Hi friends,
We are delighted to reveal the stories and authors that will appear in the April edition of WestWord, which had the theme FAITH.
It’s a very balanced edition this time around and will have two micros, two flashes and two short stories!
We’re really looking forward to bringing these wonderful stories to the world.
Our next themed edition publishes in August and you have until 31st May to send your stories to be considered for this edition. The theme for this one is CIRCUS.
Zoom workshop this weekend
This workshop is free to WestWord paid subscribers, who will be added to the event guest list automatically, or you can pay £10 to come along. Everyone with a ticket also gets the replay link.
Finding New Angles for Common Themes
Sun 10 Mar 2024 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM GMT
In this workshop we'll be looking at the ways you can find new angles to tell stories from. There are only so many themes our stories can explore so finding new and surprising ways to tell them will help keep your readers interested.
As writers, there are also themes that recur over and over in our writing but we don't need to stop writing about them - we just need to do it in ways we've not tried before.
Join me to get ideas, inspiration and new drafts of stories that come from angles you've never tried before!
Want to develop your short story writing skills?
Join my Short Story Clubs that are running in April and May where we’ll dig deep into the art and craft of short story writing. There’s just 1 space left for the April club and 4 for May.
On the 1st of the month, you'll receive an in-depth craft development essay with a short story reading, writing exercises and a new work prompt. We'll have two Zoom sessions - one to discuss and analyse the short story and the craft elements highlighted in the essay, the other for you to bring the story you have written for developmental feedback from the group.
Why work with me?
I started Retreat West in 2012 and launched Retreat West Books in 2017 (Winner: Most Innovative Publisher 2020 Saboteur Awards), which published 24 books between 2018 and 2023. In 2022, she launched the WestWord literary magazine. I have been designing and teaching online courses, and live workshops, for many years and worked as an editor on many hundreds of manuscripts.
I’m the author of two novels, As If I Were A River (2016) and Remember Tomorrow(2019), and a novella-in-flash, Pressure Drop (2024). I’ve almost finished a flash fiction collection and I’m now working on my third novel. I also write The Mindful Writer and The Tao of Storytelling.
My short stories have been widely published; long/shortlisted in the Mslexia Flash Fiction Competition, Fish Flash Fiction Prize, Ink Tears Short Story Prize, Cranked Anvil Short Story Competition, Flash 500 and V300; nominated for Best Small Fictions 2023; and won the Editor’s Choice Prize at 101 Words.
Writing can be a lonely business and doing it together can bring magic to the page. I hope to read your words and work with you soon!
With love,
Keep on writing ❤️