Myriad First Drafts Contest
17th January 2015
Whew. The new (and slightly extended) Semester 1 has finally drawn to a close, with the majority of BA and MA assessment having been handed in this past week. Congratulations to all for making your deadlines (we hope) and take satisfaction in knowing the workload now passes to your tutors, who will be furiously (as in busily, not angrily) marking during the inter-semester week. Now that you have a bit of respite, we thought we’d draw your attention to a great opportunity for new and upcoming writers. We have had several guest speakers from Myriad Editions visit the course this year (more on this later) and the Brighton-based publisher is known for supporting and nurturing new talent; most notably, they run an annual writing competition entitled ‘First Drafts,’ which is open to all authors who’ve yet to publish a book. The focus is on novels and short story collections, but in the initial instance you don’t need to have a full manuscript: just your sample chapters and synopsis. It’s perfect for those on our Novel Writing Module (HM6105) and Creative Commissions & Proposals (HM7105) as many of you will already have a project in hand. The prize includes a writing retreat at the beautiful West Dean College. If you’re interested, the deadline is February 2; check out their guidelines by downloading the First Drafts Competition 2015 flyer, or through the Myriad website – and good luck!
