#WritersResources : Competitions, Names, Websites

Member Stuart Aken, author of many a title including the Epic Fantasy trilogy A Seared Sky and Sci-Fi Mars trilogy, keeps a mean website worth a look.

Included in his Resources page is an on-going and continually updated Competitions page, a list of First Names from around the world (10k+), and a selection of websites of interest to writers and to readers.

Let there be no calls for inspiration!

Why Not Have A Go At Writing Competitions?

Do you enter writing contests? No? Why is that? Not confident enough? Think there are too many scams? Not worth the effort?

Or, perhaps you like to enter but find it hard work discovering the details of competitions.

One of the Hornsea Writers gang can save you a lot of time and effort in that search. Stuart Aken keeps a running table of links to sites that offer prizes for your creative writing efforts. Some are free to enter and offer large cash prizes. But, apart from the money, there’s a great deal of kudos to be gained within the writing community, and amongst readers, by being a competition winner. So, perhaps you should try it.

Hornsea Writers members have won a number of prizes over the years and continue to do so.

There’s always an element of luck involved, of course. But, rather like the lottery, you have to be in it to win it.

And, for the doubters and sceptics, there are actually only a few scams around and Stuart does his best to avoid those in his table. He also includes only those that provide a top prize worth at least 20 times the entry fee, unless, of course, they’re free to enter.

No confidence in your writing? Well, the best way to tackle a lack of confidence is to go for it. And, especially if you enter the smaller prize competitions first, you might be surprised by your chances of success. So, why not give it a try?

But, please, always read and abide by the rules. Contest organisers are generally busy people working voluntarily. They don’t look kindly on the novel entered in a poetry contest, the limerick trying to slide into the haiku competition, or the 6,000 word short story entered in a contest with a limit of 2,500.

You’ll find Stuart’s table here. He updates it frequently and gives reminders on his website each month, here. If you follow the instructions in his post, you can even receive an email of that regular reminder.

So, all the work of searching is done for you. No excuses. Go on, have a go! And good luck!

Researching Ad Infinitum?

Stuart Aken says he has finally reached the end of his research for his science fiction novel set on Mars. But is it true? In the post at the end of this link (click here), he provides a thought-provoking slice of writing life on the possible perils of research.

Are you doing too much?

Is it stopping you from writing?

Guest Posts Are Fun.

Stuart Aken was recently approached to guest on a well known and respected site.
Oh, what do I do? Will I fit in? What should I write? Will it be good enough?
If you're a writer and you're approached by a renowned blogger to do a piece on that site, drop everything and concentrate on the task in hand. Guest blogging is a great way to spread the word about you and your work, a great way to find new readers. Everyone's a winner.
So do your best by reading the host blog; look at the archive, see what's been done before and then find a topic that's new, or that can be given a new slant, and make your post your best possible work.
In this case, Stuart was asked by John Yeoman to post on his excellent site, Writers' Village. Not a new experience for him, but  one he always approaches with a professional attitude. For all that John's site is full of fun, welcoming and popular, it's a very professional set-up.
Wander over there, by clicking this link, and have a look. Maybe even join in the conversation.
Oh, just so you know what you're getting into: murder's involved, and if you're a writer, you're the one who has to do the killing!