Writer Barbara Henderson recalls the boost she got from entering a writing competition and says 'why not give it a go?'
I remember the first competition I ever entered with my writing. It was 2012 and Nairn Book and Arts Festival were inviting short stories set in the seaside town.
Surely, I could write a short story set there? I had visited so often. Recently, I had made an effort to take my writing a little more seriously and I resolved to give it a go. I wrote my story one night, tweaked it the second evening and sent it off by snail mail – those were the days!
I received an email inviting us all to the prize-giving ceremony and approached the deputy rector at the school where I worked. ‘Mark, I’ve been invited to this ceremony thing in Nairn – could you cover my last lesson of the day?’ He agreed.
I thanked him the next morning. ‘Oh yeah, how did your event go?’ he wanted to know.
‘I won it.’
‘Bloody hell, you WON IT?’
Language aside, I was just as surprised as he was. But yes, I had walked away with a cheque for £125 and an immeasurable, invaluable injection of confidence. To put this in context, I entered many competitions after and only scored in a handful of them, so there is always luck involved. But how wonderful that I am going to return to the Nairn Book and Arts Festival this year as one of their established authors, visiting four primary schools and the academy in September.
If you are thinking of giving writing a go, there is a perfect opportunity right here, right now. Highland LIT is an organisation worth joining at any time, but the group where books and people meet in these parts have launched a writing competition of their own: They are looking for up to 500 words of prose or 20 lines of poetry on the theme of Celebration. ‘Celebration’ is the Scottish Book Trust’s theme for Book Week Scotland 2021.
The competition is open to adults over the age of 16, regardless of place of residence, with the exception of Highland LIT Committee members and their immediate families. There is a fee of £5 for each story or poem entered, payable in advance of submission.
There are monetary prizes and books for grabs, as well as book vouchers. The winning pieces will be read at a celebration event during Book Week Scotland in November.
That confidence boost is there for the taking, but you have to be in it to win it.
Entries must be submitted by September 21 and the fee must be paid before you submit your entry. All works will be judged anonymously.
Now it’s your turn. You never know, you might find yourself invited to a ceremony. And maybe, just maybe, someone may say to you: You won it!
More information and prompts for inspiration at www.highlandlit.com/2021writingcompetition
