Welcome to the Writers Connect Newsletter Issue 44.
Writing is a human experience. It’s about connection with everyone and everything around us.
We understand you’re busy. So the newsletter has just four or five main items of content. A brief but satisfying read.
In this issue:
- Write Here, Right Now: What’s Happening in Writing
- Word of the Day. An unusual word to keep your writing fresh
- Inspirational Quote
- Writing Tip
Write Here, Right Now: What’s Happening in Writing
Competitions featured in this issue of Writers Connect cater to poets and short story writers. Closing dates for these competitions are between 10 & 31 July 2021.
For competition closing dates, bear in mind these relate to the time zone where the competition originates, so check the relevant site.
Comp 1: Sonnetto Writing Competition
A chance for sonnet writers to achieve publication.
About: A sonnet is a one-stanza, 14-line poem, written in iambic pentameter (see link for further guidelines)
Open to: International, writers 15+, writing in English
Word count: Conforming to the sonnet format
Theme/Genre: Heartbreak
Entry fee: INR 100 (Indian rupees)
Closes: 10 July 2021
Prize: Winning sonnets will be published in a book released after the competition. All winning writers will win a special author feature in the book and a virtual merit certificate from WriteFluence
Find out more: https://writefluence.in/2021/06/21/sonnetto/
Comp 2: The 2021 HG Wells Short Story Competition
A prestigious competition for short story writers.
About: The annual HG Wells Fiction Short Story Competition offers prizes and free publication of all shortlisted entries in their paperback anthology
Open to: International
Word count: 1,000–5,000 words
Theme/Genre: Mask
Entry fee: £10 per entry (aged 21+ on 5 July 2021). £5 per entry (students with copy of student ID). Free (under 21 on 5 July 2021)
Closes: 12 July 2021
Prize: £500 Senior & £1,000 Junior prize + free publication of all shortlisted entries in paperback anthology
Submission guidelines: https://hgwellscompetition.com/how-to-enter/?v=6cc98ba2045f
Comp 3: Passed Down Writing Competition
This writing competition invites writers to explore the memories, traditions and ideas passed down from one generation to the next.
About: Memories, traditions, ideas, beliefs, loves, hates, prejudices, wisdom, forgiveness ... Consider answering the question: How were things passed down to you? And was it for the better, or for the worse?
Open to: International
Word count: 1,500 max
Theme: See 'About' above
Entry fee: Free
Closes: 15 July 2021
Prize: 3 x prizes of $150 US each
Guidelines: https://exisleacademy.com/writing-competition-passed-down/
Comp 4: Unexpected Adventures Travel Writing Competition
Sounds intriguing! Write an original, factual, first-person travel story about an unexpected adventure.
About: Editors are seeking originality, voice, and a satisfying story that captures attention and pulls the reader along at every step
Open to: International, age not stated
Word count: 1,500
Theme/Genre: Unexpected, factual, first-person travel adventure
Entry fee: Free
Closes: 31 July 2021
Prize: First = $150 US. Up to 3 runners-up = $50 US each
All details: https://intrepidtimes.com/travel-writing-competition-unexpected-adventures/
Word of the Day
Mogigraphia. This rare word means ‘writer’s cramp’, a condition afflicting writers such as Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck who used pencils to write their works (credit to Interesting Literature 2014).
Inspirational Quote
The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper—William Butler (WB) Yeats, Irish poet, dramatist, prose writer (1865—1939).
Writing Tip
Write regularly. As Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa said, 'If I started to wait for moments of inspiration, I would never finish a book. Inspiration for me comes from a regular effort.’
