Just to let you know where we are with the contest. We don’t like reading on a screen, so we send the entries off to a printer and get them back in big ring-bound booklets. Then we annotate, produce feedback for those who have requested it and work out who will be commended or long-listed. Good luck all!

Post the first line of your work in progress for feedback here!

I’m kind of anti-realism. Imagine how boring police procedurals would be if they were full of actual police work. And I don’t have that much patience with people who are fine with fanciful depictions of every other profession but nitpick about ways in which fictional depictions of their world differ from reality. But things need to feel real. How do we achieve this?

View it at: www.marloweandchristie.com

Dear Writers, Happy Christmas Eve turning into Christmas Day! As the festivities unfold, we hope you're surrounded by warmth, good company, and perhaps a quiet moment for your imagination to sparkle. Here's a low-effort festive spark to play with—no pressure, just fun: Quick Christmas Prompts Choose one (or more!) and jot down whatever comes— a sentence, a paragraph, or even a single killer line. Share it belowe if you fancy, or keep it for yourself. 1. The secret hidden in the Christmas cracker's motto. 2. A ghost from Elizabethan times crashes a festive Zoom call. 3. Poirot finds one stocking with a clue inside instead of gifts. 4. The murder weapon: a frozen icicle... or was it the poisoned mince pie? 5. "All I want for Christmas is..." — finish it in the voice of your villain. Whatever you write (or don't!), may your day be filled with joy and inspiration. Thank you for being part of the start of our skool. It means a great deal to me. Issy