Alex Davis judged our recent short story competition on the theme of “Another Disappointment” and gave us a great talk on what makes a good short story. He covered the things he was looking for (good initial hook, strong focus, relevance to theme) and, after praising the high standard and variety of the entries, moved on to talk about the two Highly Commended stories:
- Dusk by Maria Dziedzan. Alex’s comments: “This was a story that for me started a little slowly. As the story wore on, it did become apparent that there was more going on in the tale than initially met the eye. There were darker elements as the tale went on, and it had a very strong finale to wrap up.”
- The 1960s Fairground Ride by Patricia Wilson. Alex’s comments: “Maybe the title was a little on the money, but this was a likeable and evocative tale of young romance – and its consequences – that developed a strong sense of time and place. This one didn’t quite hit the theme as well as some others, which is why it didn’t make the top 3.”
The top three entries can be read by clicking this link.
In third place was Door to Door by Robbie Bellekom.
Alex’s comments: “This one appears to be a simple story of a salesman, with a catch – the lead is not your usual salesman attempting to strike deals with people. He’s had enough of the business and finds the work harder as his colleagues move online. It had a surprise ending that made me laugh!“
In second place was Scholarship Girls by Anne Howkins.
Alex’s comments: “This story that went up in my estimation on second read, a carefully developed character piece that evoked the theme well. The plot is simple but effective, following Janice as she finds her way through a ‘fancy’ school having arrived under a paid scholarship. The ending of this I loved, and it did a lot in few words.”
In first place was Who Is The Fairest Of Them All by Lucy Grace.
Alex’s comments: “This was an ingenious way to tell a story, with a mirror in a house seeing generation after generation move in – and witnessing all their secrets. This unique POV enabled an unemotional tone, leaving you as a reader to interpret it – and feel the emotions for yourself. A rewarding tale that warranted multiple reads.“
Many thanks to all who entered, there were some terrific stories in there. We hope you enter our competitions in 2021 too! 😀
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