Competition Monthly for June!

Half way through the year and we have another competition monthly from Francesca!


There are quite a variety of different competitions gathered together for you this month, some of them a little quirky. Not all of them offer cash prizes, but offer instead something else worth having.

The Myriad First Drafts, Adventures in Fiction and Cinnamon comps all offer feedback among their

prizes: something invaluable, especially to newer writers.

The main prize for the Seán Ó Faoláin competition is a retreat at Anam Cara on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork. It's described as 'a tranquil spot structured to provide support and sanctuary for people working in the creative arts'. It looks and sounds ideal for a week of peaceful writing.


The Modern Art competition is a bit of fun, just 75 words required, no fee and the chance to win a painting.

The Ad Hoc flash fiction comp is also free with the possibility of a £1,000 prize. No doubt there'll be a lot of contestants for that second one, but worth having a go all the same.


Among the judges for the prestigious Mslexia Women's Novel competition is novelist Philippa Gregory. There's plenty of time to get something together for that one as it doesn't close till September.


Good luck to everyone, and don't forget to let us know of any competition success you have.



**Closing Soon**
The Brighton Prize
Theme: Two categories: Short story 1,000 – 2,000 words, flash fiction 350 words max.
Prize: £1,000 / 2 x £100
Closing date: 30 June 2017
Entry: SS £8 / FF £6
Details 


**Closing Soon**
The British Fantasy Society Short Story Competition
Theme: Any kind of fantastical story including SciFi, horror etc
Prize: £100 / £50 / £20, plus publication, plus year's membership for 1st and 2nd
Closing date: 30 June 2017
Entry: £5
Details


**Closing Soon**
Myriad First Drafts Competition
Theme: 5,000 words of a work in progress, either novel or short story competition
Prize: Week long retreat in West Dean College, Chichester, detailed editorial feedback, 6 months mentoring from a Myriad author.
Closing date: 30 June 2017
Entry: £5
Details


Doris Gooderson Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 1,200 words max
Prize: £200 / £100 / £50
Closing date: 10 July 2017
Entry: £5
Details


Adventures in Fiction New Voices Competition
Theme: Open. First page of novel and one page synopsis.
Prize: Start up mentoring package worth £550, includes ms appraisal, development strategy, consultation.
Closing date: 21 July 2017
Entry: £10
Details


Cinnamon Press Annual Debut Novel/Novella Prize
Theme: First 10K of a novel. Only open to those who've not had a novel or novella published.
Prize: One year's free mentoring or if already mentored, a publishing contract and 100 free copies.
Competition deadline: 31st July
Entry: £12
Details


Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition
Theme: Open. 3,000 words max
Prize: €2,000, publication and weeklong residency at Anam Cara Retreat / €500 plus publication / 4 x €120 plus publication
Closing date: 31 July 2107
Entry: €15
Details


Ad Hoc Flash Fiction Competition
Theme: Weekly word prompt, 150 words max.
Prize: £1,000, decided by public vote.
Closing date: weekly.
Entry: Free
Details


Modern Art Flash Fiction Competition
Theme: Using the art on the website as a trigger. 75 words max.
Prize: A painting of your choosing.
Closing date: Monthly. Check for latest.
Entry: Free
Details


Mslexia Women's Novel Competition
Theme: Fiction for adults or YA, at least 50K. Send 5,000 word extract.
Prize: £5,000
Closing date: 18 September 2017
Entry: £25
Details

Thanks, Fran and good luck to everyone!

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Winchester Writers' Conference, Retreat West, Meridian Writing, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. Her serial for The People's Friend is currently running. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme and the Society for Women Writers and Journalists. Francesca runs a writing blog along with RNA member Elaine Roberts called Write Minds. 
Twitter

If you would like to write for the RNA blog, then please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com

This blog was prepared by blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

Competition Monthly December 2016

Our last Competition Monthly of 2016!


Titles are important. You need something that will catch the judge's eye and interest before they even start on the story. Long, rambling titles might seem indicative of a long, rambling story, so try to avoid them. Short, snappy titles are usually best, probably no more than five words. Make sure it's relevant to the story, not just eye catching. Often popular sayings, famous quotes or song titles are a good place to start if you're not good at making up titles.

It's also better to avoid common titles if you can, though that can be difficult if you're not sure how common your title is! One of my first published stories was called New Beginnings. I now know several people who've had stories with that title, or the similar A New Beginning, including my blog partner, Elaine Roberts. Other common titles include Lost and Found, The Homecoming, Rebirth, and The Awakening.

Neil Clarke, the editor of a science fiction magazine called Clarkesworld, put all the words from story titles he'd had submitted to him into a word cloud to ascertain their frequency. Some of the most common words used were man, time, house, last, new, moon, black, dead, death, world, one, little, life, red, day, love, night and dream. The fact it's a sci-fi mag might account for some of those words, of course. To see the rest of the word cloud visit http://neil-clarke.com/short-story-titles-meet-wordle/ 

Basically, you want a title that is neither too simple or common, nor too obscure or convoluted. Easier said than done, I know. If you get stuck, you could always try my old favourite, mind mapping.

Good luck, everybody, and don't forget to let me know of any competition successes you have.



***Closing Very Soon***
Writing Magazine Other Worlds Short Story Competition
Theme: Fantasy and SciFi, 1,500 – 1,700 words
Prize: £200 + publication in magazine / £50 + publication on website
Competition deadline: 14 December 2016
Entry: £5, £3 for subscribers
Details


Writing Magazine Open Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 1,500 – 1,700 words
Prize: £200 + publication in magazine / £50 + publication on website
Competition deadline: 16 January 2017
Entry: £5, £3 for subscribers
Details 


Bath Novella-in-a-Flash Competition
Theme: Open, 7,000 – 18,000, each individual flash no more than 1,000 words
Prize: £300 / 2 x £100 plus publication in one book for all three
Competition deadline: 31 January 2017
Entry: £16.00
Details


The Fiction Desk Ghost Story Competition
Theme: Ghost, 1,000 to 7,000 words
Prize: £500 / £250 / £100, plus publication on website
Competition deadline: 31 January 2017
Entry: £8
Details


Mercier Press Fiction Prize (unpublished authors)
Theme: Young Adult Novel. Enter 10,000 – 12,000 words of a novel max 100,000.
Prize: €1,000 plus publication
Competition deadline: 1 February 2017
Entry: Free
Details


Bath Flash Fiction Prize
Theme: Open, 300 words max
Prize: £1,000 / £300 / £100 / 2 x £30
Competition deadline: 12 February 2017
Entry: £9
Details


How Much The Heart Can Hold Love Story Competition
Theme: Love, 5,000 – 10,000 words
Prize: Publication in anthology with award winning authors + £150 + consultation with Emma Herdman, senior editor at Sceptre (Agent Lucy Luck is also a judge)
Competition deadline: 14 February 2017
Entry: Free
Details


Jane Austen Short Story Competition
Theme: 2,017 words max based on a specific quote from Mansfield Park (see website)
Prize: £1,000 / £500
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £5
Details

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. Her shortlisted entry for The People's Friend serial competition will be published soon. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

Twitter
Blog

If you would like to write for the RNA Blog, then please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com

This blog was prepared by RNA Blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

Competition Monthly November 2016

 A new month and many more competition details from Francesca!

After my trip to Wells as a shortlister for their Children's Story competition with my YA novel, I have to report, dear reader, that I was not placed. I did have a nice day out there though and at least it's something to put on my CV.

How can you stand out in a competition against possibly hundreds or even thousands of others? Any

idea that you've come up with easily, has probably been thought of by every other competitor. I have plenty of ideas in books for open themes, but when it's a specific theme I haven't always got a readymade idea. You need to discard the first few ideas and go for some thinking outside the box. For that reason I am a great fan of mind mapping. Even if the idea seems outlandish, at least write it down as a possibility. It might fit in with something else on your list.

Settings are another area where you can be different in a competition entry and catch the attention of the judge who may have read a dozen stories set in a living room or by the sea. Traditional settings can also be made unusual with perhaps a sea mist or the roof of the living room falling in.

For those of you who like writing under pressure, why not have a go at the Write Invite competition below, a kind of writing 'open mic'? I know people who've done it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Good luck, everybody.

***Closing Soon***
Theatre Cloud 'Tell a Tale' Competition 
Theme: Making change happen. 500 words max
Prize: £300 / £150
Competition deadline: 19 November 2016
Entry: Free
Details 


***Closing Soon***
Iceland Writers' Retreat Competition 
Theme: 'Elements'. 500 words of prose or poetry
Prize: Retreat in Iceland 5 – 9 April 2017, including flights and accommodation
Competition deadline: 2 December 2016
Entry: £5
Details 


Write Invite Short Story 'Live' Competition
Theme: Three given each week
Prize: £40
Competition deadline: Half-an-hour writing online
Entry: £4
Details


Mearns Writers' Short Story Competition
Theme: New Beginnings. 1,000 to 3,000 words
Prize: £250 / 3 x £50
Competition deadline: 31 December 2016
Entry: £7
Details



Doolin Writers' Short Story and Flash Fiction Competitions 
Theme: Open. Short stories 1,000 – 3,000, Flash fic max 500 words
Prize: Short story £1,000. Flash fic £500
Competition deadline: 13 January 2017
Entry: €10 / £8
Details



Mogford Prize 
Theme: Food and drink, 2,500 words max
Prize: £10,000
Competition deadline: 15 January 2017
Entry: £10
Details



National Memory Day Creative Writing Competition 
Theme: Memories, 1,500 words max
Prize: £4,000 for short story (other categories available)
Competition deadline: 20 January 2017
Entry: £3 (£2 each subsequent one)
Details 

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. Her shortlisted entry for The People's Friend serial competition will be published soon. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

Twitter

Write Minds Blog

Thanks, Francesca, and good luck to everyone who enters!

If you would like to write for the RNA blog, then please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com

This blog was prepared by blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

Competition Monthly with Francesca Burgess

Another month and many more new competition details from Francesca - as well as some good news!

Some more good comp news for me this since my last post went up. Firstly, I was longlisted in Frome Short Story Competition (though got no further). Soon after I had a phone call to tell me I've been shortlisted in the Wells Festival of Literature Story for Children Competition, with a Young Adult novel called How to Handle Plan B. The results of that will be announced at the festival on October 16th. I'll be heading along, and I believe a fellow short-lister and RNA member, Celia J Anderson, will also be attending. Wish us luck!

If you're placed, shortlisted, highly commended or even longlisted in a competition, be sure to take a screen capture of the relevant page on the internet and keep it safe (as well as entering the details onto your competition spreadsheet). It will be one of your 'clippings', remind you of your success and can always be used as an illustration in a blog post or web page (as you can see!).
Good luck, everybody.

***Closing Soon***
The Creative Competitor Writing Competition
Theme: Use the photo provided. Max 500 words
Prize: £500 / £300 / £200 / £100
Competition deadline: 30 September 2016
Entry: £3.50 Details 

***Closing Soon***
The Caterpillar Story for Children Prize 2016 
Theme: Any theme suitable for 7-11 year olds.
Prize: €500 / €300 / €200
Competition deadline: 30 September 2016
Entry: €12 Details

The Creative Competitor Spine Chilling Competition
Theme: Horror stories. Max 1,000 words
Prize: £500 / £300 / £200 / £100
Competition deadline: 31 October 2016
Entry: £3.50 Details

Southport Writers' Circle Annual Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, max 2,000 words
Prize: £150 / £80 / £30
Competition deadline: 31 October 2016
Entry: £3 / £10 for 4 Details

The McKetterick Prize
Theme: Novel either published in 2016 or not at all. Author to have no other novel published and be over 40.
Prize: £4,000 / £1,000 runner up
Competition deadline: 31 October 2016
Entry: Free Details 

NAWG Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 500-2,000 words
Prize: £250 / £100 / £50
Competition deadline: 31 October 2016
Entry: £5 Details

The Caledonia Novel Award
Theme: All genres, adult and YA, at least 50,000 words long.
Prize: £1,000
Competition deadline: 1 November 2016
Entry: £20 Details

The Bath Children's Novel Award
Theme: Novel for children or YA. Author must by unpublished or independently published.
Prize: £2,000. Additional £500 shortlist award
Competition deadline: 20 November 2016
Entry: £22 Details 

Times / Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition
Theme: Children's novel for 7-18 year old
Prize: £10,000 advance (subject to contract), representation from top children's literary agent.
Competition deadline: 18 December 2016
Entry: £15 Details

About Francesca:

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing and Writing Magazine. Her shortlisted entry 

for The People's Friend serial competition is due to be published soon. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

Twitter
Write Minds Blog




Thank you, Francesca! Good luck to anyone entering competitions this month.

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

This post was prepared by blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

Competition Monthly with Francesca Burgess

Welcome back to Francesca Burgess with another in her very helpful series about writing competitions. Have you entered any lately?

How can you make a good impression with your competition entry? Although not all competitions

stipulate a writing font and size, it's a good idea to stick with something easily legible, like Arial or Times New Roman size 12. Anything that makes it hard to read isn't going to warm the judge to your story. Apart from which, it doesn't look very professional. If you're entering by post, don't use old yellowed paper you've found at the back of the cupboard, or coloured sheets. Neat, white paper is the order of the day.

One of the competitions this month is for a story written only in dialogue. It sounds like quite a challenge to convey all the necessary information in that manner. However, if you happen to have the August copy of Writing Magazine, take a look at page 62 for a good example of this kind of story.

Good luck, everybody.

Writing Magazine 1,000 Word Short Story Competition

Theme: Open. 1,000 words

Prize: £200 plus publication in Writing Magazine. Runner up £50 plus online publication

Competition deadline: 15 August 2016

Entry: £5 / £3 for subscribers

Details

The Creative Competitor Historical Fiction Writing Competition 2016

Theme: Use the picture of the horse and carriage provided for inspiration. 1,200 words max.

Prize: £500 / £300 / £200 / £100

Competition deadline: 30 August 2016

Entry: £3.50

Details

Park Publications Article Competition 2016

Theme: 'My Writing Day', 1,000 – 1,500 words

Prize: £50 / £25 / £15

Competition deadline: 31 August 2016

Entry: £3

Details

1,000 Word Challenge

Theme: Open with the line provided.

Prize: £100 / £50 / £25

Competition deadline: 31 August 2016

Entry: £5

Details

SaveAs Writers' Group Competition

Theme: Rebellion. 3,000 words

Prize: £100 / £50 / £25

Competition deadline: 31 August 2016

Entry: £4

Details

The Glimmer Train Very Short Fiction Competition

Theme: Open. 300 – 3,000 words

Prize: $2,000 + publication / $500 / $300

Competition deadline: 31 August 2016

Entry: $16

Details

Books Ireland Short Story Competition 2016

Theme: Open. 2,600 words max.

Prize: €400 + writing course at the Irish Writing Centre + publication / €200 / €100

Competition deadline: 31 August 2016

Entry: €10

Details

Writing Magazine Love Story Competition

Theme: 1,500 - 1,700 words

Prize: £200 plus publication in Writing Magazine. Runner up £50 plus online publication

Competition deadline: 14 September 2016

Entry: £5 / £3 for subscribers

Details

Bartleby Snopes Eighth Annual Dialogue Only Competition

Theme: Dialogue only. Under 2,000 words

Prize: $300 / $100 / $50 / $30 / $20

Competition deadline: 15 September 2016

Entry: $10

Details

Mslexia Children's Novel Competition

Theme: First 3,000 words of a children's or YA novel at least 15,000 words long

Prize: £5,000

Competition deadline: 19 September 2016

Entry: £25

Details

Caledonia Novel Award

Theme: Adult or YA. For unpublished or self published authors

Prize: £1,000

Competition deadline: 1 November 2016

Entry: £20

Details

About Francesca:

Francesca Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing and Writing Magazine. Her shortlisted entry for The People's Friend serial competition is due to be published soon. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

Twitter

Write Minds Blog

 Thank you, Francesca! Good luck to anyone entering competitions this month.

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

COMPETITION MONTHLY

Time to welcome back Francesca Burgess for the Competition Monthly Feature

In my first competition monthly, back in October, I mentioned the importance of reading the rules. Looking through some competitions recently, I realised there is another aspect to this, and that is to make sure you qualify, not just your work. Often you have to be a certain age, gender, ethnic group or to hail from a particular area of the UK. There are also competitions that have a separate prize if you live in a certain area, especially if it's connected to a festival.I've seen a competition where you have to be over forty, another for under twenty-fives. Sometimes comps require you to be unpublished, others the opposite.

Two of the competitions featured here have requirements. The Mslexia comp is only open to women (sorry to the men reading this!).  The BBC Short Story Award asks for entrants to have a history of publication in creative writing. I would assume this includes short stories.

Buona Fortuna!

**Closing soon** Felix Dennis Creative Writing Competition

Theme: 'For All Time', up to 2,000 words.

Prize: 1^st £1,000, 2^nd £300

Competition deadline: 22 February 2016

Entry: Free

Details

BBC National Short Story Award  

Theme: Open, up to 8,000 words

Prize: 1^st £15,000, 2^nd £3,000, 3 runner-up prizes of £500

Competition deadline: 11 March 2016

Entry: Free

Details

Mslexia Short Story Competition

Theme: Open up to 2,000 words

Prize: 1^st £2,000, 2^nd £500, 3^rd £250, 3 runner-up prizes of £100

Competition deadline: 14 Mar 2016

Entry: £10

Details

Scottish Arts Club Short Story Competition

Theme: Open, up to 1,500 words

Prize: 1^st £800, at least 2 runner-up prizes of £100

Competition deadline: 31 March 2016

Entry: £10

Details

Evesham Festival of Words Short Story Competition

Theme: 'An extra day', up to 2,500 words

Prize: 1^st £100

Competition deadline: 31 March 2016

Entry: £5

Details

The Fiction Desk Ghost Story Competition

Theme: Ghost story between 1,000 and 7,000 words.

Prize: 1^st £500, 2^nd £250, 3^rd £100, 3^rd £100

Competition Deadline: 31 March 2016

Entry: £8

Details

Short Fiction Journal Short Story Prize

Theme: Open, up to 6,000 words

Prize: 1^st £500, 2^nd £100

Competition Deadline: 31 Mar 2016

Entry: £7

Details

About Francesca:

Francesca Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, , Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing, People's Friend and those run by Writers' News and Writing Magazine. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

https://twitter.com/FCapaldiBurgess

Blog: https://writemindswriteplace.wordpress.com/

Thank you, Francesca!

Don’t forget to let us know about your competition successes plus any comps you are organising.

The RNA blog is brought to you by Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

If you’d like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

COMPETITION MONTHLY

It’s time again for the Competition Monthly with Francesca Burgess

With the deadline for the Choc Lit 2016 Search for a Star Competition only a couple of months away, this month I'm interviewing author Lynda Stacey, winner of last year's competition with her novel, Keeper of the House.

Lynda's ambition to be an author dates back to when she was fourteen. Her English teacher advised her to go into journalism or writing. However, having left school in 1984 during the miners' strike, she had to find work, and her dreams of writing a book took a back seat.

Hello Lynda. What inspired you to enter the Choc Lit Search for a Star competition? Was there any doubt in your mind about it?

Thank you so much for inviting me onto the blog. I’d always been a big fan of Choc Lit and in 2014 I got the opportunity to have a 1:1 with Lyn Vernham at the RNA Conference. The meeting went well and Lyn asked me to submit a full manuscript for the first book I’d written, Broken Jigsaw. Choc Lit were encouraging and more than supportive, however the novel didn’t get through the panel process that Choc Lit use. I was disappointed, but I had no doubt that it was Choc Lit that I wanted to be published with. So, I wrote a new novel, called Keeper of the House and decided to submit it into the Choc Lit Search for a Star competition.

What did you have to submit for the competition, and what did you find the hardest?

I first had to fill in the application form, found on the Choc Lit Website. Once completed, you wait for Choc Lit to contact you and ask for the manuscript. I then emailed it and waited. I always find waiting the most difficult. I’m a Sales Director for a stationery and office supplies company and often have to make decisions within ten minutes, so waiting months for publishers to get back to me is painful.

Was Keeper of the House the first novel you'd written? How long did it take you?

Keeper of the House is the second novel I’ve written and if I’m honest, I’d probably say it takes me around a year. I work full time and have a family.

Had your novel been in any other competitions or considered by other publishers?

Yes. The book was considered by a couple of other publishers. However, Choc Lit would have always been my first choice. They’re a real family, very supportive.

How did you hear about your win?

I heard about my shortlisting initially via a skype call with Lyn Vernham. She then sent me an email on the day of the announcement.

What tips would you give to those entering novel competitions?

Get a professional critique of your work. Jane Lovering did mine and I must say, she was amazing and very reasonable.

Tell us something about the book

Keeper of the House is a parallel time frame story and has been described as Fatal Attraction meets Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

Thank you for taking the time out to speak to us, Lynda.

Keeper of the House will be published by Choc Lit around April or May.

The deadline for this year's Choc Lit Search for a Star Competition is 31^st March and can be found here

Good luck, everyone who enters!

Francesca

Other competitions coming up:

The Colm Tóibín International Short Story Award

Theme: Open, 1,800 – 2,000 words

Prize: 1^st €1,000, 2^nd €500, 3^rd €350

Competition Deadline: 1^st April 2016

Entry: €10

Details

The 2016 Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award

Theme: Open, but only humorous ones considered for T. Ashley Award. Up to 10,000 words.

Prize: 1^st £500, 2^nd £150, 3^rd £100, Prize for Devon writer £100

Competition Deadline: 30 April 2016

Entry: £10

Details

About Francesca:

Francesca Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing, People's Friend and those run by Writers' News and Writing Magazine. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls. She's been a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme for five years.

Thank you, Francesca!

Don’t forget to let us know about your competition successes plus any comps you are organising.

The RNA blog is brought to you by Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

If you’d like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com