Legend Press Competition

I know that quite a few of my readers (you are still out there, aren't you?) are aspiring writers who may well have written short stories and are nervous of embarking on a writing a novel, though the urge is there. Short story competitions, where many of us first try out our skills, often demand very tight word-counts of around the 2,000 word mark (and, if you're writing flash fiction, the word-count is in the hundreds). Certainly, it's a very good discipline for a writer, to be economical with words. However, if you want to try a longer flight of fancy, without the scariness of tackling 80,000 words or so for a novel, how about taking a look at the well-regarded independent publisher, Legend Press, who are currently taking submissions in their short story competition. Submissions have to be in by 31st October, so you'll have to get weaving. The prize is publication in their next short story collection, next March - this is the fourth in the series. I recommend this sort of competition because agents do look at published anthologies when they're looking for new talent to sign - it's how I was taken on by my original agent. Story length is 9,000 to 12,000 words, so you have room to flex some muscle. They want thought-provoking, stream-of-consciousness style, and no genre fiction: they're a hip, modern enterprise. If you're interested, go to www.legendpress.co.uk for full details - and good luck!