Writing.ie is all about giving you inspiration, guidance on technique and helping you find success, so here is another Wordspark…see what you can make of these….      

It’s that time of year when the kids are back to school and NaNoWriMo is almost here (the National Novel Writing Month event that takes place every November) and we know lots of people are starting new projects, or TRYING to start new projects. Facing the blank page can be the toughest part of writing so after a chat with Vanessa and Adrian, we’ve decided to add some story start ideas to this blog –...

Dublin Chinese New Year Festival (DCNYF) returns in February 2019 to celebrate the Year Of The Pig,  bringing the festival full circle as the Pig is the 12th animal appearing in the Chinese zodiac wheel.  In preparation of the 12th edition, DCNYF seeks applications from organisations and individuals interested in hosting their own event as part of the 2019 Festival’s associated events programme. To be eligible to apply, associated events must celebrate the Chinese New...

Newbridge Community Library was the venue where the winners and runners up in the Michael Mullan Cancer Fund Writing Competitions were announced on Wednesday evening, 3rd October. With Mario Corrigan in charge as MC, things went like clockwork and a very enjoyable evening was had by a very attentive audience. Six entries in each category – poetry, flash fiction and short story and all were invited to read out a short piece from their entries....

The acclaimed Armagh-based John O’Connor Writing School and Literary Arts Festival enters its third year with a packed three-day programme featuring international class poets and song writers, prose, stage and screen writers and how-to-write experts, including Martin Lynch, for drama and poetry lovers. There is even a session by leading PR man Joris Minne for those in small businesses, art groups and charities who want to learn how PR works and how to write press...

Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing, has today launched a new fellowship programme. Recognising the achievements of professional writers, the Ignite Fellowship will offer tailored, practical and financial support to help writers find time and space to fire up their careers. The Ignite Fellowship has been developed in consultation with Scottish Book Trust’s Writers Advisory Panel and is a renovation of the previous Mentoring programme. The panel concluded that...

Competition deadline: 1st October 2018 What do Silas Marner, Of Mice and Men, Brokeback Mountain and Metamorphosis all have in common? They’re all novellas – in fact, some of the world’s best loved works of literature are novellas – yet works of fiction between 10,000 and 40,000 words are notoriously difficult to place in the current market, despite the stories they tell being perfectly suited to their length. Just because mainstream publishers prefer longer works doesn’t mean...

Parsons, one of Europe’s most famous literary establishments from 1949 to 1989, becomes a bookshop again for one night only this coming Monday 17th September, from 6pm. Now an FBD insurance office, the shop on the crest of Baggot Street’s canal bridge was home-from-home for local writers Brendan Behan, Patrick Kavanagh and Frank O’Connor.Other regulars included Maeve Binchy, Mary Lavin, Flann O’Brien, Ben Kiely and Seamus Heaney. It will now host the launch of Princess...

The inaugural Irish Book Week takes place from October 27th – November 3rd, a nationwide celebration of Irish books and bookshops. A collaboration between Bookselling Ireland and Publishing Ireland, the week will see events taking place throughout the country, celebrating Irish books and the central role bookshops play in Irish society and culture. The week aims to encourage people into their local bookshop, and to highlight the important role bookshops play in the fabric of Irish...

Doolin Writers’ competitions are now live, with judges Annemarie Ní Churreáin, Dave Lordan, & Danielle McLaughlin. Closing date for entries: 1st December 2018. The 2019 Doolin Writers’ Weekend is on 25th-27th January. The winning story/poem will appear in the February 29th edition of the New Yorker Magazine. All details on www.doolinfestivals.ie