Big day this week…
Wins!
I’m in print! In an actual book! That I didn’t make and print myself! And it’s on Amazon!
Very excited to get my hands on a copy of the Cambridge Writers 2026 short story anthology last night because a) my highly commended story is in there, b) folks, it’s a weird one, and c) the judge’s comments are included and I’m so glad they are because I don’t think anyone actually believed me.
This is what she said:
I didn’t enjoy this story. In fact, it’s true to say I was revolted by some of the descriptions. I didn’t like the treatment of the subject matter, nor the repulsive physicality of it; I didn’t really like the main character and I certainly didn’t like the mother. But I couldn’t forget it, and the quirky treatment of motherhood was so original that it made me smile. And this story has such a great last line.
That’s right, the judge, Josephine Warrior, began her verdict by saying I DIDN’T ENJOY THIS STORY.
Does that make you want to read it?
Go get yourself a copy and think about how, to at least one person in Cambridge Writers (who kindly told me so), I’m now known as the capacious boob lady…
Rejections
No immediate rejections to shout about this time… Just the continued ghosting plus the ‘I would have heard something by now’ fear for several upcoming competition announcements.
Learnings
Alongside the Cambridge Writers short story anthology launch, Colette Paul, Associate Professor in Creative Writing and Course Leader for Anglia Ruskin University’s Creative Writing courses, ran a workshop ahead of next year’s competition. It was a fun hour or so of plotting out a new story by following these steps:
Start with an autobiographical event
Choose another point of view from which to tell the story i.e. someone (or something?) else that was there
Add a ticking clock i.e. give a sense of momentum
Choose the age of the main character, and make it transitional – all stories are a coming of age story in some way i.e. they’re about a moment of realisation
Add a world event – this adds a layer of authenticity and sets the story in a particular era
Think about binary forces i.e. characters who are contrasting
Think about motifs / props i.e. imagery that can be repeated to mean different things
And somehow, after completing all of that, I’ve ended up with a story where the main character is… a coffin.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Let’s see how much it changes between now and the submission deadline in January.
Readings
Finished: Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan is Killing It. I ADORED this book – I devoured it in a handful of days. The writing is so tight and pacy, and every element of the plot is cleverly interwoven. The premise is top notch (struggling crime writer is mistaken for a hit woman and given a target) and it was very competently executed (sorry not sorry). Lots to learn from this one in terms of clean and efficient writing!
Now reading: Hannah Deitch’s Killer Potential, suggested as a potential comparative title for my own work in progress…
Musings
I wrote a weird story! About a massive breast! That produces food! And it’s in an actual book!
Well, it bears repeating.
Now go read it!
Till next time,
Vicky aka CBL
