Please find below a report by Helen Baggott, who judged our 2013 Full Stop Short Story Competition.
You can find more information about Helen on this page of our website
http://erewashwriterscompetition.weebly.com/2013-full-stop-short-story-competition---helen-baggott.html
or at Helen's website http://www.helenbaggott.co.uk/
You can download the original report here.
You can find more information about Helen on this page of our website
http://erewashwriterscompetition.weebly.com/2013-full-stop-short-story-competition---helen-baggott.html
or at Helen's website http://www.helenbaggott.co.uk/
You can download the original report here.
| judges_report_-_full_stop_comp_2013.pdf |
For some, a full stop indicated the end of something, but it can mean a
liberating experience, a release.
It was clear that some writers had taken inspiration from that prompt, not
just slipped it in to their story to qualify. Those stories were most enjoyable
to read and it was obvious that great effort had been made to tell a tale,
create believable characters and leave me, the reader, in a different world –
albeit for the briefest of time.
In third place:
Beating the Bullet
This was a poignant tale, but the writer didn’t drift off into
sentimentality. How would you deal with a limited life? Let it float away or
meet it head on? There was humour – tinged with pathos – and this made it an
ultimately uplifting read. It was worthy of its place on the shortlist and on
its second reading, still kept my full attention.
In second place:
Of Metro and Men
A clever story, very clever. The writer created tension, polarised by the
enclosed setting. Whilst there was inevitability in its ending, I felt the
journey, literally, was well worth the fare.
In first place:
The Water’s Edge
There were times when I was almost embarrassed to witness the obvious
unravelling of a life. This wasn’t a depressing tale, it was an intelligent
insight into obsession and wasted opportunities. The winning writer told a
life’s story in a few, short minutes, they created an intensity that almost
suffocated and pain that could be felt. Points weren’t laboured, there were no
heavy-handed clichés to get a message across – just a classic example of a
brilliantly executed piece of work.
On its second read I was surprised at its brevity. I’d remembered love
affairs, holidays abroad, a promising career – and ultimately, that obsession
and the stopping of a life. To write a story that stays with the reader beyond
the closing sentence, weaving more thoughts through the imagination doesn’t
happen by chance – there wasn’t anything short about this story.
What a pleasure to choose The Water’s Edge as the winner of this
competition.
liberating experience, a release.
It was clear that some writers had taken inspiration from that prompt, not
just slipped it in to their story to qualify. Those stories were most enjoyable
to read and it was obvious that great effort had been made to tell a tale,
create believable characters and leave me, the reader, in a different world –
albeit for the briefest of time.
In third place:
Beating the Bullet
This was a poignant tale, but the writer didn’t drift off into
sentimentality. How would you deal with a limited life? Let it float away or
meet it head on? There was humour – tinged with pathos – and this made it an
ultimately uplifting read. It was worthy of its place on the shortlist and on
its second reading, still kept my full attention.
In second place:
Of Metro and Men
A clever story, very clever. The writer created tension, polarised by the
enclosed setting. Whilst there was inevitability in its ending, I felt the
journey, literally, was well worth the fare.
In first place:
The Water’s Edge
There were times when I was almost embarrassed to witness the obvious
unravelling of a life. This wasn’t a depressing tale, it was an intelligent
insight into obsession and wasted opportunities. The winning writer told a
life’s story in a few, short minutes, they created an intensity that almost
suffocated and pain that could be felt. Points weren’t laboured, there were no
heavy-handed clichés to get a message across – just a classic example of a
brilliantly executed piece of work.
On its second read I was surprised at its brevity. I’d remembered love
affairs, holidays abroad, a promising career – and ultimately, that obsession
and the stopping of a life. To write a story that stays with the reader beyond
the closing sentence, weaving more thoughts through the imagination doesn’t
happen by chance – there wasn’t anything short about this story.
What a pleasure to choose The Water’s Edge as the winner of this
competition.
