This year, First Story launched its first National Writing Day to get people writing. So at Ink Academy we created a Twitter competition to keep people writing – offering writers the chance of a free one-off consultation with founding tutor, Marina Kemp.
We were bowled over by the response – not only the quantity but the quality, originality and breadth of the submissions. All submissions were a pleasure to read. It was heartening to know how much amazing writing is being created every day.
This week we will post the pieces by one of our runners-up, Polly Hall, and the winner, M S Pallister. All are extracts from the beginning of novels, as yet unpublished:
Watch this space…
CM
Runner-up piece from the National Writing Day 2017 Competition held on Twitter.
Polly Hall’s elegantly written, uncomfortable piece of macabre literary fiction both intrigued and disturbed us. It forms the opening of her unpublished novel. Read the extract here.
So you have written your book, and even better, you’ve made sure that the work itself is worthy of an agent’s attention. You have used the brilliant checklist compiled by Electric Literature’s Brandon Taylor on escaping the slushpile: your work has plot, interesting characters, and originality.
Now you just need to show an agent that…
You want to write.
You think – actually, you’re pretty sure – that you’re quite good at writing. Friends find your emails funny, people appreciate your way with words. You read a lot and know when something is not well written and, if you’re really honest with yourself, you know that just sometimes you could do better. At least…
Applying to the Ink Academy Writing Course is quick and simple. Just upload a sample of your writing below, along with your name and email address, and we will be in touch with enrolment details.
The sample of your writing does not need to be polished or perfect, or even from the work you want to develop on the course. It is just so that we can ensure our course is best placed to help you. For more details, please see our FAQs.
Please feel free to include any additional information, for example:
– Anything you’d like us to know about your writing experience, the project you’d like to work on or the submission you’ve uploaded below
– Preferred times and days for tutorials
– Whether you would like any additional Group Workshops (1 is included in the price)