Jake & Samantha win copies of 13 on Halloween & Winnemucca!
Congratulations to :Â
8-12 YEAR OLD WRITERS
First place:Â The Unseen Blight by Jake Flinthart
13-17 YEAR OLD WRITERS
First place:Â Monster by Samantha Whitehouse
ADULT WRITERS
Two great entries tied for first place in our adult category.
First place:Â A Smashing Moment by Michelle Dennis Evans
First place:Â Mary by Michaela Sanderson
Highly Commended:Â Grey Water Gruesome by Kaye Baillie
Some of the criteria Dee used in judging this month’s competition were:
- Originality of ideas
- Story’s ability to hook the reader in right from the start
- Clarity and fluency of writing
- Element of suspense and scariness
- Tension in the story
- Strength of the ending
- Surprise elements in the story, particularly the ending
- Character development
There were some great original ideas, some amazing plot twists and some great characters in these stories!!
Here are Dee’s Tips for the future:
- Don’t make plots too complicated in short pieces
- Hook your reader in right from the start. The reader has to engage with your main character straight away and care what happens to them. Start with a piece of action or a strong reveal about your main character.
- Keep your descriptions simple but powerful – try using active verbs to set the scene rather than adjectives.
Thanks for featuring me this month Dee! I had so much fun being a part of your December Contest:) Want to get in on Dee’s next awesome writing competition? Click here!