Stories from where we live and work

Judging a short story competition is a bit like Christmas – all those exciting presents wrapped up and ready to be opened. And like Christmas, it has been a delight. We’ve been very impressed with the quality of writing and the imagination shown in the stories, particularly in the mass of entries from Year 9 students. Some of you definitely have a talent for writing and we hope you’ll continue to develop this over the next few years. Well done.

There were a few ‘ingredients’ we were looking for in a good story. Obviously, you needed to stick to the rules, and some entries were let down by having only a very vague link to Central Otago. Most of the stories were well-written in terms of language and grammar, and we made allowances in some of the junior entries where a few slip-ups didn’t detract from the overall quality.

We wanted stories that grabbed our attention, and the ones that scored most highly were original or made us laugh. There were lots of stories, understandably, that centred on the gold rush, the river, the Alexandra Clock and Cromwell’s big fruit; the stories that made the cut were the ones that took a slightly different angle, that set believable characters in the familiar landscape. Character can be shown through the way people speak, and some of the stories included excellent dialogue. In general, dialogue speeds up a story and description tends to slow it down, and the best stories found a balance between the two.

The shape of the story, or its ‘arc’, is a crucial ingredient. Description on its own doesn’t make a good story – it needs to go somewhere – and the best entries not only grounded us in place but also allowed us to feel that the character had learned something or somehow changed by the end of it.

For Years 5–6 we chose Mystery in Omakau as prizewinner. The writing was confident (and competent), woven through with elements of fear and surprise, with a great twist at the end.

First place in Years 7–8 is The Postmaster. It’s original and inventive, and beautifully constructed.

Years 9–13 was a big spread in age and the quality of writing was very impressive throughout that range. First place goes to After the Thaw, for its skillful interweaving of people and nature in a natural disaster. It’s a mature and perceptive piece of writing, with strong characterisation and believable relationships. Second is 300 Kilos, a different and imaginative take on the gold rush, again with good characterisation and strongly embedded in the region. Third place goes to The Pie Perpetrator. Of all the stories we read, this one made us laugh the most – a delightfully original and imaginative piece that shows a good understanding of crime stories.

There were so many stories in all the age groups that we’d have liked to give prizes to, and our short list of highly commended and commended entries shows that there’s a lot of writing talent in the region. Keep on practising and honing your skills; even if you don’t win a prize, (and judging is always subjective), you’ll have the satisfaction of continuing to grow a skill which is not only fun but opens you to a limitless world of imagination.

Rosemary Riddell and Bridget Auchmuty