Through The Ages and Bridport Prize story submissions

Through The Ages Anthology

In April I contributed a short story to the upcoming anthology ‘Through The Ages’ by Hache Jones. It’s a very exciting project and I’m proud to be part of it. After the anthology, ‘For sale, baby shoes, never worn’, this will be the second of short prose and poetry that Hache has collated from around the world. This book is being sold entirely for the benefit of a charity – this time their charity is Isle of Wight Age UK. The idea is to invite anyone who would like to write a short (flash) piece of poetry or prose to be published in the book. The story, poem or essay must be related to “age” but be imaginative. You are not compelled to write stories exclusively about old age. You can write about any age provided that your piece is related to age in one way or another. So get out your pen or sit at your keyboard and prepare to write and be sure to read the guidelines.

If you would like to take part you can take a look at Hache’s website to find out how it works.

Bridport Prize

Earlier this year my friend Simone made me aware of the Bridport Prize competition. Each year the judges award over £18,000 in prize money for the best submissions in poetry, short stories, flash fiction and first novels. The prize was founded in 1973, in a small town in Dorset, UK, by Peggy Chapman-Andrews. Today it is a global writing competition.

I was working on a story inspired by the film the Peculiar children of Mrs Peregrine and the Regency House in Hove. It’s set in the Victorian times in London and Brighton. I did a lot of online research to ensure that I used the correct 19th century name for every street, park or train station. Writing short stories is a great exercise for writers and it definitely keeps them on their toes.

The competition’s deadline was fast approaching and I kept on reviewing the story, making minor changes and thank goodness I managed to finish the story just in time. I submitted it just an hour before the deadline at midnight. Now I’m waiting to find out whether the story will be selected for. I’ll keep you posted.

Nerve damage

Over June and July I had to take some rest as I suffered from nerve damage in my arm and hand. I’m pleased to say that, after taking a break, my arm and wrist have healed up completely. I’ll keep an eye on my fingers as I find writing (with a pen) a bit of a challenge. The good news is I’m capable of using the keyboard again with the help of my new magical therapy gloves and I’ll be making an announcement about the concept of my new book soon!