Top 7 tips for entering writing competitions

I was thrilled when Linda asked if I’d like to be writer in residence for the Hysteria Writing Competition 2016. Hysteria is now an established part of the literary calendar and I am proud to be associated with it and to start I thought I’d tell you my top 7 tips for entering writing competitions. I’d like to tell you a bit about my journey to here. I had a hysterectomy five years ago when I was forty-two. It’s a daunting time for any woman so I’m a huge fan of the Hysterectomy Association and the resources and support it offers. I’m also a huge fan of writing competitions. If it wasn’t for writing competitions, I wouldn’t be a published novelist. Fifteen years ago, when our kids were small, I did an evening class in creative writing to have a break from sock-washing and fish fingers. Each week, our brilliant tutor brought in details of upcoming comps that she’d cut out of magazines and photocopied for us. (It’s a whole lot easier now with the internet. And there are a lot more comps. Which is brilliant!) I started entering competitions from the off and my first win was a local competition for the West Sussex Writers Club for a radio play. This really gave me a boost and I started entering short story competitions. I won a few other local prizes – and had a lot of misses – but many stories later, I was shortlisted for a national comp. I felt like I was making progress each time I added something to my CV. But one story really stuck with me. I could...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - Category: OBGYN Authors: Tags: Hysteria hysteria 2016 sophie duffy writer in residence Source Type: news