Thanks to our fabulous December feature author, Laura Elliott for donating her fabulous books Winnemucca and 13 on Halloween as prizes in this month’s competition.
There weren’t as many entries in our December competition. I guess everyone was enjoying the festive season.
But the entries received were of a very high standard, making judging difficult. Some of the criteria used in judging this month’s competition were:
- Originality of ideas
- Story’s ability to hook the reader in right from the start
- Clarity and fluency of writing
- Element of suspense and scariness
- Tension in the story
- Strength of the ending
- Surprise elements in the story, particularly the ending
- Character development
There were some great original ideas, some amazing plot twists and some great characters in these stories.
Tips for the future:
- Don’t make plots too complicated in short pieces
- Hook your reader in right from the start. The reader has to engage with your main character straight away and care what happens to them. Start with a piece of action or a strong reveal about your main character.
- Keep your descriptions simple but powerful – try using active verbs to set the scene rather than adjectives.
Congratulations to everyone who entered our December competition. Writing a piece and submitting it is a fantastic achievement and shows your commitment to your writing.
OUR PRIZE WINNERS ARE:
ADULT WRITERS
Two great entries tied for first place in our adult category.
First place: A Smashing Moment by Michelle Dennis Evans
First place: Mary by Michaela Sanderson
Highly Commended: Grey Water Gruesome by Kaye Baillie
8-12 YEAR OLD WRITERS
First place: The Unseen Blight by Jake Flinthart
13-17 YEAR OLD WRITERS
First place: Monster by Samantha Whitehouse
If you weren’t a prize winner in our December competition, please don’t be disheartened. Judging writing is a subjective thing and just because your piece wasn’t a winner in this competition, it doesn’t mean that another judge won’t love it.
There will also be plenty more writing competitions to enter at this blog in 2012.
Please keep writing and submitting your entries in the great competitions happening this year at Writing Classes For Kids.
