I was trawling through WW successes (I do that several times a day now that I have something listed there!) and noticed that our very own WWer - EmmaD - has won third prize!

Emma, I would love to find out more if you're reading this. ;-)

Ani

It was a big surprise, as I'm really a novelist, and only starting writing short fiction this time last year, to fill up the second year of my MPhil in Writing, having finished the novel in the first year. It was a great do, and I got talking to the man who sifts the entries down to what Jim Crace said he could handle. This entails 10 volunteers reading several hundred scripts each. This bloke Jon Wyatt said that it was really worth submitting early, for the Bridport at least. They get 1,500 scripts in the last week, and with the best will in the world to do everyone justice, he and the other readers are punch-drunk by then. I guess this would be true of any of the other big open competitions. It's a long way to West Dorset, but I'm glad I went: as well as a delicious lunch and that excellent advice, he told me that the other story I submitted very nearly made the cut too, which was very good to hear, and not the sort of thing you can usually find out about the fate of your competition entries!

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And congratulations Ani, on your success, Emma

Emma, many many congratulations - first prize in 2005!

Nell.

Wow, really impressive Emma - now to get the novel published?
Elspeth

Emma,

Thanks for the insider tips! When and where will it be possible to read your prize-winning story? Will there be an anthology?

Ani

Yes, the anthology was published on Saturday - all thirteen winners' work in each category. You can get it on the Bridport website: http://www.bridportprize.org.uk. I think it's about £12. It has the judges' reports and winners' biogs. too.

Just visited the Bridport site. Emma, you have a very interesting bio blurb!

Now I've just read your Bio! Wow!

and congratulations!

Yes, wow indeed!!! Congratulations!

Sam

What a fantastic achievement. Well done and congratulations.

Best
Sion

Emma, if you are still following this thread, can I ask how long your story was? I am put off short story cometitions with 5k limits (apart from the fact that the Bridport is out of my league!) as I never manage anything that long, so think that my stories won't have the necessary depth to be considered. Do you think there's anything in my theory?
Elspeth

Elspeth, I don't know how much help I can be here, because my problem's the opposite - I'm really a novelist and I don't have many stories short enough for the 2-3,000 words that many comps seem to limit you too. Flipping through the Bridport stories, I would say that a few aren't much over 2,500 (and there's one I'd swear was more than 5,000!). I think length is not something that judges take much account of, it's much more important that the story's the right, natural length for itself: padding or stretching show instantly. So many judges seem to talk in terms of finding stories that stick in their minds for a long time after reading them, and if that's the criterion, then intensity must be just as important as length.

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Reading this over, I think I mean that I'm absolutely sure that depth isn't dependent on length: if a story seems shallow, I'm sure it's a question of different words perhaps being needed, not necessarily more of them.
Emma

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And don't think that the Bridport's out of your league - that's what I thought, and very nearly didn't enter at all!
Emma

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My story was 3894 words, though, see above, I don't think that's very important.

Thanks for your reply, Emma. It was interesting and encouraging. Maybe I'll have a go next year if I produce anything worthy enough by then!
Elspeth

Congratulations
What did you spend the prize money on - something outrageously frivolous I hope?
Sue n

Sue, most of it went into the overdraft that this obsessive compulsive disorder called being a writer seems to make inevitable, but I have just bought myself a gorgeous pair of boots!
Emma