Never had anything published, where to start?

[Stomalomalus]

So while I've written many short stories and started several novel projects, I've never had anything published. Not as a book, collection, nor in an anthology or magazine.

Where would you start?

Would you enter free competitions?

I have a complication that I'm not UK/US/Can/Aus/NZ based, I know that a lot of competitions and so on are location specific...

I feel like I need to write more and get back into practice, as while I have a good idea of what I need to do, I've found myself very rusty this past week in terms of fitting together dialogue and story - dialogue in particular, though it's never been my strong point.

 

[JS Wiig]

Have you ever gotten feedback on your work from a critique or writing group?

 

[Stomalomalus]

Have you ever gotten feedback on your work from a critique or writing group?

Not for a while. Way back I was a member of Conn Iggulden’s forums and would post there. And before that, at university, of course. My dissertation was a series of short stories about a Roman assassin.

 

[The Judge]

Well, a good start is coming here to Chrons and writing in the Challenges, so you're already on your way! There's a 300 worder coming next month, which will be more of a help as far as structure, characterisation and dialogue are concerned, but while you're waiting why not have a look at past Challenges, try your hand at one where the image sparks inspiration, and then take the story to the Improving thread and get some feedback on it.

Separately, hunt out one of the shorts you've written that's about 500-750 words (certainly no longer than 1500) or write something fresh of that length and put it up in Critiques and see how it's received.

If you can find a competition that interests you, then go for it. I took part in one, didn't get anywhere, but with a good bit of revising the story ended up in our Distaff anthology and was long-listed for the BSFA awards. Distaff Science Fiction Anthology Out Now!

And if you've got something that's around 1,000 words long, I've just put out a submissions call for Kraxon magazine, which is where a number of us started Magazine Submissions

 

[Stomalomalus]

Thanks. Yeah, just trying to get up to 30 posts so I can pay for critique

Got 2 in mind, one of them works as a short story but might be able to turn into a novel. It’s my attempt at a more humorous story