Writing stories

There's no shortage of advice for budding writers, but getting published can be a real challenge.

Much of the advice for writers of full-length novels is also relevant to authors of short stories, but there is also material specifically targeted at the writer of shorter fiction.

Often the best place to start is submitting your work to magazines (see magazines).

If you're looking for advice about writing, you should read Principles of a story by Raymond Carver, published on this site with the kind permission of Prospect magazine.

Information for writers Find out about magazines that accept short stories and read advice about submitting your stories

Competitions and Prizes

BBC National Short Story Award

Other prizes are awarded to short story writers, to which only publishers can submit entries.

A number of magazines and websites will pay a fee for any short story they publish. See Prizes for more details

Web links and books

Find out more about short story resources on the web and books about writing and the history of short stories. Or, one quick yet key tip for writers is to make sure that you prepare a clean and tidy office space where you can put pen to paper (or finger to key for those digital authors). If you are short on time, you can start by looking at weblinks surrounding London office clearance companies who will be able to get your writing space clear in no time.