I am presently applying for jobs, hoping to once again contribute to society, rather than generally assist my husband with his photography business, in exchange for the one camera I have managed to earn (for those technically minded, it’s a Fuji S9600) - consequently I am considering how to best use my soon-to-be limited leisure time.

Over two years ago, whilst studying Creative Writing with the Open University, I created this Blog for other members of the group and called it Breakaway Writers (as I love the biscuit).

This is the 115th posting (Blog.co.uk call entries) and so far 84 people have responded by posting their comments.

I regularly contributed to this Blog and often was sent snippets by some of the twenty-four members to add to the site. But as the O.U. course finished, they began going their own way and I noticed a drop in writers contributing.

At one stage I didn’t add anything to this Blog for 235 days until this past July, when I’d noticed that a much higher number of pages had been viewed and also saw an increase in the number of visitors to the Blog.

It now has seven “subscribers” - (people who have shown interest in the site by sending me their e mail address) who I asked earlier today (via e mail) to tell me what they are presently working on (writing wise).

In the last three months I’ve been adding postings, mainly still on the writing theme but I note the general trend seems to have drifted to things that have made me sad/ angry - the women killed by her love for photography, the you tube video that made me cry, annoyance at how many people had been dumping their pets expecting Animal Shelters to cope in this time of financial crisis as well as the bizarre – a certain ex pop star’s controversial return to this country topped by the BBC management deciding this was the year they would spend licence payers money tracking a standard shipping container brightly adorned with their logo (I thought they weren’t into advertising)and today adding the recruitment poster for the Avro Vulcan.

The question I put to anyone reading these ramblings, should I abandon the Blog and concentrate my energies elsewhere?

Your comments please?

Fifteen years on and at a cost of £7,000,000 the world’s only flying Avro Vulcan (XH558) has been lovingly restored to flight and this year has thrilled the crowds on the air show circuit.

Unfortunately running costs have rocketed, so there is now a danger that unless more people are made aware of her presence and join the club, or some major sponsor is found, XH 558 is unlikely to fly next year, or heaven forbid, may never fly again.

So please print off as many copies as you can of the attached recruitment poster and put them in places of high visibility and then to pass this e-mail onto all your contacts.

If you all do this then I am sure that this iconic piece of aviation history will remain for people to see as planned for the next ten years.

For more information please go to www.tvoc.co.uk where you can also join the Fastest Growing Aviation Group in the country.

Thank you.

Visiting the site? Like what you see?

Why not submit your name e-mail, address and a brief 30-word writer’s bio by e-mail and join us?

We welcome submissions/ suggestions including favourite writers links - anything connected with writing.

Also contact us if you were one of the original Breakaway Writers:

Andrea Buckland, Anna M, Barbara Gathercole, Carl James, Carole Crickmore, Dave Benham, Frances Curnin, Gordon Thompson, Graeme K Talboys, Ian Neville, Jamie Gregory, Jeni Furse, Judith Bailey, Kate Beswick, Marina Magdalena, Mark Ward, Mick O'Keeffe, Rae Argent, Rochelle Moore

I’ve included a variety of Writing Competitions for all visitors to this Blog.

Dark Tales Autumn Short Story Competition Closing date October 31st 2008. Entry fee £5, £15 for a full critique, and £3 with no critique. All short listed entries will be published in Dark Tales. Prizes: £250, £50 and £25. Rules and entry form: http://www.darktales.co.uk/page_1217451000010.html

Poetry Society National Poetry Competition Closing date October 31st 2008. Entry Fee £5 for the first £3 for each subsequent entry Poems up to 40 lines Prizes: £5,000, £1,000, £500 plus a free annual subscription to Aesthetica Magazine and ten further prizes of £50 (sae) Competition Organiser (website), 22 Betterton Street, London, WC2H 9BX. http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/competitions/npc/

Ragged Raven Press Eleventh Poetry Competition Closing date October 31st 2008. Entry fee £3 per poem, £10 for 4 poems. Asks for poems of any length and on any subject. First prize £300, four runners-up prizes of £50. Selected entries published in anthology. Entry form/details from www.raggedraven.co.uk or send sae to 1 Lodge Farm, Snitterfield, Stratford-on-Avon, Warks CV37 0LR.

Southport Writers Circle Open Short Story Competition 2008 Closing date October 31st 2008. Fee £3 per entry Length up to 2000 words, unpublished original story, any subject (single spacing welcome). No name on entry, no entry form required. Send cover sheet with title, word count, name and contact details. Prizes: £150, £75, £25 Send cover sheet with title, word count, name and contact details. Send to: Short Story Competition, Southport Writers Circle, 16 Ormond Avenue, Westhead, Lancashire L40 6HT

Leaf Books Poetry Competition Closing date October 31st 2008. Entry Fee £3 each, £10 for four. Poems of any length on any subject. Prizes: 1st - £200. Runner-up - ten pocket-sized Leaf Books. Leaf Books Ltd, GTi Suite, Valleys Innovation Centre, Navigation Park, Abercynon, RCT, Wales, CF45 4SN
http://www.leafbooks.co.uk/New/For%20Writers/CurrentCompetitions.html

Speakeasy Open Creative Writing Competition Closing date October 31st 2008. Entry Fee £4 for poetry £5 for stories. Poems Maximum 60 lines Stories 2,100 words Speakeasy Competition 2008, 46 Wealdstone Place, Springfield, Milton Keynes, MK6 3JG http://www.mkweb.co.uk/Speakeasy/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=58082

November

Scribble Annual Themed Short Story Competition Closing date November 1st 2008. Entry Fee £4. The theme - Brief Encounter - up to 3,000 words. Story should not be called Brief Encounter. Prizes £100, £50, £25. Park Publications 14 The Park, Stow on the Wold, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 1DX http://www.parkpublications.co.uk/writingcompetion.htm

Carillon Magazine Poetry Competition Closing date November 1st 2008. Entry £2 each or £3 for three. Poems of between 15 and 20 lines on the theme of Silence. Prizes: £80, £40, £20, and £10. Entries to Graham Rippon, 19 Godric Drive, Brinsworth,Rotherham, South Yorkshire,S60 5AN
http://www.carillonmag.org.uk/page11.html

Creative Competitor Short Fiction Competition Closing date 1st November 2008 Entry Fee £2. Stories of up to 200 words which contain two characters. Prizes: 1st - £75. 2nd plus half-year subscription to Creative Competitor allowing free entry into the competitions http://www.creative-competitor.co.uk/competitions.htm

The Lost Twin Competition Closing date 1st November 2008. Entry Fee £6. The Writing Writers website asks for stories of up to 5,000 words with an interesting ‘Lost Twin’ theme. Prizes: £100, £50, £25. http://www.writingwriters.co.uk/thelosttwin.htm

Rubies in the Darkness Annual Poetry Competition 2008 Closing date November 1st 2008. Entry £4 per poem or 3 poems for £10, 6 poems for £20. £2 a poem for 14-18 years or 3 poems for £5 For poems of any length and on any subject. Competition judge: Peter Geoffrey Paul Thompson. Rubies in the Darkness Poetry Competition 41 Grantham Road, Manor Park, London E12 5LZ

Show Don’t Tell Writing Competition Closing date 1st November 2008 Entry Fee £10. Stories of between 1,200 and 3,500 words, which adhere to the ‘show don’t tell’ principle. Prize: £500 and publication in the Rainy Days paperback.
http://www.writingwriters.co.uk/showdonttell.htm

Poetry Business Book and Pamphlet Competition 2008 Closing Date 29th November 2008 Entry Fee £24 Entrants should send a collection of poems - between 20 and 24 pages. Prize money of £1000 The Competition Administrator, The Poetry Business, Bank Street Arts, 32-40 Bank Street, Sheffield S1 2DS www.poetrybusiness.co.uk

Cafe Writers Poetry Competition Closing date 30th November 2008. Entry Fee £4 each, £10 for three and £2 each thereafter. Poems of up to 40 lines.
Prizes: £750, £300, £150.http://cafewriters.awardspace.com/

Write Now! On the Edge Story Competition Closing date 30th November 2008. Entry Fee £5 per title Asks for 2,000 word fictional story with the theme or the title On the Edge Prizes: £150, £75 and £50 The Competition Secretary Write Now! Story Competition 10 Wigston Road Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP33 2HF http://www.writenow.wickerswork.co.uk/Competition2008.html

New Writer International competitions for short stories and novellas Closing date 30th November 2008. Entry fee £4 per short story (TNW subscribers two entries at same fee) or £10 per serial/novella. Short stories, serials/novellas - stories up to 4,000 words, serials/novellas up to 20,000 words on any subject or theme, in any genre (not children's). Prizes £300, £200 and £100. Novella: 1st prize £300. The New Writer PO Box 60, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 2RE www.thenewwriter.com/prizes.htm

James W Hackett International Haiku Award Closing date 30th November 2008. Entry Fee £3 for up to three entries, £1 thereafter. Two winning prizes of £70 and a year’s subscription to The British Haiku Society. Hackett Award, Newton House, Holt Rd, North Elmham, Norfolk NR20 5JQ http://www.haikusoc.ndo.co.uk/

The Plough Prize Poetry Competition Closing date 30th November 2008. Entry fees are £4 (discounts for additional entries) Choice of two categories - short poem of up to 10 lines or an open competition of up to 40 lines. Prizes £500, £200, or £100 in each category. Poetry Competition, The Plough Arts Centre, 9-11 Fore Street, Torrington EX38 8HQ. http://www.theploughprize.co.uk/

Writersdock Short Story Competition Closing date 30th November 2008. Entry Fee £5. Critique for an additional £4. Stories between 1,500 and 5,000 words. Prizes: £100, £50, and £25. http://www.writersdock.org/competition/

December

Petra Kenny Poetry Competition Closing Date 1st December 2008 Entry Fee £3. Annual international contest is for poems of up to 80 lines. There are three categories: General, Comic and Young Poets (14-18) Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250, plus an engraved Royal Brierley crystal vase. Runners-up (3) - £125. Comic Verse category - £250. Young Poets category - £250, £125. http://www.petrapoetrycompetition.co.uk/

Creative Competitor Humorous Poetry Competition Closing Date 6th December 2008 Entry Fee £2.00 Poem maximum 40 lines. Prizes £ 70 and £30 3rd Prize: Free Critique (story, article or e-book worth up to £20) Humorous Poetry Competition Savannah House, 26 Burford Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP2 8AW http://www.creative-competitor.co.uk/competitions.htm

Willesden Herald International Short Story Prize Closing date December 19th 2008 Free to enter. Short story, no theme - 8,000 words (?) – best to study online magazine first! Prize fund of £350 plus publication http://newshortstories.homestead.com/submissions.html

McKitterick Prize Closing date December 20th 2008 Free to enter. Unpublished or first novel that was published in 2008 by an author over 40. Send either 30 pages or if latter, four copies of your book. Prize: £4,000.
http://www.societyofauthors.org/prizes_grants_and_awards/prizes-for-fiction-and-non-fiction/the_mckitterick_prize/index.html

Words Magazine Short Story Competition Closing date December 31st 2008 Entry fee £2 per story. “Author's Choice” - 2000 words. Prize: £100. Details and entry form WORDS (Entry forms), PO Box 13574, London W9 3FX http://www.wordsmag.com/compcal08.htm

Established Autumn 2006

Jan

I stumbled across an interesting competition this morning during my time online Talk About Debt poetry competition which appears to be free to enter.

Basically it asks for poems on the subject of accepting you’re in debt and how you intend asking for help and what solutions are available.

Its offering prizes ranging from £300, £200 and £100 and says the winners will be notified by email and published on their website.

Aside from the stress involved, accepting that you’re in debt, you have plenty of time to consider your reply as the closing date isn't until 31st October 2008

http://www.talkaboutdebt.co.uk/community/2008/09/debt-free-poetry-to-inspire-action/

From today in the Daily Telegraph Alexander McCall Smith is writing his first ever online novel exclusively for the paper.

He promises to produce a new chapter each weekday for the next twenty weeks (September 15 - February 13) and welcomes your suggestions as the story unfolds.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/exclusions/alexandermccallsmith/chapters/nosplit/chapter1.xml

Be warned – it can be addictive as I seem to remember taking part in something similar started by Jeffery Archer attached to East Anglian Daily Times a few years ago.