Every day I fail, and love it. I fail to write the amount of words I want to write. I fail to phrase meaning effectively. I fail to establish or maintain character and setting according to my intentions. I fail to edit my own work, being too close to the story. But I love trying! I’m living my best life as a writer, and every day of trying brings me closer to finishing words, polishing phrasing, character, setting and more, then sending stories out into the world. Without failure, I would have no success!
So I want to congratulate everyone out there who’s also trying, every day and every week, to self-actualise and live their best life. You’re amazing, because not everyone tries, so it’s wonderful you’re failing!
In particular, I want to congratulate every creative who entered the Northern Beaches Writers’ Competition this year, the fifth Art & Words project I’ve run for the community, because without trying there is zero chance at success. You’ve got to be in it to win it! Whether you made the shortlist or not, you tried!
This year, the competition received entries from New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria, South Australia, the ACT, Queensland, and Tasmania – all on the theme of glass. Six judges read every story blind, and the quality was so consistent I had to make the executive decision to extend the shortlist from 10 to 20! The winning entries are now free to read online:
1st Place:
‘The Lady Stuck in the Window’ by Caroline Sully
2nd Place:
‘The Hungry Ghost’ by Ivan Logan
Northern Beaches Commendation Award 2024:
‘Glass Heart’ by Kate Mitchell
Thank you so much to the judges whose time and effort made the competition possible: Azmeena Kelly, Mark White, Rae Blair, Victor Petersen, and Sylvia Jimenez – you rock! Thanks to Northern Beaches Council Mayor Sue Heins, whose financial support also made the competition possible – you rock! And thank you to all the writers who entered, without whom there would be no competition. May you try and try again, and next time succeed!
May we all!
