May Fortnightly Round-Up I
May is National Short Story Month in the US, but it’s always short story month round here… Check out our round-up of what’s been happening on ShortStops’ blog over the past fortnight:Lit Mags and...
View ArticleFlash fiction masterclass and competition
Micro-fiction trailblazer David Gaffney is running another of his ever-popular masterclasses in the form, at Creative Industries Trafford at the Waterside Arts Centre in Sale, near Manchester, on...
View ArticleShort Short Story Slam
After the success of Manchester Northern Quarter’s first-ever Short Short Story Slam in April, writing collective Flashtag Manchester (comprising Sarah-Clare Conlon, David Hartley, Benjamin Judge, Tom...
View ArticleWriting Maps June Contest and Pack of Notebooks
Writing Maps, the illustrated posters with creative writing prompts and story ideas, launches its 4th monthly Writing Contest. The June contest coincides with the official launch of the Writing Maps...
View ArticleMagic Oxygen Literary Competition to Create a Tropical Word Forest
Writing competition closing dates punctuate the diary of many a creative writer and there’s little more tempting than a four figure 1st prize and the promise of going into print, to get the ideas...
View ArticleWriting Maps’ July Writing Contest & The Big Gay Writing Map
This month’s Writing Maps Writing Contest coincides with the official launch of The Big Gay Writing Map: Story Ideas for Anyone Who’s a Little Bit Different. The prompt for July’s Writing Contest is...
View ArticleWriting Maps’ August Writing Contest & The How to Write a Story Map
This month’s Writing Maps Writing Contest coincides with the official launch of How to Write a Story: A Writing Map to Help You Hunt for and Create Stories. The prompt for August’s Writing Contest is:...
View ArticleSHORT FICTION JOURNAL CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Short Fiction is now open for submissions. To know the kind of fiction we like, we encourage you to order a back issue before submitting. We have wide-ranging tastes and have happily published...
View ArticleWords and Women Launch 2 Great New Writing Opportunities
Words and Women’s exciting new contemporary writing prize for women in the East of England is open for entries. The competition offers a cash prize of £600 and publication in Words and Women: Two....
View ArticleWriteidea Prize longlist is announced
Twenty stories have been longlisted for the inaugural Writeidea Prize, from over 300 entries. The titles of the longlisted stories are available on the Writeidea website. Writer names are still under...
View ArticleWriting Maps Launches New Lit Mag and September Contest
This month’s Writing Maps Writing Contest coincides with the official launch of the new Writing Maps lit mag, The A3 Review. Read more about the lit mag and order a copy by clicking here. The prompt...
View ArticleSept Fortnightly Round-up II
Hello all, Here’s what’s been happening on our blog over the past fortnight. As ever, if you’d like to contribute, drop me a line and I’ll explain how it works: shortstopsuk@gmail.com Lit Mags We...
View ArticleStory Fridays Call for Submissions NOIR
Story Fridays are looking for submissions of short stories for our NOIR night on 7th November. Think Maltese Falcon, Dial M for Murder, The Big Sleep. Think Chandler, Spillane, Hammett. Think, well,...
View ArticleShort Short Story Slam at Lancaster Litfest
After successful Short Short Story Slams in Manchester’s Northern Quarter and Didsbury, writing collective Flashtag Manchester (comprising Sarah-Clare Conlon, David Hartley, Benjamin Judge, Tom Mason...
View ArticleWords and Women Announce Winners of ‘About’ Commissions
In August 2014 women writers based in the East of England were invited to submit a proposal for a short text of 4,000 words or half an hour long exploring the life of one woman and her relationship to...
View ArticleThe Survival Kit for Writers & a New Contest
This month’s Writing Maps Writing Contest coincides with the official launch of The Survival Kit for Writers. The prompt for November’s Writing Contest is: Write a piece called “How to Procrastinate”....
View ArticleDecember Fortnightly Round-Up I
Hello short story lovers, The final month of 2014 has arrived, happy December! A good time for short stories… (isn’t it always?) Here’s what’s been going on on our blog over the past 2 weeks. Tania x...
View Article2015 SHORT FICTION’S SHORT STORY PRIZE
SHORT Fiction‘s Short Story Prize First prize: £500 + publication Second prize: £100 Open for entries January 1st – March 31st 2015 JUDGES: Alison MacLeod Anthony Caleshu Full details of how to...
View ArticleThat Killer First Page – Submitting to Competitions and Journals
You’ll find out what competition judges and journal editors look for in a short story and how to avoid the rejection pile. You’ll write a short piece and get feedback on that crucial story opening. In...
View ArticleJanuary Round-Up II
Greetings, short story lovers! Here’s what’s been on a packed ShortStops blog over the past few weeks… Tania x Live Lit We welcome a new live lit event to our list, Verbose, Manchester: “bring words to...
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