Back from Holidays

I had a wonderful rest on my holidays for the last two weeks. I had planned to write but when I switched on my laptop I discovered that I’d lost the previous few days’ work. I felt so nauseous at this discovery that I closed the laptop and didn’t open it again for the rest of my time away. I very seldom lose work, but we had wiped the memory stick before we went away and so all was lost. But never mind, I completely switched off, and now that I’m home my writing mojo will return. There is plenty to motivate me. Check out the following competitions:

Nemesis Publishing are running a debut novel writing competition. The closing date is 12 August (so you need to have it ready now) and the prize is publication. You can enter on-line and find out more here:

http://nemesispublishing.com/Debut-Novel-Competition-2011.aspx

And for those of you who have not yet completed a book, these competitions may be of interest:

Mslexia Magazine has a novel writing competition that requires the first 5,000 words of a novel by 30th September. The prize is €5,000 plus recognition and interest from publishers and agents. The only snags are you have to be a woman and there is an entry fee. You can find out more here:

http://www.mslexia.co.uk/whatson/msbusiness/ncomp_rules.php

And finally, the Irish Writers’ Centre are running a very interesting competition for unpublished writers. You must post the first 10,000 words of your novel to them by 12th November, and you need to have the remainder of the novel complete by 13th January 2012. The entry fee is €35 and the prize is to attend a writers’ fare on 10th March 2012, where you will have a chance to pitch your novel to  leading Irish editors and agents. You will find out more information here:

http://www.writerscentre.ie/novelfairtermsconditions.html

To help with the above, I am running a one day workshop for adults on Beginning a Novel on Saturday 3rd September in Skerries Mills. It runs from 10.30a.m. to 3p.m. and costs €45. It will be suited to people who have already begun to work on a book or have an idea for one that they want to write but aren’t quite sure how to begin. The group size will be limited to twelve.

My schedule of classes, beginning in September, are laid out on my writing courses page, and am looking forward to the run up to Christmas. Like previous years, I will be producing a booklet of students’ stories in December to be sold for charity. We always have great fun at the launch in Skerries Mills and  will hopefully make a tidy sum for our chosen charity.