A couple of weeks ago my guest blogger, Elizabeth Ashworth, said that she is often asked where she gets her ideas for articles and stories from. That certainly seems to have sparked some interest and there’s now a discussion taking place on the Writers Bureau Facebook page. So, if you want to get some tips on how other writers generate ideas – or you’ve got some interesting suggestion of your own that you want to share – go along and join in.
Thanks to Elizabeth for last week’s blog and her comments on the question ‘Where do you get ideas from?’ For many writers, getting the ideas isn’t a problem. It’s where to sell those ideas once they’ve been crafted into fiction.
Recently, students have been complaining that the number of markets taking short stories is falling away. If you’re struggling, have a look at The Short Story website . They currently list 79 outlets for short stories (though, as usual, check that they pay before sending anything off to them). So you should be able to find a home there for some of your work.
One of the pleasant things about being a published author is that you are sometimes invited to give a talk at local libraries or book festivals. I always invite questions and one that is invariably asked is ‘Where do you get your ideas from?’
I’ve been away for a few days to sunny Dorset – and yes, it was sunny. Showers were forecast but we seemed to dodge them. We did a splendid walk from Thorncombe Beacon taking in Golden Cap and Seatown. Sitting outside the Anchor Inn with a plate of fresh whitebait and a glass of chilled wine is as good as it gets (if you can ignore the aching legs and sore feet). I’m already planning the next great escape…
Diana Nadin's Holiday
This year’s Writers Bureau annual Poetry and Short Story Competition closed a couple of weeks ago and we’ve been preparing the entries ready to send off to the adjudicators (Alison Chisholm – poetry and Iain Pattison – short stories ). I can’t help looking through a fair selection and I’m always amazed by the quality of some of them. There really are some talented writers out there! By the same token, there are some absolute ‘stinkers’ – boring, badly written and lacking any kind of plot. You’re lucky – you only get to read the best ones on our website. We should have them posted there, for your delectation, by mid-September.
