Report from Sue McCauley for the Young Adult Section

Sue McCauley's report for the Young Adult Section.

All the stories that came to me had merit, so this wasn’t an easy competition to judge.

I know, I know, judges always seem to say that. It’s the feel-good response - designed to make those who didn’t win feel that they ALMOST made it. And, at the same time, pointing out that the judge had a tricky and onerous task.

But in this case it’s true. It really is. I had to read, weigh up, re-read, rearrange and colour code my piles.

Eighty five young people had sent in stories (or at least pieces of writing). Eighty five of you care about the written word. Great. Good on you. Rather a large number of those stories, I’m told, were about death, bullying, isolation. Fair enough; they’re important matters. Especially when you’re young. But if you’re hoping to win a literary competition it’s probably a good idea to look for a theme that will stand out as different.

From those eighty five entries twenty one were pre-selected and sent to me for judging. They were the selectors’ short list. One story in four. That, in itself, is an achievement. Congratulations to you all.

My short list was purple in ink and nine in number. The purple stories were: When the Music Left, Joseph, Professor Darien, Relax, Falling at my Feet, Coming Out, The Hunter’s Game, Zombie Rights, The Lost Experiment. Each of these stories had a quality that caught and held my attention. They all had something to say, and I felt that thought had been given to the manner of saying. Each of the stories had at least the semblance of a story structure - with an end that related to the beginning. Some struggled a bit to achieve this, others did it with ease and style.

I also had a green pile (maybes) and a yellow one (probably nots). Some of these also had a satisfying structure, but didn’t measure up in other ways. Others were fragmentary ; in need of building up or stretching out or delving into. Some were little more than a lead up to a tricky ending. (It’s not enough.) Others felt over-familiar, less than original – at least to an old thing like me. Though I’m aware that every subject or idea seems wonderfully original when you are young and
come across it for the first time. Even the oldest and crummiest of clichés began life as an original turn of phrase.

Every young writer, inevitably, spends some time re-inventing the literary wheel and every aging reader, inevitably, spends some time sighing oh not that again! That’s just the way things work. Believing in the originality and uniqueness of your own perceptions is both the gift and the curse of young writers. It gives you the confidence you need, but in time you will realise that you were deluding yourself.

Perhaps the biggest difference between successful short stories and the rest lies with whether the writer is concerned about pleasing the reader, or simply intent on pleasing her or himself. That difference can be a matter of emotional maturity, or possibly of commitment . A committed writer takes the time to reconsider, revise, redraft. In their first draft writers should certainly set out to please themselves. But in subsequent drafts they should shape, shade and style the work in order to please their readers. Whom they appreciate and respect.

The stories I finally chose from my purple pile made me feel appreciated and (two out of three) respected.

3rd Place: Zombie Rights.
A brief black comedy about politically correct compassion. It cheerfully and adeptly combines elements that are rare in short stories. It’s seriously funny, satirical, economical and almost entirely dialogue.

2nd The Hunter’s Game.
A sophisticated and cleverly deceptive story which, despite the surprise ending, still manages to be disturbing. The writing is powerful and atmospheric. It might have been the winner except that, as the reader, I felt somewhat manipulated. This may have been a necessary part of the story but it felt unrespectful.

1st Falling at my feet
I have to confess I didn’t, initially, want this story to win. It’s set in Paris, and I was ready to dislike it. Paris. Europe. Here, I thought, was a writer out to flaunt her cultural superiority. But the story won both me and my inverted snobberies over very quickly. Within a brief word length Falling at my feet does everything right. It has substance and shape. It feels original and unpredictable The writing is spare, clear, effective. The four young characters are drawn as individuals. The dialogue is apt and believable. I found it a highly satisfying story.