The Word Cloud

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it! Today gmail delivered the nicest email I've had in a while. One with the proofs in of my chapter of my novel that's being published in an anthology later this year. This will be the first appearance of my fiction in a paperback and it feels amazing!

If it feels this good that just a chapter is appearing, I can't imagine how it will feel if the whole thing gets published one day. Pretty mindblowing I should imagine. 

So what with finally mastering the art of the short story last week (find out more about that here) and the proofs arriving this week, I'm finding it very hard to get on with the day job. So hard in fact that I have to write six articles this afternoon as I have been just getting on with my fiction writing for the past two days instead. But I have a deadline, so I better crack on if I'm going to meet it. But I just wanted to say...I'm so excited!!!!

Cook & Write Retreat - 6 nights from 8th November to 14th November

A retreat featuring workshops and cooking sessions with writing prompts to help you think about using food in your writing, lots of writing time and opportunities to get ideas and inspiration from other writers.

The lovely Debi Alper will be running a workshop at this retreat, which will take place at the secluded and beautiful Voley Farm in Exmoor National Park. As well as holding a workshop on Psychic Distance, Debi will be staying for the whole retreat and holding daily 1-1 sessions for writers to have their work reviewed.

Cathie Hartigan of Creative Writing Matters will also be running a workshop but you will get plenty of time do your own thing as well.

Voley Farm has three holiday cottages set withing 45 acres of farmland and ancient woodland and the retreat will fill them all. There is also communal space to get together for workshops and meals.

Find out more here. Hope to see some Cloudies there! 

The judge has made her decision and the winners have been announced. With two Cloudies on the shortlist, which one will have bagged a top spot this time around? Find out here!

Congratulations to the winners!

I hope you're all feeling inspired by the Cloudies' continued success and thinking of entering your own stories into the competition. The next deadline is June 30th on the theme of a pet. You can find out what the judge, best-selling author, Jane Rusbridge, is looking for here. 

A little while ago, I put a call out to the  children's authors among us to submit a short story for a charity collection by the short story group (a group external to the Cloud but organised by Vanessa). Several of you lovely cloudies who write for little people expressed an interest...

Well, I'm now posting to say that if you are going to submit, please do it sooner rather than later! I am apparently the only author who's submitted anything to date, and the collection is unlikely to go ahead if we can't rustle up a few more stories!

I know there are some very good writers for children out there - I've seen your work - so please, if you can, make sure any stories reach either Vanessa through the short stories group blogspot, or message me on the cloud so you can forward it to me, before 17th May.

Thank you! 






 

After my bit of market research on here and other blogs, I've gone ahead and planned a series of residential retreats and writing holidays. The last two weeks have been consumed with getting a series of three Walk & Write events off the ground. These will offer retreat space and time for writers to immerse themselves in their writing with no distractions but will also feature workshops on using landscape and setting in fiction, and walking workshops with more writing exercises. Although I suppose the name might have given that away already!

I'm very excited to have some great authors lined up for these events. The first is going to be held in October this year in a lighthouse cottage on the cliffs not far from where I live and will have, Alison Moore, whose debut novel, The Lighthouse, was shortlisted for the Booker prize last year, doing a half day workshop about place in fiction. The walking workshop will be by local self-published author, Melanie Hudson, who has the Exmoor landscape as a big part of her debut novel, The Wedding Cake Tree.

The second one will be in March 2014 in a beach house on West Wittering beach in Sussex, which is the setting for Jane Rusbridge's novels, The Devil's Music and Rook. She will be doing a workshop and a walking tour of the beach and village that inspired her work. Also holding a workshop at this event will be Isabel Ashdown, as the setting for her novel, Hurry Up and Wait, was inspired by the sand dunes on the same beach.

Event three is still in very early planning stages but will be in London and look at using urban landscapes in fiction. Everyone that comes on the retreats will be able to submit a short story for consideration for the anthology of writing that will be published from it. I will get an external judge for this too, and I'm hoping it might be a literary agent.

Speaking of short stories, there's just two days left until the second retreat West short story comp closes. Cloudies took both top spots last time - will it be the same again this time around? Check out judge Isabel Costello's thoughts on what she's looking for then enter you stories here! 

Hopefully these will just be the start of an ongoing series of Walk & Write events, and there will also be Just Write retreats (first one in Yorkshire in February 2014) and Cook & Write retreats (first one in North Devon in November this year) with workshops on using food in fiction.

I can't wait as I love all of these author's novels and going to writing retreats and workshops! 

A friend of mine has started an exciting new project. She's putting together an anthology of short stories on the theme of 'home' with funds going to the housing charity, Shelter. Check out the Stories for Home blog that she's just set up.

I know there are some brilliant short story writers here on the Cloud. This is a really worthwhile project and being included in the anthology would be a significant publishing credit to add to your writer's CV.

The deadline is very tight! Sally wants to launch the book in both paperback and e-formats in July so she needs the stories by the end of May. It would be wonderful to have representatives of the Cloud showcasing their writing for a worthy cause.

Hopefully everyone has been inspired by the Cloudies' clean sweep of the Retreat West Short Story comp to enter into the next one and see if you can't bag those top spots again.

Those thinking of entering might like to read these words of wisdom from the next judge, Isabel Costello.

I asked her about writers finding the short story difficult to master, as it is something I really struggle with. I just can't seem to contain myself! And she advised reading them more to learn but I read them loads and then whenever I try and write one, unless it's a flash fiction and really short, I find myself turning everything into my next novel. Does anyone else suffer from the same problem?

Maybe I should just face up to the fact that I am not a short story writer - novels or flashes are it for me!

Link to the short stories group blog, which is offering copies of their themed story collections FOR FREE this week, 'Read an e-book week.' Find details here. All three of the group's collections are up for grabs...

Note there are two further collections planned this year - one for children, one for adults - so why not join us in writing a short story or two? 

To celebrate the release of RUST AND BONE out on DVD and Blu-ray TODAY, we have teamed up with Studiocanal to give you the chance to win a copy of the award winning film on DVD, a signed poster of the cast of the film along with the Rust And Bone book by Craig Davidson.

 Jacques Audiard, acclaimed director of A Prophet, returns with an incredibly powerful drama about two people from very different worlds, seeking redemption in each other. 

Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts - Bullhead) dreams of becoming a professional boxer. Suddenly put in charge of his five year old son, he moves in with his sister for support. Whilst working as a nightclub bouncer, he meets the beautiful and confident orca trainer, Stephanie (Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose).

After becoming the victim of a life changing accident, Stephanie surprisingly turns to Ali for support. These lost souls discover new meaning in life together when Ali enters the dangerous world of underground boxing.

The multiple-award winning RUST AND BONE is one of the best and most talked about films of 2012. RUST AND BONE received two BAFTA nominations, for Best Leading Actress (Marion Cotillard) and Best Film not in the English Language.

As the film is based on Craig Davidson’s short story collection, we want you to submit your short story (no longer than 2,000 words) inspired by RUST AND BONE, where two strangers meet for the first time!

For more information on the film, head to the official facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/RustandBoneUK

 

Terms and Conditions

·        Competition will close on 30^th April, 2013

·        Open to UK participants only

·        Prize for 1 winner is 1x Rust And Bone on DVD, 1x signed poster of the cast of the film and 1x Rust And Bone book by Craig Davidson

·        Four runners up will receive 1x Rust And Bone on DVD and 1x Rust And Bone book by Craig Davidson

·        In the unlikely event the prize style has discontinued a similar prize to the same value will be provided

·        There is no cash or other alternative to the prize stated and the prize is not transferable and no part or parts of the prize may be substituted for other benefits, items or additions

·        The winning story and winners will be judged, selected and contacted by us (The Writers’ Workshop.) So send your work to: info@writersworkshop.co.uk. The prize will be delivered to the winner within 28 days of confirmation of delivery address

·        Winners name, contact number and address will be passed to a third party provider for delivery

·        The Editor's decision is final and binding on the entrants. No correspondence will be entered into.

Update available on this seasonal collection of short stories on the theme of 'lurve'...here