Hmmm. long time no blog. But life has been busy, what with holidays and work and other annoyances.
But some big things have been happening. Last year I judged a short story comp for the Stringybark Short Story Award and the top 26 stories have now been compiled into one book. The winning entry Marngrook is also the title of the book.
Judging the competition was an interesting experience and taught me a bit about writing as well. I enjoy experiences that teach me new and interesting things. Especially about things that i love like writing. In this case it also taught me a bit bout Australian History they didn’t teach in school and I wouldn’t have normally known about, like the brownout murders in Melbourne during the war (the murders were the background to a story that I thought was a delight and very well told. That story came second BTW).
The winning entry was the most fascinating in both the way it was written and the history it told and tied both up quiet well. It tells the story of the wind who watched Australia change over the years and in particular how the Indigenous Australian game of Marngrook inspired the Australian Rules Football. Once again something I didn’t know. When I looked it up on Google and in the library I became interested in the history behind the sports.
And that my friends, is what makes a good story in my opinion. Enjoyable to read and inspires you to learn more about the world.
The book can be bought in several ways one of which is directly from the Stringybark bookshop at http://www.stringybarkstories.net/The_Stringybark_Short_Story_Award/Home.html . Their other books are available there as well.
