www.inscribemedia.co.uk

John Dean
 

Flash fiction competition winner announced

The team behind The Global Short Story Competition has announced the winner of its latest free flash fiction competition.
The challenge to writers was to produce a story capturing ‘one of the best things in life’ in no more than 100 words for the competition, which is run at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inscribemedia/183385438479538
We liked a lot of the entries but in the end the £50 prize went to Asharika Jaward for: It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That much was clear. The hitch? He couldn't take them with him- Samantha and the twins. Still it would be foolish to refuse. He opened the door, a frown on his face.
“Daddy! Daddy!” The twins rushed forward to welcome their father and clung lovingly onto his legs.
“Let daddy be,” Sam gently reprimanded. She set warm chicken casserole on the table. Looking at his beautiful family and realizing what he had, he made up his mind.
Iyona, their, maid found the airplane ticket in the dustbin the next morning while doing her daily chores.
Well done, Asharika.
John Dean

Getting the dialogue right

I am thoroughly enjoying a novel at the moment. Its sense of place and people has drawn me into the narrative and you can see why the writer is so celebrated. Venerated, even. Except, for the dialogue, which is stilted and clunky.

It got me thinking about the rules of dialogue. Dialogue is crucial to the success of any story. Good dialogue can make a story, bad dialogue can wreck it, so it is worth bearing in mind some of these rules of conversation and reflecting them in the dialogue that you write. If people talk that way in real life then so they should in your work.

* A lot of the time, we do not speak in correct sentences/we often use short sharp phrases.

* Keep your dialogue crisp - we can tell a lot about a person in a short snap of conversation.

* We interrupt a lot.

* We assume a lot. Not ‘Your brother has been murdered.’

‘What, my brother Brian?’

‘Yes, that’s him. Your only brother. The younger one.’ Keep it realistic.

* Dialogue must take the story on. Only write small talk if you need to, ie showing how tedious a person can be. If you don’t need it, don’t write it. Make sure each word does a job.

* Do not pack dialogue with extraneous information. Don’t write like this:
‘I saw William, although everyone calls him Bill, my neighbour of ten years in Acacia Avenue, in Darlington, and observed that he was his normal glum self, to which we - that is my wife, Edith, and I - have grown accustomed in the weeks since his wife left him for a younger man and filed for divorce. I assumed that the darkness which seems to have assailed him since then has not lifted.’ If you need to slot in that information, find a way of doing it more subtly: ie “Saw Bill this morning. His usual gloomy self. The divorce really has knocked him backwards.’

John Dean

Short story competition half way through

The new quarterly Global Short Story Competition is half way through.

Begun more than six years ago, the competition has until now run on a monthly basis but has switched to one which runs for three months at a time, with the new one running from August 1 to October 31, 2014.

The prizes continue to be £100 for the first prize and a £25 prize for highly commended writers. The entry fee remains £5.

The competition, which has topped £11,000 in prize money handed out, has had entries from more than 60 countries over the years.

Each competition is judged by Fiona Cooper, an author in North-East England, where the competition’s organisers Inscribe Media are also based.

It was becoming a little too challenging to sustain the competition on a monthly basis but we think writers will respond to the idea of a quarterly one that continues to seek out and showcase the very best of new talent worldwide.
The competition, which has been supported by best-selling author Bill Bryson since it was established six and a half years ago, can be entered at www.inscribemedia.co.uk

John Dean

Competition well under way

A reminder that the team behind the Global Short Story Competition has announced that it has gone quarterly.
Begun more than six years ago, the competition has until now run on a monthly basis but has switched to one which runs for three months at a time, with the new one running from August 1 to October 31, 2014.
The prizes continue to be £100 for the first prize and a £25 prize for highly commended writers. The entry fee remains £5.
The competition, which has topped £11,000 in prize money handed out, has had entries from more than 60 countries over the years.
Each competition is judged by Fiona Cooper, an author in North-East England, where the competition’s organisers Inscribe Media are also based.
 The competition, which has been supported by best-selling author Bill Bryson since it was established six and a half years ago, can be entered at www.inscribemedia.co.uk

Taking inspiration from the routine

I have always thought - and I know I will be shot down for this in some quarters - that writers view the world differently.

Talking to writers bears that out, though, the way a word, a phrase, an image, an idea can create a train of thought that evolves into a story.

I was talking to a writer the other day and he told how a line in a conversation triggered something deep within and produced a story.

Never is that process more pronounced, in my view, than when writers take something ordinary, routine, part of our daily lives, and present it in a way that is different.

Why am I thinking this? Well, two recent stories entered into our competition took routine images and presented them in ways that made for good storytelling.

John Dean

Now that's intriguing

Many of the stories entered into the Global Short Story Competition show that their writers have a keen understanding of the need to intrigue the reader by creating intrigue.

One way of creating intrigue is something in your early lines, something that makes you sit up and want to read more. It is called The Question. Catching the reader’s attention is crucial and a good early question does the job beautifully.

But there is another, more subtle way, and done right it can be very effective. The idea is that, in the middle of ‘straightforward’ narrative, you drop in something, sometimes just a line, sometimes just a word, but something that nags away at the reader.

It is like having a conversation with a friend who suddenly says: “Of course, there’s that other thing that has been worrying me.” At first hearing you might miss it but within seconds you are going back to the line and saying “Thing, what thing?”

It is like that with writing and one or two of the stories that have arrived over recent days have done it really nicely. You can enter at www.inscribemedia.co.uk

John Dean

Promoting Australian writing

We know that a lot of Australian writers read this blog and we regularly receive their entries to the Global Short Story Competition so it’s worth a few words on how we promote some of the brightest talent Down Under.

The overall quality of our Australian entries is testament, I think, to the emphasis placed on creative writing in that country. During our work promoting this competition, we have come across a number of excellent writing centres in Australia, which clearly help local writers in every way they can.

I guess that includes telling them about competitions from the number of entries we receive! We thank all those centres that have helped us, makes the world feel a smaller place somehow.

What is notable about Australian entries is the writers’ strong sense of place and how to use it to create atmosphere, allied to strong characterisation.

Many of our Australian entries have also exhibited a very clear understanding of how a short story works: how to write in mini episodes, how a short story can sometimes cover but a fleeting moment in time, how it needs to have pace and balance so that it gives you enough information but not too much.

Short story writing is an art form in itself and Australian writers, through their success in our competition (winners, commendeds and shortlistings) have shown that they know how to get it right. We celebrate Australian writing in three of our ebooks:

Global Shorts - an anthology of short stories taken from the early years of the Global Short Competition, including Australian writers

Vegemite Whiskers - a selection of some of the finest writing from Australian authors who have entered the Global Short Story Competition

Cyber Rules by Myra King. The novel by Australian writer Myra tells the story of a farmer’s wife in isolated rural Australia. Caught up on the addictive side of the Internet, she holds a secret which may prove to be deadly.

More details on our home page at www.inscribemedia.co.uk




John Dean

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VIve le difference in dialogue

Dialogue is crucial to good storytelling but characters should not sound like each other. Not in speech and not in thought. That confuses the reader., So how do you make characters sound different?

Well, for a start, use different words Characters can have their own slang, favourite expressions, favourite profanities. Or use different sentence patterns. Let one character use short sentences, another longer ones.

Perhaps allow one character to use clipped speech or incomplete thoughts. Maybe create characters who take forever to say what they need to say. Rambling speech or thought can bore the reader, so be judicious with its use. But do use it if it fits a character.

If you can write humour, let one character be the lighter one.

Or have characters pay attention to different things—some will note their surroundings, some will not. Use what they notice to differentiate characters.

Whatever you do, celebrate the differences in them.
John Dean

Similes and why we do not need them

I have this thing about similes, arguing that they only work if the writing needs them eg the night was black is fine, it does not need ‘as coal’ at the end.
Sometimes, a simile is so original that it leaps off the page but most of the time you really do not need them.
I found a quote from writer Esther Freud, who said: “Cut out the metaphors and similes. In my first book I promised myself I wouldn't use any and I slipped up during a sunset in chapter 11. I still blush when I come across it.”
I do the same when I come across similes I have written.
John Dean

Winners to be announced

We will announce the winners of the Global Short Story Competition on Friday September 19. You can enter the new quarterly competition at www.inscribemedia.co.uk

John Dean