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    Hysteria 5
    Hysteria 5
    Hysteria 5
    Ebook145 pages1 hour

    Hysteria 5

    By Linda Parkinson-Hardman

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    About this ebook

    Hysteria 5 is the anthology of all 30 winning stories, flash fiction and poetry from the 2016 Hysteria Writing Competition. Each of these outstanding entries are written by the authors, writers and poets to entertain, stimulate and provoke the reader. Every year we work with the same loose theme, things of interest to women.

    Every year I am stunned and humbled by the breadth and vitality the entries breath into common issues. In this anthology, we include a selection of advice from our judges. They have a wealth of writing, competition and publishing experience that you can draw on in the future.

    This is the fifth anthology from the Hysteria Writing Competition. Hysteria 1, 2, 3 and 4 from the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 competitions are also available to buy. If you’ve enjoyed this collection then you’ll love the others too.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLinda Parkinson-Hardman
    Release dateDec 31, 2017
    ISBN9781370367740
    Hysteria 5
    Author

    Linda Parkinson-Hardman

    I am the author of eight books and the editor of 8 anthologies for the Hysteria Writing Competition.

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      Book preview

      Hysteria 5 - Linda Parkinson-Hardman

      About the Hysteria Writing Competition

      Hysteria is an annual writing competition for women only; it opens on the 1st April each year and closes at midnight on the 31st August. You can find out more about the competition, including rules and guidelines for entries on the Hysterectomy Association website about the next competition at: http://www.HysteriaUK.co.uk.

      Acknowledgements

      The competition and this anthology wouldn’t have been possible without the support and help of our amazing volunteer judges.

      This book is dedicated to them and to the users of the Hysterectomy Association.

      Judges

      Pat Good

      Catherine Menon

      Hannah Onoguwe

      Carol Warham

      Anne Wilson

      Marcia Woolf

      Flash Fiction:

      Alex Reece Abbott

      Veronica Bright

      Helen Chambers

      Stephanie Hutton

      Ingrid Jedrezekjewski

      Sherry Morris

      Poetry:

      Tessa Foley

      Beatriz Menedez

      Lynda Nash

      Mary Oliver

      Julie Turley

      Foreword

      This is the fifth year of the Hysteria Writing Competition. When we began, it was with a single competition in mind, since then it’s grown beyond our original expectations and is now a major part of the Hysterectomy Association year.

      Its purpose is threefold; to help raise funds for the work we do through the association; to produce another book we can add to our collection for purchase by our users and visitors; and perhaps most importantly, it introduces to women who might otherwise never know we exist and who might need our help, information and support in the future.

      Every year we work with the same loose theme, things of interest to women. Every year I am stunned and humbled by the breadth and vitality the entries breath into common issues. Our judges receive so many fantastic entries that it’s almost impossible for them to slide a sliver of paper between them; often only fractions of a point separate the top ten in each category from their fellows.

      In this anthology, we continue the tradition we began two years ago and include a selection of advice from our judges. They have a wealth of writing, competition and publishing experience that you can draw on in the future.

      Linda

      Flash fiction

      The Flash Fiction category was open to entries with a maximum word count of 250 words. These ultra-short stories needed to be complete and give the reader the satisfaction of not being left hanging.

      The challenge when writing flash fiction is to tell a complete story in which every word is essential. It’s important that the writer pares down the padding, peels away the layers and ends up with the pure essence of the story.

      Advice from our Flash Fiction judges

      Helen Chambers

      http://wivenhoewriters.blogspot.co.uk/p/helen-chambers.html

      Flash fiction is such a brilliant form both to read, and to write in. Every word must count, so there should never be any waffle or fluff: powerful verbs and precise nouns carry a clear story. The trick is to evoke a strong sense of place, an atmosphere or feeling into the shortest of stories – and there does need to be a story, a narrative arc. The reader needs to be transported and not notice the writing! I loved reading this year’s entries, and many of them stayed with me long afterwards (the true sign of successful flash fiction). It was a pleasure and a privilege to be a judge.

      Veronica Bright

      http://www.veronicabright.co.uk

      Work hard on your piece of writing to make it stand out from the crowd. Yes, that’s easier said than done, because there’s a lot of talent out there, but be positive. Each one of us is given many opportunities to learn. Find answers to the following questions, and face the opposition more confidently.

      Could you approach your theme from a new and intriguing angle? Your goal is to make a competition judge think, ‘Ah, this sounds very interesting.’

      Is your opening line as riveting as it could be? Entice your reader in.

      Does your middle continue to hold the reader’s attention?

      Have you written a satisfying end?

      Have you used creative language to enhance your work? Make your judge think, ‘I wish I’d thought of that.’

      Have you edited your work several times? A good idea is to write a first draft, put it aside for a few days, and then work through it slowly and carefully.

      Have you read your work aloud to make sure it flows well?

      Have you asked a trusted, honest friend for their opinion? They may be able to spot a pitfall that you’ve missed.

      Have you checked all the rules? If you haven’t followed them carefully, you might as well go outside and post your entrance fee down the nearest drain.

      Winning a prize or making a shortlist is exciting and satisfying, a tremendous boost to confidence. So, keep on entering competitions. Refuse to give up.

      Alex Reece Abbott

      http://www.alexreeceabbott.info

      First of all, thank you and congratulations for sending your work – that’s always a milestone.

      Of course, any judging is highly subjective. To even things out, we were asked to consider aspects including:- imagery; grammar, punctuation and spelling; originality; drama; a clear theme or message; the language and clichés; the old show rather than tell maxim; the distinctiveness of voice; the structure – a clear beginning, middle and end; and how satisfied we were on reading the piece.

      And, not least, how much we enjoyed the work.

      Flash fiction is a demanding form. Generally, the stories that most grabbed me started with a strong, fresh title, one that added something to the piece as a whole. Somehow that signals to your readers that you know what you want to say. Opening lines - and opening words - are so important. And so too, the ending and that last paragraph and/or line; don’t leave your reader hanging. Edit them for impact.

      A few stories really stood out with their original idea or an original approach. If you are writing about a common experience, like relationship problems, then find a fresh angle to disrupt our expectations and bring some drama. If it’s highly personal to you, consider making the voice third person, to give yourself more distance as a writer. Be fresh and specific with your word choices, and use them to create the mood you want to evoke and to engage your readers. I’d like to see more humourous stories too – and stories that include humour to help convey their message. As writers, we are always learning – could any of these aspects of your story be sharpened up? Small changes can make a big difference.

      If you didn’t make the cut this time, then I URGE you to take a fresh look at your story. Tweak it and keep going, submit it some more. And, keep reading the work of other

      flash writers. It’s amazing what you can learn in one page. Good luck!

      Ingrid Jendrzejewski

      http://www.ingridj.com

      It was an honour and privilege to read all the work submitted – and so exciting to see all the different approaches authors had to writing flash fiction.

      Overall, the stories that grabbed me most were the ones that experimented with unique subjects, fresh language and innovative narrative techniques. The stories that relied too heavily on a 'trick' or 'twist' ending didn't tend to stand up to multiple readings unless something else was going on, and stories on common themes (like failing romantic relationships) had to do extra work to stand out.

      As for the stories that were nearly there, several could have been improved with better editing. In flash fiction, every word of every sentence needs to carry its weight. If it's not integral to the story, it should be changed or ruthlessly cut! The title, first line and last line carry extra punch, so it's worth spending the time perfecting these.

      It was extraordinarily difficult to sift through all the pieces that were submitted, and my congratulations go to all the brilliant writers included in this anthology.

      Sea Change

      Sharon Telfer

      My heart sank.

      I watched it go. It fought hard to keep afloat. I took my boathook, knocked back its jellyfish pulses. I had to make sure. Cracked, it bubbled silver as it dropped, an aspirin fizz then one toxic gulp like mercury breaking from a thermometer. It stopped struggling after that, twisted, turned in the tug of the tide,

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