I’m delighted to report that this month a short, short story of mine won second prize in a competition run by Writing Magazine. It’s lovely to have the exposure of being published in such a significant journal and to receive the judges’ feedback.

They wrote:

“What works so beautifully in this story is the way Dianne uses the gaps in the story, and the power of suggestion, so that everything is implied and nothing is spelled out. The reader sees everything from the perspective of the unnamed child in the close third-person narrative, picking up and piecing together clues and scraps of information.

Everything jars and creates a sense of unease. There’s the barren feel of the day at Aunt Liliane’s, the unexpectedly lavish ice-cream, the money gift and the odd choice of a pair of cheap sunglasses. The writer’s quietly confident skill in using the power of suggestion to tell this family tragedy means that what is unsaid – to the child, to the reader – speaks volumes. It’s beautifully done – a sad, subtle story steeped in sorrow and permeated with atmosphere from beginning to end.”

This story started as an exercise in an online flash fiction writing course run by the wonderful writer, Ken Elkes. It pushed me to think of creating unusual connections in stories, which is something I find compelling as a reader.

Great news recently. My story All Human Wisdom was awarded first prize in the Hastings Writers’ Room competition, addressing the theme of Missing.

The judges commented:

“The benign setting, contrasting a rural domestic idyll with an unexplained and unexpected disappearance, provides a layered and sustained tension right up to the final line, building a profound and tortuous sense of loss, hope, and longing for resolution that continues far beyond the story.”

Wonderful comment. And a lovely trophy to commemorate my win!

My rather strange story (That) Hollow Place astounded me by taking first prize in the fiction competition in this month’s Writers’ Forum magazine (December issue). It was its first outing and I wasn’t sure whether it worked or not.

I’m delighted that it hit the spot and was judged:
‘A moving and inspirational story with a strong plot and satisfying resolution.’

I was mega-pleased to see that my story, Green and Pleasant Land won joint 3rd place in this year’s Fiction Factory Short Story competition. It was also recently shortlisted in both the Writers Forum and Flash 500 short story competitions, so it was great that it finally edged over the line! The story is available to read on the Fiction Factory website.

It pays to try new things. Every month, Writers Forum magazine runs a quick writing competition with a specific theme and a tight deadline. Ideal for motivating writers to submit, one would think, but until last month it’s passed me by.

February’s prompt was that month’s cover image which didn’t immediately fill me with inspiration but for some reason (stir crazy after all the bad weather?) I decided to give it a go. The result was Halfway to Hank a 500 word, runner-up place, which is published in the March magazine.

So 2020’s rather-belated resolution: keep trying something new!

Following the shock of my story Quality Time winning the Henshaw competition last autumn (while away on an incredible road trip around Spain) I’ve suffered a bit of a dry spell in terms of output. The win was incredibly cheering, as were a couple of shortlistings for my piece: 1200 Thread Count in the Exeter Flash Fiction and Writer’s Bureau Flash competitions, but the motivation well ran dry.

So, it’s a relief to be knuckling down again at last and hoping, as usual, for inspiration and improvement in 2019. Just write something – anything!