Tag / Editorial

by Colette

August Editorial – Brighten Up Life with a Little Bit of Sunshine

Hey Inkblotters!

Welcome to August’s editorial post, where it’s starting to heat up in Britain with a little bit of sunshine, though mostly rain! Aside from the July two-week heat wave, it seems our summer has notoriously left on vacation, or in the very least just moved location. More than ever, I’m desperately looking forward to my week-long holiday to Austria in September. And as we all need a little “R & R”, Inkblots will be taking a break from publication for one month. We’re back in October with our Hallowe’en Scarefest though, and we’ll still be taking in submissions throughout September.

Moving on to August’s content, we’ve got lots of beautifully written work to share with you from our pool of regular contributors. With sunshine as our overarching theme, HHC veteran writer Rob kicks off creativity on the 5th with his flash fiction, while we have some wonderful poetry from the lovely Arwa later on in the month. As part of my Nana’s passing ten years ago, I also have a short poem to share with our readers as a tribute to her life. As always, make sure to check back during the month for new and original work.

August’s Half Hour Challenge should get the inspiration cogs turning with the following quote: “Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos”. It’s a lovely summery theme, a little light-hearted, and it’s also delicious to eat, so why not? Our Fiction Frenzy is still running until August 31st, so if you are planning on sending an entry in under either of the themes, Sunlight and Moonlight, then please send an email to theinkwellwriting@gmail.com before the closing date.

For any members of the forum, we’ve currently reverted back to our original domain name creativewriting.freeforums.org. All your work is still there, so please don’t panic. But for now, please access the writing forum via that URL address. Our administration team is currently assessing the situation and we’re hoping to make an official announcement in a couple of months.

Right, I won’t waffle on any longer – have a wonderful August and September! I shall be back for another editorial in October.

– Colette, Inkblots Editor

Featured Image CC // Leo-setä

by Colette

January Editorial – The Year Ahead and Welcome to 2015!

Hey Inkblotters,

Welcome to 2015 and a very happy new year to all our readers, writers and followers. By now, you’ll have likely noticed a couple of changes to our site. First of all, we’ve got a new (but not so new) domain name – now you can find us without the wordpress.com on the end!

We’ve also changed our main theme and layout to reflect the magazine’s content and overall feel. On the left side bar you’ll find all our pages, including the Submissions page which is much easier to access now. Plus, there’s also a small pin, clicking on this will take you to our featured content – these are the best posts from our authors around the world, so we take care in picking them out. And on the final tab is a folder, that’s where you’ll find our social output and where you can subscribe to us. Hopefully you’ll love the new theme just as much as I do!

With a new year brings lots of new content, but this time we’re on the hunt for a few more regular or guest contributors. Usually, we select content based on a pool that we receive in every month to a particular month. While the themes are sticking, we’re changing how we select content. So if you’d like your writing to be featured or published on Inkblots, please take a look at January to May’s themes below, which have been pre-selected.

  • January – Beginnings
  • February – Of Love and Other Drugs
  • March – Reflection
  • April – The Sweetest Thing
  • May – Strength

And don’t worry if you forget the themes above, as you’ll find them over at the submissions page throughout the year. Submissions for January’s theme is open until the 10th, but for all other months the closing date will be the last day of the previous month. So that means if you would like to submit content for March’s theme “Reflection”, you’ll need to send it us by February 28th to be considered for publication. You can send us submissions at theinkwellwriting@gmail.com.

While we have a few new works lined up for January’s content (you won’t be disappointed) with poetry and fiction, the Half Hour Challenge theme for January is Of Prologues and Other Such Beginnings. 

I hope you’ve had a great start to the year and I look forward to the year ahead! 🙂

– Silver, Inkblots Editor

Featured Image // Kalyan Chakravarthy

by Colette

Monthly Editorial – NaNoWriMo, Bonfire Night And November’s Content

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Are you heading to a Bonfire/Fireworks display this month? Image // Aff Photography

Hey Inkblotters,

Welcome to National Novel Writing Month once again! This is the second time (I think) Inkblots has celebrated NaNoWriMo – so we wish all those who are participating in the event lots of luck! Do let us know if you are giving it a go this year in the comment section below. 🙂 Personally, I’ve yet to have a crack at it, though I assume I may do when life gets less hectic!

Aside from NaNoWriMo, we’ve got lots of content to offer this month under the theme of “Light”. An easy theme choice this month, due to the annual celebration of Bonfire Night from the thwarting of the Gunpowder Plot on the House of Lords in 1605. Tying in with fireworks and bonfires, the theme will also give our readers some light – excuse the pun – relief from October’s scare-fest theme of fear. Hey, sometimes it’s hard to refuse the need to be punny funny – oh, see?

With that said, content has had a slight change in publication dates for this month. Whether or not we’ll keep this format going forward is under consideration, but it does allow ample time for each piece to headline our mag for four to five days. So, on the 5th is Rob’s HHC ‘Coach’ written on behalf of last month’s HHC theme which was pumpkin. It’s a great little short, and we’d expect no less from the flash fiction expert. On the 10th, we’ve got an awesome copy-change poem from our very own Lilith, as well as some short experimental fiction from Terrestris Veritas and lyrics from x3naurus on the 15th and 20th respectively. Finishing up on the 30th is a poem from Blue-Eyed Devil named ‘Little Candle’, it’s a real delicate treat and perfect for the arrival of the Christmas season. And of course, there’s always more to come.

November’s Half Hour Challenge theme is currently running under the theme of Spark. We’re beginning to tie in our monthly HHC themes with the current Inkblots theme so as to allow for more cohesion and less confusion for our readers.

And to briefly touch on one more point before I check out for the evening, Inkblots Magazine has managed to reach 700+ followers in the past month, which is absolutely fantastic. When I started this literary mag, I never thought it would reach those numbers, but here we are. Thanks go out to all our readers and followers and, of course, our authors. Whether you’ve only been featured here once, or multiple times, we love your work and love working with you!

Have a great Bonfire Night, guys!

– Silver, Inkblots Editor

 

by Colette

Monthly Editorial: August’s Content Looks To A Grand Performance

Edinburgh sees the final weekend of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK - 29th August 2009.

Street Acts are everywhere during Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival Image // Wiki Commons

Hey Inkblotters!

Now that August has arrived we’ve got a month full of brand new content, but first I’ll turn your attention to our undercurrent theme for the next four weeks. While June saw festival season kicking off and July welcomed in a time of dedication for our sporting heroes, August’s theme will bridge the gap between both of these and bring in a grand performance. There’s always so much happening during the summer months – both Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival and London have street acts, plus there’s lots of open-air theatre whenever the sun makes an appearance. So in order to celebrate this incredibly lively time during the superb British heat wave, we’re publishing content that reflects a great performance.

As always we’ve got our regular content scheduled and it kicks off on the 5th with regular contributor Terrestris Veritas’s HHC piece named “Race”. With its fast-paced action and around-the-clock excitement rivalling the Ascot races, you won’t want to miss out. Next up on the 8th is new contributor Juwan Cross’s exceptional poem “I am the Night” and further along into the month we’ll see more of Ashcloud’s fantastic poetry, as well as Rob’s humorous HHC shorts.

If you didn’t catch our recent news post, we’ve had a small update to our submissions page which includes our new email address. You’ll also find all the guidelines for submitting a Fiction Frenzy/ HHC piece there. Speaking of the FF, it’s still running until August 31, so make sure you email your entries into us with either the theme Carnage or Virtual Reality, or a bit of both. This month’s Half Hour Challenge theme is Freakshow, so you can now get cracking on the theme.

And just as a reminder to all our regular readers, there will be no content in September, but we’ll back in October with the theme “fear” – apt for Hallowe’en.

Have a lovely August/September!

– Silver, ‘Blots Editor

by Colette

Monthly Editorial: Focusing On Dedication In July’s Content

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Fancy a bit of a warm up? Image // BBC

Hey Inkblotters!

As June’s content and theme passes, July’s is now upon us and we’ve got a new theme to boot. Since the sporting season is here – what with the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and Wimbledon’s annual two-week stint on the BBC – our theme this month reflects the commitment sportsmen and sportswomen must have in order to succeed and achieve splendid results in their chosen careers. Putting matters of money and sponsorship deals aside, athletes work hard to be the very best they can – 5am wake-up calls, swim sessions, and gritting their teeth through bad weather to head out for a morning run. But it’s not just athletes who dedicate themselves to sport, what about the regular individuals who just do it for fun? So this month we’re tackling the theme of “dedication” through sport, an homage full of admiration, or with dedication to an event in history – we’re going to cover the theme from all angles.

First up we’ve got a wonderful HHC entry by Dice in his Alexander episodic shorts on the 5th. Written in relation to the 70th anniversary of D-Day, Dice’s Summer 1943 is definitely not one to miss. On the 8th, poetry whizz Ashcloud takes us on a journey with a knight as an homage to her closest friend; consider us fans already. Then a little further into the month on the 20th, new contributor but forum veteran Fuzzyears takes snippets from song lyrics and recreates her own for us. But you know the drill by now, keep checking back to see much more Inkblots content throughout July.

For those who follow our Twitter, you may have seen a small tease that the Fiction Frenzy will be returning – well, it has and it’s returned for TWO entire months this time. Throughout July until August 31, the FF will be open to everyone. You can check out the rules on our Inkwell forum, here, for more info. Also, seen as the competition will be running for two months, I couldn’t help but give our members two themes to go with it. So get writing some awesome entries for Virtual Reality and Carnage. If you’re looking to send us your entry, just check out the submissions page for rules and guidelines and, more importantly, our email!

Finally, seen as you’re probably getting sick of me babble on, our new Half Hour Challenge theme is Chase. Since I’ve been re-watching One Tree Hill episodes, I can only think of the character named Chase who wants to be a pilot. But hey, I’m sure you (our lovely readers and contributors) will think of much better HHC entries than the above.

Until next time!

– Silver,  Inkblots Editor 

by Colette

Monthly Editorial: Festival Season Kicks Off In Style With June’s Content

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Rainforest World Music Festival, Borneo Image // rwmf.net

Hey Inkblotters!

Here in the UK, we’re well-known for our rainy days, nights, weekends and months. Many, if not all, of you will have heard of April’s Showers, but what about Monsoon June? About four or five years ago, many parts of the UK were hit with torrential downpours, resulting in flooded homes and a lot of disgruntled and upset home-owners during this month. It was devastating for the people involved, plus it created a substantial headache for the government. Flood guards were put in place and erected over the course of time, but it wasn’t enough to deter the rain in early January. While North America were plagued with sub-zero temperatures, the UK was hit with more flood warnings than we could count. As always, it looks like we’re in for more rain this June, but hopefully we’ll get some of the sizzling hot sunshine too.

With the beginning of June, a whole host of festivals kick-start their “feel-good welly” campaigns. Whether it’s music at Leeds and Glastonbury that rocks your world or the bluesy tunes in Wales, there’s something for everyone. But though music festivals are a big part of the summer, there’s also the folk festivals with ceilidh dancing, as well as the arts and crafts shows to wander around. So, in aid of the festival season, content for June will be under the theme “Free Spirit”.

Due for publication on the 5th is Rae-Chan’s Half Hour Challenge, “Wings” – a simple yet elegant poem on the theme of flight, absolutely gorgeous. Following on from Rae-Chan’s work, we’ve got new poetry from returning contributor Ashcloud on the 8th, with “One Day at a Time”, along with “Messages” from Elanor Rose on the 20th, which I’ve heard is due for publication just before her birthday – fabulously timed! And as always, there are lyrics, short fiction and even more poetry to come this month.

Our theme for the Half Hour Challenge this month comes from our wonderful forum admin Lilith (as per usual) and is titled: Summer Haze. Make sure you check out submissions page in the header above for all the rules and guidelines concerning HHC submissions.

And finally, I just want to thank all our followers for all your likes/comments on our content – our contributors really appreciate it. We recently hit the 600 mark and I, personally, just can’t thank you enough for the support.

Have a great June!

– Silver, Inkblots Editor

 

by Colette

Monthly Editorial: May’s Star Wars-Inspired Science Fiction Special

star_wars_meme

Because who doesn’t love a good Star Wars meets Star Trek meets HP meme?

Hey Inkblotters!

May welcomes not one, but two great Bank Holiday weekends to enjoy, and what better way to shirk off the downright depressing news of late by spending it outside – whether that’s a pub lunch with cider, beer, cocktails and wine, or maybe heading down to a community craft fair at your local park. But the one thing we hate, and it’s prevalent, is the feeling that Tuesday is the new Monday. “Oh woe is me”, says the office worker, while the pub/bar/retail worker grins and spends their Tuesday off watching a Breaking Bad marathon. However, for those who like to wind down and read, we’ve got some fantastic content planned for this month.

In honour of a new Star Wars cast and a return to the movies, we have our very own sci-fi theme planned, entitled: May the Force Be With You: A Science Fiction Special. Although we’ve not got anything planned for the 4th – I know, I’m very sorry, guys – we do have a wonderful Alexander short from Dice coming up on the 5th. Next, we’ll (laser)beam you straight into space with Doishy’s “The Sound of Silence” on the 12th, where no one can hear you scream. And on the 16th, new contributor Nonexistent Rose shows us the true meaning of ‘seeing is believing’. As usual, we’ve got a mix of poetry, HHCs and short fiction for all your science fiction needs.

Seen as we’re close to the summer holidays, many families are gearing up to jet off for their lazy two weeks abroad with the kids. However, some of us like to avoid the expensive time of the year and head off on our break a little early. May’s HHC is aptly named, Taking Flight, and we’re hoping to see some interesting and diverse entries for this one.

So until next month, enjoy the content and the Bank Holidays!

– Silver, Inkblots Editor

by Colette

Monthly Editorial: Simple Pleasures in April’s Content

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How adorable are these chicks? Simple pleasures. Image Courtesy of Will Merydith

Hey Inkblotters!

The chocolate egg-fuelled month has arrived once again and cries to our slim-ish waistlines we’ve worked so hard to keep up throughout the turn of a new year. There’s no escaping the chocolate bonanza as supermarkets shove vividly coloured foiled wrappers in our faces, enticing us into a dreamy, liquid pool, while slapping devilish prices on Easter Eggs that are just too tempting to refuse. But even if you won’t be chowing down on a bunch of eggs this Easter, you can take delight in our content for April.

In aid of the month ahead, the theme for our scheduled content reflects “Simple Pleasures” – whether it’s a film and a takeaway, watching the sunrise on your commute to work each morning, or maybe even looking through old photographs on a lazy Sunday, simple pleasures are always with us in our lives. Sometimes just looking at the moon and stars on a clear night gives me goosebumps – the good kind, of course. So for April’s light-hearted month, Eruantien’s short poem “An Address to the Coconut” is sure to get you chuckling on the 8th, while Dice’s fictional piece “Only a Smile”  coming up on the 12th looks at two strangers accounts on a train, delivering amusing results. On the 20th, Elanor Rose gives us a snippet of both past and future fusing together in her poem “Video” and, to round off the month, Ricardo’s “The Start Of Something Beautiful” is a fictional short with a simply gorgeous ending. And as always, there’s much more.

To tie in with Easter, our half hour challenge theme this month is: Chocolate. If you’ve yet to enter a submission for our monthly HHC you can find all the details in our submissions page. We’ve had some great responses to past challenges, so we’d love to hear from you.

Once again thanks to all our readers, followers and contributors – you’re all stars. Have a great April!

– Silver, Inkblots Editor

by Colette

Monthly Editorial: Celebrating Love In February’s Content

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Awww. We couldn’t help but put up an adorable picture of sleepy animals!

Hey Inkblotters!

Welcome to a new month and lots of new content. As it’s February, we thought we’d go all out and celebrate love – but not just the obvious type of love with the mushy, lovey-dovey stuff (though there may be a little of that…) but also a deeper kind of love: the love for our family, the love for our hobbies or just a general love for writing. If you’re single, don’t get all down in the dumps this month when you see glossy red and sickly pink hearts through restaurants or card shops, but embrace it in a different way. Love yourself for once – whether that be picking up some ice-cream and your favourite movie, or going out and enjoying a day with your mates. And if you’re all loved-up, remember that Valentine’s Day is just another day to tell your partner that you love them.

Anyway, enough of the chit-chat, I’m here to talk about our exciting content for February! Beginning the theme of love, we’ve got veteran HHC writer Rob with his take on last month’s theme ‘Inkwell’ on the 5th. He’s such a pro at writing great twists, we just can’t help but choose his short tales over and over again. Next up on the 8th is a beautiful poem written by new contributor Topaz, engaging in thoughts of love and life and how nature is truly prominent in our world – keep an eye out. And on the 20th, we’ve got song lyrics adapted from Patrick Rothfuss’ novel, Name of the Wind, by long-standing forum member Kvothe. But that’s not all our content, of course, there’s plenty more hidden in the wings.

This month’s HHC theme is a little unorthodox, but we like to change our routine up every now and then. Sherlock does this all the time, in fact that’s probably a ridiculously big clue. That’s right, our theme is Guessing and Second Guessing. To give you a little nudge in the right direction, co-editor Lilith left us this amusing picture to keep us on the straight and narrow. What can I say, most of us are 90s kids! Remember, if you’d like to submit a HHC, poetry or fiction, check out our submissions page.

And on that note, I hope you have a lovely Feb painting the roses red.

– Silver, Inkblots Editor

by Colette

Monthly Editorial: Happy New Year!

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Did you bring in the new year in style?
Image Courtesy of telegraph.co.uk

Hey Inkblotters,

Welcome to 2014! And what I term as the year for hope, happiness, life and love. If you had a great 2013, fabulous! But if you didn’t – maybe just like myself – then let’s all look towards a brighter one for 2014; it’s an even number after all. We’ve got a bunch of new content to share with you to kick off the new year in style, so let’s make haste and get on with the show!

First up, we’ve got a brand new contributor under the name of Arwa. She’s written us a delightful poem called “Here Where the Sea Stands”, so look out for it on January 20th. What’s more we’ve got an underlying theme this month (as we usually do) on our written content. I’m not going to lie, this one’s really easy to spot and it will be a dead give-away by the end of the month. Other than three poems for January, we’ve also got lined up some fabulous short fiction starting with our New Year Special. Much like our Christmas Festive Fiction Special, this is part two of our specially selected winter HHCs, so we hope you enjoy it on January 5th. And, of course, there’s much more content for you to read over this month.

In other news, we’ve got a brand new Half Hour Challenge theme for January which is: Inkwell. It’s the word that our forum was born from and what better way to celebrate a new year than looking back to our roots. I’m quite sure there will be many entries of actual inkwells – I’d love to be able to try one out for myself one day! If you’d like to send an entry to us, simply label the header as ‘HHC Entry’ and email to creativewritinginkwell@hotmail.com.

Thanks to all our readers and followers, and we hope to see many more new as well as old readers in the days, weeks and months to come!

– Silver, Inkblots Editor