When I first dipped my toe into the Irish writing market, I admit I didn’t have a clue as to where I should start sending my creative endeavours. What to do with all those words? The shoebox under the bed was stuffed to overflowing.

Perhaps a writing group would help? But I soon discovered the people around me were equally clueless, or worse, secretive. I guess they thought sharing information about publishing opportunities was likely to do them out of success.

A few years down the line and I have now garnered a good bit of useful information about where to place stories and poems, and I’m happy to share the information here (no charge!).  We’ll save my constant angst about a writer’s need for publication and third-party validation for another day.

I’m reliably informed that competition placings and publication in anthologies and journals is good for raising your writerly profile, and it is attractive to publishers as proof that you can write.

But be aware that entering competitions or submitting to magazines can be quite a harrowing experience if you are of a delicate disposition.  You need to develop a thick skin as your freshly-minted masterpiece gets sent off into the ether for some stranger to ponder, and you’re left behind wondering what happened. For months sometimes, and then one day you find out by accident that you weren’t successful (God bless Twitter and all who boast in her!).

Competitions can be costly – and very (…ahem) competitive, with some of them receiving thousands of entries.  But the prizes are often well worth the effort, and of course, there’s the winner’s kudos. Nothing beats that giddy feeling you get when you’re the winner!

So, the following information I offer as a gift, based on my experiences as an amateur writer based in Ireland. Good luck!

• First online stop for anyone in Ireland who is interested in writing should be writing.ie – a valuable resource with lots of helpful tips and information. It is updated regularly, so you need to keep dipping into this one.
• If poetry is your thing, then a visit to Poetry Ireland is essential for competition listings and events.
• The Irish Writers Centre is a valuable resource for anyone interested in literary endeavours, with info about competitions and bursaries. Sign up to their newsletter for regular updates.
• Belfast writer Paul McVeigh has loads of interesting items up on his blog, including short stories from around the world, new and old, plus information about competitions here.
• Ireland is home to a number of heavyweight literary magazines. Some of them accept submissions from newbies and run competitions, so check in regularly to keep up to date: The Moth, The Stinging Fly, Southword Journal, Crannóg Magazine, Skylight 47, Banshee.
• Ireland has its own selection of popular magazines, although the market is pretty well saturated with UK-based publications. Woman’s Way publishes 800 word short stories (but doesn’t pay), Ireland’s Own  has annual writing competitions and opportunities for articles as well as fiction, although their guidelines admit they favour their regular contributors.
• At the other end of the writing spectrum is the UK womag (women’s magazine) market, a paying market for short stories and features. They each have their own writers’ guidelines (and some don’t accept on-spec submissions). Patsy Collins pulls a lot of magazine info together for general reference and has an entertaining blog going  here.
• Finally, another great resource for writers interested in competitions is Michael Shenton’s amusing offerings at Prize Magic.

Did I wish you good luck? Of course I did!