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Short. Sharp. Stories. 2018 Fiction Competition


Short Sharp Stories is an initiative in conjunction with the South African National Arts Festival. The winning author will take home a whopping R20,000.

I can't wait to sit down and write my story. But before I embark on searching for my box filled with paper and film memories, let me tell you a bit about how I prepare myself for writing fiction for competitions and awards. No, I am not procrastinating...

Research

So, I have a good idea for a story, but will they like it? And just who are they? Who are the judges?  Is there a theme and what is it? Who was last year's winner and what did they write about? What is the genre? Who will the audience be? I base my research on all of these questions before I embark on the first draft.

Deadline

What is the word-count? Will I have enough time to produce good work in the allotted time available? I'll confess, I am not one of those people who thrive under pressure. The closer a deadline creeps near, the more stressed and less creative I become. And this is why I only enter competitions with deadlines that are at least three months away.

Editing

For me editing takes longer than writing the first draft. I am one of those writers who become trapped in the never ending loop that is editing. I end up rewriting the entire piece at least three times. I usually ask someone to proofread and if they are willing, suggest edits. This helps a lot.

Avoiding Distractions

I am a sucker for distractions, like watching vlogs of other people doing cool things and living their dreams, or an episode or two of an old or new series (favourites include New Girl, Game of Thrones and Ellen), redesigning a logo or banner for my blog, Googling properties on Mountainside to buy, and uploading pics of my cute baby on Instagram. These activities are the succubi of my writing life. I find that if I listen to music while writing I become more focussed, especially when the music has no lyrics. A recent favourite of mine is Bonobo.

Wait, what were we talking about again?

Short. Sharp. Stories. 2018 Fiction Completion. Here's more about the competition:

"INSTANT EXPOSURE – Every photograph tells a story...

We live in an age in which increasingly we all take or view photographs. Visual language is growing and developing every day as we record our world and our experiences in visual terms. One could go as far as to say that every one of us has, by default, become a photographer as billions of images are uploaded online at any given moment.
We invite you to find a provocative photograph which inspires a powerful story. The image can be a spontaneously captured selfie, a bold news pic, a childhood snap in an old album; perhaps a framed tribute that brings back memories of joy, or a hidden print that haunts your past. Whether the photo is a portrait of a loved one, or an evocative landscape, whether colour or black and white, as long as the photograph has meaning to you, we encourage you to ‘find your story’ – the humour, the pathos, the drama – in the image.

As ever, we’re looking for stories with strong narrative drive, and characters and settings which reflect our South African experience and diversity."

Deadline 30 November 2017

Good luck!

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