Down Dooby Doo Down Down…

So there’s this great new site just started called Writing Southwest which is chock-full of useful information, articles and support for all things writery in the Southwest (the clue’s in the name). And when they were asking for people to collaborate with them I got in touch and wrote a little guest blog entitled ‘Maybe This Time…’ all about keeping going, keeping trying even when you don’t succeed because you’re always learning and improving. It’s everso Pollyanna. Pretty much the next day I got the no from two competitions. TWO! Not feeling quite so bloody Pollyanna now.

Having written that I have just found my name on Funny Women’s ‘New Comedy Writers – Ones to Watch’ list for my entry in their Writing Award.  Feeling a bit better now.

“… there is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it.”

Enough homespun wisdom for today – It’s that time of year when my calendar goes round the corner – i.e. I’ve just put in the first competition for 2014, and the winner is The Paul Darby Prize and it has real hard cash for the winner as well as a staging of their play. Not that we’re in it for the money.

But it’d be nice.

Now, I’m REALLY REALLY sorry but I’m now going to give you 21 hours’ notice to apply for the Autmn 2013 writers’ group at the Royal Court –  “One group will be for writers aged 18 to 25 and the other will be for writers aged 26 and over. The groups will be run on Mondays (18-25) and Tuesdays (26+) for twelve weeks throughout the remainder of the year and into January 2014. To apply for the Introduction to Playwriting course, please send us ten pages of writing for the stage: this can either be ten pages of an existing play of any length, or ten pages of work you have written specially. We encourage you to send your submission electronically to groups@royalcourttheatre.com” Sorry. Again.

Anyway there are still 6 competitons left for September, and MASSES in October. (Can you tell I’ve been writing some REALLY EXCITING pages for my children’s book. Must post the picture of the progress chart made by the husband and stuck on the fridge.)

There’s an interesting article in The Guardian by Miriam Gillinson about Writing for Theatre with good tips to think about if you’re sending work in for competitions.

And if you just need a laugh try Slushpile Hell‘s reposting of his ‘Worst Children’s Book… Ever’ Competition. I’d say LOL if I didn’t hate the expression so much.

I’m going now because I need wine and I also feel a little guilty that I haven’t kissed #1 child Goodnight, instead I just yelled up the stairs for it to turn its own light off. Bad Mummy!

Happy writing all. X