 Something very exciting happened for me today. In the past four months I've started writing in earnest in my spare time (it keeps me off my iPhone...) Ever since I was eight years old I've spent so much time thinking I want to be a writer, imagining stories in my head, but coming up with too many excuses to do anything but write them all down. There have been forays with a few publishing credits from time to time. I finally took the plunge again recently and submitted my first short story in ten years to the Stringybark Dog Eat Dog Short Story Award 2017. This is the type of stuff I teach my students all the time, writing on demand, editing, persisting, so I thought it was about time to practice what I preach, and yes, hopefully get some street cred from them along the way.
Well knock me down with a feather, I was so excited to find out today my story won 2nd prize! The premise was to use a cliché as the title and weave it into the story only once. Mine is titled 'Wild Goose Chase,' which takes a fictional look at a common problem experienced by thousands of households around Australia... Excerpt: What had she been up to? Snug within the confines of his armchair, Samuel already knew. He surveyed his wife as she re-entered their home through the back door, the one which led directly from the garage into the kitchen. ‘Hi,’ he said, his tone a question mark. Madison jumped, confirming his suspicions. Currently the anthology is available as an e-book, with pre-orders being taken for the print version, due to be released mid October. Follow the link below if you wish to make an order and read the rest! http://www.stringybarkstories.net/competitions/closed-competitons/the-stringybark-dog-eat-dog-award-2017.html |
