An unexpected parcel...


I find the process of sending off hopeful short stories into writing competitions rather like applying for jobs when you're destitute.

You put a lot of hard work in and never get anything back, not even a reply to say it was been received. It can all be very disheartening.

With the promise of a new year I  decided I would set myself new targets for 2015. One of them being to win, or be shortlisted, for at least one short story competition. Surely this can be achievable? After all there's 365 days in a year and a lot of competitions out there.

To help with this target I resolved to commit myself to reading more short stories, those of a high quality. But where can you find them online without having to pay for an anthology?

So imagine my surprise when I looked at my post this morning and there was a thick white envelope with a gorgeous little book waiting to be read.


My first thought was, "Bloody hell, have I won something?" The answer was no, but I didn't mind. It was just so nice to have your efforts rewarded in taking part in competitions.

This little gem was sent to me by www.shortfictionjournal.co.uk . As a thank-you for entering. Which I thought was really sweet.

It's a beautifully produced little book with almost 200 pages, that includes many wonderful  illustrations as well as  14 wonderful  stories from successful published writers such as Alison Moore and Mariko Nagai. Reading through these it's no wonder I wasn't selected, the standard was set very high. But it does give me hope that maybe one day one of my works will be found in a gem of a book like this.

Now I have some really great short stories to read and hopefully learn from.

Thanks Short fiction journal!

If you're interested in buying this anthology or any of their previous you can do so here.
Or for details of their 2015 competition, click here.


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