In his Mark of Fear column in the latest issue of the BFS Journal, Mark Morris writes:

“Why do writers write? What compels them to commit their thoughts and ideas to paper, and then to present them for the scrutiny, criticism and approbation of others? A recent Facebook update from Gary McMahon gave me pause for thought. In it he claimed that he was only ever truly happy when he was writing. Not when he had completed a piece of work to the very best of his ability and was basking in the glow of a job well done; not when he had the finished book, complete with groovy cover and that delicious smell of fresh ink, in his hands; not even when fans were telling him how much they loved his work. No, it was the act of writing itself that he loved – the process of sitting at a desk and trying to express the tangle of ideas in his head in some kind of coherent and readable way.

For me, writing is tough. It’s hard, brain-aching, often exasperating work. Don’t get me wrong. I love my job. I love creating characters, and telling stories, and building what I hope are convincing worlds around them, and tapping into thoughts and emotions that, if I’m lucky, convey themselves to the reader. But I wouldn’t describe myself as ‘happy’ during the actual process of writing. I’m happy when I’ve written – or rather, when I’m satisfied with what I’ve written. But during the act of writing itself I’m… thoughtful, pre-occupied, sometimes frustrated, and occasionally – fleetingly – self-satisfied at a particular line of dialogue or turn of phrase. But happy? No.

Gary’s words prompted me to ask him, and a number of other writer friends, what actually motivates them to write.”

You can read the answers Mark received in the Spring Edition of the BFS Journal, but we want to know what makes you write?

What drives you to put pen to paper or finger to keyboard?

Let us know by joining the discussion on the BFS Forum

Renegade Writers is a writers’ group that meets every Wednesday (7.00pm-9.30pm), now in a private room in the Red Lion, 18 Stoke Old Road, Hartshill Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 6ES.

All genres are covered (no poetry). The group is open to all writers, aspiring and published, who wish to meet like-minded folk, discuss their work, have a drink and a chat, have an evening with friends. Group members read out work in progress and offer constructive advice in a supportive environment. Entry is free.

To contact Renegade Writers, send an email to renewriters [at] gmail [dot] com or follow them on the Renegade Writers’ Facebook page or on Twitter (@renegadewriters) for updates. You can find out more on the Renegade Writers blog HERE

The next meeting is on 9 May 2012.

Spectral Press are seeking submissions to their Christmas Ghost Story Annual 2012. They are looking for ghostly/supernatural tales of between 5,000 and 10,000 words, set around the time of the Christmas/mid-winter celebrations. They state: “Think of the kind of thing that M.R. James and Charles Dickens would have written at this time of year and you’ll be on the right track. The stories should primarily rely on atmosphere, tension, suspense, suggestion and implication to send shivers down peoples’ spines: whilst we are not averse to something of the more visceral kind (provided it works within the context of the story), we are not looking for slasher/unhinged psychopath with a sharp instrument/serial killer or gore-filled fiction.”

The deadline for submission of stories is 30 June 2012. All stories must be original, with the copyright belonging to the author in question, and must not have been published or submitted elsewhere. There will be a token payment for each story plus a physical copy of the book for each author.

For further details and full submission guidelines see the website HERE

There are two interesting publications available for H.P. Lovecraft aficionados this month.

Cyaegha #6 (the Dutch / Flemish Special) is now available, featuring the work of Cornelis Alderlieste, Toren Atkinson, Eddy C. Bertin, Jaap Boekestein, Cardinal Cox, Marcel Orie and Tais Teng. The editor, Graeme Phillips, is seeking submissions to a non-themed issue. Submissions of art, poetry, fiction or non-fiction should be Lovecraft / Cthulhu Mythos-related. Please contact the editor at the email address given on the website HERE if you are interested in contributing, or would like to purchase a copy of the magazine.

The Lovecraft eZine #13 is also now available, containing five stories and one essay.  Ecstasy of the Gold is a brand new story by Stephen Mark Rainey.  Scale Hall is by Simon Kurt Unsworth, and The Dog Who Wished He’d Never Heard of Lovecraft by Anna Tambour. Rounding off the stories this month is The Ouroboros Apocrypha, a Thomas Ligotti-inspired tale by Jayaprakash Satyamurthy, and Over the Hills by Victor Takac.  And if you’re a Ligotti fan, you’ll enjoy reading Brandon H. Bell’s essay, a reverent take on The Conspiracy Against the Human Race. Details HERE

Although his short story writing workshop on 19 May 2012 is now fully booked, award-winning writer, editor and competition judge, Allen Ashley, will be holding another similar workshop on Saturday 16 June 2012 from 2pm to 5pm at Trinity-at-Bowes, Palmerston Road, London N22 8RA.

This is your chance to improve your short story writing with guaranteed personal feedback from a specialist in the field. The afternoon will consist of a practical workshop for all short story writers, whether beginners or published writers. Topics covered will include: getting started; generating ideas; beginnings; middles; endings; useful writing exercises; practical tips; avoiding pitfalls; and preparing your work for submission.

The fee for the workshop is £20 and booking is essential. To book your place please email Allen at allenashley-writer [at] hotmail [dot] co [dot] uk

Administered by the British Science Fiction Association and sponsored by Interzone magazine, the 2012 James White Award short story competition opens on 1 June 2012. The competition is open to non-professional writers.

The prize for winning this year’s James White Award is £200 plus publication in Interzone, the leading UK science fiction magazine. The winner will be presented with their award at the BSFA Awards ceremony at Eastercon 2013. Stories entered into the competition must be original and previously unpublished and entry to the competition is free.

The winner of the 2011 James White Award was Calum Paget with his story, Invocation of the Lurker. The judges also awarded a special commendation to Tori Truslow for her story Train in Vain. The Awards were presented at Eastercon 2012 over the weekend of 6 – 9 April.

For more information and details on how to enter please see the competition website HERE

Stumar Press are delighted to open their doors to unsolicited submissions for an ongoing horror anthology series Ten Terrors. Each volume in the series will contain ten horror stories from established and emerging writers in the horror genre. The first volume (Winter 2012) will feature Graham Joyce, Mark Morris and eight other writers. Volume two (Spring 2013) will feature Tim Lebbon and nine other writers.

There’s no theme – other than the story needs to be a horror one. By horror, they mean the full breadth of the genre from gentle ghost stories to nasty pieces full of blood, guts and gore. The horror can deal with the psychological or the supernatural, with the fantastic or the normal.

Check out the guidelines HERE for more details.

Hieroglyphic Press and Tartarus Press are collaborating to produce a tribute anthology dedicated to Arthur Machen. Entitled Sorcery and Sanctity: A Homage to Arthur Machen, the volume will be launched as part of the Machen events at the 2013 World Fantasy Convention in Brighton.

They are currently seeking original fiction which draws on Machen’s life and works. All profits generated from the sale of this anthology will be donated to the Friends of Arthur Machen. Entries may be of any length and multiple submissions are welcome: however the editors would appreciate it if any potential contributors would let them know in advance that they are working on something for consideration. The final submissions deadline is 30 March 2013.

For full submission guidelines see the Hieroglyphic Press website HERE

Further to its announcement that it is seeking submissions for The Alchemy Press Book of Pulp Heroes edited by Mike Chinn, Alchemy is also seeking submissions for The Alchemy Press Book of Ancient Wonders edited by Jan Edwards and Jenny Barber.

“Standing stones, burial mounds, ruined castles or sunken settlements, the ancient sites that litter our landscapes have a mysterious appeal which cannot be denied. Think myth come to life; old folktales updated; the consequences of tomb raiding; hidden guardians and secret civilisations; from archaeology to tourism; mysticism and myth; folklore to the fantastical. Take us on a journey around the esoteric and enigmatic places that cannot fail to fire the imagination. Intrigue us, thrill us, make us wonder about the where, the what and the who.

We are interested in fantasy, SF, weird and horror tales of all kinds (no erotica, romance or poetry).”

The Alchemy Press Book of Ancient Wonders will be published in paperback in September 2012, to be followed by an ebook edition later. Contributions must be in the range of 2,000 – 6,000 words. The submission period runs from 1 April 2012 to 30 June 2012.

Full submission details HERE

A reminder that the BFS short story competition is now open. The word limit is 5,000 words. The submission period has started and closes on 30 June 2012. Prizes are as follows:

1st prize: £100, a year’s membership of the BFS, and publication in the BFS Journal.
2nd prize: £50, a year’s membership of the BFS, and publication in the BFS Journal.
3rd prize:£20

Entry is free for BFS members and just £5 per entry for non-members. Further details and full submission guidelines HERE. For any enquiries please email Allen Ashley on shortstorycomp@britishfantasysociety.org

***PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TIME PERIOD FOR MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARDS HAS NOW CLOSED***

Also, the period for making recommendations for the British Fantasy Awards closes on 31 March 2012. If you haven’t yet made your recommendations now is the time to do so!

The voting form is available HERE

***PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TIME PERIOD FOR MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARDS HAS NOW CLOSED***