So Much more than Shopping

(So they say...but get between them and a pair of Jimmy Choos and see can you hold your ground)
Saturday 19 November 11am
Lost Society, First Floor, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, South William Street, Dublin 2
www.lostsociety.ie
Café treats with a topping of literary cream!
Enjoy a morning treat from the Lost Society café menu with Claudia Carol, Sinéad Moriarty and Sheila O'Flanagan.
Admission is free.
Booking not necessary.

Dublin Book Festival

The Dublin Book Festival is expanding again this year. This is an opportunity particularly for book publishers to do some promotion. The line up is a mixed bag (in a good way) with familiar and not so familiar names.

it runs from Wednesday 2nd March to Sunday 6th March

The Festival includes more than 50 readings, debates, book launches, workshops together with events for children, a special Festival Café at City Hall and the Festival Bookshop with offerings from Irish publishers.

My highlights, if I could go to all of these, would include:

Thursday 3rd MARCH
10.30: Treats for Kids – Pearse Street Library
WRITE YOUR BOOK – IN ASSOCIATION WITH FIGHTING WORDS

6.30pm: Up for Discussion – The Gutter Bookshop
TRUE CRIME: CRIMINAL MINDS
John Mooney, Barry Cummins, Abigail Rieley, Emer Connolly

Friday 4th MARCH
2.00: Come Celebrate – Launch Area, City Hall
LAUNCH OF PLATFORM 14
An Anthology of New Writing By the MA in Creative Writing, UCD 2010

4.00: Come Celebrate – Launch Area, City Hall
INSTITUTO CERVANTES DUBLIN INTRODUCE NOVELIST
MR JORGE EDWARDS

Saturday 5TH MARCH
1.00: Writers’ Choice – Council Chamber, City Hall
WRITING FOR YOUNG ADULTS
Sarah Webb, Kevin Stevens chaired by Mags Walsh

1.15: Be Inspired – The Cube, Project Arts Centre
In Association with Dublin UNESCO City of Literature:
DUBLIN, ITS PLACE IN POETRY
Peter Sirr, Gerard Smyth, Michael O’Loughlin, Iggy McGovern, Jessie Lendennie, Alan Jude Moore, Máighréad Medbh

2.00: Up for Discussion – Main Stage, City Hall
IRISH CRIME WRITING IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Gene Kerrigan, Niamh O’Connor, Paul Charles chaired by Declan Burke

3.10: Be Inspired – Main Stage, City Hall
FICTION: SHORT STORY READINGS
Christine Dwyer Hickey, Martin Malone, Gerardine Burke, Billy O’Callaghan, chaired by Jack Harte

4.00: Up for Discussion – The Cube, Project Arts Centre
THE PAST IS NOW: LESSONS FOR TODAY FROM IRELAND’S PAST
Ryan Tubridy, Diarmaid Ferriter, chaired by Susan Cahill

8.00pm: Evening Entertainment
– The Cube, Project Arts Centre
NIGHTHAWKS AT THE DUBLIN BOOK FESTIVAL
Performances by Totally Wired, Colm Keegan, Helene Hutchinson, Foil, Arms & Hog, Colm Liddy, Lennon v McCartney

The Good Room – The Mercantile, Dame Street All Day
Starting with a tea party extravaganza, there will be readings, Lady-dee nov’lists
swanning about in all their glory, literary heads having cosy chats with cuddly writer Brian Leyden, plus all the usual Good Room games such as ‘Bring Your Girl/Boyfriend to Meet The Mammy’ and silent scrabble with the Child Who Can Be Seen and Not Heard. Full programme with participating authors can be found at
www.dublinbookfestival.com.

Personally I'd love to participate in The Good Room. I may drop in with a new hat

Sunday 6TH MARCH
11.15: Come Celebrate – Main Stage, City Hall
THE RATHMINES WRITERS’ WORKSHOP
with short readings to celebrate 21 years of the Rathmines Writers’ Workshop

12.15: Come Celebrate – Main Stage, City Hall
SALMON POETRY: 30TH ANNIVERSARY
Anne Le Marquand Hartigan, Nessa O’Mahony, Maurice Harmon, Patrick Chapman

1.10: Be Inspired – Main Stage, City Hall
FRESH VOICES I / GUTHANNA ÚRA I
Claire Kilroy, Kevin Power, Caitríona Ní Chléirchín,
Proinsias Mac a’ Bhaird chaired by Dr. Adam Kelly

3.10: Writers’ Choice – Main Stage, City Hall
SHORT CUTS TO SUCCESS: HOW TO LAUNCH YOUR WRITING
CAREER WITH WINNING SHORT FICTION
Kate Kerrigan, Mary Malone, Ivy Bannister, chaired by Vanessa O’Loughlin

4.00: Be Inspired – Main Stage, City Hall
FRESH VOICES II
Paul Soye, Nuala Ní Chonchúir, Liam Carson, Yvonne Cassidy, chaired by Sinéad Mac Aodha

Chick Lit Competition - US Based

Thought I'd pass this on from the writing about writing blogspot.

A Get Your Stilletto in the Door contest based in the US for various different types of chick lit novels.

Open to all chick lit writers who have not signed a publishing contract for novel-length fiction within five years of the contest deadline. The entry must have a projected minimum of 75,000 words (35,000 words for Young Adult).

Deadline:June 15, 2008

All entrants will receive detailed score sheets and judges' comments from the preliminary round. This is worth the entry fee, I think. They have a sample on the site so you can see what you're paying for.

They want the first 35 pages and a synopsis (up to 5 double-spaced pages) so you don't even have to have finished your novel.

Fee: $30 with paypal.

Chick Lit Programme

There was a programme, Art Lives on RTE last night, a repeat I think with Anne Marie Hourihane on Chick Lit. (She who got 9,000 Euro grant from the arts council recently) Goodness but what a facetious, biased programme it was.

Chick Lit authors are retiscent about talking about their income. Gee. I wonder why? Could it be manners? COuld it be they're not men boasting about how big their wad is?

Some chick Lit is badly written. Gee. Some crime is badly written. Some Journalism. Some children's books, lots of poetry. Oodles of films and TV programmes, music and radio shows. Why does fiction written predominantly for women, by women get so much flack?

Why if when a woman writes about relationships is it 'only' chick lit and when men do, it's deep, insightful literature?

Yes, it's an industry. Yes there are lots of books that go on a bit much about shopping and finding Mr Right but so what? They also tackle adoption, drugs, alcoholism, IVF, death, divorce etc.

More info on Miss Write competition

Here are the 5 runners up (no winner, remember)

Stacey Taylor, 24, from Cardiff, penned 'Sequel Opportunity', the tale of a former child actress choosing between normal life and showbiz.

Elisa McGarry, 23, from Winchester, wrote 'Playing Happy Families', about a woman's battle with fertility, infidelity and insistent old flames.

Gail Haslam, 33, from London, created Kate, the heroine of 'Miss Me?', who gave up her career for love, and wound up single and unemployed - before fighting back.

Nicola Brear, 23, from Barnsley, spun a Manhattan tale of restaurants, romance and riches in 'The Restaurant'.

Kristen Paul, 26, from Hampshire, plunged us into the scandalous world of baby modelling in 'I See You Baby'.

All very young. It seems there is a gap in the market for 20 year old authors writing about 20 year olds for 20 year olds. But by the time you've written something for this market, the gap will no doubt already be plugged.

Miss Write Competition

Well, I''ve just read that the big competition launched by Waterstones and Cosmopolitan magazine to find the next up and coming chick lit writer ended with a 'shortlist' of 5 runners up but no winner. Congratulations to Elisa McGarry, Kristen Paul, Nicola Brear, Gail Haslam and Stacey Taylor. Apparently none of the 2,300+ entries were good enough for 'immediate publication' according to Sphere/Little Brown Books. I would have thought that no submitted book was more than a draft, a polished draft but a draft all the same; even JK Rowling must get edited, surely?

The runners up get a coaching session with Louise Cavendish, £100 Waterstones voucher, a book a week for a year (how cool is that!) and a subscription to Cosmo.

The entrants submitted 3,000 words which, in my humble opinion, is certainly enough to judge if the writer can write and if the book has a good enough hook and depth to engage the reader (and get them to spend their hard earned cash on the book!)

Louise Cavandish judged the shortlist but even she wasn't told none would get a contract. She had to email them to find out the situation.

I wonder how many copies of the magazine they sold in anticipation of this announcement? Missed sales surely for the mag as well as potential sales of the resultant book for all the entrants and near-entrants (no I didn't enter but I thought about it) so they could all see what type of writing makes the grade.

Comments in blogs I will write my book and best in fiction and a Writers where one of the runners up has comments and Once Upon a Time who is a runner up!

Little Black Dress

Another publisher who is accepting unsolicited submissions. They publish contemporary romantic comedy aimed at age 20 to 35. Click on the link for the guidelines. 60-80,000 word manuscripts. I would recommend doing your homework and reading some before considering submitting.
On the submission guidelines it seems they want the whole novel but elsewhere they say first 3 chapters, synopsis and letter including writing CV.

The workshop for young writers described a couple of days ago has been cancelled. Not enough take up. Possibly not enough publicity. There's definitely a demand.

How this for a book review?!

Harsh as it may sound, there is really only one credible line in the entire book:

'Even now, even as I write this, I can hear sensible people groan'.

Those sensible people will spend a lot of time groaning if they last from cover to cover.

Woman's magazines

There are still some women's magazines who publish short stories. Here are some I have looked at in the past. Do check that they are still in existance and publish short stories. I strongly recommend reading at least one copy to see the type of story they look at. Usually the protagonist is a woman of the same age range that reads the magazine so The Lady will publish stories about women who are older than those from Woman's Weekly. You can usually ask for writers' guidelines.

Bella - Twist in the tail' type of story of 1,000 words and fiction up to 2000 words. Linda O'Byrne, Bella, H Bauer Publishing, 24-28 Oval Road, London NW1 7DT. Tel:020 724 8000

Best - Will consider stories of 1,000 words. It’s younger women who enjoy stories that are “young, fresh and lively.” Richardson, Best, 72 Broadwick Street, London W1F 9EP

The Lady for older readers

My Weekly Response time varies from a week to six months.

People's Friend with a touch of nostalgia.

Take a Break - Maximum 2,000 words. 1 page is 700 words, 2 page is 1,200 words. Good plots and a twist in the tale ending. Submit to: John Dale, Take a Break, Academic House, 24-28 Oval Road, London NW1 7DT. Response time within 4 weeks.

That's Life - Stories should be written in a chatty, conversational style, preferably with some love interest but not an out-and-out romance. (Max. 1200 words.) 'Twist in the tail' endings are popular too. Jo Checkley, That's Life, H. Bauer Publishing, 24-28 Oval Road, London NW1 7DT

The Weekly News I've never seen this paper but they are supposed to take short stories and respond within 2 months,

The People's Friend. 80 Kingsway East, Dundee, DD4 8SL Tel:01382 462276/ 223131
Two serials and several shorts a week. send an S.A.E. for their writers' guidelines. Respond within a month.

Woman's Realm. Kings Reach Tower, Stamford St, London, SE1 9LS Tel:020 7261 5000
Two short stories used every week, 1000 - 2000 words. Ring first.

Women's Weekly publish lots of stories in the magazine and in the fiction specials. Gaynor Davies, Woman's Weekly, IPC Connect Ltd, King's Reach Tower, Stamford Street, London, SE1 9LS. Tel: 020 7261 6322
Send s.a.e. for guidelines. Response time 8-16 weeks.

Yours aimed at over 50's.

Now the reason I started to write this entry. I picked up someone's copy of the Irish women's magazine "Woman's Way." They also publish short stories and they used to pay. Now they don't offer any payment. So they want people to write for free. Why would anyone want to do that? Do they pay the printers? Do the newsagent's sell the magazine for free? Does the artist do the illustrations for fun? Does the delivery van driver do it for nothing? I think not. So why should the writer? I think it's disgraceful.

This is what C. Hope Clark says and I agree
"Why are they publishing in the first place? For publicity? For recognition? First of all, who is flipping through these no-pay publications looking for writers to snatch up, offer contracts and pay big money? Secondly, if the only credits a writer has is in nonpaying publications, then what are those credits worth?"

Marian Keyes

Marian Keyes writers a monthly newsletter, lovely and chatty in her own voice. It mentions progress of her latest book but more interesting is the insights into her life, family and relationships. The same chatty but bright and witty style as her books. The best of chick lit I think. If only all blogs were this readable!

Mills and Boon

I've never been much of a Mills and Boon reader, never been any of a Mills and Boon reader actually, but here's a competition if anyone out there is. Write a Mills and Boon type romantic story for the Pat Kenny radio show, 900-1000 words by 9th May 2007. You win lots of Mills and Boon and get a flash trip to talk to them.

I do read some chick lit. It seems to be taken as derogatory now but why should it be? Of course there is some dire stuff out there (at least it's published!) but there's some great stuff too, not all frothy and predictable by any means. See Marian Keyes, See Jane Austen. Sure girls gets boy but it's a great read in between.

ChickLit - Miss Write

My mum called me yesterday and told me about a chicklit competition with Waterstones and Cosmopolitan.

3000 words and a synopsis with a nice, likeable warm main character and lots of humour. There are some good tips from Louise Candlish.