Short Story Retreat Winner!

Thanks again to everyone who entered the competition. This has been such a hard choice to make. I’ve spent days re-reading the shortlist and thinking about the stories while out walking. I really wish there was enough space at the house to give everyone a place – but there isn’t and I also couldn’t afford to!

So, after much pondering, I am delighted to announce that the winner of the competition to win a place at the Short Story Retreat with Paul McVeigh is…

Last Judgement by Rose McGinty

What really made this story stand out as the winner was the completely original take on the prompt, and the grand scale of the world we are presented with in such a small piece. The narrator’s voice is strong from the very first line and although it is a dystopian vision of our world, it feels like we’re not too far from it being very real and it shines a light on our social issues without ever seeming preachy.

Read It

Well done and congratulations, Rose! I look forward to seeing you at the retreat in June.

And I need to give a mention to these three stories that were in hot contention for the prize:

  • Selkie Song by Marianne Paget – beautiful imagery and two distinct points of view made this stand out.
  • Caveat Emptor by Carol Caffrey – brilliant voice and it left me wanting to know more.
  • The Rift by Elinor Perry-Smith – surreal, fast-paced and quite an experience with a really distinctive narrative voice.

Short story retreat long and shortlists

Thanks to everyone that entered the competition to win a place at the short story retreat at a thatched cottage on Chesil Beach. I have really enjoyed reading all of the entries and I’m so impressed by the standard. There were more than 70 stories submitted in total and it has been a tough job coming up with these long and shortlists. The winner of the retreat will be announced on Friday 22nd April. Choosing the final winner is proving to be a very hard choice!

Longlist (A-Z by story title)

  1. A Marriage in Winter by Sarah Baxter
  2. An Extra Ordinary Pilgrimage by F.E. Clark
  3. An Expedition by Sara Roberts
  4. Another Beach by Rebecca Russell
  5. At the beach with Bill and Chrissie by Jude Higgins
  6. Away from Home by Anne O’Leary
  7. Beached by Downith Monaghan
  8. Between the Waves by Caroline Sutherland
  9. Blackout by Carys Puleston
  10. Boats Against the Current by Chris Thomas
  11. Brothers by Ingrid Casey
  12. Caveat Emptor by Carol Caffrey
  13. Chesiled by Marie Gethins
  14. Dead Rain by Cheryl Behr
  15. Doolally Tap by Sarah Edghill
  16. Ebb and Flow by Eimear O’Callaghan
  17. Endangered by Christopher Stanley
  18. Fog by Julie Noble
  19. Forty two by Rose Stevens
  20. Hold Your Breath and Count to Ten by Jan Kaneen
  21. In Plain Sight by LV Hay
  22. Jimmy Choo Shoes by Shannon Savvas
  23. Last Judgement by Rose McGinty
  24. Monsoon by Erika Cule
  25. Nomada by Tina Freeth
  26. Sea Path by Isobel Brown
  27. Selkie Song by Marianne Paget
  28. Shelby Cove by Ann O’Keife
  29. Slip by Lisa Derrick
  30. The Arc of Lust by Marie O’Halloran
  31. The Boat Trip by Dan Purdue
  32. The Freedom of the Sea by Hannah Persaud
  33. The Rift by Elinor Perry-Smith
  34. Throwing the Bones by Sarah Baxter
  35. To Be The Beach by Mandy Huggins

 

Shortlist (A-Z by story title)

  1. An Extra Ordinary Pilgrimage by F.E. Clark
  2. An Expedition by Sara Roberts
  3. Brothers by Ingrid Casey
  4. Caveat Emptor by Carol Caffrey
  5. Chesiled by Marie Gethins
  6. Fog by Julie Noble
  7. Forty two by Rose Stevens
  8. Jimmy Choo Shoes by Shannon Savvas
  9. Last Judgement by Rose McGinty
  10. Selkie Song by Marianne Paget
  11. The Freedom of the Sea by Hannah Persaud
  12. The Rift by Elinor Perry-Smith
  13. Throwing the Bones by Sarah Baxter
  14. To Be The Beach by Mandy Huggins

Competition: Win a place at the Short Story Retreat

From June 17th to 21st, Paul McVeigh and I will be teaching short story writing at this amazing location on Chesil Beach, also home to the stunning cliffs pictured above.

There are just 6 spaces to join us at the Short Story Retreat and you could win one of them by entering this competition.

What does the prize include?

You get your own room for four nights, all food and drink, and three masterclasses during the retreat. The rest of the time you get to write, read, chat with other writers, walk on the beach, sleep, whatever you want to do! Travel isn’t included and it’s up to you to sort that out. Get the full info on the Short Story Retreat here.

How can you win it?

By writing a short story of course! A very short one. Write a flash fiction story up to 500 words starting with the sentence: “It wasn’t really great weather for the beach…

I look forward to reading your stories and maybe to retreating with you to the beach…

Competition T&Cs

  • £10 to enter
  • Everyone that enters will also get a discount of £15.00 on the booking fee if their story doesn’t win the competition and they still want to come
  • Stories must be written in English, your own original work and unpublished online and in print
  • You can enter as many times as you like as long as you pay the fee each time
  • Submit your stories through Submittable by 10pm (BST) on 10th April 2016
  • Winner will be announced on 22nd April 2016
  • The judge’s decision is final
  • By entering the competition you agree to attend the Short Story Retreat and have your story published on the Retreat West website
  • The writer of the winning story gets a free place at the Short Story Retreat and the prize is not transferable


submit