Enter Our Short Story Competition
Our Current Competition...
Your Story
– Writing from Life
Deadline: 31 August 2008, 5pm
‘What I Did on My Holidays’ – the classic school essay title, and a good example
of Writing from Life. Why, when we grow up, does our understanding of creative
writing default to fiction? There isn’t even a satisfactory category to define Writing
from Life, so it needs a bit of definition. For the purposes of this exercise it
means writing from a personal perspective. It includes travel writing and autobiography,
but not biography, history or philosophy (though it’s quite acceptable to include
elements). It can be inventive and creative and doesn’t even have to be written
in the first person. It can draw on the conventions of fiction writing, playwriting
or poetry. For inspiration, have a look at writers who’ve played with the conventions:
Robert Byron, Bruce Chatwin, Marguerite Dumas, Richard Holmes. They are the masters,
but don’t let that put you off. Just tell us your story in 2,500 words or fewer.
Judges
CAROLINE HODGSON is a writer and editor specialising in travel writing and Christianity
in its broadest sense. She has an MA in Creative Writing, has worked in publishing
and run creative writing groups. She lives in West Yorkshire.
1st Prize
£50 book voucher and a copy of
What Am I Doing Here? by Bruce Chatwin .
2nd prize
£25 book voucher
3rd Prize
£10 book voucher