November brought novel-writing to Write the World as young writers took to their notebooks (and keyboards) to create excerpts of longform stories in celebration of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). With tales exploring intergenerational connection, heritage, tradition, and the challenges of growing up in an under-resourced community, among many other topics, submissions to our latest competition exhibited careful consideration of conflict, characterization, and context—critical elements of storytelling.
Below, Guest Judge for Novel Writing, Randa Abdel-Fattah, shares her insights into the power of storytelling through commentary on winning entries, as well as her selection of the winning peer review. Read on for a look at exemplary excerpts—and a peek at stories that might someday grace your bookshelf.
Happy reading!
Winner: The Floating Anchor by A.Y. Lyreni (Australia)
The Floating Anchor is a deftly controlled story that poetically conveys the complex, layered intergenerational relationships between a mother, daughter, and maternal grandmother. What particularly struck me about this story is how light and beautifully weighted it reads, even as it balances heavy topics: matriarchal histories, the tension between maintaining traditions and accepting risk, the threat of modern technology on industries and lifestyles, the sense of purpose, community and fulfilment that comes with doing what one loves, against dangerous odds. All of these socioeconomic, cultural, and emotional pressures are weaved into the levels of structure, character, pace, psychology and memory. Lyreni also has a wonderful sense of setting and place, especially portraying the ocean as co-extensive with Soo-mi, whose feelings and thoughts express themselves in oceanic metaphors. A tremendous achievement in such a small number of words.
Runner Up: Doorways and Beginnings by Vin (US)
Posing more questions than it answers, Doorways and Beginnings lingered in my mind long after I finished reading it. This is a tightly wound structure with a satisfying circular payoff, the opening linking cleverly with the end. Vin uses powerful descriptions to vividly bring to life the child’s world and to create a mood that is both tense and captivating. The story captures a few moments in the child’s day—a slice of the child’s life—and yet manages to offer a depth of memory and history with intriguing insinuations and gestures to the past. I was left wanting more.
Peer Review of ‘On the High Seas’ by lochnessie (Australia)
I’ve chosen lochnessie’s review of On the High Seas because the review balances admiration and positive feedback with specific constructive praise and criticism and suggestions. Lochnessie’s comments are close to the text of the story, so rather than offering gushing praise the review is considered and thoughtful, referring back to the details of the story. The comments are forensic but fair and there is an excellent balance between being positive and constructive. Lochnessie also does a great job of offering commentary which approaches the story as a whole—paying attention to characterisation, plot, structure etc—rather than just doing a line-by-line copyedit.
Finalists:
Grace by L.G. Turner (United Kingdom)
Nostalgia by E la Flanagan (Australia)
Bluebirds Don’t Sing on Thursday Afternoons by Jai (Canada)
Highly Commended:
Secrets by Starlitskies (Sri Lanka)
Yellow Carnations by S.Pradhan (UK)