Allow me a little hoot!

In my June post #Tanka 33 — Light and Shadow (plus some scintillating “shades of”), I mentioned the Highly Commended awarded to me in this year’s University of Winchester Writers’ Festival for the first three pages (+synopsis) of my unpublished 90,000-word speculative fiction work, Counting Magpies. Since then, I have gained access to a working scanner, hence the images I’ve shared below.

It’s possible that a few of my blog followers have already clicked on the new widget in my sidebar titled “Latest News” and arrived at the relevant page, but for those who usually access my blog through WordPress Reader, or are email subscribers, you may have missed a chance to see the two fabulous certificates mailed to me by the competition organisers.

Four months on, I’m still touched and humbled by the feedback I received from the judges. So thank you, judges, whoever you are, for giving this author a much-needed boost to her confidence 🙂

For those who missed my three Friday Fictioneers’ posts, with adapted standalone 100-word excerpts from Counting Magpies, here are the links.

Snow Baby

The Ancient School at D-wh-n-e

A Rare Specimen

Author: Sarah Potter Writes

Sarah is a British eccentric who writes offbeat fiction, haiku and tanka poetry. When stuck for words, she sketches or paints instead. She's into nature conservation, sustainability, gardening, dogs, natural health, and reading. Her sociability is something that happens in short bursts with long breathing spaces in between.

19 thoughts on “Allow me a little hoot!”

  2. Oh Sarah Potter, if I were you I would brag daily and frequently during each day. I think that is wonderfully breath taking and the only other time I have seen such is in my dreams. Truthfully I think this recognition is so much more powerful than any degree recognition.

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    1. Thank you, Chris. Writing is always a joy, but it’s the long slog that goes with achieving recognition that’s the real killer. I never attended University, although in my late twenties I trained as a psychiatric nurse the old-fashioned, ward-based way! I’m guessing that in this writing competition, I was pitched against some of the university’s own MA students, but I know that when judging took place, the judges only had access to our pseudonyms. Anyway, I can only surmise but like to believe that all the entrants were of a high caliber!

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  3. This is wonderful, Sarah – I had missed this, so here are my belated congratulations! I’m sure you had stiff competition indeed and what an honor to be compared to Margaret Atwood! Now doubly excited about the novel… 🙂

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    1. Thank you, Sunshine. Indeed that comparison is an honour. I’ve just watched the TV adaptation of her novel The Handmaid’s Tale, which was totally brilliant. I don’t think my portrayal of the future is quite as dark as hers, though! Keep your fingers crossed that a publisher will say yes to my submission. I hate the long wait for an answer. Months might go fast on their side of the fence, but not on mine.

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    1. Thank you, Joss 🙂 For me, it’s overwhelmingly huge. I don’t often enter competitions, as I don’t think I’ll get anywhere, but perhaps I should do so more often. This award did encourage me to enter the whole novel into another big, big, big competition, although it’s best to expect nothing and be bowled over with glorious shock if something good comes out of it!

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      1. If you don’t ask, you don’t receive, someone wiser than I once said! I understand the hesitation and the nerves. Here’s to glorious shock!

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    1. It is, indeed 🙂 I know you’ve had your share of successes, Andrea, and have seen your stories in print more than once. Such recognition keeps one going, even though we would probably never give up writing permanently, whether recognition came our way or not. It just helps to know that not everything we write is destined to disappear into the ether!

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