Advice on entering writing competitions

Image of Otago University from Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dunedinnz/5072930785

This evening the Otago Southland branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors hosted a webinar about entering writing competitions. Authors and competition judges Emma Neale, Diane Brown, Michelle Elvy and Vanda Symon shared some of their insights. Some rough notes below: 

Emma Neale - Essay writing

• The reader wants the writer to sound informed, and to have some personality
• The essay should have clarity and vision
• Use a variety of sentence structures
• The writer's ideas should shift throughout the essay - "the mind at play"
• Write with precision and passion
  
  

Diane Brown - Poetry

• Sound and musicality are important
• The look of the poem on the page is important
• The poem should have layers of meaning
• The reader should trust the writer ... and vice versa
  
  

Michelle Elvy - Short fiction

• Short stories should have creativity and originality, care and craft, and a strong voice
• How can you borrow a technique from someone else, but change it and make it yours?
• Take your time to polish your story and make it sing
• Take risks and explore
• Read it aloud - the judges might 
  
  

Vanda Symon - Novels

• First impressions really count
• What does the novel say about wider society?
• Does it have sub-plots and complexity? 
• Make sure you get your facts right 

​Thanks NZSA Otago Southland for a fun and insightful evening.