Today I’ve been to the first school poetry session for the Well Versed project. It was fun, I loved it! I will post about it in more detail later.
When I got home, I entered a couple of short story competitions:
Wrekin Writers’ Doris Gooderson competition (closing date: 11th July) and the rolling Writers Forum monthly short story competition. £3 each – cheaper than a glass of wine in a pub -and it’s made me feel that I’ve actually done something!
You know by now that I like to track winning entries in short story competitions. The winning story in the 2011 Writers & Artitst’s Yearbook competition is on-line here. It’s an interesting one. There’s no doubt that it’s cleverly written, it pulls you in, it makes you wonder. I am sure it was picked because it stood out from the crowd BUT is it a short story? (Or is it an ‘extract’ or a monologue?) Read it for yourself and you’ll see what I mean.
(By the way, thanks to those of you who voted for my story on Facebook but as the story in the lead has about 70 votes – and I’ve got about 8 – I think I’m going to give up! At the risk of sounding like a bit of a sourpuss isn’t a short story competition supposed to be about the best story – not who has the most friends?! :()
Blog About Writing 
Ah! Well that’s Facebook for you! I’m not a big fan of it or maybe that’s because I haven’t really got to grips with it.
I agree that online voting for stories is just a popularity contest – not a story contest. I was shortlisted for a children’s story a couple of years ago and the final judging was an online vote. I didn’t win so maybe I’ve got sour grapes too!
Hi Helen,
I agree with you. I’m on a forum where the most voted poem/story gets onto the judges shortlist. All of my children said to me that’s not a competition it’s a ‘who’s got the most friends competition.’ They tell it as it is, so never mind about your story, I’m sure it’s a good one and can go somewhere else.
I agree with you about the who’s got the most friends thing. If the person in the lead is who I think it is, she agrees too.
Thank you for posting the link to the winning story.
Wow.
I read so many stories about women becoming widows, it makes a change to read about it from a male’s viewpoint.
Yes it’s a monologue. Yes it’s a short story. Yes, it’s fantastic.
Thanks for reading it and taking the time to leave your comment! It’s certainly ‘haunted’ me since I read it, which must be the sign of a good story!