IGGY & Litro Young Writers' Prize 2016/17 We are delighted to announce that, for the seventh year running, IGGY will partner with Litro Magazine to host the IGGY and Litro Young Writers’ Prize.
Inspiring, encouraging and acknowledging the creativity of young people is a common goal for IGGY and Litro Magazine. This competition is open to creative 13-18 year olds all over the world.
https://www.iggy.net/writingprize/
HOW TO BECOME A WRITER
Selina Walker is Publisher of Century and Arrow at Penguin Random House UK
A few tips to get you started
Write something every day. It can be anything: a sort of diary, a description of something you’ve noticed, or how someone makes you feel.
You can write a little or a lot — it doesn’t matter as long as you get into the routine of regularly putting words on paper or a screen.
Once you have your idea for a story, write yourself a rough outline.
You will need to work out who your characters are, what type of ‘journey’ you’re taking them on, what’s going to kick their story into gear (your opening), and how it’s going to end.
As soon as you have this sorted, start writing, and do not stop! Try to resist the temptation to self-edit until you get to the end. No matter how awful your story feels or how clunky your prose-style, it doesn’t matter as you will be the only person who sees it.
Above all, remember you’re not a ‘proper’ author till you have nailed this all-important first draft (a friend of mine who’s just finished his first novel said this was the best writing advice anyone has given him).
Think about where you feel comfortable writing, and also where you have your best ideas. Work out what works best for you, and stick to it!
You’ll know you’re on the right track when your characters start talking to you. They may even tell you what they want to do, which may not be quite what you intended for them. If this happens, my advice is to listen to them. It means that something interesting is starting to happen ...
And finally, if you get stuck, think about changing not what you write but how you write it. In short, don’t be afraid to play some mind games with yourself: relax with your chosen medium and try and be a little more experimental. You never know what is going to happen . . .
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3499769/Your-chance-novelist-thinks-ve-got-bestseller-prove-Send-start-masterpiece-winner-gets-book-deal-20-000-advance.html#ixzz4OqmmBhXQ
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