Competition in Preview
Are you a budding wordsmith, with stories to tell and readers to entertain, captivate and enthrall? Then obviously you will be entering the State Library’s Young Writers Award competition. If you need any more convincing or motivation to overcome your debilitating writer’s block – then surely the $2000 prize money is the incentive you need.

Open to Queensland residents, aged between 18 and 25, there is less than two weeks left to get your short story written. Past winners have included Tara June Winch, Christopher Currie and Alasdair Duncan have all gone on to national and international acclaim including last year’s winner Sarah Boothroyd and Helen Drake (winner of the encouragement award).

Sarah Boothroyd
Winner of Young Writers Award 2010 for her story ‘The Road to the River’.

Q: What does writing mean to you? Writing means reading! I love reading - serious or frivolous, there’s a place for all stories. When I write, I hope that someone (at least one person!), someday, will read and enjoy my stories.

Q: Why did you enter this competition? Did you think you would do so well? I almost didn’t enter - I didn’t think my writing was good enough to win. Luckily, I sent my story in at the last minute. Winning was a completely awesome surprise.

Q: When did you start writing... do you remember why and what motivated you? Writing always felt like the best way of sharing my thoughts and ideas with people (it helps that I’m a terrible public speaker). I’ve always written little bits and pieces, but this was the first story I planned out properly.

Q: Best and worst parts of being a writer? The best part is reading something you’ve written and thinking “wow, did I write that?” The worst part is reading something you’ve written and thinking “oh noooo, did I write that?”

Q: Describe your work/ style in five words? It’s like... a hopeful explorer, travelling alone.

Q: Anything else that readers should know? Make sure you plan your story - 2,500 words seems long at the start, but it gets shorter towards the end. And once it’s written, get some (honest) friends to give you feedback.

Helen Brake
Young Writers Award 2010 Encouragement Award recipient for her story ‘Hobbe’s Samoyed Acquisition’

Q: What does writing mean to you? Writing is a way of exploring why a particular moment, thought, or image has haunted me with a feeling of special significance. Writing helps me think through why something is beautiful, sad or amusing. Sometimes I find I’ve fossicked out greater understanding while other times I’ve merely celebrated something I still don’t fully comprehend.

Q: Why did you enter this competition? Did you think you would do so well?
I’d been taking an elective narrative writing course at uni (I was studying literature) as I thought it would be an interesting challenge to try producing fiction, rather than critiquing and analysing it. A week before the submission deadline my tutor sent out an email with another reminder about the YWA and a link to the application form. She had made it so easy to enter, I figured, why not.

Q: Best and worst parts of being a writer? I’m not sure whether I call myself a writer. A writer is someone with a gold-and-green court lamp, overdue rent and a special commission to communicate something otherworldly to humankind. The best thing about writing, for me, is the deepening thrill as a question, incongruity, or absurdity I’ve been mulling sparks an idea for a story or poem. The worst parts of writing are those frustrating, disappointing times which seem to begin several steps into a piece. I have a clear idea of the story I wish to build when the bricks (POV, context, character etc) I’ve been carefully and joyfully lining-up stop fitting together and it becomes increasingly more ‘work’ and less ‘fun’ trying to place them side by side.

Q: Anything else that readers should know? Just do it. If you have a piece written, excellent, submit it. Now. Stop doubting and over-critiquing it and give your story a chance to be enjoyed by others. Let me mimic my tutor for a moment and give you a kick up the proverbial backside. It’s time.

The Young Writers Award closes at 5pm on Friday July 15. For more details www.slq.qld.gov.au/youngwriters