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Winning strategies to write your masterpiece by guest blogger, Louise Kaestner. You’re staring at the word processor, stomach torn in shreds from the inside out. A deadline looms, whether it is for an assignment or a social media post. A wayward raven screams from outside your room, landing on the sill, its beak clattering on the glass. Bile rises in the back of your throat. Veins throb in your forehead. Sirens scream in the distance. Your world crashes before around you. The

Written by Ascent Novel Prize founder and competition addict, Hayley King The first time I entered a writing competition, I obsessively checked the dates. When was the long list going to be announced? When would I know how good my story was? A few years in, and I’d receive an email saying I’d been long listed for a competition I’d forgotten I’d entered. So, conscious you could be anywhere on that spectrum, I’ve designed a self-assessment tool that will help you find the right

Apologies to my child for making her run up the hill to school. As Andy Gilbert says, 'Give yourself a deadline to stop planning and to start taking action.'   Forgive me. I arrive late for everything. Time slips away, and before I know it, I’m making my children run up the hill to school. One has asthma. It’s not a good look. However, when it comes to writing, there’s an enjoyable thrill to a deadline. I’m not a risk taker, nor would you ever find me on some outrageous rolle