Meath County Council invites applications for a Meath County Council for the period September 2018 to December 2018. These Residencies are managed by Meath County Council Library Service.

Closing date for receipt of applications is August 7^th 2018 at 5:00pm

The residency is open to published writers working in any genre of fiction or poetry that has significant experience in delivering high quality writing experiences for children and young people.

The residency will fund a writer to work in primary schools and public libraries for 38 hours; 5 hours development time, 31 hours contact time, and 2 hours evaluation and documentation time.  The total fee, including travel and expenses and VAT, is €2,200 and the residency will span an 11-week period. The payment schedule will be 50% on commencement and 50% on completion of the residency and receipt of a short evaluation report.

It is a requirement of the residency that the writer spend 18 hours working with two selected schools and 13 hours delivering sessions for children based in Meath library branches. This is a part-time residency and will require flexibility around contact hours. It is a requirement of this residency that some of the contact hours are held in libraries during October, which is Children’s Book Festival month.

The residency will focus on the theme of Creativity and will have a particular emphasis on writing for children aged 8+.  The writer’s work may draw inspiration from this theme in a variety of ways.

From the applications received, a shortlist of writers may be invited to attend interview.

A facilitated planning session designed to enhance the project planning process will take place on September 13^th. Further project development sessions can be scheduled between the writer and the teacher at the respective schools if necessary.

Further details available here.

Creative Ardagh will be hosting a unique storytelling and mythology event this August 11th and 12th. Scéalta Beo will have a diverse programme for adults, teens and families including workshops and performances over the two days. Some of our panel of international storytellers and mythology experts have been working on new pieces on Midir and Etain especially for their appearances. The weekend promises to be an extremely memorable occasion.

Saturday will be an adult-focused day, as the explorations of some of the themes of the legend are not suitable for younger ears. John Wilmott of Bards in the Woods (Co. Sligo) will set the scene for the festival at 12pm on Saturday with a prequel of the folklore, landscape and mystery that fed into the Etain and Midir story. This will be followed by the story of the Three Etains by Gerry Donlon of Bards Aloud (Ipswich) and Kate Corkery (London). A fascinating examination of morals, impulse control and consequences, performed by celebrated storytellers, it promises to enchant and entertain.

Kate Corkery is a professional storyteller with a background in language teaching and theatre. Storyteller in Residence at the Irish Cultural Centre, she has toured internationally telling stories in China, Russia and South America as well as appearing in many European festivals. She won a Fringe First Award for “her outstanding work in regenerating the art of storytelling in today‘s society”. We are honoured to have her attend the inaugural Scéalta Beo festival. Scéalta Beo means living stories and we are looking forward to Kate’s workshop, Bringing Stories to Life, which will examine storytelling techniques and allow participants to use their own voice and tell their own tale.

The day programme for Saturday will conclude with a presentation on the tasks of Midir by Story Archaeology duo Chris Thompson and Isolde Carmody (Co Leitrim). We are incredibly happy to be able to welcome them both to Ardagh as they offer a unparalleled insight into the depth of the original text and its local connections With their usual mix of performance and banter, based on close analysis of the text they will focus on the wide variety of feats and challenges undertaken in the long and complicated Wooing of Etain and explore the mystery of the causeway over Móin Lámraige built in secret by Midir and its counterpart, the remains of the Iron Age causeway uncovered at Corlea Bog near Kenagh, Co. Longford.

A special adult only concert will be held on Saturday 11th, at 7.30pm, featuring all of our guests. This promises to be the highlight of the festival with a mix of story, song, poem, magic and mystery. Gerry Donlon and Kate Corkery have been planning a joint performance, Chris Thompson will present an engaging, detective style look at the Mystery of Midir, while Bards in the Woods team, John Wilmott  and Claire Roche, will dazzle with their unique blend of harp music, storytelling, poetry and more. There are limited tickets available for this online at http://scealtabeo.blogspot.ie.

Our special family day on Sunday will have something for all ages. Sign up for our Open Mic session at 12pm Sunday on the website and perform your own story, song or poem to the audience (children and adults welcome). Chris Thompson will enthral with her Warriors and Wizards Family Show at 2pm. There will also be family storytelling sessions featuring Kate Corkery and Bards Aloud throughout the day while John Wilmott will teach the craft or storytelling at adult and children’s Find Your Story workshops all building to a special finale. Come along with all the family for a spectacular day of magic, myth, dressing up, drama and more. The weekend promises to be an extremely memorable occasion.

Applications are invited from emerging writers who are resident in County Westmeath. This opportunity is open to writers of poetry and/or adult fiction. The selected mentee will work with the John Broderick Writer in Residence Annemarie Ni Churreain at Athlone Library.
Mentoring consists of 10 sessions of 60 minutes.
Applicants are asked to submit the following:
A cover letter with an introduction to your proposed writing project/ ideas
3-6 pages of creative writing
A CV (please include any details of publications, workshops attended etc
and send details to writer@westmeathcoco.ie

Competition deadline: 1st June 2018

The Daily Mail and Penguin Random House have launched the third year of their nationwide competition to search for a new writing talent.

The winner will receive a £20,000 advance and publishing contract with PRH imprint Century and the services of literary agent Luigi Bonomi.

Entrants are invited to submit the first 5,000 words of their novel, along with a 600-word synopsis. Submissions can be of any adult genre except for saga, science fiction and fantasy. Entrants must not have had a novel published before.

The competition will be judged by a panel of experts: author and TV presenter Fern Britton; Bonomi, managing director of LBA Literary Agents; crime writer Simon Kernick; the Daily Mail’s literary editor Sandra Parsons; and Selina Walker, publisher for Century & Arrow.

Walker said she would this year be looking for “authors who can tell stories that pull you into a world that feels more real than the one around you, who can create characters you care about, who can shape a narrative you absolutely can’t put down”. She added: “It’s hard to find a writer who can do all three – but when you do, it jumps out and bites you on the nose.”

Bonomi added meanwhile: “I want ‘Up Lit’: well written, feel-good fiction that teaches us about the human condition. And I want to cry (real men do cry!) and smile, and be excited by what I read, and thrilled by it. Is this a big ask? Not really – because I know such a novel is out there, waiting to be discovered, and it could be yours.”

The competition’s inaugural winner in 2016 was Amy Lloyd from Cardiff, after her novel The Innocent Wife was chosen from 5,000 entries. The book has sold 5,932 copies in hardback so far, according to Nielsen, while translation rights have sold into 18 territories including the US, France, and Israel. Film rights have also been sold to eOne, the producers of “Gone Girl” and “The Girl on the Train”. The paperback will be published on 23rd August and her second novel is due out next year.

The second winnner was Lizzy Barber for My Name is Alice, the story of a young woman’s quest to uncover the truth of her identity and unlock the mysteries that have defined her life.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. By entering this competition, entrants agree to accept and be bound by these terms and conditions.

2. This competition is open to anyone aged 16 or over who is a resident of the UK or Republic of Ireland, except for the employees (and their families) of the Penguin Random House Group (Publisher), Associated Newspapers Limited, and any other company connected with the competition.

3. The closing date for the competition is 17:30 GMT on FRIDAY 13 JULY 2018.

4. To enter, entrants must submit an entry consisting of the opening of their first novel of up to a maximum of 3,000 words in the English language and a synopsis of the work in the English language of no more than 600 words. All entries to be typed and printed on A4 paper with double spacing in font size 12 point, Times New Roman.

5. Entries are to be posted to Daily Mail First Novel Competition, c/o Penguin Random House Group, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA. Entries should NOT be submitted to The Daily Mail offices, and will not be accepted if hand-delivered.

6. All entries must include the entrant’s full name and contact details (including their home and email address) and confirmation they have agreed to the full terms and conditions.

7. Entrants may submit more than one entry to the competition, but each entry must be original material, and must not have been submitted in the previous years’ competition.

8. All entries must be original, previously unpublished works of fiction, open to all adult genres, except for saga, fantasy and science fiction.

9. Entrants must not have previously written a novel published under a valid ISBN. This includes novels that have been self-published or are only available as eBooks.

10. Entrants must not be currently represented by or working with a literary agent.

11. Entries that are received after the closing date will not be considered. Neither the Promoter nor the Publisher are responsible for illegible, incomplete, delayed or lost entries. Proof of postage is not proof of receipt. Emailed entries will not be accepted.

12. The Promoter and the Publisher regret that entries cannot be returned, nor will the Promoter, Publisher, Agent (as referred to in clause 19 below) or the competition judges enter into correspondence or give feedback on individual entries. Entrants are advised to send a copy and retain the original work and synopsis. 13. All valid entries will be forwarded to a judging panel. The judges will choose one winner, one highly commended entry and 3 runners-up who shall be notified by post by 21 SEPTEMBER 2018. The winner shall be that entry which, in the sole opinion of the judges, is the best.

14. The decision of the judges is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

15. All unsuccessful entries will be disposed of.

16. There will be two prizes. The winner’s prize is an advance as set out below and an offer of publication by the Publisher in respect of the novel to which their entry relates. The winning entry will also be represented by literary agent, Luigi Bonomi, of LBA books Ltd. There will also be a Highly Commended prize, the recipient of which may be offered representation by the literary agency, LBA. The Highly Commended entry and the runners-up shall each receive five (5) books of their choice which are published in the UK by the Publisher.

17. Notwithstanding anything else set forth in these terms and conditions if, in the sole opinion of the Publisher, none of the entries (including that of the winner) are of a sufficiently high standard to merit the winner’s prize, such prize shall not be awarded but shall instead be substituted with ten (10) books of the winner’s choice which are published in the UK by the Publisher.

18. All entrants must be in a position to deliver their complete manuscript no later than MARCH 2019 should they win.

19. Publication is subject to the winner entering into a contract with Century, an imprint of the Publisher. This will afford an exclusive licence to the Publisher, permitting the editing, adapting, publishing and licencing of all or part of the novel in all editions, formats (including print and electronic), in all languages and territories globally and setting out all applicable financial details including a net advance of £20,000 (the gross figure, before the deduction of the agency commission contemplated below, being £23,000) on completion and acceptance (by Publisher) of the complete manuscript and providing the Publisher with an option over a second book. Should entrants not want to grant these rights they should not submit materials. In the event an agreement cannot be reached, as regards the contract, within 30 days of the discussions commencing, the winner shall instead be awarded the substitute prize.

20. Publication is also subject to the winner entering into a contract with the literary agent, LBA Books (Agent) who will negotiate the winner’s contract with the Publisher on the winner’s behalf. This contract will include standard agency commission of 15% to be applied to all royalties and earnings through this publishing contract. In the event an agreement cannot be reached, as regards this contract, within 30 days of these discussions commencing, the winner shall instead be awarded the substitute prize.

21. The prize is otherwise non-transferable and no cash alternative or other substitute is available.

22. Notwithstanding anything set forth above, the Publisher reserves the right to choose the most appropriate format for the novel on publication. The Publisher will seek to publish the winning work within twelve months of acceptance of the manuscript.

23. By entering this competition each entrant confirms that: (i) his/her entry is their wholly-owned creation and makes no use of any third party materials or intellectual property rights; (ii) no deliberate attempt has been made to base any fictional characters in the novel upon any individual, living or dead; and (iii) the submitted materials contain nothing that is illegal, obscene or of a defamatory nature. Entrants will keep the Promoter and the Publisher harmless from any claims that the entry infringes the personal or proprietary right of any other person.

24. Events may occur that render the awarding of the prize impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the Promoter or the Publisher, and the Publisher may, at its absolute discretion, vary, amend, suspend or withdraw the prize with or without notice. No correspondence will be entered into.

25. The winning and the Highly Commended entrants agrees to the Promoter’s and Publisher’s use of their name, country of residence and photograph in relation to related publicity material and activities.

26. The Promoter or the Publisher may disqualify any entrant whose entry does not comply with these terms or whose actions, in the Promoter’s or the Publisher’s determination, are fraudulent, dishonest, criminal or unjust to other entrants.

27. The Publisher will use the personal details of entrants only for the purposes of administering the competition. Entrants consent to the use of their personal data for this purpose. Personal details will not be kept on file by the Promoter.

28. These terms are governed by the laws of England.

29. Promoter: Associated Newspapers Ltd of Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5TT. The Promotion is jointly administered by Promoter and The Random House Group Limited (“Publisher”) of 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA. The Publisher is responsible for all elements of the prize. Any prize queries should be addressed to the Publisher at the address above.

Read more here.  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/prmts/article-5656753/The-Daily-Mail-Penguin-Random-House-novel-competition.html#ixzz5FHsdVqB4

This post is crossposted from my personal blog

Aims and intentions – direction but not dictatorship.

There are many blogposts across the internet about setting goals this January but the emphasis I want to put on this post is yes, on achieving goals but not beating yourself up in the process! Speaking from experience I know how we can scupper ourselves by getting frantic, confused and guilty so this is what I’ve done that helps me.

1: Write a desire manifesto
Write what you want to do/achieve most of all. Under that write your lesser aims. You will know what’s most important to you and what you need to put ahead of everything else.

2: Be optimistic

There is tremendous energy in intention itself. I talk about intention in this post and how Orna Ross says that aims are not about ‘should’ but come from a more positive position. So set out what you would love to achieve in the coming months. We want to give ourselves parameters within which we can organise our life, we’re not talking sticks and sadness. We want to get away from a vague sense of dissatisfaction and see what kinds of activities and achievements will give us energy and makes us happier. At this stage jot down your wildest dreams.

3: Be realistic and specific

We’ve all heard about making aims SMART, specific, measurable, achieveable, realistic and timebound. Again, we need to set the parameters. It would be marvellous if we could write 3 novels in a month but it probably won’t happen. Subject your wildest dreams and aims to a reality test. Could you finish your novel draft by next month? Do you hope to start your next project by March. Do you need to fit in smaller projects along the way? Can you assign specific time slots to these?

Note: This is not set in stone! Your projects will take longer or less time than you think, family issues will occur. You DO NOT NEED TO FEEL YOU HAVE FAILED OR SHOULD BE GUILTY. So what if you’re 20 years too late to be considered for the 30 under 30 prize, is that really what you wanted anyway? And what would you be happy with instead?

4: Keep a ‘to do’ journal and track progress and achievement (this is magic!)

Get an A4 book into which you write your monthly, weekly and daily aims. Each day or week tick off what you’ve done (a big enthusiastic tick). If something is left undone add it in to the following week. Periodically (monthly, quarterly) write a list of achievements such as submissions made or pieces accepted, words written, ideas gathered. (There’s more on this below!)

What I find so good about this practice is that it gets everything out of my head, my to do list is not circulating in my mind and causing anxiety, I can clearly see what I want to do, what I have done and what I need to do to finish what I set out to do.

3: Regig your schedule regularly.

Based on the information you discover see where you need to add effort, prioritize or take away goals altogether. Again this is a rational and clever thing to do. There is no shame in not achieving everything. (Even superheroes have to send their costumes to the dry cleaners every so often!)

4: Set both tiny goals and marvellous ones

If you set tiny goals you can build on them. If you aim to write 500 words a day you will energise yourself by your success rather than disheartening yourself by your aim to do 2000. The energy of your achievement and it’s confidence will make it more likely that you can achieve 2000 words. Didn’t you know you had wings and could fly?

But equally big goals like the 50,000 word writing challenge Nanowrimo can work. If you see yourself by steady progression scaling the heights of such a challenge (through effort and camaraderie) you will forever know what you are capable of and that is a certainty that cannot be taken away from you.

5: Write an achievement manifesto

When I arrive at the pages where I write my quarterly summary of successes I am always surprised. It’s so easy to forget what you have achieved, even if it’s something quite significant. We often have a tendency to underplay success and focus on what we haven’t done yet. So writing down what we have achieved from solving family squabbles to winning the local poetry competition to writing your first flash fiction to winning the Booker prize is very important. We can take some time to see how these achievements reflect what we set out to do or whether some of the things we did took us in new directions that turned out to be rather wonderful. You can even go a bit crazy and write compliments to yourself on this page. I’ll be talking about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy techniques to help stop negative thoughts more fully in a future post and the positive feedback we can give ourselves in this achievement manifesto is an important part of that. This is our feelgood CV, imagine listing your achievements for a job, you can make yourself sound very impressive!

And what if you don’t succeed?

Psychology and Weiner’s attribution theory tells us that we attribute our own success to our efforts and other people’s success to luck. Failure works round the other way. I’m not so sure that those of us who feel responsible for everything, don’t attribute our success to chance and our failure to ourselves. There are those of us who set such high standards that we are bound to fail.

In the modern day though we have this impression that everyone can succeed if they just try. There is truth to the idea that if we start off more optimistic we’ll be more alert to opportunities and we’ll try things, whether it’s enter competitions or self-publish, become entrepreneurs or apply for a job that’s a little too far out of our reach (or is it?) It’s also true however that even if we’ve written a brilliant book for example or have been writing solidly for 20 years, there is a chance we’ll be unlucky and just won’t make it or perhaps we’re not as good as we hoped.

BE CLEVER!

If we are not getting where we want to we might need to get some constructive criticism. We might have to decide whether the love of writing is enough beyond financial success. We might take joy from other aspects of our lives that can make a rich cloth in its entirety. We can hope for posthumous fame. We need to figure out what aspects of life make it just good enough, what small pleasures add up into a satisfying whole. There has to be balance between making our goals and dreams strong enough and big enough to make us work hard & commit to our own success and also realising that to make one ambition the be all and end all is to set ourselves up for misery.

YOU HAVE NOT FAILED!

We need to become good not beating ourselves up about not meeting targets. We need to be clever and reassess, not take it as failure.

What do you think, is there a way to maintain our optimism and intention while not beating ourselves up for the things we don’t manage to do?