SLQ Short Story Competition (October 2010) Judge’s Report By Ivor Hartmann This was my first time judging a
writing competition and I found it a highly engaging and
demanding experience. Not that I am a stranger to judging
fiction works, but having to choose three winners and three
highly commended works from a pool of so many stories was a
certainly a new experience for me.
In first place was ‘The Scream’, which gained my attention
because of its distinctive style, dark humour, and mostly
its one way ticket into the depth of madness very artfully
portrayed. It had great lines like “Freedom tastes like
burnt coffee and soggy toast”, and “The signs are clearer
than a pool of melted diamonds.” Each one cataloguing the
protagonist spiralling ever downwards, or upwards depending
on how skewed your point of view may be. As certainly by the
end of the story, you are left somewhat infected and
wondering about your own sanity and what exactly is sanity
anyway?
In second place was ‘Mayday’ that took anthropomorphic
fiction to a new level for me. Solidly based in a good
construction that predicated the story, it then went on to
offer new insights into a realm of being what very few
writers venture into with such a great level of detail and
careful thought. The story left me recalling a saying; ‘the
chance of being born human is that of a turtle popping its
head through a yoke floating in the middle of an ocean’.
In third place was ‘A Way with the Kids’ a cracking
suspense/horror story with a good plot line, good
characterisations and a very nice twist three quarters in
that led to a great conclusion. This story certainly could
be the seed of a fantastic novel if pursued further in
greater depth.
Next up were the three highly commended stories. ‘A Crown of
Burrs’, which nicely delved into the world of being a child,
where days seem like years and the imagination knows no
bounds and seeps readily into reality. ‘Love at First Site’
took a great look at social networking as it relates to
real-world dating and romance, with a superb twist at the
end. ‘The Green Gators’ peered over the rich golfing green
divide into the desperate lives of the caddies and golf ball
stealers behind the scenes.
Being an editor/publisher for three years solid now means I
have seen an ocean of submissions flow under my bridge and
catching my interest is no easy task. Therefore, interesting
ideas, themes and writing styles were the aspects that wooed
me to make a final choice. To all those who did I
congratulate you, and definitely think you have a future in
creative writing.
Not that I’d recommend creative writing or any other art to
anyone, unless their passion for it runs very deep; deep
enough to sustain them through the agony of it all. For
career, creative writing is not for the faint-hearted, and
it does seem that it’s not the most talented who are
published, but the most determined to be published.
Therefore, I hope that this confirmation of your talent
leads you on to a great resolve to continue writing and
never give up. Take heart in the fact that while the initial
writing is a solitary pursuit, publishing is most certainly
a team effort. Ivor Hartmann Click
here for the results.
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