Secret Attic Reviews 30

I started volunteering there for three months and simply loved going in, staff were nice as was the customer’s. Let me first say that I am disabled, with the use of only one arm. I have never let it stop me though, with the help of God I did a fantastic job and was liked by many customers. I was given the opportunity to work there through AARP and was thrilled to be getting paid for something I liked doing. The man who runs the store goes by the name of Chris, he too is disabled, his is supposedly blind, you would never believe it how he gets around with his walking stick and seems to know exactly what everyone is or is not doing. Here I go in thinking that I am going to do what I did when I was a volunteer, but that wasn’t the case. I worked there for one day and he had me as the store cleaner, he had given me a list of things I had to do:
1. Clean the two bathrooms, mop vacuum the whole store, sit out in the blazing sun collecting donations and bringing them to the back in a small shopping cart, sorting the clothes, put items out on display while everyone else either were cashiers or stood around trying to look busy. To me at the age of 70 with only use of one arm I call that “ELDER ABUSE” Two hours into my second day Chris, told me to go home for no apparent reason. He sits in his office or walks around dictating how things should be with no regard for anyone. To be honest I am happy that he told me to go home because I want to work for someone who values my hard work. I think he either needs to go on some meds or reevaluate his position and how he treats his workers. I will be seeking legal counsel on this matter because what he did to me wasn’t right.

Great to have Secret Attic back. Great competitons, easy straightforward site layout and Debs couldn't be more helpful. A great place for aspiring writers to flex their pens!

10/10 would recommend - even though it only goes up to 5 stars! 😆

In all seriousness, as a writer, I hit writer’s blocks OFTEN!! And, even though I don’t enter the competitions personally, it’s worth entering. It’s fun, and all less than the price of your daily coffee takeout!

During some terrible months in my life, when the pandemic was rampant, Secret Attic was one resource that got me through the harsh times. The weekly and monthly competitions gave me something to look forward to and a channel to express my feelings, fears, triumphs and tribulations. I've won several competitions with the Secret Attic and been selected for many, many more, and this has been so encouraging for me. I've written stories I never thought I'd write - short ones, long ones and dabbled in Flash Fiction, a challenging concept for me, since I tend to get detailed when I write.
With Deb, Jeff, Emily and Gail at the helm of this lovely ship, I feel I'm home again. Good luck, all. Here's to new horizons and great adventures.

Secret Attic has risen like the phoenix under the auspices of the original owner, Deb. It is a friendly writing site, running a variety of competitions to suit all needs. It was a fantastic refuge during lockdown but has since evolved... went through a sticky patch... and come out smiling. You feel the team read and value your writing, and judging is thorough and fair. It had to continue: Secret Attic was too good a name to disappear forever!

Love having this resource to keep my writing skills ticking over. The site is friendly and straightforward with monthly and weekly challenges. Learning all the time, too.

I have written narratives for Secret Attic for around four years now. Many have been selected for publication, which is highly motivational for an amateur scribbler. I have won a few competitions, so it is obvious that everyone has a chance of gaining something from engagement with Secret Attic. I liked the choice of themes, such as 'Picture This' and the flash fiction 'weekly writes' - there's always something to occupy one's mind and the deadlines help motivate one to write. The entry protocols are simple and the cost of submitting short fiction low. I feel publications such as Secret Attic need a lot of support from the writing community, especially as Deb Dowling and her team put in a lot of work for very little reward.

I recommend Secret Attic to any aspiring writer. The submission process is straightforward and the website is easy to navigate. The competition guidelines are clear. They have well-run competitions with an inviting personal touch often missing from other sites. Debs is the perfect host.

I joined Secret Attic when run by the founder Deb. Great fun and a great resource. Then dark and sad times under a new owner who had health and serious trolling issues. Deb’s is now back at the helm, so Secret Attic is once again ship shape and a brilliant resource.

Good to see Secret Attic back. It’s weekly write is fun and the monthly competitions keep the brain cells ticking. It’s a good way of helping me work on my writing skills with no pressure. 😎

From five stars in my last review on 1 June 21 to one today, I feel so let down! I even wrote to the owner beginning of August telling them I'm withdrawing my submissions for May and June because I didn't want to add burden to the site during these difficult times, and also because I wanted to submit my stories elsewhere. No response. So to Rob M's comment below, I think I've cut the owner a lot of slack. I'd just like to "cut the slack" now, because this is not working for me as a writer anymore.
Thank you Secret Attic for a great two years. You got me through my dark times. I'm sorry to see this happen now.

I understand why some writers/contestants feel frustrated and let down by the recent hiatus on Secret Attic but I think we should cut the owner some slack. He e-mailed subscribers on 4 July advising us that he was the victim of some vicious trolling via the website and the police were investigating the matter. I hope other subscribers are not too quick to cancel their payments and give him a chance to recover from this personal nightmare and re-engage with us.
After all, as writers we tell tales about characters going through difficult times and how they overcome the challenges they face, so maybe we can be a bit considerate when such things happen in real life!

This was such a great place. Sorry to see this downward spiral. I now fear for the submissions I've made over the last 2 or three months.

Last social media post was in May 2023. Website hasn’t been updated for months. Emails are going unanswered. No updates given for the competitions despite the promise that things were being looked at. All in all, a very disappointing way to run a “business”. Especially considering that before Secret Attic changed hands it was one of the best out there. I’ll be sending my writing elsewhere from now on.

It’s a shame that the new owner has just left a useful resource to disintegrate.

Short stories and Flash Fiction. Great for writers and readers alike. A quick and easy read, normally with a twist.

I'm a great fan of writing flash fiction and Secret Attic has it all. The first thing that appeals to me is that there are different weekly and monthly challenges, so this gives me discipline and choice. The second thing is that they publish selected works and I like seeing my work in print. Finally, I'm very competitive so the league table is great fun! You get to read other great work, the blog has some great articles and there's a great feeling of Camaraderie, so it really is a 'Band of Writers'. Give it a go, you won't be disappointed!

I have had a wonderful experience with secret attic. I LOVE submitting to them and I have also been honoured to be published by them. The staff are super helpful and friendly. I honestly can't fault them in any way whatsoever! I would give them 50000/5 if I could. It is my favourite place to submit my work to and I really appreciate it, so I want to give a big thankyou to all at secret attic!

Great. easy to use website - very pro-active. Always fresh and original

A whole lot of excellent reading!

My best writing friend R. and I feel blessed to have stumbled upon this community of wonderful, hilarious writers. There are many contests, and they’re incredibly well run and inventive. I can’t recommend Secret Attic highly enough.