Fiction Competition – Results!
Article by C. Harris.
Our fiction competition was judged by Jan Newton, who announced the winning entries at our Christmas lunch in December. Jan is a successful author, whose books ‘Remember No More’ and ‘Rather To Be Pitied’ are published by Honno Press. They feature Julie Kite, a police detective based in Mid Wales. If you haven’t read them, check them out – they are highly recommended.
Angela Grunsell’s ‘Soon We’ll Be Sailing’ was in first place.
Jan was full of praise for “the wonderful use of language. It’s a lesson in how to say so very much in a few, well-chosen words.” She commented that” It’s a wonderful social history of the late ‘60s and early ‘70’s ……interwoven skilfully and succinctly.” The use of Duncan Browne’s lyrics to shape the piece was “a master stroke.”
Alan Oberman’s ‘Good Vibrations’ took second place.
Jan said: “This is a ‘proper’ short story – in the tradition. It builds up, leaving little clues towards the lovely twist, which are only identifiable with hindsight.” She enjoyed the “pompous narrator” and the “wry humour”.
Kerry Hodges ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ was in third place.
In Jan’s words: “A really well-crafted short story which lingers.””…. beautifully written. Every word has been coaxed into position, every verb and adjective selected for its precise nuance.”
Jan commented on the high standard of the entries and the diversity of styles and subjects, which made judging difficult. She kindly gave an extensive commentary on each entry. This sort of feedback is very valuable for writers and is a good reason to enter competitions. Congratulations to everyone who entered.
All our competitions are open to non-members for a small fee and your entry will be very welcome.
Our next competition is the Poetry Competition – check out our Competition page.
THE HAY WRITERS 